The Iliad of Homer Part 39

BOOK THE EIGHTEENTH.

ARGUMENT.

Thetis comforts her son for the death of Patroclus, and promises to procure him new armour from Vulcan. At the command of Juno, Achilles comes forth and strikes terror into the enemy. The body of Patroclus is rescued, and prepared for funeral rites, and Vulcan forges a suit of armour and a splendid shield for Achilles.

Thus they, then,[569] were fighting, like a blazing fire; but swift-footed Antilochus came as a messenger to Achilles. Him he found in front of his lofty-prowed ships, revolving in his mind those things which had already been accomplished; and then groaning, he communed with his own mind:

[Footnote 569: This is to be taken in connection with ver. 148 of the last book, as the regular narrative is interrupted by the message of Antilochus and the grief of Achilles.]

"Ah me! why are the long-haired Achaeans driven back in confusion to the ships, routed through the plain? [I fear] lest the G.o.ds have accomplished evil sorrows to my soul, as my mother once informed me, and told me that the bravest of the Myrmidons, I being yet alive, would leave the light of the sun, by the hands of the Trojans. Too surely now the valiant son of Mentius is dead,--obstinate one! certainly I desired him, having repelled the hostile fire, to return to the ships, nor to fight bravely with Hector."

Whilst he was revolving these things in his mind and in his soul, in the meantime the son of ill.u.s.trious Nestor drew near, shedding warm tears, and delivered his sad message:

"Alas! O son of warlike Peleus, surely thou wilt hear a very grievous message, which--would that it had not taken place. Patroclus lies low; and around his unarmed corse they are now fighting, whilst crest-tossing Hector possesses his armour."

Thus he spoke; but him a black cloud of grief overshadowed, and taking the burnt ashes with both hands, he poured them on his head, and denied his comely countenance; but the dark ashes everywhere adhered to his rich[570] tunic. But he, mighty, lay extended at great length in the dust, and tearing, he disordered his hair with his hands. The handmaids, whom Achilles and Patroclus had taken, grieved in their souls, shrieked aloud, and ran out of the door round warlike Achilles; and all smote their b.r.e.a.s.t.s with their hands,[571] and the limbs of each were relaxed.

Antilochus, on the other side, lamented, shedding tears, holding the hands of Achilles; (and he kept groaning within his generous heart,) for he feared lest he should cut his throat with his sword. Then he moaned dreadfully, and his venerable mother heard him, sitting in the depths of the sea, beside her aged father, and immediately lamented: and all the G.o.ddesses a.s.sembled around her, as many Neredes as were at the bottom of the sea. There were Glauce, Thaleia, and Cymodoce, Nesaea, Spio, Thoa, and large-eyed Halia, Cymothoe, Actaea, and Limnorea, Melita, Iaera, Amphithoe, and Agave, Doto, Proto, Pherusa, and Dynamene, Dexamene, Amphinome, and Callianira, Doris, Panope, and distinguished Galatea, Nemertes, Apseudes, and Calliana.s.sa. There were also Clymene, Ianira, and Iana.s.sa, Maera, Orithya, and fair-haired Amathea, and other Neredes which were in the depths of the sea. But the resplendent cave was full of them, and all at once they beat their b.r.e.a.s.t.s; but Thetis began the lamentation:

[Footnote 570: So ?e?t??e?? ?a???, iii. 385.--Heyne.]

[Footnote 571: In ill.u.s.tration of this custom of mourners, cf.

Virg. aen. i. 484:--

"Crinibus Iliades pa.s.sis, peplumque ferebant Suppliciter tristes, et tunsae pectora palmis."

Ovid, Fast. iv. 454: "Et feriunt mstae pectora nuda ma.n.u.s."

Silius, xii. 528. Petronius, ciii. p. 509, ed. Burm.: "Sparsis prosequi crinibus, aut nudatum pectus plangere;" cxv.: "Percussi semel iterumque pectus." See Westerhov, on Ter. Hec. ii. 3, 49; Northmore on Tryphiodor. 34; and Blomf. on aesch. Choeph. 27.]

"Hear, sister Neredes, that hearing ye may all well know what griefs are in my mind. Woe is me wretched! woe is me who have in an evil hour brought forth the bravest [of men], I who, after having borne a son, blameless and valiant, the chief of heroes, and he grew up[572] like a young tree: having reared him like a sapling in a fruitful spot of a field, I afterwards sent him forth in the curved ships to Ilium, to fight against the Trojans; but I shall not receive him again, having returned home to the palace of Peleus. But whilst he lives and beholds the light of the sun, he grieves,[573] nor can I, going to him, avail him aught. Yet will I go, that I may see my beloved son, and hear what grief comes upon him remaining away from the battle."

