Complete Works of Homer

by Homer

And borne me to some desert hill, or hid me in the rage

  Of earth's most far-resounding seas, ere I should thus engage

  The dear lives of so many friends! Yet since the Gods have been

  Helpless foreseers of my plagues, they might have likewise seen

  That he they put in yoke with me, to bear out their award,

  Had been a man of much more spirit, and, or had noblier dared

  To shield mine honour with this deed, or with his mind had known.

  Much better the upbraids of men, that so he might have' shown

  (More like a man) some sense of grief for both my shame and his.

  But he is . senseless, nor conceives what any manhood is,

  Nor now, nor ever after will, and therefore hangs I fear,

  A plague above him. But come near, good brother; rest you here,

  Who, of the world of men, stands charged with most unrest for me,

  Vile wretch, and for my lover's wrong, on whom a destiny

  So bitter is imposed by Jove, that all succeeding times

  Will put, to our unended shames, in all men's mouths our crimes."

  He answered: " Helen, do not seek to make me sit with thee;

  I must not stay, though well I know thy honoured love of me.

  My mind calls forth to aid our friends, in whom my absence breeds

  Longings to see me; for whose sakes, importune thou to deeds

  This man by all means, that your care may make his own make hast

  And meet me in the open town, that all may see at last

  He minds his lover. I myself will now go home, and see

  My household, my dear wife, and son, that little hope of me;

  For, sister, 'tis without my skill,, if I shall evermore

  Return, and see them, or to earth, her right in me, restore.

  The Gods may stoop me by the Greeks." This said, he went to see

  The virtuous princess, his true wife, white-armed Andromache.

  She, with her infant son and maid, was climbed the tower, about

  The sight of him that sought for her, weeping and crying out.

  Hector, not finding her at home, was going forth, retired,

  Stood in the gate, her woman called, and curiously inquired

  Where she was gone; bad tell him true, if she were gone to see

  His sisters, or his brothers' wives; or whether she should be

  At temple with the other dames, to implore Minerva's ruth.

  Her woman answered: Since he asked, and urged so much the truth,

  The truth was she was neither gone to see his brothers' wives,

  His sisters, nor to implore the ruth of Pallas on their lives;

  But she (advertised of the bane Troy suffered, and how vast

  Conquest had made herself for Greece) like one distraught, made hast

  To ample Ilion with her son, and nurse, and all the way

  Mourned, and dissolved in tears for him. Then Hector made no stay;

  But trod her path, and through the streets, magnificently built,

  All the great city passed, and came where, seeing how blood was spilt,

  Andromache might see him come; who made as he would pass

  The ports without saluting her, not knowing where she was.

  She, with his sight, made breathless haste to meet him; she, whose grace '

  Brought him withal so great a dower; she that of all the race

  Of king Aetion only lived, Aetion, whose house stood

  Beneath the mountain Placius, environed with the wood

  Of Theban Hypoplace, being court to the Cilician land.

  She ran to Hector, and with her, tender of heart and hand,

  Her son, borne in his nurse's arms; when, like a heavenly sign,

  Compact of many golden stars, the princely child did shine,

  Whom Hector called Scamandrius, but whom the town did name

  Astyanax, because his sire did only prop the same.

  Hector, though grief bereft his speech, yet smiled upon his joy.

  Andromache cried out, mixed hands, and to the strength of Troy

  Thus wept forth her affection : " O noblest in desire!

  Thy mind, inflamed with others' good, will set thyself on fire.

  Nor pitiest thou thy son, nor wife, who must thy widow be

  If now thou issue; all the field will only run on thee.

  Better my shoulders underwent the earth, than thy decease;

  For then would earth bear joys no more; then comes the black increase

  Of griefs, like Greeks, on Ilion. Alas! What one survives

  To be my refuge? One black day bereft seven brothers' lives,

  By stern Achilles; by his hand my father breathed his last,

  His high-walled rich Cilician Thebes sacked by him, and laid wast;

  The royal body yet he left unspoiled; religion charmed

  That act of spoil; and all in fire he burned him complete armed;

  Built over him a royal tomb; and to the monument

  He left of him th' Oreades (that are the high descent

  Of iEgis-bearing Jupiter) another of their own

  Did add to it, and set it round with elms; by which is shown,

  In theirs, the barrenness of death; yet might it serve beside

  To shelter the sad monument from all the ruffinous pride

  Of storms and tempests, used to hurt things of that noble kind.

  The short life yet my mother lived he saved, and served his mind

  With all the riches of the realm; which not enough esteemed,

  He kept her prisoner, whom small time, but much more wealth, redeemed,

  And she, in sylvan Hypoplace, Cilicia ruled again,

  But soon was over-ruled by death; Diana's chaste disdain

  Gave her a lance, and took her life. Yet, all these gone from me,

  Thou amply render'st all; thy life makes still my father be,

  My mother, brother; and besides thou art my husband too;

  Most loved, most worthy. Pity then, dear love, and do not go;

  For thou gone, all these go again : pity our common joy,

  Lest, of a father's patronage, the bulwark of all Troy,

  Thou leav'st him a poor widow's charge. Stay, stay then, in this tower,

  And call up to the wild fig-tree all thy retired power;

  For there the wall is easiest scaled, and fittest for surprise,

  And there, th' Ajaces, Idomen, th' Atrides, Diomed, thrice

  Have both surveyed and made attempt, I know not if induced

  By some wise augury, or the fact was naturally infused

  Into their wits,, or courages." To this, great Hector said :

  “Be well assured, wife, all these things in my kind cares are weighed.

  But what a shame, and fear, it is to think how Troy would scorn

  (Both in her husbands and her wives, whom long-trained gowns adorn)

  That I should cowardly fly off! The spirit I first did breath

  Did never teach me that; much less, since the contempt of death

  Was settled in me, and my mind knew what a worthy was

  Whose office is to lead in fight, and give no danger pass

  Without improvement. In this fire must Hector's trial shine;

  Here must his country, father, friends, be, in him, made divine.

  And such a stormy day shall come (in mind and soul I know)

  When sacred Troy shall shed her towers for tears of overthrow,

  When Priam, all his birth and power, shall in those tears be drowned.

  But neither Troy's posterity so much my soul doth wound,

  Priam, nor Hecuba herself, nor all my brothers' woes,

  (Who though so many, and so good, must all be food for foes)

  As thy sad state, when some rude Greek shall lead thee weeping hence,

  These free days clouded, and a night of captive violence

  Loading thy temples, out of which thine ey
es must never see,

  But spin the Greek wives' webs of task, and their fetch-water be

  To Argos, from Messeides, or clear Hyperia's spring;

  Which howsoever thou abhorr'st, Fate's such a shrewish thing

  She will be mistress; whose cursed hands, when they shall crush out crics

  From thy oppressions (being beheld by other enemies)

  Thus they will nourish thy extremes: ' This dame was Hector's wife,

  A man that, at the wars of Troy, did breathe the worthiest life

  Of all. their army!' This again will rub thy fruitful wounds,

  To miss the man that to thy bands could give such narrow bounds.

  But that day shall not wound mine eyes; the solid heap of night

  Shall interpose, and stop mine ears against thy plaints, and plight."

  This said, he reached to take his son, who, of his arms afraid,

  And then the horse-hair plume, with which he was so overlaid,

  Nodded so horribly, he clinged back to his nurse, and cried.

  Laughter affected his great sire, who doffed, and laid aside,

  His fearful helm, that on the earth cast round about it light,

  Then took and kissed his loving son, and (balancing his weight

  Iu dancing him) these loving vows to living Jove he used,

  And all the other bench of Gods : " O you that have infused

  Soul to this infant, now set down this blessing on his star; —

  Let his renown be clear as mine; equal his strength in war;

  And make his reign so strong in Troy, that years to come may yield

  His facts this fame, when, rich in spoils, he leaves the conquered field

  Sown with his slaughters : ' These high deeds exceed his father's worth.'

  And let this echoed praise supply the comforts to come forth

  Of his kind mother with my life." This said, th' heroic sire

  Gave him his mother, whose fair eyes fresh streams of love's salt fire

  Billowed on her soft cheeks, to hear the last of Hector's speech,

  In which his vows comprised the sum of all he did beseech

  In her wished comfort. So she took into her odorous breast

  Her husband's gift; who, moved to see her heart so much oppressed,

  He dried her tears, and thus desired : " Afflict me not, dear wife,

  With these vain griefs. He doth not live that can disjoin my life

  And this firm bosom, but my fate; and fate, whose wings can fly 1

  Noble, ignoble, fate controls. Once born, the best must die.

  Go home, and set thy housewifery on these extremes of thought;

  And drive war from them with thy maids; keep them from doing nought:

  These will he nothing; leave the cares of war to men, and me

  In whom of all the Ilion race they take their high'st degree."

  On went his helm; his princess home, half cold with kindly fears,

  When every fear turned hack her looks, and every look shed tears.

  Foe-slaughtering Hector's house soon reached, her many women there

  Wept all to see her; in his life great Hector's funerals were;

  Never looked any eye of theirs to see their lord safe home,

  'Scaped from the gripes and powers of Greece. And now was Paris come

  From his high towers; who made no stay, when once he had put on

  His richest armour, but flew forth; the flints he trod upon

  Sparkled with lustre of his arms; his long-ebbed spirits now flowed

  The higher for their lower ebb. And as a fair steed proud

  With full-given mangers, long tied up, and now, his head-stall broke,

  He breaks from stable, runs the field, and with an ample stroke

  Measures the centre, neighs, and lifts aloft his wanton head,

  About his shoulders shakes his crest, and where he hath been fed,

  Or in some calm flood washed, or, stung with his high plight, he flics

  Amongst his females, strength put forth, his beauty beautifies,

  And, like life's mirror, bears his gait; so Paris from the tower

  Of lofty Pergamus came forth; he showed a sun-like power

  In carriage of his goodly parts, addressed now to the strife;

  And found his noble'brother near the place he left his wife.

