The Gift of Giving

Si donare vocas promittere nec dare, Gai, vincam te donis muneribusque meis. Асcipe Сallaicis quicquid fodit Astur in arvis, aurea quicquid habet divitis unda Таgi, quidquid Erythraea niger invenit Indus in alga, quidquid et in nidis unica servat avis, quidquid Agenoreo Tyros inproba cogit aheno: quidquid habent omnes, accipe, quomodo das. If, Gaius, you call it “giving” when Kind words alone you offer, I can surpass your bounty, then; These gifts to you I proffer: The wealth of the Asturian mines In the Galician fields; The ore that in the river shines — That golden Tagus yields; Pearls the dark Indian deems the best Upon the Eeastern strand, The spices of the phoenix-nest, Dyes from Agenor’s land. Gaius, my friend, for you it is, The wealth of all men living I freely give you all of this — In your own style of giving. Se “donare” tu chiami promettere e non mantenere, ti vo’ vincere, o Gaio, coi donativi miei. Eccoti tutto ciò che si scava in terren di Galizia, e tutto l’oro che porta col ricco flutto il Tago, e le perle che trova l’Indiano nell’alghe eritrèe, e gli aromi che aduna la Fenice nel nido, e quel che Tiro industre raccoglie nel bronzo di Agènore: tutti i tesori del mondo prendili come li dai.

Martial, Epigrams, Book 10, XVII
English translation by Fiona Pitt-Kethley
Italian translation by Giuseppe Lipparini

Hands of a white-handed gibbon is seen at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand, which is due to close down in September 2018 after 80 years of operation. Photo: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA.