Epilogue

Boys, sent to die, by older, wiser men
They fearless stood on the banks of hell
And drowned in the rivers of Hades.

The wiser men, who sent them there looked down from their high thrones:
'That's another lot gone, I wonder what they did wrong?'
'Oh well best sent some more down.'

The young men, ordered to cross the river,
But never taught to swim
They knew they were doomed, but bravely drowned to save the rest.

When the wise men heard, they said:
The gods are angry-
Bring more for sacrifice.'

'But what is the price?'
The young men asked, as they submerged
The rivers of Hades swallowed them all,
Yet what for? More were sent to replace them.

And when there was non left to swallow
And the furies came to the cowardly men, they asked
'What have we done? It was they that couldn't swim!'

The furies pointed to where the rivers stood,
But there was no brave men there,
Just a river of corpses.