This is the story of two roman brothers:
Gaius and Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus.
They were a people opposed to wrong doing
but were killed by the people as the maenads of Bacchus.
Tiberius, the older one was,
was a Tribune of Plebs a speaker for thus:
he wanted the land from Marian Proscriptions
to be reallotted and give all equal sections.
“This would not do” thought the Senate at once
“but he's a Tribune and election's in months!”
so, since such waiting would have not been prudent
the Senate did something, most know that they shouldn't.
The Senate spread lies, some slick, sly deceits,
and had him put down, killed with their seats.
This angry mob was led by his cousin,
of the cognomen Nasica, a Scipio in a dozen.
Now only stood Gracchus, 'twas just Gaius now,
and eleven years thence, it's a more Gracchi show.
For here, once again, was a Gracchi a commie,
opposed by senatorial Drusus, Marcus Livy.
After an incident, a death on the Capitol
Opimius and Drusus marched and he fell.
But those men did not kill him, that Gracchus of scorn
for he fled to the Janiculum and fell on his sword
Thanks for writing this.
ReplyDeleteThese men should not be forgotten.
Theirs is the story of a transition in Rome... the transition from a democratic state, with a greedy elite class full of vile rhetoric, to a murderous elite, which ultimately led to it becoming one of military(arguably Imperial) rule.
We must not forget.
I'm no poet, but favoured the earlier verses, from a purely aesthetic perspective. That said, you provided MUCH that is useful to further research the subject, which in MUCH more my forte, so ALL IS GOOD (better than good--thankfully good and true) by me.
Should you choose to... embellish(?), I'll try to come back and reread/re-hear.
Thank you.