Juvenal: SATVRAE

Atticus eximie si cenat, lautus habetur,
si Rutilus, demens. quid enim maiore cachinno
excipitur uolgi quam pauper Apicius? omnis
conuictus, thermae, stationes, omne theatrum
de Rutilo. nam dum ualida ac iuuenalia membra

Atticus, if he dines exquisitely, is held refined,
if Rutilus, mad. For with what greater cachinnation
is the rabble taken than at poor Apicius? every
banquet, the baths, the stations, the whole theatre
is about Rutilus. For while his strong and youthful limbs

sufficiunt galeae dumque ardent sanguine, fertur
non cogente quidem sed nec prohibente tribuno
scripturus leges et regia uerba lanistae.
multos porro uides, quos saepe elusus ad ipsum
creditor introitum solet expectare macelli,

helmets suffice while they blaze with blood, and he is said
—not indeed the tribune compelling, but the tribune likewise not forbidding—
to be about to write laws and the regal words of the lanista.
moreover you see many, whom, having often been eluded, the creditor
is wont to await at the very entrance of the market,

et quibus in solo uiuendi causa palato est.
egregius cenat meliusque miserrimus horum
et cito casurus iam perlucente ruina.
interea gustus elementa per omnia quaerunt
numquam animo pretiis obstantibus; interius si

and for whom in the soil the palate is the sole cause of living.
the distinguished dines, and the most miserable of these eats better
and will soon fall, ruin already shining through.
meanwhile tastes seek elements in all things
never with the mind opposed by prices; more inwardly if

attendas, magis illa iuuant quae pluris ementur.
ergo haut difficile est perituram arcessere summam
lancibus oppositis uel matris imagine fracta,
et quadringentis nummis condire gulosum
fictile; sic ueniunt ad miscellanea ludi.

wait: those things are more pleasing which are bought for more.
therefore it is by no means difficult to summon a perishing sum
with spears opposing one another or with a mother's image broken,
and to cram with 400 coins a greedy earthen vessel;
thus they come to the miscellaneous entertainments of the games.

refert ergo quis haec eadem paret; in Rutilo nam
luxuria est, in Ventidio laudabile nomen
sumit et a censu famam trahit. illum ego iure
despiciam, qui scit quanto sublimior Atlas
omnibus in Libya sit montibus, hic tamen idem

It therefore matters who provides these same things; for in Rutilus there is luxury, in Ventidius he takes up a laudable name and draws fame from his census. I will rightly despise that man who knows how much more lofty Atlas is than all the mountains in Libya, yet this same

ignorat quantum ferrata distet ab arca
sacculus. e caelo descendit gn�yi seaut�n
figendum et memori tractandum pectore, siue
coniugium quaeras uel sacri in parte senatus
esse uelis; neque enim loricam poscit Achillis

he does not know how far a little iron-bound purse differs from an iron chest.
from heaven descends "know thyself" to be engraved and kept in a remembering breast,
whether you seek a marriage or wish to be in place of the sacred senate;
for he does not demand Achilles' cuirass

Thersites, in qua se traducebat Vlixes;
ancipitem seu tu magno discrimine causam
protegere adfectas, te consule, dic tibi qui sis,
orator uehemens an Curtius et Matho buccae.
noscenda est mensura sui spectandaque rebus

Thersites, in which Ulysses was being traduced;
whether you, aiming to shelter an equivocal cause at great peril,
protect what you strive for, consult yourself, tell yourself who you are,
a vehement orator or merely the mouths of Curtius and Matho.
The measure of oneself must be known, and one must be regarded by affairs

in summis minimisque, etiam cum piscis emetur,
ne mullum cupias, cum sit tibi gobio tantum
in loculis. quis enim te deficiente crumina
et crescente gula manet exitus, aere paterno
ac rebus mersis in uentrem fenoris atque

in the greatest and the smallest things, even when fish is bought,
do not desire the mullet, when you have only a goby in your little purses
for when your crumina fail and gluttony grows, what outcome remains for you, with paternal bronze
and your affairs plunged into the belly of usury and

argenti grauis et pecorum agrorumque capacem?
talibus a dominis post cuncta nouissimus exit
anulus, et digito mendicat Pollio nudo.
non praematuri cineres nec funus acerbum
luxuriae sed morte magis metuenda senectus.

