“Young love is errant, but it needs to get around;
The time and practice make it strong and sound.
That bull you fear, you petted when it wasn't big;
What now you sleep beneath was once a twig.
That little stream, in gaining waters as it goes,
Grows stronger, till at last a river flows.”

—  Ovid , book Ars amatoria

Book II, lines 339–344 (tr. Len Krisak)
Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love)

Original

Dum novus errat amor, vires sibi colligat usu: Si bene nutrieris, tempore firmus erit. Quem taurum metuis, vitulum mulcere solebas: Sub qua nunc recubas arbore, virga fuit: Nascitur exiguus, sed opes adquirit eundo, Quaque venit, multas accipit amnis aquas.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Oct. 1, 2023. History

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Ovid 120
Roman poet -43–17 BC

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