The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1868-02-14
Thc Gastalian funmt.
From the Atlantic Monthly.l j
THEMISTOCEES.

lFrOm the Atlanhcf Monthly.l
THEMISTOCIES.
Sol We drag me, men Of Athens,
Ilither 10 your couBoil-hall,
Armed with judges aud informers,
That your doom on me may fall
Doom that Athens on hath leveled
On her noblest sons Of yoreL
Doom that made her fees triumphant,
And each heart that loved her sote'
q OFT, as | have seen her heroes
Brought to this ignoble end, i.... s...t
Have pondered- when should Fortune
To my lips the cup commendf
Read the foul indictment, salsehood
After falsehood rlling on; ...
Far away my thoughts shall wander,
Thinking Of the moments gone,
When with tears and prayers ye dragged me
Hither to your unci-hall,
Young and old, and wives and children,
Echoing one dcspairing call
"Speak some word Of comfort, Arehon,
Ere the Persian dig our gravel
Speak, Themistocles, and save us
Thou alone hast power to save"
Is il oyer Let me hear it, a- T-rr q
Let me hear once more the end
For Themistocles betrays us,
And is sworn the Persian's friend"
No, not tbatl Take back the falsehood
Charge what deadly crime il lists you,
II is no dreadful thing TO die.
But shalt all my free devotion,
All my care for Athens veal,
Turn to treason and corruption,
Stamped with such lying sea1f
Was I for Persia then | led you
Up 10 proud Athena's hight
Bade you view this barren country,
And the to LEFT aud right
Babe you leave your plain and mountain
Save 10 dig their shining ore
Babe YOU grasp the oceans scepter,
Spoil the wealth Of every shore,
r. Spread your white sails to the breeIcs,
= Unrestrained like them and free,
Lords "f-no contracted city,,
But the monarchs Of the sea
Persia's friend Have We forgotten ,s
How the lord of Persia came, ..... l .
Bridging seas, aud cleaving mountains,
With the terrors of his name
How he burst through Tempe's portal,
Trod the duuntess Spartan down, @
Dragged the vile BGutan captive, . s
Dared cen Delphis sacred crown?
And the craven wall Of terror r,
Rang through Athens every street;
Then ye came aud begged for counsel,
kneeling, elingng to my feet.
Thcu | bade you leave ypur city,
r, Leave your temples and your halls,
Trusting, as the god gave answer,
To your couutry's wooden walls ls..f
And the Persian, entering proudly,
Found city of the dead
Athens corpse his only victim,
Her immortal soul had fed
Was Z for Persia in the council
With your false allies l toiled,
Ddde the Spartan, "Strike, but hear me-"
Ere my country should be spoiledf -
Or that all that night their galleys
In the narrow strait ! kept2-
For we felt the Persian closing, IS
And no son Of Athens slept. ....r
But when broke the golden dawning
Der Pentelicus aar.
Rose the glad Hellenic p@an,
Bursting with the morning star.
For we saw the Persian squadrons
Ship on ship in thousands pour, ,..,[.
And we knew the pass was narrow
'Twixt the island and the shore.
Calmly, as no foe were near us,
Al! eur morning tasks we wrought,
Lying there in silent order,
As though fight we never fought. ..I
But wo grasped our oars all eager
Till the tough pine burned each hand,
Watching till the steersman's signal
For the onset gave command.
Then we smote the sea together,
And our galleys onward lew,-
While from the Hellenic navy,
IS we dashed along the blue,
Now, ye sops of Hellas, come,
Conquer freedom for your country,
Freedom each one for his home,
Freedom for your wives and children,
For the altars where ye bow,
For your fathers honored ashes,
For them ali ye re fighting now %
On the mountain hight the tyrant
Bade them set his golden throne,
And in pitch Of pride surveyed them
All the feet he called his own
Heard the war-cry far resounding,
Heard tho oars responsive dash,
And the shock of squadrons smting -
Beak to beak with sudden clash
Saw them locked in wild confusion,
Prov on prov and keel on keel
Heard the laundering crash of timbers,
And the ring Of changing steel
Saw his ponderous ships entangled
In the close and narrow strait
Aud our lght-winged galleys darting
Boldly in the jaws of fate-
Saw the mad disorder seize them,
q AS we grappled fast each prov,
Leaped like tigers on the bulwarks,
Hurled them to the depths below
Saw his bravest ON the island
D., Slaughtered down in deadly fight,
Whom he fondy placed to crush us,
If perchance we turned to flight
Saw one last despairiug struggle
Then the shout that all was lost,
And his matchless navy turning,
Fleeing from the hated coast -'+
Saw them stranded on the island,
Rent and shattered on the main
Heard the shrieks of myriads wounded,
Saw the heaps of thousands slain,
While the sea was red with carnage,
And the air with shouts was wild,
"Woe to Persias slaves and tyrsntl
Hail to Athens, Oceans child" -
: No, We have not all forgotten,
All your hearts hare not grown cold,
When of Athens countless trumphs,
This, the nablest tale, is told.
Oft perehance my acts have wronged you,
But ye dare not charge me this
That the Persian is my master,
When We thidk Of Salamis.
More / might; but it sufficeth-
Here | wait the word of doom
Strike But think that l, the culprit,
Raised your city from the tomb.
Guilty Well! The fate Of others
Now at length descends on mel
Envy ssikes the loftiest ever
AS the lightning on tile tree.
Banished Athens aye bath willed It
For ner truest souls Of yore
Now know thee, Arstides, .1-..-,
As / never knew before.
D forgive me, gallant rival, 100 t1ar
IL / e'er haze wrought thee III ~
Think bat Of the glorious morning r -
When we stO0d on yOndeF biliJ guir.
When Miltiades arrayed us ..
in the central ranks 10 stand, ...-1 g.
When We charged adoRn the mountain
On the motley Persian band, lyr a.s ls
When the shouting wings swept forward, r.