heavy with silver and capable of holding herds and fields?
from such masters after all things the very last ring goes out,
and Pollio begs with a bare finger.
not untimely ashes nor a bitter funeral
of luxury, but old age is to be feared more than death.

hi plerumque gradus: conducta pecunia Romae
et coram dominis consumitur; inde, ubi paulum
nescio quid superest et pallet fenoris auctor,
qui uertere solum, Baias et ad ostrea currunt.
cedere namque foro iam non est deterius quam

These commonly are the ranks: money borrowed in Rome
and spent before the masters; then, where a little
I know not what remains and the usury‑author grows pale,
he who only knows how to convert it, to Baiae and to the oysters they run.
for to withdraw from the forum now is no worse than

Esquilias a feruenti migrare Subura.
ille dolor solus patriam fugientibus, illa
maestitia est, caruisse anno circensibus uno.
sanguinis in facie non haeret gutta, morantur
pauci ridiculum et fugientem ex urbe pudorem.

To the Esquiline to migrate from the seething Subura.
that pain alone is for those fleeing the patria, that sorrow is to have been deprived, for one year, of the circenses.
no drop of blood clings upon the face; a few are delayed by ridicule and by the shame of fleeing from the city.

experiere hodie numquid pulcherrima dictu,
Persice, non praestem uita et moribus et re,
si laudem siliquas occultus ganeo, pultes
coram aliis dictem puero sed in aure placentas.
nam cum sis conuiua mihi promissus, habebis

try today whether, O Persian, I am not excelled in life and in manners and in deed by the most beautiful to be spoken of,
if I secretly praise the pods in the granary, porridges proclaimed before others to the boy but cakes whispered into his ear.
for since you are promised to be my guest, you will have

Euandrum, uenies Tirynthius aut minor illo
hospes, et ipse tamen contingens sanguine caelum,
alter aquis, alter flammis ad sidera missus.
fercula nunc audi nullis ornata macellis.
de Tiburtino ueniet pinguissimus agro

Euandrus, you will come—a Tirynthian or a guest younger than that,
and he himself yet, touching the sky with blood,
one by waters sent to the stars, the other by flames.
Now hear the fercula, adorned with no market meats.
From the Tiburtine field will come the fattest man

haedulus et toto grege mollior, inscius herbae
necdum ausus uirgas humilis mordere salicti,
qui plus lactis habet quam sanguinis, et montani
asparagi, posito quos legit uilica fuso.
grandia praeterea tortoque calentia feno

a young kid softer than the whole flock, unknowing of the herbage
not yet daring to nibble the low shoot of the willow,
who has more milk than blood, and mountain
asparagus, which the steward gathers when the laid‑aside spindle is set down.
great things besides, and those warmed by twisted hay

oua adsunt ipsis cum matribus, et seruatae
parte anni quales fuerant in uitibus uuae,
Signinum Syriumque pirum, de corbibus isdem
aemula Picenis et odoris mala recentis
nec metuenda tibi, siccatum frigore postquam

eggs are present with the mothers themselves, and preserved
for part of the year, such as the grapes were on the vines,
the Signine and Syrian pear, from the same baskets
a rival of the Picene and the fruits of recent scent
and not to be feared by you, after having been dried by cold

autumnum et crudi posuere pericula suci.
haec olim nostri iam luxuriosa senatus
cena fuit. Curius paruo quae legerat horto
ipse focis breuibus ponebat holuscula, quae nunc
squalidus in magna fastidit conpede fossor,

and they set the dangers of raw juice for autumn.
these once were the luxurious supper of our senate.
what Curius had gathered from his small garden
he himself used to place by the short hearths, little vegetables, which now
the squalid digger scorns with his great boot,

qui meminit calidae sapiat quid uolua popinae.
sicci terga suis rara pendentia crate
moris erat quondam festis seruare diebus
et natalicium cognatis ponere lardum
accedente noua, si quam dabat hostia, carne.

he who remembers may know what the roll of a hot popina tasted.
the lean backs, their scant cloaks hanging on their frames,
it was once the custom to reserve for feast-days
and to place birthday lard before kinsmen
with new meat added, if any the victim gave.

cognatorum aliquis titulo ter consulis atque
castrorum imperiis et dictatoris honore
functus ad has epulas solito maturius ibat
erectum domito referens a monte ligonem.
cum tremerent autem Fabios durumque Catonem

some kinsman, having held thrice the title of consul and the commands of the camps and the honor of dictator, attended these banquets rather earlier than usual,
bringing back from the subdued mountain an uplifted mattock. But when the Fabii and stern Cato trembled

et Scauros et Fabricium, rigidique seueros
censoris mores etiam collega timeret,
nemo inter curas et seria duxit habendum
qualis in Oceani fluctu testudo nataret,
clarum Troiugenis factura et nobile fulcrum;

and Scaurus and Fabricius, and even his colleague feared the harsh manners of the stern censor,
no one amid cares and serious duties judged fit to consider
what sort of tortoise had been born upon the wave of Ocean,
destined to become a famed prop for the Trojan stock and a noble support;

sed nudo latere et paruis frons aerea lectis
uile coronati caput ostendebat aselli,
ad quod lasciui ludebant ruris alumni.
[tales ergo cibi qualis domus atque supellex.]
tunc rudis et Graias mirari nescius artes

but with a bare flank and a small bronze brow above the straw-beds
the cheap head of the crowned little ass was shown,
at which the wanton lads of the countryside were sportively playing.
[such therefore the food as the house and its furniture.]
then raw and ignorant, not knowing to marvel at the Greek arts

100

urbibus euersis praedarum in parte reperta
magnorum artificum frangebat pocula miles,
ut phaleris gauderet ecus caelataque cassis
Romuleae simulacra ferae mansuescere iussae
imperii fato, geminos sub rupe Quirinos

with cities overthrown and booty in part discovered
the soldier broke the cups of great artisans,
that the steed might rejoice in its phalerae and the helmet embossed
with images of the Romulean beast, bidden by the fate of empire to be tamed,
the twin Quirini beneath the cliff

105

ac nudam effigiem in clipeo uenientis et hasta
pendentisque dei perituro ostenderet hosti.
ponebant igitur Tusco farrata catino:
argenti quod erat solis fulgebat in armis.
omnia tunc quibus inuideas, si liuidulus sis.

and he would show to the enemy the naked effigy of the coming god upon the shield, and the spear and the hanging god, doomed to perish.
therefore they placed in a Tuscan grain‑laden basin:
the silver, which was of the sun, gleamed upon the arms.
all those things, then, which you might envy, if you are somewhat jealous.

110

templorum quoque maiestas praesentior, et uox
nocte fere media mediamque audita per urbem
litore ab Oceani Gallis uenientibus et dis
officium uatis peragentibus. his monuit nos,
hanc rebus Latiis curam praestare solebat

the majesty of the temples also more present, and a voice
at almost midnight and heard through the midst of the city
from the shore by Gauls coming from the Ocean and by the gods
performing the prophet’s office. these warned us,
that it was the custom to bestow this care upon the affairs of Latium

115

fictilis et nullo uiolatus Iuppiter auro.
illa domi natas nostraque ex arbore mensas
tempora uiderunt; hos lignum stabat ad usus,
annosam si forte nucem deiecerat eurus.
at nunc diuitibus cenandi nulla uoluptas,

clay-made, and Jupiter not violated by any gold.
those, born at home, and our tables from the tree have seen seasons;
for these the wood stood for uses, if by chance the east wind had felled an aged nut-tree.
but now for the wealthy there is no pleasure in dining,

120

nil rhombus, nil damma sapit, putere uidentur
unguenta atque rosae, latos nisi sustinet orbis
grande ebur et magno sublimis pardus hiatu
dentibus ex illis quos mittit porta Syenes
et Mauri celeres et Mauro obscurior Indus,

no rhombus, no damma delights; ointments and roses seem to rot
unless a broad platter of great ivory supports them;
aloft a pardus, lofty with a wide gaping of teeth,
from those which the Gate of Syene sends forth,
and the swift Mauri and the Indian darker than a Moor,

