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[22by7.livejournal.com]

Because he has bright white teeth, Eg-
    natius whips out a 
tooth-flash on all possible
    (& impossible) occasions.
You're in court. Counsel for defence
    concludes a moving per-
oration. (Grin.) At a funeral,
    on all sides heart-broken
mothers weep for only songs. (Grin.)
    Where, when, whatever the
place or time -- grin. It could be a
    sort of 'tic. If so, it's
a very vulgar tic, Egnatius,
    & one to be rid of.
A Roman, a Tiburtine or
    Sabine, washes his teeth.
Well-fed Umbrians & over-
    fed Etruscans wash theirs
daily. The dark Lanuvians
    (who don't need to), & we
Veronese, all wash our teeth ....
    But we keep them tucked in.
We spare ourselves the nadir of
    inanity -- inane
laughter. You come from Spain. Spaniards
    use their morning urine
for tooth-wash. To us that blinding
    mouthful means one thing &
one only -- the quantity of
    urine you have swallowed. 

- Catullus translated by Peter Whigham.

Comments

[kementari2.livejournal.com]

I like it!