Thus having spoken, she left the cave; but they all went along with her, weeping, and the wave of the ocean was cleft around for them.[574] But when they reached fertile Troy, they in order ascended the sh.o.r.e, where the fleet ships of the Myrmidons were drawn up round swift Achilles.

Then his venerable mother, shrilly wailing, stood near to him deeply lamenting, and took the head of her son, and, mourning, addressed to him winged words:

[Footnote 572: ???d?a?? is used in the same way by Herodot. vii.

156, viii. 55; Theocrit. xviii. 29. It corresponds to our English phrase "to run up."]

[Footnote 573: _I.e._ he continues to do so, and will, till his death.]

[Footnote 574: Sf?s? is the dativus commodi.]

"O son, why weepest thou, and what sorrow has come upon thy mind? Speak out, nor conceal it. Those things indeed are fulfilled for thee from Jove, as thou didst formerly pray, lifting up thy hands--that all the sons of the Greeks, wanting thee, should, be collected at the ships, and suffer disgraceful deeds."

But her swift-footed Achilles addressed, deeply groaning:

"Mother mine, these things indeed the Olympian king hath accomplished for me; but what pleasure is there in them to me, since Patroclus, my dear companion, is dead, whom I honoured beyond all my companions, equally with my own head? Him have I lost; and Hector, having slain him, has stripped off his mighty armour, a wonder to be seen, beautiful; which the other G.o.ds gave to Peleus, splendid gifts, on that day when they laid thee in the bed of a mortal man. Would that thou hadst dwelt there among the immortal marine inhabitants, and that Peleus had wedded a mortal spouse. But now [thou hast been wedded, to the end] that immeasurable grief may be upon thy mind for thy son slain, whom thou shalt not again receive, having returned home. Since even my mind urges me not to live nor have intercourse with men, unless Hector first lose his life, smitten by my spear, and pay the penalty for the slaughter[575] of Patroclus, the son of Mentius."

But him Thetis in turn addressed, pouring forth tears: "Short-lived thou wilt be, O my son, as thou sayest, for fate is ready for thee immediately after Hector." Then, heavily sighing, swift-footed Achilles addressed her: "May I die then immediately, since it was not destined that I should aid my companion now slain; but he indeed hath perished far away from his native land, and longed for me to be an averter of his doom. But now[576]--since I shall not return to my dear father-land, nor have been a preservation[577] to Patroclus, or to my other companions, who have been subdued in great numbers by n.o.ble Hector; but sit beside the ships, an useless weight on the earth, being such as is none of the brazen-mailed Achaeans in war, though in council there are others superior; would that therefore contention might be extinguished from G.o.ds and men; and anger, which is wont to impel even the very wisest to be harsh; and which, much sweeter than distilling honey, like smoke, rises in the b.r.e.a.s.t.s of men; so now did Agamemnon, king of men, enrage me: but although greatly grieved, let us leave these things to pa.s.s by as done, subduing, from necessity, our own spirit within our bosoms: but now will I go, that I may find Hector, the destroyer of my dear friend, and I will accept death whensoever Jove and the other immortal G.o.ds shall please to accomplish it. For not even the might of Hercules escaped death, who was very dear to king Jove, the son of Saturn; but fate subdued him, and the grievous wrath of Juno. So also shall I lie, when I am dead, if a similar fate be destined for me; but now may I bear away ill.u.s.trious glory, and compel some one of the Trojan women and deep-robed Dardanians to sigh frequently, wiping away the tears from her tender cheeks with both hands; and may they know that I have long ceased from battle.[578] Wherefore do not hinder me from the combat, although loving me, for thou wilt not persuade me."

[Footnote 575: ?????a is the more usual form, but ????a is recognized by Hesychius. "If correct," Kennedy says, "it may be explained by the existence of ?????? from ???? (Hesych. t.i. p.

1186, from Il. v. 488), signifying the _price of slaughter_, by the same a.n.a.logy as ???pt??? (iv. 478) the _price of nutrition_."]

[Footnote 576: Observe the long hyperbaton, resulting from the excitement of the speaker.]

[Footnote 577: Literally, "light."]

