Homer ILIAD : Rhapsody 5

Page 13

Then Aeneas placed himself amidst his companions and they rejoiced when they saw him approaching alive, unhurt and having excellent strength. They did not ever, ask any questions; for a different labour did not pale which the silver-bowed god and man-slaughtering war and Strife insatiably raging, had excited. But then Greeks, the two Ajaces, and Ulysses and Diomede, urged on to fight. But they, even by themselves, feared neither the violent attacks[216] of the Trojans, nor their shouts: but remained firm, like unto clouds, which the son of Saturn, during a calm, has placed upon the lofty mountains, at rest, when the might of Boreas sleeps,[217] and of the other impetuous winds, which, blowing with shrill blasts, disperse the shadowy clouds. Thus the Greeks awaited the Trojans, standing firm, nor fled. But the son of Atreus kept hurrying through the host, exhorting them much:

"O friends, be men, and assume a valiant heart, and feel shame[218] towards each other through the fierce engagements: for more of those men who dread shame are safe, than are slain; but from fugitives neither does any glory arise, nor any assistance."

He spoke, and darted with his spear quickly, and struck Deicoon, son of Pergasis, a warrior chief, the companion of magnanimous Aeneas, whom the Trojans honoured equally with the sons of Priam; since he was prompt to fight amidst the van. Him then king Agamemnon struck in the shield with his spear, but it [the shield] did not repel the spear, for even through this it passed onwards, and pierced him through the belt, at the lower part of the stomach. And he made a crash as he fell, and his arms rattled over him.

Here then Aeneas slew some brave heroes of the Greeks,--Crethon and Orsilochus, the sons of Diocles: their father, indeed, rich in sustinence,[219] dwelt in well-built Pherae; but his origin was from the river Alpheus, which flows widely through the land of the Pylians. Alpheus begat Orsilochus, a prince over many men; but Orsilochus begat magnanimous Diocles; and of Diocles were born two sons, Crethon and Orsilochus, well skilled in all kinds of battle. These, indeed, in the bloom of youth, in their sable ships followed with the Argives to Ilium famed for noble steeds, seeking honour for the sons of Atreus, Agamemnon and Menelaus: but there the end of death overshadowed them.

[Footnote 216: Such seems to be the force of the plural [Greek: bias].]

[Footnote 217: "Ascending, while the north wind sleeps."—Milton, P. L. ii. 489.]

[Footnote 218: I. e. be ashamed to fly or give way. Compare Plato, Sympos. p. 317, F. G. ed. Laem., where he dwells upon the advantages of friends fighting together, as rendering men ashamed of any cowardly action.]

[Footnote 219: This construction with the genitive is very common in Latin. Virg. Georg. ii. 468: "dives opum." AEn. i. 18; Hor. Ep. ii. 2, 31; Od. iv. 8, 5; Silius, i. 393.]

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