A hand
will you give
for an empire,
crumbling;
a life
will you give
for a coin
with your image;
a hand and a life
for a diadem
on your brow,
Johannes.
03.06.2022
Johannes, a high ranking civil servant of possibly Goth descent, was declared Western Roman emperor in November 423 after the death of emperor Honorius. He was defeated by Eastern Roman forces and captured in Ravenna in the spring of 425, and his right hand was then amputated by his captors. After being paraded in public, the deposed emperor was then executed in May or June 425. He is sometimes known in English as Ioannes or John. I'm following here Livius in using Johannes as his name.
#Poem #Poems #Poetry #Verse
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