The Iliad - Homer (ebook reader library .txt) đ
- Author: Homer
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Achilles next before the Greeks displayâd The prizes of the hardy wrestlersâ skill: The victorâs prize, a tripod vast, fire-proof, And at twelve oxen by the Greeks appraisâd; And for the vanquishâd man, a female slave Pricâd at four oxen, skillâd in household work.
Then rose, and loudly to the Greeks proclaimâd, âStand forth, whoeâer this contest will essay.â
He said; and straight uprose the giant form Of Ajax Telamon; with him uprose
Ulysses, skillâd in evâry crafty wile.
Girt with the belt, within the ring they stood, And each, with stalwart grasp, laid hold on each; As stand two rafters of a lofty house, Each propping each, by skilful architect Designâd the tempestâs fury to withstand.
Creakâd their backbones beneath the tug and strain Of those strong arms; their sweat pourâd down like rain; And bloody weals of livid purple hue
Their sides and shoulders streakâd, as sternly they For victâry and the well-wrought tripod strove.
Nor could Ulysses Ajax overthrow,
Nor Ajax bring Ulysses to the ground,
So stubbornly he stood; but when the Greeks Were weary of the long-protracted strife, Thus to Ulysses mighty Ajax spoke:
âUlysses sage, Laertesâ godlike son,
Or lift thou me, or I will thee uplift: The issue of our struggle rests with Jove.â
He said, and raisâd Ulysses from the ground; Nor he his ancient craft rememberâd not, But lockâd his leg around, and striking sharp Upon the hollow of the knee, the joint Gave way; the giant Ajax backwards fell, Ulysses on his breast; the people saw, And marvellâd. Then in turn Ulysses strove Ajax to lift; a little way he movâd,
But failâd to lift him fairly from, the ground; Yet crookâd his knee, that both together fell, And side by side, defilâd with dust, they lay.
And now a third encounter had they tried But rose Achilles, and the combat stayâd: âForbear, nor waste your strength, in farther strife; Ye both are victors; both then bear away An equal meed of honour; and withdraw, That other Greeks may other contests wage.â
Thus spoke Achilles: they his words obeyâd, And brushing off the dust, their garments donnâd.
The prizes of the runners, swift of foot, Achilles next set forth; a silver bowl, Six measures its content, for workmanship Unmatchâd on earth, of Sidonâs costliest art The product rare; thence oâer the misty sea Brought by Phoenicians, who, in port arrivâd, Gave it to Thoas; by Euneus last,
The son of Jason, to Patroclus paid,
In ransom of Lycaon, Priamâs son;
Which now Achilles, on his friendâs behalf, Assignâd as his reward, whoeâer should prove The lightest foot, and speediest in the race.
A steer, well fattenâd, was the second prize, And half a talent, for the third, of gold.
He rose, and to the Greeks proclaimâd aloud, âStand forth, whoeâer this contest will essay.â
He said: uprose Oileusâ active son;
Uprose Ulysses, skillâd in evâry wile, And noble Nestorâs son, Antilochus,
Who all the youth in speed of foot surpassâd.
They stood in line: Achilles pointed out The limits of the course; as from the goal They stretchâd them to the race, Oileusâ son First shot ahead; Ulysses following close; Nor farther than the shuttle from the breast Of some fair woman, when her outstretchâd arm Has thrown the woof athwart the warp, and back Withdraws it towârd her breast; so close behind Ulysses pressâd on Ajax, and his feet
Trod in his steps, ere settled yet the dust.
His breath was on his shoulders, as the plain He lightly skimmâd; the Greeks with eager shouts Still cheering, as he strainâd to win the prize.
But as they nearâd the goal, Ulysses thus To blue-eyâd Pallas made his mental prayâr: âNow hear me, Goddess, and my feet befriend.â
Thus as he prayâd, his prayâr the Goddess heard, And all his limbs with active vigour fillâd; And, as they stretchâd their hands to seize the prize, Trippâd up by Pallas, Ajax slippâd and fell, Amid the offal of the lowing kine
Which oâer Patroclus Peleusâ son had slain.
His mouth and nostrils were with offal fillâd.
First in the race, Ulysses bore away
The silver bowl; the steer to Ajax fell; And as upon the horn he laid his hand, Sputtâring the offal out, he callâd aloud: âLo, how the Goddess has my steps bewrayâd, Who guards Ulysses with a motherâs care.â
Thus as he spoke, loud laughâd the merry Greeks.
Antilochus the sole remaining prize
Receivâd, and, laughing, thus the Greeks addressâd: âI tell you, friends, but what yourselves do know, How of the elder men thâ immortal Gods Take special care; for Ajaxâ years not much Exceed mine own; but here we see a man, One of a former age, and race of men;
A hale old man we call him; but for speed Not one can match him, save Achillesâ self.â
Thus he, with praise implied of Peleusâ son; To whom in answer thus Achilles spoke: âAntilochus, not unobservâd of me
Nor unrewarded shall thy praise remain: To thy half talent add this second half.â
Thus saying, in his hand he placâd the gold; Antilochus with joy the gift receivâd.
Next, in the ring the son of Peleus laid A pondârous spear, a helmet, and a shield, The spoil Patroclus from Sarpedon won; Then rose, and loudly to the Greeks proclaimâd: âFor these we call upon two champions brave To don their arms, their sharp-edgâd weapons grasp, And public trial of their prowess make; And he who first his rivalâs flesh shall reach, And, through his armour piercing, first draw blood, He shall this silver-studded sword receive, My trophy from Asteropaeus won,
Well-wrought, of Thracian metal; but the arms In common property they both shall hold, And in my tent a noble banquet share.â
He said; uprose great Ajax Telamon,
And Tydeusâ son, the valiant Diomed.
First, from the crowd apart, they donnâd their arms; Then, eager for the fight, with haughty stare Stood in the midst; the Greeks admiring gazâd.
When, each approaching other, near they came, Thrice rushâd they on, and thrice in combat closâd.
Then through the buckler round of Diomed Great Ajax drove his spear; nor reachâd the point Tydidesâ body, by the breastplate stayâd: While, aimâd above the mighty shieldâs defence, His glittâring weapon flashâd at Ajaxâ throat.
For Ajax fearing, shouted then the Greeks To cease the fight, and share alike the prize; But from Achillesâ hand the mighty sword, With belt and scabbard, Diomed receivâd.
Next in the ring the son of Peleus placâd A pondârous mass of iron, as a quoit
Once wielded by Eetionâs giant strength, But to the ships with other trophies borne, When by Achillesâ hand Eetion fell.
Then rose, and loudly to the Greeks proclaimâd: âStand forth, whoeâer this contest will essay.
This prize who wins, though widely may extend His fertile fields, for five revolving years It will his wants supply; nor to the town For lack of iron, with this mass in store, Need he his shepherd or his ploughman send.â
He said; and valiant Polypoetes rose,
Epeius, and Leonteusâ godlike strength, And mighty Ajax, son of Telamon.
In turns they took their stand; Epeius first Upraisâd the pondârous mass, and through the air Hurlâd it, amid the laughter of the Greeks.
Next came Leonteus, scion true of Mars; The third was Ajax; from whose stalwart hand Beyond the farthest mark the missile flew.
But when the valiant Polypoetes took
The quoit in hand, far as a herdsman throws His staff, that, whirling, flies among the herd; So far beyond the ringâs extremest bound He threw the pondârous mass; loud were the shouts; And noble Polypoetesâ comrades rose,
And to the ships the monarchâs gift conveyâd.
The archersâ prizes next, of iron hoar, Ten sturdy axes, double-edgâd, he placâd, And single hatchets ten; then far away Rearâd on the sand a dark-prowâd vesselâs mast, On which, with slender string, a timârous dove Was fastenâd by the foot, the archersâ mark; That who should strike the dove should to his tent The axes bear away; but who the string Should sever, but should fail to strike the bird, As less in skill, the hatchets should receive.
Thus spoke Achilles; straight uprose the might Of royal Teucer, and Meriones,
The faithful follower of Idomeneus.
They in a brass-bound helmet shook the lots.
The first was Teucerâs; with impetuous force He shot; but vowâd not to the Archer-King Of firstling lambs a solemn hecatomb.
The dove he struck not, for the Archer-God Withheld his aid; but close beside her foot The arrow severâd the retaining string.
The bird releasâd, soarâd heavânward; while the string Droppâd, from the mast suspended, towârds the earth, And loudly shouted their applause the Greeks.
Then snatchâd Meriones in haste the bow From Teucerâs hand; his own already held His arrow, pointed straight; he drew the string, And to the far-destroying King he vowâd Of firstling lambs a solemn hecatomb.
Aloft amid the clouds he markâd the dove, And struck her, as she soarâd, beneath the wing; Right through the arrow passâd; and to the earth Returning, fell beside Meriones.
The bird upon the dark-prowâd vesselâs mast Lighted awhile; anon, with drooping head, And pinions fluttâring vain, afar she fell, Lifeless; thâ admiring crowd with wonder gazâd.
Meriones the axes bore away,
While Teucer to the ships the hatchets bore.
Last, in the ring the son of Peleus laid A pondârous spear, and caldron, burnishâd bright, Pricâd at an oxâs worth, untouchâd by fire, For those who with the javâlin would contend.
Uprose then Agamemnon, King of men,
The son of Atreus, and Meriones,
The faithful follower of Idomeneus:
But Peleusâ godlike son addressâd them thus: âHow far, Atrides, thou excellâst us all, And with the javâlin what thy powâr and skill Pre-eminent, we know; take thou this prize, And bear it to thy ships; and let us give To brave Meriones the brazen spear;
If so it please thee, such were my advice.â
He said; and Agamemnon, King of men,
Assenting, gave to brave Meriones
The brazen spear; while in Talthybiusâ care, His herald, placâd the King his noble prize.
ARGUMENT.
THE REDEMPTION OF THE BODY OF HECTOR.
The gods deliberate about the redemption of Hectorâs body. Jupiter sends Thetis to Achilles to dispose him for the restoring it, and Iris to Priam, to encourage him to go in person, and treat for it. The old king, notwithstanding the remonstrances of his queen, makes ready for the journey, to which he is encouraged by an omen from Jupiter. He sets forth in his chariot, with a waggon loaded with presents, under the charge of Idaeus the herald. Mercury descends in the shape of a young man, and conducts him to the pavilion of Achilles. Their conversation on the way* Priam finds Achilles at his table, casts himself at his feet, and begs for the body of his son; Achilles, moved with compassion, grants his request, detains him one night in his tent, and the next morning sends him home with the body; the Trojans run out to meet him. The lamentation of Andromache, Hecuba, and Helen, with the solemnities of the funeral.
The time of twelve days is employed in this book, while the body of Hector lies in the tent of Achilles. And as many more are spent in the truce allowed for his interment. The scene is partly in Achillesâ camp, and partly in Troy.
BOOK XXIV.
The games were ended, and the multitude Amid the ships their sevâral ways dispersâd: Some to their supper, some to gentle sleep Yielding, delighted; but Achilles
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