Exempla antiqua

Issa est passere nequior Catulli,
Issa est purior osculo columbae,
Issa est blandior omnibus puellis,
Issa est carior Indicis lapillis,
Issa est deliciae catella Publi.     5
Hanc tu, si queritur, loqui putabis;
sentit tristitiamque gaudiumque.
Collo nixa cubat capitque somnos,
ut suspiria nulla sentiantur;
et desiderio coacta uentris     10
gutta pallia non fefellit ulla,
sed blando pede suscitat toroque
deponi monet et rogat leuari.
Castae tantus inest pudor catellae,
ignorat Venerem; nec inuenimus     15
dignum tam tenera uirum puella.
Hanc ne lux rapiat suprema totam,
picta Publius exprimit tabella,
in qua tam similem uidebis Issam,
ut sit tam similis sibi nec ipsa.     20
Issam denique pone cum tabella:
aut utramque putabis esse ueram,
aut utramque putabis esse pictam.

Textbooks notes:

In Shelmerdine, comparative adjectives (ch. 21) are 2 chapters after indirect statement (ch. 19), so could read most of it. Could revisit when get to purpose and result (lines 17–20).

In Wheelock, the sequence is indirect statement (25), comparatives (26 & 27), purpose (28), result (29).

Handout with interlinear translation (omits a couple of lines) and grammar exercises at

http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/Latin1000/Readings/1020B/29Martial22.pdf