IMPERIAL city, slumb'ring on the throne <br /> Of vanished empire, once thy voice and hands <br /> Rocked the wide world; thy finger wove the lands <br />Into thy girdle; who for crown alone <br />Didst wear the stars. Yet still in undertone <br />5 <br /> Man hears thy deathless utterance, tho' Time's sands <br /> Roll centuries; thou clasp'st the earth with bands <br />Of speech, art, law, and subtle powers unknown. <br />Thou wast not meant to die; thy mighty heart <br /> Pulsed with the universe. Thy deeds of old <br />10 <br /> Flame like the sunset skies thro' clouds which throng; <br />They blazon on thy throne a name apart <br /> In red of mighty victories, in gold <br /> Of all things valorous and great and strong.<br /><br />Frederick George Scott<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/rome-9/
