The Dawn in Britain by Charles M. Doughty |
 |
|
| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. |
 | XVII. |
| XVIII. |
| XIX. |
| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
| XXIII. |
| XXIV. |
 | The Dawn in Britain |  |
Immense new shout! seen, rushing from South part,
Armed men, in field, are Belges by their shields.
Is Cunoglas, lord of old royal house;
Plough-wise, with valour of a god, them leads!
His helm is braided steel, his hauberk plate,
Of proof, inlaid, with floweréd Gaulish work.
He the head; the ribs are stoutest Belges' champions:
For like long row-ship, smitten forth of oars,
On bloody waves, those break the battle-press.
Armed men, in field, are Belges by their shields.
Is Cunoglas, lord of old royal house;
197
His helm is braided steel, his hauberk plate,
Of proof, inlaid, with floweréd Gaulish work.
He the head; the ribs are stoutest Belges' champions:
For like long row-ship, smitten forth of oars,
On bloody waves, those break the battle-press.
But turned again, from their tremendous voyage;
Who was their captain, bleeding much, uneath,
Men uphold, midst their wedge, tall Cunoglas!
Dead soon, they cannot choose, but let to fall
On ground, that glorious spoil. Who, in his room,
Helm-clad, now leads, is man of immense force.
Leaf-crowned, this runs; and fenced is his vast chest,
With swart-stained mails, lo, smirched with much war-blood.
Who was their captain, bleeding much, uneath,
Men uphold, midst their wedge, tall Cunoglas!
Dead soon, they cannot choose, but let to fall
On ground, that glorious spoil. Who, in his room,
Helm-clad, now leads, is man of immense force.
Leaf-crowned, this runs; and fenced is his vast chest,
With swart-stained mails, lo, smirched with much war-blood.
This their wedge-head, he battles, without shield:
And by his shout, an Atrebat he is!
And seem men hear, when terribly he cries,
(The stature his,) voice of Segontorix!
Insomuch, that his swift career upholding,
Who hastened thither is, in shrill scythe-chariot;
With cry, hark, great warlord Caratacus,
His name enquires and house illustrious?
Unto whom that hero, a moment stayed his course;
Spake, Nurseling of the foster-gods, thee, Caradoc,
Give they war-glory and endless victory!
Know that am I, unworthy seed of Commius,
He that was king, whiles stood our happier state,
In dune Calleva, now burned walls and waste.
So crying, he hurled forth yet more vehement!
And by his shout, an Atrebat he is!
And seem men hear, when terribly he cries,
(The stature his,) voice of Segontorix!
Insomuch, that his swift career upholding,
Who hastened thither is, in shrill scythe-chariot;
With cry, hark, great warlord Caratacus,
His name enquires and house illustrious?
Unto whom that hero, a moment stayed his course;
198
Give they war-glory and endless victory!
Know that am I, unworthy seed of Commius,
He that was king, whiles stood our happier state,
In dune Calleva, now burned walls and waste.
So crying, he hurled forth yet more vehement!
When scaped Segontorix was, from Cogidubnos;
He, went to forest, warred, mongst thicket brakes,
On beasts; till all his royal weed to-rent,
And tawny so, and scratcht his noble face,
That no more known the Guledig was, of wight.
He, went to forest, warred, mongst thicket brakes,
On beasts; till all his royal weed to-rent,
And tawny so, and scratcht his noble face,
That no more known the Guledig was, of wight.
Befell then, certain horsefolk, Gauls, which ride,
With guides, post-messengers, unto nigh Longport,
Before that Belges' forest, needs must pass.
Them found Segontorix, lighted, at brook-side,
That watered their tired steeds. Few vassals, come
In arms, unto the king, were with him there:
And some ones, of the Gauls, those slew, anon;
And fled the rest from Guledig's great force.
With guides, post-messengers, unto nigh Longport,
Before that Belges' forest, needs must pass.
Them found Segontorix, lighted, at brook-side,
That watered their tired steeds. Few vassals, come
In arms, unto the king, were with him there:
And some ones, of the Gauls, those slew, anon;
And fled the rest from Guledig's great force.
But he moved of some god, spoiled a Gaul, dead,
Man of great stature, of his bright mailed harness;
Him rayed in that war-weed; but, sith, it stained,
(Still madding in his mood,) with warlike woad;
That druids had, for the king, ere, of that wood
Simpled, in the wild paths, and it prepared.
This, likewise, did, to pleasure him, his few warriors.
Man of great stature, of his bright mailed harness;
199
(Still madding in his mood,) with warlike woad;
That druids had, for the king, ere, of that wood
Simpled, in the wild paths, and it prepared.
This, likewise, did, to pleasure him, his few warriors.
At Guledig's cry, those, mounted then, Gauls' steeds;
Had issued from wood-side. Men gathered, armed,
From many a grange, to them, and homestead burned;
Which their warfaring cries heard, as they rode:
Yet none durst ask, Is this Segontorix?
And were they joined, to-day, to Cunoglas.
Had issued from wood-side. Men gathered, armed,
From many a grange, to them, and homestead burned;
Which their warfaring cries heard, as they rode:
Yet none durst ask, Is this Segontorix?
And were they joined, to-day, to Cunoglas.
Yonder, fight cloud of archers, from main Gaul;
Which, lately passed the narrow seas, with Claudius;
Fenced with round bucklers. Them, four hundred bows,
(Ambacti named; and gessetas, his hired servants,)
One leads Verpatalos, lord in a great dune:
But runs derne whisper, in his people's ears,
Had Pallant, freedman of the imperial palace,
Their lord's young wife beguiled. In this hour, was
Seized extreme passion, on Verpatalos' soul;
Seen those great deeds, of Atrebatan Britons.
