This is really looooooong, but worth reading, at least I thought so. It's my favoritest. ~Grace
Lars
Posena 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.
East and west and south and north
The
messengers ride fast,
And tower and town and cottage
Have
heard the trumpet’s blast.
The horsemen and the footmen
Are
pouring in amain
From
many stately market-place,
From
many a fruitful plain;
And now hath every city
Sent
up her tail 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.
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.
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 came
With
tidings of dismay.
They
held a council standing
Before
the river-gate;
Short
time was there, ye well may guess,
For
musing or debate.
Outspake
the Consul roundly:
“The
bridge must straight go down;
For
since Janiculum is lost
Naught
else can save the town.”
Just
then a scout came flying,
All
wild with hast and fear:
“To
arms! to arms! Sir Consul;
Lars
Porsena id here.”
On
the low hills to westward
The
Consul fixed his eye,
And
saw the swarthy storm of dust
Rise fast along the sky.
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 on helmets bright,
The
long array of spears.
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?”
Then
outspake 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?
“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 straight path a thousand
May
well be stopped by three.
Now
who will stand on either hand,
And
keep the bridge with me?”
Then
outspake Spurius Lartius,-
A
Ramnian proud was he:
“Lo,
I will stand at thy right hand,
And
keep the bridge with thee.”
And
outspake strong Herminius,-
Of
Titan blood was he:
“I
will abide on thy left side,
And
keep the bridge with thee.”
“Horatius,”
Quoth the Consul,
“As
thou sayest, so let it be.”
And
straight against that great array,
Forth
went the dauntless Three.
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
hatched, bar, and crow,
And
smote upon the planks above,
And
loosed the props below.
Meanwhile
the Tuscan army,
Right
glorious to behold,
Came
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 toward the bridge’s head,
Where
stood the dauntless Three.
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 mighty mass;
To
earth they sprang, their shields, and flew
To
win the narrow pass.
Aunus,
from green Tifernum,
Lord
of the hill of vines;
And
Seius, whose eight hundred slaves
Sicken
in Ilca’s mines;
And
Picus, long to Clusium
Vassal
in peace and war.
Who
led the fight his Umbrian powers
From
that grey crag where, girt with towers,
The
fortress on Nequinum towers
O’er
the pale waves of Nar.
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 Umbrain’s gilded arms
Clashed
in the bloody dust.
But
now no sound on laughter
Was
heard amongst the foes.
A
wild and wrathful clamor
From
all the vanguard rose.
Six
spears’ lengths from the entrance
halted
that mighty mass,
and
for a space no man came forth
To
win the narrow pass.
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 fourfold shield,
And
in his hand he shakes the brand
Which
none but he can wield.
He
smiled on those bold Romsnd,
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?”
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 to nigh;
It
missed his helm, but gashed his thigh.
The
Tuscans raised a joyful cry
To
see the red blood flow.
He
reeled, and on Herminius
He
leaned one breathing- space,
Then,
like a wild-cat mad with wounds,
Sprang
right at Astur’s face.
So
fierce a thrust he sped,
The
good sword stood a handbreadth out
Behind
the Tuscan’s head.
And
the great lord of Luna
Fell
at that deadly stroke,
As
falls on Mount Acernus
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.
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 Lucumo comes next
To
taste our Roman cheer?”
But
meanwhile axe and lever
Have
manfully been applied,
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!”
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 further shore
Saw
brave Horatius stand alone,
They
would have crossed once more.
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.
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 paleface;
“Now
yield thee to our grace!”
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
shite porch of his home;
And
he spake to the noble river
That
rolls by the towers of Rome:
“O
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 in his back,
Plunged
headlong in the tide.
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.
But
fiercely ran the current,
Swollen
high by months of rain,
And
fast his blood was flowing;
And
heavy with his armor,
And
spent with changing blows;
And
oft they thought him sinking,
But
still again he rose.
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 on weeping loud,
He
enters through the River Gate,
Borne
by the joyous croud.