Silius Italicus
Punica (The Second Carthaginian War)
Book XII
Translated by A. S. Kline © Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved
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Contents
- Book XII:1-26 Hannibal moves against neighbouring cities
- Book XII:27-59 Hannibal is thwarted at Naples (Parthenope)
- Book XII:60-82 Hannibal attacks Cumae in vain
- Book XII:83-112 Capua and Daedalus: failure at Pozzuoli
- Book XII:113-157 The region around Pozzuoli
- Book XII:158-180 Hannibal attacks Nola (215BC)
- Book XII:181-200 Marcellus seizes the initiative
- Book XII:201-211 Hannibal rebukes his men
- Book XII:212-252 Pedianus kills Cinyps
- Book XII:253-280 Marcellus triumphs
- Book XII:281-294 Hannibal complains
- Book XII:295-319 Rome regains confidence
- Book XII:320-341 The Romans consult the Delphic oracle
- Book XII:342-386 Manlius Torquatus in Sardinia
- Book XII:387-419 Apollo protects Ennius
- Book XII:420-433 Hannibal campaigns elsewhere (214-213 BC)
- Book XII:434-448 The Carthaginian fleet escapes Tarento
- Book XII:449-478 The death of Gracchus (212BC)
- Book XII:479-506 Hannibal camps near besieged Capua
- Book XII:507-540 Hannibal advances on Rome
- Book XII:541-557 Rome’s citizens panic
- Book XII:558-586 Hannibal threatens Rome (211BC)
- Book XII:587-604 Fulvius goes out to battle
- Book XII:605-626 Jupiter and the gods assist Rome
- Book XII:627-645 Hannibal retreats to camp
- Book XII:646-663 The fight is renewed on the following day
- Book XII:664-685 Hannibal, thwarted, rouses his troops
- Book XII:686-700 Jupiter calls on Juno for aid
- Book XII:701-728 Juno diverts Hannibal from his purpose
- Book XII:729-752 Hannibal retreats to Rome’s delight
Book XII:1-26 Hannibal moves against neighbouring cities
Now that harsh winter was hiding his icy head,
his stormy brow, his cloudy face and towering
gales, beneath the earth, and a pleasant spring
warmed the land with gentle breezes and clear
skies, the Carthaginians emerged from Capua,
spreading terror far and wide: so serpents hide
when northerlies chill the Thracian mountains,
but, when the season is more promising, glide
and gleam in their fresh skin, lifting glistening
heads while breathing venom from raised jaws.
Once Hannibal’s banners gleamed in the fields,
all was deserted and, driven by fear, the people
locked their gates in expectation of this enemy,
filled with trepidation, distrusting their defences.
Yet the vigour which had seen the Carthaginians
penetrate the Alps, clearing a path for themselves;
master the Trebia; defile Trasimene with Roman
blood, was absent now. Their limbs were torpid,
muscles lax: weakened by luxury, dulled by wine
and enticing sleep, men used to chill nights under
a stormy sky and weighed down by heavy mail,
spurning their tents in the pouring rain and hail,
sword at their side in darkness, lance and quiver,
treating their weapons as parts of their bodies,
now found their helms a burden, light shields
ponderous, their spears silent, lacking menace.
Book XII:27-59 Hannibal is thwarted at Naples (Parthenope)
Mild Parthenope was first to feel the renewal
of the war, not for its wealth or because he
scorned its fighting spirit, but for the safety
of its harbour for ships bound from Carthage.
This city is now a place of peace, and a gentle
host to the Muses, where one lives free from
the weight of care. Parthenope, that daughter
of Achelous, gave the city its memorable name;
one of the Sirens, long ruling the waves with
song, her sweet melody over the water brought
death to wretched sailors. Hannibal now attacked
from the rear (the sea defending the city in front)
but could make no inroads despite his best efforts
as he hammered at the barred gates with battering
rams in vain. Thus the victor at Cannae stood
helpless before a Greek city, proving the wisdom
of his caution in not marching from that bloody
field to attack the citadel of Rome. And he now
reproached his men: ‘You called me slow to add
to victory because you were denied the chance to
scale the walls of Rome after our success in battle.
Enter Naples then, and in a city defended merely
by Greeks set me the feast you promised to grant
me in Jove’s house!’ Fearing for his reputation in
days to come, if he were to retreat from the first
city he assaulted, he dared all and exercised deceit
to supplement the sword. Yet flames issued now
from the battlements, with a shower of missiles
discharged suddenly from the circuit of ramparts.
So Jove’s tawny eagle, on seeing a serpent glide
silently to the heights where her young are hidden
to threaten her nestlings with its venomous jaws,
flies round and round the nest, attacking the snake
with beak and talons that bear the lighting-bolts.
Book XII:60-82 Hannibal attacks Cumae in vain
Wearying of this at last, Hannibal chose to turn
his attention to nearby Cumae, to alter his fortune
by a change of place and prevent the damage to his
reputation. But Sempronius Gracchus, the governor
of the city, a surer defence than the walls themselves,
denied him, stopped him from camping by the gates
seeking to force an entrance. Now rendered helpless
Hannibal rode about probing the countryside around,
trying to rouse his men with memory of past actions:
‘By the gods, soldiers, do you forget your former
deeds, what barrier do these Greek cities present?