[Footnote 578: _I.e._ they shall find out the difference when I make my appearance]

Him then the silver-footed G.o.ddess Thetis answered: "Certainly this is true, O son, nor is it an evil thing to avert utter destruction from our friends when afflicted. But thy beautiful arms, brazen and shining, are detained among the Trojans, which crest-tossing Hector himself, having on his shoulders, boasts of: yet I suspect that he will not long glory in them, for death is near to him. But do thou by no means enter the slaughter of Mars before thou beholdest me with thine eyes coming hither. For at dawn I will return with the rising sun, bearing beautiful armour from king Vulcan."

Thus having spoken, she turned round from her son, and being turned, addressed her marine sisters: "Enter ye now the broad bosom of the deep, about to behold the marine old man, and the mansions of my sire, and tell him all things; but I go to lofty Olympus, to Vulcan, the skilful artist, to try if he is willing to give my son ill.u.s.trious, glittering armour."

Thus she spoke, but they immediately sank beneath the wave of the sea.

But Thetis, the silver-footed G.o.ddess, again departed to Olympus, that she might bear the ill.u.s.trious armour to her beloved son. Her, on the one hand, her feet bore towards Olympus: but the Greeks, flying with a heaven-sent uproar from man-slaughtering Hector, reached the ships and the h.e.l.lespont. Nor had the well-greaved Greeks drawn off the dead body of Patroclus, the attendant of Achilles, out of the reach of weapons; for now again both infantry and cavalry pursued him, and Hector, the son of Priam, like unto a flame in violence. Thrice did ill.u.s.trious Hector seize him behind by the feet, eager to draw him away, and loudly shouted to the Trojans; and thrice did the two Ajaces, clad in impetuous might, forcibly repulse him from the corse; whilst he, with steady purpose, ever relying on his might, sometimes charged through the crowd, and sometimes again stopped, loudly shouting; but never retreated altogether. But as night-watching[579] shepherds are by no means able to drive away from a carcase a tawny lion, greatly hungering; so were the two warriors, the Ajaces, unable to drive away Hector, the son of Priam, from the body. And now indeed would he have dragged it off, and obtained great glory, had not fleet wind-footed Iris come as a messenger to the son of Peleus, running down from Olympus, that he should arm himself unknown to Jove and the other G.o.ds; for Juno sent her forth; and standing near, she addressed to him winged words:

[Footnote 579: Cf. Luke ii. 8, with the notes of Wetstein and Kypke. Although ???a???? may simply mean "dwelling in the fields," as in Apollon. Rh. iv. 317, it is better to follow the interpretation of Hesychius: ?? ?? ?????? d?a???te?e???te?. But cf. Alberti, t.i. p. 64.]

"Arise, son of Peleus, most terrible of all men; defend Patroclus, for whom[580] a dire contest is maintained before the ships. But they are slaughtering each other, the one party fighting for the slain corpse, whilst the other, the Trojans, rush on, that they may drag him away to wind-swept Ilium; and above all, ill.u.s.trious Hector desires to seize him, for his mind prompts him to fix his head upon stakes, having cut it from the tender neck. But up, nor lie longer; but let reverence[581]

touch thy soul, that Patroclus should be a source of delight to Trojan dogs. A disgrace would be to thee, if the dead body should come at all defiled."

[Footnote 580: _I.e._ for whose body.]

[Footnote 581: "S?a? is commonly rendered _pudor_, nearly synonymous with a?d??. Its meaning is however more forcible, viz.

_esteem it as an act of impiety to abandon the body to insult_."--Kennedy.]

But her n.o.ble, swift-footed Achilles, then answered: "Which of the G.o.ds, O G.o.ddess Iris, sent thee as a messenger tome?"

But him fleet, wind-footed Iris, again addressed: "Juno sent me forth, the glorious spouse of Jove, nor does the lofty-throned son of Saturn know it, nor any other of the immortals who inhabit snowy Olympus."

But her swift-footed Achilles answering, addressed: "And how can I go to the slaughter? for they possess my armour. Besides, my dear mother does not permit me to be armed, before that with my eyes I behold her coming, for she hath promised that she will bear me beautiful armour from Vulcan. But I indeed know not of another, whose splendid armour I could put on,[582] except the shield of Ajax, son of Telamon."

[Footnote 582: ???' ??de??? ??da ??????t?? ??

pa??p??a?.--Schol.]

"But he, I hope, mingles in the front ranks, slaying with his spear round the head of Patroclus."

But him fleet-footed Iris again addressed: "Well too do we know that they possess thy distinguished armour: yet even thus, going towards the ditch, show thyself to the Trojans, if perchance the Trojans, terrified, may desist from battle, and the warlike, hara.s.sed sons of the Greeks may breathe again; and there be a short respite from fighting." [583]

[Footnote 583: Cf. xv. 42.]

Thus indeed having spoken, swift-footed Iris departed; but Achilles, dear to Jove, arose; and around his strong shoulders Minerva threw her fringed aegis. And the divine one of G.o.ddesses crowned his head around with a golden cloud, and from it she kindled a shining flame. And as when smoke, ascending from a city, reaches the aether from an island afar off, which foes invest, who [pouring out] from their city, contend all day in hateful fight: but with the setting sun torches blaze one after another,[584] and the splendour arises, rushing upwards, for [their]

neighbours to behold, if perchance they may come with ships, as repellers of the war; thus did the flame from the head of Achilles reach the sky. He stood, having advanced from the wall to the trench, nor mingled with the Greeks, for he reverenced the prudent advice of his mother. There standing, he shouted, and Pallas Minerva, on the other side, vociferated, and stirred up immense tumult among the Trojans. And as the tone is very clear, when a trumpet sounds, while deadly foes are investing a city; so distinct then was the voice of the descendant of aeacus. But when they heard the brazen voice of Achilles, the soul was disturbed to all, whilst the beautiful-maned steeds turned the chariots backwards, for they presaged sorrows in their mind. The charioteers were panic-struck when they beheld the terrific, indefatigable flame, blazing over the head of magnanimous Pelides; for the azure-eyed G.o.ddess Minerva lighted it. Thrice over the trench loudly shouted n.o.ble Achilles, and thrice were the Trojans and their ill.u.s.trious allies thrown into confusion. There then perished twelve bravest heroes by their chariots and spears, whilst the Greeks, dragging Patroclus with joy out of the reach of weapons, stretched him on a bier; but his beloved companions stood round him mourning, and with them followed swift-footed Achilles, shedding warm tears, when he beheld his faithful comrade lying upon a bier, lacerated with the sharp bra.s.s: whom indeed he had sent forth with his horses and chariots to battle, but did not receive him again, having returned.

[Footnote 584: Hesychius: ?p?t????, ???ep???????. Cf. Oppian, Cyn. i. 321; iii. 275. The orthography ?p?t???? is equally correct, according to Abresch.]

But the large-eyed, venerable Juno sent the unwearied sun, to return to the flowing of the ocean, against his inclination. The sun then set, and the n.o.ble Greeks desisted from the violent conflict, and the equally destructive battle. The Trojans again, on the other side, retiring from the violent combat, loosed their fleet steeds from their chariots. But they a.s.sembled in the council before they bethought them of their banquet. The a.s.sembly consisted of persons standing up, nor did any one dare to sit; for fear possessed all, because Achilles had appeared, who had long abstained from the direful combat. Among them prudent Polydamas, the son of Panthus, began to speak, for he alone saw both the future and the past. He was the companion of Hector, and they were born in one night, but the one excelled in counsel, and the other greatly in the spear. He wisely counselling, harangued them, and spoke:

"My friends, consider well on both sides; for I advise that we now return to the city, nor await the sacred Morn in the plain near the ships; for we are far away from the wall. As long indeed as this man was wroth with n.o.ble Agamemnon, so long were the Greeks more easy to fight with. For even I was delighted, pa.s.sing the night by the swift barks, expecting that we should take the equally-plied barks; but now greatly do I fear swift-footed Pelides: so violent is his soul, nor will he be content to remain in the plain, where usually the Trojans and Greeks in the intervening s.p.a.ce divide[585] the force of war, but he will combat for the city and our wives. We will go, then, towards the city--be persuaded by me--for so it must be. Ambrosial night at present hath made swift-footed Pelides cease; but if, rushing forth to-morrow with his arms, he shall find us here, then will some one know him; for gladly will he reach sacred Ilium, whosoever shall escape: but dogs and vultures will devour many of the Trojans. O that such [tidings] may be far from our ears.[586] But if we be obedient to my words, although sad, we shall have protection[587] in the a.s.sembly during the night, and the towers and lofty gates, and the valves fitted to them, long, well polished, fastened together, will protect the city. But to-morrow, at early dawn, we will stand on the towers, arrayed in armour; and it would be difficult for him, even if he should wish it, coming from the ships, to fight with us around the wall. Back again will he go to the ships, after he has satiated his high-necked steeds with a varied course, driving beneath the city. But his mind will not permit him to rush within, nor will he ever lay it waste; sooner shall the fleet dogs devour him."