A-8-Quintus Of Tagea Poem by Lynn W. Petty

It is a great disgrace to Greece, our State,
That Xerxes sees no Greeks before he sees
We Spartans on the field. I must relate
My thoughts concerning what the cruelties
Of fate may be, for who will witness our
Great valor? What account of us will be
Believed? For this could be our greatest hour
And, no one but the enemy to see.
Though he will feel the sting of death, would those
Who may survive relate our fearless pride?
No, their account would be believed. Oppose
This madness. Let us leave before the tide,
The overflowing Persian numbers, drown
Us in a sea of our own blood. If one
Convinces differently, then I step down
And silently accept the word as done.