And the more corrupted the Colosseum:
By the influence of the ages, or by the barbarity of men.
But in the finest hour, when the shadows fall,
When in space dark blue
The moon floats on the ancient steps
Throwing light through the arch or into the breach,
And the wind sways with a slow wing
Curly ivy over the gloomy "wall,
Like a laurel over Caesar's bald forehead,
Then the men stand before me,
Whose proud ashes I dared to trample under my heel.
"As long as the Colosseum is unshakable,
Great Rome stands unshakable,
But collapse the Colosseum - and Rome will collapse,
And the world will collapse when Rome is no more."
I repeat the word of the pilgrim
What is ancient from my Scotland
Came here. Centuries are rushing by
But there are Rome and the Colosseum
And the World is a den of thieves, a cloaca of this life.
Temple of all gods - pagan, Christ,
Simple and wise, majestically strict,
More than once I saw how from the darkness of centuries,
Looking for the light, looking for road world,
How everything flows: nations, kingdoms, gods.
And he stands, saved for faith,
And the house of arts, and the world in his hall,
Untouched by the breath of time.
Oh, the pride of architecture and Rome - the Pantheon.
You are a monument of art of better days,
Robbed and yet perfect.
Who loves antiquity and came for it,
Togo will be covered with sacred antiquity
From every niche. Who goes, humble,
Pray, that's what the altars are for.
Who is a reader of glory - past, modern, -
Roam at least from dawn to dawn
And look at the countless statues.
But what does the pale light show in the dungeon?
Do not see! And yet let's look again.
Here you can see something ... Someone's silhouette ...
What? Ghosts? Or delirium of the mind of the patient?
No, I clearly see the old gray-haired man
And a young beauty ... She,
Like a mother, she came to feed her own father.
Braids have developed, the chest is bare.
The blood of this woman should be nectar.
That Youth feeds Old Age with milk,
Giving his natural debt to his father.
He will not die a forgotten old man,
For now, pouring health into his flesh,
In the daughter veins the blood flows alive -
Love, Nature's life-giving Nile,
Whose current is more generous than that holy river.
Drink, drink, old man! Such healing powers
In the kingdom of heaven, your spirit would not taste.
At the heart and from the heart is that spring,
Where the sweetness of life is drunk by a child from the cradle.
And who is happier than a mother at that moment,
When a child sucks and pulls at the breast,
All warm, fresh, smelling half asleep.
(All this is not for us, not for men!)
And now the sprout grows, and is weak and thin,
And what he will become - only God knows.
After all, whatever you say, but Cain is Eve's son.
And the fairy tale of the Milky Way fades
Before this reality, pure as luminaries,
Which are not even found in the sky.
Nature has shown the height of power
That she has broken her own law.
And, hurrying to pour into the heart of God again,
Life-giving force boils,
And the key will not fade, breathing freshness, -
Thus the soul returns to the superstellar world.
Here is Hadrian's tower - let's see!
Seeing the kings of the tomb on the Nile,
He rewarded Rome with someone else's ugliness,
Deciding myself on a future grave
Install a headstone in the same style,
And the masters drove from all sides,
To build a monument.
Oh sages! - and the idea is ridiculous,
And the goal was low - and yet the colossus was born.
But here is the cathedral - what are the wonders of Egypt,
What is the temple of Diana - here it would be small!
The altar of Christ, under it the holy crypt.
I saw the sanctuary of Ephesus -
Weeds overgrown portal,
Where jackals and hyenas prowl around.
Sophia's temple shone in front of me,
Enchanting everything with the bulk of the precious,
Which the arrogant son of Islam took possession of.
But where, among thousands of temples and churches,
Are you more worthy of God's abode?
Since in his wild fury
A defiler has broken into holy Zion
And the heavenly avenger did not slay the enemy,
Where else was such a cathedral? - Nowhere!
No wonder the visitor is so surprised
And the dome in the azure height,
And this harmony, grandeur, beauty.
Let's go inside - he does not suppress here,
And everything is huge here, but at this moment
Your spirit, expanding immensely, soars,
He reached the limits of immortality
And on a par with the surrounding is great.
So in due time he will look at the face of God,
And who saw the holiness of the spring
God's right hand will not punish,
How does not punish those who aspire to this temple,
And you go, and everything grows around.
So - every step, then the peaks are higher than the Alps.
In its monstrous elegance
It rises like a table, but one,
Like all decoration, statues, paintings,
Under the grand dome, whose rise
Not a single builder will repeat,
Then, that in the sky is his stronghold,
And the earth gives it to the architecture of others.
The gaze does not cover everything, but in parts
He embraces the whole soon.
So thousands of bays to their guests
The sea reveals itself first.
From part to part you walked in the cathedral,
And suddenly - oh, a miracle! - with your heart you comprehended
The language of proportions in their consonant chorus -
tongue of magical immensity,
In which you saw only confusion at the first moment.
Your fault! But the meaning of great things
We only understand step by step
Who knew how to express in a weak word
That strong, than the spirit is overwhelmed?
And, pitiful, we look helplessly
On this power of the masses thrown up to the sky,
As long as we do not extend in breadth and up
And the thought and feeling dormant in us -
And only then the whole temple covers the eye.
So do not rush - yes join the light!
This temple, it can give more thoughts,
Than a hundred miracles to the satiated world,
Than believers - faith grace,
Than anything that in the past a genius could create.
And then you know, then you understand for the first time,
Whatever you think, or predict,
You will see the placers of gold,
Whole high springs are holy.
And then - to the Vatican! In front of you
Laocoön is the pinnacle of inspiration.
The steadfastness of God before fate,
Father's love and mortal torment -
All here! And the snakes are like steel links
Triple chain - the old man will not break out,
Though every muscle is full of tension,
The dragon wrapped around him, pinched him, stooped,
And the pain is getting worse, and the cry is getting weaker.
But here he is, the patron of poets,
God of the sun, archer Apollo.
He looks, radiant winner,
How a wounded dragon breathes.
A beautiful face is illuminated with victory,
The camp is thrown back by a swift movement.
Immortal, he took on mortal form,
Nostrils tremble with anger and contempt, -
Only God looks like that when he burns with vengeance.
Oh, the perfection of forms! - That nymphs dream,
Love dream - love with such dreams
He plunges virgins and wives into madness.
But in these forms is revealed by heaven
The whole ideal of beauty is before us,
Shining to us only at a rare hour,
When the spirit hovers in the transcendental temple,
And a whirlwind of thoughts - like hosts of stars around us,
And we see God, and we hear God's voice.
And if Prometheus really kidnapped
Heavenly flame - in this statue
The gods have paid the debt for all people.
But in marble - not a mortal breath,
Although this marble is a creation of mortal hands -
Poetry brought from Olympus to us,
He is whole, in pristine charm,
Came to us in defiance of centuries
And warms us with the fire by which he himself was created.
But where is my traveler? Where is the one
On whose paths did my song wander?
He's lost something and won't go.
Or has he disappeared and my verse is waiting for the finale?
The path is completed, and the traveler is gone,
And his thoughts, but if he was,
And this heart beat and suffered, -
So let it disappear, as if it had never lived,
Let him go into nothingness, into oblivion, into the darkness of graves.
Where life and flesh - everything passes into the shadows,
All that nature has given to mortals,
Where there are no feelings, no thoughts, no aspirations,
Where bodies become ghostly
All over the impenetrable haze,
And even glory fades, receding
Above the edge of darkness, where the secret lies,
Where its beam is darker than another night,
And yet we are attracted, desire awakening
Penetrate into the abyss to find out how
You will be among the ashes of the grave,
Becoming worthless than when he was alive,
Dream of glory, for an empty word
Blow off the dust particles from the empty name, -
Perhaps in the coffin you can flash them.
And be glad you don't have to again
To go through this difficult, terrible path, -
That the Lord himself is not able to return your life,
But chu! From the abyss, just a rumble comes,
Deaf and low, incomprehensibly strange,
As if the dying people are crying
From a painful, incurable wound,
Ile groans in the abyss of spirits a misty swarm.
And the mother princess is deathly pale.
In her arms is a lifeless baby,
And, full of maternal grief,
She will not bring her breasts to his lips.
Daughter of kings, where were you in a hurry?
Hope of the nations, why are you gone?
Ile could not take another grave,
Didn't you find a lesser favorite?
You were only a mother for two hours
Itself above the dead son lifeless.
And death stopped your suffering,
With you hope, happiness killing -
Everything that the island empire was proud of.
Why are childbirth so easy for peasant women,
And you, whom millions adored,
Whom any rulers enemies,
Not hiding tears, they escorted to the grave,
You, the consolation of Liberty in sorrow,
As soon as I put on a crown from a rainbow,
You died. And crying in the throne room
Your husband, the father of the dead son.
What a sad marriage! Year of happiness - and the end.
And the wedding outfit became a sackcloth.
And ashes - the marriage fruit. She left.
Almost idolized by the capital,
The one who gave the country an heir.
And the darkness of death will cover us,
But it was believed that he would go to the forum
Before our children and, alien to evil,
Shows the way to their grateful eyes,
Like shepherds - a star. But he was a meteor.
And woe to us, not to her! She has a sweet dream -
The variability of the crowd, its attraction,
The death knell of court flattery,
Ringing over monarchs from birth
Until then, while in awe of vengeance
Doesn't rush to arms of the people,
Until the fate of his torment weighs
And, recognizing their severity, will not erect
Lords who dishonor their throne on the scaffold.
Did it threaten her? Oh never!
The enmity itself receded before her.
She was kind, beautiful, young,
Wife, mother - and the grave took everything!
How many ties fate broke that day
From the throne to the beggarly shacks!
Like there was an earthquake
And suddenly an electric circuit
Despair and sorrow tied everything around,
But here's Nemi! Between flowers and herbs
His brilliant oval rests,
And the hurricane, breaking the oaks,
Raising the shafts in the abyss of the sleeping sea,
Weakens here in the hilly thicket,
And even the ripples of the water will not stir up,
Like hatred ripened, keeping
Calmness, insensitive in appearance, -
So the cobra - all in itself - curled up in rings, sleeps.
Over there, in the valley, splashes Albano,
There the Tiber shines like a yellow gem,
Won Latium near the sea-ocean,
Where "The Sword and the Man" is sung by Virgil,
To glorify Rome the star of those terrible years.
There, on the right, Tullius rested from Rome,
And where the mountain range rises,
That manor that Horace loves,
Where the bard grew flowers, and time rushed by.
But a pilgrim approaches my goal,
And it's time to finish the travel stanzas.
Say goodbye to my friend!
The last look of the beloved element,
On whose shafts are misty blue
At this hour we are looking from the Alban mountains.
O Mediterranean Sea! First
In the Strait of Calpe you captivated our eyes,
And your expanse brought us to the Euxine Pontus.
At the blue Symplegades. It's been a while
But what hard, long years!
What road have we traveled?
And how many tears we keep a bitter trace!
But without good, there is no reason for bad.
We were also not left without a reward:
We still love the light of the sun
Forest, sea, sky, mountains, waterfalls,
As if there are no people that are happy to ruin everything.
Oh, if only I could end up in the desert my way
With one - beautiful heart and beloved, -
Having closed the chest forever from hatred,
Living one love indivisible.
O sea, my unsociable ally,
Is this an idle dream?
And there is no friend for the persecuted soul?
No, there is! And there are treasured places!
But finding them - alas - is not an easy task.
There is pleasure in the pathless thickets,
There is joy on the mountain steepness,
Melody in the surf of boiling waves
And voices in the desert silence.
I love people, nature is closer to me.
And what I was, and what I'm going to,
I forget to be alone with her.
In itself, the whole world is a huge feeling,
I can neither express nor hide that feeling.
Strive, waves, your mighty run!
Armada vainly sends into the azure expanse
Earth's ravager, man.
On land, he knows no barriers,
But your dark masses will rise,
And there, in the desert, his footprint is alive
Will disappear with him when, begging for mercy,
He will go to the bottom as a drop of rain
No parting tears, no coffin urn.
No, he cannot be enslaved, O sea,
The expanse of your raging ramparts!
He will soon know your contempt,
Who is ready to shackle the earth in chains.
Having plucked from the chest, you are above the clouds
Throw him trembling with fear
Praying for the harbor of the gods,
And, like a stone thrown from afar,
Shatter the rocks and throw a handful of dust.
Monsters that destroy fortresses
Overthrow the walls of centuries -
Leviathans of the fighting armadas,
Which the kings of the earth want
Impose your own law of your element, -
What are they all! Only the storm roars
Melted like snowflakes,
They perish without a trace in the abyss of waters,
Like the power of Spain, like the Trafalgar fleet.
You are Carthage, Athens, Rome has seen,
Cities blooming with freedom.
The world has changed - you are not different.
The tyrant enslaved them, years passed,
A horde of barbarians rushed like a thunderstorm,
And the empires became deserts.
Well your azure is transparent, as always,
Only wild waves change fun,
But, as if on the first day, you reign in a blaze of glory.
Without measure, without beginning, without end,
Magnificent in anger and in peace,
You are in a hurricane - a mirror of the Creator,
In the polar ice and in the blue southern heat
Always unique, alive,
Your creatures name is legion,
Earthly existence arose with you.
Face of Eternity, Invisible Throne,
You reign over everything, you are your own law.
I loved you, sea! At the hour of rest
Sail away into space, where the chest breathes freely,
Cut through the noisy shaft of the surf with your hands -
My joy has been from a young age.
And cheerful fear sang in my soul,
When the storm came suddenly.
Your child, I rejoiced in her,
And, as now, in the breath of a violent squall
On the foamy mane, the hand ruffled you.
My work is over, my story is finished,
And it goes out like a star before the dawn,
That torch, about which I have repeatedly
I sometimes lit the lampada later.
What I wrote, I wrote, I will not hide,
I wish I was better, but I'm not the one
It's true, old age is circling over me,
Fewer feelings and images flight,
And soon the cold winter dies in my chest.
Sorry! The time is coming inexorably.
And here we must part with you.
Forgive me, reader, companion of the pilgrim!
When his confessions are a vague swarm
At least I found an echo in you sometimes,
When at least once their feelings responded,
I am glad that my chosen one took the staff.
So goodbye! Giving him sorrow,
They may not exist - look for the grain of morality.
NOTES
EPIGRAPH
As an epigraph to the songs of the first and second poems, Byron took
introductory lines from the book French writer and traveler Fougères
de Montbronn (?-1761) "Cosmopolitan, or Citizen of the World", London, 1753.
FOREWORD
(To songs one and two)
Epirus, Acarnania - the western part of Greece.
Ionia, Phrygia - in Ancient Greece, the western and northwestern regions
Asia Minor.
Capital of the East. - Byron means the capital Ottoman Empire G.
Istanbul.
Wilde - a kind of title for a young English nobleman who was preparing for
knighting (XIII-XIV centuries).
"Sorry Sorry!" - At the beginning of the first song inspired by "Lord's Farewell
Maxwell" in "Frontier Songs" published by Mr. Scott. - Meaning
compilation folk ballads: "Songs of the Border Scotland". The hero of one
ballad - Lord John Maxwell avenged the death of his father, for which he was
sentenced to exile. Leaving his homeland, he sang a farewell song, which
served as a model for Byron.
Some similarities with various poems, the theme of which
is Spain ... - Byron means, in particular, the poem of Walter
Scott's "The Vision of Don Roderick", published in 1811.
The Spencer stanza is a nine-line stanza, first introduced by the great
English Renaissance poet Edmund Spenser (1552-1599).
Beatty - English poet James Beatty (1735-1803). -His unfinished
The poem "The Minstrel" is written in a Spencer stanza.
Sanctified by the names of Ariosto... - Byron speaks of the great Italian
poet Lodovico Ariosto (1474-1533) and his poem "Furious Roland".
Thomson James (1700-1748) - English poet; his poem "Castle
idleness" is written in a Spencer stanza.
ADDITION TO THE PREFACE
The usual dose of criticism. - The main accusation of the critics was
to what Byron expressed in the poem "non-chivalrous disgust for war."
"Courts of Love" - medieval assemblies of knights and ladies, in which
the rules of gallant behavior were discussed and approved.
"not a tavern servant, but a Templar." - Byron quotes from
parodies of the reactionary-romantic poetry "Pilgrims, or Double Collusion"
J. Hookham Frere, one of whose heroes is a knight dressed in
the course of action into a tavern servant. Knight Templar - Member of the Spiritual-Knightly
order of the Templars, or templars, founded in 1119 in Jerusalem
kingdom.
Order of the Garter - Order of St. George, established in 1350 by the king
Edward III for a particularly narrow circle of associates (25 cavaliers) in the name of
"revival of the military spirit."
Burke should not have regretted... - Byron means "Reflections
on the Revolution in France" by Edmund Burke (1729-1797), an English publicist and
politician.
Marie Antoinette. - From the mention of the meeting with the Queen of France E. Burke
begins his "Reflections".
Bayard Pierre du Terail (1476-1524) - French commander; over time
time, the image of Bayard lost its real features, embodying
abstract ideal of a knight.
Sir Joseph Banks. - Byron talks about those fragments from the book
"Hawksworth's Voyage Compiled from the Ship's Logs
several captains and notes of Joseph Banks "(1773), which are dedicated to
Queen of Tahiti
Modern Timon. - Timon of Athens lived in the 5th century. BC e., in the years
Peloponnesian War. Internecine strife, wars and the decline of morality
turned him into a misanthrope who settled in a tower house.
Zeluko is the bitter and morally devastated hero of the eponymous
novel by the English writer John Moore (1729-1802).
Ianta is a name meaning narcissus flower.
SONG ONE
In the autograph, the song of the first and second poems is marked: "Byron - Yanina in
Albania. Started October 31, 1809 Finished, Song 2, Smyrna, March 28,
1810. Byron".
1 (The number at the beginning of the note indicates the number of the corresponding stanza.).
Delphi - an ancient Greek city in Phokis (Central Greece) at the foot of a mountain
Parnassus. Temple of Delphi with the famous oracle and the sacred Key of Kastal
were dedicated to Apollo - the god of the sun and the patron of the arts.
Do you foresee a battle with the French ... - In the conditions of the war between England and
Napoleonic France brig, on which Childe Harold went to his
pilgrimage, could be attacked by ships of the French military
fleet.
14. Sintra - a low mountain range Serra da Sintra in Portugal in
fifteen miles northwest of Lisbon.
15. ...the executioners invaded this land... - On the basis of a secret
treaty between Spain and Napoleonic France (October 1807) on
conquest and division of Portugal by Napoleonic troops through the territory
Spain invaded Portugal. The British government also sent
their troops there in August 1808. England stood up for the defense of the feudal
orders and supported the feudal-clerical forces that suppressed
revolutionary movement in the country.
16. Luz - the mythical king of ancient Lusitania, located in the western
parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
18. ...Elysius, over which // The veils were lifted by a bard... - In the sixth book
Virgil's poem (70-19 BC) "Aeneid" describes the visit of Aeneas
the underworld and the kingdom of shadows - Elysia.
22. Vathek. - In the name of Caliph Vatek - the hero of the story "Vatek. Arabic
fairy tale" Byron names the author of this story William Beckford (1760-1844),
fabulously wealthy English aristocrat, who in 1794-1796. lived in
Portugal in a luxurious castle, later completely abandoned.
24. ... in this castle there was a council of leaders ... - Text of the Sintra Convention,
concluded on August 30, 1808 between representatives of the English and
French command in Portugal, was not signed, as erroneously
assumed Byron, in the castle of Maryalva in Sintra, but only sent from there.
Dwarf jester, the emptiest of devils ... - a visual poetic image,
giving an idea not only of the appearance of a diplomatic document
(parchment scroll), but also about the unexpected, almost buffoonish character
conditions contained in the Sintra Convention.
25. Convention, the Briton stumbled on it. - Under the terms of the Sintra
conventions, French army, defeated on August 21, 1808 at the battle of
Vimiera, was given the right to evacuate his troops from Portugal to
English courts. The signing of the Convention on these terms caused in England
sharp criticism of the policies of the Tory government from the opposition
circles.
Not defeated here, but conquering grief! - Byron did not take into account that
the fastest liberation of the territory of Portugal from the Napoleonic army
France strengthened the strategic position of England on the continent and in the Mediterranean
sea.
