Africanus: a Ballad On the Conquests of Scipio Africanus
From ship we see the foreign shore
The lookout’s first to sight
The Carthaginians have no clue
Of coming Roman might
The expedition’s full of men
Our forces proud and grand
We come to conquer Africa
This hot and humid land
We hit the coast, a stranger comes
An old and shriveled man
His voice is raspy like a blade
His skin is dark and tan
He squint’s round at my armored troops
His eyes take in the ships
He queries as to my own past
And other Roman trips
I answer “I am Scipio
The Roman general
I conquered all Iberia
These men are at my call”
“Arriving from Hispania
We conquered all the tribes
The Carthaginian rebels too
Our feats I shan’t describe”
“More recently we gained allies
That may help us again
They are the best riders around
Numidian horsemen”
“But soon we must prepare to march
To meet the Carthage foe
Through sand, and fields, and mountains too
Whichever wind may blow”
“The expedition’s ready now
Our forces proud and grand
We’ve come to conquer Africa
This hot and humid land”
As we set off, the tension mounts
Our blades are sharp and keen
The banners fly, the troops are set
Our enemies will scream
We crest the hill and see the man
The famous Hannibal
Crying orders, gath’ring troops
We’ll crush this animal.
Zamá’s the place, as morning dawns
The elephants attack
The battle’s fought, the men are caught
In arrows, screams, and rain
The expedition’s weary now
Our eyes are full of sand
We’ve come, we’ve conquered Africa
This ancient, bloody land
Copyright © Ginger Barley | Year Posted 2012
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