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Epigrams, Volume II: Books 6–10
It was to celebrate the opening of the Roman Colosseum in 80 CE that Martial published his first book of poems, "On the Spectacles." Written with satiric wit and a talent for the memorable phrase, the poems in this collection record the broad spectacle of shows in the new arena. The great Latin epigrammist's twelve subsequent books capture the spirit of Roman life--both public and private--in vivid detail. Fortune hunters and busybodies, orators and lawyers, schoolmasters and street hawkers, jugglers and acrobats, doctors and plagiarists, beautiful slaves, and generous hosts are among the diverse characters who populate his verses.
Martial is a keen and sharp-tongued observer of Roman society. His pen brings into crisp relief a wide variety of scenes and events: the theater and public games, life in the countryside, a rich debauchee's banquet, lions in the amphitheater, the eruption of Vesuvius. The epigrams are sometimes obscene, in the tradition of the genre, sometimes warmly affectionate or amusing, and always pointed. Like his contemporary Statius, though, Martial shamelessly flatters his patron Domitian, one of Rome's worst-reputed emperors.
D. R. Shackleton Bailey now gives us, in three volumes, a reliable modern translation of Martial's often difficult Latin, eliminating many misunderstandings in previous versions. The text is mainly that of his highly praised Teubner edition of 1990.
Martial is a keen and sharp-tongued observer of Roman society. His pen brings into crisp relief a wide variety of scenes and events: the theater and public games, life in the countryside, a rich debauchee's banquet, lions in the amphitheater, the eruption of Vesuvius. The epigrams are sometimes obscene, in the tradition of the genre, sometimes warmly affectionate or amusing, and always pointed. Like his contemporary Statius, though, Martial shamelessly flatters his patron Domitian, one of Rome's worst-reputed emperors.
D. R. Shackleton Bailey now gives us, in three volumes, a reliable modern translation of Martial's often difficult Latin, eliminating many misunderstandings in previous versions. The text is mainly that of his highly praised Teubner edition of 1990.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 103
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About the author
Marcus Valerius Martialis
599 books65 followersBorn: March 1, 40 AD, in Augusta Bilbilis (now Calatayud, Spain); Died: ca. 102 AD--Marcus Valerius Martialis, known in English as Martial, was a Latin poet from Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan. In these short, witty poems he cheerfully satirises city life and the scandalous activities of his acquaintances, and romanticises his provincial upbringing. Considered the creator of the modern epigram, Martial wrote a total of 1,561 - 1,235 of which are in elegiac couplets.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 26, 2023
Careful and literal translation of Martial epigrams. Some are funny, like the one in which the wind boycotts a man’s efforts to cover his baldness and age;or the one in which Martial chastises a “friend” in which he gets no display of love other than easy flatulence in his presence; or the one in which his “friend” Baccara insists on being at his disposal for anything he needs while witnessing a long row of struggles, or the one in which a wealthy acquaintance bemoans his troubles and Martial diagnoses his only trouble is being too comfortable….great stuff, could have been written today. Then there are the usual epigrams about sex and naughty behaviour, inheritance chasing and banquet protocol which would delight any historian for the window they provide into Ancient Rome’s everyday life. Unfortunately, there are a lot of epigrams devoted to exalt patrons and compare them and their deeds to various mythological gods and match their fame to that of important deeds. This edition provides very few notes to furnish context and many epigrams remain ininteligible, what does that mean? What is Martial aiming at here? The translation being so literal leaves many of the poems gasping for air in terms of what the poet really means.
Book 4, 92 ( modified without permission)
“ If you need anything, you let me know .” You say ,
Baccara, three or four times a day . Meanwhile,
Grim Secundus duns me in peremptory tones.
You hear it and act clueless Baccara.
My rent is demanded in your presence,
Publicly, and loudly.
And still still you don’t know what I need.
I complain that my coat is threadbare. I’m freezing!
Nothing.
I’ll tell you what I need, I need a comet to strike you dumb
So you’ll never say “ if you need anything…” ever again.
Book 4, 92 ( modified without permission)
“ If you need anything, you let me know .” You say ,
Baccara, three or four times a day . Meanwhile,
Grim Secundus duns me in peremptory tones.
You hear it and act clueless Baccara.
My rent is demanded in your presence,
Publicly, and loudly.
And still still you don’t know what I need.
I complain that my coat is threadbare. I’m freezing!
Nothing.
I’ll tell you what I need, I need a comet to strike you dumb
So you’ll never say “ if you need anything…” ever again.
April 26, 2023
This is the second volume of the Loeb Martial, and I'll refer you to my review of the first volume for the basics. I enjoyed this one every bit as much as the first, and again it was because of the insights into the culture and everyday life in the Empire.
He is particularly scathing about the patron/client relationships, and it's interesting to hear about the friction that that system produced. Having to manage multiple patron relationships and multiple client relationships, all in one day, seems chaotic, and these epigrams tend to confirm that.
I will admit that I was personally offended -- being a flute player in my youth -- by IX, 77, in which he asserts, "Do you want to know what is the best sort of dinner party? One that doesn't have a flute player."
I can admit, though, that this suggests a dinner party where you can talk rather than have to listen to the music; and I would concur.
I was particularly struck by X, 92, in which Martial is preparing to retire to Spain, and is handing over his Nomentan farm to Marrius. He lists the shrines and sacrifices connected to the property, and what should be done for the gods involved. I find myself wondering if Marrius did his duty, and how long that farm kept those rites going.
He is particularly scathing about the patron/client relationships, and it's interesting to hear about the friction that that system produced. Having to manage multiple patron relationships and multiple client relationships, all in one day, seems chaotic, and these epigrams tend to confirm that.
I will admit that I was personally offended -- being a flute player in my youth -- by IX, 77, in which he asserts, "Do you want to know what is the best sort of dinner party? One that doesn't have a flute player."
I can admit, though, that this suggests a dinner party where you can talk rather than have to listen to the music; and I would concur.
I was particularly struck by X, 92, in which Martial is preparing to retire to Spain, and is handing over his Nomentan farm to Marrius. He lists the shrines and sacrifices connected to the property, and what should be done for the gods involved. I find myself wondering if Marrius did his duty, and how long that farm kept those rites going.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews