Plus ça change

Plus ça change, I was told,
The more things remain the same,
But what a paradox, behold!
Or is it a mere semantic game?
How is it the same, while it's changing,
Or is it a mere theatrical staging?
I just want to know if they mean to know,
When all the ice is gone, 
There's still the snow!

Rome

I thought I built a Rome,
That no Caesarian would destroy,
And I left the dominion open;
Ordered no legions to deploy
Being Roman at heart,
For every Roman to enjoy.
I thought I built a dome
For everyone to call home:
With pillars of iron and still,
In centuries of sweat and toil,
That would not take a day
To change it to ruins
On a shaky hillside soil...