What does this poem mean????

Question

It's about the fall of Rome but what does it mean word for word????

HERE was old Rome that stretch'd her empire far,
In peace was fear'd, triumphant was in war:
Here 'twas, for now its place is only found,
All that was Rome lies buried under ground.

These ruins hid in weeds, on which man treads,
Were structures which to Heav'n rais'd their proud heads:
Rome that subdu'd the World, to Time now yields,
With rubbish swells the plains, and strews the fields.

Think not to see what so renown'd has been,
Nothing of Rome, in Rome is to be seen;
Vulcan and Mars, those wasting Gods, have come,
And ta'en Rome's greatness utterly from Rome.

They spoil'd with malice, ere they would depart,
Whate'er was rare of Nature or of Art:
Its greatest trophies they destroy'd and burn'd;
She that o'erturn'd the World, to dust is turn'd.

Well might she fall, 'gainst whom such foes conspire,
Old Time, revengeful Man, and Sword and Fire:
Now all we see of the great Empress Rome,
Are but the sacred reliques of her tomb.

Answer 1

The poem is speaking of how Rome was once great but is now nothing but ruins.

The Empire was large and powerful, but now there really is nothing left of it.

Answer 2

Paraphrase:

Here from Rome once a huge empire was controlled
Few dared attack her in peacetime as in war she dominated
It was here in Rome but you can hardly picture it now
For most of its wonders are now archealogical ruins

Some of the ruins are choked in weeds in modern Rome
Once they dominated the skyline
Rome that owned the known world is no more
And the great wonders are now artifacts laying about.

Don't come to Rome expecting to see the old wonders
There's not much to see today
The old Roman gods of Fire and War
Have taken Rome's glory by fire and war.

Fire and war destroyed all
Whatever beauty there once was
It's greatest trophies destroyed and burned
Rome that buried the rest of the world is herself now buried

It was inevitable that against all this Rome should fall
Time, Sword and Fire are bound to make it so
Now all we find of Rome
Are buried like relics in a tomb

Answer 3

With an e e cummings poem, saying "This is what it means to me" is like trying to nail Jello to a tree. This poem has always seemed very pro-feminist, or at least anti anti-feminist. It talks about independent thinking to me. Effie (a name that sounds suspiciously like the word "iffy") apparently never thought for herself and all that's left of her crumbly brain is a bunch of subjunctives: woulda, coulda ,shoulda, musta. Even God looks on those 6 crumbs with puzzlement; even His omniscience can't fathom why a person would live her life allowing others to think for her.