Catius, where from, where going? ‘No time to stop,
I’ve got to set down new precepts, ones that outdo
Pythagoras, Anytus’ accused, and learned Plato.’
It’s wrong I confess to trouble you at so awkward
A moment, but kindly grant me your pardon, please.
If anything now is lost, you’ll soon recall it,
Whether it’s art or nature your memory’s a marvel.
‘Well, it’s a worry how to hold it all in mind,
Since it’s a subtle theme, framed in subtle language.’
Declare the teacher’s name and if he’s Roman or not.
‘I’ll tell you the precepts themselves, but hide their author.
Remember to serve eggs of elliptical shape,
Since they’re whiter and better flavoured than the round:
They’re harder-shelled and the yoke inside is male.
Cabbages grown in dry soil taste sweeter than those
From farms near town: tasteless from moist gardens.
If a guest suddenly descends on you in the evening,
To whose palate a tough fowl might not be the answer,
You’d be wise to plunge it alive in diluted Falernian:
That will tenderise it. Mushrooms from the meadows
Are best quality: others are dubious. Healthy
Each summer he’ll be, who ends his lunch with black
Mulberries, picked from the tree before the sun’s strong.’