Juvenal, Saturae

verticibus timidum caput abluet, inde superbi

eddies she will rinse her timid head; then over the whole field

totum regis agrum nuda ac tremibunda cruentis

of the proud king, naked and trembling, on bloody

erepet genibus; si candida iusserit Io,

knees she will crawl; if white Io commands it,

ibit ad Aegypti finem calidaque petitas

she will go to the ends of Egypt, and water fetched from hot

a Meroe portabit aquas ut spargat in aede

Meroe she will carry back, to sprinkle in the temple

Isidis, antiquo quae proxima surgit ovili.

of Isis that rises right beside the old sheepfold.

credit enim ipsius dominae se voce moneri:

For she believes she is warned by the voice of the Lady herself:

en animam et mentem cum qua di nocte loquantur!

there's a soul and mind for gods to chat with at night!

ergo hic praecipuum summumque meretur honorem,

So the foremost and highest honour is earned by the one

qui grege linigero circumdatus et grege calvo

who, ringed by his linen-clad flock and his bald flock,

plangentis populi currit derisor Anubis.

runs along as Anubis, mocking the breast-beating people.

ille petit veniam, quotiens non abstinet uxor

He begs pardon whenever the wife has not abstained

concubitu sacris observandisque diebus

from sex on the holy days that must be kept,

magnaque debetur violato poena cadurco

and a great penalty is owed for the defiled bedspread,

et movisse caput visa est argentea serpens;

and the silver serpent was seen to move its head;

illius lacrimae meditataque murmura praestant

his tears and well-rehearsed mutterings make sure

ut veniam culpae non abnuat, ansere magno

that pardon for the fault is not refused, bought off by a fat goose,

scilicet et tenui popano corruptus, Osiris.

no doubt, and a thin cake, by Osiris.

Cum dedit ille locum, cophino faenoque relicto

When he has made way, leaving behind her basket and hay,

arcanam Iudaea tremens mendicat in aurem,

a trembling Jewess begs, whispering in her private ear,

interpres legum Solymarum et magna sacerdos

an interpreter of the laws of Jerusalem and high priestess

arboris ac summi fida internuntia caeli.

of the tree, and faithful go-between of highest heaven.

implet et illa manum, set parcius; aere minuto

She too gets her palm filled, but more meagrely; for a tiny coin

qualiacumque voles Iudaei somnia vendunt.

the Jews will sell you any dreams you like.

Spondet amatorem tenerum vel divitis orbi

A tender lover is promised, or a childless rich man's

testamentum ingens calidae pulmone columbae

huge will, once the lung of a warm dove

tractato Armenius vel Commagenus haruspex;

has been handled, by an Armenian or Commagenian entrail-reader;

pectora pullorum rimabitur, exta catelli,

he will probe the breasts of chickens, the guts of a puppy,

interdum et pueri; faciet quod deferat ipse.

sometimes even of a boy; he will commit what he himself could inform on.

Chaldaeis set maior erit fiducia: quidquid

But the Chaldaeans will be trusted more: whatever

dixerit astrologus, credent a fonte relatum

an astrologer says, they will believe was brought from the spring

Hammonis, quoniam Delphis oracula cessant

of Ammon, since at Delphi the oracles have fallen silent

et genus humanum damnat caligo futuri,

and darkness about the future condemns the human race.

praecipuus tamen est horum, qui saepius exul,

Yet the chief of them is the one who has often been exiled,

cuius amicitia conducendaque tabella

through whose friendship and chart for hire

magnus civis obit et formidatus Othoni.

a great citizen died, one whom Otho feared.

inde fides artis, sonuit si dextera ferro

That is what gives his art credit: if his right hand has clanked with iron

laevaque, si longe castrorum in carcere mansit,

and his left, if he has lain long in a military prison;

nemo mathematicus genium indemnatus habebit,

no astrologer will be thought to have a genius unless he has been condemned,

sed qui paene perit, cui vix in Cyclada mitti

but only one who nearly died, who barely managed to be sent to the Cyclades

contigit et parva tandem caruisse Seripho.

and at last got free of little Seriphos.

