Classic Poem

Oh Iccius, now you would possess
Arabian wealth and foreign treasures,
And so you have prepared to press
Decisive war against—no less
Than those dread Saban kings; confess
These are impulsive measures.
Now you are fashioning with speed
Chains for the formidable Mede!

What virgin, what barbarian fair,
When you have slain her lord and lover,
Will be your slave? With perfumed hair,
What stripling from the court will bear
The golden cups of wine; and there,
To keep you safely under cover,
Will guard you well from every foe
With arrows from his father's bow?

Oh rivers now may run uphill,
And Tiber's course become erratic,
If for Iberian arms you will
Exchange your philosophic skill,
Panaetius' works, and those that fill
Your library Socratic …
Alas, your faithful friends, though few,
Expected better things of you.