《lays of ancient rome(古罗马方位)》

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     A Lay Sung at the Feast of Castor and Pollux on the 



     Ides of Quintilis in the year of the City CCCCLI 



                                              I 



     Ho; trumpets; sound a war…note!                Ho; lictors; clear the way! The 

Knights will ride; in all their pride;             Along the streets to…day。 To…day 

the doors and windows                Are hung with garlands all; From Castor in 

the   Forum;           To   Mars   without   the   wall。   Each   Knight   is   robed   in 

purple;          With olive each is crowned; A gallant war…horse under each 

Paws   haughtily  the   ground。 While   flows   the Yellow   River;               While 

stands the Sacred Hill; The proud Ides of Quintilis                   Shall have such 

honor   still。   Gay   are   the   Martian   Kalends;        December's   Nones   are 

gay; But the proud Ides; when the squadron rides;                     Shall be Rome's 

whitest day。 



                                              II 



     Unto the Great Twin Brethren                We keep this solemn feast。 Swift; 

swift; the Great Twin Brethren                Came spurring from the east。 They 

came o'er wild Parthenius                Tossing in waves of pine; O'er   Cirrha's 

dome;   o'er Adria's   foam;           O'er   purple Apennine;   From   where   with 

flutes and dances            Their ancient mansion rings; In lordly Laced鎚on; 

The   City   of   two   kings;   To  where;   by   Lake   Regillus;          Under   the 

Porcian     height;   All  in  the  lands   of  Tusculum;             Was    fought    the 

glorious fight。 



                                             III 



    Now   on   the   place   of   slaughter         Are   cots   and   sheepfolds   seen; 



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And rows of vines; and fields of wheat;                 And apple…orchards green; 

The swine crush the big acorns                That fall from Corne's oaks。 Upon 

the turf by the Fair Fount             The reaper's pottage smokes。 The fisher 

baits   his   angle;        The   hunter   twangs   his   bow;   Little   they   think   on 

those strong limbs            That moulder deep below。 Little they think how 

sternly          That day the trumpets pealed; How in the slippery swamp of 

blood          Warrior and war…horse reeled; How wolves came with fierce 

gallops;          And   crows   on   eager   wings; To tear the   flesh of   captains; 

And peck the eyes of kings; How thick the dead lay scattered                    Under 

the Porcian height; How through the gates of Tusculum                      Raved the 

wild   stream   of   flight;   And   how   the   Lake   Regillus      Bubbled   with 

crimson foam; What time the Thirty Cities                  Came forth to war with 

Rome。 



                                            IV 



    But   Roman;  when thou standest                Upon that   holy  ground;  Look 

thou with heed on the dark rock               That girds the dark lake round。 So 

shalt thou see a hoof…mark               Stamped deep into the flint: It was not 

hoof of mortal steed            That made so strange a dint: There to the Great 

Twin Brethren             Vow thou thy vows; and pray That they; in tempest 

and in flight;          Will keep thy head alway。 



                                            V 



     Since   last   the   Great Twin   Brethren        Of   mortal   eyes   were   seen; 

Have   years   gone   by  an   hundred         And   fourscore   and   thirteen。 That 

summer a Virginius              Was Consul first in place; The second was stout 

Aulus;             Of    the  Posthumian      race。  The    Herald    of  the  Latines 

From Gabii came in state: The Herald of the Latines                  Passed through 

Rome's Eastern Gate: The Herald of the Latines                    Did in our Forum 

stand; And there he did his office;             A sceptre in his hand。 



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                                              VI 



     ‘‘Hear;   Senators   and   people           Of   the   good   town   of   Rome;   The 

Thirty Cities charge you               To bring the Tarquins home: And if ye still 

be   stubborn           To   work   the Tarquins   wrong; The Thirty  Cities   warn 

you;           Look your walls be strong。'' 



                                              VII 



     Then spake the Consul Aulus;                  He spake a bitter jest: ‘‘Once the 

jays sent a message              Unto the eagle's nest: Now yield thou up thine 

eyrie            Unto    the   carrion…kite;   Or   come    forth   valiantly;   and   face 

The   jays   in   deadly   fight。   Forth   looked   in   wrath   the   eagle;      And 

carrion…kite   and   jay;   Soon   as   they   saw   his   beak  and   claw;          Fled 

screaming far away。'' 



                                             VIII 



     The   Herald   of   the   Latines          Hath   hied   him   back   in   state:   The 

Fathers   of   the   City        Are   met   in   high   debate。 Then   spake   the   elder 

Consul;             And     ancient    man    and   wise:   ‘‘Now    harken;    Conscript 

Fathers;           To that which I advise。 In seasons of great peril                   'Tis 

good   that   one   bear   sway;   Then   choose   we   a   Dictator;         Whom   all 

men shall obey。 Camerium knows how deeply                         The sword of Aulus 

bites; And all our city calls him              The man of seventy fights。 Then let 

him be Dictator             For six months and no more; And have a Master of 

the Knights;            And axes twenty…four。'' 



                                              IX 



     So Aulus was Dictator;               The man of seventy fights; He made  芺 

utius Elva            His Master of the Knights。 On the third morn thereafter; 

At downing of the day; Did Aulus and             芺 utius           Set forth with their 

array。 Sempronius Atratinus                 Was left in charge at home With boys; 



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and with gray…headed men;                 To keep the walls of Rome。 Hard by the 

Lake Regillus             Our camp was pitched at night: Eastward a mile the 

Latines     lay;        Under      the  Porcian    height。  Far   over   hill  and   valley 

Their     mighty    host   was   spread;    And    with   their   thousand    watch…fires 

The midnight sky was red。 



                                               X 



     Up rose the golden morning                 Over the Porcian height; The proud 

Ides   of   Quintilis         Marked   evermore   in   white。   Not   without   secret 

trouble           Our   bravest   saw   the   foe;   For   girt   by   threescore   thousand 

spears;              The     thirty   standards    rose。   From    every    warlike    city 

That boasts the Latian name; Fordoomed to dogs and vultures;                         That 

gallant   army   came;   From   Setia's   purple   vineyards;             From   Norba's 

ancient   wall;   From   the   white   streets   of   Tusculum;           The   proudust 

town of all; From where the Witch's Fortress                     O'er hangs the dark… 

blue   seas;   From   the   still   glassy   lake   that   sleeps     Beneath   Aricia's 

trees   Those   trees   in   whose   dim   shadow           The   ghastly   priest   doth 

reign; The   priest who slew   the slayer;               And   shall himself   be slain; 

From the drear banks of Ufens;                   Where flights of marsh…fowl play; 

And buffaloes lie wallowing                  Through the hot summer's day; From 

the gigantic watch…towers;               No work of earthly men; Whence Cora's 

sentinels     o'erlook           The     never…ending      fen;  From    the   Laurentian 

jungle;           The wild hog's reedy home; From the green steeps whence 

Anio leaps            In floods of snow…white foam。 



                                              XI 



     Aricia;   Cora;   Norba;           Velitr*;   with   the   might   Of   Setia   and   of 

Tusculum;             Were marshalled on the right: The leader was Mamilius; 

Prince   of   the   Latian   name;   Upon   his   head   a   helmet         Of   red   gold 

shone   like   flame:   High   on   a   gallant   charger        Of   dark…gray   hue   he 

rode; Over his gilded armor                A vest of purple flowed; Woven in the 

land of sunrise             By Syria's dark…browed daughters; And by the sails 



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