Praetors Lunch | Page 3

rests on the head of those who are uncowed .They shall find that fame latches like their own skin to their name .
TENTH MORSEL
We who hold the torch?We must be patient?Decorum requires it?The pride of a legion?lives within its standard?one standard bearer bears?sacrament of cohorts
We who hold the torch?We must be patient?Decorum requires it?One official?s carriage?personifies the rest?one written inscription?ultimate seal of fate
We who hold the torch?We must be patient?Decorum requires it?Make way for those better?while we wait with patience?allow them the better seats?their merit exceed ours
ELEVENTH MORSEL
I am not one to dispute the will of God ,?divine will becomes our lot ,?but I question the logic of some .?Foolish is the soul who enters the place ,?who announces his innermost desires ,?swears a gift in return ,?should they be fulfilled ,?by divine consent ,?upon his earthly cares ,?mortal souls have none to offer better ,?than the rewards of paradise ,?what are our trappings to heaven ,?when it is God who grants ??It is not worship or invocation ,?it is a wager posed by hubris ,?displace pomposity and affectation ,?come in a penitent pose ,?humility warrants attention ,?or else snuff the lamp ,?take the oil elsewhere .
I am not one to dispute the will of God ,?divine will becomes our lot ,?but I question the right of tyrants .?Charred cities after their sacking ,?the cries of dependent humanity ,?sent to feed searing flames ,?the weak , meek and lame ,?no daylight dawns again ,?a winding trail of chains and clubs ,?the gathered wounded ; conquered ,?these tyrants do not govern ,?they seize and consume their fill ,?then hunger rumbles again ,?they repeat their atrocities ,?till the Fates pluck them .?For each tyrant reaped ,?by droves victims precede them ,?their number exceed sacrificial offerings ,?made to appease wrathful spirits ,?or custom of ceremony ,?of a deity worshipped .
TWELFTH MORSEL
Our moments of glory?a lifetime to remember?fair token of youth?s vigour
Carve now before the die sets?while still new and pliable?when it dries your mark stays?hardened and nobly set?surpassing life of wilted crowns?a monument in your honour
Our moments of glory?a lifetime to remember?come pay heed to youth?s prayer
We won?t be here to bother?having surpassed such worries?earthborn to earth it goes?like Assyrian ruins?to those with merits deserving?God and kind Fortune preserve them
Our moments of glory?a lifetime to remember?mementos of youth?s flower
THIRTEENTH MORSEL
A peasant who wishes for more?changes his plough for arms?The army has loyal farmers?with absent fathers away far
Children of empire?s troops?though honoured their father?s name?they hardly know the man well?though his name they proudly bear
Years abroad have rendered fathers?estranged from families and friends?yet love and regard still remain?after gaps of years and distance
A peasant who wishes for more?changes his plough for arms?fertile fields left idle?while we take grain from conquered lands
For children whom fathers left?when they were too young to recall?esteem comes to their hearts prior?before the warmth of filial love
At long last parted faces meet again?strange and familiar strange yet familiar?they rekindle ties and retell tidings?memories and previous habits return
Fertile fields left idle?while we take grain from conquered lands?the army has its own farmers?with absent fathers battling far
Families once again reunited?when warriors in togas turn civilians?their children venture and nestle gladly
FOURTEENTH MORSEL
?De mortuis nil nisi bonum??speak well of the departed?or else do not speak at all .?The now sacred departed?immune to our rebuke?rejoice with their memory.
?De mortuis nil nisi bonum??speak well of the departed?or else do not speak at all .?Allow their good part live on?they have gone beyond the gates?those whom we regard dearly.
FIFTEENTH MORSEL
What draws us to oracles ??Those structures where we worship ,?The place where future unfolds ,?For those who are uncertain ,?Gripped by Trouble?s tentacles .
What draws us to oracles ??Priests and priestesses reveal ,?With omniscience in their being ,?With eyes of the temple gods ,?Free from earthly manacles .
SIXTEENTH MORSEL
There is nothing loathsome ,?in learning from others ,?with elders and with peers ,?we shared experiences ,?treasures of our youth ,?amusing in retrospect .
It is the matter?s worth?the source dictates not choice?progress comes not from disdain?to live we nourish the form?to advance we emulate?the source dictates not choice?It is the matter?s worth
If they should enrich us ,?ennoble the manner ,?magnify happiness ,?increase our contentment ,?in learning from others ,?there is nothing loathsome .
SEVENTEENTH MORSEL
For common good and for own glory?a seat in the senate?For common cause and own aspirations?a seat in the senate?For power over destinies for by themselves they'll drown?a seat in the senate?For a hand in fate and privilege to avert a few unpleasantries a seat in the senate?For the pristine tunic and the challenge to keep it unsoiled a seat in the senate?For rhetoric comes with quandaries of office?a seat in the senate?The toga is equal in prestige with the weight of armour?a seat in the senate
EIGHTEENTH MORSEL
Arena gladiators?with their lives amuse us?liberty bought with blood?the