The Aeneids of Virgil Part 11

These, thinking shame of letting fall their hardly-gotten gain Of glory's meed, to buy the praise with very life are fain; 230 Those, fed on good-hap, all things may, because they deem they may: The twain, perchance, head laid to head, had won the prize that day, But if Cloanthus both his palms had stretched to seaward there, And called upon the G.o.ds to aid and poured forth eager prayer:

"O G.o.ds, whose lordship is the sea, whose waters I run o'er, Now glad will I, your debtor bound, by altars on the sh.o.r.e Bring forth for you a snow-white bull, and cast amid the brine His inner meat, and pour abroad a flowing of fair wine."

He spake, and all the Nereids' choir hearkened the words he said Down 'neath the waves, and Phorcus' folk, and Panopea the maid; 240 Yea, and the sire Portunus thrust the keel with mighty hand Upon its way, and arrow-swift it flew on toward the land, Swift as the South, and there at rest in haven deep it lies.

But now Anchises' seed, all men being summoned in due wise, Proclaims Cloanthus victor there by loud-voiced herald's shout, And with green garland of the bay he does his brows about; Then biddeth them to choose the gifts, for every ship three steers, And wine, and every crew therewith great weight of silver bears.

And glorious gifts he adds withal to every duke of man: A gold-wrought cloak the victor hath, about whose rim there ran 250 A plenteous double wavy stream of Meliboean sh.e.l.l, And leafy Ida's kingly boy thereon was pictured well.

A-following up the fleeing hart with spear and running fleet; Eager he seemed as one who pants; then him with hooked feet Jove's shield-bearer hath caught, and up with him from Ida flies, And there the ancient masters stretch vain palms unto the skies, While bark of staring hunting-hound beats fierce at upper air.

Then next for him who second place of might and valour bare A mail-coat wove of polished rings with threefold wire of gold, Which from Demoleos the King had stripped in days of old, 260 A conqueror then by Simos swift beneath high-builded Troy, He giveth now that lord to have a safeguard and a joy; Its many folds his serving-men, Phegeus and Sagaris, Scarce bore on toiling shoulders joined, yet clad in nought but this Swift ran Demoleos following on the Trojans disarrayed.

A third gift then he setteth forth, twin cauldrons brazen made, And silver bowls with picturing fret and wrought with utter pain.

And now when all had gotten gifts, and glorying in their gain, Were wending with the filleting of purple round the brow, Lo, gotten from the cruel rock with craft and toil enow, 270 With missing oars, and all one board unhandy and foredone, His ship inglorious and bemocked, Sergestus driveth on.

--As with an adder oft it haps caught on the highway's crown, Aslant by brazen tire of wheel, or heavy pebble thrown By wayfarer, hath left him torn and nigh unto his end: Who writhings wrought for helpless flight through all his length doth send, And one half fierce with burning eyes uprears a hissing crest, The other half, with wounds all halt, still holding back the rest; He knitteth him in many a knot and on himself doth slip.

--E'en such the crawling of the oars that drave the tarrying ship. 280 But they hoist sail on her, and so the harbour-mouth make shift To win: and there aeneas gives Sergestus promised gift, Blithe at his saving of the ship, and fellows brought aback: A maid he hath, who not a whit of Pallas' art doth lack.

Of Crete she is, and Pholoe called, and twins at breast she bears.

Now all that strife being overpast, the good aeneas fares To gra.s.sy meads girt all about by hollow wooded hills, Where theatre-wise the racing-course the midmost valley fills.

Thereto the hero, very heart of many a thousand men, Now wendeth, and on seat high-piled he sits him down again. 290 There whosoever may have will to strive in speedy race He hearteneth on with hope of gift, and shows the prize and grace.

So from all sides Sicilians throng, and Trojan fellowship.

Euryalus and Nisus first.

Euryalus for goodliness and youth's first blossom famed, Nisus for fair love of the youth; then after these are named Diores, of the blood of kings from Priam's glorious race; Salius and Patron next; the one of Acarnanian place, The other from Arcadian blood of Tegeaea outsprung: Then two Trinacrians, Helymus and Panopes the young, 300 In woodcraft skilled, who ever went by old Acestes' side; And many others else there were whom rumour dimmed doth hide.

