The Iliad - Homer (ebook reader library .txt) đ
- Author: Homer
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While him the aged Phylas kept, and nursâd With tender care, and cherishâdâas his own.
The brave Peisander, son of Maemalus,
The third commanded; of the Myrmidons, Next to Pelidesâ friend, the noblest spear.
The fourth, the aged warrior Phoenix led; The fifth, Alcimedon, Laercesâ son:
These in their order due Achilles first Arrayâd, and next with stirring words addressâd: âYe Myrmidons, forget not now the vaunts Which, while my wrath endurâd, ye largely pourâd Upon the Trojans; me ye freely blamâd; âIll-omenâd son of Peleus, sure in wrath Thou wast conceivâd, implacable, who here In idleness enforcâd thy comrades keepâst!
âTwere better far our homeward way to take, If such pernicious rancour fill thy soul!â
Thus ye reproachâd me oft! Lo! now ye have The great occasion which your souls desirâd!
Then on, and with brave hearts the Trojans meet!â
His words fresh courage rousâd in evâry breast, And more compact, beneath their monarchâs eye, Their ranks were formâd; as when the builder lays The closely-fitting stones, to form the wall Of some great house, and brave the winds of Heavân; So close were fitted helm and bossy shield; Buckler on buckler pressâd, and helm on helm, And man on man; the horsehair plumes above, That nodded, fearful, from the warriorsâ brows, Each other touchâd; so closely massâd they stood.
Before them all stood prominent in arms Two chiefs, Patroclus and Automedon,
Both with one thought possessâd, to lead the fight In the fore-front of all the Myrmidons.
Achilles then within his tent withdrew, And of a gorgeous coffer raisâd the lid, Well-wrought, by silver-footed Thetis placâd On board his ship, and fillâd with rich attire, With store of wind-proof cloaks, and carpets soft.
There lay a goblet, richly chasâd, whence none, But he alone, might drink the ruddy wine, Nor might libations thence to other Gods Be made, save only Jove: this brought he forth, And first with sulphur purified, and next Washâd with pure water; then his hands he washâd, And drew the ruddy wine; then standing forth Made in the centre of the court his prayâr, And as he pourâd the wine, lookâd up to Heavân, Not unbeheld of Jove, the lightningâs Lord: âGreat King, Dodonaâs Lord, Pelasgian Jove, Who dwellâst on high, and rulâst with sovâreign sway Dodonaâs wintry heights; where dwell around Thy Sellian priests, men of unwashen feet, That on the bare ground sleep; thou once before Hast heard my prayâr, and me with honour crownâd, And on the Greeks inflicted all thy plagues; Hear yet again, and this my boon accord.
I âmid the throng of ships myself remain; But with a numârous force of Myrmidons I send my comrade in my stead to fight: On him, all-seeing Jove, thy favour pour; Strengthen his heart, that Hectorâs self may learn If, eâen alone, my follower knows to fight, Or only then resistless powâr displays, When I myself the toil of battle share.
And from our vessels when the foe is drivân, Grant that with all his arms and comrades true He may in safety to the ships return.â
Thus prayâd he; Jove, the Lord of counsel, heard, And half his prayâr he granted, half denied: For from the ships the battle to repel He granted; but denied his safe return.
His prayârs and offârings ended, to the tent Achilles turnâd again, and in the chest Replacâd the cup; then issuing forth, he stood Before the tent; for much he longâd to see The Greeks and Trojans join in battle strife.
They who in arms round brave Patroclus stood Their line of battle formâd, with courage high To dash upon the Trojans; and as wasps That have their nest beside the public road, Which boys delight to vex and irritate In wanton play, but to the genâral harm; Them if some passing travâller unawares Disturb, with angry courage forth they rush In one continuous swarm, to guard their nest: Eâen with such courage pourâd the Myrmidons Forth from the ships; then uproar wild arose, And loud Patroclus on his comrades callâd: âYe valiant Myrmidons, who boast yourselves Achillesâ comrades, quit ye now like men; Your ancient valour prove; to Peleusâ son, Of all the Greeks the noblest, so shall we, His faithful followers, highest honour give; And Agamemnonâs haughty self shall mourn The slight on Greciaâs bravest warrior cast.â
His words fresh courage rousâd in evâry breast.
Thick on the Trojan host their masses fell; While loud the fleet re-echoed to the sound Of Grecian cheers; but when the Trojans saw, Blazing in arms, Menoetiusâ godlike son, Himself, and follower; quailâd the spirits of all; Their firm-set ranks were shaken; for they deemâd Achilles had beside the ships exchangâd His wrath for friendship; and each sevâral man Lookâd round, to find his own escape from death.
Then first Patroclus aimâd his glittâring spear Amid the crowd, where thickest round the ships Of brave Protesilaus, raged the war;
And struck Pyraechmes, who from Amydon, From the wide-flowing stream of Axius, led The horsehair-crested Paeons; him he struck Through the right shoulder; backwards in the dust Groaning, he fell; around him quailâd with fear His Paeons all, such terror in their ranks Patroclus threw, their bravest leader slain, The foremost in the fight; the crowd he drove Far from the ships, and quenchâd the blazing fire.
There lay the half-burnt ship; with shouts confusâd The Trojans fled; and from amid the ships Forth pourâd the Greeks; and loud the clamour rose.
As when around a lofty mountainâs top
The lightningâs Lord dispels a mass of cloud, And evâry crag, and evâry jutting peak Is plainly seen, and evâry forest glade; And the deep vault of Heavân is openâd wide; So when the Greeks had clearâd the ships of fire, They breathâd awhile; yet ceasâd not so the strife; For not in headlong panic from the ships The Trojans by the valiant Greeks were drivân, But, though perforce retiring, still made head.
