‘Begone! thy father sits not at our board:’ Then weeping, to his widow’d mother’s arms He flies, that orphan boy, Astyanax, Who on his father’s knees erewhile was fed On choicest marrow, and the fat of lambs; And, when in sleep his childish play was hush’d, Was lull’d to slumber in his nurse’s arms On softest couch, by all delights surrounded. But grief, his father lost, awaits him now, Astyanax, of Trojans so surnam’d, Since thou alone wast Troy’s defence and guard. But now on thee, beside the beaked ships, Far from thy parents, when the rav’ning dogs Have had their fill, the wriggling worms shall feed; On thee, all naked; while within thy house Lies store of raiment, rich and rare, the work Of women’s hands; these will I burn with fire; Not for thy need—thou ne’er shalt wear them more,— But for thine honour in the sight of Troy.” Weeping she spoke; the women join’d her wail. ARGUMENT. FUNERAL GAMES IN HONOUR OF PATROCLUS. Achilles and the Myrmidons do honour to the body of Patroclus. After the funeral feast he retires to the sea-shore, where, falling asleep, the ghost of his friend appears to him, and demands the rites of burial: the next morning the soldiers are sent with mules and waggons to fetch wood for the pyre. The funeral procession, and the offering their hair to the dead. Achilles sacrifices several animals, and lastly, twelve Trojan captives, at the pile; then sets fire to it. He pays libations to the winds, which (at the instance of Iris) rise, and raise the flame. When the pile has burned all night, they gather the bones, place them in an urn of gold, and raise the tomb. Achilles institutes the funeral games: the chariot-race, the fight of the caestus, the wrestling, the footrace, the single combat, the discus, the shooting with arrows, the darting the javelin: the various descriptions of which, and the various success of the several antagonists, make the greatest part of the book. In this book ends the thirtieth day: the night following, the ghost of Patroclus appears to Achilles: the one-and-thirtieth day is employed in felling the timber for the pile; the two-and-thirtieth in burning it; and the three-and-thirtieth in the games. The scene is generally on the sea-shore. BOOK XXIII. Thus they throughout the city made their moan; But when the Greeks had come where lay their ships By the broad Hellespont, their sev’ral ways They each pursu’d, dispersing; yet not so Achilles let his Myrmidons disperse, But thus his warlike comrades he address’d: “My faithful comrades, valiant Myrmidons, Loose we not yet our horses from the cars; But for Patroclus mourn, approaching near, With horse and car; such tribute claim the dead; Then, free indulgence to our sorrows giv’n, Loose we the steeds, and share the ev’ning meal.”