Consulit ictericae lento de funere matris,

She consults about the lingering death of her jaundiced mother,

ante tamen de te Tanaquil tua, quando sororem

but about you first, your Tanaquil does: when she will bury her sister

efferat et patruos, an sit victurus adulter

and her uncles, and whether her lover is going to live

post ipsam: quid enim maius dare numina possunt?

after her: for what greater gift can the gods give?

haec tamen ignorat quid sidus triste minetur

This one, though, does not know what the gloomy star

Saturni, quo laeta Venus se proferat astro,

of Saturn threatens, in what constellation happy Venus shows herself,

quis mensis damnis, quae dentur tempora lucro:

which month is given to losses, which times to gain:

illius occursus etiam vitare memento,

remember also to avoid running into the woman

in cuius manibus ceu pinguia sucina tritas

in whose hands you see, worn smooth like sticky amber,

cernis ephemeridas, quae nullum consulit et iam

her almanacs; who consults no one, but is now

consulitur, quae castra viro patriamque petente

consulted herself; who, when her husband sets out for camp or home,

non ibit pariter numeris revocata Thrasylli.

will not go with him, called back by the numbers of Thrasyllus.

ad primum lapidem vectari cum placet, hora

When she fancies a ride out to the first milestone, the hour

sumitur ex libro; si prurit frictus ocelli

is taken from the book; if the rubbed corner of her eye

angulus, inspecta genesi collyria poscit;

itches, she inspects her horoscope and then calls for eye-salve;

aegra licet iaceat, capiendo nulla videtur

though she lies sick, no hour seems fitter

aptior hora cibo nisi quam dederit Petosiris.

for taking food than the one Petosiris has given.

Si mediocris erit, spatium lustrabit utrimque

If she is of middling rank, she will walk the space on both sides

metarum et sortes ducet frontemque manumque

of the turning-posts, and draw lots, and present her forehead and hand

praebebit vati crebrum poppysma roganti,

to the seer who calls for a lot of lip-smacking.

divitibus responsa dabit Phryx augur, et Indus

Rich women will get their answers from a Phrygian augur, and from an Indian

conductus, dabit astrorum mundique peritus

hired for it; from an expert in the stars and the heavens,

atque aliquis senior qui publica fulgura condit:

and from some old man who buries the public lightning;

plebeium in circo positum est et in aggere fatum;

the fate of the common people is laid out in the Circus and on the rampart;

quae nudis longum ostendit cervicibus aurum

the woman who shows a long gold [chain] on her bare neck

consulit ante falas delphinorumque columnas

asks, in front of the towers and the dolphin columns,

an saga vendenti nubat caupone relicto.

whether she should drop the tavern-keeper and marry the cloak-seller.

Hae tamen et partus subeunt discrimen et omnis

These women, though, at least undergo the danger of childbirth, and all

nutricis tolerant fortuna urguente labores;

the labours of nursing they endure, as their fortune presses them;

sed iacet aurato vix ulla puerpera lecto,

but hardly any woman lies in childbed on a gilded couch,

tantum artes huius, tantum medicamina possunt,

so powerful are the arts, so powerful the drugs, of the woman

quae steriles facit atque homines in ventre necandos

who makes them barren and, for killing human beings in the womb,

conducit. gaude, infelix, atque ipse bibendum

takes the contract. Rejoice, poor wretch, and with your own hand

porrige quidquid erit; nam si distendere vellet

pass her whatever the drink may be; for if she chose to swell

et vexare uterum pueris salientibus, esses

and trouble her womb with kicking boys, you would

Aethiopis fortasse pater, mox decolor heres

perhaps be the father of an Ethiopian; soon a dark-skinned heir

impleret tabulas numquam tibi mane videndus.

would fill your will, one you would never want to see in the morning.

