Two Poems about perspective

[agesilaos]

THE THESPIANS AT THERMOPYLAE
NORMAN CAMERON
The honours that the people give always
Pass to those use-besotted gentlemen
Whose numskull courage is a kind of fear
A fear of thought and of the oafish mothers
(Or with your shield or on it) in their rear.
Spartans cannot retreat. Why, then, their praise
In going forward should be less than othersGÇÖ.
But we, actors and critics of one play,
Of sober-witted judgement, who could see
So many roads, and chose the Spartan way,
What has the popular report to say
Of us, the Thespians at Thermopylae?

THE PERSIAN VERSION
ROBERT GRAVES
Truth-loving Persians do not dwell upon
The trivial skirmish fought near Marathon.
As for the Greek theatrical tradition
Which represents that summerGÇÖs expedition
Not as a mere reconnaissance in force
By three brigades of foot and one of horse
(their left flank covered by some obselete
Light craft detached from the main Persian fleet)
But a grandiose, ill-starred attempt
To conquer Greece GÇô they treat it with contempt;
And only incidentally refute
Major Greek claims, by stressing what repute
The Persian monarch and the Persian nation
Won by this salutary demonstration;
Despite a strong defence and adverse weather
All arms combined magnificently together.
Not exactly Alexander but a reminder to us all to remember who is writing the history is quite important

[smittysmitty]

You'll get no argument from me on this point!Indeed, I've never quite understood how it's been presented that the greeks defeated the Persians, it would appear to me they were rather successfull, the Persians that is. Oh well, another account of great literature, I guess.
cheers!

[nick]

Hi Companions -Macedonia submitted itself to Persian rule in 512 BC, Athens followed this example in 507 BC. Athenians soon regretted their decision and revolted in 499 BC. Marathon is perhaps best described as a Persian punitive expedition (which failed) against a minor western province.The main Persian defeat was Salamis, which denied the new Persian occupation army further supplies by sea. From that moment on, the Persian kings sought different means to control the Greeks. They finally managed to achieve this by the King's Peace of 387 BC. Persia now controled Greek affairs, not by force, but with money. In the eyes of the Persian Kings Alexander's expedition was that of a local vassal state or perhaps even a minor provincial ruler, trying to take over ultimate power within (within!) the empire. I said: In the eyes of the Persian Kings. (As this had happened frequently before within the Persian Empire.)Nice poetry!It is all a matter of perspective.Regards -Nick