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From Sibylline Oracles, Translated from the Greek into English Blank Verse by Milton S. Terry; New York: Hunt & Eaton, Cincinatti: Cranston & Stowe’s, 1890; pp. 233-244.
BOOK XI. (XIII.)
[234]CONTENTS OF BOOK XI. (XII.)
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HE bids me sing again the mighty word,
Even the holy and immortal God
Imperishable, who gives kings their power
And then removes it, and ordains for them
5
The time of life and of destroying death;
Even things the heavenly God enjoins on me
Unwillingly to make known unto kings
Concerning royal power . . .
* * * *
And Mars of the leaping spear; by him all perish
10
Youth and age, judging in the market-place.
For many wars, and fights, and homicides,
Famines and pestilences, earthquake-shocks
And mighty thunder-bolts; and many paths
Of the Assyrians through the entire world,
15
And gathering spoil and plundering temples.
Then of the inventive Persians there shall be
An insurrection, and along with them
Indians, Armenians, and Arabians,
And for these to the Romans there will come
20
A soldier-king, insatiable in war,
Line 1. Sing again. — This book is obviously a continuation of the preceding, and perhaps by the same author. Comp. the style of the opening of books ii and iii. In the first line and after the words “royal power” in line 8 there are lacunæ in the Greek text.
Line 9. Mars of the leaping spear. — Referring probably to Maximinus.
Line 16. Persians. — Same as in book x, 344.
Line 20. Soldier-king. — Gordian III., who defeated the Persian army under Sapor on the banks of the Chaboras, a branch of the Euphrates, and was soon afterward killed by Philippus (M. Julius Philippus), who succeeded to the empire.
Marching against the Assyrians, a new Mars,
Who will stretch out to the deep silver stream
Of the Euphrates, having thither sent
A little warlike force . . . [through ignorance]
25
For, by his friend abandoned, he shall fall
Amid the ranks, struck by the burning iron.
Then will a purple-loving warrior rule,
Appearing out of Syrian, fear of Mars,
And by his son, a Cæsar will persuade
30
The whole world. Both their names will be obtained
If upon one and twenty there are placed
Five hundred. But when these shall rule in war,
And enact laws, there shall be, but not long,
Respite from war. But when unto a flock
35
A wolf makes oath against the white-toothed dogs,
Then will he spoil and hurt the woolly sheep,
And cast them down, in spite of all his oaths.
And then of lawless and perfidious kings
There shall be strife in wars, and terribly
40
Shall the Syrians be destroyed, and Indians,
Armenians, Arabs, Persians, Babylonians,
Through mighty conflict shall destroy each other.
But when a Roman Mars shall overthrow
The Germans, having in a dreadful war
45
Triumphed upon the ocean, then will be
Line 24. Here the Greek text is somewhat corrupt and uncertain.
Line 28. Out of Syria. — The reference is to M. Julius Philippus, who was called the Arabian because of his birth in Bostra, Syria, somewhere to the south of Damascus. Comp. lines 84 and 85.
Line 29. His son. — Philippus associated his son, of the same name, with him in the empire.
Lines 31, 32. The Greek letter for five hundred is Φ, initial of Philippus. The “one and twenty” is to be understood as denoting the initials (A == 1 and K == 20) of Augustus, the title assumed by the father, and Cæsar (Kaisar), the name of his son.
Among the Persian men of insolence
A war of many years; but victory
Shall not be theirs. For as a fish swims not
Upon the summit of a lofty rock
50
Many ridged, windy, inaccessible,
Nor does a tortoise fly, nor eagle swim
In water, so the Persians in that day
From victory shall be far, while the fond nurse
Of the Italians in the plain of Nile
55
Reposing, and beside the sacred wave,
Shall send the appointed lot to seven-hilled Rome.
These things shall pass, but while the name of Rome
Shall numbers hold of calculable time,
So many years by voluntary act
60
Will the treat noble city of the king
Of Macedonia measure out the grain.
Another toilsome song will I now sing
Unto the Alexandrians, by the strife
Of shameful men destroyed. Those who were strong
65
Aforetime, being then weak, will wish
For peace, because of leaders’ wickedness.
And the wrath of the mighty God shall come
On the Assyrians, and a mountain stream
Shall utterly destroy them, as it comes
70
And injures Cæsar’s city of the moon.
The Pyramus will irrigate the city
Line 54. Nurse of the Italians. — The land of Egypt as represented in the city of Alexandria, the great source of the grain traffic which supplied the Roman world. Comp. Acts xxvii, 6.
Line 57. Name of Rome. — Comp. book viii, 187, where the numerical value of the letters of this name is given.
Line 70. City of the moon. — Perhaps referring to Seleucia on the Tigris, but the text is doubtful. Comp. line 119.
Line 71. Pyramus. — River of Cilicia.
Of Mopsus; then shall the Ægæans fall
Because of battle among mighty men.
O wretched Antioch, thee heavy war
75
Will not leave; an Assyrian war shall press
Around thee, for within thy palaces
Shall dwell a chief of men, who will fight all
The arrow-hurling Persians, having been
Himself born of the Romans’ royal power
80
Now, cities of Arabia, deck yourselves
With temples and with stadia for the race,
And with broad markets, and with splendid wealth,
With images, gold, silver, ivory;
And of all thou, especially, O Bostra,
85
City of Philip, that thou mayest come
Into great sorrow; for the laughing forms
Of the zodiacal circle, Ram, and Bull,
And Twins, will not assist thee; nor with these
Whatever stars are visible in heaven
90
Determining the hours. O wretched one,
That, having trusted many, afterward
That very man should what is thine pollute!
Now to war-loving Alexandrians
Will I proceed to sing most dreadful wars.
95
And surely many people will be slain
When cities perish, and opposing states
Wrangle and fight about an odious feud.
And around these will horrid Mars rush on
And stir up war. And then one of great soul
Line 72. Mopsus. — More commonly called Mopsuestia, a town situated on the Pyramus. Ægæans. — Inhabitants of the city of Ægæ, near the mouth of this same river.
Line 74. Wretched Antioch. — Comp. line 155, and book iv, 177.
Line 84. Bostra. — Situated some fifty miles to the south of Damascus.
Line 87. Zodiacal circle. — These allusions refer to a notable devotion to astrology on the part of the people of this region.
100
Along with his own mighty son shall fall
By means of the treachery of the older king.
And after him another great-souled man
And skilled in war, shall rule strong verdant Rome,
Proceeding from the Dacians, of the number
105
Three hundred, also of the letter four.
Many will he destroy; and then all brothers
And friends will the king slay, even kings being killed.
Then also on the former king’s account
Will thefts and murders suddenly occur.
110
Then when a very crafty man shall come,
A robber, out of Syria appearing,
Ignoble Roman, also craftily
A race of Cappadocians will approach,
And fall in siege, insatiable of war.
115
Then, Tyana and Mazaca, shall be
Thy conquest; thou shalt be in servitude
And bear a heavy yoke upon thy neck.
And Syria shall mourn for men destroyed;
Nor will the moon her holy city save,
120
When he first out of Syria, sore beset,
Shall flee the Romans through Euphrates’ streams,
No longer like the Romans, but the fierce
Line 100. Mighty son. — The son referred to in line 29.
Line 104. From the Dacians. — Pannonia and Dacia joined each other, and the two names were easily interchangeable with a poet.
Line 105. Three hundred . . . four — T, the numeral for 300, is the initial of Trajan, Δ ( == 4) here represents Decius.
Line 110. Crafty man. — Probably reference to Cyriades, one of the so-called "thirty tyrants," or pretenders, that arose in various parts of the empire about this time. Alexandre adds to this line the conjectural reading "of twenty," which, having K for its letter, would also denote Cyriades [Kuriades].
Line 115. Tyana and Mazaca. — Chief cities of Cappadocia.
Line 119. Her holy city. — Seleucia on the Tigris, noted for the worship of the moon. Comp. line 70.
Dart-hurling Persians, then the Italian lord
Broken will fall, struck by the burning iron,
125
Having left his world; his children perish too.
But when a Gallic king shall govern Rome,
Then also to the Romans there shall come
Unstable nations, — to the walls of Rome
Mars the destroyer with his bastard son.
130
Then also shall come famines, pestilence,
And wasting thunder-bolts, and dreadful wars,
And tumults of the cities suddenly,
And the Syrians shall be terribly destroyed,
For on them shall come wrath of the Most High.
135
And straightway there shall be a rising up
Of the inventive Persians, and conjoined
With Persians shall the Syrians overthrow
The Romans; but, controlled by the decree
Of power divine, they shall not conquer laws.
140
Alas! how many will flee from the East
With their goods unto men of other tongues!
Alas! the dark blood of how many men
The land shall drink! For this shall be the time
In which the living will with their own mouths
145
Call the dead happy. Beautiful to die,
They will exclaim, and it will flee from them.
Now over thee, O wretched Syria,
I weep in sorrow, for to thee shall come
A dreadful blow from arrow-hurling men,
150
Which thou didst hope would never come to thee.
Line 123. Italian lord. — That is, Decius, who was slain by a shower of darts while fighting with the Goths.
Line 126. Gallic king. — Gallus Trebonianus, who was proclaimed emperor by the legions on the death of Decius.
