Lays of Ancient Rome/Horatius

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Horatius from a woodcut by JR Weguelin (1879) for the Lays of Ancient Rome.

Horatius

A Lay Made About the Year Of The City CCCLX

<poem>

              I
    Lars Porsena of Clusium
         By the Nine Gods he swore
    That the great house of Tarquin
         Should suffer wrong no more.
    By the Nine Gods he swore it,
         And named a trysting day,
    And bade his messengers ride forth,
    East and west and south and north,
         To summon his array.
              II
    East and west and south and north
         The messengers ride fast,
    And tower and town and cottage
         Have heard the trumpet's blast.
    Shame on the false Etruscan
         Who lingers in his home,
    When Porsena of Clusium
         Is on the march for Rome.
              III
    The horsemen and the footmen
         Are pouring in amain
    From many a stately market-place,
         From many a fruitful plain,
    From many a lonely hamlet,
         Which, hid by beech and pine,
    Like an eagle's nest, hangs on the crest
         Of purple Apennine;
              IV
    From lordly Volaterræ,
         Where scowls the far-famed hold
    Piled by the hands of giants
         For godlike kings of old;
    From seagirt Populonia,
         Whose sentinels descry
    Sardinia's snowy mountain-tops
         Fringing the southern sky;
              V
    From the proud mart of Pisæ,
         Queen of the western waves,
    Where ride Massilia's triremes
         Heavy with fair-haired slaves;
    From where sweet Clanis wanders
         Through corn and vines and flowers;
    From where Cortona lifts to heaven
         Her diadem of towers.
              VI
    Tall are the oaks whose acorns
         Drop in dark Auser's rill;
    Fat are the stags that champ the boughs
         Of the Ciminian hill;
    Beyond all streams Clitumnus
         Is to the herdsman dear;
    Best of all pools the fowler loves
         The great Volsinian mere.
              VII
    But now no stroke of woodman
         Is heard by Auser's rill;
    No hunter tracks the stag's green path
         Up the Ciminian hill;
    Unwatched along Clitumnus
         Grazes the milk-white steer;
    Unharmed the water fowl may dip
         In the Volsinian mere.
              VIII
    The harvests of Arretium,
         This year, old men shall reap;
    This year, young boys in Umbro
         Shall plunge the struggling sheep;
    And in the vats of Luna,
         This year, the must shall foam
    Round the white feet of laughing girls
         Whose sires have marched to Rome.
              IX
    There be thirty chosen prophets,
         The wisest of the land,
    Who alway by Lars Porsena
         Both morn and evening stand:
    Evening and morn the Thirty
         Have turned the verses o'er,
    Traced from the right on linen white
         By mighty seers of yore.
              X
    And with one voice the Thirty
         Have their glad answer given:
    "Go forth, go forth, Lars Porsena;
         Go forth, beloved of Heaven;
    Go, and return in glory
         To Clusium's royal dome;
    And hang round Nurscia's altars
         The golden shields of Rome."
              XI
    And now hath every city
         Sent up her tale of men;
    The foot are fourscore thousand,
         The horse are thousands ten.
    Before the gates of Sutrium
         Is met the great array.
    A proud man was Lars Porsena
         Upon the trysting day.
              XII
    For all the Etruscan armies
         Were ranged beneath his eye,
    And many a banished Roman,
         And many a stout ally;
    And with a mighty following
         To join the muster came
    The Tusculan Mamilius,
         Prince of the Latian name.
              XIII
    But by the yellow Tiber
         Was tumult and affright:
    From all the spacious champaign
         To Rome men took their flight.
    A mile around the city,
         The throng stopped up the ways;
    A fearful sight it was to see
         Through two long nights and days.
              XIV
    For aged folks on crutches,
         And women great with child,
    And mothers sobbing over babes
         That clung to them and smiled,
    And sick men borne in litters
         High on the necks of slaves,
    And troops of sun-burned husbandmen
         With reaping-hooks and staves,
              XV
    And droves of mules and asses
         Laden with skins of wine,
    And endless flocks of goats and sheep,
         And endless herds of kine,
    And endless trains of wagons
         That creaked beneath the weight
    Of corn-sacks and of household goods,
         Choked every roaring gate.
              XVI
    Now, from the rock Tarpeian,
         Could the wan burghers spy
    The line of blazing villages
         Red in the midnight sky.
    The Fathers of the City,
         They sat all night and day,
    For every hour some horseman come
         With tidings of dismay.
              XVII
    To eastward and to westward
         Have spread the Tuscan bands;
    Nor house, nor fence, nor dovecote
         In Crustumerium stands.
    Verbenna down to Ostia
         Hath wasted all the plain;
    Astur hath stormed Janiculum,
         And the stout guards are slain.
              XVIII
    I wis, in all the Senate,
         There was no heart so bold,
    But sore it ached, and fast it beat,
         When that ill news was told.
    Forthwith up rose the Consul,
         Up rose the Fathers all;
    In haste they girded up their gowns,
         And hied them to the wall.
              XIX
    They held a council standing,
         Before the River-Gate;
    Short time was there, ye well may guess,
         For musing or debate.
    Out spake the Consul roundly:
         "The bridge must straight go down;
    For, since Janiculum is lost,
         Nought else can save the town."
              XX
    Just then a scout came flying,
         All wild with haste and fear:
    "To arms! to arms! Sir Consul:
         Lars Porsena is here."
    On the low hills to westward
         The Consul fixed his eye,
    And saw the swarthy storm of dust
         Rise fast along the sky.
              XXI
    And nearer fast and nearer
         Doth the red whirlwind come;
    And louder still and still more loud,
    From underneath that rolling cloud,
    Is heard the trumpet's war-note proud,
         The trampling, and the hum.
    And plainly and more plainly
         Now through the gloom appears,
    Far to left and far to right,
    In broken gleams of dark-blue light,
    The long array of helmets bright,
         The long array of spears.
              XXII
    And plainly and more plainly,
         Above that glimmering line,
    Now might ye see the banners
         Of twelve fair cities shine;
    But the banner of proud Clusium
         Was highest of them all,
    The terror of the Umbrian,
         The terror of the Gaul.
              XXIII
    And plainly and more plainly
         Now might the burghers know,
    By port and vest, by horse and crest,
         Each warlike Lucumo.
    There Cilnius of Arretium
         On his fleet roan was seen;
    And Astur of the four-fold shield,
    Girt with the brand none else may wield,
    Tolumnius with the belt of gold,
    And dark Verbenna from the hold
         By reedy Thrasymene.
              XXIV
    Fast by the royal standard,
         O'erlooking all the war,
    Lars Porsena of Clusium
         Sat in his ivory car.
    By the right wheel rode Mamilius,
         Prince of the Latian name;
    And by the left false Sextus,
         That wrought the deed of shame.
              XXV
    But when the face of Sextus
         Was seen among the foes,
    A yell that rent the firmament
         From all the town arose.
    On the house-tops was no woman
         But spat towards him and hissed,
    No child but screamed out curses,
         And shook its little fist.
              XXVI
    But the Consul's brow was sad,
         And the Consul's speech was low,
    And darkly looked he at the wall,
         And darkly at the foe.
    "Their van will be upon us
         Before the bridge goes down;
    And if they once may win the bridge,
         What hope to save the town?"
              XXVII
    Then out spake brave Horatius,
         The Captain of the Gate:
    "To every man upon this earth
         Death cometh soon or late.
    And how can man die better
         Than facing fearful odds,
    For the ashes of his fathers,
         And the temples of his gods,
              XXVIII
    "And for the tender mother
         Who dandled him to rest,
    And for the wife who nurses
         His baby at her breast,
    And for the holy maidens
         Who feed the eternal flame,
    To save them from false Sextus
         That wrought the deed of shame?
              XXIX
    "Haul down the bridge, Sir Consul,
         With all the speed ye may;
    I, with two more to help me,
         Will hold the foe in play.
    In yon strait path a thousand
         May well be stopped by three.
