What you conceal, her more observing eyePerhaps betrays: with oaths the fact deny,And boldly give her jealousy the lie.Not too submissive seem, nor over kind;These are the symptoms of a guilty mind:But no caresses, no endearments spare;Enjoyment pacifies the angry fair.There are, that strong provoking potions praise,And nature with pernicious med'cines raise;Nor drugs, nor herbs, will what you fancy prove,And I pronounce 'em pois'nous all in love.Some pepper bruis'd with seeds of nettle join,And clary steep in bowls of mellow wine:Venus is most averse to forced delights,Extorted flames pollute her genial rites.With fishes' spawn thy feeble nerves recruit,And with eringo's hot salacious root;The goddess worshipp'd by th' Erycian swains,Megara's white shallot, so faint, disdains.New eggs they take, and honey's liquid juice,And leaves and apples of the pine infuse.Prescribe no more, my muse, nor med'cine give,Beauty and youth need no provocative.You that conceal'd your secret crimes before,Proclaim them now, now publish each amour.Nor tax me with inconstancy; we findThe driving bark requires a veering wind:Now northern blasts we court, now southern gales,And ev'ry point befriends our shifted sails.Thus chariot drivers with a flowing reinDirect their steeds, then curb them in again.Indulgence oft corrupts the faithless dame,Secure from rivals she neglects your flame;The mind without variety is cloy'd,And nauseates pleasures it has long enjoy'd.But as a fire whose wasted strength declines,Converts to ashes and but faintly shines,When sulphur's brought the spreading flames return,And glowing embers with fresh fury burn:A rival thus th' ungrateful maid reclaims,Revives desire, and feeds her dying flames.Oft make her jealous, give your fondness o'er,And teaze her often with some new amour.Happy, thrice happy youth, with pleasure bless'd,Too great, too exquisite to be express'd,That view'st the anguish of her jealous breastWhene'er thy guilt the slighted beauty knows,She swoons; her voice, and then her colour goes.Oft would my furious nymph, in burning rage,Assault my locks, and with her nails engage;Then now she'd weep, what piercing glances east,And vow to hate the perjur'd wretch at last.Let not your mistress long your falsehood mourn;Neglected fondness sill to fury turn.But kindly clasp her in your arms again,And on your breast her drooping head sustain;Whilst weeping kiss, amidst her tears enjoy,And with excess of bliss her rage destroy.Let her a while lament, a while complain,Then die with pleasure, as she died with pain.Enjoyment cures her with its powerful charms,She'll sign a pardon in your active arms.
Quae bene celaris, siqua tamen acta patebunt,Illa, licet pateant, tu tamen usque nega.Tum neque subiectus, solito nec blandior esto:Haec animi multum signa nocentis habent:Sed lateri ne parce tuo: pax omnis in uno est;Concubitu prior est infitianda venus.Sunt, qui praecipiant herbas, satureia, nocentesSumere; iudiciis ista venena meis;Aut piper urticae mordacis semine miscent,Tritaque in annoso flava pyrethra mero;Sed dea non patitur sic ad sua gaudia cogi,Colle sub umbroso quam tenet altus Eryx.Candidus, Alcathoi qui mittitur urbe Pelasga,Bulbus et, ex horto quae venit, herba salaxOvaque sumantur, sumantur Hymettia mella,Quasque tulit folio pinus acuta nuces.Docta, quid ad magicas, Erato, deverteris artes?Interior curru meta terenda meo est.Qui modo celabas monitu tua crimina nostro,Flecte iter, et monitu detege furta meo.Nec levitas culpanda mea est: non semper eodemImpositos vento panda carina vehit.Nam modo Threïcio Borea, modo currimus Euro,Saepe tument Zephyro lintea, saepe Noto.Aspice, ut in curru modo det fluitantia rectorLora, modo admissos arte retentet equos.Sunt quibus ingrate timida indulgentia servit,Et, si