Cum digno digna ...

Finally Love has come
such one who'd make me more famous
by keeping him a secret out of shame
than by reveiling him to someone.

Generous Venus has answered my poems
with Love in our hearts
She has kept Her promisses: my joy may please Her
though people will voice their doubts about him.

I wouldn't want to return my thanks in sealed tablets
that need my permission for someone to read
but our sin was his and mine
and dolling up my beauty bores me.

Oh, may I be deemed worthy with a worthy one !!

[Translation by 白狐]

Tandem venit amor, qualem texisse pudori
quam nudasse alicui sit mihi fama magis.
Exorata meis illum Cytherea Camenis
adtulit in nostrum deposuit-que sinum.
Exsolvit promissa Venus: mea gaudia narret,
dicetur siquis non habuisse sua.
Non ego signatis quicquam mandare tabellis,
ne legat id nemo quam meus ante, velim,
sed peccasse iuvat, vultus conponere famae
taedet: cum digno digna fuisse ferar.

SVLPICIA [late 1st century B.C.] -- EPISTULAE - I.
Source >> http://www.thelatinlibrary.com

Rewritten into prose >>

Tandem venit amor, qualem [est ut] sit mihi fama magis texisse pudori quam nudasse alicui. Exorata meis Camenis Cytherea illum adtulit in nostrum sinum et deposuit. Exsolvit Venus [Sua] promissa: mea gaudia narret, [sed] dicetur siquis non habuisse sua [gaudia]. Non ego mandare velim quicquam [in] tabellis signatis, ne legat id nemo quam "meus ante", sed peccasse iuvat, [et] vultus famae conponere taedet: [oh,] cum digno digna fuisse ferar !!

-- NOTES in Dutch --

texisse pudori > door uit schaamte te hebben bedekt [geheim-te-houden]
nudasse alicui > door [hem] aan iemand te hebben ontbloot [bekend-te-maken]

Exorata meis illum Cytherea Camenis

verbeden met-mijn hem Venus muzische gedichten > Venus verbeden met mijn muzische gedichten

adtulit in nostrum deposuit-que sinum.

heeft [illum>hem>Amor] naar ons toegedragen toevertrouwd-ook hart > heeft hem ons hart toegedragen en toevertrouwd

. . . siquis non habuisse sua > quis ["this someone"] en "sua" slaan natuurlijk niet op "Venus" en "Sua promissa", en "mea" kan niet vanwege "quis" !!

Non ego [velim] signatis quicquam mandare tabellis,
ne legat id nemo quam meus ante, [...]

niet ik [zou willen] iets opdragen op verzegelde danktafeltjes,
opdat niemand het zou lezen zonder mijn [toestemming] vooraf
[ne ... nemo quam ... > niet ... niemand dan ... = niemand ... zonder ]

Ik veronderstel dat "meus ante" een vaste uitdrukking is en niet aan declinatie onderhevig !!

sed peccasse iuvat = "maar hij helpt gezondigd te hebben" of "maar het gezondigd hebben helpt"

"cum digno digna fuisse ferar." > literally >
"may I be driven/guided to have been worthy with a worthy one"