Juvenal’s Satires

Juvenal (55–140), translated by Kline, A. S. (contact-email)

Juvenal’s Satires are a series of 16 Latin poems from the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD, adhering to the ‘satura’, a structured Roman poetic form for social critique. His work, in five books, employs dactylic hexameter to address societal norms and ethics. Noted for their ironic to outraged tone, the satires examine morality more than the specifics of Roman life, avoiding the explicitness found in Martial or Catullus. Juvenal’s texts, rich with historical and mythological allusions, suggest his audience was the well-educated Roman elite, particularly conservative men. His narrative warns of societal degradation due to foreigners and moral decay within the upper classes. The dating of his books is debated, but Book 5 is post-127 AD, with some arguments placing Book 1 around 100 AD. Juvenal’s contemporaries included Martial, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger.

Author Details

Decimus Junius Juvenalis, known in English as Juvenal, was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century AD. Born between 55 and 60AD, his birthplace is commonly accepted to be Aquinum, a Volscian township. He is best known for his collection of satirical poems, the Satires, comprising 16 poems or more in dactylic hexameter. These poems critique Roman society and social mores, within a poetic tradition of satire that includes Horace and Persius.

The details of Juvenal’s life are largely unknown, with much of the information derived from his own texts and from later biographies, such as the Vita Iuvenalis. He is believed to have been the son or adopted son of a wealthy freedman, and possibly studied under Quintilian. His career as a satirist reportedly began in middle age.

The date of Juvenal’s death is uncertain, with some sources suggesting he outlived the emperor Hadrian who died in 138AD. He may have died in exile or been recalled to Rome, with the latter viewed as more plausible by modern scholars.

Juvenal’s influence extends across literature, inspiring authors such as Samuel Johnson and providing cultural maxims. His work remains a significant source for our understanding of ancient Rome and its social dynamics.

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Kline, A. S.

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