The Iliad - Homer (ebook reader library .txt) š
- Author: Homer
- Performer: -
Book online Ā«The Iliad - Homer (ebook reader library .txt) šĀ». Author Homer
And aid the Grecian cause; who now appears, The Greeks deserting, in the Trojan ranks.ā
Thus Pallas spoke, and stretching forth her hand Backward his comrade Sthenelus she drew From off the chariot; down in haste he sprang.
His place beside the valiant Diomed
The eager Goddess took; beneath the weight Loud groanād the oaken axle; for the car A mighty Goddess and a Hero bore.
Then Pallas took the whip and reins, and urgād Direct at Mars the fiery coursersā speed.
The bravest of thā AEtolians, Periphas, Ochesiusā stalwart son, he just had slain, And stood in act to strip him of his arms.
The helmet then of Darkness Pallas donnād, To hide her presence from the sight of Mars: But when the blood-stainād God of War beheld Advancing towārd him godlike Diomed,
The corpse of stalwart Periphas he left, There where he fell, to lie; while he himself Of valiant Diomed thā encounter met.
When near they came, first Mars his pondārous spear Advaneād beyond the yoke and horsesā reins, With murdārous aim; but Pallas from the car Turnād it aside, and foilād the vain attempt.
Then Diomed thrust forward in his turn His pondārous spear; low on the flank of Mars, Guided by Pallas, with successful aim, Just where the belt was girt, the weapon struck: It piercād the flesh, and straight was back withdrawn: Then Mars cried out aloud, with such a shout As if nine thousand or ten thousand men Should simultaneous raise their battle-cry: Trojans and Greeks alike in terror heard, Trembling; so fearful was the cry of Mars.
As black with clouds appears the darkenād air, When after heat the blustāring winds arise, So Mars to valiant Diomed appearād,
As in thick clouds lie took his heavānward flight.
With speed he came to great Olympusā heights, Thā abode of Gods; and sitting by the throne Of Saturnās son, with anguish torn, he showād Thā immortal stream that trickled from the wound, And thus to Jove his piteous words addressād: āO Father Jove, canst thou behold unmovād These acts of violence? the greatest ills We Gods endure, we each to other owe
Who still in human quarrels interpose.
Of thee we all complain; thy senseless child Is ever on some evil deed intent.
The other Gods, who on Olympus dwell,
Are all to thee obedient and submiss;
But thy pernicious daughter, nor by word Nor deed dost thou restrain; who now excites Thā oāerbearing son of Tydeus, Diomed, Upon thā immortal Gods to vent his rage.
Venus of late he wounded in the wrist, And, as a God, but now encounterād me: Barely I āscapād by swiftness of my feet; Else, āmid a ghastly heap of corpses slain, In anguish had I lain; and, if alive,
Yet livād disablād by his weaponās stroke.ā
Whom answerād thus the Cloud-compeller, Jove, With look indignant: āCome no more to me, Thou wavāring turncoat, with thy whining prayārs: Of all the Gods who on Olympus dwell
I hate thee most; for thou delightāst in nought But strife and war; thou hast inherited Thy mother, Junoās, proud, unbending mood, Whom I can scarce control; and thou, methinks, To her suggestions owāst thy present plight.
Yet since thou art my offspring, and to me Thy mother bore thee, I must not permit That thou shouldāst long be doomād to suffer pain; But had thy birth been other than it is, For thy misdoings thou hadst long ere now Been banishād from the Godsā companionship.ā
He said: and straight to Paeon gave command To heal the wound; with soothing anodynes He healād it quickly; soon as liquid milk Is curdled by the fig-treeās juice, and turns In whirling flakes, so soon was healād the wound.
By Hebe bathād, and robād afresh, he sat In health and strength restorād, by Saturnās son.
Mars thus arrested in his murdārous course, Together to thā abode of Jove returnād The Queen of Argos and the blue-eyād Maid.
ARGUMENT.
THE EPISODES OF GLAUCUS AND DIOMED, AND OF HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE.
The gods having left the field, the Grecians prevail. Helenus, the chief augur of Troy, commands Hector to return to the city, in order to appoint a solemn procession of the Queen and the Trojan matrons to the temple of Minerva, to entreat her to remove Diomed from the fight. The battle relaxing during the absence of Hector, Glaucus and Diomed have an interview between the two armies; where, coming to the knowledge of the friendship and hospitality past between their ancestors, they make exchange of their arms. Hector, having performed the orders of Helenus, prevailed upon Paris to return to the battle, and taken a tender leave of his wife Andromache, hastens again to the field.
The scene is first in the field of battle, between the rivers Simois and Scamander, and then changes to Troy.
BOOK VI.
The Gods had left the field, and oāer the plain Hither and thither surgād the tide of war, As couchād thā opposing chiefs their brass-tippād spears, Midway ātwixt Simoisā and Scamanderās streams.
First through the Trojan phalanx broke his way The son of Telamon, the prop of Greece, The mighty Ajax; on his friends the light Of triumph shedding, as Eusorusā son
He smote, the noblest of the Thracian bands, Valiant and strong, the gallant Acamas.
Full in the front, beneath the plumed helm, The sharp spear struck, and crashing throā the bone, The warriorās eyes were closād in endless night.
Next valiant Diomed Axylus slew,
The son of Teuthranes, who had his home In fair Arisba; rich in substance he,
And lovād of all; for, dwelling near the road, He opād to all his hospitable gate;
But none of all he entertainād was there To ward aside the bitter doom of death: There fell they both, he and his charioteer, Calesius, who athwart the battle-field His chariot drove; one fate oāertook them both.
Then Dresus and Opheltius of their arms Euryalus despoilād; his hot pursuit
AEsepus next, and Pedasus assailād,
Brothers, whom Abarbarea, Naiad nymph, To bold Bucolion bore; Bucolion, son
Of great Laomedon, his eldest born,
Though bastard: he upon the mountain side, On which his flocks he tended, met the nymph, And of their secret loves twin sons were born; Whom now at once Euryalus of strength
And life deprivād, and of their armour strippād.
By Polypoetesā hand, in battle strong, Was slain Astyalus; Pidutes fell,
Chief of Percote, by Ulyssesā spear;
And Teucer godlike Aretaon slew.
Antilochus, the son of Nestor, smote
With gleaming lance Ablerus; Elatus
By Agamemnon, King of men, was slain,
Who dwelt by Satnoisā widely-flowing stream, Upon the lofty heights of Pedasus.
By Leitus was Phylacus in flight
Oāertaāen; Eurypylus Melanthius slew.
Then Menelaus, good in battle, took
Adrastus captive; for his horses, scarād And rushing wildly oāer the plain, amid The tangled tamarisk scrub his chariot broke, Snapping the pole; they with the flying crowd Held cityward their course; he from the car Hurlād headlong, prostrate lay beside the wheel, Prone on his face in dust; and at his side, Poising his mighty spear, Atrides stood.
Adrastus claspād his knees, and suppliant cried, āSpare me, great son of Atreus! for my life Accept a price; my wealthy fatherās house A goodly store contains of brass, and gold, And well-wrought iron; and of these he fain Would pay a noble ransom, could he hear That in the Grecian ships I yet survivād.ā
His words to pity movād the victorās breast; Then had he bade his followers to the ships The captive bear; but running up in haste.
Fierce Agamemnon cried in stern rebuke; āSoft-hearted Menelaus, why of life
So tender? Hath thy house receivād indeed Nothing but benefits at Trojan hands?
Of that abhorred race, let not a man
Escape the deadly vengeance of our arms; No, not the infant in its motherās womb; No, nor the fugitive; but be they all, They and their city, utterly destroyād, Uncarād for, and from memāry blotted out.ā
Thus as he spoke, his counsel, fraught with death, His brotherās purpose changād; he with his hand Adrastus thrust aside, whom with his lance Fierce Agamemnon through the loins transfixād; And, as he rollād in death, upon his breast Planting his foot, the ashen spear withdrew.
Then loudly Nestor shouted to the Greeks: āFriends, Grecian heroes, ministers of Mars!
Loiter not now behind, to throw yourselves Upon the prey, and bear it to the ships; Let all your aim be now to kill; anon
Ye may at leisure spoil your slaughterād foes.ā
With words like these he firād the blood of all.
Now had the Trojans by the warlike Greeks In coward flight within their walls been drivān; But to AEneas and to Hector thus
The son of Priam, Helenus, the best
Of all the Trojan seers, addressād his speech: āAEneas, and thou Hector, since on you, Of all the Trojans and the Lycian hosts, Is laid the heaviest burthen, for that ye Excel alike in council and in fight,
Stand here awhile, and moving to and fro On evāry side, around the gates exhort The troops to rally, lest they fall disgracād, Flying for safety to their womenās arms, And foes, exulting, triumph in their shame.
Their courage thus restorād, worn as we are, We with the Greeks will still maintain the fight, For so, perforce, we must; but, Hector, thou Haste to the city; there our mother find, Both thine and mine; on Iliumās topmost height By all the aged dames accompanied,
Bid her the shrine of blue-eyād Pallas seek; Unlock the sacred gates; and on the knees Of fair-hairād Pallas place the fairest robe In all the house, the amplest, best esteemād; And at her altar vow to sacrifice
Twelve yearling kine that never felt the goad, So she have pity on the Trojan state,
Our wives, and helpless babes, and turn away The fiery son of Tydeus, spearman fierce, The Minister of Terror; bravest he,
In my esteem, of all the Grecian chiefs: For not Achillesā self, the prince of men, Though Goddess-born, such dread inspirād; so fierce His rage; and with his prowess none may vie.ā
He said, nor uncomplying, Hector heard His brotherās counsel; from his car he leapād In arms upon the plain; and brandishād high His javālins keen, and moving to and fro The troops encouragād, and restorād the fight.
Rallying they turnād, and facād again the Greeks: These ceasād from slaughter, and in turn gave way, Deeming that from the starry Heavān some God Had to the rescue come; so fierce they turnād.
Then to the Trojans Hector callād aloud: āYe valiant Trojans, and renownād Allies, Quit you like men; remember now, brave friends, Your wonted valour; I to Ilium go
To bid our wives and revārend Elders raise To Heavān their prayārs, with vows of hecatombs.ā
Thus saying, Hector of the glancing helm Turnād to depart; and as he movād along, The black bullās-hide his neck and ancles smote, The outer circle of his bossy shield.
Then Tydeusā son, and Glaucus, in the midst, Son of Hippolochus, stood forth to fight; But when they near were met, to Glaucus first The valiant Diomed his speech addressād: āWho art thou, boldest man of mortal birth?
For in the glorious conflict heretofore I neāer have seen thee; but in daring now Thou far surpassest all, who hast not fearād To face my spear; of most unhappy sires The children they, who my encounter meet.
But if from Heavān thou comāst, and art indeed A God, I fight not with the heavānly powers.
Not long did Dryasā son, Lycurgus brave, Survive, who darād thā Immortals to defy: He, āmid their frantic orgies,
Comments (0)