Why rush fame, if the price is death? Martial is in no hurry.

Si post fata venit gloria, non propero.

If after the fates glory comes, I am not rushing.

Si: if

Post fata: after the fates (i.e. after death)

Venit: comes, arrives

Gloria: glory

Non propero: I do not hurry, I am not rushing

Love is a battlefield, says Ovid.

Bella mihi, video, bella parantur.

Wars against me, I see, wars are being prepared.

Bella: wars

Mihi: for me, against me

Video: I see

Parantur: are being prepared

Ausonius plays on passion ungoverned.

Nymphis quae Hylam merserunt furtim:

Naides amore saevo et irrito:

ephebus iste flos erit.

To the nymphs who secretly drowned Hylas, 

 the Naiads’ with savage and unfulfilled love, 

 that young man will be a flower.

Nymphis: to the nymphs

Quae: who

Hylam: accusative of Hylas

Merserunt: they drowned, plunged

Furtim: secretly, stealthily

Naides: the Naiads

Amore: with love

Saevo et irrito: savage and unfulfilled (ablative)

Ephebus: young man (from the Greek)

Iste: that

Flos erit: will be a flower

One friend is a stage, for Seneca.

Satis enim magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus.

Indeed, we are a large enough stage for one another.

Satis: enough, quite

Enim: for, indeed

Magnum: great, large, impressive (agrees with theatrum)

Alter … alteri: one … for the other (reciprocal pronouns)

Theatrum: theatre (literal), stage, spectacle, audience (metaphorical)

Sumus: we are

Ovid speaks of the daring love requires.

Per Styga detur, Stygias transabimus undas; sunt mihi naturae iura novanda meae.

If passage be granted through the Styx, we will cross over Stygian waves; the laws of my nature must be changed

Per: through

Styga: Styx (accusative singular)

Detur: if it be granted

Stygias: Stygian (plural adjective)

Undas: waves

Transabimus: we will cross over

Sunt mihi: I have

Naturae meae: of my nature

Iura: laws

Novanda: must be changed

Seneca emphasises that philosophy is to be lived

Zenonem Cleanthes non expressisset, si tantummodo audisset.

Cleanthes would not have imitated Zeno if he had merely heard him

Zenonem: Zeno (accusative singular)

Cleanthes: proper noun (nominative singular)

Non: not

Expressisset: would have imitated

Si: if

Tantummodo: only, merely

Audisset: had heard

Statius shows the trauma of war. 

Tydea consumpsi! Quanam hoc ego morte piabo?

I have destroyed Tydeus! By what kind of death will I atone this?

Tydea: Tydeus (the person) in the accusative singular

Consumpsi: I have destroyed

Quanam: by what kind of

Hoc: this

Ego: I

Morte: death (ablative of means)

Piabo: I will atone

Juvenal satirises insatiable ambition.

‘Acti,’ inquit, ‘nihil est, nisi Poeno milite portas frangimus et media vexillum pono Subura.’

‘Nothing is achieved’, he said, ‘unless we break the gates with a Carthaginian soldier and I plant the banner in the heart of Subura.’

Acti: driven, led. In context here, it means an action that has happened.

Inquit: he says

Nihil est: nothing is

Nisi: unless

Poeno: by means of Carthaginian

Milite: by means of soldier

Portas: gates

Frangimus: we break 

Et: and

Media: in the middle of

Vexillum: military standard, banner

Pono: I place, plant

Subura: ablative of the district of Rome

Martial laments Vesuvius

Hic est pampineis viridis modo Vesbius umbris

Here is Vesuvius, recently green with the shadows of vine leaves.

Hic: this, here is (nominative singular)

Est: is

Papineis: with vine covered, leafy

Viridis: green

Umbris: with shadows

Modo: recently

Vesuvius: proper noun in the nominative singular

Hermes Trismegistus seeks out the esoteric.

Cupio, inquam, rerum naturam dicere: deumque cognoscere

I wish, I said, to speak of the nature of things, and to know God.

Cupio: I desire, wish

Inquam: I said

Rerum: of things

Naturam: nature

Dicere: to say, speak, explain

Deum: God

-que: and

Cognoscere: to know, learn