Achilles (Mythological character); Epic poetry, Greek -- Translations into English; Trojan War
There met he a son of Dardanid Priam, in flight out of the river,
Lykaon, whom once himself he took and brought unwilling out of his
father’s orchard, in a night assault; he was cutting with keen bronze
young shoots of a wild fig tree, to be hand-rails of a chariot; but to
him an unlooked-for bane came goodly Achilles. And at that time he sold
him into well-peopled Lemnos, sending him on ship board, and the son of
Jason gave a price for him; and thence a guest friend freed him with a
great ransom, Eetion of Imbros, and sent him to goodly Arisbe; whence
flying secretly he came to his father’s house. Eleven days he rejoiced
among his friends after he was come from Lemnos, but on the twelfth
once more God brought him into the hands of Achilles, who was to send
him to the house of Hades though nowise fain to go. Him when
fleet-footed noble Achilles saw bare of helm and shield, neither had he
a spear, but had thrown all to the ground; for he sweated grievously as
he tried to flee out of the river, and his knees were failing him for
weariness: then in wrath spake Achilles to his great heart: “Ha! verily
great marvel is this that I behold with my eyes. Surely then will the
proud Trojans whom I have slain rise up again from beneath the murky
gloom, since thus hath this man come back escaped from his pitiless
fate, though sold into goodly Lemnos, neither hath the deep of the
hoary sea stayed him, that holdeth many against their will. But come
then, of our spear’s point shall he taste, that I may see and learn in
my mind whether likewise he shall come back even from beneath, or
whether the life-giving Earth shall hold him down, she that holdeth so
even the strong.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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