'Ave Ceasar' Poem by A B Banjo Paterson

'Ave Ceasar'

Rating: 2.9


Long ago the Gladiators,
When the call to combat came,
Marching past the massed spectators,
Hailed the Emp'ror with acclaim!
Voices ringing with the fury
Of the strife so soon to be,
Cried, 'O Caesar, morituri
salutamus te! '

Nowadays the massed spectators
See the unaccustomed sight -
Legislative gladiators
Marching to their last great fight;
Young and old, obscure and famous,
Hand to hand and knee to knee -
Hear the war-cry, 'Salutamus
morituri te! '

Fight! Nor be the fight suspended
Till the corpses strew the plain.
Ere the grisly strife be ended
Five and thirty must be slain.
Slay and spare not, lest another
Haply may discomfit thee:
Brother now must war with brother -
'Salutamus te! '

War-torn vet'ran, skilled debater,
Trickster famed of bridge and road,
Now for each grim gladiator
Gapes Oblivion's drear abode.
Should the last great final jury
Turn their thumbs down - it must be!
'Ave, Caesar, morituri
salutamus te! '

'Ave Ceasar'
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Seluc Rynardley 03 February 2005

Well done an excellent written poem I have been looking for! keep writting, Seluc

7 5 Reply
Janri Gogeshvili 11 February 2008

Beautifully … the dramatic nature decorates …

9 3 Reply
Will Barber 10 August 2006

The title is fawlty. The text spells Caesar correctly. A magnificent work.

6 4 Reply
Leesaan Robertson 13 April 2014

Excellent poem, and it's written perfectly.

4 3 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 30 September 2018

Abode! ! ! ! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

2 2 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 05 January 2021

a poem with an old theme and then the last sentences with 'Ave, Caesar, morituri salutamus te! 'That's cynicism at its best. Congratulations! .

3 0 Reply
Ratnakar Mandlik 30 September 2019

War torn veteran skilled debater. Great conceptualization about war cries in monarchy. and democratic polity..Well deserved classic poem of the Day.

1 0 Reply
Mahtab Bangalee 30 September 2019

Gapes Oblivion's drear abode. Should the last great final jury Turn their thumbs down - it must be! // superb expression

1 0 Reply
Chinedu Dike 30 September 2019

Really an interesting story told with clarity of thought and mind. An insightful work of art.

2 0 Reply
Dr Antony Theodore 30 September 2019

Should the last great final jury Turn their thumbs down - it must be! " Ave, Caesar, morituri salutamus te! " a very nice poem. tony

1 0 Reply
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