Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Francisco de Quevedo's "Rome Buried in Her Ruins" is an elegy that mourns the lost grandeur of ancient Rome, offering both a poignant dirge and a timeless cautionary tale about the impermanence of human achievements. The poem conjures an image of Rome as a fallen monument to human vanity and ambition, reminding the reader that all great empires will eventually fade into obscurity, leaving only vestiges of their former glory.

The poem starts with a question aimed at a hypothetical pilgrim searching for Rome. The "pomp of Rome," Quevedo says, "is fled," signaling to the reader that the awe-inspiring Rome of legend no longer exists. He personifies the Aventine Hill, one of Rome's Seven Hills and historically a center of power, as "glory's tomb." In these lines, the power and glory that Rome once represented have become shadows, mere "relics of the dead."

The lament continues with a specific mention of Caesar, implying the Caesarian era, a time when Rome was at its most glorious and imperial. The hill where "Caesars dwelt" is forsaken, and the medals, symbols of triumphs and military achievements, are "mouldering," eroded by time. In these lines, Quevedo does more than just evoke the transitory nature of power; he indicates that the decay is so complete that even these symbols serve more to demonstrate the triumphs of "Time" over "Latium" (ancient Rome).

One of the most striking features of the poem is its mention of the Tiber River as the sole survivor of Rome's grandeur. The Tiber, unlike the buildings, medals, or even the Caesars, remains-though even it is not the same. It "murmurs by her grave," as if grieving for the lost glory of the city it once bathed. The river becomes a symbol of continuity but also of mourning, its "plaintive sound" echoing the loss of Rome's "fallen fanes" (temples).

The poem concludes with a sober reflection: of all the grandeur, "Nought but the wave, a fugitive, remains." This line encapsulates the tragic transience of all human endeavor. Even the mighty river, though still flowing, is described as a "fugitive," emphasizing the ephemeral nature of existence.

Quevedo's elegiac meditation extends beyond Rome to contemplate the existential plight of humanity itself. In the ruins of Rome, he sees the inevitable end of all civilizations, no matter how invincible they seem at their zenith. "Rome Buried in Her Ruins" then serves as an everlasting lesson on the hubris of human ambition and the relentless decay imposed by time, a theme that reverberates through the annals of history and remains ever pertinent.