And now amidmost of all these suchwise aeneas spake: "Now hearken; let your merry hearts heed of my saying take: No man of all the tale of you shall henceforth giftless go; Two Gnosian spears to each I give with polished steel aglow, An axe to carry in the war with silver wrought therein.

This honour is for one and all: the three first prize shall win, And round about their heads shall do the olive dusky-grey.

A n.o.ble horse with trappings dight the first shall bear away; 310 A quiver of the Amazons with Thracian arrows stored The second hath; about it goes a gold belt broidered broad, With gem-wrought buckle delicate to clasp it at the end.

But gladdened with this Argive helm content the third shall wend."

All said, they take their places due, and when the sign they hear, Forthwith they leave the bar behind and o'er the course they bear, Like drift of storm-cloud; on the goal all set their eager eyes: But far before all shapes of man shows Nisus, and outflies The very whistling of the winds or lightning on the wing.

Then, though the s.p.a.ce be long betwixt, comes Salius following; 320 And after Salius again another s.p.a.ce is left, And then Euryalus is third; And after him is Helymus: but lo, how hard on heel Diores scuds! foot on his foot doth Helymus nigh feel, Shoulder on shoulder: yea, and if the course held longer out, He would slip by him and be first, or leave the thing in doubt.

Now, spent, unto the utmost reach and very end of all They came, when in the slippery blood doth luckless Nisus fall, E'en where the ground was all a-slop with bullocks slain that day, And all the topmost of the gra.s.s be-puddled with it lay: 330 There, as he went the victor now, exulting, failed his feet From off the earth, and forth he fell face foremost down to meet The midst of all the filthy slime blent with the holy gore: Yet for Euryalus his love forgat he none the more, For rising from the slippery place in Salius' way he thrust, Who, rolling over, lay along amid the thickened dust.

Forth flies Euryalus, and flies to fame and foremost place, His own friend's gift, mid beat of hands and shouts that bear him grace.

Next came in Helymus, and next the palm Diores bore.

But over all the concourse set in hollow dale, and o'er 340 The heads of those first father-lords goes Salius' clamouring speech, Who for his glory reft away by guile doth still beseech.

But safe goodwill and goodly tears Euryalus do bear, And lovelier seemeth valour set in body wrought so fair.

Him too Diores backeth now, and crieth out on high, Whose palm of praise and third-won place shall fail and pa.s.s him by, If the first glory once again at Salius' bidding shift.

Then sayeth Father aeneas: "O fellows, every gift Shall bide unmoved: the palm of praise shall no man now displace.

Yet for my sackless friend's mishap give me some pity's grace." 350

He spake, and unto Salius gave a mighty lion's hide, Getulian born, with weight of hair and golden claws beside: Then Nisus spake: "If such great gifts are toward for beaten men, And thou must pity those that fall, what gift is worthy then Of Nisus? I, who should have gained the very victory's crown, If me, as Salius, Fate my foe had never overthrown."

And even as he speaks the word he showeth face and limb Foul with the mud. The kindest lord, the Father, laughed on him, And bade them bring a buckler forth, wrought of Didymaon, Spoil of the Greeks, from Neptune's house and holy doors undone; 360 And there unto the n.o.ble youth he gives that n.o.ble thing.

But now, the race all overpa.s.sed and all the gift-giving, Quoth he: "If any valour hath, or heart that may withstand, Let him come forth to raise his arm with hide-begirded hand."

So saying, for the fight to come he sets forth glories twain; A steer gilt-horned and garlanded the conquering man should gain, A sword and n.o.ble helm should stay the vanquished in his woe.

No tarrying was there: Dares straight his face to all doth show, And riseth in his mighty strength amidst the murmur great: He who alone of all men erst with Paris held debate, 370 And he who at the mound wherein that mightiest Hector lay, Had smitten Butes' body huge, the winner of the day, Who called him come of Amycus and that Bebrycian land: But Dares stretched him dying there upon the yellow sand.

Such was the Dares that upreared his head against the fight, And showed his shoulders' breadth and drave his fists to left and right, With arms cast forth, as heavy strokes he laid upon the air.

But when they sought a man for him, midst all the concourse there Was none durst meet him: not a hand the fighting-glove would don: Wherefore, high-hearted, deeming now the prize from all was won, 380 He stood before aeneas' feet nor longer tarried, But with his left hand took the steer about the horn and said: "O G.o.ddess-born, if no man dares to trust him in the play, What end shall be of standing here; must I abide all day?

