Social Commentaries
Carmen CX (Cornish)
Translated by F. W. Cornish (Loeb, 1913) · From The Poems of Catullus (Loeb, 1913)
Aufilena, kind mistresses are always well spoken of; they get their price for what they purpose to do. You are no true mistress, for you promised and now you break faith; you take and do not give, and that is a scurvy trick. To comply were handsome, not to promise were to be chaste; but to take all you can get and cheat one of his due shows a woman more greedy than the most abandoned harlot.
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Cite this poem
MLA
Catullus, Gaius Valerius. “Carmen CX (Cornish).” Translated by F. W. Cornish. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/catullus/213/.
Chicago
Catullus, Gaius Valerius. “Carmen CX (Cornish).” Translated by F. W. Cornish. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/catullus/213/.
Read this poem with the Codex →