The Sibyl · a new plain-English translation from the original language
The Fifth Book
Come now, hear from me the grievous age of the sons of Latium.
First, indeed, after the kings of Egypt had perished—
all of them borne away alike by the same earth—
and after him who held Pella, master of the city, under whom
all the East was struck down, and the wealthy West as well,
whom Babylon refuted, and gave up a corpse to Philip,
no true son of Zeus, no true son of Ammon, though so proclaimed—
and after him of the race and blood of Assaracus,
who came out of Troy, who broke free from the rush of fire,
and after many lords, men beloved of war,
and after infant boys, children of the sheep-devouring beast,
there shall be a first king, one who sums to twice ten
at his name's opening letter; long shall he prevail in wars;
he shall bear from the number ten his first mark; so that after him
shall rule whoever draws the first letter of the alphabet;
Before that one Thrace shall tremble, Sicily too, and then Memphis—
Memphis cast down through the wickedness of her rulers
and of an unenslaved woman who fell upon the wave.
and he shall set laws for the peoples and bring all beneath him;
but when a long span has passed he shall yield his rule to another,
one who upon the first horn of the number three hundred
shall stand, and bear the river's own dear name, who against the Persians
shall rule, and against Babylon; with the spear he shall then strike down the Medes.
Then whoever draws the horn of the number three shall rule.
And whoever rules next, twice ten, shall bear upon the first horn
his mark as king; and he, at Ocean's furthest limit,
shall reach the waters, rushing to the ebb-tide under Ausonian skies.
And whoever draws the horn of fifty shall be its lord,
a dread serpent breathing heavy war, who one day, stretching out
his hands against his own kin, shall destroy them and throw all into turmoil,
striving, driving on, killing, and daring countless deeds;
and he shall cleave the twin-peaked mountain and splatter it with gore;
but he too shall vanish, utterly destroyed; then he shall return,
making himself equal to god—but he shall be shown not to be one.
three kings after him shall perish, each by the other's hand.
then shall come a great destroyer of the godly,
one who plainly bears the number seven times ten.
and refuting him whose number stands first among the three hundred,
a son shall strip away his power; and after him shall be lord
one from the horn of four—a fate cut short—but after him
a venerable man of the number fifty. And after him,
whoever holds the stamped beginning of the number three hundred,
a Celt, a mountain-wanderer, rushing to battle in the east,
shall not escape an unseemly fate, but shall grow weary and fall;
foreign dust shall hide his corpse—yet bearing the name
of the flower of Nemea; and after him another shall rule,
a silver-headed man; his name shall be that of the sea;
and he shall be a man best of all, and shall understand everything.
and upon you, best of all, most excellent, dark-haired one,