The Fall of Troy [50]
cliff-like wall, Ceteian men and Trojans: babel of talk Rose from the feasters: all around the glow Of blazing campfires lighted up the tents: Pealed out the pipe's sweet voice, and hautboys rang With their clear-shrilling reeds; the witching strain Of lyres was rippling round. From far away The Argives gazed and marvelled, seeing the plain Aglare with many fires, and hearing notes Of flutes and lyres, neighing of chariot-steeds And pipes, the shepherd's and the banquet's joy. Therefore they bade their fellows each in turn Keep watch and ward about the tents till dawn, Lest those proud Trojans feasting by their walls Should fall on them, and set the ships aflame.
Within the halls of Paris all this while With kings and princes Telephus' hero son Feasted; and Priam and the sons of Troy Each after each prayed him to play the man Against the Argives, and in bitter doom To lay them low; and blithe he promised all. So when they had supped, each hied him to his home; But there Eurypylus laid him down to rest Full nigh the feast-hall, in the stately bower Where Paris theretofore himself had slept With Helen world-renowned. A bower it was Most wondrous fair, the goodliest of them all. There lay he down; but otherwhere their rest Took they, till rose the bright-throned Queen of Morn. Up sprang with dawn the son of Telephus, And passed to the host with all those other kings In Troy abiding. Straightway did the folk All battle-eager don their warrior-gear, Burning to strike in forefront of the fight. And now Eurypylus clad his mighty limbs In armour that like levin-flashes gleamed; Upon his shield by cunning hands were wrought All the great labours of strong Hercules.
Thereon were seen two serpents flickering Black tongues from grimly jaws: they seemed in act To dart; but Hercules' hands to right and left -- Albeit a babe's hands -- now were throttling them; For aweless was his spirit. As Zeus' strength From the beginning was his strength. The seed Of Heaven-abiders never deedless is Nor helpless, but hath boundless prowess, yea, Even when in the womb unborn it lies.
Nemea's mighty lion there was seen Strangled in the strong arms of Hercules, His grim jaws dashed about with bloody foam: He seemed in verity gasping out his life.
Thereby was wrought the Hydra many-necked Flickering its dread tongues. Of its fearful heads Some severed lay on earth, but many more Were budding from its necks, while Hercules And Iolaus, dauntless-hearted twain, Toiled hard; the one with lightning sickle-sweeps Lopped the fierce heads, his fellow seared each neck With glowing iron; the monster so was slain.
Thereby was wrought the mighty tameless Boar With foaming jaws; real seemed the pictured thing, As by Aleides' giant strength the brute Was to Eurystheus living borne on high.
There fashioned was the fleetfoot stag which laid The vineyards waste of hapless husbandmen. The Hero's hands held fast its golden horns, The while it snorted breath of ravening fire.
Thereon were seen the fierce Stymphalian Birds, Some arrow-smitten dying in the dust, Some through the grey air darting in swift flight. At this, at that one -- hot in haste he seemed -- Hercules sped the arrows of his wrath.
Augeias' monstrous stable there was wrought With cunning craft on that invincible targe; And Hercules was turning through the same The deep flow of Alpheius' stream divine, While wondering Nymphs looked down on every hand Upon that mighty work. Elsewhere portrayed Was the Fire-breathing Bull: the Hero's grip On his strong horns wrenched round the massive neck: The straining muscles on his arm stood out: The huge beast seemed to bellow. Next thereto Wrought on the shield was one in beauty arrayed As of a Goddess, even Hippolyta. The hero by the hair was dragging her From her swift steed, with fierce resolve to wrest With his strong hands the Girdle Marvellous From the Amazon Queen, while quailing shrank away The Maids of War. There in the Thracian land Were Diomedes' grim man-eating steeds: These at their gruesome mangers had he slain, And dead they
Within the halls of Paris all this while With kings and princes Telephus' hero son Feasted; and Priam and the sons of Troy Each after each prayed him to play the man Against the Argives, and in bitter doom To lay them low; and blithe he promised all. So when they had supped, each hied him to his home; But there Eurypylus laid him down to rest Full nigh the feast-hall, in the stately bower Where Paris theretofore himself had slept With Helen world-renowned. A bower it was Most wondrous fair, the goodliest of them all. There lay he down; but otherwhere their rest Took they, till rose the bright-throned Queen of Morn. Up sprang with dawn the son of Telephus, And passed to the host with all those other kings In Troy abiding. Straightway did the folk All battle-eager don their warrior-gear, Burning to strike in forefront of the fight. And now Eurypylus clad his mighty limbs In armour that like levin-flashes gleamed; Upon his shield by cunning hands were wrought All the great labours of strong Hercules.
Thereon were seen two serpents flickering Black tongues from grimly jaws: they seemed in act To dart; but Hercules' hands to right and left -- Albeit a babe's hands -- now were throttling them; For aweless was his spirit. As Zeus' strength From the beginning was his strength. The seed Of Heaven-abiders never deedless is Nor helpless, but hath boundless prowess, yea, Even when in the womb unborn it lies.
Nemea's mighty lion there was seen Strangled in the strong arms of Hercules, His grim jaws dashed about with bloody foam: He seemed in verity gasping out his life.
Thereby was wrought the Hydra many-necked Flickering its dread tongues. Of its fearful heads Some severed lay on earth, but many more Were budding from its necks, while Hercules And Iolaus, dauntless-hearted twain, Toiled hard; the one with lightning sickle-sweeps Lopped the fierce heads, his fellow seared each neck With glowing iron; the monster so was slain.
Thereby was wrought the mighty tameless Boar With foaming jaws; real seemed the pictured thing, As by Aleides' giant strength the brute Was to Eurystheus living borne on high.
There fashioned was the fleetfoot stag which laid The vineyards waste of hapless husbandmen. The Hero's hands held fast its golden horns, The while it snorted breath of ravening fire.
Thereon were seen the fierce Stymphalian Birds, Some arrow-smitten dying in the dust, Some through the grey air darting in swift flight. At this, at that one -- hot in haste he seemed -- Hercules sped the arrows of his wrath.
Augeias' monstrous stable there was wrought With cunning craft on that invincible targe; And Hercules was turning through the same The deep flow of Alpheius' stream divine, While wondering Nymphs looked down on every hand Upon that mighty work. Elsewhere portrayed Was the Fire-breathing Bull: the Hero's grip On his strong horns wrenched round the massive neck: The straining muscles on his arm stood out: The huge beast seemed to bellow. Next thereto Wrought on the shield was one in beauty arrayed As of a Goddess, even Hippolyta. The hero by the hair was dragging her From her swift steed, with fierce resolve to wrest With his strong hands the Girdle Marvellous From the Amazon Queen, while quailing shrank away The Maids of War. There in the Thracian land Were Diomedes' grim man-eating steeds: These at their gruesome mangers had he slain, And dead they