Emperor Hadrian, not the deified emperor
Hadrian was but a man, of great will, still
He understood most of the problems met
Died unhappy, bitter in love and childless
He'd built a wall in Britannia, in knowing
It delineated Rome's northern boundary
Below the line were Romanized Britons
Above that line, the wild Celts and Picts
They'd never be able to be tamed, so wild
You'd never break them, being their nature
Hadrian understood a need to divide them
His wall, named for him, was temporary
You might feel secure, but it was not so
It might well slow down a first wave, yet
Time to stop one, gave others a moment
One might've predicted, wave after wave
When the walls didn't stop the wild men
The day was lost for Roman Britannia
Hadrian knew it was temporary
Not long before hordes came
