The Iliad of Homer: Translated into English Blank Verse by William CowperHomer
General
The Iliad of Homer: Translated into English Blank Verse by William Cowper
Homer
Achilles (Mythological character) -- Poetry; Epic poetry, Greek -- Translations into English; Trojan War -- Poetry
Against each other, for the sake of man.
Thou art thyself the cause. Thou hast produced
A foolish daughter petulant, addict
To evil only and injurious deeds;1040
There is not in Olympus, save herself,
Who feels not thy control; but she her will
Gratifies ever, and reproof from thee
Finds none, because, pernicious as she is,
She is thy daughter. She hath now the mind1045
Of haughty Diomede with madness fill’d
Against the immortal Gods; first Venus bled;
Her hand he pierced impetuous, then assail’d,
As if himself immortal, even me,
But me my feet stole thence, or overwhelm’d1050
Beneath yon heaps of carcases impure,
What had I not sustain’d? And if at last
I lived, had halted crippled by the sword.
To whom with dark displeasure Jove replied.
Base and side-shifting traitor! vex not me1055
Here sitting querulous; of all who dwell
On the Olympian heights, thee most I hate
Contentious, whose delight is war alone.
Thou hast thy mother’s moods, the very spleen
Of Juno, uncontrolable as she.1060
Whom even I, reprove her as I may,
Scarce rule by mere commands; I therefore judge
Thy sufferings a contrivance all her own.
But soft. Thou art my son whom I begat.
And Juno bare thee. I can not endure1065
That thou shouldst suffer long. Hadst thou been born
Of other parents thus detestable,
What Deity soe’er had brought thee forth,
Thou shouldst have found long since a humbler sphere.
He ceased, and to the care his son consign’d1070
Of Pæon; he with drugs of lenient powers,
Soon heal’d whom immortality secured
From dissolution. As the juice from figs
Express’d what fluid was in milk before
Coagulates, stirr’d rapidly around,1075
So soon was Mars by Pæon skill restored.
Him Hebe bathed, and with divine attire
Graceful adorn’d; when at the side of Jove
Again his glorious seat sublime he took.
Meantime to the abode of Jove supreme1080
Ascended Juno throughout Argos known
And mighty Pallas; Mars the plague of man,
By their successful force from slaughter driven.
BOOK VI.
ARGUMENT OF THE SIXTH BOOK.
The battle is continued. The Trojans being closely pursued, Hector by
the advice of Helenus enters Troy, and recommends it to Hecuba to go in
solemn procession to the temple of Minerva; she with the matrons goes
accordingly. Hector takes the opportunity to find out Paris, and
exhorts him to return to the field of battle. An interview succeeds
between Hector and Andromache, and Paris, having armed himself in the
mean time, comes up with Hector at the close of it, when they sally
from the gate together.
BOOK VI.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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