Line 129. Bastard son. — Reference to Volusianus, son of Gallus.
Line 145. Comp. books ii, 367, and viii, 440.
Also the fugitive of Rome shall come,
Lifting on high his spear, and, passing through
Euphrates with his many myriads,
He will burn thee, and all things ill-dispose.
155
O wretched Antioch, thee they no more
Will call a city, when beneath the spears
Thou shalt fall down by thine own lack of sense;
And having spoiled and stripped thee of all things,
They leave thee coverless, without a house,
160
And whoso sees thee will at once lament.
And thou, O Hierapolis, shalt be
A triumph; thou, Berœa, too; weep ye
At Chalcis for the children newly slain.
Alas, alas, how many shall abide
165
By high Mount Cassius, by Amanus, too;
As many also as the Lycus laves,
And Marsuas and silvery Pyramus.
For even to Asia’s borders they will take
The spoil, strip cities, and all idols take away,
170
And cast down temples to the nursing earth.
And then to Gallia and Pannonia,
To Mysians and Bithynians there shall be
A mighty sorrow, when the soldier comes.
O Lycians, Lycians, there will come a wolf
175
To lick thy blood, whenever Sannians come
Line 151. Fugitive. — Comp. book iv, 175.
Lines 155-157. Comp. book iv, 177-179.
Lines 161-163. Hierapolis . . . Berœa . . . Chalcis. — Cities of Syria, eastward from Antioch.
Line 165. Cassius. — Rising to the south of Antioch. Amanus. — A mountain range north of Antioch and overlooking the valley of the Pyramus.
Line 166. Lycus. — River of Pontus.
Line 167. Marsuas. — Or Marsyas, river of Syria, a branch of the Orontes.
Lines 171-177. The mention of these widely-separated provinces depicts the broad range of the desolating wars of this period.
With city-wasting Mars, and Carpians
Draw near to fight with the Ausonians.
And then by his own shameless recklessness
A bastard son will put the king to death,
180
And he himself for his impiety
Will straightway perish. After him again
Will yet another rule, whose name presents
The first of letters; quickly shall he fall
By mighty Mars, struck by the burning iron.
185
And yet again the world shall be confused,
Men perishing by pestilence and war.
And the Persians shall again force on the toil
Of warfare, maddened by the Ausonians.
And then there shall a flight of Romans be.
190
But then shall come a priest, the last of all
Sent by the sun, from Syria appearing,
And he will all things by deceit effect.
And then shall be a city of the sun,
And around it [the Persians] will endure
195
The fearful menaces of the Phenicians.
But when two leaders, warlike men, shall rule
The mighty Romans, one of whom shall have
The number seventy, one the number three,
Then the proud bull that digs the earth with hoofs,
Line 179. Bastard son. — The same as in line 129.
Line 183. First of letters. — Evidently denoting Æmilianus, who was himself in turn cut off before he had reigned four months.
Line 187. Persians again. — Under Sapor, who captured Valerian, put the Romans to flight, and spread destruction over Syria and Cappadocia.
Line 190. Priest. — Odenatus.
Line 193. City of the sun. — Here referring to Palmyra.
Line 198. Seventy . . . three. — The first is represented by O, initial of the Greek form of the name Valerian [Οὐαλῆριανος], and the second by Γ, initial of Gallienus.
Line 199. Bull. — Here representing Valerian, who dealt out many ills to the Persians, but was himself destroyed.
200
And raises up the dust with double horns,
Shall do the dark-skinned reptile many ills,
Which draws a trailing furrow with his scales,
And he himself shall perish. After him
Shall come another, beautiful-horned stag,
205
Hungry upon the mountains, craving strong
To feed upon the venom-shedding beasts.
Then shall a fierce and dreadful lion come,
Sent from the sun, and breathing plenteous flame.
And then with much and shameless recklessness
210
Will he destroy the rapid, well-horned stag,
And the huge beast so venomous and dread
That sends forth many a cry, and the he-goat,
Bow-legged, and renown will follow him.
And he himself, obtaining all by lot,
215
Uninjured and insatiable, shall rule
The Romans, and the Persians shall be weak.
But thou, O Prince, King of the world, God, end
The song of my words, and give charming song.
Line 201. Dark-skinned reptile. — Sapor, King of the Persians.
Line 204. Stag. — Macrianus, the Roman general.
Line 207. Lion. — Odenatus.
Line 211. Huge beast. — The Persians.
Line 212. He-goat. — Reference doubtful. Alexandre suggests Balista, one of the so-called "thirty tyrants," who made pretension to the throne in the reign of Gallienus.
Line 214. He himself. — Odenatus.
Line 217-218. Comp. conclusion of books ix and x.
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