Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) for use in the Lower School | Page 4

great, 260

Then lands were fairly portioned,
Then spoils were fairly sold:[43]

The Romans were like brothers
In the brave days of old.
XXXIII

Now Roman is to Roman 265
More hateful than a foe,
And the
Tribunes[44] beard[45] the high,
And the Fathers grind the low.
As
we wax hot in faction,
In battle we wax cold: 270
Wherefore men
fight not as they fought
In the brave days of old.
XXXIV
Now while the Three were tightening
Their harness[46] on their
backs,
The Consul was the foremost man 275
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. 280
XXXV
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. 285
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, 290
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; 295
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 narrow way; 300
XXXVII
Aunus from green Tifernum,[47]
Lord of the Hill of Vines;
And
Seius, whose eight hundred slaves
Sicken in Ilva's[48] mines;
And
Picus, long to Clusium 305

Vassal in peace and war,
Who led to

fight his Umbrian powers
From that gray crag where, girt with towers,

The fortress of Nequinum[49] lowers
O'er the pale waves of Nar.
310
XXXVIII
Stout Lartius hurled down Aunus
Into the stream beneath:

Herminius struck at Seius,
And clove him to the teeth:
At Picus
brave Horatius 315
Darted one fiery thrust;
And the proud
Umbrian's gilded arms
Clashed in the bloody dust.
XXXIX
Then Ocnus of Palerii[50]
Rushed on the Roman Three; 320
And
Lausulus of Urgo,[51]
The rover of the sea;[52]
And Aruns of
Volsinium,
Who slew the great wild boar,
The great wild boar that
had his den 325
Amidst the reeds of Cosa's[53] fen
And wasted
fields, and slaughtered men,
Along Albinia's[54] shore.
XL
Herminius smote down Aruns:
Lartius laid Ocnus low: 330
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 335
The track of thy destroying bark.
No more
Campania's[55] hinds[56] shall fly
To woods and caverns when they
spy
Thy thrice accursed sail."
XLI
But now no sound of laughter 340
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, 345
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. 350
Upon his ample
shoulders
Clangs loud the fourfold shield,
And in his hand he
shakes the brand
Which none but he can wield. 355
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[57] 360
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, 365

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: 370
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; 375

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 380
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. 385
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 390
Right firmly pressed his heel;
And
thrice and four times tugged amain,
Ere be wrenched out the steel.

"And see," he cried, "the welcome,
Fair guests, that waits you here!
395
What noble Lucumo comes next
To taste our Roman cheer?"
XLVI
But at his haughty challenge
A sullen murmur ran,
Mingled of
wrath, and shame, and dread, 400
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. 405
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 410
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 415

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!" 420

And backward now and forward
Wavers the deep array;
And on
the tossing sea of steel,
To and fro the standards reel;
And the
victorious trumpet-peal 425
Dies fitfully away.