Pharsalia - Book Vii: The Battle Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGH IJHHKHLCMHHNOPQHHRHS TUHVWXHCHYZHHHA2B2HC 2HD2E2F2UG2H2 IZHMHI2CJ2HK2L2M2N2V N2N2HC2SO2N2P2VP2N2N 2HWHHUVQ2R2HN2N2N2S2 N2HTHHN2R2H HN2G2H2VHGHC2CVN2T2V U2N2HD2N2V2W2R2HPX2N 2HUHHHN2U2VR2HJ2Y2CN 2R2N2HH R2N2QN2Z2HHN2A3SB3HU 2N2GHSHU2C3D3E3F3C2G 3N2VXHC2N2U2 HA3F3HN2N2F3Ne'er to the summons of the Eternal laws | A |
More slowly Titan rose nor drave his steeds | B |
Forced by the sky revolving up the heaven | C |
With gloomier presage wishing to endure | D |
The pangs of ravished light and dark eclipse | E |
And drew the mists up not to feed his flames | F |
But lest his light upon Thessalian earth | G |
Might fall undimmed | H |
- | |
Pompeius on that morn | I |
To him the latest day of happy life | J |
In troubled sleep an empty dream conceived | H |
For in the watches of the night he heard | H |
Innumerable Romans shout his name | K |
Within his theatre the benches vied | H |
To raise his fame and place him with the gods | L |
As once in youth when victory was won | C |
O'er conquered tribes where swift Iberus flows | M |
And where Sertorius' armies fought and fled | H |
The west subdued with no less majesty | H |
Than if the purple toga graced the car | N |
He sat triumphant in his pure white gown | O |
A Roman knight and heard the Senate's cheer | P |
Perhaps as ills drew near his anxious soul | Q |
Shunning the future wooed the happy past | H |
Or as is wont prophetic slumber showed | H |
That which was not to be by doubtful forms | R |
Misleading or as envious Fate forbade | H |
Return to Italy this glimpse of Rome | S |
Kind Fortune gave Break not his latest sleep | T |
Ye sentinels let not the trumpet call | U |
Strike on his ear for on the morrow's night | H |
Shapes of the battle lost of death and war | V |
Shall crowd his rest with terrors Whence shalt thou | W |
The poor man's happiness of sleep regain | X |
Happy if even in dreams thy Rome could see | H |
Once more her captain Would the gods had given | C |
To thee and to thy country one day yet | H |
To reap the latest fruit of such a love | Y |
Though sure of fate to come Thou marchest on | Z |
As though by heaven ordained in Rome to die | H |
She conscious ever of her prayers for thee | H |
Heard by the gods deemed not the fates decreed | H |
Such evil destiny that she should lose | A2 |
The last sad solace of her Magnus' tomb | B2 |
Then young and old had blent their tears for thee | H |
And child unbidden women torn their hair | C2 |
And struck their bosoms as for Brutus dead | H |
But now no public woe shall greet thy death | D2 |
As erst thy praise was heard but men shall grieve | E2 |
In silent sorrow though the victor's voice | F2 |
Amid the clash of arms proclaims thy fall | U |
Though incense smoke before the Thunderer's shrine | G2 |
And shouts of welcome bid great Caesar hail | H2 |
- | |
The stars had fled before the growing morn | I |
When eager voices as the fates drew on | Z |
The world to ruin round Pompeius' tent | H |
Demand the battle signal What by those | M |
So soon to perish shall the sign be asked | H |
Their own their country's doom Ah fatal rage | I2 |
That hastens on the hour no other sun | C |
Upon this living host shall rise again | J2 |
'Pompeius fears ' they cry 'He's slow to act | H |
Too 'kind to Caesar and he fondly rules | K2 |
A world of subject peoples but with peace | L2 |
Such rule were ended ' Eastern kings no less | M2 |
And peoples eager for their distant homes | N2 |
Already murmured at the lengthy war | V |
- | |
Thus hath it pleased the gods when woe impends | N2 |
On guilty men to make them seem its cause | N2 |
We court disaster crave the fatal sword | H |
Of Magnus' camp Pharsalia was the prayer | C2 |
For Tullius of all the sons of Rome | S |
Chief orator beneath whose civil rule | O2 |
Fierce Catiline at the peace compelling axe | N2 |
Trembled and fled arose to Magnus' ear | P2 |
Bearing the voice of all To him was war | V |
Grown hateful and he longed once more to hear | P2 |
The Senate's plaudits and with eloquent lips | N2 |
He lent persuasion to the weaker cause | N2 |
'Fortune Pompeius for her gifts to thee | H |
Asks this one boon that thou should'st use her now | W |
Here at thy feet thy leading captains lie | H |
And here thy monarchs and a suppliant world | H |
Entreats thee prostrate for thy kinsman's fall | U |
So long shall Caesar plunge the world in war | V |
Swift was thy tread when these proud nations fell | Q2 |
How deep their shame and justly should delay | R2 |
Now mar thy conquests Where thy trust in Fate | H |
Thy fervour where Ingrate Dost dread the gods | N2 |
Or think they favour not the Senate's cause | N2 |
Thy troops unbidden shall the standards seize | N2 |
And conquer thou in shame be forced to win | S2 |
If at the Senate's orders and for us | N2 |
The war is waged then give to us the right | H |
To choose the battle field Why dost thou keep | T |
From Caesar's throat the swords of all the world | H |
The weapon quivers in the eager hand | H |
Scarce one awaits the signal Strike at once | N2 |
Or without thee the trumpets sound the fray | R2 |
Art thou the Senate's comrade or her lord | H |
We wait your answer ' | - |
- | |
But Pompeius groaned | H |
His mind was adverse but he felt the fates | N2 |
Opposed his wish and knew the hand divine | G2 |
'Since all desire it and the fates prevail | H2 |
So let it be your leader now no more | V |
I share the labours of the battle field | H |
Let Fortune roll the nations of the earth | G |
In one red ruin myriads of mankind | H |
See their last sun to day Yet Rome I swear | C2 |
This day of blood was forced upon thy son | C |
Without a wound the prizes of the war | V |
Might have been thine and he who broke the peace | N2 |
In peace forgotten Whence this lust for crime | T2 |
Shall bloodless victories in civil war | V |
Be shunned not sought We've ravished from our foe | U2 |
All boundless seas and land his starving troops | N2 |
Have snatched earth's crop half grown in vain attempt | H |
Their hunger to appease they prayed for death | D2 |
Sought for the sword thrust and within our ranks | N2 |
Were fain to mix their life blood with your own | V2 |
Much of the war is done the conscript youth | W2 |
Whose heart beats high who burns to join the fray | R2 |
Though men fight hard in terror of defeat | H |
The shock of onset need no longer fear | P |
Bravest is he who promptly meets the ill | X2 |
When fate commands it and the moment comes | N2 |
Yet brooks delay in prudence and shall we | H |
Our happy state enjoying risk it all | U |
Trust to the sword the fortunes of the world | H |
Not victory but battle ye demand | H |
Do thou O Fortune of the Roman state | H |
Who mad'st Pompeius guardian from his hands | N2 |
Take back the charge grown weightier and thyself | U2 |
Commit its safety to the chance of war | V |
Nor blame nor glory shall be mine to day | R2 |
Thy prayers unjustly Caesar have prevailed | H |
We fight What wickedness what woes on men | J2 |
Destruction on what realms this dawn shall bring | Y2 |
Crimson with Roman blood yon stream shall run | C |
Would that without the ruin of our cause | N2 |
The first fell bolt hurled on this cursed day | R2 |
Might strike me lifeless Else this battle brings | N2 |
A name of pity or a name of hate | H |
The loser bears the burden of defeat | H |
The victor wins but conquest is a crime ' | - |
Thus to the soldiers burning for the fray | R2 |
He yields forbidding and throws down the reins | N2 |
So may a sailor give the winds control | Q |
Upon his barque which driven by the seas | N2 |
Bears him an idle burden Now the camp | Z2 |
Hums with impatience and the brave man's heart | H |
With beats tumultuous throbs against his breast | H |
And all the host had standing in their looks | N2 |
The paleness of the death that was to come | A3 |
On that day's fight 'twas manifest that Rome | S |
And all the future destinies of man | B3 |
Hung trembling and by weightier dread possessed | H |
They knew not danger Who would fear for self | U2 |
Should ocean rise and whelm the mountain tops | N2 |
And sun and sky descend upon the earth | G |
In universal chaos Every mind | H |
Is bent upon Pompeius and on Rome | S |
They trust no sword until its deadly point | H |
Glows on the sharpening stone no lance will serve | U2 |
Till straightened for the fray each bow is strung | C3 |
Anew and arrows chosen for their work | D3 |
Fill all the quivers horsemen try the curb | E3 |
And fit the bridle rein and whet the spur | F3 |
If toils divine with human may compare | C2 |
'Twas thus when Phlegra bore the giant crew | G3 |
In Etna's furnace glowed the sword of Mars | N2 |
Neptunus' trident felt the flame once more | V |
And great Apollo after Python slain | X |
Sharpened his darts afresh on Pallas' shield | H |
Was spread anew the dread Medusa's hair | C2 |
And broad Sicilia trembled at the blows | N2 |
Of Vulcan forging thunderbolts for Jove | U2 |
- | |
Yet Fortune failed not as they sought the field | H |
In various presage of the ills to come | A3 |
All heaven opposed their march portentous fire | F3 |
In columns filled the plain and torches blazed | H |
And thirsty whirlwinds mixed with meteor bolts | N2 |
Smote on them as they strode whose sulphurous flames | N2 |
Per | F3 |
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus
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