Transeo suppositos et gaudia votaque saepe

I pass over the substituted children, and the joys and prayers often

ad spurcos decepta lacus, atque inde petitos

cheated at the filthy pools, and the pontiffs fetched from there,

pontifices, salios Scaurorum nomina falso

and the Salii who will carry the name of the Scauri on a false

corpore laturos, stat Fortuna inproba noctu

body. Shameless Fortune stands by at night,

adridens nudis infantibus; hos fovet omni

smiling at the naked infants; she warms them and wraps them in all

involvitque sinu, domibus tunc porrigit altis

the folds of her gown, then hands them over to great houses

secretumque sibi mimum parat; hos amat, his se

and prepares a secret farce for her own amusement; these she loves, on these she

ingerit utque suos semper producit alumnos.

lavishes herself, and always brings them forward as her own nurslings.

Hic magicos adfert cantus, hic Thessala vendit

One man brings magic chants, another sells Thessalian

philtra, quibus valeat mentem vexare mariti

love potions, with which she can unhinge her husband's mind

et solea pulsare natis: quod desipis, inde est,

and beat his backside with a slipper. That is why you are losing your wits,

inde animi caligo et magna oblivio rerum

that is the source of your mental fog and your great forgetfulness of things

quas modo gessisti. tamen hoc tolerabile, si non

you did just now. Still, this is bearable, if you do not

semper aquam portes rimosa ad dolia, semper

always carry water to leaking jars, always

istud onus subeas ipsis manantibus urnis,

take up that burden with the very urns dripping,

quo rabidus nostro Phalarim de rege dedisti.

by which, raving, you made a Phalaris out of our king,

et furere incipias ut avunculus ille Neronis,

and also begin to rave like that uncle of Nero's,

cui totam tremuli frontem Caesonia pulli

into whom Caesonia poured the whole forehead of a trembling

infudit. quae non faciet quod principis uxor?

foal. What woman will not do what an emperor's wife did?

ardebant cuncta et fracta conpage ruebant,

Everything was ablaze and, its frame broken, was collapsing,

non aliter quam si fecisset Iuno maritum

no differently than if Juno had made her husband

insanum, minus ergo nocens erit Agrippinae

insane. Less harmful, then, will be Agrippina's

boletus, siquidem unius praecordia pressit

mushroom, since it stopped the heart of only one

ille senis tremulumque caput descendere iussit

old man and sent his trembling head down

in caelum et longa manantia labra saliva;

into heaven, and his lips running with long drool;

haec poscit ferrum atque ignes, haec potio torquet,

this potion calls for sword and fire, this potion tortures,

haec lacerat mixtos equitum cum sanguine patres.

this one mangles senators mixed with the blood of knights.

tanti partus equae, tanti una venefica constat.

That is what a mare's foal costs, what one poisoner costs.

Oderunt natos de paelice: nemo repugnet,

They hate the children of a concubine: let no one object,

nemo vetet, iam iam privignum occidere fas est.

let no one forbid it; now, now it is lawful to kill a stepson.

paruit imperiis uxorem occidere iussus.

obeyed his commands when ordered to kill his wife.

Satura XV

Satire XV

Quis nescit, Volusi Bithynice, qualia demens

Who does not know, Volusius Bithynicus, what monsters mad

Aegyptos portenta colat? crocodilon adorat

Egypt worships? The crocodile is adored by

pars haec, illa pavet saturam serpentibus ibin;

this region; that one dreads an ibis glutted with snakes;

effigies sacri nitet aurea cercopitheci,

the golden image of a sacred long-tailed monkey gleams

dimidio magicae resonant ubi Memnone chordae

where magic strings sound from the half-broken Memnon

atque vetus Thebe centum iacet obruta portis,

and ancient Thebes lies in ruins with its hundred gates.

illic aeluros, hic piscem fluminis, illic

There they venerate cats, here a river fish, there

oppida tota canem venerantur, nemo Dianam,

whole towns venerate a dog, and no one Diana;

porrum et caepe nefas violare et frangere morsu;

it is sacrilege to violate the leek and onion and break them with a bite;

o sanctas gentes quibus haec nascuntur in hortis

O holy nations, for whom these grow in their gardens