The Iliad by Homer (ebooks children's books free TXT) 📕

Dear friend, remember now th’ injunctions giv’n By old Menoetius, when from Phthian land He sent thee forth to Agamemnon’s aid: I, and Laertes’ godlike son, within,

Heard all his counsel; to the well-built house Of Peleus we on embassy had come,

Throughout Achaia’s fertile lands to raise The means of war; Menoetius there we found, Achilles, and thyself within the house; While in the court-yard aged Peleus slew, And to the Lord of thunder offer’d up

A fatten’d steer; and from a golden bowl O’er the burnt-off’ring pour’d the ruddy wine.

We two, while ye were busied with the flesh, Stood at the gate; surpris’d, Achilles rose, And took us by the hand, and bade us sit, Dispensing all the hospitable rites.

With food and wine recruited, I began

My speech, and urg’d ye both to join the war: Nor were ye loth to go; much sage advice Your elders gave; old Peleus bade his son To aim at highest honours, and surpass His comrades all; Menoetius, Actor’s son, To thee this counsel gave: ‘My son,’ he said, ‘Achilles is by birth above thee far;

Thou art in years the elder; he in strength Surpasses thee; do thou with prudent words And timely speech address him, and advise And guide him; he will, to his good, obey.’

“Such were the old man’s words; but thou hast let His counsel slip thy mem’ry; yet ev’n now Speak to Achilles thus, and stir his soul, If haply he will hear thee; and who knows But by the grace of Heav’n thou mayst prevail?

For great is oft a friend’s persuasive pow’r.

But if the fear of evil prophesied,

Or message by his Goddess-mother brought From Jove, restrain him, let him send thee forth With all his force of warlike Myrmidons, That thou mayst be the saving light of Greece.

Then let him bid thee to the battle bear His glitt’ring arms; if so the men of Troy, Scar’d by his likeness, may forsake the field, And breathing-time afford the sons of Greece, Toil-worn; for little pause has yet been theirs.

Fresh and unwearied, ye with ease may drive To their own city, from our ships and tents, The Trojans, worn and battle-wearied men.”

Thus he; Patroclus’ spirit within him burn’d, And tow’rd Achilles’ tent in haste he sped.

But, running, as Ulysses’ ship he pass’d, Where was the Council and the Justice-seat, And where were built the altars of the Gods, There met him, halting from the battle-field, Shot through the thigh, Euaemon’s Heav’n-born son, Eurypylus; his head and shoulders dank With clammy sweat, while from his grievous wound Stream’d the dark blood; yet firm was still his soul.

Menoetius’ noble son with pity saw,

And deeply sorrowing thus address’d the chief: “Woe for the chiefs and councillors of Greece!

And must ye, far from friends and native home, Glut with your flesh the rav’ning dogs of Troy?

Yet tell me this, Heav’n-born Eurypylus; Still do the Greeks ‘gainst Hector’s giant force Make head? or fall they, vanquish’d by his spear?”

To whom with prudent speech, Eurypylus: “No source, Heav’n-born Patroclus, have the Greeks, Of aid, but all must perish by their ships: For in the ships lie all our bravest late, By spear or arrow struck, by Trojan hands; And fiercer, hour by hour, their onset grows.

But save me now, and lead me to the ships; There cut the arrow out, and from the wound With tepid water cleanse the clotted blood: Then soothing drugs apply, of healing pow’r, Which from Achilles, thou, ‘tis said, hast learn’d, From Chiron, justest of the Centaurs, he.

For Podalirius and Machaon both,

Our leeches, one lies wounded in the tents, Himself requiring sore the leech’s aid; The other on the plain still dares the fight.”

To whom again Menoetius’ noble son:

“How may this be? say, brave Eurypylus, What must I do? a messenger am I,

Sent by Gerenian Nestor, prop of Greece, With tidings to Achilles; yet ev’n so

I will not leave thee in this weary plight.”

He said, and passing his supporting hand Beneath his breast, the wounded warrior led Within the tent; th’ attendant saw, and spread The ox-hide couch; then as he lay reclin’d, Patroclus, with his dagger, from the thigh Cut out the biting shaft; and from the wound With tepid water cleans’d the clotted blood; Then, pounded in his hands, a root applied Astringent, anodyne, which all his pain Allay’d; the wound was dried, and stanch’d the blood.

ARGUMENT.

THE BATTLE AT THE GRECIAN WALL.

The Greeks having retired into their entrenchments, Hector attempts to force them; but it proving impossible to pass the ditch, Polydamas advises to quit their chariots, and manage the attack on foot. The Trojans follow his counsel, and having divided their army into five bodies of foot, begin the assault. But upon the signal of an eagle with a serpent in his talons, which appeared on the left hand of the Trojans, Polydamas endeavours to withdraw them again. This Hector opposes, and continues the attack; in which, after many actions, Sarpedon makes the first breach in the wall: Hector also, casting a stone of a vast size, forces open one of the gates, and enters at the head of his troops, who victoriously pursue the Grecians even to their ships.

BOOK XII.

Thus o’er the wounded chief Eurypylus

Watch’d in his tent Menoetius’ noble son; But hand to hand the Greeks and Trojans fought; Nor longer might the ditch th’ assault repel, Nor the broad wall above, which Greeks had built, To guard their ships, and round it dug the ditch; But to the Gods no hecatombs had paid, That they the ships and all the stores within Might safely keep; against the will of Heav’n The work was done, and thence not long endur’d.

While Hector liv’d, and Peleus’ son his wrath Retain’d, and Priam’s city untaken stood; So long the Grecian wall remain’d entire: But of the Trojans when the best had fall’n, Of Greeks, when some were slain, some yet surviv’d; When the tenth year had seen the fall of Troy, And Greeks, embark’d, had ta’en their homeward way, Then Neptune and Apollo counsel took

To sap the wall by aid of all the streams That seaward from the heights of Ida flow; Rhesus, Caresus, and Heptaporus,

Granicus, and AEsepus, Rhodius,

Scamander’s stream divine, and Simois, Where helms and shields lay buried in the sand, And a whole race of warrior demigods:

These all Apollo to one channel turn’d; Nine days against the wall the torrent beat; And Jove sent rain continuous, that the wall Might sooner be submerg’d; while Neptune’s self, His trident in his hand, led on the stream, Washing away the deep foundations, laid, Laborious, by the Greeks, with logs and stones, Now by fast-flowing Hellespont dispers’d.

The wall destroy’d, o’er all the shore he spread A sandy drift; and bade the streams return To where of old their silver waters flow’d.

Such were, in future days, to be the works Of Neptune and Apollo; but meanwhile

Fierce rag’d the battle round the firm-built wall, And frequent clatter’d on the turrets’ beams The hostile missiles: by the scourge of Jove Subdued, the Greeks beside their ships were hemm’d, By Hector scar’d, fell minister of Dread, Who with the whirlwind’s force, as ever, fought.

As when, by dogs and hunters circled round, A boar, or lion, in his pride of strength, Turns on his foes, while they in close array Stand opposite, and frequent shoot their darts; Nor yet his spirit quails, but firm he stands With suicidal courage; swift he turns, Where best to break the circling ranks; where’er He makes his rush, the circling ranks give way: So Hector, here and there, amid the crowd, Urg’d his companions on to cross the ditch: The fiery steeds shrank back, and, snorting, stood Upon the topmost brink; for the wide ditch Withheld them, easy nor to leap nor cross: For steep arose on either side the banks, And at the top with sharpen’d stakes were crown’d, Thick-set and strong, which there the sons of Greece Had planted, to repel th’ invading foes.

Scarce might a horse, with well-wheel’d car attach’d, Essay the passage; but on foot they burn’d To make th’ attempt; and thus Polydamas, Approaching near, to valiant Hector spoke: “Hector, and all ye other chiefs of Troy, And brave Allies, in vain we seek to drive Our horses o’er the ditch; ‘tis hard to cross; ‘Tis crown’d with pointed stakes, and them behind Is built the Grecian wall; there to descend And from our cars in narrow space to fight Were certain ruin. If it be indeed

The will of Jove, high-thund’ring, to confound The Greeks in utter rout, and us to aid, I should rejoice that ev’ry Greek forthwith Far from his home should fill a nameless grave; But should they turn, and we again be driv’n Back from the ships, and hurried down the ditch, Such were our loss, that scarce a messenger Would live to bear the tidings to the town Of our destruction by the rallied Greeks.

Hear then my counsel; let us all agree With our attendants here upon the bank To leave our horses; and ourselves on foot, All arm’d, press on where Hector leads; the Greeks, If that their doom be nigh, will make no stand.”

Thus spoke Polydamas; his counsel pleas’d; And Hector sprang, in arms, from off his car; Nor long, the noble Hector when they saw, Delay’d the other chiefs; then gave command Each to his own attendant, by the ditch To keep the chariots all in due array; Then parting, form’d in order of attack, In five divisions, with their sev’ral chiefs.

Round Hector throng’d, and bold Polydamas, The best and bravest; they who long’d the most To storm the wall, and fight beside the ships.

With them Cebriones; for Hector left,

To guard the horses, one of lesser note.

The nest division was by Paris led,

Agenor, and Alcathous; the third

By Helenus, and brave Deiphobus,

Two sons of Priam; Asius was the third, Asius, the son of Hyrtacus; who brought His tow’ring fiery steeds from Selles’ stream, Hard by Arisba; stout AEneas led

The fourth, Anchises’ son, Archilochus With him, and Acamas, Antenor’s sons;

Both skill’d alike in ev’ry point of war.

Of the far-fam’d Allies, Sarpedon held The chief command; and for his comrades chose Asteropaeus, and the warlike might

Of Glaucus; these o’er all the rest he held Pre-eminent in valour, save himself,

Who o’er them all superior stood confess’d.

These, interlac’d their shields of tough bull’s-hide, With eager step advanc’d, and deem’d the Greeks Would, unresisting, fall before their ships.

The other Trojans and renown’d Allies

The words of wise Polydamas obey’d:

But Asius, son of Hyrtacus, refus’d

His horses and his charioteer to leave, With them advancing to assail the ships.

Blind fool, unconscious! from before those ships, Escap’d from death, with horses and with car Triumphant, to the breezy heights of Troy He never shall return; ill-omen’d fate O’ershadowing, dooms him by the spear to fall Of brave Idomeneus, Deucalion’s son.

He tow’rd the left inclin’d, what way the Greeks With horse and chariot from the plain return’d.

That way he drove his horses; and the gates Unguarded found by bolt or massive bar.

Their warders held them open’d wide, to save Perchance some comrade, flying from the plain.

Thither he bent his course; with clamours loud Follow’d his troops; nor deem’d they that the Greeks Would hold their ground, but fall amid their ships.

Little they knew; before the gates they found Two men, two warriors of the prime, two sons Illustrious of the spear-skill’d Lapithae: Stout Polypoetes one, Pirithous’ son,

With whom Leonteus, bold as blood-stain’d Mars: