Scythians
My bow is made
of horn and wood
and sinew
that I may shoot my arrow
to pierce your heart
and crush your resistance
so it is written
by Thucydides.
Two in ten
among the women
will ride into battle
carrying victory
thus we will flourish
and control the Steppe
from the Carpathian Mountains
to the plateau of Ordos.
In my hair
I will wear the comb of gold
from bronze and iron
gold and silver and ivory
our treasures
have been crafted.
With the warriors
of the upper world
I will cross the Caucasus
raid the Cimmerians
and destroy
the Assyrian Empire
thus prepare your tribute.
On the lower Don and Volga
our chamber tombs are mounded
from the ever-renewing
wood of the deciduous
larch
that is bare in winter
long after
our Empire is ended
our high graves will
still be standing.
Photo: Public Domain