  Him thus respected he salutes : " Right worthy, I have fear

  That your so serious haste to field my stay hath made forbear,

  And that I come not as you wish." He answered : " Honoured man,

  Be confident, for not myself, nor any others, can

  Reprove in thee the work of fight, at least, not any such

  As is an equal judge of things; for thou hast strength as much

  As serves to execute a mind very important, but

  Thy strength too readily flies off, enough will is not put

  To thy ability. My heart is in my mind's strife sad,

  When Troy '(out of her much distress she and her friends have had

  By thy procurement) doth deprave thy noblesse in mine ears.

  But come, hereafter we shall calm these hard conceits of theirs,

  When, from their ports the foe expulsed, high Jove to them hath given

  Wished peace, and us free sacrifice to all the Powers of heaven."

  BOOK VII.

  ARGUMENT.

  Hector, by Helenus' advice, doth seek

  Adventurous combat on the boldest Greek.

  Nine Greeks stand up, acceptants every one,

  But lot selects strong Ajax Telanion.

  Both, with high honour, stand tK important fight,

  Till heralds part them by approached night.

  Lastly, they grave the dead. The Greeks erect

  A mighty wall their navy to protect;

  Which angers Neptune. Jove, by hapless signs,

  In depth of night, succeeding woes divines.

  ANOTHER ARGUMENT.

  In Eta, Priam's strongest son

  Combats with Ajax Telamon.

  THIS said, brave Hector through the ports, with Troy's bane-

  bringing knight,

  Made issue to th' insatiate field, resolved to fervent fight.

  And as the Weather-wielder sends to seamen prosperous gales,

  When with their sallow polished oars, long lifted from their

  falls,

  Their wearied arms, dissolved with toil, can scarce strike one stroke more;

  Like those sweet 'winds appeared these lords to Trojans tired before.

  Then fell they to the works of death. By Paris' valour fell

  King Areithous' hapless son, that did in Arna dwell,

  Menesthius, whose renowned sire a club did ever bear,

  And of Phylomedusa gat, that had her eyes so clear,

  This slaughtered issue. Hector's dart struck Eioneus dead;

  Beneath his good steel casque it pierced above his gorget-stead.

  Glaucus, Hippolochus's son, that led the Lycian crew,

  Iphinous-Dexiades with sudden javelin slew,

  As he was mounting to his horse; his shoulders took the spear,

  And ere he sate, in tumbling down, his powers dissolved were.

  When gray-eyed Pallas had perceived the Greeks so fall in fight,

  From high Olympus' top she stooped, and did on Ilion light.

  Apollo to encounter her to Pergamus did fly,

  From whence he, looking to the field, wished Trojans' victory.

  At Jove's broad beech these Godheads met; and first Jove's son objects:

  '' Why, burning in contention thus, do thy extreme affects

  Conduct thee from our peaceful hill? Is it to oversway

  The doubtful victory of fight, and give the Greeks the day?

  Thou never pitiest perishing Troy. Yet now let me persuade,

  That this day no more mortal wounds may either side invade.

  Hereafter, till the end of Troy, the
y shall apply the fight,

  Since your immortal wills resolve to overturn it quite."

  Pallas replied : " It likes me well; for this came I from heaven;

  But to make either army cease, what order shall be given? "

  He said : '' We will direct the spirit that burns in Hector's breast

  To challenge any Greek to wounds, with single powers impressed;

  Which Greeks, admiring, will accept, and make some one stand out

  So stout a challenge to receive with a defence as stout.''

  It is confirmed; and Helenus (king Priam's loved seed)

  By augury discerned th' event that these two powers decreed.

  And greeting Hector asked him this : " Wilt thou be once advised?

  I am thy brother, and thy life with mine is evenly prized.

  Command the rest of Troy and Greece to cease this public fight,

  And, what Greek bears the greatest mind, to single strokes excite.

  I promise thee that yet thy soul shall not descend to fates;

  So heard I thy survival cast by the celestial States."

  Hector with glad allowance gave his brother's counsel ear,

  And, fronting both the hosts, advanced just in the midst his spear.

  The Trojans instantly surcease; the Greeks Atrides stayed.

  The God that bears the silver bow, "and war's triumphant Maid,

  On Jove's beech like two vultures sat, pleased to behold both parts

  Flow in to hear, so sternly armed with huge shields, helms, and darts.

  And such fresh horror as you see driven through the wrinkled waves

  By rising Zephyr, under whom the sea grows black, and raves;

  Such did the hasty gathering troops of both hosts make to hear;

  Whose tumult settled, 'twixt them both, thus spake the challenger :

  “Hear, Trojans, and ye well-armed Greeks, what my strong mind, diffused

  Through all my spirits, commands me speak: Saturnius hath not used

  His promised favour for our truce, but, studying both our ills,

  Will never cease, till Mars, by you, bis ravenous stomach fills

  With ruined Troy, or we consume your mighty sea-borne fleet.

  Since then the general peers of Greece in reach of one voice meet,

  Amongst you all, whose breast includes the most impulsive mind,

  Let him stand forth as combatant, by all the rest designed.

  Before whom thus I call high Jove to witness of our strife : —

  If he with home-thrust iron can reach th' exposure of my life,

  Spoiling my arms, let him at will convey them to his tent,