Epigrammata Marci Valerii Martialis

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Martial's epigrams were short pieces of verse which he used to poke fun at politicians or members of higher Roman society of the day. Most of them seem to be in good humor, but as usual that satirical black humor leaves one wondering about the author's true state of mind. Martial was a guest at many dinners, although he was often invited just for his wit and ability to entertain company, and thus he often sat far from those who invited him and drank lesser wines. Unlike many of the characters that filled his world and his writing, he lived a rather humble lifestyle. For more information about his life, see my short biography of Martial. Here I've given the Latin text for eight of his epigrams which I picked out myself, as well as my notes on them and my own translations. Again, since this site is for students, I have provided my rather literal translations. Keep in mind that many of these epigrams deserve much more liberal translations.

VI, lx
X, cii
I, lxiv
V, lxxiii
V, 1xxxi
VIII, xxi
XII, x
XII, x1

I think this is an appropriate introduction, although there could be so many:

VI, lx

NOTES:

LINE 1: a) 'nostros' = "meos." Many poets used plural forms of various things in place of the singular. Catullus did as Martial has done here, using the plural possessive adjective instead of the singular. Vergil, Catullus, Ovid, to name a few, often used nouns in the plural instead of the singular (this is called the poetic plural). Ovid conjugated verbs in the first person plural sometimes even when expressing "I."

LINE 2: a) 'me...me' - Martial uses "me," but the implication is "my work." He's claiming that his Epigrams sold like hotcakes.

LINE 3: a) 'quidam' - not referring to anyone in particular.

LINE 4: a) 'nobis...nostra' - see the note on LINE 1.

MY TRANSLATION:

This poem demonstrates fully Martial's wit and clever cruelty. It ridicules two people for claiming to be what they are not. Martial holds nothing back. Watch the language.

X, cii

NOTES:

LINE 1: a) Lines one and two are an indirect question.
b) 'futuit' - to get the full meaning of this, an english speaker must translate it with a certain four-letter word. I have chosen the polite way here.

LINE 3: a) 'dicat' - probably jussive subjunctive. It could be potential. Since the Romans, when speaking Latin, obviously did not think of the language in the mechanical way in which we do, one ought to arrive at a better understanding of verb mood by reading the Latin out loud and not thinking of it in terms of English.

MY TRANSLATION:

Ouch. Not vulgar, but frank. I would say that if one lived in Martial's time it would be a good idea to keep oneself on his good side.

I, lxiv

NOTES:

LINE 1: a) 'puella' - This noun implies youth, as it is the word used by love poets to refer to the girl whom they love.

LINE 2: a) 'quis enim potest negare?' - Beauty is, after all, in the eyes of the beholder. Fabulla's beauty depends on what others think of her.

LINE 4: a) - Denies what previously could not be denied. How fickle society can be.

MY TRANSLATION:

Quarelling among writers.

V, lxxiii

NOTES:

LINE 1-3: a) 'non...miraris' - indirect question.
b) 'oranti' and 'exigenti' - these two words agree with 'tibi.'
c) 'miraris' - here "wonder." Other times it means, "wonder at (something)."

MY TRANSLATION:

Here Martial's satirical wit somes into play. Cynicism is evident here, and one must keep in mind that Martial himself led quite a humble life.

V, 1xxxi

NOTES:

MY TRANSLATION:

This is one of my favorites of Martial's Epigrams. It is an example of the Latin language's versatility because the slight difference of a single word can entirely change the meaning of a sentence when compared to a word whose definition is extremely similar. While this reflects the sexist attitude of Roman society, I still think that, public correctness aside, it is a fascinating little window into the author's life and world.

VIII, xii

NOTES:

LINES 1-2: a) 'uxorem...quaeritis' - indirect question.

LINE 2: a) 'uxori nubere nolo meae' - "Nubere" takes the dative case, and it is a verb that means "marry." "ducere (in matrimonium) often has the same meaning. The difference, however, between these two words, is that the latter is used when a man is doing the marrying, the former when the subject is a woman. Therefore, by using the woman's verb for marrying in line two, Martial is implying that he wants to occupy the dominant role in the relationship, which was obviously that of the man.

LINES 3-4: a) These two lines make the sexist attitude of that time extremely evident. The use of the present indicative in line five makes sure the reader gets the message.

MY TRANSLATION:

Here Martial complains again about the times in which he lives and the unfairness of things - mainly things of a monetary nature.

XII, x

NOTES:

LINE 1: a) 'miliens' - translate liberally.

LINE 2: Beautiful.

MY TRANSLATION:

'simplicitas' is his middle name.

XII, x1

NOTES:

LINE 4: a) Rather suggestive.

LINE 5: a) 'mortuus' = "cum mortuus ero" - Interesting use of the perfect active participle. We have nothing this effective and efficient in english.

LINE 6: a) 'morere' - active imperative of a deponent verb.

MY TRANSLATION: