| DE SPECTACULIS - 2 | ROME RESTORED |
| Martial (M. Valerius Martialis) | trans. A.S.Kline |
|
Hic ubi sidereus propius uidet astra colossus et crescunt media pegmata celsa uia, inuidiosa feri radiabant atria regis unaque iam tota stabat in urbe domus; hic ubi conspicui uenerabilis Amphitheatri erigitur moles, stagna Neronis erant; hic ubi miramur uelocia munera thermas, abstulerat miseris tecta superbus ager; Claudia diffusas ubi porticus explicat umbras, ultima parts aulae deficientis erat. Reddita Roma sibi est et sunt te preside, Caesar, deliciae populi, quae fuerant domini. |
Just here, where Nero’s skyey colossus sees stars, and the scaffolding towers up high, right in the way, once shone the nasty halls of that cruel king, and only the one Golden House in all of Rome. Just here, where the Amphitheatre’s honoured pile rises, towering before our eyes, was Nero’s lake. Just here, where we gaze at Titus’s thermal baths, swift gift, proud acres razed the poor man’s roof. Where the Claudian colonnade spreads wide its shade, that golden palace’s outermost corner came to an end. Caesar, Rome’s back to herself, now you’re in charge, and the master’s pleasures are the people’s now. |
Trans. Copyright © A.S.Kline 2003