nulla subest aemula, languet amor.Luxuriant animi rebus plerumque secundis,Nec facile est aequa commoda mente pati.Ut levis absumptis paulatim viribus ignisIpse latet, summo canet in igne cinis,Sed tamen extinctas admoto sulpure flammasInvenit, et lumen, quod fuit ante, redit:Sic, ubi pigra situ securaque pectora torpent,Acribus est stimulis eliciendus amor.Fac timeat de te, tepidamque recalface mentem:Palleat indicio criminis illa tui;O quater et quotiens numero conprendere non estFelicem, de quo laesa puella dolet:Quae, simul invitas crimen pervenit ad aures,Excidit, et miserae voxque colorque fugit.Ille ego sim, cuius laniet furiosa capillos:Ille ego sim, teneras cui petat ungue genas,Quem videat lacrimans, quem torvis spectet ocellis,Quo sine non possit vivere, posse velit.Si spatium quaeras, breve sit, quo laesa queratur,Ne lenta vires colligat ira mora;Candida iamdudum cingantur colla lacertis,Inque tuos flens est accipienda sinus.Oscula da flenti, Veneris da gaudia flenti,Pax erit: hoc uno solvitur ira modo.Cum bene saevierit, cum certa videbitur hostis,Tum pete concubitus foedera, mitis erit.Illic depositis habitat Concordia telis:Illo, crede mihi, Gratia nata loco est.Quae modo pugnarunt, iungunt sua rostra columbae,Quarum blanditias verbaque murmur habet.
First nature lay an undigested mass,Heaven, earth, and ocean, wore one common face;Then vaulted heav'n was fram'd, waves, earth, inclos'd;And chaos was in beauteous forms dispos'd;The beasts inhabit woods, the birds the air,And to their floods the scaly fry repair.Mankind alone enjoyed no certain place,On rapine lived, a rude unpolish'd race;Caves were their houses, herbs their food and bed,Whilst each a savage from the other fled.Love first disarm'd the fierceness of their mind,And in one bed the men and women join'd.The youth was eager, but unskill'd in joy,Nor was the unexperienc'd virgin coy;They knew no courtship, no instructor found,Yet they enjoy'd, and bless'd the pleasing wound.The birds with consorts propagate their kind,And sporting fish their finny beauties find;In am'rous fold the wanton serpents twine,And dogs with their salacious females join.The lusty bull delights his frisking dames,And more lascivious goat her male inflames.Mares furious grow with love, their boundaries force,Plunging thro' waves to meet the neighing horse.Go on, brave youth, thy gen'rous vigor try,To the resenting maid this charm apply;Love's soft'ning pleasures ev'ry grief remove,There's nothing that can make your peace like love.From drugs and philters no redress you'll find,But nature with your mistress will be kind.The love that's unconstrain'd will long endure,Machaon's art was false, but mine is sure.
Prima fuit rerum confusa sine ordine moles,Unaque erat facies sidera, terra, fretum;Mox caelum impositum terris, humus aequore cincta estInque suas partes cessit inane chaos;Silva feras, volucres aer accepit habendas,In liquida, pisces, delituistis aqua.Tum genus humanum solis errabat in agris,Idque merae vires et rude corpus erat;Silva domus fuerat, cibus herba, cubilia frondes:Iamque diu nulli cognitus alter erat.Blanda truces animos fertur mollisse voluptas:Constiterant uno femina virque loco;Quid facerent, ipsi nullo didicere magistro:Arte Venus nulla dulce peregit opus.Ales habet, quod amet; cum quo sua gaudia iungat,Invenit in media femina piscis aqua;Cerva parem sequitur, serpens serpente tenetur,Haeret adulterio cum cane nexa canis;Laeta salitur ovis: tauro quoque laeta iuvenca est:Sustinet inmundum sima capella marem;In furias agitantur equae, spatioque remotaPer loca dividuos amne sequuntur equos.Ergo age et iratae medicamina fortia praebe:Illa feri requiem sola doloris habent:Illa Machaonios superant medicamina sucos:His, ubi peccaris, restituendus eris.
