Homer ILIAD : Rhapsody 2

Page 24

Nireus moreover led three equal ships from Syme, Nireus son of Aglaea, and king Charopus, Nireus, the fairest of men that came to Ilium, of all the other Greeks, next to the unblemished son of Peleus. But he was feeble, and few troops followed him.

But those who possessed Nisyrus, and Crapathus, and Casus, and Cos, the city of Eurypylus, and the Calydnae isles, Phidippus and Antiphus, both sons of the Thessalian king, the son of Hercules, commanded. Thirty hollow ships of these went in order.

But now, [O muse, recount] those, as many as inhabited Pelasgian Argos, both those who dwelt in Alos and Alope, and Trechin, and those who possessed Phthia, and Hellas famous for fair dames. But they are called Myrmidons, and Hellenes, and Achaeans: of fifty ships of these was Achilles chief. But they remembered not dire-sounding war, for there was no one who might lead them to their ranks. For swift-footed Achilles lay at the ships, enraged on account of the fair-haired maid Briseis, whom he carried away from Lyrnessus, after having suffered many labours, and having laid waste Lyrnessus and the walls of Thebes; and he killed Mynetes and spear-skilled Epistrophus, sons of king Evenus, the son of Selepius. On her account he lay grieving, but speedily was he about to be roused.

Those who possessed Phylace and flowery Pyrrhasus, the consecrated ground of Ceres, and Iton the mother of sheep, maritime Antron, and grassy Ptelon. These warlike Protesilaus, whilst he lived, commanded; but him the black earth then possessed. His wife, lacerated all around, had been left at Phylace, and his palace half finished. For a Trojan man slew him, as he leaped ashore from his ship much the first of the Greeks. Nor were they, however, without a leader, although they longed for their own leader; for gallant Podarces marshalled them, Podarces, son of sheep-abounding Iphiclus, the son of Phylacis, own brother of magnanimous Protesilaus, younger by birth; but the warlike hero Protesilaus was older and braver. His troops wanted not a leader, but lamented him, being brave; with him forty dark ships followed.

Those who inhabited Phaere by the lake Boebeis, Boebe, and Glaphyrae, and well-built Iaolcus; these Eumeles, the beloved son of Admetus, commanded in eleven ships, whom Alcestis, divine amongst women, most beautiful in form of the daughters of Pelias, brought forth by Admetus.

Those who inhabited Methone and Thaumacia, and possessed Meliboea, and rugged Olizon; these Philoctetes, well skilled in archery, commanded in seven ships. Fifty sailors, well skilled in archery, went on board each to fight valiantly. But he lay in an island enduring bitter pangs, in divine Lemnos, where the sons of the Greeks had left him suffering with the evil sting of a deadly serpent. There he lay grieving; but soon were the Argives at the ships destined to remember their king Philoctetes. Nor were they however without a leader, though they longed for their own leader; but Medon, the bastard son of Oileus, whom Rhina brought forth by city-wasting Oileus, marshalled them.

Those who possessed Tricca, and hilly Ithome, and those who possessed oechalia, the city of oechalian Eurytus; Podalirius and Machaon, two excellent physicians,[133] both sons of AEsculapius, led these. With them thirty hollow ships went in order.

[Footnote 133: Grote, vol. i. p. 348, remarks that the "renown of Podalirius and Machaon was further prolonged in the subsequent poem of Arctinus, the Iliu-Persis, wherein the one was represented as unrivalled in surgical operations, the other as sagacious in detecting and appreciating morbid symptoms. It was Podalirius who first noticed the glaring eyes and disturbed deportment which preceded the suicide of Ajax."]

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