HORATIUS. HORATIUS. A LAY MADE ABOUT THE YEAR OF THE CITY CCCLX. 1. 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. 2. East and west and south and north Who lingers in his home, 3. The horsemen and the footmen Which, hid by beech and pine, Like an eagle's nest hangs on the crest Of purple Apennine; 4. From lordly Volaterræ, Where scowls the far-famed hold Piled by the hands of giants For god-like kings of old; From seagirt Populonia, Whose sentinels descry Sardinia's snowy mountain-tops Fringing the southern sky; 5. From the proud mart of Pisa, 6. 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 7. 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. 8. The harvests of Arretium This year old men shall reap; This year, the must shall foam Round the white feet of laughing girls Whose sires have marched to Rome. 9. There be thirty chosen prophets, Have turned the verses o'er, Traced from the right on linen white By mighty seers of yore. 10. 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." 11. 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. 12. For all the Etruscan armies Prince of the Latian name. 13. 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; 2 Z A fearful sight it was to see 14. For aged folk 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, 15. And droves of mules and asses Laden with skins of wine, And endless flocks of goats and sheep, That creaked beneath their weight Of corn-sacks and of household goods, Choked every roaring gate. 16. Now, from the rock Tarpeian, The line of blazing villages 'They sat all night and day, For every hour some horseman came With tidings of dismay. 17. 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. 18. I wis, in all the Senate, There was no heart so bold, In haste they girded up their gowns, 19. They held a council standing Short time was there, ye well may guess, Out spoke the Consul roundly: "The bridge must straight go down; For, since Janiculum is lost, Naught else can gave the town." 20. 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 Bise fast along the sky. "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, 28. "And for the tender mother Who feed the eternal flame, "Hew 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?" 30. Then out spake Spurius Lartius, A Ramnian proud was he: "Lo, I will stand on 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." 31. “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. 32. 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. 33. 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. 34. Now, while the Three were tightening From Ostia's walls the crowd shail mark 41. But now no sound of laughter From all the vanguard rose. And for a space no man came forth To win the narrow pass. 42. But hark! the cry is Astur: Comes with his stately stride. Clangs loud the fourfold shield, And in his hand he shakes the brand Which none but he can wield. 43. He smiled on those bold Romans And scorn was in his eye. Then, whirling up his broadsword 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. 45. He reeled, and on Herminius He leaned one breathing-space; Then, like a wild cat mad with wounds, Through teeth, and skull, and helmet, The good sword stood a hand-breadth out 46. And the great Lord of Luna The giant arms lie spread; And the pale augurs, muttering low, Gaze on the blasted head. 47. On Astur's throat Horatius Right firmly ussed his heel, 54. Back darted Spurius Lartius; Aud, as they passed, beneath their feet They would have crossed once more. 55. 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. 56. 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. 57. Alone stood brave Horatius, 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." 58. Round turned he, as not deigning Those craven ranks to see; Naught spake he to Lars Porsena, To Sextus naught 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. 59. "Oh, Tiber! father Tiber! To whom the Romans pray, No sound of joy or sorrow Was heard from either bank; But friends and foes in dumb surprise, They saw his crest appear, All Rome sent forth a rapturous cry, And even the ranks of Tuscany Could scarce forbear to cheer. VOL. IV.-69 |