Where is the challenge? Does some greater obstacle
than the Alps present itself, do I then bid you climb
peaks that brush the sky? Though terrain like that
lay before us, and fresh cliffs rising to the stars,
would you not go where I lead you, and bear your
weapons to the heights? Are you, alas, to be barred,
mouths agape, from the walls and ramparts of Cumae,
thwarted by Gracchus, who dares not quit the gates?
In all likelihood, the world will now impute to chance
everything that your efforts have achieved. I beg you,
by Trasimene where the gods favoured us, by Trebia,
by the ashes of Saguntum, render yourselves worthy
of the glory that follows you, and summon Cannae.’
Book XII:83-112 Capua and Daedalus: failure at Pozzuoli
So Hannibal sought by exhortation to rouse spirits
weakened by luxury and enervated by success. Here,
while inspecting the defences, he noticed a gleaming
temple on the summit of the citadel, whose origins
Virrius, the unbending governor of proud Capua,
explained: ‘That which you see is not the work of
our day, it was built by our ancestors. Daedalus,
so the tales goes, when in fear of Minos the king
of Crete, contrived to leave no trace on earth for
his pursuer, but dared to climb the sky on wings
he had devised, and show humankind how to fly.
His body suspended, he sailed amongst the clouds,
those alien wings startling the gods. His son Icarus
he taught to imitate the flight of birds, as well, by
adopting artificial plumage; but when the waxed
feathers melted, he saw the lad with those ill-fated
wings plunge into the wild waves. While yielding
to sudden grief, Daedalus clenched his arms, and
the action unknowingly directed his course. Here
then, thankful for surviving that voyage through
the clouds, he built a temple to Phoebus, shedding
his bold wings.’ So Virrius spoke, while Hannibal
was busy counting the days passed without battle,
ashamed of his inaction. Groaning at his lack of
success, and remembering the cities besieged in
vain, he sought to take revenge on Pozzuoli, that
city of Dicaearchus. Yet here too, now the sea,
now the walls of solid stone and the defenders’
exertions obstructed him. Leaving his army to
struggle slowly on, in their attempt to penetrate
the tough defences, he himself visited the sights
that the neighbouring land and waters presented.
Book XII:113-157 The region around Pozzuoli
Capua’s leading citizens accompanied Hannibal:
one explained how the hot springs at Baiae gained
their name, being so called after Baios, Ulysses’
helmsman. Another that the Lucrine Lake was
once known as Cocytus, praising the roadway
Hercules made through the waves, as that son
of Amphitryon, whilst herding Geryon’s oxen,
split the waters asunder. A third pointed out
Lake Avernus, once called Styx by the locals,
though under its new name celebrated for its
healing waters, since it was dreaded by birds,
darkened by shadow cast by a gloomy grove,
and exhaled foul vapour to the lowering sky,
while among the cities the Stygian rites were
still observed, homage to a savage superstition.
It was said a nearby swamp led to the waters
of Acheron, blind depths of stagnant marsh
below which foul abysses yawned, troubling
the shades beneath with flickering lights. And
close by too lay the City of the Cimmerians,
wrapped for long ages in shadow and infernal
mist, under the pall of night: and they told him
of that Tartarean city’s unfathomable darkness.
Then they pointed out the Phlegraean Fields,
that breathe flame and sulphur and hot bitumen.
Black vapour rises from the earth, the ground,
long-heated by subterranean fires, trembles and
exhales Stygian blasts into the air. Mulciber
seethes and sends a dreadful hissing from his
rumbling caverns while he struggles to burst
their bounds or emerge from the sea, groaning
with a mournful menacing sound, devouring
the lacerated innards of the earth, or shaking
the mountains undermined by his murmuring.
They say the Giants that Hercules conquered,
trouble the ground that is piled above them,
the distant fields are scorched by their breath,
and the gods tremble whenever they threaten
to shatter the mass by which they are burdened.
Procida was apparent, the isle where the savage
giant Mimas was buried, and Ischia further off
which covers giant Iapetus who vents black
smoke and flames from his rebellious maw,
seeking, if ever he is freed, to renew his war
with Jupiter and the gods. And Hannibal was
shown Mount Vesuvius, its summit devoured
by fires, the lava from the mountain all about,
the matter it hurls rivalling Etna’s fatal stones.
He saw Misenum, named from Aeneas’ dead
steersman buried there, and Bauli, Hercules’
stables near the sea. He marvelled at all those
menacing waters and the heaving of the land.
Book XII:158-180 Hannibal attacks Nola (215BC)
When he had viewed the sights, he returned
to Pozzuoli’s high walls, laying waste Gaurus’
vine-clad heights, where the grapes flourish,
then swiftly transferred his troops to Nola,
a Cumaean colony. Nola, situated on the plain,
is surrounded by a ring of towers and, though
easy of approach, the level ground is defended
by high ramparts. Yet Marcellus, who brought
aid and support, was not given to sheltering
his men within, and so defended the city by
striking first. Seeing a host of Carthaginians
advancing over the plain towards the walls,
he cried: ‘To arms, men, to arms, the savage
enemy is here,’ while arming himself as he
shouted. His officers flocked to him and, as
ever, fastened a crimson plume to his helm.
Then his voice rang out, as he disposed his
forces: ‘You must guard the right-hand gate,
Nero; and, Tullius, pride of the Volscians,
you must lead your men and the soldiers
of Larino to that left gate. But when I give
the word open them both, silently, sending
a shower of missiles over the field. When
they are open, I myself will charge among
the enemy, the cavalry following after me.’
While Marcellus was speaking the enemy
were trying to demolish the ramparts and,
scorning scaling ladders, breach the walls.
Book XII:181-200 Marcellus seizes the initiative
The trumpets brayed on all sides, warriors
shouted and the horses neighed, the clarion
call rang out, with the harsh cry of the horn,
the armour ringing on their eager bodies.
The gates unbarred, a fierce host emerged,
as the unexpected flood of men poured out,
as violently as a river when the dykes are
broken, or the sea driven by a northerly
against the cliffs, or the winds when they
escape their prison, warring with the earth.
Disheartened when he saw this avalanche
of armed warriors Hannibal lost confidence.
The Roman general pressed his advantage,
riding ahead, stooping to pierce the backs
of an enemy in flight, as he exhorted his
men: ‘Forward, onward, make haste! For
the gods favour us, and this hour is ours.
There lies the road to Capua’s walls!’ And
now again he called out to Hannibal: ‘Stay,
where are you going? I am addressing you,
the leader, not the backs of your Libyans.
Stay! Arms, field and a fight are all at hand.
Let the soldiers hold fast and watch us duel.
I, Marcellus, challenge you to single combat.’
So the Roman spoke, while the Carthaginian
was tempted to fight for honour and the prize.
Book XII:201-211 Hannibal rebukes his men
But Juno could not watch with an easy mind,
and diverted Hannibal from his purpose as he
was rushing towards his doom. He laboured
instead to rally and recall his stricken troops:
‘Is this the outcome of our time in Capua, that
unfortunate city, is this what self-indulgence
and the lap of luxury brings? Stand, wretches,
your great glories are now an embarrassment.
Trust me, if you retreat today you can expect
no mercy: you will find the whole weight of
Italy against you, and all your fierce warfare
will result, if you are beaten now, in the loss
of every hope of a life of peace.’ His shouting
drowned the trumpet-blare, so the sound of
his savage rebuke still penetrated their ears.
Book XII:212-252 Pedianus kills Cinyps
Now Pedianus fought in Polydamas’ armour
and claimed descent from Trojan Antenor.
He was no mean scion of his race, the pride
of the sacred River Timavus, and his name
was dear to the Euganean land. Eridanus,
god of the River Po, and all the peoples of
the Veneto, and the Paduans who delight
in the springs of Aponus, declared he had
no equal in war, or the peaceful company
of the Muses, or in the quiet life of study,
and he sweetened his labours with the lyre:
no other was more acquainted with both
Mars and Apollo. Now, riding full speed
after the retreating enemy, he recognised
Paullus’ helm and plume, spoils snatched
from the latter’s corpse following his death.
Young Cinyps was the wearer, favoured by
Hannibal, and proud of this great gift from
his leader. None of the enemy was more
handsome, no face more charming, bright
as ivory which gleams and is ever new in
Tivoli’s air, or a pearl from the Red Sea
whose purity dazzles, glistening in a lady’s
ear. When Pedianus spied him in the rear
ranks, conspicuous in that shining helm
with its plume, as if the ghost of Paullus
had risen suddenly from the shades seeking
his lost armour, he charged at Cinyps wildly,
crying: ‘Wretched coward, who dare to don
that sacred helmet, such that all would call it
a crime against heaven were Hannibal himself
to wear it! Paullus, behold me!’ So he called,
summoning that hero’s spirit to watch as he
drove his sharp spear between the fugitive’s
ribs. Then he sprang from his horse, tearing
away Paullus’ helm and plume, as his victim
watched. Death robbed Cinyps of his beauty,
a dark hue spread over his snow-white skin
spoiling the comeliness of his form, while his
ambrosial locks were disordered, as his neck
weakened and his head, all despoiled, bowed,
hiding the marble throat. So the morning star,
Lucifer, rising from the Ocean, shining with
fresh splendour, dims with the sudden cloud
and, fading, hides his failing light in the dark.
Even Pedianus, when he had stripped him of
that helmet, was struck dumb by the sight of
Cinyps’ face, his fierce expression softening.
Book XII:253-280 Marcellus triumphs
Pedianus then carried off the helm, amidst
a clamour from his men, urging on his fiery
horse, which champed the foaming bit till
the blood came, fighting fiercely as he met
Marcellus in the swift confusion of battle,
who recognised the noble trophy: ‘Bravo,
you scion of Antenor, and worthy of your
brave ancestors, bravo! Now let us seek to
do what remains, and despoil Hannibal of
his helm!’ And he hurled his deadly spear
which gave out a fierce hissing, nor would
his effort have been in vain, perhaps, had
mighty Gestar, reacting, not met it with his
own body, and protected his general as he
fought beside him, so that the heavy spear,
thirsting for Hannibal’s blood, pierced him
instead, spending its angry force on another
target. Hannibal galloped swiftly back to his
camp in rage, troubled by his narrow escape.
Now the Carthaginian troops turned tail and
fled headlong, with the Romans following,
each sating his long-nursed anger at defeat,
and waving a bloody sword, in emulation,
for heaven and the avenging deities to see.
That day first proved what none had dared
believe of the gods, that they might allow
the Libyan general to be stalled in battle.
The Romans seized men and chariots and
elephants, tearing armour from the living
and carrying it away, then halted, content
to have seen Hannibal retreat at the point
of a spear. Then they cheered Marcellus
as equal in glory to Mars, as he rode on
accompanied by a triumphal procession,
a finer hero even than when he had borne
the greatest spoil, as victor, to Jove’s temple.
Book XII:281-294 Hannibal complains
Forcing the enemy back from his camp, after
a struggle, Hannibal raged: ‘What will it take
to wash away this stain, what oceans now of
Roman blood? Is it granted Italy to witness
my retreat? O mightiest of the gods, do you
think Trebia’s victor deserves such shame,
and such defeat? And you, my men, so long
invincible, but now alas conquered by peace
and Capua’s luxuries, it is not I who lapse
from past actions, not I who lower victorious
standards before the Romans: you forced me
to retreat. I saw you, as I summoned you to
battle, slinking away in fear as if I were some
Roman general. What remains of your martial
spirit, daring to turn your backs to my call?’
So Hannibal; but the Roman troops returned
to Nola’s walls shouting, carrying the spoils.
Book XII:295-319 Rome regains confidence
And Rome, so long used to hearing of defeat
never of success, took heart again at the news
of victory, and a first sign of heaven’s favour.
And now they punished all who had shirked
war and hardship and hid when the trumpet
sounded; and then those taken prisoner who
clung to life and by a trick claimed to have
fulfilled the conditions of their release from
the Carthaginians; thus the nation was freed
of their guilt. Metellus also was punished, for
his wretched policy and the shameful crime
of proposing Italy be abandoned. Such were
men’s hearts in those days. And the women
were of the same mind as the men, claiming
their share of praise: all of them competing
in their contributions to the war, bringing
their family heirlooms; diadems, bracelets,
tearing the necklaces from their very necks.
Nor were the men displeased, hearing them
praised, at such a time and in such a crisis:
happy to grant them precedence in a never
to be forgotten sacrifice. The high court of
the Senate followed their example. In eager
rivalry they poured out private wealth for
the public good, and delighted in stripping
their houses bare, retaining nothing for their
own use in better days. And even common
citizens joined in. So that a wounded Rome
employed all her body and limbs, and once
again raised her face towards the heavens.
Book XII:320-341 The Romans consult the Delphic oracle
Hope, so dear to the sufferer, was increased
by envoys bringing an answer from Delphi.
They brought the good news they had heard
at Apollo’s shrine, a divine voice thundering
from the cavern, and the priestess, possessed,
moaning out her prophecy: ‘People of Venus,
put aside the worst fears gripping your hearts;
for you defeat is over, and the direst hardships
of war: the lighter tasks remain, and risk but
not ruin. Pray to the gods, make offerings, and
drench the altars with hot blood. Do not flee
from these evils. Mars will aid you and Apollo
himself, who always lightens Trojan suffering
as men know, will avert the imminent danger.
But, above all, a hundred altars must smoke
in Jove’s honour and a hundred knives must
slay their sacrificial offerings. His power will
drive the savage storm, these angry clouds of
war, to Libya; you yourselves shall see him
shake the aegis, in battle for a troubled world.’
With the news of this message proclaimed in
the cave of Delphi, the populace, hearing of
the divine prophecy, vied to climb Capitol
Hill, prostrating themselves before Jupiter,
honouring his shrine with sacrificial blood,
then sang a paean, praying it all prove true.
Book XII:342-386 Manlius Torquatus in Sardinia
Meanwhile the ageing Torquatus had attacked
Sardinia, where he had previously campaigned,
with men from Italy. For Hampsagoras, proud
of a name inherited from his Trojan ancestors,
had invited Carthage to renew hostilities there.
His son Hostus was a fine lad deserving of a
finer parent; the father being averse to peace,
devoted to barbarous customs, and reliant on
his son’s youthful splendour, while seeking
to rekindle his declining years through war.
Hostus, on witnessing Torquatus’ headlong
advance with the standards, eluded him by
his knowledge of the terrain, finding secret
tracks through the glades and, escaping by
concealed byways, he hid himself deep in
the leafy shade of a wooded valley. This
island of Sardinia, encircled by sounding
waters, sloping to the sea and carved by
the waves, comprises an irregular terrain
shaped like a naked foot. Hence the first
colonists from Greece named it Ichnusa
or ‘the footstep’. Later Sardus, boasting
of his descent from Melquart, the Libyan
Hercules, renamed the isle after himself.
