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with me to fight?

Perchance expecting that the throne of Troy And Priamā€™s royal honours may be thine.

Eā€™en if thou slay me, deem not to obtain Such boon from Priam; valiant sons are his, And he not weak, but bears a constant mind.

Or have the Trojans set apart for thee Some favourā€™d spot, the fairest of the land, Orchard or corn-land, shouldst thou work my death; Which thou shalt find, I trust, too hard a task?

Already hast thou fled before my spear; Hast thou forgotten how amid thy herds Alone I found thee, and with flying foot Pursued thee down the steep of Idaā€™s hill?

Nor didst thou dare to turn, or pause in flight.

Thou to Lyrnessus fleddā€™st; Lyrnessus I, With Pallasā€™ aid and Joveā€™s, assailā€™d and took: Their women thence, their days of freedom lost, I bore away, my captives; thee from death, Jove and the other Gods defended then; But will not now bestow, though such thy hope, Their succour; then I warn thee, while ā€˜tis time, Ere ill betide thee, to the genā€™ral throng That thou withdraw, nor stand to me opposā€™d: After thā€™ event may eā€™en a fool be wise.ā€

 

To whom in answer thus AEneas spoke:

ā€œAchilles, think not me, as though a fool, To daunt with lofty speech; I too could well With cutting words, and insult, answer thee.

Each otherā€™s race and parents well we know From tales of ancient days; although by sight Nor mine to thee, nor thine to me are known.

To noble Peleus thou, ā€˜tis said, wast born Of Thetis, fair-hairā€™d daughter of the sea; Of great Anchises, Heavā€™n-descended chief, I boast me sprung, to him by Venus borne.

Of these shall one or other have this day To mourn their son; since not with empty words Shall thou and I from mortal combat part.

But if thou farther wouldst enquire, and learn The race I spring from, not unknown to men, By Dardanus, of cloud-compelling Jove

Begotten, was Dardania peopled first,

Ere sacred Ilium, populous city of men, Was founded on the plain; as yet they dwelt On spring-abounding Idaā€™s lowest spurs.

To Dardanus was Erichthonius born,

Great King, the wealthiest of the sons of men; For him were pasturā€™d in the marshy mead, Rejoicing with their foals, three thousand mares; Them Boreas, in the pasture where they fed, Beheld, enamourā€™d; and amid the herd

In likeness of a coal-black steed appearā€™d; Twelve foals, by him conceiving, they producā€™d.

These, oā€™er the teeming corn-fields as they flew, Skimmā€™d oā€™er the standing ears, nor broke the haulm; And, oā€™er wide Oceanā€™s bosom as they flew, Skimmā€™d oā€™er the topmost spray of thā€™ hoary sea Again, to Erichthonius Tros was born,

The King of Troy; three noble sons were his, Ilus, Assaracus, and Ganymede;

The fairest he of all the sons of men; Him, for his beauty, bore the Gods away, To minister as cupbearer to Jove,

And dwell amid thā€™ Immortals: Ilus next Begot a noble son, Laomedon;

Tithonus he, and Priam; Clytius,

Lampus and Icetaon, plant of Mars;

Capys, begotten of Assaracus,

Begot Anchises, and Anchises me:

To Priam godlike Hector owes his birth.

Such is my race, and such the blood I boast; But Jove, at will, to mortals valour gives Or minishes; for he is Lord of all.

Then cease we now, like babbling fools, to prate Here in the centre of the coming fight.

Terms of reproach we both might find, whose weight Would sink a galley of a hundred oars; For glibly runs the tongue, and can at will Give uttā€™rance to discourse in evā€™ry vein; Wide is the range of language; and such words As one may speak, another may return.

What need that we should insults interchange?

Like women, who some paltry quarrel wage, Scolding and brawling in the public street, And in opprobrious terms their anger vent, Some true, some false; for so their rage suggests.

With words thou shalt not turn me from the field, Till we have met in arms; then try we now Each otherā€™s prowess with our brazen spears.ā€

 

He said, and hurlā€™d against the mighty shield His brazen spear; loud rang the weaponā€™s point; And at armā€™s length Achilles held the shield With his broad hand, in fear that through its folds AEneasā€™ spear would easy passage find; Blind fool! forgetful that the glorious gifts Bestowā€™d by Gods, are not with ease oā€™ercome, Nor yield before thā€™ assaults of mortal men.

 

So broke not through AEneasā€™ sturdy spear, Stayā€™d by the golden plate, the gift of Heavā€™n; Yet through two plates it passā€™d, but three remainā€™d, For five were in the shield by Vulcan wrought; Two were of brass, the inner two of tin, And one of gold, which stayā€™d the brazen spear.

 

Achilles threw in turn his pondā€™rous spear.

And struck the circle of AEneasā€™ shield Near the first rim, where thinnest lay the brass, And thinnest too thā€™ oā€™erlying hide; right through The Pelian shaft was drivā€™n; wide gapā€™d the shield.

AEneas crouchā€™d, in fear, as oā€™er his head He held his shield; the eager weapon passā€™d Through both the circles of his ample shield, And in the ground, behind him, quivā€™ring, stood.

Escapā€™d the pondā€™rous weapon, sharpest pain Flashing across his eyes, in fear he stood, So close the spear had passā€™d him; onward then, Drawing his trenchant blade, Achilles rushā€™d, With fearful shout; a rocky fragment then AEneas lifted up, a mighty mass,

Which scarce two men, as men are now, could bear, But he, unaided, lifted it with ease.

Then had AEneas, with the massive stone, Or on the helmet, or the shield, his death Averting, struck Achilles; and himself Had by the sword of Peleusā€™ son been slain, Had not thā€™ Earth-shaking God his peril seen, And to thā€™ Immortals thus addressā€™d his speech: ā€œOh, woe is me for great AEneasā€™ sake, Who, by Achilles slain, must visit soon The viewless shades; insensate, who relied On Phoebusā€™ words; yet nought shall he avail From death to save him. Yet oh why should he, Blameless himself, the guilt of others rue?

Who still his grateful sacrifice hath paid To all the Gods in wide-spread Heavā€™n who dwell.

Let us then interpose to guard his life; Lest, if Achilles slay him, Saturnā€™s son Be movā€™d to anger; for his destiny

Would have him live; lest, heirless, from the earth Should perish quite the race of Dardanus; By Saturnā€™s son the best-belovā€™d of all His sons, to him by mortal women born.

For Jove the race of Priam hath abhorrā€™d; But oā€™er the Trojans shall AEneas reign, And his sonsā€™ sons, through ages yet unborn.ā€

 

Whom answerā€™d thus the stag-eyā€™d Queen of Heavā€™n: ā€œNeptune, do thou determine for thyself AEneas to withdraw, or leave to fall,

Good as he is, beneath Achillesā€™ sword; But we before thā€™ immortal Gods are bound, Both I and Pallas, by repeated oaths,

Neā€™er from his doom one Trojan life to save, Though to devouring flames a prey, all Troy Were blazing, kindled by the valiant Greeks.ā€

 

Thā€™ Earth-shaker heard; and throā€™ the fight he passā€™d, And through the throng of spears, until he came Where great Achilles and AEneas stood.

Around the eyes of Peleusā€™ son he spread A veil of mist; then from AEneasā€™ shield The brass-tippā€™d spear withdrawing, laid it down Before Achillesā€™ feet; and lifting up

AEneas, bore him high above the ground.

Oā€™er many a rank of warriors and of cars AEneas flew, supported by the God;

Till to the fieldā€™s extremest verge he came, Where stood the Caucons, arming for the war.

There to AEneas, standing by his side, Thā€™ Earth-shaker thus his winged words addressā€™d: ā€œAEneas, say what God has movā€™d thee thus Against Achilles, reckless, to contend, Thy stronger far, and dearer to the Gods?

If eā€™er he cross thy path, do thou retire, Lest, eā€™en despite of fate, thou find thy death.

But when Achilles hath to fate succumbā€™d, Then, fearless, with the foremost join the fray: No other Greek shall bear away thy spoils.ā€

 

Thus plainly warnā€™d, AEneas there he left.

