Hannibal Barca Once there he had hoped the locals Would want to become his allies. A poem by Paul Perro But they all seemed to think that A military genius Fighting with Rome would be unwise. (Or so most experts say) So Hannibal and his army He came from somewhere called Carthage Fought on nevertheless. (Known as Tunisia today). They were tactically astute and Hannibal fell out with the Romans They did have some success. After he moved to Spain. Despite winning some battles though, They quarrelled over territory; They never conquered Rome, He thought they were a pain. And one day Hannibal got some Hannibal built up an army - Disturbing news from home. Thousands of soldiers, and Apparently the Romans who’d He even had some elephants Seen Spain left unprotected, He'd brought from his homeland. Had conquered it, an outcome which He marched them all to Italy, Our hero had not expected. A journey filled with dangers - But that’s not all, now Carthage too They crossed the Pyrenees and Alps Was under Roman attack. (Both massive mountain ranges). Carthage was Hannibal's homeland "But Elephants can't climb mountains! And so they all rushed back. No way!" it's often muttered. The Battle of Zama was where But yes, they can, because they are The two armies would meet. Surprisingly sure-footed. Unfortunately, for Hannibal It ended in defeat.
Spartacus So Crassus marched with his army To take on the slave army, and by Paul Perro After a few battles He was a soldier, then a slave, The Romans had the upper hand. Who famously led a revolt. So Spartacus and his army Spartacus took on the Romans, Went south, until they reached the sea. And gave them quite a jolt. Once there they asked some pirates to It was while he was in training Take them to Sicily. In a school for gladiators - Unfortunately however, Slaves forced to fight with each other The pirates betrayed them. In the Roman amphitheatres. They did not give the slaves the ships None of these slaves wanted to die Even though they’d paid them. A violent death in the coliseum The slaves were finally defeated So when Spartacus did escape At The Battle of Siler River He decided he would free ‘em. Spartacus himself was killed The escapees travelled around And the revolt crushed forever. Freeing slaves in other regions The battle was very bloody Most gave their thanks and joined the And most of the slave army died. ranks. More than 6000 prisoners Together they fought off Roman legions. Were caught and crucified. The Romans sent a general Today Spartacus is known as Named Crassus on a mission. A man of valour and conviction, He was clever and he was tough Even though his revolt ended And he was quite a tactician. In defeat and crucifixion.
Pompeii by Paul Perro
There once was a Roman city And it was called Pompeii. Disaster struck it in the year 79 Anno Domine. Nearby there was a mountain and Just in case you’re curious, I will tell you the mountain’s name – It was called Mount Vesuvius. Except it wasn’t a mountain It was really a volcano, Something which the Pompeiians Sadly did not know. One August night it spewed out fire, Lava, rocks - volcanic. The Pompeiians were all afraid And ran about in panic. The city was destroyed that night With heat and bangs and crashes And buried under hundreds of tons Of volcanic ashes. Pompeii lay lost and forgotten For hundreds and hundreds of years Until the 1800s when It was found by engineers. They dug the ruins out and now It’s a tourist attraction today. Every year millions Visit ancient Pompeii.
The California Gold Rush Were just lying around.
by Paul Perro Lots of people really believed James worked on a farm in the West The hills were filled with gold. He dreamed of being rich. Men and families packed their things and One day he found something shiny From the East wagons rolled. Just lying in a ditch. Others came from across the sea “It’s gold!” thought James, excited, and From Mexico and Peru, He showed it to farmer Sutter. From Hawaii, China, Chile, The farmer was not happy though, From France, and Britain too. He started to frown and mutter. They all left their lives behind them “Don’t tell anyone” said Sutter To become gold miners. “About what you have found. The year was 1849 If people hear there's gold about They were the forty-niners. They’ll come from miles around. Some people did not look for gold They’ll come to search the area But still got rich enough. And trample on my farm. They set up shops for miners and They’ll trample on my vegetables They sold expensive stuff. And do my livestock harm.” But after a few years has passed James said for him not to worry Gold was harder to find. He would button his lip. So many people were looking But two days later in a bar All the land had been mined. He let the secret slip. And poor old Sutter the farmer He mentioned it to his cousin Looked out across his land. Who then told his own brother His fields were thoroughly trampled Who mentioned it to his friend His rivers, thoroughly panned. And that friend told another. And so California had changed Soon people started to arrive Not boring old fields, no, To see what could be found. There was an exciting city, They’d heard rumours that gold nuggets were 'Twas called "San Francisco"!
Francis Drake and the Spanish Armada by Paul Perro Francis Drake was a pirate who Sailed all around the world. He liked to attack Spanish ships And steal their jewels and gold.
He gave the treasure to the queen, She thought him a hero. The Spanish were scared and called him The dragon, "El Draco."
One day Francis was playing bowls With some friends by the sea, When he spied some Spanish ships coming, They'd come for their jewellery. "Quick" said his friends, "Let's go at once And chase those ships away!" But Drake said "No, let's finish our game, We still have time to play."
And when at last the game was over, Francis Drake said "Right! Let's play a trick on the Spanish, We'll give them such a fright."
He took an empty ship and he Set fire to the mast, Then pushed it at the Spanish who Were looking on, aghast.
They saw the fireship coming And they were filled with fear. "The dragon!" they said,"Vamanos! Let's get out of here!"
The Armada turned around And headed back to Spain. Drake laughed and shouted out at them "Don't dare come back again!"