Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • The Fall of Rome W. H. Auden, 1907 - 1973

    Uploaded by

    Ioana Cristina
    38 views1 page
    The Fall of Rome describes the decline and collapse of the Roman Empire through various images. In three sentences: The infrastructure and authority of Rome is crumbling as waves pummel piers, abandoned trains sit in lonely fields, and outlaws fill mountain caves. Meanwhile, the wealthy and literati indulge in fantasies and magic as taxes go unpaid and marines mutiny without food or pay. As the empire falls apart, small birds eye flu-infected cities while reindeer silently move across miles of golden moss, unaffected by Rome's collapse.

    Original Description:

    The Fall of Rome W. H. Auden, 1907 - 1973

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    TXT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    The Fall of Rome describes the decline and collapse of the Roman Empire through various images. In three sentences: The infrastructure and authority of Rome is crumbling as waves pummel piers, abandoned trains sit in lonely fields, and outlaws fill mountain caves. Meanwhile, the wealthy and literati indulge in fantasies and magic as taxes go unpaid and marines mutiny without food or pay. As the empire falls apart, small birds eye flu-infected cities while reindeer silently move across miles of golden moss, unaffected by Rome's collapse.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    38 views1 page

    The Fall of Rome W. H. Auden, 1907 - 1973

    Uploaded by

    Ioana Cristina
    The Fall of Rome describes the decline and collapse of the Roman Empire through various images. In three sentences: The infrastructure and authority of Rome is crumbling as waves pummel piers, abandoned trains sit in lonely fields, and outlaws fill mountain caves. Meanwhile, the wealthy and literati indulge in fantasies and magic as taxes go unpaid and marines mutiny without food or pay. As the empire falls apart, small birds eye flu-infected cities while reindeer silently move across miles of golden moss, unaffected by Rome's collapse.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 1

    The Fall of Rome

    W. H. Auden, 1907 - 1973


    (for Cyril Connolly)
    The piers are pummelled by the waves;
    In a lonely field the rain
    Lashes an abandoned train;
    Outlaws fill the mountain caves.
    Fantastic grow the evening gowns;
    Agents of the Fisc pursue
    Absconding tax-defaulters through
    The sewers of provincial towns.
    Private rites of magic send
    The temple prostitutes to sleep;
    All the literati keep
    An imaginary friend.
    Cerebrotonic Cato may
    Extol the Ancient Disciplines,
    But the muscle-bound Marines
    Mutiny for food and pay.
    Caesar s double-bed is warm
    As an unimportant clerk
    Writes I DO NOT LIKE MY WORK
    On a pink official form.
    Unendowed with wealth or pity,
    Little birds with scarlet legs,
    Sitting on their speckled eggs,
    Eye each flu-infected city.
    Altogether elsewhere, vast
    Herds of reindeer move across
    Miles and miles of golden moss,
    Silently and very fast.

    You might also like