Poem 5, by Gaius Valerius Catullus, is one of my favorites.  It’s probably his most famous and it has been translated countless times through the centuries.  I’ve read many poets’ versions and I think Richard Crashaw’s is the best.  Once upon a time, for a very special girl, I really tried…

Honey let’s depart with haste
To your apartment for a taste,

Worry not about this crowd -
Prude, inane, naively proud -

Jealous hearts too lame to know
About what’s shared when we bestow

Understanding, trust, and truth…
Your kiss reveals the goal of youth.

Life can end in one short blink,
Tonight enjoy it to the brink,

Together naked in your warm bed,
Leave solitude for persons dead.

Let’s begin with one light kiss,
Your flushed cheek exists for this,

But, of course, we can’t stop here,
Five wet kisses on your ear,

Then the collar bone and neck,
Dozens of places to check and peck!

Heavens!  I forgot those lips,
So smooth and soft between those hips,

Hundreds for the spots unsung,
To think I’ve yet to use my tongue!

By dawn our tired kisses will measure
Thousands of millions of moments of pleasure,

Then flocks of birds will start to sing
Gorgeous songs about this fling.

They’ll perhaps attempt to count
the number of kisses we did amount;

A perfect night one can’t deprave,
With all those kisses we gave and gave…