Ruins of Rome Ruines Rnines of Rome: by Bellay. 1 YE Ye heauenly heavenly spirites, whose ashie cinders lie Vnder Under deep ruines, with huge walls opprest, But not your praise, the which shall neuer never die Through your faire verses, ne in ashes rest; If so be shrilling voyce of wight aliue alive May reach from hence to depth of darkest hell, Then let those deep Abysses open riue rive , That ye may vnderstand understand my shreiking yell. Thrice hauing having seene vnder under the heauens heavens veale Your toombs deuoted devoted compasse ouer over all, Thrice vnto unto you with lowd voyce I appeale, And for your antique furie here doo call, The whiles that I with sacred horror sing Your glorie, fairest of all earthly thing. 2 Great Babylon her haughtie walls will praise, And sharped steeples high shot vp up in ayre; Greece will the olde Ephesian buildings blaze; And Nylus nurslings their Pyramides faire; The same yet vaunting Greece will tell the storie Of Ioues Joves great Image in Olympus placed, Mansolus worke will be the Carians glorie. And Crete will boast the Labyrinth, now raced; The antique Rhodian will likewise set forth The great Colosse, erect to Memorie; And what els in the world is of like worth, Some greater learned wit will magnifie. But I will sing aboue above all moniments Seuen Seven Romane Hils, the worlds 7. wonderments. Ruines of Rome. Who 3 Thou stranger, which for Rome in Rome here seekest, And nought of Rome in Rome perceiu’st perceiv’st at all, These fame olde walls, olde arches, which thou seest, Olde Palaces is that, which Rome men call. Behold what wreake, what ruine, and what wast, And how that she, which with her mightie powre Tam’d all the world, hath tam’d herselfe at last, The pray of time, which all things doth deuowre devowre . Rome now of Rome is th’onely funerall, And onely Rome of Rome hath victorie; Ne ought saue save Tyber hastning to his fall Remaines of all: O worlds inconstancie. That which is firme doth flit and fall away, And that is flitting, doth abide and stay. 4 She, whose high top aboue above the starres did sore, One foote on Thetis, th’other on the Morning, One hand on Scythia, th’other on the More, Both heauen heaven and earth in roundnesse compassing, Ioue Jove fearing, least if she should greater growe, Th’old Giants should once againe vprise uprise , Her whelm’d with hills, these 7. hils, which be nowe Tombes of her greatnes, which did threate the skies: Vpon Upon her head he heapt Mount Saturnal, Vpon Upon her bellie th’antique Palatine, Vpon Upon her stomacke laid Mount Quirinal, On her left hand the noysome Esquiline, And Cælian on the right; but both her feete Mount Vimnial and Auentine Aventine doo meete. Ruines of Rome. Ye R2 5 Who lists to see, what euer ever nature, arte, And heauen heaven could doo, O Rome, thee let him see, In case thy greatnes he can gesse in harte, By that which but the picture is of thee. Rome is no more: but if the shade of Rome May of the bodie yeeld a seeming sight, It’s like a corse drawne forth out of the tombe By Magicke skill out of eternall night: The corpes of Rome in ashes is entombed, And her great spirite reioyned rejoyned to the spirite Of this great masse, is in the same enwombed; But her braue brave writings, which her famous merite In spight of time, out of the dust doth reare, Doo make her Idole through the world appeare. 6 Such as the Berecynthian Goddesse bright In her swift charret with high turrets crownde, Proud that so manie Gods she brought to light; Such was this Citie in her good daies fownd: This Citie, more than that great Phrygian mother Renowm’d for fruite of famous progenie, Whose greatnes by the greatnes of none other, But by her selfe her equall match could see: Rome onely might to Rome compared bee, And onely Rome could make great Rome to tremble: So did the Gods by heauenly heavenly doome decree, That other earthlie power should not resemble Her that did match the whole earths puissaunce, And did her courage to the heauens heavens aduaunce advaunce . Ruines of Rome. Ye 7 Ye sacred ruines, and ye tragick sights, Which onely doo the name of Rome retaine, Olde moniments, which of so famous sprights The honour yet in ashes doo maintaine: Triumphant Arcks, spyres neighbours to the skie, That you to see doth th’heauen th’heaven it selfe appall, Alas, by little ye to nothing flie, The peoples fable, and the spoyle of all: And though your frames do for a time make warre Gainst time, yet time in time shall ruinate Your workes and names, and your last reliques marre. My sad desires, rest therefore moderate: For if that time make ende of things so sure, It als will end the paine, which I endure. 8 Through armes & and vassals Rome the world subdu’d, That one would weene, that one sole Cities strength Both land and sea in roundnes had suruew’d survew’d , To be the measure of her bredth and length: This peoples vertue yet so fruitfull was Of vertuous nephewes, that posteritie Striuing Striving in power their grandfathers to passe, The lowest earth, ioin’d join’d to the heauen heaven hie; To th’end that hauing having all parts in their power, Nought from the Romane Empire might be quight, And that though time doth Cõmonwealths Commonwealths deuowre devowre , Yet no time should so low embase their hight, That her head earth’d in her foundations deep, Should not her name and endles honour keep. Ruines of Rome. Mars R3 9 Ye cruell starres, and eke ye Gods vnkinde unkinde , Heauen Heaven enuious envious , and bitter stepdame Nature, Be it by fortune, or by course of kinde That ye doo weld th’affaires of earthlie creature; Why haue have your hands long sithence traueiled traveiled To frame this world, that doth endure so long? Or why were not these Romane palaces Made of some matter no lesse firme and strong? I say not, as the common voyce doth say, That all things which beneath the Moone haue have being Are temporall, and subiect subject to decay: But I say rather, though not all agreeing With some, that weene the contrarie in thought; That all this whole shall one day come to nought. 10 As that braue brave sonne of Aeson, which by charmes Atcheiu’d Atcheiv’d the golden Fleece in Colchid land, Out of the earth engendred men of armes Of Dragons teeth, sowne in the sacred sand; So this braue brave Towne, that in her youthlie daies An Hydra was of warriours glorious, Did fill with her renowmed nourslings praise The firie sunnes both one and other hous: But they at last, there being then not liuing living An Hercules, so ranke seed to represse; Emongst themselues themselves with cruell furie striuing striving , Mow’d downe themselues themselves with slaughter mercilesse; Renewing in themselues themselves that rage vnkinde unkinde , Which whilom did those earthborn brethrẽ brethren blinde. Ruines of Rome. Nor 11 Mars shaming to haue have giuen given so great head To his off-spring, that mortall puissaunce Puft vp up with pride of Romane hardie head, Seem’d aboue above heauens heavens powre it selfe to aduaunce advaunce ; Cooling againe his former kindled heate; With which he had those Romane spirits fild, Did blowe new fire, and with enflamed breath, Into the Gothicke colde hot rage instil’d: Then gan that Nation, th’earths new Giant brood, To dart abroad the thunder bolts of warre, And beating downe these walls with furious mood Into her mothers bosome, all did marre; To th’end that none, all were it Ioue Jove his sire Should boast himselfe of the Romane Empire. 12 Like as whilome the children of the earth Heapt hils on hils, to scale the starrie skie, And fight against the Gods of heauenly heavenly berth, Whiles Ioue Jove at them his thunderbolts let flie; All suddenly with lightning ouerthrowne overthrowne , The furious squadrons downe to ground did fall, That th’earth vnder under her childrens weight did grone, And th’heauens th’heavens in glorie triumpht ouer over all: So did that haughtie front which heaped was On these seuen seven Romane hils, it selfe vpreare upreare Ouer Over the world, and lift her loftie face Against the heauen heaven , that gan her force to feare. But now these scorned fields bemone her fall, And Gods secure feare not her force at all. Ruines of Rome. Ye 13 Nor the swift furie of the flames aspiring, Nor the deep wounds of victours raging blade, Nor ruthlesse spoyle of souldiers blood-desiring, The which so oft thee (Rome) their conquest made; Ne stroke on stroke of fortune variable, Ne rust of age hating continuance, Nor wrath of Gods, nor spight of men vnstable unstable , Nor thou opposd’ against thine owne puissance; Nor th’horrible vprore uprore of windes high blowing, Nor swelling streames of that God snakie paced, Which hath so often with his overflowing Thee drenched, haue have thy pride so much abaced; But that this nothing, which they haue have thee left, Makes the world wõder wonder , what they from thee reft. 14 As men in Summer fearles passe the soord, Which is in Winter lord of all the plaine, And with his tumbling streames doth beare aboord The ploughmans hope, and shepheards labour vaine: And as the coward beasts vse use to despise The noble Lion after his liues lives end, Whetting their teeth, and with vaine foolhardise Daring the foe, that cannot him defend: And as at Troy most dastards of the Greekes Did braue brave about the corpes of Hector colde; So those which whilome wont with pallid cheekes The Romane triumphs glorie to behold, Now on these ashie tombes shew boldnesse vaine, And conquer’d dare the Conquerour disdaine. Ruines of Rome. So 15 Ye pallid spirits, and ye ashie ghoasts, Which ioying joying in the brightnes of your day, Brought foorth those signes of your presumptuous (boasts Which now their dusty reliques do bewray; Tell me ye spirits (sith the darksome riuer river Of Styx, not passable to soules returning, Enclosing you in thrice three wards for euer ever , Doo not restraine your images still mourning) Tell me then (for perhaps some one of you Yet here aboue above him secretly doth hide) Doo ye not feele your torments to accrewe, When ye sometimes behold the ruin’d pride Of these old Romane works built with your hands, To become nought els, but heaped sands? 16 Like as ye see the wrathfull Sea from farre, In a great mountaine heap’t with hideous noyse, Eftsoones of thousand billowes shouldred narre, Against a Rocke to breake with dreadfull poyse: Like as ye see fell Boreas with sharpe blast, Tossing huge tempests through the troubled skie, Eftsoones hauing having his wide wings spent in wast, To stop his wearie cariere suddenly: And as ye see huge flames spred diuerslie diverslie , Gathered in one vp up to the heauens heavens to spyre, Eftsoones consum’d to fall downe feebily: So whilom did this Monarchie aspyre As waues waves , as winde, as fire spred ouer over all, Till it by fatall doome adowne did fall. Ruines of Rome. All S 17 So long as Ioues Joves great Bird did make his flight, Bearing the fire with which heauen heaven doth vs us fray, Heauen Heaven had not feare of that presumptuous might, With which the Giaunts did the Gods assay. But all so soone, as scortching Sunne had brent His wings, which wont the earth to ouerspredd overspredd , The earth out of her massie wombe forth sent That antique horror, which made heauen heaven adredd. Then was the Germane Rauen Raven in disguise That Romane Eagle seene to cleaue cleave asunder, And towards heauen heaven freshly to arise Out of these mountaines, now consum’d to pouder. In which the foule that serues serves to beare the lightning, Is now no more seen flying, nor alighting. 18 These heapes of stones, these old wals which ye see, Were first enclosures but of saluage salvage soyle; And these braue brave Pallaces which maystred bee Of time, were shepheards cottages somewhile. Then tooke the shepheards Kingly ornament And the stout hynde arm’d his right hand with steele: Eftsoones their rule of yearely Presidents Grew great, and sixe months greater a great deele; Which made perpetuall, rose to so great might, That thence th’Imperiall Eagle rooting tooke, Till th’heauen it selfe opposing gainst her might, Her power to Peters successor betooke; Who shepheardlike, (as fates the same foreseeing) Doth shew, that all things turne to their first being. 19 All that is perfect, which th’heauen th’heaven beautefies; Ruines of Rome. Sustein’d All that’s imperfect, borne belowe the Moone; All that doth feede our spirits and our eies; And all that doth consume our pleasures soone; All the mishap, the which our daies outweares, All the good hap of th’oldest times afore, Rome in the time of her great ancesters, Like a Pandora, locked long in store. But destinie this huge Chaos turmoyling, In which all good and euill evill was enclosed, Their heauenly heavenly vertues from these woes assoyling, Caried to heauen heaven , from sinfull bondage losed: But their great sinnes, the causers of their paine, Vnder Under these antique ruines yet remaine. 20 No otherwise than raynie cloud, first fed With earthly vapours gathered in the ayre, Eftsoones in compas arch’t, to steepe his hed, Doth plonge himselfe in Tethys bosome faire; And mounting vp up againe, from whence he came, With his great bellie spreds the dimmed world, Till at the last dissoluing dissolving his moist frame, In raine, or snowe, or haile he forth is horld; This Citie, which was first but shepheards shade, Vprising Uprising by degrees, grewe to such height, That Queene of land and sea her selfe she made. At last not able to beare so great weight, Her power disperst, through all the world did vade; To shew that all in th’end to nought shall fade. 21 The same which Pyrrhus, and the puissaunce Of Afrike could not tame, that same braue brave Citie, Which with stout courage arm’d against mischaũce mischaunce , Ruines of Rome. Impa- S2 Sustein’d the shocke of common enmitie; Long as her ship tost with so manie freakes, Had all the world in armes against her bent, Was neuer never seene, that anie fortunes wreakes Could breake her course begun with braue brave intent. But when the obiect object of her vertue failed, Her power it selfe against it selfe did arme; As he that hauing having long in tempest sailed, Faine would ariue arive , but cannot for the storme, If too great winde against the port him driue drive , Doth in the port it selfe his vessell riue rive . 22 When that braue brave honour of the Latine name, Which mear’d her rule with Africa, and Byze, With Thames inhabitants of noble fame, And they which see the dawning day arize; Her nourslings did with mutinous vprore uprore Harten against her selfe, her conquer’d spoile, Which she had wonne from all the world afore, Of all the world was spoyl’d within a while. So when the compast course of the vniuerse universe In sixe and thirtie thousand yeares is ronne, The bands of th’elements shall backe reuerse reverse To their first discord, and be quite vndonne undonne : The seedes, of which all things at first were bred, Shall in great Chaos wombe againe be hid. 23 O warie wisedome of the man, that would That Carthage towres from spoile should be forborne, To th’end that his victorious people should With cancring laisure not be ouerworne overworne ; He well foresaw, how that the Romane courage, Ruines of Rome. By Impatient of pleasures faint desires, Through idlenes would turne to ciuill civill rage, And be her selfe the matter of her fires. For in a people giuen given all to ease, Ambition is engendred easily; As in a vicious bodie, grose disease Soone growes through humours superfluitie. That came to passe, whẽ when swolne with plẽties plenties pride, Nor prince, nor peere, nor kin they would abide. 24 If the blinde furie, which warres breedeth oft, Wonts not t’enrage the hearts of equall beasts, Whether they fare on foote, or flie aloft, Or armed be with clawes, or scalie creasts; What fell Erynnis with hot burning tongs, Did grype your hearts, with noysome rage imbew’d, That each to other working cruell wrongs, Your blades in your owne bowels you embrew’d? Was this (ye Romanes) your hard destinie? Or some old sinne, whose vnappeased unappeased guilt Powr’d vengeance forth on you eternallie? Or brothers blood, the which at first was spilt Vpon Upon your walls, that God might not endure, Vpon Upon the same to set foundation sure? 25 O that I had the Thracian Poets harpe, For to awake out of th’infernall shade Those antique Cæsars, sleeping long in darke, The which this auncient Citie whilome made: Or that I had Amphions instrument, To quicken with his vitall notes accord, The stonie ioynts joynts of these old walls now rent, Ruines of Rome. Renewes S3 By which th’Ausonian light might be restor’d: Or that at least I could with pencill fine, Fashion the pourtraicts of these Palacis, By paterne of great Virgils spirit diuine divine ; I would assay with that which in me is, To builde with leuell levell of my loftie style, That which no hands can euermore evermore compyle. 26 Who list the Romane greatnes forth to figure, Him needeth not to seeke for vsage usage right Of line, or lead, or rule, or squaire, to measure Her length, her breadth, her deepnes, or her hight, But him behooues behooves to vew in compasse round All that the Ocean graspes in his long armes; Be it where the yerely starre doth scortch the ground, Or where colde Boreas blowes his bitter stormes. Rome was th’whole world, & and al the world was Rome, And if things nam’d their names doo equalize, When land and sea ye name, then name ye Rome; And naming Rome ye land and sea comprize: For th’auncient Plot of Rome displayed plaine, The map of all the wide world doth containe. 27 Thou that at Rome astonisht dost behold The antique pride, which menaced the skie, These haughtie heapes, these palaces of olde, These wals, these arcks, these baths, these temples hie; Iudge Judge by these ample ruines vew, the rest The which iniurious injurious time hath quite outworne, Since of all workmen helde in reckning best, Yet these olde fragments are for paternes borne: Then also marke, how Rome from day to day, Repayring her decayed fashion, Ruines of Rome. Rome Renewes herselfe with buildings rich and gay; That one would iudge judge , that the Romaine Dæmon Doth yet himselfe with fatall hand enforce, Againe on foote to reare her pouldred corse. 28 He that hath seene a great Oke drie and dead, Yet clad with reliques of some Trophees olde, Lifting to heauen heaven her aged hoarie head, Whose foote in ground hath left but feeble holde; But halfe disbowel’d lies aboue above the ground, Shewing her wreathed rootes, and naked armes, And on her trunke all rotten and vnsound unsound Onely supports herselfe for meate of wormes; And though she owe her fall to the first winde, Yet of the deuout devout people is ador’d, And manie yong plants spring out of her rinde; Who such an Oke hath seene, let him record That such this Cities honour was of yore, And mongst all Cities florished much more. 29 All that which Aegypt whilome did deuise devise , All that which Greece their temples to embraue embrave , After th’Ionicke, Atticke, Doricke guise, Or Corinth skil’d in curious workes to graue grave ; All that Lysippus practike arte could forme, Apelles wit, or Phidias his skill, Was wont this auncient Citie to adorne, And the heauen heaven it selfe with her wide wonders fill; All that which Athens euer ever brought forth wise, All that which Afrike euer ever brought forth strange, All that which Asie euer ever had of prise, Was here to see. O meruelous mervelous great change: Ruines of Rome. Hope Rome liuing living , was the worlds sole ornament, And dead, is now the worlds sole moniment. 30 Like as the seeded field greene grasse first showes, Then from greene grasse into a stalke doth spring, And from a stalke into an eare forth-growes, Which eare the frutefull graine doth shortly bring; And as in season due the husband mowes The wauing waving lockes of those faire yeallow heares, Which bound in sheaues sheaves , and layd in comely rowes, Vpon Upon the naked fields in stalkes he reares: So grew the Romane Empire by degree, Till that Barbarian hands it quite did spill, And left of it but these olde markes to see, Of which all passers by doo somewhat pill: As they which gleane, the reliques vse use to gather, Which th’husbãdmã th’husbandman behind him chanst to scater. 31 That same is now nought but a champian wide, Where all this worlds pride once was situate. No blame to thee, whosoeuer whosoever dost abide By Nyle, or Gange, or Tygre, or Euphrate, Ne Afrike thereof guiltie is, nor Spaine, Nor the bolde people by the Thamis brincks, Nor the braue brave warlicke brood of Alemaine, Nor the borne Souldier which Rhine running drinks: Thou onely cause, ô Ciuill Civill furie, art Which sowing in th’Aemathian fields thy spight, Didst arme thy hand against thy proper hart; To th’end that when thou wast in greatest hight To greatnes growne, through long prosperitie, Thou then adowne might’st fall more horriblie. Ruines of Rome. 32 Hope ye my yerses that posteritie Of age ensuing shall you euer ever read? Hope ye that euer ever immortalitie So meane Harpes worke may chalenge for her meed? If vnder under heauen heaven anie endurance were, These moniments, which not in paper writ, But in Porphyre and Marble doo appeare, Might well haue have hop’d to haue have obtained it. Nath’les my Lute, whom Phœbus deignd to giue give , Cease not to sound these olde antiquities: For if that time doo let thy glorie liue live , Well maist thou boast, how euer ever base thou bee, That thou art first, which of thy Nation song Th’olde honour of the people gowned long.