The Iliad - Homer (ebook reader library .txt) đ
- Author: Homer
- Performer: -
Book online «The Iliad - Homer (ebook reader library .txt) đ». Author Homer
Embracâd, and soothâd her with her hand, and said: âWhich of the heavânly powârs hath wrongâd thee thus, My child, as guilty of some open shame?â
Whom answerâd thus the laughter-loving Queen; âThe haughty son of Tydeus, Diomed,
Hath wounded me, because my dearest son, AEneas, from the field I bore away.
No more âtwixt Greeks and Trojans is the fight, But with the Gods themselves the Greeks contend.â
To whom Dione, heavânly Goddess, thus: âHave patience, dearest child; though much enforcâd, Restrain thine anger: we, in Heavân who dwell, Have much to bear from mortals; and ourselves Too oft upon each other suffârings lay.
Mars had his suffârings; by Aloeusâ sons, Otus and Ephialtes, strongly bound,
He thirteen months in brazen fetters lay: And there had pinâd away the God of War, Insatiate Mars, had not their step-mother, The beauteous Eriboea, sought the aid
Of Hermes; he by stealth releasâd the God, Sore worn and wasted by his galling chains.
Juno too sufferâd, when Amphitryonâs son Through her right breast a three-barbâd arrow sent: Dire, and unheard of, were the pangs she bore.
Great Plutoâs self the stinging arrow felt, When that same son of aegis-bearing Jove Assailâd him in the very gates of hell, And wrought him keenest anguish; piercâd with pain To high Olympus, to the courts of Jove, Groaning, he came; the bitter shaft remainâd Deep in his shoulder fixâd, and grievâd his soul.
But soon with soothing ointments Paeonâs hand (For death on him was powerless) healâd the wound.
Accursâd was he, of daring overbold,
Reckless of evil deeds, who with his bow Assailâd the Gods, who on Olympus dwell.
The blue-eyâd Pallas, well I know, has urgâd Tydides to assail thee; fool and blind!
Unknowing he how short his term of life Who fights against the Gods! for him no child Upon his knees shall lisp a fatherâs name, Safe from the war and battle-field returnâd.
Brave as he is, let Diomed beware
He meet not some more dangerous foe than thee.
Then fair AEgiale, Adrastusâ child,
The noble wife of valiant Diomed,
Shall long, with lamentations loud, disturb The slumbers of her house, and vainly mourn Her youthful Lord, the bravest of the Greeks.â
She said; and wipâd the ichor from, the wound; he hand was healâd, the grievous pains allayâd.
But Juno and Minerva, looking on,
With words of bitter mockâry Saturnâs son Provokâd: and thus the blue-eyâd Goddess spoke: âO Father! may I speak without offence?
Venus, it seems, has sought to lead astray Some Grecian woman, and persuade to join Those Trojans, whom she holds in high esteem; And, as her hand the gentle dame caressâd, A golden clasp has scratched her slender arm.â
Thus she: and smilâd the Sire of Gods and men; He callâd the golden Venus to his side, And, âNot to thee, my child,â he said, âbelong The deeds of war; do thou bestow thy care On deeds of love, and tender marriage ties; But leave to Mars and Pallas feats of arms.â
Such converse while they held, brave Diomed Again assailâd AEneas; well he knew
Apolloâs guardian hand around him thrown; Yet by the God undaunted, on he pressâd To slay AEneas, and his arms obtain.
Thrice was his onset made, with murdârous aim; And thrice Apollo struck his glittâring shield; But when, with godlike force, he sought to make His fourth attempt, the Far-destroyer spoke In terms of awful menace: âBe advisâd, Tydides, and retire; nor as a God
Esteem thyself; since not alike the race Of Gods immortal and of earth-born men.â
He said; and Diomed a little space
Before the Far-destroyerâs wrath retirâd: Apollo then AEneas bore away
Far from the tumult; and in Pergamus,
Where stood his sacred shrine, bestowâd him safe.
Latona there, and Dian, Archer-Queen,
In the great templeâs innermost recess, Gave to his wounds their care, and soothâd his pride.
Meanwhile Apollo of the silver bow
A phantom form preparâd, the counterpart Of great AEneas, and alike in arms:
Around the form, of Trojans and of Greeks, Loud was the din of battle; fierce the strokes That fell on rounded shield of tough bullâs-hide, And lighter targe, before each warriorâs breast.
Then thus Apollo to the God of War:
âMars! Mars! thou bane of mortals, blood-stainâd Lord, Razer of cities, werât not well thyself To interpose, and from the battle-field Withdraw this chief, Tydides? such his pride, He now would dare with Jove himself to fight.
Venus, of late, he wounded in the wrist; And, like a God, but now confronted me.â
He said, and sat on Iliumâs topmost height: While Mars, in likeness of the Thracian chief, Swift Acamas, amid the Trojan ranks
Movâd to and fro, and urgâd them to the fight.
To Priamâs Heavân-descended sons he callâd; âYe sons of Priam, Heavân-descended King, How long will ye behold your people slain?
Till to your very doors the war be brought?
AEneas, noble-soulâd Anchisesâ son,
In like esteem with Hector held, is down; On to his aid! our gallant comrade save!â
He said; his words fresh courage gave to all: Then thus Sarpedon, in reproachful tone, Addressâd the godlike Hector; âWhere is now, Hector, the spirit that heretofore was thine?
âTwas once thy boast that evân without allies Thyself, thy brethren, and thy house, alone The city could defend: for all of these I look in vain, and see not one; they all, As curs around a lion, cowâr and crouch: We, strangers and allies, maintain the fight.
I to your aid, from lands afar remote, From Lycia came, by Xanthusâ eddying stream; There left a cherishâd wife, and infant son, And rich possessions, which might envy move; Yet I my troops encourage; and myself
Have playâd my part, though nought have I to lose, Nought that the Greeks could drive or bear away; But thou standâst idly by; nor biddâst the rest Maintain their ground, and guard their wives and homes.
Beware lest ye, as in the meshes caught Of some wide-sweeping net, become the prey And booty of your foes, who soon shall lay Your prospârous city level with the dust.
By day and night should this thy thoughts engage, With constant prayâr to all thy brave allies, Firmly to stand, and wipe this shame away.â
He said; and Hector felt the biting speech; Down from his car he leapâd; and through the ranks, Two javâlins brandishing, he passâd, to arms Exciting all, and raisâd his battle-cry.
The tide was turnâd; again they facâd the Greeks: In serried ranks the Greeks, undaunted, stood.
As when the wind from off a threshing-floor, Where men are winnowing, blows the chaff away; When yellow Ceres with the breeze divides The corn and chaff, which lies in whitâning heaps; So thick the Greeks were whitenâd oâer with dust, Which to the brazen vault of Heavân arose Beneath the horsesâ feet, that with the crowd Were mingled, by their drivers turnâd to flight.
Unwearied still, they bore the brunt; but Mars The Trojans succouring, the battle-field Veilâd in thick clouds, from evâry quarter brought.
Thus he of Phoebus of the golden sword Obeyâd thâ injunction, bidding him arouse The courage of the Trojans, when he saw Pallas approaching to support the Greeks.
Then from the wealthy shrine Apolloâs self AEneas brought, and vigour fresh infusâd: Amid his comrades once again he stood; They joyâd to see him yet alive, and sound, And full of vigour; yet no question askâd: No time for question then, amid the toils Imposâd by Phoebus of the silver bow,
And blood-stainâd Mars, and Discord unappeasâd.
Meanwhile Ulysses, and thâ Ajaces both, And Diomed, with courage for the fight The Grecian force inspirâd; they undismayâd Shrank not before the Trojansâ rush and charge; In masses firm they stood, as when the clouds Are gatherâd round the misty mountain top By Saturnâs son, in breathless calm, while sleep The force of Boreas and the stormy winds, That with their breath the shadowy clouds disperse; So stood the Greeks, nor shunnâd the Trojansâ charge.
Through all the army Agamemnon passâd, And cried, âBrave comrades, quit ye now like men; Bear a stout heart; and in the stubborn fight, Let each to other mutual succour give; By mutual succour more are savâd than fall; In timid flight nor fame nor safety lies.â
Thus he: and straight his javâlin threw, and struck A man of mark, AEneasâ faithful friend, Deicoon, the son of Pergasus,
By Troy, as ever foremost in the field, In equal honour held with Priamâs sons.
His shield the monarch Agamemnon struck; The shieldâs defence was vain; the spear passâd through Beneath the belt, and in his groin was lodgâd; Thundâring he fell, and loud his armour rang.
On thâ other side, AEneas slew two chiefs, The bravest of the Greeks, Orsilochus
And Crethon, sons of Diocles, who dwelt In thriving Phera; rich in substance he, And from the mighty River Alpheus tracâd His high descent, who through the Pylian land His copious waters pours; to him was born Orsilochus, of numârous tribes the chief; To him succeeded valiant Diocles;
To whom were born twin sons, Orsilochus And Crethon, skillâd in evâry point of war.
They, in the vigour of their youth, to Troy Had sailâd amid the dark-ribbâd ships of Greece, Of Atreusâ sons the quarrel to uphold; But oâer them both the shades of death were spread.
As two young lions, by their tawny dam Nursâd in the mountain forestâs deep recess, On flocks and herds their youthful fury pour, With havoc to the sheepfolds, till themselves Succumb, oâermasterâd by the hand of man: So fell these two beneath AEneasâ hand, And like two lofty pines in death they lay.
The warlike Menelaus saw their fall
With pitying eye; and through the foremost ranks With brandishâd spear advancâd, by Mars impellâd, Who hopâd his death by great AEneasâ hand.
Him Nestorâs son, Antilochus, beheld,
And hastenâd to his aid; for much he fearâd Lest ill befall the monarch, and his death Deprive them of their warlike laboursâ fruit.
They two, with force combined of hand and spear, Pressâd onward to the fight; Antilochus His station keeping close beside the King.
Before the two combined, AEneas fearâd, Bold warrior as he was, to hold his ground.
The slain they drew within the Grecian lines, Placed in their comradesâ hands, and turning back Amid the foremost mingled in the fray.
Then, brave as Mars, Pylaemenes they slew, The bucklerâd Paphlagoniansâ warlike chief; Him Menelaus, hand to hand engagâd,
Piercâd with a spear-thrust through the collar-bone; While, with a pondârous stone, Antilochus Full on the elbow smote Atymniusâ son, Mydon, his charioteer, in act to turn
His fiery steeds to flight; down from his hands Fell to the ground the ivâry-mounted reins.
On rushâd Antilochus, and with his sword Across the temples smote him; gasping, he Upon his neck and shoulders from the car Pitchâd headlong; and (for there the sand was deep) Awhile stood balancâd, till the horsesâ feet Dashâd him upon the ground; Antilochus, The horses seizing, drove them to the ships.
Hector beheld athwart the ranks, and rushâd, Loud shouting, to thâ encounter; at his back Followâd the thronging bands of Troy, by Mars And fierce Bellona led; she by the hand Wild Uproar held; while Mars a giant spear Brandishâd aloft: and stalking now before, Now following after Hector, urgâd them on.
Quailâd at the sight the valiant Diomed: As when a man, long journeying oâer the plain, All unpreparâd, stands sudden on the
Comments (0)