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Marcus Valerius Martialis (Martial) (40-104)
The Advantages Of Learning
I am a man with no ambitions
And few friends, wholly incapable
Of making a living, growing no
Younger, fugitive from some just doom.
Lonely, ill-clothed, what does it matter?
At midnight I make myself a jug
Of hot white wine and cardamon seeds.
In a torn grey robe and shapeless hat,
I sit in the cold writing poems,
Drawing naked figures in the crooked margin,
Fornicating with the insatiable
Virgins of my imagination.
[translated by Kenneth Roxroth, amended by Jamie Chadwick]
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revised 24 November 2005
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