The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-31

And tore them as an angry lion would.
The Spartans fought where eer their
king did call;
Then fought they for his body long and
Till lay full many a warrior on the sward.
And swift, with Decius fighting at their
head,
The Spartans carried off their brave king
dead.
But they had hardly hid him when. alas!
Only five men We're left to hold the Pass.
And there among, and by that CHASTITY
The Persians pinioned these upon the
ground.
1t did not seem that men so brave could |
They found Leonidas and hung him high |
Upon cross to put him in disgrace.
o, then, when Decius looked upon his
SO proud and still invincible in death, |
He cursed aloud with fast departing
breath,
Eye Gods! Ye Gods. bring down your
mighty wrath
On these inhuman fiends. these dogs of
earth.
Ye Gods, that watched our country from
its birth,
Q, can we see it ruined to the skies,
And watch with passive summer in your
Thou mount that watchest with unruffied
brow,
Yes. thou hast been our enemy. but now,
Oeta, only bow thy naughty head
And glance on him who shames our chief
tain dead.
Then thou mayest feel what dying must
know.
o, fling thyself upon the wretched foe!
Crush them and heap them in one name
less gravel
Nor let escape that coward, traitrous
knave,
Who didst betray our country-lovely
o, laughing stream. thy babbling music
ceaSei
! How canst thou sing when man is turned
to brute?
I'd rather hear the ghosts in hades boot,
Than hear thee singing when is hanging
The bravest king who e'er could do or
dare,
Hanging, upon the cross in low disgracel
o, that great Hercules could see his race
Dishonored by these bloody whelps of
Their Persian pow'r would wither to the
core.
Great Hercules would crush them with his
hand,
And not in vain would die this Spartan
band.
Thou babbling. brook, cease, cease, thy
song, l say
Turn from thy course and madly shrek
Swelling into rivers mighty stream
Then rush in wrath where Persian weap-
onS CLEAN!
DrownI Drownl nor let one stay to desc
crate
These dying Spartans at this hellish gate
Q, playful zephyr, thou wilt madden me;
We may be slaves while thou hast liberty
How canst thou dance with dainty, airy
grace,
When hangs our king by hand of Xerxes
base?
| III ,,-;4I,
might
And put these towards to ignoble flight!
Tearing them limb from limb of every
man,
5 Just as he tore the Hellespontine span
But look! But looki Can 1 believe my
sight?
l would it had been everlasting night
! Ere L had seen what 1 have seen today
They tear his body from his head away
would my mother never gave me birth
To leave me worse than dead upon the
earthi
There Decius lay in painting agony,
Too weak to move, but not too weak t.
see
a Persian kicked him as he hurried by
And Decius cursed him in one awful cry
What! Dog of Greece, and what is thi
l hear?
Cease all thy towards jargoning of fear
His words poor Decius like a serpen
, For in his youth he learned the Persian
tongue).
''Thou callst me coward, fiend will
blacklist hearth
Though 1 were dead, still from my grav
I'd start,
And stab thee! Stab thee! Stab thee til
n the blood
Would take thy breath and drown the
t in it's food
My country, oh my country; tits to thes
e The gods have sent thee. deafened to m,
pleas"
And then, as if the gods had heard hi
o cry.
With supernatural strength he raised Of
high,
! And stabbed the haunting Persian to tn
heart,
v Until he saw the bloody crimson star
Then on a giant rock with effort sprane
8 And though his voice was weak it clearl
rang:
s Eye dogs of Persia, by the gods swear.
And by my comrades here whose DEATH
|: stare,
y Shall ever haunt we through eternity;
our country must and shall have liberty,
As long as breath can give the Sparta
|, life
The Persian heart shall feel the venge
# full knife,
And as the striped tiger they shall hun
h ye!
! My country! Q, my country! 0. m
With one last cry poor Decius backwar
is fell.
n He has not fought in vain who fights S
well.
q