The Iliad and the Odyssey (Classics of World Literature) (49 page)

His honest mind to make sure work: so for the high estate

This work was brought to, these men’s minds (according to the rate)

Were rais’d, and all their bodies join’d; but their well-spoken king,

With his so timely-thought-on speech more sharp made valour’s sting,

And thicken’d so their targets’ host, so all their helmets then,

That shields propp’d shields, helms helmets knock’d, and men encourag’d men.

Patroclus and Automedon did arm before them all,

Two bodies with one mind inform’d; and then the general

Betook him to his private tent, where from a coffer wrought

Most rich and curiously, and given by Thetis, to be brought

In his own ship, top-fill’d with vests, warm robes to check cold wind,

And tapestries, all golden-fring’d, and curl’d with thrumbs behind,

He took a most unvalued bowl, in which none drank but he;

Nor he, but to the deities; nor any deity

But Jove himself was serv’d with that; and that he first did cleanse

With sulphur, then with fluences of sweetest water rense;

Then wash’d his hands, and drew himself a mighty bowl of wine,

Which (standing midst the place enclos’d for services divine,

And looking up to heaven and Jove, who saw him well) he pour’d

Upon the place of sacrifice, and humbly thus implor’d:

‘Great Dodonaeus, president of cold Dodonas’ towr’s;

Divine Pelasgicus, that dwell’st far hence, about whose bow’rs

Th’ austere prophetic Selli dwell, that still sleep on the ground,

Go bare, and never cleanse their feet – as I before have found

Grace to my vows, and hurt to Greece, so now my prayers intend.

I still stay in the gather’d fleet, but have dismiss’d my friend

Amongst my many Myrmidons to danger of the dart.

O grant his valour my renown, arm with my mind his heart,

That Hector’s self may know my friend can work in single war,

And not then only show his hands, so hot and singular,

When my kind presence seconds him: but fight he ne’er so well,

No further let him trust his fight, but, when he shall repel

Clamour and danger from our fleet, vouchsafe a safe retreat

To him and all his companies, with fames and arms complete.’

He pray’d, and heav’n’s great counsellor gave satisfying ear

To one part of his orisons, but left the other there:

He let him free the fleet of foes, but safe retreat denied.

Achilles left that outer part, where he his zeal applied,

And turn’d into his inner tent, made fast his cup, and then

Stood forth, and with his mind beheld the foes fight, and his men,

That follow’d his great-minded friend, embattled till they brake

With gallant spirit upon the foe: and as fell wasps, that make

Their dwellings in the broad high way, which foolish children use

(Their cottages being near their nests) to anger and abuse

With ever vexing them, and breed (to soothe their childish war)

A common ill to many men, since if a traveller

(That would his journey’s end apply, and pass them unassay’d)

Come near and vex them, upon him the children’s faults are laid,

For on they fly, as he were such, and still defend their own:

So far’d it with the fervent mind of every Myrmidon,

Who pour’d themselves out of their fleet upon their wanton foes,

That needs would stir them, thrust so near, and cause the overthrows

Of many others that had else been never touch’d by them,

Nor would have touch’d. Patroclus then put his wind to the stream,

And thus exhorted: ‘Now, my friends, remember you express

Your late urg’d virtue and renown, our great Aeacides,

That he being strong’st of all the Greeks, his eminence may dim

All others likewise in our strengths that far off imitate him.

And Agamemnon now may see his fault as general

As his place high, dishonouring him that so much honours all.’

Thus made he sparkle their fresh fire, and on they rush’d; the fleet

Fill’d full her hollow sides with sounds, that terribly did greet

Th’ amazed Trojans, and their eyes did second their amaze

When great Menoetius’ son they saw, and his friend’s armour blaze;

All troops stood troubled with conceit that Peleus’ son was there,

His anger cast off at the ships, and each look’d every where

For some authority to lead the then prepared flight.

Patroclus greeted with a lance the region where the fight

Made strongest tumult, near the ship Protesilaus brought,

And struck Pyrechmen, who before the fair-helm’d Paeons fought,

Led from Amydon, near whose walls the broad-stream’d Axius flows.

Through his right shoulder flew the dart, whose blow struck all the blows

In his pow’r from his pow’rless arm, and down he groaning fell:

His men all flying, their leader fled. This one dart did repel

The whole guard placed about the ship, whose fire extinct, half burn’d,

The Paeons left her, and full cry to clamorous flight return’d.

Then spread the Greeks about their ships, triumphant tumult flow’d,

And as from top of some steep hill the Lightner strips a cloud,

And lets a great sky out from heav’n, in whose delightsome light

All prominent foreheads, forests, tow’rs, and temples clear the sight:

So clear’d these Greeks this Trojan cloud, and at their ships and tents

Obtain’d a little time to breathe, but found no present vents

To their inclusions; nor did Troy (though these Paeonians fled)

Lose any ground, but from this ship they needfully turn’d head.

Then every man a man subdu’d; Patroclus in the thigh

Struck Areïlicus; his dart the bone did break and fly

Quite through, and sunk him to the earth. Good Menelaus slew

Accomplish’d Thoas, in whose breast (being nak’d) his lance he threw

Above his shield, and freed his soul. Phylides (taking note

That bold Amphidus bent on him) prevented him, and smote

His thigh’s extreme part, where (of man) his fattest muscle lies,

The nerves torn with his lance’s pile, and darkness clos’d his eyes.

Antilochus Atymnius seiz’d; his steel lance did impress

His first three guts, and loos’d his life. At young Nestorides,

Maris, Atymnius’ brother flew, and at him, Thrasimed

(The brother to Antilochus); his eager javelin’s head

The muscles of his arm cut out, and shiver’d all the bone;

Night clos’d his eyes, his lifeless corse his brother fell upon,

And so by two kind brothers’ hands did two kind brothers bleed,

Both being divine Sarpedon’s friends, and were the darting seed

Of Amisodarus, that kept the bane of many men,

Abhorr’d Chimaera, and such bane now caught his childeren.

Ajax Oïleades did take Cleobulus alive,

Invading him (stay’d by the press), and at him then let drive

With his short sword, that cut his neck, whose blood warm’d all the steel,

And cold death, with a violent fate, his sable eyes did seal.

Peneleus and Lycon cast together off their darts;

Both miss’d, and both together then went with their swords; in parts

The blade and hilt went, laying on upon the helmet’s height.

Peneleus’ sword caught Lycon’s neck, and cut it thorough quite;

His head hung by the very skin. The swift Meriones

(Pursuing flying Acamas) just as he got access

To horse and chariot, overtook, and took him such a blow

On his right shoulder, that he left his chariot, and did strow

The dusty earth; life left his limbs, and night his eyes possess’d.

Idomenaeus his stern dart at Erymas address’d,

As (like to Acamas) he fled; he cut the sundry bones

Beneath his brain, betwixt his neck and foreparts, and so runs

(Shaking his teeth out) through his mouth, his eyes all drown’d in blood:

So through his nostrils and his mouth (that now dart-open stood)

He breath’d his spirit. Thus had death from every Grecian chief

A chief of Troy. For, as to kids or lambs their cruell’st thief,

The wolf, steals in, and when he sees that by the shepherd’s sloth

The dams are sperst about the hills, then serves his ravenous tooth

With ease, because his prey is weak: so serv’d the Greeks their foes,

Discerning well how shrieking flight did all their spirits dispose,

Their biding virtues quite forgot; and now the natural spleen

That Ajax bore to Hector still by all means would have been

Within his bosom with a dart: but he, that knew the war

(Well cover’d in a well-lin’d shield), did well perceive how far

The arrows and the javelins reach’d, by being within their sounds

And ominous singings, and observ’d the there-inclining bounds

Of conquest, in her aid of him, and so obey’d her change,

Took safest course for him and his, and stood to her as strange.

And as when Jove intends a storm, he lets out of the stars,

From steep Olympus, a black cloud that all heav’n’s splendour bars

From men on earth: so from the hearts of all the Trojan host,

All comfort lately found from Jove in flight and cries was lost.

Nor made they any fair retreat; Hector’s unruly horse

Would needs retire him; and he left engag’d his Trojan force,

Forc’d by the steepness of the dike, that in ill place they took,

And kept them that would fain have gone. Their horses quite forsook

A number of the Trojan kings, and left them in the dike,

Their chariots in their foreteams broke. Patroclus then did strike

While steel was hot, and cheer’d his friends, nor meant his enemies good;

Who when they once began to fly, each way receiv’d a flood,

And chok’d themselves with drifts of dust. And now were clouds begot

Beneath the clouds; with flight and noise the horse neglected not

Their home intendments; and where rout was busiest, there pour’d on

Patroclus most exhorts and threats; and then lay overthrown

Numbers beneath their axle-trees, who (lying in flight’s stream)

Made th’ after chariots jot and jump, in driving over them.

Th’ immortal horse Patroclus rode did pass the dike with ease,

And wish’d the depth and danger more: and Menetiades

As great a spirit had to reach retiring Hector’s haste;

But his fleet horse had too much law, and fetch’d him off too fast.

And as in autumn the black earth is loaden with the storms

That Jove in gluts of rain pours down, being angry with the forms

Of judgment in authoris’d men, that in their courts maintain

(With violent office) wrested laws, and (fearing gods nor men)

Exile all justice, for whose faults whole fields are overflown,

And many valleys cut away, with torrents headlong thrown

From neighbour mountains, till the sea receive them, roaring in,

And judg’d men’s labours then are vain, plagued for their judge’s sin:

So now the foul defaults of some all Troy were laid upon;

So like those torrents roar’d they back to windy Ilion;

And so like tempests blew the horse, with ravishing back again

Those hot assailants, all their works at fleet now render’d vain.

Patroclus (when he had dispers’d the foremost phalanxes)

Call’d back his forces to the fleet, and would not let them press

As they desir’d, too near the town, but ’twixt the ships and flood,

And their steep rampire, his hand steep’d revenge in seas of blood.

Then Pronous was first that fell beneath his fiery lance,

Which struck his bare breast, near his shield. The second, Thestor’s chance

(Old Enops’ son) did make himself, who shrinking and set close

In his fair seat (even with th’ approach Patroclus made) did lose

All manly courage; in so much, that from his hands his reins

Fell flowing down, and his right jaw Patroclus’ lance attains,

Struck through his teeth, and there it stuck, and by it to him drew

Dead Thestor to his chariot; it show’d, as when you view

An angler from some prominent rock draw with his line and hook

A mighty fish out of the sea: for so the Greek did pluck

The Trojan gaping from his seat; his jaws op’d with the dart,

Which when Patroclus drew, he fell; his life and breast did part,

Then rush’d he on Euryalus, at whom he hurl’d a stone,

Which strake his head so in the midst, that two were made of one;

Two ways it fell, cleft through his casque: and then Tlepolemus,

Epaltes, Damastorides, Evippus, Echius,

Ipheas, bold Amphoterus, and valiant Erymas,

And Polymelus (by his sire surnam’d Argeadas)

He heap’d upon the much-fed earth. When Jove’s most worthy son

(Divine Sarpedon) saw these friends thus stay’d, and others run:

‘O shame! Why fly ye?’ then he cried; ‘now show ye feet enow.

On, keep your way, myself will meet the man that startles you,

To make me understand his name, that flaunts in conquest thus,

And hath so many able knees so soon dissolv’d to us.’

Down jump’d he from his chariot, down leap’d his foe as light:

And as on some far-looking rock a cast of vultures fight,

Fly on each other, strike and truss, part, meet, and then stick by,

Tug both with crooked beaks and seres, cry, fight, and fight and cry:

So fiercely fought these angry kings and show’d as bitter galls.

Jove (turning eyes to this stern fight) his wife and sister calls,

And much mov’d for the Lycian prince, said: ‘O that to my son,

Fate, by this day and man, should cut a thread so nobly spun.

Two minds distract me: if I should now ravish him from fight,