Then from Achillesā€™ eyes he purgā€™d the film: Astonishā€™d, he with eyes wide open gazā€™d, As thus he communā€™d with his mighty heart: ā€œO Heavā€™n, what marvel do mine eyes behold?

My spear before me laid, and vanishā€™d he At whom I hurlā€™d it with intent to slay!

Then is AEneas of thā€™ immortal Gods

In truth belovā€™d, though vain I deemā€™d his boast.

A curse go with him! yet methinks not soon Will he again presume to prove my might, Who gladly now in flight escapes from death.

Then, to the valiant Greeks my orders givā€™n.

Let me some other Trojanā€™s mettle prove.ā€

Then towā€™rd the ranks he sprang, each sevā€™ral man Exhorting: ā€œFrom the Trojans, valiant Greeks, No longer stand aloof; but man to man

Confront the foe, and nobly dare the fight.

ā€˜Twere hard for me, brave warrior though I be, To face such numbers, and to fight with all: Not Mars, nor Pallas, though immortal Gods, Could face, and vanquish, such a mighty mass.

But what my single arm, and feet, and strength May profit, not a jot will I relax;

Right through the ranks I mean to force my way; And small shall be that Trojanā€™s cause for joy, Who comes within the compass of my spear.ā€

 

Thus he, exhorting; Hector cheering on Meanwhile the Trojans, with assurance givā€™n That he himself Achilles would confront.

 

ā€œYe valiant Trojans, fear not Peleusā€™ son; I too in words could with the Gods contend, Though not in arms; so much the stronger they.

Not all his words Achilles shall make good; Fulfilling some, in others he shall fail, His course midway arrested. Him will I Encounter, though his hands were hands of fire, Of fire his hands, his strength as burnishā€™d steel.ā€

 

Thus he, exhorting; with uplifted spears Advancā€™d the Trojans; from the mingling hosts Loud rose the clamour; then at Hectorā€™s side Apollo stood, and thus addressā€™d the chief: ā€œHector, forbear Achilles to defy;

And ā€˜mid the crowd withdraw thee from the fray; Lest with the spear he slay thee, thrown from far, Or with the sword in combat hand to hand.ā€

 

He said; and troubled by the heavā€™nly voice, Hector amid the throng of men withdrew.

 

Then, girt with might, amid the Trojans sprang, With fearful shouts, Achilles; first he slew Otryntesā€™ son, Iphition, valiant chief Of numā€™rous warriors; him a Naiad nymph, In Hydeā€™s fertile vale, beneath the feet Of snow-clad Tmolus, to Otryntes bore; At him, as on he rushā€™d, Achilles hurlā€™d, And through his forehead drove his glittā€™ring spear; The head was cleft in twain; thundā€™ring he fell, And oā€™er him thus Achilles made his boast: ā€œSon of Otryntes, lie thou there, of men The most vain-glorious; here thou findā€™st thy death, Far from thy place of birth, beside the lake Gygaean; there hadst thou thine heritage Of old, beside the fish-abounding stream Of Hyllus, and by Hermusā€™ eddying flood.ā€

 

Thus he, exulting: oā€™er Iphitionā€™s eyes Were spread the shades of death; his mangled corpse Was crushā€™d beneath the Grecian chariot wheels, In the first shock. Demoleon next he smote, A helpful aid in war, Antenorā€™s son,

Piercā€™d throā€™ the temples, throā€™ the brass-bound helm; Nor checkā€™d the brazen helm the spear, whose point Went crashing through the bone, that all the brain Was shatterā€™d; onward as he rushā€™d, he fell.

Then through the neck Hippodamas he smote, Flying before him, mounted on his car.

Deep groanā€™d he, breathing out his soul, as groans A bull, by sturdy youths to thā€™ altar draggā€™d Of Neptune, King divine of Helice;

Thā€™ Earth-shaking God, well pleasā€™d, the gift receives; Eā€™en with such groans his noble spirit fled.

The godlike Polydore he next assailā€™d, The son of Priam; him his aged sire

Would fain have kept

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