Marcus Valerius Martialis, Epigrammata 10.20

Martial sends his Muse Thalia to deliver his unpretentious little book to Pliny, describing the route past the theater of Orpheus and the home of Pedo, but warns her not to knock on Pliny's door at the wrong hour since he devotes his days to serious work worthy of comparison with Cicero, and advises her to come instead at night when wine and roses reign and even stern Catos might read his verses.

 

Tier 1

I, mea musa Thalia, perfer libellum meum, quod non doctum satis et non severum est, sed tamen non est rusticulum libellum, perfer id Plinio:

Labor est brevis vincere altam viam Suburae peractae (once it's been completed).

In illo loco tu videbis statuam humidam Orpheis vertice humidi theatri et videbis feras mirantes et aquilam quae tulit raptum Phryga (Ganymede) Tonanti (to Juppiter);

In illo loco est parva domus tui Pedonis, caelata (engraved) minore pinna aquilae. Sed Thalia ne pulses ebria (drunkenly) disertam ianuam non tempore bono tibi, videto:

Plinius dat totos dies severae Minervae, dum studet, auribus centum virorum, id quod tempora et populus temporis futuri possit conparare etiam Arpinis chartis (scripta Cicerone).

Thalia, tu Ibis tutior (more safely) ad seram noctem: haec est hora tua, cum Lyaeus (Bacchus) insanus est, cum rosa regnat, cum capilli humidi sunt: tunc etiam rigidi Catones me (meos libellos) legant.

Written by Robert Amstutz