The Sibyl · a new plain-English translation from the original language
and there will be no satiety of great wealth, but shamelessly
having plundered still more, he will heap it up across the whole land.
There will be peace, and Ares will rest from his wars.
But he will do great harm, trusting most of all in prophecies
for the sake of his life and livelihood; and against him
there will be a great sign: from heaven bloody
drops will pour down, as the king is destroyed.
He will do many lawless things, and around their necks he will set
sufferings for the Romans, trusting in prophecies;
he will destroy the heads of the Senate. Famine will grip
the Campanians and Thracians and Macedonians and Italians;
only Egypt will feed the teeming multitudes.
Having deceived a young virgin girl with a mystery-rite,
the king himself will destroy her by treachery; and the citizens
in grief will bury her; and all, laying their anger
against the ruler by treachery, will tear him apart.
Mighty, he will perish by mighty hands, while Rome still flourishes.
Then again another lord will rule, of the number twice ten;
and then upon the Sarmatians wars and grievous sorrows
will come, and upon the Thracians and the javelin-throwing Triballi;
and Roman Ares will ravage them all.
A fearful sign there will be while he holds power
over the land of Italy and of Pannonia; and around them
there will be darkened night in the middle of the day's hour,
and a rain of stones from heaven; but after that
the mighty lord, judge of the Italians,
will go down to the house of Hades by his own fate.
Again another man will come, of the number fifty,
terrible and fearsome; and he himself will destroy many,
the noblest of every city, men born to wealth—
a terrible serpent by nature, in short account. His hands
he will stretch out as commanders, and destroy, and accomplish much,
contending, driving on, killing, and daring countless things;
and he will cut through the twin-peaked mountain, and spatter it with gore.
But to the Italians he will also become a vanishing, ruinous thing,
making himself equal to god, and he will put the willing people to the test;
there will be deep peace while he holds power.
[And tremblings among men; and rushing in beneath the Ausonians
strange water will pour forth from the streams of Ocean;]
gazing about himself, he will set contests for the people,
very many indeed, and he himself will compete as a contestant,
with voice and lyre, singing his song to the strings;
but later he will flee, abandoning his royal rule,
and perishing in misery he will pay for all that he has done.
After him three will rule, allotted by their names
the number seventy—two lords, and one besides these
of the third letter; and one after another will perish
by mighty Ares, at the hands of an army's schemes.
Then one of the pious will come, a great destroyer of men,
a lord, a man of mighty spirit, a spear-brandishing Ares,