38. Simply to thee I say whatever to say shall behove me
Simpliciter tibi me, quodcumque est, dicere oportet,
natura est quoniam semper aperta mihi:
pedicare volo, tu vis decerpere poma;
quod peto, si dederis, quod petis, accipies.
Simply to thee I say whatever to say shall behove me,
Since my 'nature' alway openly showeth to fight;
Fain would I pedicate thee who'rt Fain to plunder my apples;
An my want thou shalt grant, eke shall be granted thy want.
Since my nature[1] is always open, it behoves me to say to thee--whate'er it is--frankly. I wish to pedicate; thou wishest to pluck apples. What I desire, if thou wilt give: what thou desirest, thou shalt receive.
[1. In the original Latin, natura, punningly used in the double sense 'native character' and 'privy part'.]