Bid them bring forth the gifts."

Therewith they cried out one and all, The Dardan folk, to give the gifts that due to him did fall.

But with hard words Acestes now Entellus falls to chide, As on the bank of gra.s.sy green they sat there side by side, "Entellus, bravest hero once of all men, and for nought, If thou wilt let them bear away without a battle fought 390 Such gifts as these. And where is he, thy master then, that G.o.d, That Eryx, told of oft in vain? where is thy fame sown broad Through all Trinacria, where the spoils hung up beneath thy roof?"

"Nay," said he, "neither love of fame nor glory holds aloof Beaten by fear, but cold I grow with eld that holdeth back.

My blood is dull, my might gone dry with all my body's lack.

Ah, had I that which once I had, that which the rascal there Trusts in with idle triumphing, the days of youth the dear, Then had I come into the fight by no gift-giving led, No goodly steer: nought heed I gifts." 400 And with the last word said, His fighting gloves of fearful weight amidst of them he cast, Wherewith the eager Eryx' hands amid the play had pa.s.sed Full oft; with hardened hide of them his arms he used to bind.

Men's hearts were mazed; such seven bull-hides each other in them lined, So stiff they were with lead sewn in and iron laid thereby; And chief of all was Dares mazed, and drew back utterly.

But the great-souled Anchises' seed that weight of gauntlets weighed, And here and there he turned about their mighty folds o'erlaid.

Then drew the elder from his breast words that were like to these:

"Ah, had ye seen the gloves that armed the very Hercules, 410 And that sad battle foughten out upon this country sh.o.r.e!

For these are arms indeed that erst thy kinsmen Eryx bore: Lo, ye may see them even now flecked with the blood and brain.

With these Alcides he withstood; with these I too was fain Of war, while mightier blood gave might, nor envious eld as yet On either temple of my head the h.o.a.ry hairs had set.

But if this Dares out of Troy refuse our weapons still, And good aeneas doom it so, and so Acestes will, My fight-lord; make the weapons like: these gloves of Eryx here I take aback: be not afraid, but doff thy Trojan gear." 420

He spake, and from his back he cast his twifold cloak adown, And naked his most mighty limbs and shoulders huge were shown, And on the midmost of the sand a giant there he stood.

Wherewith Anchises' seed brought forth gloves even-matched and good, And so at last with gear alike the arms of each he bound, Then straightway each one stretched aloft on tip-toe from the ground: They cast their mighty arms abroad, nor any fear they know, The while their lofty heads they draw abackward from the blow: And so they mingle hands with hands and fall to wake the fight.

The one a-trusting in his youth and nimbler feet and light; 430 The other's bulk of all avail, but, trembling, ever shrank His heavy knees, and breathing short for ever shook his flank.

Full many a stroke those mighty men cast each at each in vain; Thick fall they on the hollow sides; the b.r.e.a.s.t.s ring out again With mighty sound; and eager-swift the hands full often stray Round ears and temples; crack the jaws beneath that heavy play: In one set strain, not moving aught, heavy Entellus stands, By body's sway and watchful eye shunning the dart of hands: But Dares is as one who brings the gin 'gainst high-built town, Or round about some mountain-hold the leaguer setteth down: 440 Now here now there he falleth on, and putteth art to pain At every place, and holds them strait with onset all in vain.

Entellus, rising to the work, his right hand now doth show Upreared; but he, the nimble one, foresaw the falling blow Above him, and his body swift writhed skew-wise from the fall.

Entellus spends his stroke on air, and, overborne withal, A heavy thing, falls heavily to earth, a mighty weight: As whiles a hollow-eaten pine on Erymanthus great, Or mighty Ida, rooted up, to earthward toppling goes.

Then Teucrian and Trinacrian folk with wondrous longing rose, 450 And shouts went skyward: thither first the King Acestes ran, And pitying his like-aged friend raised up the fallen man; Who neither slackened by his fall, nor smit by any fear, Gets back the eagerer to the fight, for anger strength doth stir, And shame and conscious valour lights his ancient power again.

In headlong flight his fiery wrath drives Dares o'er the plain, And whiles his right hand showereth strokes, his left hand raineth whiles.

