Classic Poem

Most charming Martialis:
These things will give you solace:
Wealth that’s unmerited
Since it’s inherited;
Land yielding fair returns,
A fire that always burns;
A lack of legal woes
Or need for formal clothes;
Peace and tranquility,
Well-honed nobility;
Good health, an earnest way
Free of naivete;
Good friends with homes to share,
A table’s hearty fare;
A night’s sobriety
Without anxiety,
A bed not too austere,
Sound sleep to still your fear
And self-awareness
Free of insecurity.
Don’t race to death’s release
But face that day with peace.

— Translated from the Latin of Martial
by A. M. Juster


(Original Latin)

VITAM quae faciunt beatiorem,
Fucundissime Martialis, haec sunt:
Res non parta labore sed relicta;
Non ingrates ager, focus perennis;
Lis numquam, toga rara, mens quieta;
Vires ingenuae, salubre corpus;
Prudens simplicitas, pares amici,
Convictus facilis, sine arte mesa;
Nox non ebria sed soluta curis,
Non tristis torus et tamen pudicus;
Somnus qui faciat breves tenebras:
Quod sis esse veils nihilque malis;
Summum nee metuas diem nec optes.