Then of the chiefs, as wider spread the fight, Each singled each; Menoetiusâ noble son First threw his pointed spear, and on the thigh Struck Areilochus, in act to turn;
Right through the point was drivân; the weighty spear Shatterâd the bone, and prone to earth he fell.
The warlike Menelaus aimâd his spear
Where Thoasâ breast, unguarded by his shield, Was left exposâd; and slackâd his limbs in death.
Phyleusâ brave son, as rushâd Amphiclus on, Stood firm, with eye observant; then thâ attack Preventing, through his thigh, high up, where lie The strongest muscles, smote; the weaponâs point Severâd the tendons; darkness closâd his eyes.
Of Nestorâs sons, Antilochus, the first, Atymnius wounded, driving through his flank He brazen spear; prone on his face he fell.
Then, burning to avenge his brotherâs death, Stood Maris oâer the corpse, and hand to hand Engaged Antilochus; but ere a blow
Was struck, the godlike Thrasymedes drove Through his right shoulder, with unerring aim, His glittâring spear; the point his upper arm Tore from the muscles, shattâring all the bone: Thundâring he fell, and darkness closâd his eyes.
So to the shades, by those two brethrenâs hands Subdued, Sarpedonâs comrades brave were sent, The sons of Amisodarus, who rearâd
The dread Chimaera, bane of mortal men.
On Cleobulus, wounded in the press,
Ajax Oileus sprang, and captive took,
Alive; but sudden on his neck let fall His hilted sword, and quenchâd the fire of life.
The hot blood dyed the sword; the darkling shades Of death, and rigârous fate, his eyes oâerspread.
Then Peneleus and Lycon, hand to hand, Engagâd in combat; both had missâd their aim, And bootless hurlâd their weapons; then with swords They met; first Lycon on the crested helm Dealt a fierce blow; but in his hand the blade Up to the hilt was shiverâd; then the sword Of Peneleus his neck, below the ear,
Disseverâd; deeply in his throat the blade Was plungâd, and by the skin alone was stayâd; Down droopâd his head, his limbs relaxâd in death.
Meriones by speed of foot oâertook,
And, as his car he mounted, Acarnas
Though the right shoulder piercâd; down from the car He fell; the shades of death his eyes oâerspread.
Full on the mouth of Erymas was thrust The weapon of Idomeneus; right through, The white bones crashing, passâd the brazen spear Below the brain; his teeth were shatterâd all; With blood, which with convulsive sobs he blew From mouth and nostril, both his eyes were fillâd; And deathâs dark cloud encompassâd him around.
Thus slew the Grecian leaders each his man.
As ravâning wolves, that lambs or kids assail, Strayâd from their dams, by careless shepherds left Upon the mountain scatterâd; these they see, And tear at once their unresisting prey; So on the Trojans fell the Greeks; in rout Disastrous they, unmannâd by terror, fled.
Great Ajax still, unwearied, longâd to hurl His spear at Hector of the brazen helm; But he, well skillâd in war, his shoulders broad Protected by his shield of tough bullâs hide, Watchâd for the whizzing shafts, and javâlinsâ whirr.
Full well he knew the tide of battle turnâd, Yet held his ground, his trusty friends to save.
As from Olympus, oâer the clear blue sky Pour the dark clouds, when Jove the vault of Heavân Oâerspreads with storm and tempest, from the ships So pourâd with panic cries the flying host, And in disorderâd rout recrossâd the trench.
Then Hectorâs flying coursers bore him safe Far from the struggling masses, whom the ditch Detainâd perforce; there many a royal car With broken pole thâ unharnessâd horses left.
On, shouting to the Greeks, Patroclus pressâd The flying Trojans; they, with panic cries, Dispersâd, the roads encumberâd; high uprose The storms of dust, as from the tents and ships Back to the city stretchâd the flying steeds; And ever where the densest throng appearâd With furious threats Patroclus urgâd his course; His glowing axle tracâd by prostrate men Hurlâd from their cars, and chariots overthrown.
Flew oâer the deep-sunk trench thâ immortal steeds, The noble prize the Gods to Peleus gave, Still onward straining; for he longâd to reach, And hurl his spear at Hector; him meanwhile His flying steeds in safety bore away.
As in thâ autumnal season, when the earth With weight of rain is saturate; when Jove Pours down his fiercest storms in wrath to men, Who in their courts unrighteous judgments pass, And justice yield to lawless violence, The wrath of Heavân despising; evâry stream Is brimming oâer: the hills in gullies deep Are by the torrents seamâd, which, rushing down From the high mountains to the dark-blue sea, With groans and tumult urge their headlong course, Wasting the works of man; so urgâd their flight, So, as they fled, the Trojan horses groanâd.
The foremost ranks cut off, back towârd the ships Patroclus drove them, baffling their attempts To gain the city; and in middle space
Between the ships, the stream, and lofty wall, Dealt slaughter round him, and of many a chief The bitter penalty of death requirâd.
Then Pronous with his glittâring spear he struck, Where by the shield his breast was left exposâd, And slackâd his limbs in death; thundâring he fell.
Next Thestor, son of OEnops, he assailâd; He on his polishâd car, down-crouching, sat, His mind by fear disorderâd; from his hands The reins had droppâd; him, thrusting with the spear, Through the right cheek and through the teeth he smote, Then draggâd him, by the weapon, oâer the rail.
As when an angler on a prominent rock
Drags from the sea to shore with hook and line A weighty fish; so him Patroclus draggâd, Gaping, from off the car; and dashâd him down Upon his face; and life forsook his limbs.
Next Eryalus, eager for the fray,
On the mid forehead with a mighty
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