Original text (Latin)
What a woman says to her ardent lover should be written in wind and running water.
To whom am I to present my pretty new book, freshly smoothed off with dry pumice stone?
It is difficult at once to relinquish a long-cherished love.
What woman says to fond lover should be written on air or the swift water.
Most intellectual people do not believe in God, but they fear him just the same.
God seeks comrades and claims love,
the Devil seeks slaves and claims obedience.
Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Catullus (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.