Some Trojans, then, dispersing overseas
after the sack of Troy, arrived and settled
there in force. Iolaus brought it no less
fame, sailing there with the Thespiadae
aboard their father’s ships. It is said too,
that, after Actaeon had suffered the sad
punishment of being torn limb from limb
after witnessing Diana bathing, Aristaeus,
his father, appalled by the son’s strange
fate, travelled over the sea to Sardinia’s
coast, guided to those fresh shores by his
own mother Cyrene. The island is free of
snakes and their venom, but the climate
sadly spoiled by the numerous swamps.
The western coast, facing Italy, its rocky
cliffs defying the waves, is sultry, while
inland the parched crops are scorched by
excessive heat when the southerly winds
blow in summer. Yet the rest of the isle
is nurtured by the kindly favour of Ceres.
Such the nature of the land where Hostus
eluded Torquatus, time and time again,
among the pathless woodlands, hoping
for Carthaginian troops and for Spanish
allies to help in the fighting. His spirits
raised by their landing, he burst, at once
from hiding, and bristling with weapons
the armies opposed each other on a wide
front, eager to meet and engage closely.
Spears hurled from a distance, sped over
the open space between them, till finally
they took to the tried and trusted sword.
Then dire carnage followed, killing and
dying, as lives fell to the savage blades.
Book XII:387-419 Apollo protects Ennius
I cannot hope to tell of those countless
deaths and deadly actions in a manner
worthy of the facts, nor find words fitting
for the conflict’s intensity, but, Calliope,
grant me, for my labours, the power to
transmit to future ages the little known
but heroic actions of a man, and crown
a warring poet with the wreath he merits.
For Ennius, born of the ancient line of
King Messapus, fought in the front rank,
and clasped the noble staff of a centurion
in his right hand. He came from Calabria’s
rugged country, a native of ancient Rugge,
this poet being now its sole claim to fame.
At the forefront of the fight (as Orpheus
once put aside the lyre, when Cyzicus
made war on the Argonauts, and hurled
darts from Rhodope) he was conspicuous
in killing many of the enemy, his ardour
increasing with the number of the dead.
Hostus, hoping now for endless fame by
eliminating so fierce an obstacle, rushed
towards him and threw his deadly spear.
But Apollo, from on high in the clouds,
mocked his vain attempt, and sent it far
in the air, then spoke: ‘You are too bold
too insolent: relinquish your desire. That
sacred head is dearly loved by the Muses,
and Ennius a poet worthy of myself. He
shall be first to sing of Roman conflict
in Homeric verse, and praise its leaders
to the sky; he shall teach Mount Helicon
to resonate in a Latin mode, nor yield to
Hesiod of Ascra in glory or in honour.’
So Phoebus spoke, as Hostus was struck
by a vengeful arrow which pierced both
his temples. His soldiers, stunned by his
fall, all turned together and fled in retreat.
Hampsagoras, hearing of his son’s death,
was mad with rage and, with the hideous
cries of a barbarian, stabbed his own chest,
in haste to join his son among the shades.
Book XII:420-433 Hannibal campaigns elsewhere (214-213 BC)
But Hannibal, beaten and severely mauled
by Marcellus in the battle, fled the open field
to direct his greater strength against luckless
Acerra, subjecting the town to fire and sword;
and, with as heavy a hand and fierce an anger,
hurled his forces against Nocera, and razed
its walls; then attacked Casilinum, thwarted
by the unequal efforts of the defenders until
he finally forced an entrance by deception,
and granted the besieged their lives for gold.
Then he led his army to the Apulian plains,
turning his fury wherever spoils or anger led.
Petelia, unhappy in its loyalty, and a second
Saguntum in its fate, was set aflame to its
rooftops, a town that had once prided itself
on inheriting Hercules’ bow and his arrows.
Book XII:434-448 The Carthaginian fleet escapes Tarento
Tarento had also proclaimed for the enemy,
and the Carthaginians had entered the city.
But a strong Roman garrison, confident of
their position, occupied the gleaming citadel.
Hannibal cleverly freed his fleet which was
anchored in the inner harbour (since the sea
there pierces the cliffs in a narrow entrance,
and fills the great basin with a depth of water
protected from the waves) and so thwarted,
and prevented from sailing, by the citadel
above. Transporting them cleverly overland,
on slopes hidden from the citadel, by laying
a smooth surface of fresh-killed bullock hides
beneath the wooden wagon wheels, he moved
the ships easily across the meadows. The fleet,
rolling over hills and through thickets, with oars
shipped, soon reached shore, and rode the waves.
Book XII:449-478 The death of Gracchus (212BC)
As Hannibal astonished the waters by transporting
the fleet in this manner, news arrived that filled him
with concern. While he was far off trying to capture
Tarento and furrowing the fields with ships’ prows,
he heard that Capua was besieged, her very gates
torn from their hinges, and her citizens exposed to
all the horrors of war. He angrily abandoned his
campaign, while shame and fury lent him wings
as he moved at high speed through neighbouring
country, hastening to battle, threatening vengeance,
as a tigress missing a cub anxiously races in pursuit,
crossing the Caucasus in a few hours, or traversing
the infant Granges with a flying leap, till she, with
lightning speed, locates the spoor of her young one,
and then seizing the enemy spends her fury on him.
He encountered Centenius, wildly daring, immune
to risk, who was quickly routed, his force scattered.
