Selections from Horace Satires

Book excerpt: This is the first intermediate-student edition of a selection from Horace's Satires. Satire 1.1 lines 1–12, 28–100, Satire 1.3 lines 25–75 and Satire 2.2 lines 1–30, 70–111 are included as Latin text with an accompanying commentary and vocabulary. Focusing on a deliberately limited number of poems, this edition is designed to be manageable for students reading the text for the first time while also perfectly encapsulating the interest of Horace's other work and inspiring further study of it. A detailed introduction explains points of historical and stylistic interest. 'Telling the truth with a smile' is the way Horace describes his approach to satire in this, his first published poetry. The poems in this collection discuss universal ideas of how we should live our lives simply with regard to money, ambition, food and friendship and how to live contented with what nature provides rather than always yearning for more. The poet does this in a manner which is light but not flippant, always entertaining and powerfully moving at the same time.