Courage of a Slave.

I'm a slave below ship's deck,
Day and night I break my neck.
Working for Roman navy strong,
Among the sweating tired throng.
Even though they had given me pain,
For my country, I'll work in vain.

Hark! A battle cry's sound !
As our master's drums pound,
Rapidly, loyally we push and take
behind the oars as our lives are on stake.
So close to enemy but
we donot think.
We'll work so hard that
they break and sink.
Carthage barbarians attack and yell,
We curse them for they are from hell.
Hands are aching, tears cloud my eyes,
As Roman yells fill the skies.
We look at each other in joy !
Carthage is ours and soon will be Troy !

Careless we are until
an enemy's ship we see.
Dangerously close that I foresee,
We would sink to the bottom of the sea.
Then our master yells and pounds
his drums so that we forget our rounds.
"Goodbye", my friend says,
"I'll miss you".
But then I yell, "c'mon",
"we can work and do !"
Just then the enemy strikes !
Roman legions die on their spikes !
Slaves cry in fear and try to flee,
But, I, loyal to Rome, do mu duty,
I pick up a Roman sword great,
cut barbarian heads eight.
When an arrow finds its mark,
right, painfully, in my heart !

I see Zeus calling me upward,
But I try to stay and do my work,
Then I feel a number of blows,
Through my body, blood flows,
Then I give up and float upwards,
to see my ship sink downwards.

Alas! T'was a defeat for me !
I tell Zeus as he laughs amusingly.
"Oh, don't worry child,
you will go down again.
to try and get what you have tried in vain.
Be greater that now what you were,"
And thus was born the great Caesar !

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