125

et quos deposuit Nabataeo belua saltu
iam nimios capitique graues. hinc surgit orexis,
hinc stomacho uires; nam pes argenteus illis,
anulus in digito quod ferreus. ergo superbum
conuiuam caueo, qui me sibi comparat et res

and those which the beast of the Nabataean pasture threw down
now seize me, too excessive and heavy for the head. From this rises appetite,
from this strength in the stomach; for a silver foot for them,
and an iron ring on the finger. Therefore I beware the proud
guest who buys me for himself and the things

130

despicit exiguas. adeo nulla uncia nobis
est eboris, nec tessellae nec calculus ex hac
materia, quin ipsa manubria cultellorum
ossea. non tamen his ulla umquam obsonia fiunt
rancidula aut ideo peior gallina secatur.

he despises trifles. so not a single ounce of ivory is ours,
nor tesserae nor pebble from that material, but the very handles
of knives are osseous. yet with these no relishes ever grow rancid,
nor therefore is a chicken cut any the worse.

135

sed nec structor erit cui cedere debeat omnis
pergula, discipulus Trypheri doctoris, apud quem
sumine cum magno lepus atque aper et pygargus
et Scythicae uolucres et phoenicopterus ingens
et Gaetulus oryx hebeti lautissima ferro

but there will be no builder to whom every hut must yield
the pupil of Trypherus the teacher, before whom
a sow with a great hare and a boar and a pygarg
and the Scythian birds and a huge phoenicopterus
and the Gaetulian oryx, most sumptuously armed with blunt iron

140

caeditur et tota sonat ulmea cena Subura.
nec frustum capreae subducere nec latus Afrae
nouit auis noster, tirunculus ac rudis omni
tempore et exiguae furtis inbutus ofellae.
plebeios calices et paucis assibus emptos

and the Subura's elm banquet is hacked and rings through all.
nor does our bird know how to filch a scrap of goat or the flank of Afra,
a raw recruit and unskilled at every time
and steeped in the petty thefts of a tiny cake.
plebeian cups and bought for a few asses

145

porriget incultus puer atque a frigore tutus,
non Phryx aut Lycius [non a mangone petitus
quisquam erit et magno]: cum posces, posce Latine.
idem habitus cunctis, tonsi rectique capilli
atque hodie tantum propter conuiuia pexi.

An unkempt boy will hold out and be sheltered from the cold,
neither Phryx nor Lycius [no one will be sought by a mangone
nor even by a magno]: if you beg, beg "posces" in Latine.
the same habit for all, shorn and with hair made straight
and even today combed only for the convivia.

150

pastoris duri hic filius, ille bubulci.
suspirat longo non uisam tempore matrem
et casulam et notos tristis desiderat haedos
ingenui uoltus puer ingenuique pudoris,
qualis esse decet quos ardens purpura uestit,

this one the son of a harsh shepherd, that one of a cowherd.
he sighs for a mother not seen for a long time
and sadly longs for his little hut and familiar kids
the boy of ingenuous countenance and ingenuous modesty,
such as befits those whom blazing purple clothes,

155

nec pupillares defert in balnea raucus
testiculos, nec uellendas iam praebuit alas,
crassa nec opposito pauidus tegit inguina guto.
hic tibi uina dabit diffusa in montibus illis
a quibus ipse uenit, quorum sub uertice lusit.

nor does the hoarse one carry pupillary testicles into the baths,
nor does he now offer wings to be plucked,
nor, fearful, does he cover his thick groin with his opposing gullet.
this one will give you wines poured forth in those mountains
from which he himself came, beneath whose summit he played.

160

[namque una atque eadem est uini patria atque ministri.]
forsitan expectes ut Gaditana canoro
incipiant prurire choro plausuque probatae
ad terram tremulo descendant clune puellae,
[spectant hoc nuptae iuxta recubante marito

[for one and the same is the homeland of wine and of the minister.]
perhaps you expect that Gaditanian girls at the tuneful
chorus will begin to itch to dance, and, approved by applause,
with trembling rump descend down to the earth,

[brides watch this with their husband reclining beside them

165

quod pudeat narrare aliquem praesentibus ipsis.]
inritamentum ueneris languentis et acres
diuitis urticae [maior tamen ista uoluptas
alterius sexus]; magis ille extenditur, et mox
auribus atque oculis concepta urina mouetur.

which it would shame to tell any one in the very presence of those present.]
an incitement of languishing Venus and the keen
nettles of rich desire [yet that pleasure of the other sex is greater
]; he is stretched out the more, and soon
the urine, conceived by ears and eyes, is set in motion.

