CATULLI CARMEN 1

"Cui dono lepidum novum libellum
arida modo pumice expolitum?
Corneli, tibi; namque tu solebas
meas esse aliquid putare nugas
iam tum cum ausus es unus Italorum
omne aevum tribus explicare chartis
doctis, Iuppiter, et laboriosis.
quare habe tibi quicquid hoc libelli,
qualecumque; quod, o patrona virgo,
plus uno maneat perenne saeclo."

Which I, nekkid, read as,
'To whom am I dedicating my amusing
new book, honed as with dry pumice?
To yourself, Cornelius, to be sure for
you alone think my absurdities, some-
thing; you, an Italian, even dared explain
our era in three learned, well-writ scrolls,
by Jove; so have, for whatever value it may
hold for you, this little book, which, I pray my
Lady Patron, may perdure beyond a century.'

Although I take exception to his 'obscene' labeling,
I think Paul Monk has an excellent Catullus introduction page:
http://www.austhink.org/monk/Catullus.htm

http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/Texts/catullus3.html