little soul

an excerpt from propertius' elegies 1

propertius, elegies 1.1.1-8

Cynthia prima suis miserum me cepit ocellis,
contactum nullis ante cupidinibus.
tum mihi constantis deiecit lumina fastus
et caput impositis pressit Amor pedibus,
donec me docuit castas odisse puellas
improbus, et nullo vivere consilio.
et mihi iam toto furor hic non deficit anno,
cum tamen adversos cogor habere deos.

Cynthia first caught me with her eyes,
pitiful me who had never before been corrupted by any desires.
Then Love dashed the steady pride from my eyes
and pressed down my head with his foot,
until he, the scoundrel, taught me to hate chaste girls
and to live without a plan or purpose.
And now for a whole year this madness has not abandoned me,
as I am forced still to have antagonistic gods.

~translated by dys

I'll have to get back to translating Propertius. His voice really appealed to me for some reason. Perhaps it's the sense of resentment that's marginally amusing.

#latin #love poetry #propertius #translation