Yet there was little glory in that, since Centenius,
once the bearer of a centurion’s staff, had merely
roused the country folk then suddenly hurled their
badly armed force against the enemy, to their doom.
Fourteen thousand were killed (nor did the victors
halt) Fourteen thousand more, fully-armed and led
by Fulvius, no more adept at war despite his name,
fell to the enemy who rushed on over their prostrate
bodies and refused to check the pace of their march.
Hannibal paused only to bury Gracchus, seeking a
reputation and a name for human decency though
delighted by his death. For Gracchus, when seeking
a meeting and agreement with the false Lucanians
had been wickedly and treacherously killed by his
hosts and, as he had been murdered, and by hidden
guile, Hannibal snatched the credit for the burial.
Book XII:479-506 Hannibal camps near besieged Capua
Once it was known that Hannibal was heading for
Capua, no stone was left unturned: both the consuls
Fulvius Flaccus and Appius Claudius hurried there;
and the troops from Nola, while the younger Flavius
brought his men swiftly from Arpi, and the praetors
(Nero from one direction, Silanus from another) now
urged on their forces night and day, ready for battle.
They converged from all sides, all Rome’s generals
set to oppose that one young commander. Hannibal
himself camped high on Mount Tifata, the heights,
not far from the walls, from which he looked down
on the city below. Indeed, seeing himself countered
by so many men, and the allied city besieged, so that
he was denied entry and the Capuans an exit, he was
concerned at the outcome, thinking now to remove
every obstacle at sword-point, or now to relinquish
that purpose and by cunning tempt that vast host
from the gates, and thus liberate the besieged city.
He debated with himself, wearied by his thoughts:
‘Where does my troubled mind summon me? Shall
I run the risk again, though the situation is adverse?
Shall I retreat, while Capua looks on? Or shall I sit
here on the neighbouring heights and see an allied
city sacked before my eyes? Fabius and his Master
of the Horse, Minucius, never troubled me, when I
escaped in triumph, through hills held by Romans,
by tying burning brands to the horns of the cattle
and sending them through the fields scattering fire.
I have not yet lost my cunning: if Capua’s defence
is beyond me, I have the means to besiege Rome.’
Book XII:507-540 Hannibal advances on Rome
Once this was settled, his mind decided, he would
not wait for the sun to drive those fiery steeds from
Ocean, but with voice and gesture ordered his men
to march, showing his bold intent: ‘On soldiers, on,
with courage to conquer every hardship, march on
as fast as humanly possible. Rome is your goal, and
this the road that the Alps and Cannae paved for you.
Go, now, batter your shields against Rome’s walls;
take vengeance for the loss of Capua, a price worth
paying if you reach the Palatine, and see the god of
Thunder driven from his seat on the Tarpeian Rock.’
Thus inspired, they marched swiftly. The name of
Rome rang in their ears; Rome was before their eyes;
they believing the general’s timing more apt than if
he had led them there from Cannae’s deadly field.
They soon crossed the Vulturnus, the rear-guard
destroying the boats by fire to delay the Romans.
Then the soldiers swiftly passed through the fields
of Teano and Thracian Cales, Orithyia’s city named
for her son. Next they laid waste the land of Allifae,
dear to Bacchus, and the country where the nymphs
of Monte Cassino dwell; quickly the speedy columns
passed Aquino and Fregellae where the buried giant
sends up smoke. On they went, over those heights
where the warlike men of Frosinone cling to rugged
cliffs and Anagni rises on its steep swelling slopes,
its land fertile for corn. So they reached the plains
and fields of Labicum, and left behind the walls of
Tusculum, battered by the ram, but not worthy of
much delay. Nor did the beauty of Mount Algidus
detain him, nor Juno’s city of Gabii. At headlong
speed Hannibal marched to the banks of the chill
Anio, whose sulphurous waters wind so smoothly,
gliding with scarce a murmur toward Father Tiber.
Book XII:541-557 Rome’s citizens panic
Here, Hannibal proudly planted his standards and
measured out his camp, and while Anio’s banks
shook to the sound of hoof-beats the noise drove
Rhea Silvia deep down to hide in the river-god’s
sacred caverns, while all the water-nymphs fled.
Meanwhile the women of Rome roamed around
in distraction like mad things, as if the walls had
already been breached. In their fear they thought
the shades of the dead risen to their sight, ghosts
of the mangled warriors who died beside the fatal
streams of Trebia and Ticinus, the bloody forms
of Paullus and Gracchus and Flaminius wavering
before their eyes. Crowds blocked the streets, yet
the senators stood erect, formidable in their wrath,
and their stern faces quenched the wave of panic.
Meanwhile hidden tears would be shed behind
some helmet, as men wondered what threatening
fate might bring, or what the gods might intend.
The young men took station on the high turrets,
each man reflecting on the situation in his mind:
so Rome was content simply to defend its walls!
Book XII:558-586 Hannibal threatens Rome (211BC)
Hannibal barely granted his men one night’s sleep
to recover from their swift march, while he himself
kept watch, never resting voluntarily and thinking
the time given over to sleep stolen from life itself.
He donned his shining armour, then rode swiftly
round the walls, ordering the Numidian cavalry
to gallop ahead, while the trampling of the horses
raised a panic in the city. Now he examined every
approach, now he beat at the closed gates with his
spear, in anger, enjoying the terror aroused within.
Now he stood motionless on some hill, focusing
his gaze on Rome, learning the names and origins
of its sites. He would have surveyed it all, noting
every part of the spectacle before him, if Fulvius
had not arrived in haste though not having wholly
abandoned his siege of Capua. At last, Hannibal,
having feasted his eyes on Rome, directed all his
joyous squadrons towards camp. And when night
was driven from the sky, and the waves reddened
in the dawn rays, Aurora summoning men to their
labours, he demolished the ramparts and sent his
forces out, shouting aloud with all his might: ‘O,
my comrades, by your endless laurels, by those
right hands consecrated with blood, advance and
equal your past deeds, let your daring in battle be
as great as Rome’s fear. Raze this last obstacle
that remains, and nothing will be left for you to
conquer in all this world. Nor though they trace
their origins to Romulus and his father, Mars,
should you let that prove a cause of delay; seize
this city that knows what it is to be taken, for
the Senones stormed it in their thousands, and
the Senators are even now, perhaps, seated in their
high curule chairs as their ancestors sat, ready to
make a noble end, waiting for you, and for death.’
Book XII:587-604 Fulvius goes out to battle
So spoke Hannibal; but on their side the warriors
of Rome needed no leader’s speech or admonition.
Their women and children and dear parents crying
and stretching out their arms in supplication were
incentive enough. Mothers held out their infants
so the latter’s cries moved willing men’s hearts,
and planted kisses on hands that clutched swords.
Men ready to march and in dense array oppose
the enemy beyond the walls, look back at their
loved ones and choke back their tears. Indeed,
as the opened gates turned on their hinges and
that host went forth in arms together, sounds
of beaten flesh, mingled with cries and tears,
rose to the sky above the high walls, as their
women shrieked, and bared their breasts, and
loosed their hair. Fulvius rode at the head, as
he shouted: ‘All know that not of his own free
will has Hannibal come to attack our homes:
He fled from Capua’s gates.’ He attempted to
say more, but a dreadful crash of thunder in
the heavens above intervened, and a sudden
gale blew from the storm-clouds in the sky.
Book XII:605-626 Jupiter and the gods assist Rome
Jupiter, while returning from Ethiopian lands,
had seen Hannibal’s threatening advance on
the city of Romulus, and summoning the gods
ordered them to disperse among the seven hills,
and defend the Trojan walls at once. He himself,
from the Tarpeian Heights invoked his weapons,
wind and cloud, fierce hail, thunder and lightning
and dense rain. The sky itself shook and trembled,
darkness veiled the heavens, as night hid the earth
in a black shroud. Blinded by the storm, the enemy
found neighbouring Rome concealed from sight.
Fire was hurled at them from the rumbling clouds
and flame hissed about their limbs. Then Boreas,
and Notus, and dark-winged Africus began a war
of winds fierce enough to sate the anger in Jove’s
mind. A deluge fell, driven by hurricanes and by
storm-clouds black as pitch, covering the plains
around with boiling waves. Then Jupiter, ruler
of the gods, high on his hill-top, hurled a bolt
of lightning which struck at Hannibal’s shield,
though he resolved not to yield, his spear-point
melting, his sword as if thrust in a fiery furnace.
Book XII:627-645 Hannibal retreats to camp
Even with fire-damaged weapons, Hannibal still
rallied his men, calling out that the flames from
the sky fell at random, and the roaring of those
winds was empty noise. At last with his men all
suffering, the heavens hostile, no enemy visible,
not a single sword, through the rain, he signalled
a retreat to the camp and breathed out his anger
and his grief: ‘Rome, you survive another day
thanks to these wild winds, these stormy skies,
but not even if Jove descends to earth in person
shall you escape my grasp tomorrow!’ Yet, as he
uttered these words through his clenched teeth,
behold, the sky cleared, the daylight glowed, and
purged of clouds the atmosphere shone brightly.
The Romans sensed the presence of the god and,
laying down their weapons, they stretched out
their arms reverently towards the high Capitol,
then wreathed the temple there with festive laurel.
There too they saw that the face of Jove’s statue
was sunlit now though bathed not long ago with
moisture, and they cried out in prayer: ‘Supreme
Father of the Gods, grant, O grant, that Hannibal
be killed in battle by a sacred bolt from the sky:
no hand but yours has the power to destroy him.’
Book XII:646-663 The fight is renewed on the following day
So they prayed as silence fell and Hesperus led
the earth into night’s shadows. But when the sun
raised his shining torch and hid the morning-star
and mortal creatures again entered on life’s round,
the Carthaginians returned, nor did the Romans
rest in camp. But swords were not yet unsheathed,
barely a spear’s length separating the two armies,
when the brightness of the sky suddenly faded,
a dense darkness followed, and the daylight fled
while Jupiter re-armed for battle. Wind swirled,
and a southerly drove on a mass of fiery cloud.
