The Fall of Troy [73]
The livelong day, rains down to earth the fruit Of olives, swiftly beating with his pole, And with the downfall covers all the ground, So fast fell 'neath his hands the thronging foe.
Elsewhere did Agamemnon, Tydeus' son, And other chieftains of the Danaans toil With fury in the fight. Yet never quailed The mighty men of Troy: with heart and soul They also fought, and ever stayed from flight Such as gave back. Yet many heeded not Their chiefs, but fled, cowed by the Achaeans' might.
Now at the last Achilles' strong son marked How fast beside Scamander's outfall Greeks Were perishing. Those Troyward-fleeing foes Whom he had followed slaying, left he now, And bade Automedon thither drive, where hosts Were falling of the Achaeans. Straightway he Hearkened, and scourged the steeds immortal on To that wild fray: bearing their lord they flew Swiftly o'er battle-highways paved with death.
As Ares chariot-borne to murderous war Fares forth, and round his onrush quakes the ground, While on the God's breast clash celestial arms Outflashing fire, so charged Achilles' son Against Deiphobus. Clouds of dust upsoared About his horses' feet. Automedon marked The Trojan chief, and knew him. To his lord Straightway he named that hero war-renowned: "My king, this is Deiphobus' array -- The man who from thy father fled in fear. Some God or fiend with courage fills him now."
Naught answered Neoptolemus, save to bid Drive on the steeds yet faster, that with speed He might avert grim death from perishing friends. But when to each other now full nigh they drew, Deiphobus, despite his battle-lust, Stayed, as a ravening fire stays when it meets Water. He marvelled, seeing Achilles' steeds And that gigantic son, huge as his sire; And his heart wavered, choosing now to flee, And now to face that hero, man to man As when a mountain boar from his young brood Chases the jackals -- then a lion leaps From hidden ambush into view: the boar Halts in his furious onset, loth to advance, Loth to retreat, while foam his jaws about His whetted tusks; so halted Priam's son Car-steeds and car, perplexed, while quivered his hands About the lance. Shouted Achilles' son: "Ho, Priam's son, why thus so mad to smite Those weaker Argives, who have feared thy wrath And fled thine onset? So thou deem'st thyself Far mightiest! If thine heart be brave indeed, Of my spear now make trial in the strife."
On rushed he, as a lion against a stag, Borne by the steeds and chariot of his sire. And now full soon his lance had slain his foe, Him and his charioteer -- but Phoebus poured A dense cloud round him from the viewless heights Of heaven, and snatched him from the deadly fray, And set him down in Troy, amid the rout Of fleeing Trojans: so did Peleus' son Stab but the empty air; and loud he cried: "Dog, thou hast 'scaped my wrath! No might of thine Saved thee, though ne'er so fain! Some God hath cast Night's veil o'er thee, and snatched thee from thy death."
Then Cronos' Son dispersed that dense dark cloud: Mist-like it thinned and vanished into air: Straightway the plain and all the land were seen. Then far away about the Scaean Gate He saw the Trojans: seeming like his sire, He sped against them; they at his coming quailed. As shipmen tremble when a wild wave bears Down on their bark, wind-heaved until it swings Broad, mountain-high above them, when the sea Is mad with tempest; so, as on he came, Terror clad all those Trojans as a cloak, The while he shouted, cheering on his men: "Hear, friends! -- fill full your hearts with dauntless strength, The strength that well beseemeth mighty men Who thirst to win them glorious victory, To win renown from battle's tumult! Come, Brave hearts, now strive we even beyond our strength Till we smite Troy's proud city, till we win Our hearts' desire! Foul shame it were to abide Long deedless here and strengthless, womanlike! Ere I be called war-blencher, let me die!"
Then unto Ares' work their spirits flamed. Down on the Trojans charged they: yea, and these Fought with high courage, round their city now, And
Elsewhere did Agamemnon, Tydeus' son, And other chieftains of the Danaans toil With fury in the fight. Yet never quailed The mighty men of Troy: with heart and soul They also fought, and ever stayed from flight Such as gave back. Yet many heeded not Their chiefs, but fled, cowed by the Achaeans' might.
Now at the last Achilles' strong son marked How fast beside Scamander's outfall Greeks Were perishing. Those Troyward-fleeing foes Whom he had followed slaying, left he now, And bade Automedon thither drive, where hosts Were falling of the Achaeans. Straightway he Hearkened, and scourged the steeds immortal on To that wild fray: bearing their lord they flew Swiftly o'er battle-highways paved with death.
As Ares chariot-borne to murderous war Fares forth, and round his onrush quakes the ground, While on the God's breast clash celestial arms Outflashing fire, so charged Achilles' son Against Deiphobus. Clouds of dust upsoared About his horses' feet. Automedon marked The Trojan chief, and knew him. To his lord Straightway he named that hero war-renowned: "My king, this is Deiphobus' array -- The man who from thy father fled in fear. Some God or fiend with courage fills him now."
Naught answered Neoptolemus, save to bid Drive on the steeds yet faster, that with speed He might avert grim death from perishing friends. But when to each other now full nigh they drew, Deiphobus, despite his battle-lust, Stayed, as a ravening fire stays when it meets Water. He marvelled, seeing Achilles' steeds And that gigantic son, huge as his sire; And his heart wavered, choosing now to flee, And now to face that hero, man to man As when a mountain boar from his young brood Chases the jackals -- then a lion leaps From hidden ambush into view: the boar Halts in his furious onset, loth to advance, Loth to retreat, while foam his jaws about His whetted tusks; so halted Priam's son Car-steeds and car, perplexed, while quivered his hands About the lance. Shouted Achilles' son: "Ho, Priam's son, why thus so mad to smite Those weaker Argives, who have feared thy wrath And fled thine onset? So thou deem'st thyself Far mightiest! If thine heart be brave indeed, Of my spear now make trial in the strife."
On rushed he, as a lion against a stag, Borne by the steeds and chariot of his sire. And now full soon his lance had slain his foe, Him and his charioteer -- but Phoebus poured A dense cloud round him from the viewless heights Of heaven, and snatched him from the deadly fray, And set him down in Troy, amid the rout Of fleeing Trojans: so did Peleus' son Stab but the empty air; and loud he cried: "Dog, thou hast 'scaped my wrath! No might of thine Saved thee, though ne'er so fain! Some God hath cast Night's veil o'er thee, and snatched thee from thy death."
Then Cronos' Son dispersed that dense dark cloud: Mist-like it thinned and vanished into air: Straightway the plain and all the land were seen. Then far away about the Scaean Gate He saw the Trojans: seeming like his sire, He sped against them; they at his coming quailed. As shipmen tremble when a wild wave bears Down on their bark, wind-heaved until it swings Broad, mountain-high above them, when the sea Is mad with tempest; so, as on he came, Terror clad all those Trojans as a cloak, The while he shouted, cheering on his men: "Hear, friends! -- fill full your hearts with dauntless strength, The strength that well beseemeth mighty men Who thirst to win them glorious victory, To win renown from battle's tumult! Come, Brave hearts, now strive we even beyond our strength Till we smite Troy's proud city, till we win Our hearts' desire! Foul shame it were to abide Long deedless here and strengthless, womanlike! Ere I be called war-blencher, let me die!"
Then unto Ares' work their spirits flamed. Down on the Trojans charged they: yea, and these Fought with high courage, round their city now, And