He them, with both his Belgic hands, applauds!
That, oak-leaf-crowned, hurl, fighting-on, to death!
And now those cleave Vespasian's pia legion.
Which, lately passed the narrow seas, with Claudius;
Fenced with round bucklers. Them, four hundred bows,
(Ambacti named; and gessetas, his hired servants,)
One leads Verpatalos, lord in a great dune:
But runs derne whisper, in his people's ears,
Had Pallant, freedman of the imperial palace,
Their lord's young wife beguiled. In this hour, was
Seized extreme passion, on Verpatalos' soul;
Seen those great deeds, of Atrebatan Britons.
He them, with both his Belgic hands, applauds!
That, oak-leaf-crowned, hurl, fighting-on, to death!
And now those cleave Vespasian's pia legion.
200
Mongst his light warriors; (that do cast-up tufts
Of grass, to know how stands the wind aloft,
Which mars their arrows' flight;) hark, cries Verpatalos,
Upholding hand! (his bowmen cease then shoot,)
In common speech of main and island Gauls,
Is come the day of vengeance, for our harms!
Just gods, which passed Italic Alps, with Brennus,
Conjoin, again, our arms against proud Rome.
This said Verpatalos, raised loud Gaulish chant,
Steed mounts; and issues from beside the legions!
Follow, with rattling quivers, his most warriors;
That, running, cast their shields, behind their backs.
Of grass, to know how stands the wind aloft,
Which mars their arrows' flight;) hark, cries Verpatalos,
Upholding hand! (his bowmen cease then shoot,)
In common speech of main and island Gauls,
Is come the day of vengeance, for our harms!
Just gods, which passed Italic Alps, with Brennus,
Conjoin, again, our arms against proud Rome.
This said Verpatalos, raised loud Gaulish chant,
Steed mounts; and issues from beside the legions!
Follow, with rattling quivers, his most warriors;
That, running, cast their shields, behind their backs.
Lifting, to Kent men, that rush nigh, in chariots,
Verpatalos suppliant palms; he, Kinsmen, cries,
Give passage; that to king Caratacus,
We may us join, and Britons' blue caterfs!
These grant: Gauls then, still running, come to part,
Where kings, of all blue Britons' tribes, had left
Reliefs, strong mingled bands, in covert place.
Gauls, loud, as they nigh to them, name, (right hands
Outstretching,) common gods. But minding those,
Alone, that former overthrow, at Thames,
By fraud of Gauls; whereby, was Antethrigus
Smitten, and Britons' army cast away;
(And Dryg, hot-hearted lord, to-day, commands,)
Would not receive, though those their crooked bows,
Have cast: but Britons, unsheathed furious glaives,
Closing them round, begin the foremost slay:
They pluck, then, lord Verpatalos, from horse!
Verpatalos suppliant palms; he, Kinsmen, cries,
Give passage; that to king Caratacus,
We may us join, and Britons' blue caterfs!
These grant: Gauls then, still running, come to part,
Where kings, of all blue Britons' tribes, had left
Reliefs, strong mingled bands, in covert place.
Gauls, loud, as they nigh to them, name, (right hands
Outstretching,) common gods. But minding those,
Alone, that former overthrow, at Thames,
By fraud of Gauls; whereby, was Antethrigus
201
(And Dryg, hot-hearted lord, to-day, commands,)
Would not receive, though those their crooked bows,
Have cast: but Britons, unsheathed furious glaives,
Closing them round, begin the foremost slay:
They pluck, then, lord Verpatalos, from horse!
He, nobleman, would not recoil, nor fight.
An hasty dart, hurled through his gorge, alas;
His woes eftsoons have ending. Ceased his voice,
Tremendous, whelms, upon his reeling sense,
Of never-ending sleep, the purple night!
And fled lamenting, from his comely corse,
Pasture of crows and kites, in land of Brennus,
His ghost. Snatcht Belges bowmen up wild stones,
Gainst Britons, which them slay; die, desperate!
An hasty dart, hurled through his gorge, alas;
His woes eftsoons have ending. Ceased his voice,
Tremendous, whelms, upon his reeling sense,
Of never-ending sleep, the purple night!
And fled lamenting, from his comely corse,
Pasture of crows and kites, in land of Brennus,
His ghost. Snatcht Belges bowmen up wild stones,
Gainst Britons, which them slay; die, desperate!
Being raised new clamour, in their hindward, thus;
As erewhile in Thames' field, wry back blue Britons,
(Which hear that cry!) their necks, doubting their hearts;
And pause their battle-weary hands to fight.
As erewhile in Thames' field, wry back blue Britons,
(Which hear that cry!) their necks, doubting their hearts;
And pause their battle-weary hands to fight.
Flavius then, making head, leads on his legion:
And they, thick shielded hedge of glaives and spears,
With strong effort, long loose ranks of blue Britons,
Beat back: and Sabine's horsemen them o'errun.
Then taken were many teams of broken scythe-carts,
Whose riders slain to ground. And Roman engines,
Launching from scaffolds, laid on heavy wains,
With hideous randon, stones and great winged beams,
Confound and strew that trimarch of the North.
And they, thick shielded hedge of glaives and spears,
With strong effort, long loose ranks of blue Britons,
Beat back: and Sabine's horsemen them o'errun.
Then taken were many teams of broken scythe-carts,
202
Launching from scaffolds, laid on heavy wains,
With hideous randon, stones and great winged beams,
Confound and strew that trimarch of the North.
| The Dawn in Britain | |