Achilles (Mythological character); Epic poetry, Greek -- Translations into English; Trojan War
Then Æneas 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 Dëicoon, son of
Pergasis, a warrior chief, the companion of magnanimous Æneas, 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 Æneas 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 Pheræ; 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: (return) Such seems to be the force of the plural βίας.
Footnote 217: (return) “Ascending, while the north wind
sleeps.”—Milton, P. L. ii. 489.
Footnote 218: (return) I. e. be ashamed to fly or give way. Compare
Plato, Sympos. p. 317, F. G. ed. Læm., where he dwells upon the
advantages of friends fighting together, as rendering men ashamed of
any cowardly action.
Footnote 219: (return) This construction with the genitive is very
common in Latin. Virg. Georg. ii. 468: “dives opum.” Æn. i. 18; Hor.
Ep. ii. 2, 31; Od. iv. 8, 5; Silius, i. 393.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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