Social Commentaries
Ad Pessimos Conjuges
From A Poetical Rhapsody (1602), ed. A. H. Bullen (1890–91)
Why do your wife and you so ill agree,
Since you in manners so well matched be?
Thou brazen-faced; she impudently bold;
Thou still dost brawl; she evermore doth scold.
Thou seldom sober art; she often drunk;
Thou a whore-hunting knave; she a known punk.
Both of you filch, both swear, and damn, and lie;
And both take pawns, and Jewish usury.
Not manners like, make man and wife agree;
Their manners must both like and virtuous be.
Codex Note
Translated from Martial.
Cite this poem
MLA
Davison, Francis. “Ad Pessimos Conjuges.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/davison/32/.
Chicago
Davison, Francis. “Ad Pessimos Conjuges.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/davison/32/.
Read this poem with the Codex →
More by Francis Davison
- A Dialogue in Imitation of That between Horace and Lydia
- To His Friends
- Elegy: He Renounceth His Food, and Former Delight in Music, Poesy, and Painting
- Upon Her Giving Him Back the Paper whereon the Former Song Was Written, as though It Had Been an Answer Thereunto
- To Samuel Daniel, Prince of English Poets, upon His Three Several Sorts of Poesy