Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial) (March 1, 40 AD – between 102 and 104 AD), was a Latin poet from Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan. In these short, witty poems he cheerfully satirises city life and the scandalous activities of his acquaintances, and romanticises his provincial upbringing. He wrote a total of 1,561, of which 1,235 are in elegiac couplets. He is considered to be the creator of the modern epigram.
Read more about Martial: Early Life, Life in Rome, Martial and His Patrons, Martial's Character, Martial's Epigrams, Reception
Famous quotes containing the word martial:
“The country in the town. [Rus in urbe.]”
—Marcus Valerius Martial (c. 40–104)
“Strike the concertina’s melancholy string!
Blow the spirit-stirring harp like any thing!
Let the piano’s martial blast
Rouse the Echoes of the Past,”
—Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836–1911)
“Let the martial songs be written, let the dirges disappear. Let a
race of men now rise and take control!”
—Margaret Abigail Walker (b. 1915)