In the year 417 BC Athens sent an army to lay siege to Syracuse, the largest city on the island of Sicily. The army was supposedly sent to protect Athens' allies from the aggression of Syracuse. But in reality their mission was the conquest and subjugation of all Sicily.

Nicias opposed the expedition. He thought it was too great a risk. But when he stood up in assembly to make his argument, it had the opposite effect than he'd intended. The citizens of Athens decided that only an old soldier as cautious and prudent as Nicias could guarantee success for such a risky adventure.

So they made him general.

At first the Athenians had success. Their fleet blocked the harbour of Syracuse, while the soldiers built a wall around the city to prevent food and supplies from getting in.

But the Syracusans proved to be tougher than they'd expected. They tore down the Athenian wall and drove their ships onto the beach. Soon the Athenians were blockaded on a marshy strip of land at the edge of the harbour. The besiegers had become the besieged.

Nicias sent for reinforcements, and Athens dispatched more troops under the command of Demosthenes. But the extra troops made no difference. The Athenian position was too weak. They had limited access to fresh water, and their soldiers were falling sick. Nicias and Demosthenes agreed that their best hope was to board their ships by night, slip out of the harbour, and make for home.

But just as they were preparing to set sail, there occurred a lunar eclipse. And Nicias said:

"It's not a subject for discussion
It's not a subject for debate
The priests all tell me it's a bad bad omen, so we wait
You can call it superstition
Me I call it common sense
The gods have given their clear warning to stay put in our tents

Through life we stumble deaf and blind
The gods take pity now and then and send us a sign
The moon has turned a bloody red
It means that our blood would be shed
If we were heedless and still fled"

And Demosthenes said:

"Now, Nicias, don't be hasty
Just calm down and think things through
You say the gods are sending a message and I've no doubt that's true
It's a matter of interpretation
What does this miracle convey?
When the moon is swallowed up just before we sail away

Perhaps the gods are on our side
They wish to aid in our escape
So nimble Hermes in his flight
Has thrown a cloak over Phoebe's light
That we may sneak off in the night"

But the Athenian soldiers were as superstitious as old Nicias, so his arguments won out. Thirty days passed. Again the Athenians prepared to sail. But now the enemy had had time to prepare. There was a sea battle, and many Athenian ships were lost. Nicias and Demosthenes drew their army back behind their fortifications. They knew there was no longer any hope of escaping by sea. They had no choice but to attempt their escape by land.

In the middle of the night they abandoned their camp and made their way inland. But they were pursued by the army of Syracuse.

All night and all day, and all the next night and all the next day, the soldiers marched on, harried by the Syracusan cavalry. At last, weary, weak, and out of hope, and thirsty from marching under the hot sun, they arrived at a river.

And as we come in sight of water
We all rush forward, breaking rank
Just then the enemy appears
Upon the farther bank

But our thirst is so oppressive
We charge into the ambuscade
And amid the falling arrows
Into the stream we wade

And now the river fills with blood
But still we gulp the water down, our thirst is so great
Too weak to fend off their attacks
We crawl across each other's backs
The bodies fall in heaving stacks

They threw the survivors in a quarry
Underneath the summer sun
And with no shelter to protect us, we died off one by one
And our two unfortunate generals
Lay on the bare rock side by side
And Nicias said "Demosthenes, we are punished for our pride"

And Demosthenes said:

"My thoughts are not so elevated
Unlike you I keep my eyes fixed on the ground
If by some chance you should descry
A cryptic message in the sky
Don't say a word, just let me lie
Don't say a word, just let me die"