    Now who will stand on either hand,
         And keep the bridge with me?"
              XXX
    Then out spake Spurius Lartius;
         A Ramnian proud was he:
    "Lo, I will stand at thy right hand,
         And keep the bridge with thee."
    And out spake strong Herminius;
         Of Titian blood was he:
    "I will abide on thy left side,
         And keep the bridge with thee."
              XXXI
    "Horatius," quoth the Consul,
         "As thou sayest, so let it be."
    And straight against that great array
         Forth went the dauntless Three.
    For Romans in Rome's quarrel
         Spared neither land nor gold,
    Nor son nor wife, nor limb nor life,
         In the brave days of old.
              XXXII
    Then none was for a party;
         Then all were for the state;
    Then the great man helped the poor,
         And the poor man loved the great:
    Then lands were fairly portioned;
         Then spoils were fairly sold:
    The Romans were like brothers
         In the brave days of old.
              XXXIII
    Now Roman is to Roman
         More hateful than a foe,
    And the Tribunes beard the high,
         And the Fathers grind the low.
    As we wax hot in faction,
         In battle we wax cold:
    Wherefore men fight not as they fought
         In the brave days of old.
              XXXIV
    Now while the Three were tightening
         Their harness on their backs,
    The Consul was the foremost man
         To take in hand an axe:
    And Fathers mixed with Commons
         Seized hatchet, bar, and crow,
    And smote upon the planks above,
         And loosed the props below.
              XXXV
    Meanwhile the Tuscan army,
         Right glorious to behold,
    Come flashing back the noonday light,
    Rank behind rank, like surges bright
         Of a broad sea of gold.
    Four hundred trumpets sounded
         A peal of warlike glee,
    As that great host, with measured tread,
    And spears advanced, and ensigns spread,
    Rolled slowly towards the bridge's head,
         Where stood the dauntless Three.
              XXXVI
    The Three stood calm and silent,
         And looked upon the foes,
    And a great shout of laughter
         From all the vanguard rose:
    And forth three chiefs came spurring
         Before that deep array;
    To earth they sprang, their swords they drew,
    And lifted high their shields, and flew
         To win the narrrow way;
              XXXVII
    Aunus from green Tifernum,
         Lord of the Hill of Vines;
    And Seius, whose eight hundred slaves
         Sicken in Ilva's mines;
    And Picus, long to Clusium
         Vassal in peace and war,
    Who led to fight his Umbrian powers
    From that gray crag where, girt with towers,
    The fortress of Nequinum lowers
         O'er the pale waves of Nar.
              XXXVIII
    Stout Lartius hurled down Aunus
         Into the stream beneath;
    Herminius struck at Seius,
         And clove him to the teeth;
    At Picus brave Horatius
         Darted one fiery thrust;
    And the proud Umbrian's gilded arms
         Clashed in the bloody dust.
              XXXIX
    Then Ocnus of Falerii
         Rushed on the Roman Three;
    And Lausulus of Urgo,
         The rover of the sea;
    And Aruns of Volsinium,
         Who slew the great wild boar,
    The great wild boar that had his den
    Amidst the reeds of Cosa's fen,
    And wasted fields, and slaughtered men,
         Along Albinia's shore.
              XL
    Herminius smote down Aruns:
         Lartius laid Ocnus low:
    Right to the heart of Lausulus
         Horatius sent a blow.
    "Lie there," he cried, "fell pirate!
         No more, aghast and pale,
    From Ostia's walls the crowd shall mark
    The track of thy destroying bark.
    No more Campania's hinds shall fly
    To woods and caverns when they spy
         Thy thrice accursed sail."
              XLI
    But now no sound of laughter
         Was heard among the foes.
    A wild and wrathful clamor
         From all the vanguard rose.
    Six spears' lengths from the entrance
         Halted that deep array,
    And for a space no man came forth
         To win the narrow way.
              XLII
    But hark! the cry is Astur:
         And lo! the ranks divide;
    And the great Lord of Luna
         Comes with his stately stride.
