Varus. Poem by guy lipmore

The year was AD nine,
An unknown yet a defining time.
Germania, now modern Germany,
Site of utter catastrophe?
Rome’s power and desire,
To extend the frontiers of empire.

Uprising broke out, Varus’s three legions,
Intended to quell the barbarians.
Within the Roman ranks was Arminius,
Trusted adviser to Varus.
Arminius, enslaved as a boy years before,
Family killed a burning grudge he bore.
Taken away to Rome,
Years later he was now back ‘home’.
A couple of advantages he had gained,
Their military, he was well trained.
He knew the forests like the back of his hand,
Now his revenge was planned.

Rumours did abound and did persist,
Of betrayal in their midst.
The generals and Varus rejected,
As a forest path was ‘recommended.’
Arminius, ‘his tribes’ he had consolidated,
He ‘left’ his Roman allegiance and waited.
Varus and his legions were lured in,
Their tragic fate did begin.
For miles and miles long,
Stretched the Roman’s column.

Full length of the column was attacked,
The Roman course was ‘steered’ and tracked.
The whole dark and rain soaked forest,
Was on the side of Arminius with every attack and skirmish.
The efficient Roman war machine,
In addition, all the experience and discipline.
Ineffective whilst in single file,
Attacked from both sides mile after mile.
Their tactics and formations were obsolete,
An escalating and ‘running’ defeat.

Even their Gods seemed to conspire,
With the weather against the empire.
Bows were ‘stretched’ and shields sodden,
Lashing rain and the mud made their situation worsen.
Three days they fought and died,
Day by day less and less survived.
Brutal, no quarter given,
No mercy for women and children.

Camp hastily set up for that night,
First day of battle, much needed respite,
However, that was not to be,
Constant attacks, again they had to flee.

No choice, they were forced to march via the forest,
Again, Arminius planned and did 'contest.'
The Roman remnants were steered to defend,
They were led into a trap and dead end.
Lake to the left, hill to the right,
A ‘wall’ to the front was in sight.
This was their ultimate fate,
There was little really escape.
Some did manage to get away,
Death they would only ‘delay’.

Some died by self-infliction,
The remaining was tortured, then by decapitation.
The carnage was deliberate and protracted.
Arminius’s retribution was exacted,
For some death was waived!
Although they were spared, they were enslaved.

Historians of the time did write, the latter recall,
The defeat in the Teutoburg forest was total.
Twenty plus thousand did perish,
In that dark Germanic forest.
The 16th,17th, and 18th were annihilated,
Historians of the day and after reported.
Augustus and his ranting’s,
“Quintilus Varus give me back my legions.”
It was recorded that Augustus would bang his head on a wall,
“Give me back my legions, ” repeatedly he would call.

The loss of his legions was profound,
A boundary of empire was ‘found.’
No more Roman land east of the Rhine,
This was the ’dividing line.’
Never again was the legion numbers used,
Into the Roman ‘brain’, it had been fused.
Future commanders the forest they had entered,
For vengeance, they had ventured.
Coming across remain after remain,
Of their their fallen fellow county men
The three Roman standards were regained,
However the reality remained!

Tacitus did say, “Whitening bones, ” they found,
“Scattered where men had fled” along the ground.
“Heaped up where they had stood and fought back.”
Along that long, long torturous forest track.
“Fragments of spears and horses limbs, ”
Horrific images to the mind it brings.
“Also human heads fastened to tree trucks, ” Tacitus said,
Further, fear in to the Roman mind it fed.
Varus and his legions fell at that time,
Arminius fell further down the line,
Not by Rome, his fate would be designed.
However, by his own kind.

25/10/13