Book I
THE CROSSING OF THE RUBICON
27
'And fields refuse their timely fruit? The streams
'Flow mixed with poison? In what plague, ye gods,
'In what destruction shall ye wreak your ire?
'Whate'er the truth, the days in which we live
'Shall find a doom for many. Had the star
'Of baleful Saturn, frigid in the height, 720
'Kindled his lurid fires, the sky had poured
'Its torrents forth as in Deucalion's time,
'And whelmed the world in waters. Or if thou,
'Phœbus, beside the Nemean lion fierce
'Wert driving now thy chariot, flames should seize
'The universe and set the air ablaze.
'These are at peace; but, Mars, why art thou bent
'On kindling thus the Scorpion, his tail
'Portending evil and his claws aflame?
'eep sunk is kindly Jupiter, and dull 730
'Sweet Venus' star, and rapid Mercury
'Stays on his course: Mars only holds the sky.
'Why does Orion's sword too brightly shine?
'Why planets leave their paths and through the void
'Thus journey on obscure? 'Tis war that comes,
'Fierce rabid war: the sword shall bear the rule
'Confounding justice; hateful crime usurp
'The name of virtue; and the havoc spread
'Through many a year. But why entreat the gods?
'The end Rome longs for and the final peace 740
'Comes with a despot. Draw thou out thy chain
'Of lengthening slaughter, and (for such thy fate)
'Make good thy liberty through civil war.'
The frightened people heard, and as they heard
His words prophetic made them fear the more.
But worse remained; for as on Pindus' slopes
Possessed with fury from the Theban god
'Flow mixed with poison? In what plague, ye gods,
'In what destruction shall ye wreak your ire?
'Whate'er the truth, the days in which we live
'Shall find a doom for many. Had the star
'Of baleful Saturn, frigid in the height, 720
'Kindled his lurid fires, the sky had poured
'Its torrents forth as in Deucalion's time,
'And whelmed the world in waters. Or if thou,
'Phœbus, beside the Nemean lion fierce
'Wert driving now thy chariot, flames should seize
'The universe and set the air ablaze.
'These are at peace; but, Mars, why art thou bent
'On kindling thus the Scorpion, his tail
'Portending evil and his claws aflame?
'eep sunk is kindly Jupiter, and dull 730
'Sweet Venus' star, and rapid Mercury
'Stays on his course: Mars only holds the sky.
'Why does Orion's sword too brightly shine?
'Why planets leave their paths and through the void
'Thus journey on obscure? 'Tis war that comes,
'Fierce rabid war: the sword shall bear the rule
'Confounding justice; hateful crime usurp
'The name of virtue; and the havoc spread
'Through many a year. But why entreat the gods?
'The end Rome longs for and the final peace 740
'Comes with a despot. Draw thou out thy chain
'Of lengthening slaughter, and (for such thy fate)
'Make good thy liberty through civil war.'
The frightened people heard, and as they heard
His words prophetic made them fear the more.
But worse remained; for as on Pindus' slopes
Possessed with fury from the Theban god
