by Homer
Renowned Atrides, at thy will be kept, as justice would,
Or keep thy gifts; 'tis all in thee. The council now we hold
Is for repairing our main field with all our fortitude.
My fair show made brooks no retreat, nor must delays delude
Our deed's expectance. Yet undone the great work is. All eyes
Must see Achilles in first fight depeopling enemies,
As well as counsel it in court, that every man set on
May choose his man to imitate my exercise upon."
Ulysses answered : " Do not yet, thou man made like the Gods,
Take fasting men to field. Suppose that whatsoever odds
It brings against them with full men, thy boundless eminence
Can amply answer, yet refrain to tempt a violence.
The conflict wearing out our men was late, and held as long,
Wherein, though most Jove stood for Troy, he yet made our part strong
To bear that most. But 'twas to bear, and that breeds little heart.
Let wine and bread then add to it: they help the twofold part,
The soul and body, in a man, both force and fortitude.
All day men cannot fight and fast, though never so indued
With, minds to fight; for, that supposed, there lurks yet secretly
Thirst, hunger, in th' oppressed joints which no mind can supply.
They take away a marcher's knees. Men's bodies throughly fed,
Their minds share with them in their strength; and, all day combated,
One stirs not, till you call off all. Dismiss them then to meat,
And let Atrides tender here, in sight of all this seat,
The gifts he promised. Let him swear before us all, and rise
To that oath, that he never touched in any wanton wise
The lady he enforced. Besides, that he remains in mind
As chastely satisfied; not touched, or privily inclined
With future vantages. And last, 'tis fit he should approve
All these rites at a solemn feast in honour of your love,
That so you take no mangled law for merits absolute.
And thus the honours you receive, resolving the pursuit
Of your friend's quarrel, well will quit your sorrow for your friend.
And thou, Atrides, in the taste of so severe an end,
Hereafter may on others hold a juster government;
Nor will it ought impair a king to give a sound content
To any subject soundly wronged." " I joy," replied the king,
“O Laertiades, to hear thy liberal counselling;
In which is all decorum kept, nor any point lacks touch
That might be thought on to conclude a reconcilement such
As fits example, and us two. My mind yet makes me swear,
Not your impulsion; and that mind shall rest so kind and clear,
That I will not forswear to God. Let then Achilles stay,
Though never so inflamed for fight, and all men here I pray
To stay, till from my tents these gifts be brought here, and the truce
At all parts finished before all. And thou of all I choose,
Divine Ulysses, and command to choose of all your host
Youths of most honour, to present to him we honour most
The gifts we late vowed, and the dames. Mean space about our tents
Talthyhius shall provide a boar, to crown these kind events
With thankful sacrifice to Jove and to the God of Light."
Achilles answered : " These affairs will show more requisite,
Great king of men, some other time, when our more free estates
Yield fit cessation from the war, and when my spleen abates;
But now, to all our shames besides, our friends by Hector slain
(And Jove to friend) lie unfetched off. Haste, then, and meat your men,
Though, I must still say, my command would lead them fasting forth,
And all together feast at night. Meat will be something worth
When stomachs first have made it way with venting infamy,
And other sorrows late sustained, with longed-for wreaks, that lie
Heavy upon them, for right's sake. Before which load be got
From off my stomach, meat nor drink, I vow, shall down my throat,
My friend being dead, who digged with wounds, and bored through both his feet,
Lies in the entry of my tent, and in the tears doth fleet
Of his associates. Meat and drink have little merit then
To comfort me, but blood, and death, and deadly groans of men.''
The great in counsels yet made good his former counsels thus :
' O Peleus' son, of all the Greeks by much most valorous,
Better and mightier than myself no little with thy lance
I yield thy worth; in wisdom, yet, no less I dare advance
My right above thee, since above in years, and knowing more.
Let then thy mind rest in thy words. We quickly shall have store
And all satiety of fight, whose steel heaps store of straw
And little corn upon a floor, when Jove, that doth withdraw
And join all battles, once begins t' incline his balances,
In which he weighs the lives of men. The Greeks you must not press
To mourning with the belly; death hath nought to do with that
In healthful men that mourn for friends. His steel we stumble at,
And fall at, every day, you see, sufficient store, and fast.
What hour is it that any breathes? We must not use more haste
Than speed holds fit for our revenge. Nor should we mourn too much.
Who dead is must be buried. Men's patience should be such
That one day's moan should serve one man. The dead must end with death,
And life last with what strengthens life. All those that held their breath
From death in fight the more should eat, that so they may supply
Their fellows that have stuck in field, and fight incessantly.
Let none expect reply to this, nor stay; for this shall stand
Or fall with some offence to him that looks for new command,
Whoever in dislike holds back. All join then, all things fit
Allowed for all; set on a charge, at all parts answering it."
This said, he choosed, for noblest youths to bear the presents, these :
The sons of Nestor, and with them renowned Meriones,
Phylides, Thoas, Lycomed, and Meges, all which went,
And Menalippus, following Ulysses to the tent
Of Agamemnon. He but spake, and with the word the deed
Had joined effect. The fitness well was answered in the speed.
The presents, added to the dame, the General did enforce,
Were twenty caldrons, tripods seven, twelve young and goodly horse.
Seven ladies excellently seen in all Minerva's skill,
The eighth Briseis who had power to ravish every will;
Twelve talents of the finest gold, all which Ulysses weighed
And carried first, and after him the other youths conveyed
The other presents, tendered all in face of all the court.
Up rose the king. Talthybius, whose voice had a report
Like to a God, called to the rites. There having brought the boar,
Atrides with his knife took say upon the part before,
And lifting up his sacred hands to Jove to make his vows,
Grave silence struck the complete court, when, casting his high brows
Up to the broad heaven, thus he spake: " Now witness, Jupiter,
First, highest, and thou best of Gods; thou Earth that all doest bear;
Thou Sun; ye Furies under earth that every soul torment
Whom impious perjury distains; that nought incontinent
In bed, or any other act to any slend'rest touch
&nbs
p; Of my light vows, hath wronged the dame; and let my plagues be such
As are inflicted by the Gods, in all extremity
Of whomsoever perjured men, if godless perjury
In least degree dishonour me." This said, the bristled throat
Of the submitted sacrifice with ruthless steel he cut;
Which straight into the hoary sea Talthybius cast, to feed
The sea-born nation. Then stood up the half-celestial seed
Of fair-haired Thetis, strength'ning thus Atrides' innocence :
“O father Jupiter, from thee descends the confluence
Of all man's ill, for now I see the mighty king of men
At no hand forced away my prize, nor first inflamed my spleen
With any set ill in himself, but thou, the King of Gods,
Incensed with Greece, made that the mean to all their periods.
Which now amend we as we may, and give all suffrages
To what wise Ithacus advised; take breakfasts, and address
For instant conflict." Thus he raised the court, and all took way
To several ships. The Myrmidons the presents did convey
T' Achilles' fleet, and in his tents disposed them, doing grace
Of seat and all rites to the dames; the horses put in place
With others of Aeacides. When, like love's golden Queen,
Briseis all in ghastly wounds had dead Patroclus seen,
She fell about him, shrieking out, and with her white hands tore
Her hair, breasts, radiant cheeks, and, drowned in warm tears, did deplore
His cruel destiny. At length she gat power to express
Her violent passion, and thus spake this like-the-goddesses :
“O good Patroclus, to my life the dearest grace it had,
I, wretched dame, departing hence, enforced, and dying sad,
Left thee alive, when thou hadst cheered my poor captivity,
And now returned I find thee dead; misery on misery
Ever increasing with my steps. The lord to whom my sire
And dearest mother gave my life in nuptials, his life's fire
I saw before our city gates extinguished, and his fate
Three of my worthy brothers' lives, in one womb generate,
Felt all in that black day of death. And when Achilles' hand
Had slain all these, and rased the town Mynetes did command,
(All cause of never-ending griefs presented) thou took'st all
On thy endeavour to convert to joy as general,
Affirming he that hurt should heal, and thou wouldst make thy friend,
Brave captain that thou wert, supply my vowed husband's end,
And in rich Phthia celebrate amongst his Myrmidons,
Our nuptial banquets; for wh'ch grace with these most worthy moans
I never shall be satiate, thou ever being kind,
Ever delightsome, one sweet grace fed still with one sweet mind."
Thus spake she weeping, and with her did th' other ladies moan
Patroclus' fortunes in pretext, but in sad truth their own.
About ^acides himself the kings of Greece were placed,
Entreating him to food; and he entreated them as fast,
Still intermixing words and sighs, if any friend were there
Of all his dearest, they would cease, and offer him no cheer
But his due sorrows, for before the sun had left that sky
He would not eat, but of that day sustain th' extremity.
Thus all the kings, in resolute grief and fasting, he dismissed;
But both th' Atrides, Ithacus, and war's old martialist,
Idomeneus and his friend, and Phoenix, these remained
Endeavouring comfort, but no thought of his vowed woe restrained.
Nor could, till that day's bloody fight had calmed his blood; he still
Remembered something of his friend, whose good was all his ill.
Their urging meat the diligent fashion of his friend renewed
In that excitement: " Thou," said he, " when this speed was pursued
Against the Trojans, evermore apposedst in my tent
A pleasing breakfast; being so free, and sweetly diligent,
Thou mad'st all meat sweet. Then the war was tearful to our foe,
But now to me; thy wounds so wound me, and thy overthrow;
For which my ready food I fly, and on tby longings feed.
Nothing could more afflict me; Fame relating the foul deed
Of my dear father's slaughter, blood drawn from my sole son's heart,
No more could wound me. Cursed man, that in this foreign part
(For hateful Helen) my true love, my country, sire, and son,
I thus should part with. Scyros now gives education,
O Neoptolemus, to thee, if living yet; from whence
1 hoped, dear friend, thy longer life safely returned from hence,
And my life quitting thine, had pow'r to ship him home, and show
His young eyes Phthia, subjects, court; my father being now
Dead, or most short-lived, troublous age oppressing him, and fear
Still of my death's news." These sad words he blew into the ear
Of every visitant with sighs, all echoed by the peers,
Rememb'ring who they left at home. All whose so humane tears
Jove pitied; and, since they all would in the good of one
Be much revived, he thus bespake Minerva: " Thetis' son
Now, daughter, thou hast quite forgot. O, is Achilles' care
Extinguished in thee 1 Prostrated in most extreme ill fare
He lies before his high-sailed fleet for his dead friend; the rest
Are strength'ning them with meat, but he lies desperately oppressed
With heartless fasting. Go thy ways, and to his breast instil
Red nectar and ambrosia, that fast procure no ill
To his near enterprise." This spur he added to the free,
And, like a harpy, with a voice that shrieks so dreadfully,
And feathers that like needles pricked, she stooped through all the stars
Amongst the Grecians, all whose tents were now filled for the wars;
Her seres struck through Achilles' tent, and closely she instilled
Heaven's most-to-be-desired feast to his great breast, and filled
His sinews with that sweet supply, for fear unsavoury fast
Should creep into his knees. Herself the skies again enchased.
The host set forth, and poured his steel waves far out of the fleet.
And as from air the frosty north wind blows a cold thick sleet,
That dazzles eyes, flakes after flakes incessantly descending;
So thick, helms, curets, ashen darts, and round shields, never ending,
Flowed from the navy's hollow womb. Their splendours gave heaven's eye
His beams again. Earth laughed to see her face so like the sky;
Arms shined so hot, and she such clouds made with the dust she cast,
She thundered, feet of men and horse importuned her so fast.
In midst of all, divine Achilles his fair person armed,
His teeth gnashed as he stood, his eyes so full of fire they warmed,
Unsuff'ered grief and anger at the Trojans so combined.
His greaves first used, his goodly curets on his bosom shined,
His sword, his shield that cast a brightness from it like the moon.
And as from sea sailors discern a harmful fire let run
By herdsmen's faults, till all their stall flies up in wrastling flame,
Which being on hills is seen far off, but being alone, none came
To give it quench, at shore no neighbours, and at sea their friends
Driven off with tempests; such a fire from his bright shield extends
His ominous radiance, and in heaven impressed his fervent blaze.
His crested helmet, grave and high, had next tr
iumphant place
On his curled head, and like a star it cast a spurry ray,
About which a bright thick'ned bush of golden hair did play,
Which Vulcan forged him for his plume. Thus complete armed, he tried
How fit they were, and if his motion could with ease abide
Their brave instruction; and so far they were from hind'riug it,
That to it they were nimble wings, and made so light his spirit,
That from the earth the princely captain they took up to air.
Then from his armoury he drew his lance, his father's spear,
Huge, weighty, firm, that not a Greek but he himself alone
Knew how to shake; it grew upon the mountain Pelion,
From whose height Chiron hewed it for his sire, and fatal 'twas
BOOK XX.
ARGUMENT.
By Jove's permission all the Gods descend
To aid on both parts. For the Greeks contend
Juno, Minerva, Neptune, Mulciber,
And Mercury. The Deities that prefer
The Trojan part are Phaibus, Cyprides,
Phce.be, Latona, and the Foe to peace,
With bright Scamander. Neptune in a mist
Preserves JEneas daring to. resist
Achilles, by whose hand much scathe is done,
Besides the slaughter of old Priam's son
Young Poly dor, whose rescue Hector makes;
Him flying, Phoebus to his rescue takes.
The rest, all shunning their importuned fates,
Achilles beats even to the Ilian gates.
ANOTHER ARGUMENT.
In Upsilon, Strife stirs in heaven,
The day's grace to the Greeks is given.
THE Greeks thus armed, and made insatiate with desire of fight,
About thee, Peleus' son, the foe, in ground of greatest height,
Stood opposite, ranged. Then Jove charged Themis from Olympus' top
To call a court. She every way dispersed, and summoned up
All deities; not any flood, besides Oceanus,
But made appearance; not a nymph (that arbours odorous,
The heads of floods and flowery meadows make their sweet abodes)
Was absent there; but all at his court, that is King of Gods,
Assembled, and, in lightsome seats of admirable frame
Performed for Jove by Vulcan, sat. Even angry Neptune came,
Nor heard the Goddess with unwilling ear, but with the rest
Made free ascension from the sea, and did his state invest
In midst of all, began the council, and inquired of Jove