Lysistrata by Flora Fletcher

Author:Flora, Fletcher [Flora, Fletcher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4405-3904-6
Publisher: Prologue Books
Published: 2012-08-24T04:00:00+00:00

16

STARING ACROSS the bright water of the bay toward the wooded island of Sphacteria, Lycon thought bitterly that it was simply impossible to anticipate the trouble one might come into, or the dirty tricks that might be played upon one by the gods. It seemed to be entirely irrelevant that one did one’s duty and behaved consistently in a reverent and patriotic manner. One’s life turned sour just the same, and instead of being rewarded for one’s honest efforts with pleasures and the regard of his fellows, he was humiliated and made a fool of, and deprived of all pleasures whatever. There was certainly no justice in this, so far as he could see, and it was extremely difficult to maintain a proper attitude under such unmerited adversity.

It was simply incredible how certain things lost the importance once attributed to them, and how other things, on the other hand, acquired importance they had never seemed previously to possess. This was a peculiar metamorphosis and quite disturbing to one’s sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, and it was definitely not fair that one should be made to feel that he had wasted practically all his life in the pursuit of costly trifles that were in no way worth the time and effort. Pylos was a case in point, though it would certainly not be wise to admit it publicly. When it was established as an Athenian fortification under Demosthenes in the seventh year of the war, it was considered a glorious victory and had been celebrated in the streets and marketplace of Athens. It had in fact caused withdrawal of Spartan troops under the general Agis from the soil of Attica, but by and large, nothing much else had come of it.

The Spartans had occupied the island in the bay, the same which could now be seen, and had been blockaded there by the Athenian fleet. Their position was clearly hopeless, which they were finally ready to acknowledge, and they sent an embassy to the Assembly of Athens to sue for peace, which would have ended the war long ago. But Cleon had wanted the chitons off their backs, nothing less, and so nothing was agreed upon, and the war went on, as it was still going. Eventually, with the assistance of a great fire which swept the island and destroyed defenses, the Athenians had invaded the island and defeated the Spartans, who had surrendered, but by this time it was too late to arrange terms of peace as a result, and it had been, in the opinion of Lycon, who was now thinking of it, entirely too bad, to put it mildly, for if peace had been secured, it was quite likely that he would not now be in the shameful and unfortunate position in which he in fact was.

Affairs changed so quickly, that was one of the great troubles. One was given no time at all to prepare himself or to decide upon a reasonable course of action in given circumstances.

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