Juvenal, Satire 7: Whether Verse Will Warm the Heart of Ice, the Singer Doth not Know

Abstract

Translator of Juvenal's text is faced with three problems. First, he or she cannot capture the onomatopoeias, alliterations and other sound effects of the text; second, modern sense of humour has been spoiled if compared to antique one; and last, Juvenal uses numerous allusions to cultural and political life of his own time which tell the modern reader as much as the above title tells someone who is not familiar with the Slovenian literature. First two problems cannot be helped but the last one has two possible solutions: accurate translation accompanied by a large explication, or translation de sensu explaining all proper names and destroying the wit. Neither the first nor the second method is entirely satisfying and the final answer is once again the Aristotelian mesotes. The article is followed by Slovenian translation of Juvenal's Satire 7.