What Must I Do
For the last time they all wanted to meet
him to share their thoughts, feelings; he heard them
patiently and bid good-bye to each.
Asked them to leave, as he desired to stay lone;
They left except two associates with tears for their beloved.
Charges for him were "refusing to recognize the gods
as recognized by the state" and of "corrupting the youth."
If found guilty; his penalty could be death.
Juror voted to say, he was guilty.
There were choices, but the juror selected death for him.
On that inauspicious day, 15th February 399,
the jailer arrived to hand over the poison
brought ready mixed in a cup.
When he saw the jailer, asked ,
“Explain me, what must I do?”
“Just drink it and walk around until
your legs begin to feel heavy, then lie down.
It will soon act.” With those words the jailer offered him the cup.
He took it quite cheerfully without a tremor,
with no change of color or expression.
He stoically drank the potion,
quite readily and willingly.
Up till this moment his associates
were able with some decency to hold back tears,
but when they saw him drinking the poison, they could no longer.
He said, “You are strange fellows; what is wrong with you?
For this very purpose sent the women away,
to stop them creating such a scene.
Have you not heard that one should die in silence.”
These words made them ashamed, they stopped crying.
He walked around until he said, his legs
were becoming heavy and laid on his back;
The jailer felt him, a moment later examined
his feet and legs again. Squeezing a foot hard,
asked him, if he felt anything. He said, he did not.
The jailer did the same to his calves and, going higher,
indicated he was becoming cold and stiff.
Then felt him for a last time, jailer said,
when the poison reached the heart, he’d be gone.
As the chill sensation got to his waist, he uncovered his head.
The associate asked him 'whether he wants to say anything else?'
'There was no reply to this question,
but after a while he gave a slight stir;
the jailer examined his eyes,
declared him dead, closed his mouth and eyelids.
‘This was the end of our friend Socrates, a self-controlled,
with high moral integrity, the best, the wisest,
having ability to outrank anyone, the dialogue
delivered in the pursuit of wisdom, most upright man of any
that I have ever known" his associate Crito said.
~X~X~X~
Note:: This presentation is based on the information available in Net.
Copyright © Pratap Roy | Year Posted 2019
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