Poems Every Child Should Know Part 29

For all the Etruscan armies Were ranged beneath his eye, And many a banished Roman, And many a stout ally; And with a mighty following To join the muster came The Tusculan Mamilius, Prince of the Latian name.

But by the yellow Tiber Was tumult and affright: From all the s.p.a.cious 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.

To eastward and to westward Have spread the Tuscan bands; Nor house, nor fence, nor dovecot, In Crustumerium stands.

Verbenna down to Ostia Hath wasted all the plain; Astur hath stormed Janiculum, And the stout guards are slain.

I wis, in all the Senate, There was no heart so bold, But sore it ached, and fast it beat, When that ill news was told.

Forthwith up rose the Consul, Up rose the Fathers all; In haste they girded up their gowns, And hied them to the wall.

They held a council standing Before the River Gate; Short time was there, ye well may guess, For musing or debate.

Out spoke 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 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 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 of helmets bright, The long array of spears.

And plainly and more plainly, Above the glimmering line, Now might ye see the banners Of twelve fair cities s.h.i.+ne; But the banner of proud Clusium Was the highest of them all, The terror of the Umbrian, The terror of the Gaul.

Fast by the royal standard, O'erlooking all the war, Lars Porsena of Clusium Sat in his ivory car.

By the right wheel rode Mamilius, Prince of the Latian name, And by the left false s.e.xtus, That wrought the deed of shame.

But when the face of s.e.xtus Was seen among the foes, A yell that rent the firmament From all the town arose.

On the house-tops was no woman But spat toward him and hissed, No child but screamed out curses, And shook its little fist.

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 out spake 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 G.o.ds.

"And for the tender mother Who dandled him to rest, And for the wife who nurses His baby at her breast, And for the holy maidens Who feed the eternal flame, To save them from false s.e.xtus That wrought the deed of shame?

"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 out spake Spurius Lartius-- A Ramnian proud was he-- I will stand at thy right hand, And keep the bridge with thee."

And out spake strong Herminius-- Of t.i.tian blood was he-- "I will abide on thy left side, And keep the bridge with thee."

"Horatius," quoth the Consul, "As thou say'st, 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.

Now while the Three were tightening Their harness on their backs, The Consul was the foremost man To take in hand an ax; And Fathers mixed with Commons Seized hatchet, bar, and crow, And smote upon the planks above, And loosed the props below.

Meanwhile the Tuscan army, Right glorious to behold, Came flas.h.i.+ng 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 deep array; To earth they sprang, their swords they drew, And lifted high their s.h.i.+elds, and flew To win the narrow way;

Aunus from green Tifernum, Lord of the Hill of Vines; And Seius, whose eight hundred slaves Sicken in Ilva's mines; And Picus, long to Clusium Va.s.sal in peace and war, Who led to fight his Umbrian powers From that gray crag where, girt with towers, The fortress of Nequinum lowers 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 Umbrian's gilded arms Clashed in the b.l.o.o.d.y dust.

Then Ocnus of Falerii Rushed on the Roman Three; And Lausulus of Urgo, The rover of the sea; And Aruns of Volsinium, Who slew the great wild boar, The great wild boar that had his den Amid the reeds of Cosa's fen.

And wasted fields and slaughtered men Along Albinia's sh.o.r.e.

Herminius smote down Aruns; Lartius laid Ocnus low; 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 The tracks of thy destroying bark, No more Campania's hinds shall fly To woods and caverns when they spy Thy thrice accursed sail."

But now no sound of laughter Was heard among the foes.

A wild and wrathful clamour From all the vanguard rose.

Six spears' length from the entrance Halted that deep array, And for a s.p.a.ce no man came forth To win the narrow way.

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 s.h.i.+eld, And in his hand he shakes the brand Which none but he can wield.

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 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 s.h.i.+eld 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.

He reeled, and on Herminius He leaned one breathing s.p.a.ce; Then, like a wildcat 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 handbreadth out Behind the Tuscan's head.

And the great Lord of Luna Fell at the deadly stroke, As falls on Mount Alvernus A thunder-smitten oak.

Far o'er the cras.h.i.+ng 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 n.o.ble Luc.u.mo comes next To taste our Roman cheer?"

But at his haughty challenge A sullen murmur ran, Mingled of wrath, and shame, and dread, Along that glittering van.

There lacked not men of prowess, Nor men of lordly race; For all Etruria's n.o.blest Were round the fatal place.

But all Etruria's n.o.blest Felt their hearts sink to see On the earth the b.l.o.o.d.y corpses, In the path the dauntless Three: And, from the ghastly entrance 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 Lies amid bones and blood.

Was none who would be foremost To lead such dire attack?

But those behind cried "Forward!"

And those before cried "Back!"

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 Dies fitfully away.