No tarrying and no rest there is; as hail-storm on the tiles Rattleth, so swift with either hand the eager hero now Beats on and batters Dares down, and blow is laid on blow. 460

But now the Father aeneas no longer might abide Entellus' bitter rage of soul or lengthening anger's tide, But laid an end upon the fight therewith, and caught away Dares foredone, and soothing words in such wise did he say: "Unhappy man, what madness then hath hold upon thine heart?

Feel'st not another might than man's, and Heaven upon his part?

Yield to the G.o.ds!"

So 'neath his word the battle sank to peace.

But Dares his true fellows took, trailing his feeble knees, Lolling his head from side to side, the while his sick mouth sent The clotted blood from out of it wherewith the teeth were blent. 470 They lead him to the ships; then, called, they take the helm and sword, But leave Entellus' bull and palm, the victory's due reward; Who, high of heart, proud in the beast his conquering hand did earn, "O G.o.ddess-born," he said, "and ye, O Teucrians, look, and learn What might was in my body once, ere youth it had to lack, And what the death whence Dares saved e'en now ye draw aback."

He spake, and at the great bull's head straightway he took his stand, As there it bode the prize of fight, and drawing back his hand Rose to the blow, and 'twixt the horns sent forth the hardened glove, And back upon his very brain the shattered skull he drove. 480 Down fell the beast and on the earth lay quivering, outstretched, dead, While over him from his inmost breast such words Entellus said: "Eryx, this soul, a better thing, for Dares doomed to die, I give thee, and victorious here my gloves and craft lay by."

Forth now aeneas biddeth all who have a mind to strive At speeding of the arrow swift, and gifts thereto doth give, And with his mighty hand the mast from out Serestus' keel Uprears; and there a fluttering dove, mark for the flying steel, Tied to a string he hangeth up athwart the lofty mast.

Then meet the men; a brazen helm catches the lots down cast: 490 And, as from out their favouring folk ariseth up the shout, Hippoc.o.o.n, son of Hyrtacus, before the rest leaps out; Then Mnestheus, who was victor erst in ship upon the sea, Comes after: Mnestheus garlanded with olive greenery.

The third-come was Eurytion, thy brother, O renowned, O Pandarus, who, bidden erst the peace-troth to confound, Wert first amid Achaean host to send a winged thing.

But last, at bottom of the helm, Acestes' name did cling, Who had the heart to try the toil amid the youthful rout.

Then with their strength of all avail they bend the bows about 500 Each for himself: from quiver then the arrows forth they take: And first from off the tw.a.n.ging string through heaven there went the wake Of shaft of young Hyrtacides, and clave the flowing air, And, flying home, amid the mast that stood before it there It stuck: the mast shook therewithal; the frighted, timorous bird, Fluttered her wings; and mighty praise all round about was heard.

Then stood forth Mnestheus keen, and drew his bow unto the head, Aiming aloft; and shaft and eyes alike therewith he sped; But, worthy of all pitying, the very bird he missed, But had the hap to shear the knots and lines of hempen twist 510 Whereby, all knitted to her foot, she to the mast was tied: But flying toward the winds of heaven and mirky mist she hied.

Then swift Eurytion, who for long had held his arrow laid On ready bow-string, vowed, and called his brother unto aid, And sighted her all joyful now amidst the void of sky, And smote her as she clapped her wings 'neath the black cloud on high: Then dead she fell, and mid the stars of heaven her life she left, And, falling, brought the shaft aback whereby her heart was cleft.

Acestes now was left alone, foiled of the victory's prize.

No less the father sent his shot aloft unto the skies, 520 Fain to set forth his archer-craft and loud-resounding bow.

Then to men's eyes all suddenly a portent there did show, A mighty sign of things to come, the ending showed how great When seers, the shakers of men's hearts, sang over it too late.

For, flying through the flowing clouds, the swift reed burned about, And marked its road with flaming wake, and, eaten up, died out Mid the thin air: as oft the stars fly loose from heaven's roof, And run adown the s.p.a.ce of sky with hair that flies aloof.

Trinacrian men and Teucrian men, staring aghast they stood, Praying the G.o.ds: but mightiest aeneas held for good 530 That tokening, and Acestes takes as one all glad at heart, And loadeth him with many gifts, and suchwise speaks his part: