Qui modo Nasonis fueramus quinque libelli,
tres sumus; hoc illi praetulit auctor opus.
ut iam nulla tibi nos sit legisse voluptas,
at levior demptis poena duobus erit.
We who had just been five little books of Naso are now three; the author preferred this work to that one. Even if you now find no pleasure in reading us, at least with two books removed the punishment will be lighter.
This is a self-referential poem where the books themselves speak to the reader. ‘Naso’ refers to the poet’s cognomen (family name), a typical way Roman authors referred to themselves. The mention of reducing five books to three reflects the common practice of Roman authors revising and editing their published works. The books are personified, speaking directly to the reader - a literary device known as prosopopoeia. The reference to reading as potential ‘punishment’ (poena) is a self-deprecating joke, but also reflects the Roman view of literature as something that could be both pleasurable and burdensome. The diminutive ‘libelli’ (little books) suggests either physical size or is a gesture of modesty, another common literary convention in Roman poetry.