Jove himself thundered, till Mount Rhodope
and Taurus, Pindus and Atlas quaked. The dark
pools of Erebus heard, as Typhoeus, that giant
buried deep beneath Ischia, knew, once more,
the sound of war in heaven. Again the South
wind attacked, driving on a pitch-black cloud
with bursts of hail, forcing Hannibal to retreat
to camp despite his reluctance and vain threats.
Book XII:664-685 Hannibal, thwarted, rouses his troops
Yet when his soldiers, protected by the ramparts,
had laid aside their arms, the skies cleared again,
and the face of the heavens smiled once more,
such that it was hard to credit that a Jupiter so
benign wielded the lighting-bolt not long ago,
and troubled so placid a sky with his thunder.
Hannibal held firm, promising on oath that
those wild elements would not attack further,
if only they might regain their native courage
and believe it no sacrilege for Carthage to sack
Rome. Where were invincible Jove’s lightning
bolts when the sword covered Cannae’s field
with the dead? Where then, when Trasimene
was swollen with Roman blood? ‘If the ruler
of the gods fights for Rome,’ he cried, ‘if he
is hurling lightning bolts from his high seat,
why, amongst all that, is he so unwilling to
strike at me, his adversary? Are we to retreat
before winds and storms? Reveal, once more,
that steadfastness of purpose with which you
chose to fight a second war, despite the treaty
sealed by our senate.’ So Hannibal sought to
rouse their ardour, until the Sun unyoked his
foaming steeds. Yet night failed to quell his
concern, nor would sleep visit his troubled
mind, while his fury revived with the dawn.
Then once more he summoned his anxious
men to arms, striking his shield thunderous
blows, in imitation of the heavens’ murmur.
Book XII:686-700 Jupiter calls on Juno for aid
But when Hannibal learnt the Roman Senate,
trusting in divine aid, had sent reinforcements
to Spain, and their troops had left Rome during
the hours of darkness, he attacked more fiercely
indignant that Rome was so untroubled by him
that the citizens felt it safe to relax their guard.
He was approaching the walls when Jove spoke
to an anxious Juno, and with this warning tried
to address her fears: ‘Wife and sister dear to me,
why will you not rein in this young hero whose
insolence knows no limits? He has destroyed
Saguntum, and scaled the Alps, set the sacred
River Po in chains, and fouled Lake Trasimene.
And now is he set to force a path to our seats
and citadels? Halt the man! For now, as you can
see, he calls up fire to match my lightning-bolts.’
Book XII:701-728 Juno diverts Hannibal from his purpose
Juno, Saturn’s daughter, grateful for the warning,
flew down anxiously from heaven and grasped
Hannibal by the arm: ‘Where are you going, O
madman? Do you seek a battle beyond mortal
powers?’ So saying, she dispelled the dark mist
all about her, and revealed her true appearance.
‘It is not these Trojans you will have to deal
with, mere settlers from Laurentum. Look up,
now (for I will clear the clouds a while from
your view, and enable you to see all things)
see where that lofty hill rises in air, named
the Palatine by Evander, that Arcadian king;
it is held by Apollo, preparing for battle, his
quiver rattling, his bow already bent. See,
again, where the tall heights of the Aventine
lift among the other hills, see how the virgin
daughter of Latona, Diana, waves her torches
lit from the stream of Phlegethon, eager for
the battle, brandishing them with naked arms!
Look around you, behold, how Mars, savage
in warfare, fills the Campus named for himself.
Here Janus, there Quirinus, each god from his
own hill arrives in full array. And then regard
how fierce Jupiter shakes the aegis till it spews
fiery clouds, and feeds his anger on the flames.
Direct your eyes, dare to regard the Thunderer:
what storms, what thunder roars when he stirs
his head! What fire blazes from his eyes! Yield,
at last, to the gods, and desist from a war such
as the Giants waged.’ Speaking so, she diverted
Hannibal from his goal, restoring peace to earth
and heaven, for though a man difficult to teach
he was awed by the gods’ faces and fiery limbs.
Book XII:729-752 Hannibal retreats to Rome’s delight
As he retreated, ordering his standards to be
wrenched from the ground, Hannibal looked
back and swore to return. At once, daylight
reappeared, and the sun shone more brightly
in the heavens, the quivering blue glowing
with its rays. Yet, as the Romans, watching
from the walls, saw the standards uprooted,
and Hannibal’s army in distant retreat, they
exchanged silent glances, and gestured to
signal what they dared not credit given their
fears; thinking that he did not mean to leave,
that this was some insidious trick, a Punic
tactic, while mothers kissed their babies in
silence, until the army finally vanished from
sight and their fears and suspicions were laid
to rest. Then they flocked to the Capitoline
temple and, embracing, raised their voices
together, acclaiming the triumph of Tarpeian
Jupiter, and decking his shrine with garlands.
Then they threw open all the gates, and from
every direction the people exited with delight,
experiencing that pleasure long denied them.
Some viewed the site where Hannibal’s tent
had stood, others the high seat from which he
addressed his men, or the camps of the warlike
Spaniards, the savage Garamantians, the wild
followers of Ammon. And now they sprinkled
themselves with river-water, now raised altars
to the Anio’s nymphs. Purifying the walls with
sacrifice, they then returned joyfully to the city.
End of Book XII of the Punica