    Upon his ample shoulders
         Clangs loud the four-fold shield,
    And in his hand he shakes the brand
         Which none but he can wield.
              XLIII
    He smiled on those bold Romans
         A smile serene and high;
    He eyed the flinching Tuscans,
         And scorn was in his eye.
    Quoth he, "The she-wolf's litter
         Stand savagely at bay:
    But will ye dare to follow,
         If Astur clears the way?"
              XLIV
    Then, whirling up his broadsword
         With both hands to the height,
    He rushed against Horatius,
         And smote with all his might.
    With shield and blade Horatius
         Right deftly turned the blow.
    The blow, though turned, came yet too nigh;
    It missed his helm, but gashed his thigh:
    The Tuscans raised a joyful cry
         To see the red blood flow.
              XLV
    He reeled, and on Herminius
         He leaned one breathing-space;
    Then, like a wild cat mad with wounds,
         Sprang right at Astur's face.
    Through teeth, and skull, and helmet
         So fierce a thrust he sped,
    The good sword stood a hand-breadth out
         Behind the Tuscan's head.
              XLVI
    And the great Lord of Luna
         Fell at that deadly stroke,
    As falls on Mount Alvernus
         A thunder smitten oak:
    Far o'er the crashing forest
         The giant arms lie spread;
    And the pale augurs, muttering low,
         Gaze on the blasted head.
              XLVII
    On Astur's throat Horatius
         Right firmly pressed his heel,
    And thrice and four times tugged amain,
         Ere he wrenched out the steel.
    "And see," he cried, "the welcome,
         Fair guests, that waits you here!
    What noble Lucomo comes next
         To taste our Roman cheer?"
              XLVIII
    But at his haughty challenge
         A sullen murmur ran,
    Mingled of wrath, and shame, and dread,
         Along that glittering van.
    There lacked not men of prowess,
         Nor men of lordly race;
    For all Etruria's noblest
         Were round the fatal place.
              XLIX
    But all Etruria's noblest
         Felt their hearts sink to see
    On the earth the bloody corpses,
         In the path the dauntless Three:
    And, from the ghastly entrance
         Where those bold Romans stood,
    All shrank, like boys who unaware,
    Ranging the woods to start a hare,
    Come to the mouth of the dark lair
    Where, growling low, a fierce old bear
         Lies amidst bones and blood.
              L
    Was none who would be foremost
         To lead such dire attack;
    But those behind cried, "Forward!"
         And those before cried, "Back!"
    And backward now and forward
         Wavers the deep array;
    And on the tossing sea of steel
    To and frow the standards reel;
    And the victorious trumpet-peal
         Dies fitfully away.
              LI
    Yet one man for one moment
         Strode out before the crowd;
    Well known was he to all the Three,
         And they gave him greeting loud.
    "Now welcome, welcome, Sextus!
         Now welcome to thy home!
    Why dost thou stay, and turn away?
         Here lies the road to Rome."
              LII
    Thrice looked he at the city;
         Thrice looked he at the dead;
    And thrice came on in fury,
         And thrice turned back in dread:
    And, white with fear and hatred,
         Scowled at the narrow way
    Where, wallowing in a pool of blood,
         The bravest Tuscans lay.
              LIII
    But meanwhile axe and lever
         Have manfully been plied;
    And now the bridge hangs tottering
         Above the boiling tide.
    "Come back, come back, Horatius!"
         Loud cried the Fathers all.
    "Back, Lartius! back, Herminius!
         Back, ere the ruin fall!"
              LIV
    Back darted Spurius Lartius;
         Herminius darted back:
    And, as they passed, beneath their feet
         They felt the timbers crack.
    But when they turned their faces,
         And on the farther shore
    Saw brave Horatius stand alone,
         They would have crossed once more.
              LV
    But with a crash like thunder
         Fell every loosened beam,
    And, like a dam, the mighty wreck
         Lay right athwart the stream:
    And a long shout of triumph
         Rose from the walls of Rome,
    As to the highest turret-tops
         Was splashed the yellow foam.
              LVI
    And, like a horse unbroken
         When first he feels the rein,
    The furious river struggled hard,
         And tossed his tawny mane,
    And burst the curb and bounded,
         Rejoicing to be free,
    And whirling down, in fierce career,
    Battlement, and plank, and pier,
         Rushed headlong to the sea.
              LVII
    Alone stood brave Horatius,
         But constant still in mind;
    Thrice thirty thousand foes before,
         And the broad flood behind.
    "Down with him!" cried false Sextus,
         With a smile on his pale face.
    "Now yield thee," cried Lars Porsena,
         "Now yield thee to our grace."
              LVIII
    Round turned he, as not deigning
         Those craven ranks to see;
    Nought spake he to Lars Porsena,
         To Sextus nought spake he;
    But he saw on Palatinus
         The white porch of his home;
    And he spake to the noble river
         That rolls by the towers of Rome.
              LIX
    "Oh, Tiber! Father Tiber!
         To whom the Romans pray,
    A Roman's life, a Roman's arms,
         Take thou in charge this day!"
    So he spake, and speaking sheathed
         The good sword by his side,
    And with his harness on his back,
         Plunged headlong in the tide.
              LX
    No sound of joy or sorrow
         Was heard from either bank;
    But friends and foes in dumb surprise,
    With parted lips and straining eyes,
         Stood gazing where he sank;
    And when above the surges,
         They saw his crest appear,
    All Rome sent forth a rapturous cry,
    And even the ranks of Tuscany
         Could scarce forbear to cheer.
              LXI
    But fiercely ran the current,
         Swollen high by months of rain:
    And fast his blood was flowing;
         And he was sore in pain,
    And heavy with his armor,
         And spent with changing blows:
    And oft they thought him sinking,
         But still again he rose.
              LXII
    Never, I ween, did swimmer,
         In such an evil case,
    Struggle through such a raging flood
         Safe to the landing place:
    But his limbs were borne up bravely
         By the brave heart within,
    And our good father Tiber
         Bare bravely up his chin.
              LXIII
    "Curse on him!" quoth false Sextus;
         "Will not the villain drown?
    But for this stay, ere close of day
         We should have sacked the town!"
    "Heaven help him!" quoth Lars Porsena
         "And bring him safe to shore;
    For such a gallant feat of arms
         Was never seen before."
              LXIV
    And now he feels the bottom;
         Now on dry earth he stands;
    Now round him throng the Fathers;
         To press his gory hands;
    And now, with shouts and clapping,
         And noise of weeping loud,
    He enters through the River-Gate
         Borne by the joyous crowd.
              LXV
    They gave him of the corn-land,
         That was of public right,
    As much as two strong oxen
         Could plough from morn till night;
    And they made a molten image,
         And set it up on high,
    And there it stands unto this day
         To witness if I lie.
              LXVI
    It stands in the Comitium
         Plain for all folk to see;
    Horatius in his harness,
         Halting upon one knee:
    And underneath is written,
         In letters all of gold,
    How valiantly he kept the bridge
         In the brave days of old.
              LXVII
    And still his name sounds stirring
         Unto the men of Rome,
    As the trumpet-blast that cries to them
         To charge the Volscian home;
    And wives still pray to Juno
         For boys with hearts as bold
    As his who kept the bridge so well
         In the brave days of old.
              LXVIII
    And in the nights of winter,
         When the cold north winds blow,
    And the long howling of the wolves
         Is heard amidst the snow;
    When round the lonely cottage
         Roars loud the tempest's din,
    And the good logs of Algidus
         Roar louder yet within;
              LXIX
    When the oldest cask is opened,
         And the largest lamp is lit;
    When the chestnuts glow in the embers,
         And the kid turns on the spit;
    When young and old in circle
         Around the firebrands close;
    When the girls are weaving baskets,
         And the lads are shaping bows;
              LXX
    When the goodman mends his armor,
         And trims his helmet's plume;
    When the goodwife's shuttle merrily
         Goes flashing through the loom;
    With weeping and with laughter
         Still is the story told,
    How well Horatius kept the bridge
         In the brave days of old.</poem>


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