Amores 1.9

Militat omnis amans, et habet sua castra Cupido;
Attice, crede mihi, militat omnis amans.
quae bello est habilis, Veneri quoque convenit aetas:
turpe senex miles, turpe senilis amor.
quos petiere duces anomos in milite forti,
hos petis in socio bella puella viro:
pervigilant ambo, terra requiescit uterque;
ille fores dominae servat, at ille ducis.
militis officium longa est via: mitte puellam,
strenuus exempto fine sequetur amans;
ibit in adversos montes duplicataque nimbo
flumina, congestas exteret ille nives,
nec freta pressurus tumidos causabitur Euros
aptaque verrendis sidera quaeret aquis.
Quis nis vel miles vel amans et frigora noctis
et denso mixtas perferet imbre nives?
Mittitur infestos alter speculator in hostes,
in rivale oculos alter, ut hoset, tenet.
Ille graves urbes, hic durae limen amicae
obsidet; hic portas frangit, at ille fores/
Saepe soporatos invadere profuit hostes
caedere et armata vulgus inerme manu;
sic fera Threicii ceciderunt agmina Rhesi,
et dominum capti deservistis equi:
nempe maritorum somnis utuntur amantes
et sua sopitis hostibus arma movent.
Custodum transire manus vigilumque catervas
militis et miseri semper amantis opus.
Mars dubius, nec certa Venus: victique resurgunt,
quosque neges umquam posse iacere, cadunt.
Ergo desidiam quicumque vocabat amorem,
desinat: ingenii est experientis Amor.
Ardet in abducta Brseide maestus Achilles
(dum licet, Argeas frangite, Troes opes);
Hecto ab Andromaches conplexibus ibat ad arma,
et galeam capiti quae daret, uxor erat;
summa ducum, Atrides visa Priameide fertur
Maenadis effusis obstipuisse comis;
Mars quoque deprensus fabrilia vncula sensit:
notior in caelo fabula nulla fuit.
Ipse ego segnis eram discintaque in otia natus;
mollierant animos lectus et umbra meos;
inpulit ignavum formosae cura puellae,
iussit et in castris aera merere suis.
inde vides agilem nocturnaque bella gerentem:
qui nolet fieri desidiosus, amet.

Amores 1.3

Iusta precor: quae me nuper praedata puella est
aut amet aut faciat cur ego semper amem
A nimium volui: tantum patiatur amari
audierit nostras tot Cytherea preces.
Accipe, per longos tibi qui deserviat annos;
accipe, qui pura norit amare fide.

Pyramus and Thisbe

Pyramus and Thisbe, the one a most beautiful boy 55
the other preferred to any girl whom the orient had,
they had neighboring houses, where Semiramis is said
to have encircled her high city with a wall of fired bricks.
The neighbors made the acquaintance and first steps (towards love);

Love is born by time. They would have come together by the sanction of the torch, 60
but their parents forbade it; what they were not able to forbid,
was that both burned equally their minds having been captured.
Even with every witness absent, they spoke with nods of the head and signals,
the more the fire was concealed, the more the fire having been concealedf blazes.

The common wall (paries...communis) to the house was opened up with a small crack, 65
which had developed when it was made,
this defect, known to no one through a generation-
what does love not know?-you lovers saw it first,
and you made the journey of your voice; and through that thing
they were accostomed to crossing by slightest murmurs of secure flattery 70

Often, when they stood, Thisbe on this side, Pyramus on that,
and each breath was alternately grasped at,
'hateful wall' they said, 'why are you an obstacle to lovers?'
How great it would be if you would allow us to be joined by our whole body
or, if that is excessive, if you would be open to kisses being given? 75

We are not ungrateful: we admit that we owe you,
the fact that a passage was given for words to friendly ears.'
Having spoken such things to no avail from opposite seat
they said just before night, 'Farewell,' and they gave kisses
to their own part that did not come through from the side opposite their own 80