"Run, Melos!" (走れメロス, Hashire Merosu) is a Japanese short story by Osamu Dazai. It was first published 1940 and is a widely read classic in Japanese schools. It was first used as teaching material for Japanese middle high schoolers in 1956.[1]
The story is a reworking of Friedrich Schiller's ballad Die Bürgschaft, which tells the story of Melos and Selinuntius, originally Damon and Pythias. Schiller's version revolves around an ancient Greek legend recorded by the Roman author Gaius Julius Hyginus.[2]
The most prominent theme of "Run, Melos!" is unwavering friendship. Despite hardships, the protagonist succeeds in saving his friend's life.