29. Mafra - a colossal palace-monastery near Sintra.
31. In the neighborhood of an unbridled enemy // A Spaniard must be a soldier
or a slave. - The actual occupation of Spain by the Napoleonic army caused a number of
uprisings of the popular masses in Aranjuez, Madrid, Asturias, Valencia, which
brutally suppressed by the French occupiers.
32. Sierra - Sierra Morena mountain range in southern Spain,
34. Guadiana - river; for fifty-one kilometers forms
state border between Spain and Portugal.
The camps of two hostile faiths boiled there ... - In 711, in the Iberian
The peninsula was invaded by the Arabs and captured most of it. More than seven
For centuries, the Spaniards and the Portuguese waged a stubborn struggle to win back their
lands, which went down in history under the name "Reconquista".
35. Where is the cross with which you were strong // When the traitor avenged
tears of Kava ... - The population of the mountainous Asturias put up a successful resistance. AT
In 718, the Arabs were defeated at the Battle of Covadonga. flared up in
Asturias guerrilla struggle marked the beginning of the Reconquista. Cross. - By
legend, in the battle of Covadonga, the Asturians instead of the banner had a cross made of
Asturian oak. Tears of Kava. - Visigothic commander Julian, who defended
outpost of Ceuta in northwest Africa, entered into an alliance with the viceroy
Arab caliph in Africa and contributed to the sudden attack of the Arabs on
the kingdom of the Visigoths, as if wanting to avenge the violence against his daughter
Florinda-Kava to the Visigoth king Roderich.
The crescent fell, slain with a cross ... - In 1492, the reconquest of the territory
The Emirate of Granada ended with the Reconquista.
37. To arms, Spaniards! - The uprising in Aranjuez in March 1808 and
the abdication of the Spanish king Charles IV from the throne caused a general
heroic rise and stubborn resistance of the population of many cities
advance of the Napoleonic army.
38. I hear the sound of metal and hooves ... - In November 1808, Napoleon moved
to Spain a huge army and launched a new offensive. July 27-28, 1809
united Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish army at the Battle of Talavera near
Madrid defeated the French, but at the cost of huge losses.
43. Oh, the field of mournful glory, Albuera! - 16 May 1811 Anglo-Spanish
troops again defeated Napoleon's army, but just as in the battle of
Talavera, the losses were enormous.
45. Seville... - The population of this city capitulated to
Napoleonic troops only at the beginning of 1810.
Tire is a fortress and an important port of ancient Phoenicia. The siege has gone down in history
cities by the troops of Alexander the Great in 332 BC. e., lasting more than
seven months.
48. "Long Live the King!" - more precisely, "Long live King Ferdinand
VII "- the password-slogan with which the Spanish patriots expressed their trust
Ferdinand VII - son of the abdicated Charles IV.
Godoy, Manuel (1767-1851) - Spanish temporary worker; under Charles IV
actually ruled the country.
Charles curses the cuckold, // And with him his Louise ... - During the reign
Charles IV (1748-1819), who suffered from dementia, power belonged to the court
clique led by the Spanish Queen Maria Luisa and her favorite
Godoy.
49. Here the hordes of the enemy... // An Andalusian villager met... - In the mountains
Sierra Morena, in Andalusia, a significant part of the peasants participated in
guerrilla war against the French invaders.
50. Here, without wearing a red ribbon on a hat ... - They wore a red cockade
Spanish patriots who demanded the return of the Spanish king
Ferdinand VII, who abdicated at the request of Napoleon in favor of his
brother Joseph.
51. From the naked heights of the Morena ... - Byron rode through the mountains of the Sierra Morena
before the invasion of the invaders, but the population had already prepared for
resistance. "All the passages through which I passed on the way
to Seville," he clarifies in a footnote to this stanza.
54. ... The daughter of Spain .... flew alongside her husbands. - Among the defenders
cities: Zaragoza during the siege, a girl became famous for her courage and courage
Augustine, nicknamed Zaragoza.
61. Parnassus is in front of me. - Byron visited the village of Kastri, which stood on
the site of ancient Delphi, December 16, 1809
64. ... bitter peace of your land, O Greece! - Byron means oppression
Turkish domination in Greece, conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the middle of the XV
in.
70. ... to honor the sacred horn ... - a playful custom of "swearing on the horns" in
England.
85. You were an unshakable rock in the midst of storms ... - By the beginning of 1810
the Napoleonic army was stopped at the walls of Cadiz (Cadix), the population
which heroically defended the city for more than two years.
The trial was despicable over the traitor. - Marquis Solano, governor and
commander-in-chief of the Spanish troops, was shot as a traitor for refusing
follow the order of the Central Junta to attack french navy standing on
raid near Cadiz.
88-93. These stanzas were written by Byron upon his return to England, in the footsteps
events.
89. ...again the troops // Go through the Pyrenean passes. - Byron
speaks of the battles of Talavera (July 1809), Baroes and Albuera (May
1811).
More countries perked up behind it, // Than Pizarro crushed. -
The national liberation struggle of the Spanish people marked the beginning
speeches against Napoleonic France in a number of other European countries.
Pizarro, Francisco (c. 1471-1541) - one of the Spanish conquistadors,
led the conquest of a vast territory of the Inca state in the western
coast of Latin America.
Quito is a city in South America, whose population has repeatedly
rebelled against Spanish domination, August 10, 1810 in Quito broke out
uprising that marked the beginning of the struggle for independence and education
state of Ecuador.
91-92. And you, my friend! - Byron dedicated these stanzas to the memory of the school
Comrade John Wingfield.
93. Where detachments of overseas barbarians // Shamelessly robbed the heritage
Hellas, - Byron means Lord Elgin (17661842), a Scottish peer, -
amateur archaeologist. During his stay in Athens as a diplomat, he achieved
permission to take out several pieces of marble from Athens and took them out of Greece
priceless collection.
CANTO TWO
1. Enemies' banners passed over Greece ... - After the capture by the Turks
Constantinople in 1453 and the fall of the Byzantine Empire Greece during
four centuries was deprived of national independence.
In the autograph of the poem, after the seventh stanza, another one follows, developing and
logically final thought of the poet:
Grumpy pastor! Don't be angry when I
I don't see life where you want;
Your fantasy is not funny to me;
No, you rather inspire me with envy:
So boldly you open a new world,
Blissful island in the unearthly sea;
Dream about what you yourself do not know;
Let's not argue about Sadducees:
Loving your paradise, you do not want to see everyone in it.
(Translated by P. O. Morozov)
8. Sadducee - an adherent of the Hebrew sect, founded in the II century. before
n. e. among the orthodox Jerusalem priesthood. The Sadducees denied
afterlife and immortality of the soul.
9. Upon returning to England, in the autumn of 1811, having learned about the death of his friend
Edelvston, Byron added this stanza.
11. ... the son of the Scottish mountains. - This refers to Elgin (see note to I,
93), who was of Scottish origin.
12. Picts. - Ancient Celtic tribes. Here Byron again has in
the sight of Elgin.
14. Achilles. - Byron recalls the legend of how the king of the Visigoths
Alaric, who captured and robbed Athens in 395, was horrified at
the sight of Athena and Achilles appearing on the Acropolis.
27. Abode of Athos. - Wooded slopes of Mount Athos in the south of the peninsula
Halkidiki in Greece from the 7th century. were transferred to the full possession of numerous
monasteries.
30. Florence. - See note. to the verse. "Album"
36. ... utopians of our days ... - Byron was a contemporary of the great
utopian socialists of K. - A. Saint-Simon, C. Fourier and R. Owen.
38. Iskander. // Hero's namesake... - the largest military and political
figure of medieval Albania George Kastriot-Skanderbeg (1405-1468).
Served in the Turkish army as a hostage, for outstanding military
abilities received the title of bey and the name Iskander in honor of Alexander
Macedonian. Leading the struggle of the Albanian people against the yoke of the Ottoman
empire, unified Albania.
Kaloyer is a Greek hermit monk.
39. ...a rock... // Where the mournful Sappho is a damp grave. - Famous
the ancient Greek poetess Sappho (7th-6th centuries BC), according to legend, rushed
from the Leucadian rock in the Ionian Sea.
Trafalgar. - This refers to the naval battle at Cape Trafalgar 21
October 1805, in which the English squadron under the command of Admiral
Nelson (1758-1805) defeated the French and Spanish fleets.
Aktium is bloody ... - Naval battle at Cape Aktsiy (at the exit from
Amvracian Gulf to the Ionian Sea) September 2, 31 BC. e., in which
The Roman fleet defeated the Egyptian.
42. Albania. - At the time of Byron's stay in Albania, in fact
only the lands in the south of Albania with the center in the city were an independent state
Yanina.
Pindus is a mountain system in Greece.
44. The red cross is the emblem of the crusader knights.
45. ... the bay where the whole world was given // For a woman ... - In the sea
the battle at Actium, the Roman triumvir Mark Antony (82-30 BC) changed
interests of the Romans, fighting on the side of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. suffered
defeated, he fled to Egypt.
Caesar's follower. - This refers to the Roman emperor Augustus (63 BC).
BC e. - 14 AD e.).
46. City of victories - Nikopol, built by Octavian on the shore
Amvracian Gulf in honor of the victory at the Action.
Illyrian valleys - in ancient times, the region of Illyricum in the northeast
coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Dol Tampeisky is a valley in Greece.
47. Akherdza - a lake near the city of Ioannina.
The fierce leader oppresses Albania ... - Ali Pasha Tepelensky (c. 1744-1822)
- the ruler of a virtually independent state (1788-1822) within
Ottoman Empire in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. From 1803, after
brutal suppression of the resistance of the Suliot tribe, sovereign of Albania,
Epirus, Seas with the main citadel city of Ioannina.
48. Zitsa - village and monastery near Ioannina.
53. Dodona - an ancient Greek city in Epirus, the center of the cult of Zeus.
55. Tomerite - a mountain in Epirus.
Laos (more precisely, Vayos) is a river in Northern Greece.
58. Skipper - Albanian. Delhi is an honorary title in the Turkish army.
63. Gafiz (Hafiz) - an outstanding Persian poet (1325-1389).
Anacreon (Anacreon, c. 570-478 BC) is one of the largest
ancient Greek lyric poets.
68. Souliots. - See note. to the poem "Song to Souliots".
69. Aheloy - the ancient Greek name of the river Aspropotamos,
70. Utrakian Gulf - on the coast of the Ionian Sea.
71. Palikars - soldiers of the Turkish army who speak modern Greek
language.
Tamburji - drummer, drummer.
A Cimmerian is a resident of the Chimera Mountains.
Parga Pirate. - Parga - sea port in Albania in the possessions
Ali Pasha Tepelensky.
Do you remember Preveza? - In 1798 the city of Preveza was recaptured from France
troops of Ali Pasha Tepelensky.
Seliktar is a squire.
An unequal battle for Thermopylae ... - In 480 BC. e. 300 Spartans under
under the command of the Spartan king Leonidas last man defended
a strategically important passage into the mountain gorge of Thermopylae, holding back the onslaught
many times superior to the forces of the army of the Persian king Xerxes.
74. ... Frasibulus fought for liberty ... - Athenian politician,
supporter of slave-owning democracy, expelled from Athens in 403 BC. e.
aristocratic in composition "council of thirty". Gathered a strong team
having taken possession of Athens, he delivered the city from the hated oligarchy of "thirty tyrants".
77. Osman. - That was the name of the Asia Minor Turks who lived on
territory of the Ottoman Empire, which was founded by Emir Osman I
(1258-1326) and named after him.
The Franks are the tribes of the West Germans, who formed in the 5th century. Frankish
state.
Wahhabis - followers of Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (1703-1787) and
participants religious movement among the Bedouins of Nej in Arabian
peninsula in mid-eighteenth in. At the beginning of the XIX century. subjugated the states of Nej and
Hijas with the cities of Mecca and Medina. Preaching monotheism and simplicity,
destroyed the temples of local saints and removed the luxurious decorations from the tomb
Mohammed.
84. ... sons of Lacedaemon ... - Spartans.
88. Marathon. - Here Byron speaks of the Marathon plain in Attica, on
seashore, which he visited on January 25, 1810.
89. "Marathon" (Marathon battle) - the first major battle during
Greco-Persian Wars (September 13, 490 BC), in which the Greek
troops defeated the superior forces of the Persian king Darius I
only thanks to the best weapons, but also because of the unshakable stamina of the military
new, defending the independence of their homeland. The victory of the Persians brought the Greeks
slavery.
90. Medes (more precisely, Medes) - inhabitants of the early slave-owning
the state of Media, conquered by the Persians in the VI century. BC e.
93-98 stanzas of the second canto, as well as 8 and 9, were written by Byron after
return to England in 1811.
95. Beloved, who replaced everyone for me ... - The poet dedicated stanzas 95-96
memory of a beloved woman who died after his return to England. dedicated to her
poems in which Byron calls her by her conventional name Tirza.
CANTO THREE
Byron began the song of the third poem in the first days of May 1816. He finished in
Ears, near Lausanne, 27 June 1816
Autograph of the third song, transcribed by Byron white with a draft
manuscripts and handed over by him to his friend Birdmore Scrope Davis (1783-1852), in
for 160 years was considered lost. In 1976, newspapers appeared in England.
reports that in the basement of one of the London banks was discovered
travel suitcase, which contained the autograph of the song of the third poem
"Childe Harold's Pilgrimage", a series of manuscripts of poems by the poet Percy
Bysshe Shelley and other documents.
The third song was published on November 18, 1816 according to a copy made by
Byron's request with an autograph of Claire Clairmont - half-sister of Mary Shelley (wife
poet) - both corrected and supplemented by Byron. September 11, 1816, by
on his arrival in London, Shelley handed it over to the publisher J. Murray.
On the manuscript of the said copy of the song, Byron's third hand has entered
litter: "Notes to this dig are more complete and exhaustive than in
autograph. It also has one more stanza. Byron, July 10, 1816."
The epigraph to Canto 3 is taken by Byron from a letter from Frederick II, King
Prussia (1740-1786), to Jean Leron d "Alembert (1717-1783), philosopher,
mathematician and philologist who lost a friend.
1. And yes - Ada Augusta Byron, the poet's daughter. Born December 10, 1815
died November 27, 1852. Byron last saw her in London on January 15
1816
Stanzas 17-45 were written by Byron under the impression of visiting the field
the battle of Waterloo in April 1816, that is, less than a year after
bloody battle.
17. You trample on the ashes of the Empire... - The defeat of the Napoleonic troops in
The Battle of Waterloo led to the fall of the Napoleonic Empire.
But the world on the most terrible of fields / With the victory received only new
kings. - During the years of restoration and the triumph of the noble-monarchist reaction
dozens of new kings and dukes took the thrones in many European countries.
18. Waterloo - the historical battle of the village of Waterloo, near Brussels,
June 18, 1815, in which the Anglo-Dutch and Prussian-Saxon troops under
the command of A. Wellington and G. L. Blucher inflicted Napoleon's army
crushing blow.
He drags the chain over the salty abyss... - After Waterloo Napoleon
surrendered to the British and was exiled to St. Helena.
20. ... the sword in the myrtle ... the sword of Harmodius, the sword of Aristogeiton! - Harmodius and
Aristogeiton in 514 BC e. they killed the tyrant of Athens Hipparchus with daggers,
hidden in the branches of the myrtle.
21. At night, the whole of Brussels shone with lights ... - June 15, 1815 in Brussels with
with the knowledge of the command of the allied forces, a ball was given, which was attended by
a significant number of officers of the English and Dutch armies. At dawn 16
June began the battle of Quatre Bras near Brussels - the prologue of Waterloo.
23. Duke of Brunswick - Friedrich Wilhelm (1771-1815), killed in battle
at Quatre Bras. Duke's father Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand (1735-1806) died in action
with Napoleonic troops at Auerstedt.
26. "Camrons, follow me!" - battle song of the Scottish Camron clan.
27. Ardennes. - Byron erroneously calls the forest of Soigny Ardennes.
29. Their feat was glorified even before me ... - Byron means the poem by V.
Scott "Field of Waterloo", published in 1815.
One among them - he is related to me - / I insulted his father. -
Frederick Howard, a relative of Byron, died at the Battle of Waterloo. His father -
Lord Carlyle was unintentionally offended by the poet in the poem "English Bards and
Scottish Reviewers.
36. The strongest there ... not the worst fell. - In stanzas 36-46 Byron speaks of
Napoleone.
Again he returned the crown ... - Byron means "One Hundred Days"
Napoleon's stay in France after fleeing the island of Elba!
41. Philip's son. - Alexander the Great was the son of the Macedonian king
Philip II.
Drachenfels - the ruins of a castle on one of the Seven Mountains on the Rhine.
56. Koblenz - a city in Germany, during the French bourgeois
revolutions of 1789-1794 - the center of counter-revolutionary emigration.
Marceau, Francois Sovereign (1769-1796) - General of the French Republic,
talented commander. In a battle near Koblenz, he was mortally wounded.
58. Ehrenbreitstein - a fortress near Koblenz. The siege of this fortress
troops of republican France lasted two years.
63. Marat. - In the battle of Morata in June 1476, the militia of the city and
rural cantons of the Swiss Union, defending the independence of their
Federation, dealt a crushing blow to the troops of the Duke of Burgundy Charles
Bold.
64. Cannes - a village in southeastern Italy, where in the years of the second
The Punic War took place famous battle(216 BC), in which
the Carthaginian commander Hannibal (c. 247-183 BC) achieved complete
defeat of the Roman troops.
Comparing the battles of Waterloo and Cannes with the battles of Marathon and
Morate, Byron clearly draws the line between the wars of conquest and
wars for the independence of the motherland.
65. Aventikum (more precisely, Aventikum) - the capital of the ancient Roman province
Helvetia in Switzerland.
76. He was born here... - This refers to Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778).
77. ... Over a book full of new feelings and thoughts // Reader of tears
lil ... - Byron speaks of Rousseau's novel "Julia, or New Eloise" (1761),
82. ... the world again saw the triumph of violence. - Byron wrote these lines in
the time of rampant noble-monarchist reaction in Europe, which began after
restoration of the Bourbons in France and the conclusion in September 1815 of the Holy
alliance between Russia, Austria and Prussia.
100. Everything in Claran is immortal love trace ... - In Rousseau's novel "The New
Eloise" the action takes place in the vicinity of the Swiss city of Clarens.
105. Lausanne and Ferney ... - Lausanne is a city where for a long time lived and
wrote his work "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" English
scientist-educator Edward Gibbon (1737-1794). Ferney - an estate near
Geneva, owned by Voltaire (1694-1778).
110. ... From the wars that stopped the audacity of Carthage ... - Three are meant
The Punic Wars that were fought between Rome and Carthage for dominance in
Mediterranean basin and lasted intermittently for more than a hundred years (264-146 BC).
BC e.).
115-118. Ada Augusta Byron is a talented mathematician; shortly before
death bequeathed to be buried next to her father in the Byron family vault in
Hucknall-Thorcard.
SONG FOUR
The first version of the song of the fourth poem, created by Byron in the period from 26
June to July 17, 1817, amounted to one hundred and twenty-six stanzas. From August 1817
the poet began to write additional stanzas and until the beginning of the spring of 1818
worked on them, adding sixty more stanzas. Fourth song published
April 28, 1818
Hobhouse John Cam (1786-1869) - Byron's friend, English writer and
public figure, traveled with the poet in 1809-1810 and in
1816-1817
Anniversary of the most unfortunate day of my past life... - January 2
1815 Byron's wedding day.
The Chinese in Goldsmith's Citizen of the World. - Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774)
- famous English poet, prose writer, playwright. Byron mentions his book
"Citizen of the World, or Letters from Chinese philosopher from London to my friend
to the East", published in 1762.
Great names... - Ditch Antonio (1757-1822) - Italian
sculptor; Monti Vincenzo (1754-1828) Italian poet and playwright
supporter of the national unity of Italy; Hugo Foscolo (1778-1827) - poet and
publicist, ardently supported French Revolution advocated the unification
and the independence of Italy; Pindemonte Ippolito (1753-1828) - patriotic poet,
fought for the independence of Italy; Visconti Ermes (1751 -1818) - Italian
patriot, journalist, critic; Morelli Michele (?-1822) - independence fighter
Italy, participant in the Neapolitan uprising in 1820; Chicognara Leopolde
(1767-1835) - critic and art historian; Albricia Isabella (1769-1836) -
hostess of the literary salon, which served as a meeting place for many
prominent figures of Italy, including the Carbonari. visited her frequently and
Byron; Mezzofanti Giuseppe (1774-1849) - famous Italian
polyglot linguist; May Angelo, cardinal (1782-1854) - philologist; Mustoxydi
Andreas (1787-1860) - Greek archaeologist; Aglietti Francesco (1757-1836) and
Vacca Andrew (1772-1826) - doctors.
Alfieri said somewhere... - Alfieri Vittorio (17491803) - outstanding
Italian playwright, creator of the Italian tragedy of classicism.
Massacre at Mont Saint Jean. - So Byron's encryption was forced in 1818.
mention the bloody battle of Waterloo.
Genoa, Italy, France, the whole world are betrayed... - Byron speaks of
the period of the Restoration and the Holy Alliance after the Congress of Vienna 1814-1815
gg. - rampant reaction.
Described in a work worthy of the best days of our history. -
Byron is referring to John Hobhouse's publication of "The Contents of Some Letters
sent by an English resident in Paris during the last
reign of Emperor Napoleon, published in London in 1816 anonymously.
Cancellation of habeas corpus. - This refers to the English law on
inviolability of the person, adopted by the English Parliament in 1679. In
1817, its action was temporarily suspended.
1. Ponte del Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs; and that l.) - a covered bridge in Venice,
connecting the Doge's Palace with the San Marco prison.
3. ... the tune of Torquat octaves ceased ... - Byron speaks of once
widespread custom of Venetian gondoliers to sing excerpts from
poem by the great Italian poet Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) "The Liberated
Jerusalem".
Pierre, Shylock and Othello - the heroes of the works English writers,
the action of which takes place in Venice (Pierre - the hero of the tragedy of Thomas Otway
(1651-1685) "Venice Saved", Shylock and Othello - the heroes of Shakespeare's plays
"The Merchant of Venice" and "Othello".)
10. "Among the Spartans, he was not the best." - That's what my mother said.
Spartan commander Brasidas to foreigners who expressed praise of her
dead son.
11. "Bu centaur" - the name of the ship of the Venetian Republic, on which
on Ascension Day, the Doge of Venice went to the open sea and symbolically
engaged to the Adriatic by throwing a ring into the sea.
Disliked by the Pope, // The emperor bowed... - German Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa (c. 1125-1190), excommunicated by Pope Alexander
III from the church, in order to remove the excommunication, was forced to go to Venice,
where the pope was, and to perform the humiliating ceremony of kissing the papal
shoes as a sign of obedience to the will of the pope.
12. Schwab - here: Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa.
Austrian - Franz I, Austrian Emperor (1768-1835).
Dandolo - Dandolo Enrico, Venetian patrician, from 1192 Doge of Venice.
Used to fight pretenders to the throne Byzantine emperors in
as a pretext for sending knightly troops on Venetian ships
Fourth Crusade to Byzantium. In 1204, ninety-seven
Dandolo led under the pretext of fighting the uprising that broke out in the city
assault on Byzantium, accompanied by an unheard-of sack of the city,
13. Horses of Mark - four bronze gilded horses on the main portal
cathedral of st. Mark.
Doria Pietro - Genoese admiral. In 1370, at the proposal of Venice
conclude a peace agreement with Genoa replied that the Genoese "do not grant peace,
until they bridle the horses of St. Mark".
14. "The nursery of lions". - In Italy, the Venetians are called "pantaloni".
Byron suggested that the name comes from pianta leone -
"hoisting lions".
15. Turks repelled from Europe. - In the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571
the combined fleet of Spain, Venice and the Pope inflicted on the Turkish fleet
major defeat.
16. When Athens went to Syracuse ... - Sicilian expedition 415 to
n. e.; an example of the failure of the aggressive aspirations of the Athenian maritime power.
Verse of Euripides, saved hundreds of citizens. - During the Sicilian expedition
(415 BC) an attempt to move the land forces into the interior of the island
led to the capture of seven thousand Athenians into slavery. To mitigate your fate
only those Athenians could hope who knew by heart passages from popular
among the population of Sicily of the tragedies of the great ancient Greek playwright
Euripides (c. 480-406 BC).
18. Anna Radcliffe (1764-1823) - English writer. In her novel
"Udolphian secrets" action takes place in Venice.
27. Friuli - spurs of the Alps north of Trieste and northeast of Venice.
30. Arcua - a small village southeast of Padua, where the grave is located
the great Italian poet Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374).
35. Ferrara - a city in Northern Italy on the Po River. One of the centers
Renaissance.
36. Alfonso II Este (died in 1597) - Duke of Ferrara. According to him
by order of T. Tasso was declared insane and put on a chain for seven years
hospital of st. Anna for the insane.
38. ...to the wrath of Kruska he gave a lot of food... - Kruska - famous in Italy
Academia della Crusca in Florence. Fought for the approval of the all-Italian
literary language based on the literary language of the great
Florentine poets, but swept aside the living folk speech. Some of its members
expressed harsh judgments about T. Tasso and his poem "The Liberated
Jerusalem".
Boileau Nicolas (1636-1711) - poet and theorist of French classicism.
Byron did not agree with Boileau's criticisms of T. Tasso's poetry.
40. "Divine Comedy"creator - the great Italian poet Dante
Alighieri (1265-1321).
South Scott. - The famous Italian poet Ariosto Byron compares
with his contemporary (calling him, in turn, "Our Ariosto
northern"), by the outstanding English writer Walter Scott.
44. Friend of Cicero - Servius Sulpicius Rufus, Roman consul, friend
the famous orator and political figure of ancient Rome, Mark Tullius
Cicero (106-43 BC). In letters to Cicero, Servius gave interesting
descriptions of the places he visited during his trip to Greece. A number of these
cities Byron also visited during his travels in 1809-1811.
Megara, Piraeus, Corinth - cities in Greece.
Aegina is an island in the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean Sea.
46. ... Rome collapsed ... - in 476 the last Roman emperor was
overthrown, and the Western Roman Empire fell.
48. Etruria - a region in the northwest of the Apennine Peninsula,
inhabited in antiquity by the Etruscans; modern Tuscany.
Heiress of Athens. - Florence, which played a significant role in
history of culture and art of Italy -
49. Villa. - Byron means artistic the Uffizi gallery in
Florence, where the statue of Venus Medicea is located.
54. Santa Croce - a tomb church in Florence.
56. ... where are the three cut brothers? - Byron speaks of three great
founders Italian literature- Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio.
Narrator of a hundred stories ... - Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375).
57. Like Scipio, we keep someone else's canopy ... - Scipio the African Senior,
Publius Cornelius (c. 235-183 BC) - Roman general. By
legend, offended by the ingratitude of the citizens of Rome, spent the rest of his days
far from the capital.
In the distance your Dante sleeps... - Dante, who was born in Florence, died in
exile, buried in Ravenna.
Lavr wore Petrarch not native ... - For the poem "Africa" Petrarch was
crowned with a laurel wreath in Rome.
Was robbed...by you. - The property of Petrarch's father was confiscated,
and he himself was expelled from Florence shortly after Dante's exile.
58. ... the tombstone was removed by the despicable prude ... - Those who hated Boccaccio
churchmen in 1783 destroyed his tomb.
59. ... When a ban fell on the name of Brutus ... - Brutus Mark Junius (85-42 years before
n. BC) - Roman politician, republican, one of the murderers of Julius
Caesar.
62. Trasimene ... the cunning of Carthage ... - in 217 BC. e. near
Lake Trasimene in the battle between the army of Carthage and the Roman troops,
drawn into the ambush and surrounded by the troops of the consul Flaminius were completely
defeated by Hannibal's army.
65. Sanguinetto - bloodied (and t and l.).
82. ... the triumph of three hundred triumphs! - They believe that in the whole history
Ancient Rome, the city witnessed three hundred and twenty triumphs - solemn
meetings of the commanders-winners.
85. Cromwell Oliver (1599-1658) - the largest figure in the English
bourgeois revolution in the 17th century. After the execution of King Charles I,
Lord Protector of the Republic, sole ruler of England.
On the day of two victories, he was awarded death ... - Byron emphasizes that 3
September was a fatal number in the life of Cromwell: on this day in 1650 and 1651
gg. he won victories over the royal troops and on September 3, 1658
died.
87. ... the monument of Pompey, // Before whom ... Caesar fell ... - Statue in the Palazzo
Spada in Rome, possibly a portrait statue of Gnaeus Pompey (106-48 BC)
- Roman politician and commander, opponent of Julius Caesar, but,
obviously not the one near which Caesar was killed.
89. ... a slave of his slaves. - Byron means Napoleon.
90. Cleopatra's guest. - According to legend, Caesar in love for a long time
remained at the court of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra.
Behind the spinning wheel, the changing Alcides ... - Alcides (otherwise Hercules) for the murder of Ifit
had to serve as a slave for the Lydian queen Omphala for three years, performing
women's work.
96. ... What ... Colombia, was your warrior and son? - I mean Simon
Bolivar (1783-1830) - one of the leaders of the national liberation
movements in the Spanish colonies in South America.
97. ...saturnalia of massacre... - Byron remembers Waterloo.
The world has doomed itself to slavery... - So Byron calls the years of the Restoration and
Holy Alliance in Europe.
99. ... a gloomy bastion - the mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, the wife of the Roman
triumvir Crassus; in the Middle Ages it was turned into a bastion.
101. Cornelia - mother of the Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, who led
movement for agrarian reform in ancient Rome (II century BC).
110. And there the saint stands, / Where the emperor was dead was not buried. - AT
1587 the statue of the Roman Emperor Trajan (AD 53117) was removed from
columns and replaced by a statue of St. Peter.
114. Rienzi Cola di (1313-1354) - Italian politician,
who led the uprising of 1347 in Rome.
132. ... To Orestes ... // Who has done an unheard of deed ... - Orestes,
according to ancient Greek legend, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. killed mother in
vengeance for the fact that she, along with her beloved Aegisthus, took her life
his father, Agamemnon.
152. Hadrian's Tower - the tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian (76-138 AD).
n. e.).
153. Temple of Diana - one of the most beautiful monuments of ancient Greek
architecture in the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor. According to legend, was burned by Herostratus
in order to become famous.
153-157. Here Byron speaks of St. Peter in Rome.
167. Mother Princess. — Byron speaks of the death of the English hereditary
Princess Charlotte, who died in 1817
173-174. Nemi and Albano are lakes south of Rome.
174. Latium (more precisely, Latium) - in ancient times a region of central Italy,
included Rome and inhabited by Latins.
"Sword and Husband". - Virgil's poem "Aeneid" begins with the words "Arma
virumque cano" ("I sing weapons and husbands").
175. Strait of Calp - Gibraltar. Euxinian Pontus - Black Sea.
176. Symplegades - two rocks in the Bosphorus Strait. According to legend, when
a ship passed between them, they could move and destroy it.
The Flavian Amphitheater only from the 11th century. AD became known as the Colosseum. This name appeared, in all likelihood, because of the nearby Colossus - a gigantic statue of Nero, erected by him in honor of himself.
According to another version, the Colosseum began to be called so because of its huge, colossal size. It is located in a hollow between the Esquiline, Palatine and Caelievsky hills, in the place where there once was a pond that belonged to the Golden House of Nero (Domus Aurea). The construction of the Colosseum began in 75 AD. e. under the emperor Vespasian, who decided to build it after victories in Judea.
It is known that the idea of building the Colosseum belonged to the first emperor of Rome - Octavian Augustus. Vespasian did not live to see the completion of construction, so the emperor Titus opened the amphitheater in 80. It is known from the works of Latin authors that the celebrations for the completion of construction lasted 100 days in a row, and more than 5,000 animals were sacrificed to the gods during this time.
Contrary to popular belief that Christians were executed at the Colosseum, recent research indicates that this was a myth created by catholic church in subsequent years.
In 405 AD Emperor Honorius forbade gladiator fights as being inconsistent with the spirit of Christianity. The last performance at the Colosseum took place under Emperor Theodoric in 523 AD. e. Later, people began to settle in the empty apses, and the building itself began to be gradually dismantled stone by stone, using it as a free building material. In the 12th century he became part of the fortress of Frangipanis. Pope Benedict XIV officially dedicated the building of the Colosseum to the Passion of Christ and designated 14 stops of the Way of the Cross here, putting the beginning of a tradition that exists to this day.
The Colosseum is guarded with even greater attention by the current Italian government, by order of which, under the guidance of scientists, archaeologists, many of the fallen fragments of the structure, where it turned out to be possible, were inserted into their original places, and curious excavations were carried out in the arena, which led to the discovery of basements that once served to push groups of people and animals, trees and other decorations into the arena, or fill its water and lift up the ships when naval battles (naumachia) were presented.
Despite all the hardships experienced by the Colosseum over the centuries, its ruins, devoid of their former external and internal decoration, still produce strong impression with its severe majesty and give a fairly clear idea of what its location and architecture were.
Now the Colosseum has become a symbol of Rome and one of the most popular tourist sites. In the 21st century, the Colosseum was among the contenders for the title of one of the seven New Wonders of the World and, according to voting results, was recognized as such.
The amphitheater has the shape of an ellipse with a long axis of 188 m and a short axis of 156 m. The height of the four-tiered building, built from large pieces of travertine marble, fastened together with iron ties, is about 50 m. Tufa and brick were also used for interior work.
The outer ring wall in full height was preserved only on the northern side. The first three tiers were surrounded by arcades with 80 arches each. The arches of the first tier were decorated with Tuscan columns, the arches of the second tier - Ionic, and the third - Corinthian. There was a statue in each arch of the second and third tiers. The fourth tier was formed from 80 panels with Corinthian pilasters marked on them, between which windows were made and round bronze shields (clipea) were stuffed.
In the holes of the upper cornice, three brackets were fixed, supporting wooden beams, to which a linen awning was attached - velarium, which protected the spectators in the stands from the sun and rain.
The entrances on the short sides were preceded by a small portico on two columns. From there, a gallery began, where places were reserved for high-ranking officials. Gladiators entered the amphitheater through the entrances on the long sides. The stands of the Colosseum could accommodate 87,000 spectators. Around the amphitheater there was a wide space, paved with tuff and enclosed by a two-tiered gallery.
Interior spaces
Under the arena, covered with boardwalk, there were numerous rooms where the services that ensured the competitions were located. Here were cages with wild animals, lifting mechanisms, with the help of which predators were delivered to the arena. Beneath the entrance corridors was a central corridor leading east to the Gladiators' School.
Although the performances were free for all without exception, seats in the stands were distributed in a fixed order. There were four main gates to enter. The stands were steps lined with marble. They were divided into sectors in accordance with the social status of the audience.
The lower row, or podium (podium), was appointed exclusively for the emperor, his family, senators and vestals, and the emperor had a special, elevated seat. The podium was separated from the arena by a parapet high enough to protect spectators from the attack of animals released on it. The names of the senators were carved either on the seats themselves or on the parapet. The names were gradually erased and replaced by the names of new representatives of the ruling class (those that survived belong to the senators of the 5th century AD).
This was followed by places in general for the public, forming three tiers, corresponding to the tiers of the facade of the building. In the first tier, which included 20 rows of benches (now completely destroyed), the city authorities and persons belonging to the estate of horsemen sat; the second tier, consisting of 16 rows of benches, was intended for people with the rights of Roman citizenship. The wall separating the second tier from the third was quite high, while the benches of the third tier were located on a steeper sloping surface; this device was intended to give visitors to the third tier the opportunity to better see the arena and everything that happens in it. The spectators of the third tier belonged to the lower classes. The penultimate tier was occupied by slaves. The last tier was intended exclusively for women.
Under the podium of the tribune there was a wide open corridor, which was used by the attendants. Access from the stands was very easy, thanks to a perfect system of small stairs evenly distributed among the 80 arches of the upper and lower tiers. In the event of an emergency, all guests could leave the amphitheater in just 5 minutes.
Competitions
During the time of the Republic, games were held in the Roman Forum or the Bull Market, and later in the Champ de Mars. Two types of spectacles were staged in the Colosseum: gladiator fights and battles with wild animals or fights between wild animals. At the beginning, the battle of gladiators was considered a kind of collective ritual, which served as an expression of the power of the noble strata of the population.
In subsequent centuries, this kind of spectacle continued to play an important role, and this gift to the people was used for the purposes of political propaganda. Gladiators were recruited from those sentenced to death, prisoners or slaves. The duel continued until the death of one of the rivals, although the loser could appeal to the public for a pardon.
Hunting with the participation of wild animals in the arena became fashionable after the conquest of the Mediterranean and was especially popular because the audience had the opportunity to see duels with unusual and exotic animals. There is evidence that in the 2nd c. BC e. Scipius the Younger introduced the new kind spectacles during which deserters from the battlefield were fed to predators.
The Colosseum, as one of the most majestic buildings, often acts as a symbol of Rome to the same extent that the Eiffel Tower is a symbol of Paris, Big Ben is a symbol of London, the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin is a symbol of Moscow, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is a symbol of Pisa, and the Charles Bridge - a symbol of Prague. When schematically depicting a map of Europe, Rome is often marked with a schematic representation of the Colosseum.
Two thousand years have been watching us! These columns remember the Roman emperors: Trajan, the great traveler Hadrian, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius;
they saw the greatness of the Roman Empire and its fall when, in 455 AD. Vandals attacked Rome and for two weeks the Eternal City was given to the invaders for plunder.
Beautiful majestic Rome was plundered and destroyed! So ceased to exist" marble "capital of the Mediterranean,
and magnificent buildings for many centuries were pulled apart by "pebbles" for the construction of palaces and more than 500 cathedrals and churches of the new Rome, and the forums were overgrown with grass, and pigs grazed there.
01.
Here "... the perfection of forms in any ruin captivates the eye with immortal charm to this day."
02.
The marble capital of the Mediterranean was dazzlingly beautiful! Many emperors decorated the city. It shone in the rays of the southern sun with the whiteness of marble, the gilding of statues, it surprised with its temples, arches, luxurious dwellings of patricians, markets and forums where people gathered.
03.
This is where Julius Caesar stepped foot. Here his funeral pyre blazed and the legionnaires beat their swords into their shields as a sign of mourning for their beloved commander.
"Caesar fell under the cry of the murderers, and, weakening,
To play a worthy finale,
Closing himself with a toga, he silently died ... "( Byron)
04.
Rome was a cosmopolitan city. What kind of adverbs there was to hear, what skin tones and not to see. Rome had one million inhabitants! A huge city by our modern standards. 
The city was filled with idlers, whom in the millionth Rome in the first and second centuries AD. (according to historians) there were from 150 to 200 thousand people! Most of the plebs led an idle life, living on handouts and the grace of patrons.
The main consumer of the products arriving in Rome was the plebs. Some historians believe that the content huge army unemployed was one of the reasons for the fall of the Great Rome. Most of the unemployed and the poor were freed slaves.
As free citizens of Rome, they were maintained by the state and also received "unemployment benefits" in accordance with the Roman Law of 73 BC. At first, one and a half kilograms of bread were given out daily and olive oil. This law has never been violated, on the contrary - each emperor increased this "allowance". In the second century they began to give out meat, wine. Almost under every emperor there were cash distributions.
05.
Temple of Saturn (reconstructed 42 BC) and Temple of Vespasian (81 AD) 
06.
Acoustics of Roman theaters outdoors amazing: the ringing of a coin thrown onto a stone stage is heard in the last row of the amphitheater! However, the plebs preferred equestrian competitions, various performances and gladiator fights.
02.07.
The temple of Venus the Ancestor, the patroness of the Julius family, was decorated with 8 columns, only three columns and a podium have survived to this day ..
08.
The Temple of Venus the Ancestor was built by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. e. in gratitude to Venus, who was also the goddess of the hearth and motherhood, for leading Caesar to victory over Pompey at Pharsalus. The temple contained statues of Caesar, Cleopatra and Venus, who was considered the mother of Aeneas and the progenitor of the Julius family. The temple was later rebuilt by Domitian and rebuilt by Trajan in 113.
In front of the Temple of Venus stood an equestrian statue of Julius Caesar. 
09.
