The Iliad of Homer Part 43

So saying, he urged on Minerva, who was before eager. But she, like unto a broad-winged, shrill-voiced harpy, leaped down from the heavens through the air. The Greeks, however, were then arming themselves throughout the camp, when she instilled into the bosom of Achilles nectar and delightful ambrosia, that unpleasant hunger might not come upon his limbs. Then she went to the solid mansion of her powerful sire, and they, apart, poured forth from the swift ships.

And as when thick snow-flakes fly down from Jove, beneath the force of the cold, air-clearing Boreas; so from the ships were borne out crowded helmets, shining brightly, and bossed shields, strong-cavitied corslets, and ashen spears. But the sheen reached to heaven, and all the earth around smiled beneath the splendour of the bra.s.s; and a trampling of the feet of men arose beneath. In the midst n.o.ble Achilles was armed, and there was a gnashing of his teeth, and his eyes shone like a blaze of fire; but intolerable grief entered his heart within him, and, enraged against the Trojans, he put on the gifts of the G.o.d, which Vulcan, toiling, had fabricated for him. First around his legs he placed the beautiful greaves, joined with silver clasps, next he put on the corslet round his breast, and suspended from his shoulders the brazen, silver-studded sword; then he seized the shield, large and solid, the sheen of which went to a great distance, as of the moon.[639] And as when from the sea the blaze of a burning fire shines to mariners, which is lit aloft amongst the mountains in a solitary place; but the storm bears them against their inclination away from their friends over the fishy deep; so from the shield of Achilles, beautiful and skilfully made, the brightness reached the sky. But raising it, he placed the strong helmet upon his head; and the helmet, crested with horse-hair, shone like a star; and the golden tufts which Vulcan had diffused thick around the cone were shaken. Then n.o.ble Achilles tried himself in his arms if they would fit him, and if his fair limbs would move freely in them; but they were like wings to him, and lifted up the shepherd of the people. And from its sheath he drew forth his paternal spear, heavy, great, and stout, which no other of the Greeks was able to brandish, but Achilles alone knew how to hurl it--a Pelian ash, which Chiron had cut for his father from the top of Pelion, to be a destruction to heroes.

But Automedon and Alcimus, harnessing the steeds, yoked them; and beautiful collars were upon them. They put the bridles into their jaws, and drew back the reins towards the well-glued car, when Automedon, seizing the shining lash, fitted to his hand, leaped into the car; Achilles, armed for battle, mounted behind him, glittering in his armour like the shining sun; and terribly he gave command to the horses of his sire:

[Footnote 639: Milton, P. L. i. 284:

"........ his pond'rous shield Ethereal temper, ma.s.sy, large, and round, Behind him cast; the broad circ.u.mference Hung on his shoulders like the moon."]

"Xanthus, and Balius, ill.u.s.trious offspring of Podarges, resolve now in a different manner to bring back your charioteer in safety to the body of the Greeks, after we are satiated with battle, nor leave him there dead, like Patroclus."

But from beneath the yoke, Xanthus, his swift-footed steed, addressed him, and immediately hung down his head, and his whole mane, drooping from the ring which was near the yoke, reached the ground. But the white-armed G.o.ddess Juno gave him the power of speech:

"Now, at least, we will bear thee safe, O impetuous Achilles: but the fatal day draws nigh to thee; nor are we to blame, but a mighty deity and violent destiny. For not by our laziness, or sloth, have the Trojans stripped the armour from the shoulders of Patroclus; but the bravest of the G.o.ds, whom fair-haired Latona brought forth, slew him among the front ranks, and gave glory to Hector. And [though] we can run even with the blast of Zephyrus, which they say is the most fleet, yet to thyself it is fated that thou shouldst be violently subdued by a G.o.d and a man."

Of him, having thus spoken, the Furies restrained the voice: but him swift-footed Achilles, greatly indignant, addressed:

"O Xanthus, why dost thou predict my death to me? For it is not at all necessary for thee. Well do I myself know that it is my fate to perish here, far away from my dear father and mother. Nevertheless I will not cease before the Trojans are abundantly satiated with war."

He spoke, and shouting amongst the front ranks, directed on his solid-hoofed steeds.

BOOK THE TWENTIETH

ARGUMENT.

Jove permits the G.o.ds to join in the battle, and they take their respective places on either side. aeneas engages Achilles, but is rescued by Neptune. Hector, in revenge for the death of his brother Polydorus, also attacks Achilles, and is only saved from death by the intervention of Apollo. Achilles then slays many Trojans.

Thus around thee, O son of Peleus, were the Achaeans armed, insatiable in fight, beside their crooked ships; and the Trojans, on the other side, on the acclivity[640] of the plain. But Jove ordered Themis to summon the G.o.ds to an a.s.sembly, from the top of many-valleyed Olympus, and she, going round, ordered them to proceed to the palace of Jove. Nor was any one of the rivers absent, save Ocea.n.u.s, nor of the nymphs who inhabit the pleasant groves and springs of rivers, and the gra.s.sy meads. Then, coming to the habitation of cloud-compelling Jove, they sat down upon shining polished benches, which Vulcan with cunning skill had made for father Jove. Thus were they a.s.sembled within the palace of Jove: nor did Neptune disobey the G.o.ddess, but he came to them from the sea. Then he sat in the midst, and inquired the design of Jove:

[Footnote 640: See x. 160; xi. 56.]

"Why again, O hurler of the glowing lightning, hast thou summoned the G.o.ds to an a.s.sembly? Dost thou deliberate anything respecting the Trojans and Greeks? For now their combat and the battle are on the point of being kindled."

But him cloud-compelling Jove answering, addressed:

"Thou knowest, O earth-shaker, my design within my breast, [and] for whose sake I have a.s.sembled you; for though about to perish, they are a care to me. I will, however, remain sitting on the top of Olympus, whence looking, I shall delight my soul; but depart the rest of you, that ye may go to the Trojans and Greeks. Give aid to both, according as is the inclination of each. For if Achilles alone shall fight against the Trojans, they will not even for a little sustain the swift-footed son of Peleus. Formerly even beholding him, they fled terrified; but now when he is grievously enraged in his mind on account of his companion, I fear lest he overthrow the wall, even contrary to fate."

Thus spoke Saturnian Jove, and he stirred up the unyielding[641]

contest; and the G.o.ds hastened to proceed to the battle, having discordant minds. Juno, indeed, and Pallas Minerva [went] to the a.s.semblage of the ships, as well as earth-shaking Neptune, and useful Mercury, who excelled in a prudent mind, with whom went Vulcan, looking savage in his might, limping, and under him his weak limbs moved with all their force. But to the Trojans [went] crest-tossing Mars, and with him unshorn Phbus,[642] and Diana, delighting in archery, Latona, Xanthus, and laughter-loving Venus. As long as the G.o.ds were apart from mortal men, so long the Greeks were greatly elated, because Achilles appeared, for he had long abstained from the dire battle; and a violent tremor came upon the Trojans, upon each of them as to their limbs, fearing because they beheld the swift-footed son of Peleus glittering in arms, equal to man-slaughtering Mars. But after the Olympians had come to the crowd of men, then arose fierce Contention, the exciter of the people, and Minerva shouted, sometimes standing beside the trench, outside the wall, at other times she loudly shouted along the echoing sh.o.r.es. But Mars yelled aloud on the other side, like unto a dark whirlwind, keenly animating the Trojans from the lofty city, at other times running along the Simos over Callicolone.[643]

Thus the blessed G.o.ds, inciting both sides, engaged, and among them made severe contention to break out. But dreadfully from above thundered the father of G.o.ds and men; whilst beneath Neptune shook the boundless earth and the lofty summits of the mountains. The roots and all the summits of many-rilled Ida were shaken, and the city of the Trojans, and the ships of the Greeks. Pluto himself, king of the nether world, trembled beneath, and leaped up from his throne, terrified, and shouted aloud, lest earth-shaking Neptune should rend asunder the earth over him, and disclose to mortals and immortals his mansions, terrible, squalid, which even the G.o.ds loathe. So great a tumult arose from the G.o.ds engaging in combat. Against king Neptune, indeed, stood Phbus Apollo, having his winged shafts, and against Mars the azure-eyed G.o.ddess Minerva. Opposed to Juno stood the G.o.ddess of the golden bow, huntress Diana, rejoicing in archery, the sister of Apollo; and opposite Latona, the preserver,[644] useful Mercury. Against Vulcan also was the great deep-eddying river, which the G.o.ds call Xanthus, and men the Scamander.

[Footnote 641: b.u.t.tm. Lexil. p. 406, 3: "The adjective a??ast??, literally _unbending, unyielding, not to be turned_, became the epithet of a violent, uncontrollable, incessant tumult, battle, lamentation, &c, as at I?. M. 471; B. 797; O. 760; and as an adverb at O. 549."]

[Footnote 642: Hor. Od. i. xxii. 2: "Intonsum, pueri, dicite Cynthium." Tibull. i. 4, 37: "Solis aeterna est Phbo, Bacchoque juventa: hanc decet intonsus crinis utrumque Deum." Various reasons are a.s.signed for this; such as, "quia occidendo et renascendo semper est juvenior," Fulgent. Myth. i. 17; or, "quod ipse sit sol, et sol ignis est, qui nunquam senescit," Lutat. on Stat. Theb. i. 694. The inhabitants of Hieropolis, however, worshipped a bearded Apollo.--Macr. Sat. i. 17.]

[Footnote 643: A rising ground which lay on the road from Troy towards the sea-coast, on the other side of the Simos, commanding the entire plain. Hence it is the rendezvous of the G.o.ds who favoured the Trojans.]

[Footnote 644: We find a collateral verb s??e???=_valere_, in aesch. Eum. 36. Apollon. Lex. p. 762; Hesych. t. ii. p. 1334, derive s???? from s?s??????, the former connecting it with ?????????, ? e????? ???s???, t??t' ?st? ?fe???.]

Thus indeed G.o.ds went against G.o.ds; but Achilles chiefly longed to penetrate through the crowd against Hector, the son of Priam; for with his blood his mind particularly ordered him to satiate Mars, the invincible warrior. But Apollo, exciter of troops, immediately aroused aeneas against the son of Peleus, and infused into him strong courage.

And he likened himself in voice to Lycaon, the son of Priam, and having likened himself to him, Apollo, the son of Jove, said:

"O aeneas, counsellor of the Trojans, where are thy threats which, whilst carousing, thou didst promise to the leaders of the Trojans, that thou wouldst fight against Achilles, the son of Peleus?"

But him aeneas, answering, addressed in turn:

"Son of Priam, why dost thou order me, not wishing it, these things, to fight against magnanimous Pelides? For shall I not now for the first time stand against swift-footed Achilles, but already, on another occasion, he chased me with his spear from Ida, when he attacked our cattle, and laid waste Lyrnessus and Pedasus: but Jove preserved me, who excited my strength and nimble limbs. Certainly I should have been subdued beneath the hands of Achilles, and Minerva, who, preceding, gave him victory, and encouraged him to slay the Lelegans and Trojans with his brazen spear. Wherefore it is not possible that a man should fight against Achilles, because one of the G.o.ds is ever beside him, who averts destruction. Besides, also, his weapon flies direct, nor stops before it has pierced through human flesh; though if the deity would extend an equal scale of victory, not very easily would he conquer me, although he boasts himself to be all brazen."

But him again king Apollo, the son of Jove, addressed:

"But do thou also pray, O hero, to the immortal G.o.ds, for they say that thou too art sprung from Venus, the daughter of Jove, but he from an inferior G.o.ddess; for the one is from Jove, and the other from the aged sea-G.o.d. But direct thy invincible bra.s.s right against him, nor let him at all avert thee by haughty words and threats."

Thus saying, he breathed great courage into the shepherd of the people; and he advanced through the front ranks, accoutred in shining bra.s.s. Nor did the son of Anchises escape the notice of white-armed Juno, going against the son of Peleus through the ranks of men; but, calling the G.o.ds together, she addressed them:

"Consider now, both Neptune and Minerva, in your minds, how these things shall be. This aeneas, accoutred in shining bra.s.s, has advanced against the son of Peleus; and Phbus Apollo has urged him on. But come, let us, however, turn him back again; or let some one of us stand by Achilles, and give him great strength, nor let him at all be wanting in courage; that he may know that the mightiest of the immortals love him; and that those, on the contrary, are vain, who hitherto avert war and slaughter from the Trojans. But we have all come down from Olympus, about to partic.i.p.ate in this battle, lest he should suffer anything among the Trojans to-day; but hereafter he shall suffer those things, as many as Fate at his birth wove in his thread [of destiny],[645] to him, what time his mother brought him forth. But if Achilles shall not learn these things from the voice of a G.o.d, he will afterwards be afraid when any G.o.d comes against him in battle; for the G.o.ds, when made manifest, are terrible to be seen manifestly." [646]

But her then earth-shaking Neptune answered:

"Juno, be not beyond reason enraged; nor is it at all necessary. I, indeed, would not desire that we should engage the other G.o.ds in a battle, since we are much more powerful.[647] Rather let us, going out of the way, sit down upon a place of observation,[648] but the war shall be a care to mortals. But if Mars shall begin the combat, or Apollo, or shall restrain Achilles, and not suffer him to fight, then immediately shall the strife of contention there arise to us; and I think that they, having very speedily decided it, will return to Olympus, and mix with the a.s.sembly of other G.o.ds, violently subdued by necessity under our hands."

Thus then having spoken, the azure-haired [G.o.d] led the way to the lofty mound-raised wall of divine Hercules, which the Trojans and Pallas Minerva had made, that, flying, he might escape from the sea-monster, when pursued from the sh.o.r.e to the plain. There then Neptune sat down, and the other G.o.ds, and drew an indissoluble cloud around their shoulders; whilst on the other side they sat upon the tops of Callicolone, around thee, O archer Apollo, and Mars, the sacker of cities. Thus they sat on both sides, planning designs, yet both were unwilling to commence grievous war; but Jove, sitting aloft, cheered them on. All the plain, however, was filled with them, and glittered with the bra.s.s of men and horses, and the earth echoed under the feet of them rushing together. But two heroes, by far the most valiant, advanced towards [each other] into the midst of both armies, eager to fight,--aeneas, the son of Anchises, and n.o.ble Achilles. And first aeneas, threatening, advanced, nodding with his strong casque; and before his breast he held his impetuous shield, and shook his brazen spear. But on the other side Pelides rushed against him like a destructive lion, which men a.s.sembled together, a whole village, are anxious to kill. He, however, at first despising them, proceeds; but when some one of vigorous youths has wounded him with a dart, yawning, he collects himself [for a spring],[649] and the foam arises round his teeth, and his valiant soul groans within his breast, and he lashes his sides and thighs on both sides with his tail, and rouses himself to battle; then, grimly glaring, he is borne straight on by his strength, if he can kill some of the men, or is himself destroyed in the first crowd. Thus did his might and n.o.ble soul urge Achilles to go against magnanimous aeneas.

But when now, advancing, they approached each other, swift-footed, n.o.ble Achilles first addressed the other:

[Footnote 645: See Duport, p. 114. On the web woven by the Fates for man's life, see Virg. Ecl. iv. 46; Catullus, lxiv. 328. But this pa.s.sage of Homer seems to imply the ancient notion, that the Fates might be delayed, but never set aside. Cf. Nemes. de Nat.

Horn. i. 36; Censorin. de die Nat. xiv.; Serv. on aen. vii. 398.]

[Footnote 646: "Deos _manifesto_ in lumine vidi."--Virg. aen. iv.

358. On the belief that the sight of a G.o.d was attended with danger, cf. Liv. i. xvi. where Proculus beseeches the apparition of Romulus "ut contra intueri fas esset." See intpp. on Exod.

x.x.xiii. 20; Judges xiii. 22.]

[Footnote 647: I am half inclined to condemn this verse as spurious, with Ernesti. It is wanting in MS. Lips, and ed. Rom., and does not appear to have been read by Eustathius.]

[Footnote 648: Compare the "Contemplantes" of Lucan, sub init., where the G.o.ds seek a similar place of observation.]

[Footnote 649: So ??e?? in xv. 403. "It is also used in the same way of a warrior, who, whilst he is preparing to rush on his enemy, or expecting his attack, draws himself up together, or, as we say, puts himself in an att.i.tude of attack or defence."--b.u.t.tm. Lexil. p. 258.]

"Why, O aeneas, coming through so great a length of crowd, dost thou stand against me? Does then thy soul urge thee to fight with me, hoping that thou wilt govern the horse-breaking Trojans in the place[650] of Priam? Yet even if thou shalt slay me, not thus will Priam place this reward in thy hand: for he has sons; and he is himself steady, nor inconstant. Or, if thou slayest me, have the Trojans cut off for thee an enclosure[651] of soil surpa.s.sing others, suited to vines and the plough, that thou mayest cultivate it? Still I hope thou wilt effect it with difficulty. For I think I have at some other time put thee to flight with my spear. Dost thou not remember when I impetuously drove thee, when alone, from the oxen, with rapid feet, down the Idaean mountains? Then indeed thou didst never turn round while flying, but didst escape thence into Lyrnessus; but I wasted it, having attacked it with the aid of Minerva and father Jove. The women also I led away captives, having taken away their day of freedom; but Jove and the other G.o.ds preserved thee. However, I do not think they will protect thee now, as thou castest in thy mind; but I exhort thee, retiring, to go into the crowd, nor stand against me, before thou suffer some evil; but [it is] a fool [who] knows a thing [only] when it is done."

[Footnote 650: ??t?..... as??e?a? is Gaza's correct paraphrase.]

[Footnote 651: Cf 194.]

But him aeneas answered in turn, and said: