By reedy Thrasymene.

XXIV
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 Sextus,

That wrought the deed of shame.
XXV

But when the face of Sextus
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 towards him and hissed,

No child but screamed out curses,
And shook its little fist.

XXVI
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?''
XXVII

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 gods,

XXVIII
``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 Sextus

That wrought the deed of shame?
XXIX

``Haul 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 strait path a thousand
May well be stopped by three.

Now who will stand on either hand,
And keep the bridge with me?''

XXX
Then out spake Spurius Lartius;

A Ramnian proud was he:
``Lo, I will stand at thy right hand,

And keep the bridge with thee.''
And out spake strong Herminius;

Of Titian blood was he:
``I will abide on thy left side,

And keep the bridge with thee.''
XXXI

``Horatius,'' quoth the Consul,
``As thou sayest, 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.

XXXII
Then none was for a party;

Then all were for the state;
Then the great man helped the poor,

And the poor man loved the great:
Then lands were fairly portioned;

Then spoils were fairly sold:
The Romans were like brothers

In the brave days of old.
XXXIII

Now Roman is to Roman
More hateful than a foe,

And the Tribunes beard the high,
And the Fathers grind the low.

As we wax hot in faction,
In battle we wax cold:

Wherefore men fight not as they fought
In the brave days of old.

XXXIV
Now while the Three were tightening

Their harness on their backs,
The Consul was the foremost man

To take in hand an axe:
And Fathers mixed with Commons

Seized hatchet, bar, and crow,
And smote upon the planks above,

And loosed the props below.
XXXV

Meanwhile the Tuscan army,
Right glorious to behold,

Come flashing 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 towards the bridge's head,

Where stood the dauntless Three.
XXXVI

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 shields, and flew

To win the narrrow way;
XXXVII

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
Vassal 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.

XXXVIII
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 bloody dust.
XXXIX

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
Amidst the reeds of Cosa's fen,

And wasted fields, and slaughtered men,
Along Albinia's shore.

XL
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 track of thy destroying bark.
No more Campania's hinds shall fly

To woods and caverns when they spy
Thy thriceaccursed sail.''

XLI
But now no sound of laughter

Was heard among the foes.
A wild and wrathful clamor

From all the vanguard rose.
Six spears' lengths from the entrance

Halted that deep array,
And for a space no man came forth

To win the narrow way.
XLII

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 four-fold shield,

And in his hand he shakes the brand
Which none but he can wield.

XLIII
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?''
XLIV

Then, whirling up his broadsword
With both hands to the height,

He rushed against Horatius,
And smote with all his might.

With shield and blade Horatius
Right deftly turned the blow.

The blow, though turned, came yet too nigh;
It missed his helm, but gashed his thigh:

• wrought [rɔ:t] work 的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)
• fearful [´fiəfəl] a.可怕的；担心的 (初中英语单词)
• eternal [i´tə:nəl] a.永远的；永恒的 (初中英语单词)
• harness [´hɑ:nis] vt.上马具 n.马具 (初中英语单词)
• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
• advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)
• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)
• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)
• bloody [´blʌdi] a.(流)血的；血腥的 (初中英语单词)
• shield [ʃi:ld] n.盾牌；防御 v.保护 (初中英语单词)
• strait [streit] n.海峡 (高中英语单词)
• consul [´kɔnsəl] n.领事；执政官 (高中英语单词)
• foremost [´fɔ:məust] a.最重要的；最先的 (高中英语单词)
• fortress [´fɔ:tris] n.堡垒，要塞 (高中英语单词)
• stately [´steitli] a.庄严的，雄伟的 (高中英语单词)
• serene [si´ri:n] n.&a.清澈的；宁静的 (高中英语单词)
• bridge [bridʒ] n.桥(梁)；鼻梁；桥牌 (英语四级单词)
• hateful [´heitfəl] a.可恨的，可憎的 (英语四级单词)
• hatchet [´hætʃit] n.短柄小斧 (英语四级单词)
• noonday [´nu:ndei] n.正午 (英语四级单词)
• warlike [´wɔ:laik] a.战争的；好战的 (英语四级单词)
• thrice [θrais] ad.三倍地；三次 (英语四级单词)
• accursed [ə´kə:sid] a.被诅咒的；可憎的 (英语四级单词)
• savagely [´sævidʒli] ad.野蛮地；原始地 (英语四级单词)
• darkly [´dɑ:kli] adv.暗，黑；暗中 (英语六级单词)
• dauntless [´dɔ:ntlis] a.无畏的；不屈不挠的 (英语六级单词)
• aghast [ə´gɑ:st] a.吓呆的，吃惊的 (英语六级单词)
• deftly [´deftli] ad.灵巧地，敏捷地 (英语六级单词)