The temple of the goddesses Venus and Roma (lat. templum Venus et Roma, also called templum urbis Romae, templum urbis) was at one time the largest religious building in Ancient Rome. It occupied the entire territory from the Basilica of Maxentius to the valley of the Colosseum, and was erected on a plinth 145 m long and 100 m wide. The temple was built under the emperor Hadrian in 135 AD. e., on the site where the portico of the Golden House of Nero once stood. In front of the temple was a square with a portico of 150 columns.
10.
The temple occupied the central part of the portico: it was built from two cells, one opposite the other, with a common inner wall. Cella, overlooking the forum, was dedicated to the goddess of the city of Rome - Roma, the other - to the goddess Venus.
After a fire, Maxentius rebuilt the interior in 307 AD: two apses were carved in the back of the cella, where statues of the goddesses were placed, side walls with porphyry columns framed niches for statues. The floor was paved with geometric mosaics of colored marble. The eastern cella is the best preserved to this day, as it was part of the church of Santa Francesca Romana for a long time. 
11.
View of the Roman Forums from the Colosseum. 
12.
August Forum. The temple was inaugurated on August 1, 2 BC.
13.
This is what the Basilica of Maxentius looks like now. 
14.
The Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine is the largest building ever built in the Roman Forum. It was founded in 308 by Emperor Maxentius and completed by his successor, Constantine, in 312. The basilica was erected on the site of warehouses for spices (Latin horrea piperataria). In the Basilica of Constantine, not only worshiped the gods, but also appointed business meetings; This is where the City Council met.
15.
Even by ancient Roman standards, the building of the basilica was grandiose - the area of the nave exceeded 4000 square meters. m., the height of the vaults was 39 meters. Inside the walls of the basilica were decorated with marble slabs, the floor was covered with colored marble. architectural example the baths of Caracalla and Diocletian were used for the construction. A colossal statue of the Roman Emperor Constantine was installed in the western apse of the basilica. 
16.
Powerful high city walls surrounded Rome.
This partly restored wall with arches is the entrance to the Borghese Garden from Via Veneto. 
17.
Aurelian Wall ( mura aureliane) was built around ancient Rome under the emperor Aurelian in 271-275 around the more ancient Servian wall. Inside the wall are the seven hills of Rome, the Campus Martius and the Trastevere area on the left bank of the Tiber. (total area- 13.7 km²).
The walls with a thickness of 3.4 m and a perimeter of 19 km were built of concrete and faced with brick just on the eve of the Great Migration of Nations, which began in the 4th century.
The towers were one hundred feet apart; them total number came up to 383.
The height of the wall under Aurelian did not exceed eight meters; in the 5th century it was built twice as compared to the previous one.
The Gothic king Totila (541-552) managed to dismantle a third of the perimeter of the walls, but even in the Middle Ages, the remaining sections continued to be considered a solid fortification. During the Renaissance, they were updated and restored (in particular, the Pius Gate was designed by Michelangelo himself).
18.
This building, striking in its power - the Castle of the Holy Angel - was originally built as the mausoleum of Hadrian. The construction of the mausoleum began in 123 AD. The remains of the imperial families rested here until 217. The dimensions of the structure were colossal, the walls were lined with marble, the mausoleum was decorated with columns and statues. 
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Via Sacra, the Sacred Road, along which honored guests of Rome entered the Roman Forum, triumphal processions and religious festivities took place, triumphal chariots of victorious commanders drove, carts with military booty rode, lines of prisoners walked: Ancient Rome. Robbed, destroyed Rome survived and now it shocks us with its greatness:
"Arches everywhere, the eye sees the arches,
You will say: Rome could not leave the stage,
Until he created the Colosseum - the cathedral
Your triumphs." Byron)
The ancient Romans loved to decorate their cities with sculptures. In Rome alone, by the beginning of the 4th c. AD there were about 4 thousand bronze statues, including 22 large equestrian monuments. There were a lot of marble statues. Sculptures and statues were installed on tombstones, they decorated the private houses of Roman citizens, streets, squares and temples of the Eternal City. At the Roman Forum there were statues of emperors, generals, famous orators and other noble citizens. In the Colosseum alone, 160 statues of emperors and Roman gods were installed in its 240 arches!
In this photo-story, I will introduce you to Rome - the most beautiful and ancient city in the world, which is called "Eternal". And if you have already been to Rome, I hope you remember your trip and your favorite places with pleasure.
"As long as the Colosseum is unshakable,
Great Rome stands unshakable,
But collapse the Colosseum - and Rome will collapse,
And the world will collapse when there is no Rome "..... (George Gordan Byron. From the poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage")
The closer I got to the center of Rome, the more interesting it became. Suddenly I thought that here you can easily get confused and lost. As it turned out, you even need to get lost in Rome. At almost every step of this unique city there are historical sights. And in order to see more than organized excursion programs give us, it is necessary to walk around the city on your own without excursions (taking, of course, a map of Rome with you). And I made sure of it. Rome is a museum city.
Monuments of the history of Ancient Rome
The main pride and symbol of Rome is the Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre), a monument of ancient Roman architecture. It was here that gladiator fights, athletic competitions and other spectacles took place. In many countries of the world there are similar Roman amphitheatres, but the Colosseum is the most grandiose and majestic. He has no equal.
Next to the Colosseum is the Triumphal Arch of Constantine. It was built in 315 in honor of the victory of the Roman emperor Constantine in the civil war.
You can look at the Roman Forums - the most important archaeological excavations of objects dating back to the era of Ancient Rome. There are dilapidated buildings, arches, ruins of ancient temples.
Gladiators walk the streets. You can take a picture with them for 1 euro.
From the Colosseum and the Forums we head to the Capitol - one of the seven hills on which Ancient Rome arose.
Climbing the stairs, we find ourselves on the Capitoline Square near the ensemble of three beautiful palaces. These are the New Palace, the Palace of the Senators and the Palace of the Conservatives. It used to be the political center of Ancient Rome.
In the center of the square is a copy of a bronze equestrian statue Marcus Aurelius. The original, created in the 2nd century, is kept in the museum of the Palais des Conservatores.
Museums are located in the building of the New Palace (Palazzo Nuovo) and the Palace of the Conservators (Palazzo dei Conservatori).
In the building of the Palace of the Senators (Palazzo Senatorio) is the city hall:
At the top of the Capitoline Hill stands the Basilica of Santa Maria in Araceli (Church of the Virgin Mary). Among the treasures of the basilica are the relics of St. Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine I. She became famous for her activities in spreading Christianity and conducting excavations in Jerusalem, during which, according to Christian chroniclers, the Holy Sepulcher, the Life-Giving Cross and other relics were found.
A staircase of 122 steps leads to the main entrance:
There is another entrance to the basilica - from the side of the Palace of Senators.
Among the monuments of ancient Rome, a special place is occupied by the Pantheon - the "Temple of all the gods" (2nd century AD). This great engineering achievement of antiquity is located in Piazza della Rotonda.
Inside the Pantheon, everything is monumental and majestic: the floor is paved with marble, the walls are also lined with multi-colored marble, granite columns, marble capitals, frescoes, paintings and sculptures in niches and altars. The great Renaissance artist Raphael Santi is buried in the Pantheon.
One of the features of the Pantheon is a hole in the dome through which the strongest column of light penetrates at noon. Light "does not spread", but remains in the form of a giant light beam and is almost tangible.
Famous squares of Rome
Plunging into the history of Rome, enjoying the masterpieces of architecture and sculpture, it is worth paying special attention to city squares. Roman squares are a kind of works of art. Each square is unique, interesting and keeps a piece of history.
I have already mentioned some of the squares above - the Capitoline and Piazza della Rotonda, on which the Pantheon stands. And now let's talk about other areas.
Venice Square (Piazza Venezia).
The square is located in the center of Rome near the Roman Forums at the foot of the Capitoline Hill. A monumental building with columns, bas-reliefs and statues - Vittoriano - was built here. This is a monument that is different from all other similar buildings in Rome. The monument was built in honor of the first king of united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II.
Piazza Navona
This area was a favorite place for fairs, holidays and recreation of the Romans. From the 15th to the 19th centuries there was a city market OK.
The area has a rectangular shape. The buildings overlooking it are very beautiful. You can see here churches, several palaces, residential buildings with neat balconies. There are shops and cafes here.
Three beautiful fountains adorn the square. One of them is the Moor's Fountain. The Moor sculpture is the work of the great Italian sculptor Bernini.
Another fountain is the Fountain of the Four Rivers. This is also the work of Bernini. The statues of the fountain symbolize the main rivers of the four parts of the world - the Nile, Ganges, Danube and La Plata.
And this is an Egyptian obelisk surrounded by statues of the Fountain of the Four Rivers. It has a height of 16.54 meters. An obelisk was made in Egypt from Aswan granite by order of Domitian, the last Roman emperor from the Flavian dynasty. In Rome, hieroglyphs were applied to the obelisk - a hymn to the emperor Domitian.
Artists show their talents right on the square.
There was also room for musicians.
Republic Square (Piazza della Repubblica).
From the square originates one of the main streets of Rome with many shops - Via Nazionale. The Naiad Fountain, located in the very center of the square, is considered one of the most beautiful fountains in Rome. The Romans themselves call the Naiad Fountain erotic. Looking closely at the beautiful sculptures, I realized why this fountain acquired such a second name.
Republic Square is very easy to find. It is located in the center of Rome next to the Baths of Diocletian. Nearby - Termini station (the main station of Rome) and the metro station Repubblica-Teatro del Opera line A of the Rome metro.
The area is remarkable not only for the beautiful fountain. Here is the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (16th century), dedicated to the Virgin, angels and martyrs in Rome, built on the site of the Baths of Diocletian.
It was the second Basilica in Italy where I heard beautiful Catholic music. Before that, in Perugia, I was at the Liturgy of the sixth hour (at noon). The live choral singing during the service made a great impression on me. Here I was lucky to hear an organist and completely different music. At first, the church was very quiet and not crowded. The organ broke the silence, and all the visitors gathered closer to the musician to admire his playing.
For some reason, I wanted to get into this church again, but there was very little free time, and there was a lot of unseen in Rome.
Column Square (Piazza Colonna)
The square is named after the column of Marcus Aurelius located on it. Next to it is an elegant bowl-shaped marble fountain. Beautiful buildings - palaces overlook the square. The Council of Ministers meets in one of the palaces.
