Saturday, February 25, 2012

Cur tantum eunuchos...

Here is today's distich by Martial, 6.67. The male priests of Cybele for notorious for castrating themselves, as told dramatically in Catullus 63.

Cur tantum eunuchos habeat tua Caelia, quaeris,
Pannyche? Volt futui Caelia, nec parere.


Pannicus, dost wish to know
Why thy Gellia favours so
The priests of Cybele? To sport
She loves, and pay no suffering for't.
- Anon.

Here is the vocabulary:

cur - why
tantum - only
eunuchus - eunuch
habeo - have
tuus - your
Caelia - Caelia
quaero - ask, inquire
Pannychus - Pannychus
volo - want, wish, will
futuo - have sexual relations
nec - nor; and not
pario - give birth, bear children