170

non capit has nugas humilis domus. audiat ille
testarum crepitus cum uerbis, nudum olido stans
fornice mancipium quibus abstinet, ille fruatur
uocibus obscenis omnique libidinis arte,
qui Lacedaemonium pytismate lubricat orbem;

The lowly house admits not these trifles. Let him hear
the clatter of tiles with words; let him, naked, standing
in a foul fornix, the mancipium from whom he abstains, enjoy
with obscene voices and every art of lust,
he who lubricates the Lacedaemonian orb with ptyalism;

175

namque ibi fortunae ueniam damus. alea turpis,
turpe et adulterium mediocribus: haec eadem illi
omnia cum faciunt, hilares nitidique uocantur.
nostra dabunt alios hodie conuiuia ludos:
conditor Iliados cantabitur atque Maronis

for there we grant pardon to Fortune. Alea, shameful
and adulterous to the middling: these same things to him
when they do all, are called merry and radiant.
our entertainments will give others today feasts and games:
the author of the Iliad will be sung and of Maro's

180

altisoni dubiam facientia carmina palmam.
quid refert, tales uersus qua uoce legantur?
sed nunc dilatis auerte negotia curis
et gratam requiem dona tibi, quando licebit
per totum cessare diem. non fenoris ulla

high-sounding poems that make the prize doubtful.
what reckons it, in what voice such verses are read?
but now, with business postponed, turn away your cares
and grant yourself a welcome rest, when it will be permitted
to cease for the whole day. no usury at all

185

mentio nec, prima si luce egressa reuerti
nocte solet, tacito bilem tibi contrahat uxor
umida suspectis referens multicia rugis
uexatasque comas et uoltum auremque calentem.
protinus ante meum quidquid dolet exue limen,

nor mention—if, having gone out at first light, she is wont to return by night—let your wife secretly contract bile toward you, bringing back a moist visage with suspicious many wrinkles, and hair disordered and a face and ear grown hot.
immediately, before my threshold, put off whatever grieves,

190

pone domum et seruos et quidquid frangitur illis
aut perit, ingratos ante omnia pone sodalis.
interea Megalesiacae spectacula mappae
Idaeum sollemne colunt, similisque triumpho
praeda caballorum praetor sedet ac, mihi pace

put the house and the slaves and whatever is broken for them
or perishes, set an ungrateful companion before all things.
meanwhile they celebrate the Megalesian spectacles with the mappa,
the Idaean solemnity, and like a triumph the praetor sits amid the spoil of horses, and, if I may say so,

195

inmensae nimiaeque licet si dicere plebis,
totam hodie Romam circus capit, et fragor aurem
percutit, euentum uiridis quo colligo panni.
nam si deficeret, maestam attonitamque uideres
hanc urbem ueluti Cannarum in puluere uictis

though I may speak of the immense and excessive plebs,
the circus holds all Rome today, and an uproar
strikes the ear at the event where I gather the green cloak.
for if it should fail, you would see this city sorrowful and stunned,
this city as if conquered in the dust of Cannae

200

consulibus. spectent iuuenes, quos clamor et audax
sponsio, quos cultae decet adsedisse puellae:
nostra bibat uernum contracta cuticula solem
effugiatque togam. iam nunc in balnea salua
fronte licet uadas, quamquam solida hora supersit

under the consuls. Let the youths behold, whom clamor and bold
a sponsio, whom it befits that a well-groomed girl have seated beside:
let my little skin, contracted by spring, drink the sun
and escape the toga. Even now you may go to the baths with your brow safe,
although a fixed hour still remains

205

ad sextam. facere hoc non possis quinque diebus
continuis, quia sunt talis quoque taedia uitae
magna: uoluptates commendat rarior usus.

until the sixth hour. you cannot do this for five consecutive days,
because such wearinesses of life are great also:
rarer use commends pleasures.