The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-31
TO CONQUER, TO DIE.
(Bnttle of Thermopylae) $50 b. O.

BATTLE of ThermopyIae) $50 B. Co.
written for The Herald Filed for copy
right. All rights reserved.
The vale Eurotus lay like one asleep,
Famed by the balmy breeZeS of the deep;
Her silver rivers flowed in gentle calm,
Singing, as children sing, a wordless
psalm;
Her mountains stood in proud, majestic
Smiling upon their brother hills of Greece,
And nestled by the tall Taygetus peaks,
A scattered village, home of Spartan
Greeks.
No walled city was this homely place.
But Gods own beauty is in Natures face.
Just where the fragrant oleander bloomed,
And with its secret wealth the air per-
fumed;
A cottage looked upon the quiet stream
Of sweet Eurotus flowing in a dream.
A Spartan stood beside the cottage door,
And scanned his small dominion Ger and
osSf;
And as he looked he spoke his last good
bye,
The bridges OF the Tablespoonful bore
A countless host that pushed the clouds
Before them, and for seven days and
nights
They marched, and ever paid their sacred
To Sol, who guards the golden gates of
day.
Yet when at sunset they had turned to
Great Xerxes almost smiled that they
Beg for a victory DER the Greeks from
Sol,
For what had they to fear from any land,
Five million men in Nerxes' might band
The dusky Indians marched beside the
Modes;
Assyrians marched and dreamed of war
rior's deeds;
The Bactrians by the strange Hyrcanians
walked
And Lydians by the Scythians onward
Stalked.
And with the Persians there were all in
all
Five million soldiers at great Xerxes'
call.
On Ger the pontoons eagerly they pressed
And talked in jargon strange; yet stranger
dressed.
For many a foreign land of many a
Had sent their troops to crush this up
start young
The land of Spartan and Athenian-
Greece,
The land of beauty and the land of peace
II.
The Spartan stood beside his cottage door
And scanned his small dominion Ger and
Ger.
His face was noble as the face of Jove
And in this man it seemed the graces
Strove
To make Apollo's counterpart in form;
A giant with a heart that beat so warm
For native land-hs country in distress
With foes that rushed upon her merciless
Then when his country called him, coulo
he sigh?
MOI He must go to conquer or to die,
A cuirass made of iron plate she wore,
And in his hand leather helmet bore,
And greaves of bronze did all his limbs
adorn.
His bow was made of antelope's white
horn,
And as he stood his wife approached hin
| there:
She was the fairest of the lovely fair.
Her Doric chiffon held by golden clasps,
Formed in the twistings of two jewelet
Could scarcely in. its folds her beaut!
| hide.
Around her waist a crimson girdle tied
And crimson ribands wound her COLDER
Ten thousand sunbeams seemed unite
there.
Her arms and neck so beautiful wer
made,
That Venus stared and envied, all dis
mayed
Her dainty feet in crimson sandals tie
Could cen with winged Mercury hav
We'd.
She held within her hand homely shield
One side the woven Willows were re
vealed
The other covered with an oxen's hide;
Two little children trotted on beside
She gave the shield into her husband
hand,
And babe him be the bravest of the bant
And never, never from the foe to fly,
For he must go to conquer or to die!
Nor any sentimental tears she shed;
But ali so bravely lifted up her head.
Those words into her husbands heart di
sink
He plucked dainty oleander pink,
And placed it in the ribands of her hal
Yet held his breath because she was
fair.
by all the Gods in Heaven. precio,
Then dost thou think I'd play a coward
She laid upon his arm and said:
"Ah, Decius, l had rather think tht
deadr'
He first embraced her, then the childre
The eldest, scarcely five, in laughter fie
Out of his sire's arms and danced ava
AS sunbeams dance upon summer
day.
Decius watched his son with loving eye
AS shouting still he chased the butte
t Great Jove, rain blessings on my bonn,
. boy
And guide his heart so full of child.
Oh make of him hero-teach him we
That for his country's good his faith
: And as in reckless youth he onwa
: dashes.
> Oh may his life do honor to my ashes
: The babe chung to its mothers snow
2 And Decius did its clustering ringle
e sweet babe. too soon will vanish fro
4 my sight