AGOGE

by O.W.

Here, cometh the Paides—Hath thou yet held blades? Mere pens—by Hades! Writs on hides, obtaineth no accolades. There at Thermopylae, whence parades we held, past by now ages; Were it pens—frayeth blades in the hands of Leonidas, Where wouldst thou then hideth?

Yes, t’was Simonides who wrote—though not on papyrus: “Tell the Spartans, passer-by That here, obedient to their word, we lie.”

Yet without the miracle play—yes, that of blades and Leonidas, And Aides grace: the lack of glades—none of thee Paides, Could see past a few ages.

Look there—the ladies with their babes and the Hēbōntes with their blades, Nowadays in their ways be no haze, nor any dispraise. In their days— Yes, they amaze; sailing for the Cyclades, while thee sit stargaze. But thee too—yes, you—shall one day come of age, And cry out with Pride:

“Whence we came, is in our hearts—we, the Spartans!” essence, a piece of advice for the young to neither lose their wills nor let their minds be clouded. The contrast of the blades and pens is also present for this reason that is to say, to underline the difference between action and words. The lines, ""Were it pens frayeth blades in the hands of Leonidas, / Where wouldst thou then hideth?"" is a reference to ""the pen is mightier than the sword"" being reversed in our current day, where logical arguments are commonly forsaken and actions taken in support of a goal right or wrong have considerable impact Yet, it can also be interpreted as a call to action, really, for those coming of age to take control of their futures, and to not be swayed by the words of others.

"The theme, coming of age, was one I'd never before considered writing about in any type of literature Being a fan of antiquity, I realized I could use Sparta's coming of age tradition the agoge, a rigorous education system combining literacy and military strategy—as the main subject of this poem. Considering our school's mascot, I find this to be quite a fitting choice.

Regarding the meter, I chose the dactylic hexameter a rhythmic scheme frequently used in Ancient Greek poetry simply to challenge my skills. This meter is very uncommon in English, and essentially impossible to perfectly recreate due to the pronunciation difference. So, while there were times I had to switch to other meters, this was the general pattern. The word choice is of great help in ensuring the continuation of the meter especially the rhyme. Some words have multiple pronunciations, and so, depending on the pronunciation of the last word of the former line, the pronunciation of the word can easily be chosen when speaking it out loud to continue the rhyme.

The quote by Simonides (c 556–468 BC) is there to remind people why promises exist, and that trust should not be so hastily broken and tarnished as it is done so easily nowadays. The final verse starts with a note of respect to older generations for they may have had their faults, but they nevertheless are the reason we stand here today. The word ""stargaze"" brings the point back to action; it is about dreaming too much without doing anything in order to achieve them. The final lines close it with a resolution: to act now with determination, to persevere, to remember one ' s origins, and finally, to age old with dignity and pride in what one has achieved and from where they have come. "

Now, the plot and narration. One can interpret the speaker to be an ""erastes"" or really just any older Spartan, advising the young Paides on the future of their journey through the agoge. This takes place a few generations past the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC), and is in A G O G E A R T I S T ' S S T A T E M E N T

The first time I saw you my eyes could not look away

It wasn't your appearance, nor your face

I looked at you and felt a peace

You slowly became apart of me

But you will never know who I am

And that is okay

I would rather spend my life time admiring you, than to ever look away

Because of you I have found myself

I owe you the world

All my love with no doubt

Never fade away

Never lose your spark

But if you ever do there will always be a place for you in my heart