“In peace sons bury fathers, but in war fathers bury sons.”Herodotus
490 BC
Running from Marathon plain
Pheidippides ran to Athens
25 miles To tell them
We have won
But before this
He ran 150 miles
To tell the Spartans
That a battle was waged
Between King Darius
And his Persian empire
And the Athenians
Who raged against the invader
For brother Greeks
And they were roused but
Came too slowly to help
The Athenians and Plataeans
Sought battle where
Darius had landed
And like a tiger fighting an elephant
The numbers did not favor
The defenders
But Greeks cherished their freedom
More than others
Cherish even their very lives
So Athenians
And their Hoplite valor,
Despite being swarmed
By greater numbers
Pushed back against the tide
Bled the Persians white
And then, by superior tactics
Pushed the Persians
To the shores
And cast them into the sea
For brother Greeks they fought
And for the future
Of this world
And democracy