Whilst thus I sung, inflam'd with nobler fire,I heard the great Apollo's tuneful lyre;His hand a branch of spreading laurel bore,And on his head a laurel wreath he wore;Around he cast diffusive rays of light,Confessing all the god to human sight," Thou master of lascivious arts," he said,"To my frequented fane thy pupils lead;And there inscrib'd in characters of gold,This celebrated sentence you'll behold.'First know yourself;' who to himself is known,Shall love with conduct, and his wishes crown.Where nature has a handsome face bestow'd,Or graceful shape, let both be often show'd:Let men of wit and humor silence shun,The artist sing, and soldier bluster on;Of long harangues ye eloquent take heed,Nor thy damn'd works thou teazing poet read."Thus Phoebus spake: ajust obedience give,And these injunctions from a god receive.I mysteries unfold; to my adviceAttend, ye vulgar lovers, and grow wise.The thriving grain in harvest often fails,Oft prosp'rous winds turn adverse to our sails;Few are the pleasures, tho' the toils are great;With patience must submissive lovers wait.What hares on Athos, bees on Hybla feed,Or berries on the circling ivy breed?As shells on sandy shores, as stars above,So num'rous are the sure fatigues of love.The lady's gone abroad, you're told; tho' seen,Distrust your eyes, believe her not within.Her lodgings on the promis'd night are close,Resent it not, but on the earth repose.Her maid will cry with an insulting tone,"'What makes you saunter here? you sot, begone."With moving words the cruel nymph entreat,And place your garland on the bolted gate.
Haec ego cum canerem, subito manifestus ApolloMovit inauratae pollice fila lyrae.In manibus laurus, sacris inducta capillisLaurus erat; vates ille videndus adit.Is mihi 'Lascivi' dixit 'praeceptor Amoris,Duc, age, discipulos ad mea templa tuos,Est ubi diversum fama celebrata per orbemLittera, cognosci quae sibi quemque iubet.Qui sibi notus erit, solus sapienter amabit,Atque opus ad vires exiget omne suas.Cui faciem natura dedit, spectetur ab illa:Cui color est, umero saepe patente cubet:Qui sermone placet, taciturna silentia vitet:Qui canit arte, canat; qui bibit arte, bibat.Sed neque declament medio sermone diserti,Nec sua non sanus scripta poeta legat!'Sic monuit Phoebus: Phoebo parete monenti;Certa dei sacro est huius in ore fides.Ad propiora vocor. Quisquis sapienter amabitVincet, et e nostra, quod petet, arte feret.Credita non semper sulci cum faenore reddunt,Nec semper dubias adiuvat aura rates;Quod iuvat, exiguum, plus est, quod laedat amantes;Proponant animo multa ferenda suo.Quot lepores in Atho, quot apes pascuntur in Hybla,Caerula quot bacas Palladis arbor habet,Litore quot conchae, tot sunt in amore dolores;Quae patimur, multo spicula felle madent.Dicta erit isse foras: intus fortasse videre est:Isse foras, et te falsa videre puta.Clausa tibi fuerit promissa ianua nocte:Perfer et inmunda ponere corpus humo.Forsitan et vultu mendax ancilla superboDicet 'quid nostras obsidet iste fores?'Postibus et durae supplex blandire puellae,Et capiti demptas in fore pone rosas.Cum volet, accedes: cum te vitabit, abibis;Dedecet ingenuos taedia ferre sui.'Effugere hunc non est' quare tibi possit amicaDicere? non omni tempore sensus obest.Nec maledicta puta, nec verbera ferre puellaeTurpe, nec ad teneros oscula ferre pedes.
Why do I light and vulgar precepts use?A nobler subject now inspires my muse;Approaching joys I sing; ye youths, draw near;Listen ye happy lovers and give ear;The labor's great, and daring is my song.Labors and great attempts to love belong.As from the sacred oracles of JoveReceive these grand mysterious truths in love.Look down when she the ogling spark invites,Nor touch the conscious tablets when she writes.Appear not jealous tho' she's much from home,Let her at pleasure go, unquestion'd come.This crafty husbands to their wives permit,And learn, when she's engag'd, to wink at it.I own my frailties modestly confess;And blushing, give those precepts I transgress;Shall I, with patience, the known signal hear,Retire, and leave a happy rival there!What, tamely suffer the provoking wrong,And be afraid to use my hands or tongue!Corinna's husband kiss'd her in my sight;I beat the saucy fool, and seiz'd my right.I, like a fury, for my nymph engage,And like a madman, when I miss her, rage.My passion still prevails, convinc'd I yield!He that submits to this is better skill'd.Expose not, tho' you find her guilty flame,Lest she abandon modesty and shame;Conceal her faults, no secret crimes upbraid;Nothing's so fond as a suspected maid.Discover'd love increases with despair,When both alike the guilt and scandal share:All sense of modesty they lose in time,Whilst each encourages the other's crime.
Quid moror in parvis? Animus maioribus instat;Magna canam: toto pectore, vulgus, ades.Ardua molimur, sed nulla, nisi ardua, virtus:Difficilis nostra poscitur arte labor.Rivalem patienter habe, victoria tecumStabit: eris magni victor in arce Iovis.Haec tibi non hominem, sed quercus crede PelasgasDicere: nil istis ars mea maius habet.Innuet illa, feras; scribet, ne tange tabellas:Unde volet, veniat; quoque libebit, eat.Hoc in legitima praestant uxore mariti,Cum, tener, ad partes tu quoque, somne, venis.Hac ego, confiteor, non sum perfectus in arte;Quid faciam? monitis sum minor ipse meis.Mene palam nostrae det quisquam signa puellae,Et patiar, nec me quo libet ira ferat?Oscula vir dederat, memini, suus: oscula questusSum data; barbaria noster abundat amor.Non semel hoc vitium nocuit mihi: doctior ille,Quo veniunt alii conciliante viri.Sed melius nescisse fuit: sine furta tegantur,Ne fugiat ficto fassus ab ore pudor.Quo magis, o iuvenes, deprendere parcite vestras:Peccent, peccantes verba dedisse putent.Crescit amor prensis; ubi par fortuna duorum est,In causa damni perstat uterque sui.
In heav'n this story's fam'd above the rest,Amongst th' immortal drolls a standing jest.How, Vulcan two transgressing lovers caughtAnd ev'ry god a pleas'd spectator brought.Great Mars for Venus felt a guilty flame,Neglected war, and own'd a lover's name,To his desires the queen of love inclin'd;No nymph in heav'n's so willing, none so kind.Oft the lascivious fair, with scornful pride,Would Vulcan's foot and sooty hands deride;Yet both with decency their passion bore,And modestly conceal'd the close amour,But by the sun betray'd in their embrace,(For what escapes the sun's observing rays? )He told th' affronted god of his disgrace.Ah foolish sun! and much unskill'd in love,Thou hast an ill example set above!Never a fair offending nymph betray,She'll gratefully oblige you ev'ry way:The crafty spouse around his bed preparesNets that deceive the eye, and secret snares:A journey feigns, the impatient lovers met,And naked were expos'd in Vulcan's net.The gods deride the criminals in chains,And scarce from tears the queen of love refrains;Nor could her hands conceal her guilty face,She wants that cover for another place.To burly Mars a gay spectator said," Why so uneasy in that envied bed?On me transfer your chains; I'll freely comeFor your release, and suffer in your room."At length, kind Neptune, freed by thy desires,Mars goes for Crete, to Paphos she retires,Their loves augmented with revengeful fires;Now conversant with infamy and shame,They set no bounds to their licentious flame.But honest Vulcan, what was thy pretence,To act so much unlike a god of sense?They sin in public, you the shame repent,Convinc'd that love increase with punishment.Tho' in your pow'r, a rival ne'er expose,Never his intercepted joys disclose:This I command, Venus commands the same,Who hates the snares she once sustain'd with shame.
Fabula narratur toto notissima caelo,Mulciberis capti Marsque Venusque dolis.Mars pater, insano Veneris turbatus amore,De duce terribili factus amator erat.Nec Venus oranti (neque enim dea mollior ulla est)Rustica Gradivo difficilisque fuit.A, quotiens lasciva pedes risisse maritiDicitur, et duras igne vel arte manus.Marte palam simul est Vulcanum imitata, decebat,Multaque cum forma gratia mixta fuit.Sed bene concubitus primos celare solebant.Plena verecundi culpa pudoris erat.Indicio Solis (quis Solem fallere possit?)Cognita Vulcano coniugis acta suae.Quam mala, Sol, exempla moves! Pete munus ab ipsaEt tibi, si taceas, quod dare possit, habet.Mulciber obscuros lectum circaque superqueDisponit laqueos: lumina fallit opus.Fingit iter Lemnon; veniunt ad foedus amantes:Impliciti laqueis nudus uterque iacent.Convocat ille deos; praebent spectacula capti:Vix lacrimas Venerem continuisse putant.Non vultus texisse suos, non denique possuntPartibus obscenis opposuisse manus.Hic aliquis ridens 'in me, fortissime Mavors,Si tibi sunt oneri, vincula transfer!' ait.Vix precibus, Neptune, tuis captiva resolvitCorpora: Mars Thracen occupat, illa Paphon.Hoc tibi pro facto, Vulcane: quod ante tegebant,Liberius faciunt, ut pudor omnis abest:Saepe tamen demens stulte fecisse fateris,Teque ferunt artis paenituisse tuae.Hoc vetiti vos este; vetat deprensa DioneInsidias illas, quas tulit ipsa, dare.Nec vos rivali laqueos disponite, nec vosExcipite arcana verba notata manu.Ista viri captent, si iam captanda putabunt,Quos faciet iustos ignis et unda viros.En, iterum testor: nihil hic, nisi lege remissumLuditur: in nostris instita nulla iocis.
What impious wretch will Ceres' rites expose,Or Juno's solemn mysteries disclose!His witty torments Tantalus deserves,That thirsts in waves and viewing banquets starves.But Venus most in secresy delights:Away, ye babblers, from her silent rites!No pomp her mysteries attend, no noise!No sounding brass proclaims the latent joys!With folded arms the happy pair possess,Nor should the fond betraying tongue confessThose raptures, which no language can express.When naked Venus casts her robes aside,The parts obscene her hands extended hide;No girl on propagating beasts will gaze,But hangs her head, and turns away her face.We darken'd beds and doors for love provide;What nature cannot, decent habit hide.Love darkens courts, at most a glimm'ring light,To raise our joys, and just oblige the sight.Ere happy men beneath the roof were laid,When oaks provided them with food and shade,Some gloomy cave receiv'd the wanton pair;For light too modest, and unshaded air!From public view they decently retir'd,And secretly perform'd what love inspir'd.Now scarce a modish fop about the town,But boasts with whom, how oft, and where 'twas done;They taste no pleasure, relish no delight,Till they recount what pass'd the happy night.But men of honour always thought is base,To prostitute each kinder nymph's embrace:To blast her fame, and vainly hurt his own,And furnish scandal for a lewd lampoon.And here I must some guilty arts excuse,And disingenuous shifts that lovers use,To wrong the chaste and innocent abuse.When long repuls'd they find their courtship vain,Her character with infamy they stain;Denied her person they debauch her fame,And brand her innocence with public shame.Go, jealous fool, the injur'd beauty guard,Let ev'ry door be lock'd, and window barr'd!The suff'ring nymph remains expos'd to wrong,Her name's a prostitute to ev'ry tongue;For malice with joy the lie receive,Report, and what it wishes true, believe.
Quis Cereris ritus ausit vulgare profanis,Magnaque Threïcia sacra reperta Samo?Exigua est virtus praestare silentia rebus:At contra gravis est culpa tacenda loqui.O bene, quod frustra captatis arbore pomisGarrulus in media Tantalus aret aqua!Praecipue Cytherea iubet sua sacra taceri:Admoneo, veniat nequis ad illa loquax.Condita si non sunt Veneris mysteria cistis,Nec cava vesanis ictibus aera sonant,At sic inter nos medio versantur in usu,Se tamen inter nos ut latuisse velint.Ipsa Venus pubem, quotiens velamina ponit,Protegitur laeva semireducta manu.In medio passimque coit pecus: hoc quoque visoAvertit vultus nempe puella suos.Conveniunt thalami furtis et ianua nostris,Parsque sub iniecta veste pudenda latet:Et si non tenebras, ad quiddam nubis opacaeQuaerimus, atque aliquid luce patente minus.Tum quoque, cum solem nondum prohibebat et imbremTegula, sed quercus tecta cibumque dabat,In nemore atque antris, non sub Iove, iuncta voluptas;Tanta rudi populo cura pudoris erat.At nunc nocturnis titulos inponimus actis,Atque emitur magno nil, nisi posse loqui!Scilicet excuties omnes, ubi quaeque, puellas,Cuilibet ut dicas 'haec quoque nostra fuit,'Nec desint, quas tu digitis ostendere possis?Ut quamque adtigeris, fabula turpis erit?Parva queror: fingunt quidam, quae vera negarent,Et nulli non se concubuisse ferunt.Corpora si nequeunt, quae possunt, nomina tangunt,Famaque non tacto corpore crimen habet.I nunc, claude fores, custos odiose puellae,Et centum duris postibus obde seras!Quid tuti superest, cum nominis extat adulter,Et credi quod non contigit esse, cupit?Nos etiam veros parce profitemur amores,Tectaque sunt solida mystica furta fide.
With care conceal whatever defects you find,To all her faults seem like a lover blind.Naked Andromeda when Perseus view'd,He saw her faults, but yet pronounc'd them good.Andromache was tall, yet some reportHer Hector was so blind he thought her short.At first what's nauseous lessens by degrees;Young loves are nice, and difficult to please.The infant plant that bears a tender rind,Reels to and fro with ev'ry breath of wind;But shooting upward to a tree at last,It stems the storm, and braves the strongest blastTime will defects and blemishes endear,And make them lovely to your eyes appear:Unusual scents at first may give offence;Time reconciles them to the vanquish'd sense.Her vices soften with some kinder phrase;If she is swarthy as the negro's face,Call it a graceful brown, and that complexion praise.The ruddy lass must be like Venus fair,Or like Minerva that has yellow hair.If pale and meagre, praise her shape and youth,Active when small, when gross she's plump and smooth.Ev'ry excess by soft'ning terms disguise,And in some neighb'ring virtue hide each vibe.Nor ask her age, consult no register,Under whose reign she's born, or what's the year!If fading youth chequers her hair with white,Experience makes her perfect in delight;In her embrace sublimer joys are found,A fruitful soil, and cultivated ground!The hours enjoy whilst youth and pleasures last,Age hurries on, and death pursues too fast.Or plough the seas, or cultivate the land,Or wield the sword in thy advent'rous hand;Or much in love thy nervous strength employ,Embrace the fair, the grateful maid enjoy;Pleasure and wealth reward thy pleasing pains,The labour's great, but greater far the gains.Add their experience in affairs of love,For years and practice do alike improve,Their arts repair the injuries of time,And still preserve them in their charming prime;In varied ways they act the pleasure o'er,Not pictur'd postures can instruct you more.They want no courtship to provoke delight,But meet your warmth with eager appetite;Give me enjoyment, when the willing dameGlows with desires, and burns with equal flame.I love to hear the soft transporting joys,The frequent sighs, the tender murm'ring voice;To see her eyes with varied pleasures move,And all the nymph confess the pow'r of love.Nature's not thus indulgent to the young,These joys alone to riper years belong;Who youth enjoys, drinks crude unready wine,Let age your girl and sprightly juice refine,Mellow their sweets, and make the taste divide.To Helen who'd Hermione prefer,Or Gorge think beyond her mother fair;But he that covets the experienc'd dame,Shall crown his joys and triumph in his flame.
Parcite praecipue vitia exprobrare puellis,Utile quae multis dissimulasse fuit.Nec suus Andromedae color est obiectus ab illo,Mobilis in gemino cui pede pinna fuit.Omnibus Andromache visa est spatiosior aequo:Unus, qui modicam diceret, Hector erat.Quod male fers, adsuesce, feres bene; multa vetustusLeniet, incipiens omnia sentit amor.Dum novus in viridi coalescit cortice ramus,Concutiat tenerum quaelibet aura, cadet:Mox eadem ventis, spatio durata, resistet,Firmaque adoptivas arbor habebit opes.Eximit ipsa dies omnes e corpore mendas,Quodque fuit vitium, desinit esse mora.Ferre novae nares taurorum terga recusant:Adsiduo domitas tempore fallit odor.Nominibus mollire licet mala: fusca vocetur,Nigrior Illyrica cui pice sanguis erit:Si straba, sit Veneri similis: si rava, Minervae:Sit gracilis, macie quae male viva sua est;Dic habilem, quaecumque brevis, quae turgida, plenam,Et lateat vitium proximitate boni.Nec quotus annus eat, nec quo sit nata, require,Consule, quae rigidus munera Censor habet:Praecipue si flore caret, meliusque peractumTempus, et albentes iam legit illa comas.Utilis, o iuvenes, aut haec, aut serior aetas:Iste feret segetes, iste serendus ager.Dum vires annique sinunt, tolerate labores:Iam veniet tacito curva senecta pede.Aut mare remigiis, aut vomere findite terras,Aut fera belligeras addite in arma manus,Aut latus et vires operamque adferte puellis:Hoc quoque militia est, hoc quoque quaerit opes.Adde, quod est illis operum prudentia maior,Solus et artifices qui facit, usus adest:Illae munditiis annorum damna rependunt,Et faciunt cura, ne videantur anus.Utque velis, venerem iungunt per mille figuras:Invenit plures nulla tabella modos.Illis sentitur non inritata voluptas:Quod iuvet, ex aequo femina virque ferant.Odi concubitus, qui non utrumque resolvunt;Hoc est, cur pueri tangar amore minus.Odi quae praebet, quia sit praebere necesse,Siccaque de lana cogitat ipsa sua.Quae datur officio, non est mihi grata voluptas:Officium faciat nulla puella mihi.Me voces audire iuvat sua gaudia fassas,Quaeque morer meme sustineamque rogent.Aspiciam dominae victos amentis ocellos:Langueat, et tangi se vetet illa diu.Haec bona non primae tribuit natura iuventae,Quae cito post septem lustra venire solent.Qui properant, nova musta bibant: mihi fundat avitumConsulibus priscis condita testa merum.Nec platanus, nisi sera, potest obsistere Phoebo,Et laedunt nudos prata novella pedes.Scilicet Hermionen Helenae praeponere posses,Et melior Gorge, quam sua mater, erat?At venerem quicumque voles adtingere seram,Si modo duraris, praemia digna feres.
One conscious bed receives the happy pair;Retire, my muse; the door demands thy care.What charming words, what tender things are said,What language flows without the useless aid!There shall the roving hand employment find,Inspire new flames, and make e'en virgins kind.Thus Hector did Andromache delight,Hector in love victorious, as in fight.When weary from the field Achilles came,Thus with delays he rais'd Briseis' flame;Ah, could those arms, those fatal hands, delight!Inspire kind thoughts, and raise thy appetite!Coulds't thou, fond maid, be charm'd with his embrace,Stain'd with the blood of half thy royal race.Nor yet with speed the fleeting pleasures waste,Still moderate your love's impetuous haste;The bashful virgin, tho' appearing coy,Detains your hand, and hugs the proffer'd joy.Then view her eyes, with humid lustre bright,Sparkling with rage, and trembling with delight;Her kind complaints, her melting accents hear,The eye she charms, and wounds the list'ning ear.Defer not then the clasping nymphs embrace,But with her love maintain an equal pace;Raise to her heights the transports of your soul,And fly united to the happy goal.Observe these precepts when with leisure bless'dNo threatening fears your private hours molest.When danger's near, your active force employ,And urge with eager speed the hasty joy.Then ply your oars, then practise this advice,And strain with whip and spur to gain the prize.
Conscius, ecce, duos accepit lectus amantes:Ad thalami clausas, Musa, resiste fores.Sponte sua sine te celeberrima verba loquentur,Nec manus in lecto laeva iacebit iners.Invenient digiti, quod agant in partibus illis,In quibus occulte spicula tingit Amor.Fecit in Andromache prius hoc fortissimus Hector,Nec solum bellis utilis ille fuit.Fecit et in capta Lyrneside magnus Achilles,Cum premeret mollem lassus ab hoste torum.Illis te manibus tangi, Briseï, sinebas,Imbutae Phrygia quae nece semper erant.An fuit hoc ipsum, quod te, lasciva, iuvaret,Ad tua victrices membra venire manus?Crede mihi, non est veneris properanda voluptas,Sed sensim tarda prolicienda mora.Cum loca reppereris, quae tangi femina gaudet,Non obstet, tangas quo minus illa, pudor.Aspicies oculos tremulo fulgore micantes,Ut sol a liquida saepe refulget aqua.Accedent questus, accedet amabile murmur,Et dulces gemitus aptaque verba ioco.Sed neque tu dominam velis maioribus ususDesere, nec cursus anteat illa tuos;Ad metam properate simul: tum plena voluptas,Cum pariter victi femina virque iacent.Hic tibi versandus tenor est, cum libera danturOtia, furtivum nec timor urget opus.Cum mora non tuta est, totis incumbere remisUtile, et admisso subdere calcar equo.
The work's complete, triumphant palms prepareWith flow'ry deaths adorn my flowing hair.As to the Greeks was Poldalirius' art,To heal with med'cines the afflicted part;Nestor's advice, Achilles' arms in field,Automedon for chariot-driving skill'd;As Calchas could explain the mystic bird,And Telemon could wield the brandish'd sword;Such to the town my fam'd instructions prove,So much am I renown'd for arts of love.Me ev'ry youth shall praise, extol my name,And o'er the globe diffuse my lasting fame.I arms provide against the scornful fair;Thus Vulcan arm'd Achilles for the war.Whatever youth shall with my aid o'ercome,And lead his Amazon in triumph home;Let him that conquers and enjoys the dame,In gratitude for his instructed flame,Inscribe the spoils with my auspicious name.The tender girls my precepts next demand,Them I commit to a more skilful hand.
Finis adest operi: palmam date, grata iuventus,Sertaque odoratae myrtea ferte comae.Quantus apud Danaos Podalirius arte medendi,Aeacides dextra, pectore Nestor erat,Quantus erat Calchas extis, Telamonius armis,Automedon curru, tantus amator ego.Me vatem celebrate, viri, mihi dicite laudes,Cantetur toto nomen in orbe meum.Arma dedi vobis: dederat Vulcanus Achilli;Vincite muneribus, vicit ut ille, datis.Sed quicumque meo superarit Amazona ferro,Inscribat spoliis 'Naso magister erat.'Ecce, rogant tenerae, sibi dem praecepta, puellae:Vos eritis chartae proxima cura meae!