Piazza Columna is located on the west side of the main shopping street in Rome - Via del Corso, which houses many shops of the different levels, offering clothes, shoes, leather goods, perfumes. Via del Corso and the surrounding streets are also full of palazzos, hotels, restaurants and cafés.
Walking along Via del Corso, I looked into different stores - both chain stores like Zara, and boutiques of Italian companies. I was in the Disney Store - a children's toy store. Good store. Here big choice both toys and clothes. Later, I was at the Disney Store in Florence and regretted not shopping in Rome. In Rome, the assortment was much wider and more interesting.
Plaza de España (Piazza di Spagna)
As you know, the square got its name from the Spanish embassy located on it.
It was already evening. The night lights came on. Walking in the evening no less than during the day. This is especially true of the Spanish Steps - the main attraction of the square. Here are students, and tourists, and Italian families.
The stairs lead to the top of the Pincio hill to the church of Trinita dei Monti.
At the foot of the stairs is the fountain "Barkaccha" in the form of a boat.
Unusually beautiful here in the late evening.
The first part about Rome has come to an end. I conclude it with Byron's words from Childe Harold's Pilgrimage:
"And then you, Italy! Invariably
For centuries you carry the light of your land -
From the wars that stopped the audacity of Carthage,
To the sages, poets and leaders,
Whose glory has become the glory of our day.
Throne of empires, their living tomb,
Your key has not become weaker or muddier.
And, thirsting for eternal knowledge,
From the depths of Rome runs its holy stream ... "
Great Rome stood for a thousand years! The foundation of the city of Rome is considered 753 BC, and on August 23, 476 AD. The great Roman Empire fell, and it was the sunset of antiquity! After that, a "dark time" began in Europe, civilization made a sharp turn back. But the Eternal City withstood the wars, devastation and centuries of oblivion. And now, after two thousand years, we can admire these beautiful and powerful structures and marvel at the art and engineering of the ancients, without which our civilization would not exist.
The Roman Forum is the center of the civil and economic life of Ancient Rome. They gathered here to honor the commanders, on holidays. Here, according to Roman custom, the funeral pyre of Julius Gaius Caesar, who was killed in 44 BC, burned. conspirators.
01.
Via Sacra, Sacred Road, - the main road of the Roman Forum. It connected the Palatine Hill with the Capitol. Road at the end of the 6th century BC was three meters wide, lined with tuff, a wide sewer channel led to the Great cloaca. In the 5th century BC. the foundation of the road was laid to protect against rain and dampness, later fortified and during the reign of Nero (in the 1st century AD) decorated with colonnades, from which columns are now visible. Honored guests of Rome entered the Roman Forum along Via Sacra, triumphal processions and religious festivities took place, triumphal chariots of victorious commanders drove, carts with military booty rode, and lines of prisoners walked. So Emperor Augustus dreamed that the famous Cleopatra would pass in front of the Roman people in a string of prisoners.
02.
A triumphal chariot passed along the Via Sacra Caesar. And let's imagine... One evening in 45 BC. the gloomy sky over the Roman Forum was illuminated by the flame of torches. Thousands of people have gathered here. A procession of forty elephants stretched out along the Sacred Road in two long chains. A passage formed in the middle was illuminated by the bright lamps of their riders. Julius Gaius Caesar, the conqueror of the world, rode in a chariot along this living luminous corridor. He defeated the Gallic tribes, won a number of victories in Egypt, North Africa and Asia Minor, defeated his rival Pompey, who fought with him for supreme power over the Roman state.
Rome celebrated each of these victories separately, and the popular celebrations continued for five days. Triumphal processions crossed the Forum five times. Warriors passed, next to which carts rolled, loaded to the top with gold and silver - military trophies, some of which will be divided among the legionnaires. For the entertainment of the spectators, rafts were launched along the triumphal path, on which images of the most important events of the victorious campaigns flaunted. On one of the rafts there was a large inscription - the famous words of Caesar: "I came, I saw, I conquered" - VENI, VIDI, VICI.
03.
Beautifully preserved richly decorated with sculptures and bas-reliefs Triumphal Arch of Constantine erected on the border of the Forum, on Via Sacra, in memory of the victory over Maxentius at the bridge of Milvio in 312. However, the decorations of the arch were mostly removed from other structures ... Almost all the material for the arch was taken from the arches of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius and other monuments, so the Arch of Constantine was derisively nicknamed "Aesop's Magpie".
04.
The most interesting part of this monument, the best preserved of all ancient monuments, is the inscription: " To the emperor Caesar Flavius Constantine Maximus, noble, victorious and august, the Senate and the people of Rome dedicate this Arch in honor of the triumph because, by the illumination of God and with the help of the greatness of mind, he with his army defended the honor of the State in a just war against the tyrant, as well as against split."At that time, the masters of the city were pagans. They knew that Constantine, if he was not a Christian, then favored the Christians. Out of pride, the masters of the city did not want to mention the name of Christ in the inscription on the monument, but, on the other hand, they, sparing the feelings of the emperor , the pagan deities were not mentioned either.Therefore, a compromise phrase was found that satisfied both sides: " Instinctu divinitatis" ("By the illumination of God").
05.
A circle is visible at the base of the Arch of Constantine. This place was the Meta Sudane fountain, which existed since the time of Nero and reconstructed by Domitian. Gladiators used to come here to bathe.
06.
Even during the life of Emperor Titus, at the imperial forums in memory of his victory in the Jewish War - about the capture of Jerusalem in 70 AD. - A triumphal arch was erected. However, there was no trace left of that arch. Immediately after the death of the emperor in 81, during the reign of Domitian, another arch was built, dedicated to the conquest of Judea. This famous arch is now known as arch of Titus. It has been well preserved for its almost two thousand years. Subsequently, she served as a model for many triumphal arches of the New Age.
07.
Triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus also located on the Sacred Road. It was erected in 205 AD. in honor of the victories of the emperor Septimius Severus and his sons Caracalla and Geta over Parthia in two military campaigns of 195-203. The height of the arch is 20.9 m, the width is 23.3 m, and the depth is 11.2 m. It is built of brick and travertine and lined with marble slabs. The height of the attic is 5.6 m, there are 4 rooms in it, to which a staircase leads. The central span of the arch is 12 m high and 7 m wide, the side spans are 7.8 m high and 3 m wide; in front of them from the side of the Forum are several steps. All three flights are connected by passages, this technique is used in many triumphal arches of the New Age. In ancient times, there was a quadriga with statues of Septimius Severus, Caracalla and Geta on the arch. It was in this form that she was depicted on Roman coins. The quadriga has not survived to this day.
08.
The ancients said: “While the Colosseum stands, Rome also stands” - the “eternal city” is a symbol of our civilization.
"As long as the Colosseum is unshakable,
Great Rome stands unshakable,
But collapse the Colosseum - and Rome will collapse,
And the world will collapse when there is no Rome"
Byron "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage")
Over 2 thousand years Coliseum amazes with its grandeur, and it is not for nothing that 100 million people of our Planet voted on the Internet on July 7, 2007 to recognize it as the Seventh Wonder of the World! And isn't this a miracle of building skill and engineering genius of the ancient Romans! The Colosseum withstood three earthquakes: 442, 508 and 1349 and did not fall apart. It was built on the site of an artificial lake of the Golden House of Nero and did not fail. For twenty centuries the Colosseum has stood, not crumbling like today's covered markets, the frames of swimming pools or box buildings. The dimensions of the Colosseum are impressive: the length of its circumferential ellipse is 542 m, the major axis is 187.77 m, the minor axis is 155.64 m, the length of the arena is 85.75 m, the width is 53.62 m. The Colosseum could accommodate up to 73 thousand spectators, though then the people on the upper tiers sat closely, like herrings in a barrel.
09.
Marble was used for the magnificent facings of the facade, the seats in the front rows of the sectors, the capitals and the statues. Travertine (calcareous tufa) was used for facing the outer facade and for concentric circles. The building blocks were hewn by hand, they fit tightly together, so that the Colosseum did not fall apart when, over the centuries, the iron staples that held the blocks together were removed from it. The holes still visible in various places in the wall of the Colosseum are nests of curly braces, the production of which took 300 tons of iron. In the Middle Ages, iron was highly valued and therefore all iron brackets were pulled out of their sockets...
10.
Contrary to popular belief, no slave labor was used in the construction. After the sack of Judea, 30,000 captives were sold into slavery. The money raised for this went to the construction of this colossal structure, which employed 15 thousand workers, whose work was clearly organized.
The amphitheater was erected by both ordinary workers and skilled, united in colleges. There was a clear hierarchy and strict discipline in the ancient Roman professional colleges, thanks to which the construction of such a grandiose structure could be carried out successfully: each worker knew his place and the work that he performed. Stones for construction were continuously transported from nearby Tivol (32 km from Rome) on wagons. In the Tivoli quarries, thousands of slaves manually cut down travertine and marble - more than 100 thousand tons. This is a huge amount, considering that for centuries, and especially in the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was a source of building material. Marble and travertine of the Colosseum was used, for example, in the construction of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, the construction of Roman palaces - Palazzo Venezia, Palazzo Farnese.
The unique work on draining the lake is striking. Without modern tools, a magnificent drainage system was created. In addition, a sewer system was built around the Colosseum, 3 km long, which went to the Cloaca, and from there to the Tiber. Rainwater flowed through the sewer system, which was collected in huge - 8 meters deep - cisterns standing at regular intervals.
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The Colosseum is built on a powerful concrete foundation 13 meters thick. During the construction, ancient engineers took into account that such a tall structure - 49 meters high - could not be built solid from concrete - otherwise it would collapse under its own weight. Therefore, the upper tiers were built lighter in weight, which was achieved thanks to arched ceilings and building material made of concrete and red brick. Prior to this, these new Construction Materials were not used in the construction of massive structures. During the construction of the most grandiose ancient amphitheater, concrete and red brick, which was invented by the ancient Romans, were used. Brick production was put on stream - it was produced in workshops throughout Rome during the five years of construction of the amphitheater.
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The beauty of the Colosseum is still created today by the remaining arches, in which 160 statues of emperors and Roman gods once stood.
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