The Iliad Of Homer: Translated Into English Blank Verse: Book II.

Argument Of The Second Book.     Jupiter, in pursuance of his purpose to distress the Grecians in answer to the prayer of Thetis, deceives Agamemnon by a dream. He, in consequence of it, calls a council, the result of which is that the army shall go forth to battle. Thersites is mutinous, and is chastised by Ulysses. Ulysses, Nestor, and Agamemnon, harangue the people; and preparation is made for battle. An exact account follows of the forces on both sides.      [1]All night both Gods and Chiefs equestrian slept,      But not the Sire of all. He, waking soon,      Mused how to exalt Achilles, and destroy      No few in battle at the Grecian fleet.      This counsel, at the last, as best he chose      And likeliest; to dispatch an evil Dream      To Agamemnon's tent, and to his side      The phantom summoning, him thus addressed.      Haste, evil Dream! Fly to the Grecian fleet,      And, entering royal Agamemnon's tent,      His ear possess thou thus, omitting nought      Of all that I enjoin thee. Bid him arm      His universal host, for that the time      When the Achaians shall at length possess      Wide Ilium, hath arrived. The Gods above      No longer dwell at variance. The request      Of Juno hath prevail'd; now, wo to Troy!      So charged, the Dream departed. At the ships      Well-built arriving of Achaia's host,      He Agamemnon, son of Atreus, sought.      Him sleeping in his tent he found, immersed      In soft repose ambrosial. At his head      The shadow stood, similitude exact      Of Nestor, son of Neleus; sage, with whom      In Agamemnon's thought might none compare.      His form assumed, the sacred Dream began.      Oh son of Atreus the renown'd in arms      And in the race! Sleep'st thou? It ill behoves      To sleep all night the man of high employ,      And charged, as thou art, with a people's care.      Now, therefore, mark me well, who, sent from Jove,      Inform thee, that although so far remote,      He yet compassionates and thinks on thee      With kind solicitude. He bids thee arm      Thy universal host, for that the time      When the Achaians shall at length possess      Wide Ilium, hath arrived. The Gods above      No longer dwell at variance. The requests      Of Juno have prevail'd. Now, wo to Troy      From Jove himself! Her fate is on the wing.      Awaking from thy dewy slumbers, hold      In firm remembrance all that thou hast heard.      So spake the Dream, and vanishing, him left      In false hopes occupied and musings vain.      Full sure he thought, ignorant of the plan      By Jove design'd, that day the last of Troy.      Fond thought! For toils and agonies to Greeks      And Trojans both, in many a bloody field      To be endured, the Thunderer yet ordain'd.      Starting he woke, and seeming still to hear      The warning voice divine, with hasty leap      Sprang from his bed, and sat.[2] His fleecy vest      New-woven he put on, and mantle wide;      His sandals fair to his unsullied feet      He braced, and slung his argent-studded sword.      Then, incorruptible for evermore      The sceptre of his sires he took, with which      He issued forth into the camp of Greece.      Aurora now on the Olympian heights      Proclaiming stood new day to all in heaven,      When he his clear-voiced heralds bade convene      The Greeks in council. Went the summons forth      Into all quarters, and the throng began.      First, at the ship of Nestor, Pylian King,[3]      The senior Chiefs for high exploits renown'd      He gather'd, whom he prudent thus address'd.      My fellow warriors, hear! A dream from heaven,      Amid the stillness of the vacant night      Approach'd me, semblance close in stature, bulk,      And air, of noble Nestor. At mine head      The shadow took his stand, and thus he spake.      Oh son of Atreus the renown'd in arms      And in the race, sleep'st thou? It ill behoves      To sleep all night the man of high employ,      And charged as thou art with a people's care.      Now, therefore, mark me well, who, sent from Jove,      Inform thee, that although so far remote,      He yet compassionates and thinks on thee      With kind solicitude. He bids thee arm      Thy universal host; for that the time      When the Achaians shall at length possess      Wide Ilium, hath arrived. The Gods above      No longer dwell at variance. The requests      Of Juno have prevail'd. Now, wo to Troy      From Jove himself! Her fate is on the wing.      Charge this on thy remembrance. Thus he spake,      Then vanished suddenly, and I awoke.      Haste therefore, let us arm, if arm we may,[4]      The warlike sons of Greece; but first, myself      Will prove them, recommending instant flight      With all our ships, and ye throughout the host      Dispersed, shall, next, encourage all to stay.      He ceased, and sat; when in the midst arose      Of highest fame for wisdom, Nestor, King      Of sandy Pylus, who them thus bespake.      Friends, Counsellors, and Leaders of the Greeks!      Had any meaner Argive told his dream,      We had pronounced it false, and should the more      Have shrunk from battle; but the dream is his      Who boasts himself our highest in command.      Haste, arm we, if we may, the sons of Greece.      So saying, he left the council; him, at once      The sceptred Chiefs, obedient to his voice,      Arising, follow'd; and the throng began.      As from the hollow rock bees stream abroad,      And in succession endless seek the fields,      Now clustering, and now scattered far and near,      In spring-time, among all the new-blown flowers,      So they to council swarm'd, troop after troop,      Grecians of every tribe, from camp and fleet      Assembling orderly o'er all the plain      Beside the shore of Ocean. In the midst      A kindling rumor, messenger of Jove,      Impell'd them, and they went. Loud was the din      Of the assembling thousands; groan'd the earth      When down they sat, and murmurs ran around.      Nine heralds cried aloud--Will ye restrain      Your clamors, that your heaven-taught Kings may speak?      Scarce were they settled, and the clang had ceased,      When Agamemnon, sovereign o'er them all,      Sceptre in hand, arose. (That sceptre erst      Vulcan with labor forged, and to the hand      Consign'd it of the King, Saturnian Jove;      Jove to the vanquisher[5] of Ino's[6] guard,      And he to Pelops; Pelops in his turn,      To royal Atreus; Atreus at his death      Bequeath'd it to Thyestes rich in flocks,      And rich Thyestes left it to be borne      By Agamemnon, symbol of his right      To empire over Argos and her isles)      On that he lean'd, and rapid, thus began.[7]      Friends, Grecian Heroes, ministers of Mars!      Ye see me here entangled in the snares      Of unpropitious Jove. He promised once,      And with a nod confirm'd it, that with spoils      Of Ilium laden, we should hence return;      But now, devising ill, he sends me shamed,      And with diminished numbers, home to Greece.      So stands his sovereign pleasure, who hath laid      The bulwarks of full many a city low,      And more shall level, matchless in his might.      That such a numerous host of Greeks as we,      Warring with fewer than ourselves, should find      No fruit of all our toil, (and none appears)      Will make us vile with ages yet to come.      For should we now strike truce, till Greece and Troy      Might number each her own, and were the Greeks      Distributed in bands, ten Greeks in each,      Our banded decads should exceed so far      Their units, that all Troy could not supply      For every ten, a man, to fill us wine;      So far the Achaians, in my thought, surpass      The native Trojans. But in Troy are those      Who baffle much my purpose; aids derived      From other states, spear-arm'd auxiliars, firm      In the defence of Ilium's lofty towers.      Nine years have passed us over, nine long years;      Our ships are rotted, and our tackle marr'd,      And all our wives and little-ones at home      Sit watching our return, while this attempt      Hangs still in doubt, for which that home we left.      Accept ye then my counsel. Fly we swift      With all our fleet back to our native land,      Hopeless of Troy, not yet to be subdued.      So spake the King, whom all the concourse heard      With minds in tumult toss'd; all, save the few,      Partners of his intent. Commotion shook      The whole assembly, such as heaves the flood      Of the Icarian Deep, when South and East      Burst forth together from the clouds of Jove.      And as when vehement the West-wind falls      On standing corn mature, the loaded ears      Innumerable bow before the gale,      So was the council shaken. With a shout      All flew toward the ships; uprais'd, the dust      Stood o'er them; universal was the cry,      "Now clear the passages, strike down the props,      Set every vessel free, launch, and away!"      Heaven rang with exclamation of the host      All homeward bent, and launching glad the fleet.      Then baffled Fate had the Achaians seen      Returning premature, but Juno thus,      With admonition quick to Pallas spake.      Unconquer'd daughter of Jove gis-arm'd!      Ah foul dishonor! Is it thus at last      That the Achaians on the billows borne,      Shall seek again their country, leaving here,      To be the vaunt of Ilium and her King,      Helen of Argos, in whose cause the Greeks      Have numerous perish'd from their home remote?      Haste! Seek the mail-arm'd multitude, by force      Detain them of thy soothing speech, ere yet      All launch their oary barks into the flood.      She spake, nor did Minerva not comply,      But darting swift from the Olympian heights,      Reach'd soon Achaia's fleet. There, she perceived      Prudent as Jove himself, Ulysses; firm      He stood; he touch'd not even with his hand      His sable bark, for sorrow whelm'd his soul.      The Athenan Goddess azure-eyed      Beside him stood, and thus the Chief bespake.      Laertes' noble son, for wiles renown'd!      Why seek ye, thus precipitate, your ships?      Intend ye flight? And is it thus at last,      That the Achaians on the billows borne,      Shall seek again their country, leaving here,      To be the vaunt of Ilium and her King,      Helen of Argos, in whose cause the Greeks      Have numerous perish'd from their home remote?      Delay not. Rush into the throng; by force      Detain them of thy soothing speech, ere yet      All launch their oary barks into the flood.      She ceased, whom by her voice Ulysses knew,      Casting his mantle from him, which his friend      Eurybates the Ithacensian caught,      He ran; and in his course meeting the son      Of Atreus, Agamemnon, from his hand      The everlasting sceptre quick received,      Which bearing, through Achaia's fleet he pass'd.      What King soever, or distinguish'd Greek      He found, approaching to his side, in terms      Of gentle sort he stay'd him. Sir, he cried,      It is unseemly that a man renown'd      As thou, should tremble. Go--Resume the seat      Which thou hast left, and bid the people sit.      Thou know'st not clearly yet the monarch's mind.      He proves us now, but soon he will chastize.      All were not present; few of us have heard      His speech this day in council. Oh, beware,      Lest in resentment of this hasty course      Irregular, he let his anger loose.      Dread is the anger of a King; he reigns      By Jove's own ordinance, and is dear to Jove,      But what plebeian base soe'er he heard      Stretching his throat to swell the general cry,      He laid the sceptre smartly on his back,      With reprimand severe. Fellow, he said,      Sit still; hear others; thy superiors hear.      For who art thou? A dastard and a drone,      Of none account in council, or in arms.      By no means may we all alike bear sway      At Ilium; such plurality of Kings      Were evil. One suffices. One, to whom      The son of politic Saturn hath assign'd      The sceptre, and inforcement of the laws,      That he may rule us as a monarch ought.[8]      With such authority the troubled host      He sway'd; they, quitting camp and fleet again      Rush'd back to council; deafening was the sound      As when a billow of the boisterous deep      Some broad beach dashes, and the Ocean roars.      The host all seated, and the benches fill'd,      Thersites only of loquacious tongue      Ungovern'd, clamor'd mutinous; a wretch      Of utterance prompt, but in coarse phrase obscene      Deep learn'd alone, with which to slander Kings.      Might he but set the rabble in a roar,      He cared not with what jest; of all from Greece      To Ilium sent, his country's chief reproach.      Cross-eyed he was, and halting moved on legs      Ill-pair'd; his gibbous shoulders o'er his breast      Contracted, pinch'd it; to a peak his head      Was moulded sharp, and sprinkled thin with hair      Of starveling length, flimsy and soft as down.      Achilles and Ulysses had incurr'd      Most his aversion; them he never spared;      But now, imperial Agamemnon 'self      In piercing accents stridulous he charged      With foul reproach. The Grecians with contempt      Listen'd, and indignation, while with voice      At highest pitch, he thus the monarch mock'd.      What wouldst thou now? Whereof is thy complaint      Now, Agamemnon? Thou hast fill'd thy tents      With treasure, and the Grecians, when they take      A city, choose the loveliest girls for thee.      Is gold thy wish? More gold? A ransom brought      By some chief Trojan for his son's release      Whom I, or other valiant Greek may bind?      Or wouldst thou yet a virgin, one, by right      Another's claim, but made by force thine own?      It was not well, great Sir, that thou shouldst bring      A plague on the Achaians, as of late.      But come, my Grecian sisters, soldiers named      Unfitly, of a sex too soft for war,      Come, let us homeward: let him here digest      What he shall gorge, alone; that he may learn      If our assistance profit him or not.      For when he shamed Achilles, he disgraced      A Chief far worthier than himself, whose prize      He now withholds. But tush,--Achilles lacks      Himself the spirit of a man; no gall      Hath he within him, or his hand long since      Had stopp'd that mouth,[9] that it should scoff no more.      Thus, mocking royal Agamemnon, spake      Thersites. Instant starting to his side,      Noble Ulysses with indignant brows      Survey'd him, and him thus reproved severe.      Thersites! Railer!--peace. Think not thyself,      Although thus eloquent, alone exempt      From obligation not to slander Kings.      I deem thee most contemptible, the worst      Of Agamemnon's followers to the war;      Presume not then to take the names revered      Of Sovereigns on thy sordid lips, to asperse      Their sacred character, and to appoint      The Greeks a time when they shall voyage home.      How soon, how late, with what success at last      We shall return, we know not: but because      Achaia's heroes numerous spoils allot      To Agamemnon, Leader of the host,      Thou therefore from thy seat revilest the King.      But mark me. If I find thee, as even now,      Raving and foaming at the lips again,      May never man behold Ulysses' head      On these my shoulders more, and may my son      Prove the begotten of another Sire,      If I not strip thee to that hide of thine      As bare as thou wast born, and whip thee hence      Home to thy galley, sniveling like a boy.      He ceased, and with his sceptre on the back      And shoulders smote him. Writhing to and fro,      He wept profuse, while many a bloody whelk      Protuberant beneath the sceptre sprang.      Awe-quell'd he sat, and from his visage mean,      Deep-sighing, wiped the rheums. It was no time      For mirth, yet mirth illumined every face,      And laughing, thus they spake. A thousand acts      Illustrious, both by well-concerted plans      And prudent disposition of the host      Ulysses hath achieved, but this by far      Transcends his former praise, that he hath quell'd      Such contumelious rhetoric profuse.      The valiant talker shall not soon, we judge,      Take liberties with royal names again.[10]      So spake the multitude. Then, stretching forth      The sceptre, city-spoiler Chief, arose      Ulysses. Him beside, herald in form,      Appeared Minerva. Silence she enjoined      To all, that all Achaia's sons might hear,      Foremost and rearmost, and might weigh his words.      He then his counsel, prudent, thus proposed.      Atrides! Monarch! The Achaians seek      To make thee ignominious above all      In sight of all mankind. None recollects      His promise more in steed-famed Argos pledged,      Here to abide till Ilium wall'd to heaven      Should vanquish'd sink, and all her wealth be ours.      No--now, like widow'd women, or weak boys,      They whimper to each other, wishing home.      And home, I grant, to the afflicted soul      Seems pleasant.[11] The poor seaman from his wife      One month detain'd, cheerless his ship and sad      Possesses, by the force of wintry blasts,      And by the billows of the troubled deep      Fast lock'd in port. But us the ninth long year      Revolving, finds camp'd under Ilium still.      I therefore blame not, if they mourn beside      Their sable barks, the Grecians. Yet the shame      That must attend us after absence long      Returning unsuccessful, who can bear?      Be patient, friends! wait only till we learn      If Calchas truly prophesied, or not;      For well we know, and I to all appeal,      Whom Fate hath not already snatch'd away,      (It seems but yesterday, or at the most      A day or two before) that when the ships      Wo-fraught for Priam, and the race of Troy,      At Aulis met, and we beside the fount      With perfect hecatombs the Gods adored      Beneath the plane-tree, from whose root a stream      Ran crystal-clear, there we beheld a sign      Wonderful in all eyes. A serpent huge,      Tremendous spectacle! with crimson spots      His back all dappled, by Olympian Jove      Himself protruded, from the altar's foot      Slipp'd into light, and glided to the tree.      There on the topmost bough, close-cover'd sat      With foliage broad, eight sparrows, younglings all,      Then newly feather'd, with their dam, the ninth.      The little ones lamenting shrill he gorged,      While, wheeling o'er his head, with screams the dam      Bewail'd her darling brood. Her also next,      Hovering and clamoring, he by the wing      Within his spiry folds drew, and devoured.      All eaten thus, the nestlings and the dam,      The God who sent him, signalized him too,      For him Saturnian Jove transform'd to stone.      We wondering stood, to see that strange portent      Intrude itself into our holy rites,      When Calchas, instant, thus the sign explain'd.      Why stand ye, Greeks, astonish'd? Ye behold      A prodigy by Jove himself produced,      An omen, whose accomplishment indeed      Is distant, but whose fame shall never die.[12]      E'en as this serpent in your sight devour'd      Eight youngling sparrows, with their dam, the ninth,      So we nine years must war on yonder plain,      And in the tenth, wide-bulwark'd Troy is ours.      So spake the seer, and as he spake, is done.      Wait, therefore, brave Achaians! go not hence      Till Priam's spacious city be your prize.      He ceased, and such a shout ensued, that all      The hollow ships the deafening roar return'd      Of acclamation, every voice the speech      Extolling of Ulysses, glorious Chief.      Then Nestor the Gerenian,[13] warrior old,      Arising, spake; and, by the Gods, he said,      Ye more resemble children inexpert      In war, than disciplined and prudent men.      Where now are all your promises and vows,      Councils, libations, right-hand covenants?[14]      Burn them, since all our occupation here      Is to debate and wrangle, whereof end      Or fruit though long we wait, shall none be found.      But, Sovereign, be not thou appall'd. Be firm.      Relax not aught of thine accustomed sway,      But set the battle forth as thou art wont.      And if there be a Grecian, here and there,      One,[15] adverse to the general voice, let such      Wither alone. He shall not see his wish      Gratified, neither will we hence return      To Argos, ere events shall yet have proved      Jove's promise false or true. For when we climb'd      Our gallant barks full-charged with Ilium's fate,      Saturnian Jove omnipotent, that day,      (Omen propitious!) thunder'd on the right.      Let no man therefore pant for home, till each      Possess a Trojan spouse, and from her lips      Take sweet revenge for Helen's pangs of heart.      Who then? What soldier languishes and sighs      To leave us? Let him dare to lay his hand      On his own vessel, and he dies the first.      But hear, O King! I shall suggest a course      Not trivial. Agamemnon! sort the Greeks      By districts and by tribes, that tribe may tribe      Support, and each his fellow. This performed,      And with consent of all, thou shalt discern      With ease what Chief, what private man deserts,      And who performs his part. The base, the brave,      Such disposition made, shall both appear;      And thou shalt also know, if heaven or we,      The Gods, or our supineness, succor Troy.      To whom Atrides, King of men, replied.      Old Chief! Thou passest all Achaia's sons      In consultation; would to Jove our Sire,      To Athenan Pallas, and Apollo!      That I had ten such coadjutors, wise      As thou art, and the royal city soon      Of Priam, with her wealth, should all be ours.[16]      But me the son of Saturn, Jove supreme      Himself afflicts, who in contentious broils      Involves me, and in altercation vain.      Thence all that wordy tempest for a girl      Achilles and myself between, and I      The fierce aggressor. Be that breach but heal'd!      And Troy's reprieve thenceforth is at an end.      Go--take refreshment now that we may march      Forth to our enemies. Let each whet well      His spear, brace well his shield, well feed his brisk      High-mettled horses, well survey and search      His chariot on all sides, that no defect      Disgrace his bright habiliments of war.      So will we give the day from morn to eve      To dreadful battle. Pause there shall be none      Till night divide us. Every buckler's thong      Shall sweat on the toil'd bosom, every hand      That shakes the spear shall ache, and every steed      Shall smoke that whirls the chariot o'er the plain.      Wo then to whom I shall discover here      Loitering among the tents; let him escape      My vengeance if he can. The vulture's maw      Shall have his carcase, and the dogs his bones.      He spake; whom all applauded with a shout      Loud as against some headland cliff the waves      Roll'd by the stormy South o'er rocks that shoot      Afar into the deep, which in all winds      The flood still overspreads, blow whence they may.      Arising, forth they rush'd, among the ships      All scatter'd; smoke from every tent arose,      The host their food preparing; next, his God      Each man invoked (of the Immortals him      Whom he preferr'd) with sacrifice and prayer      For safe escape from danger and from death.      But Agamemnon to Saturnian Jove      Omnipotent, an ox of the fifth year      Full-flesh'd devoted, and the Princes call'd      Noblest of all the Grecians to his feast.      First, Nestor with Idomeneus the King,      Then either Ajax, and the son he call'd      Of Tydeus, with Ulysses sixth and last,      Jove's peer in wisdom. Menelaus went,      Heroic Chief! unbidden, for he knew      His brother's mind with weight of care oppress'd.      The ox encircling, and their hands with meal      Of consecration fill'd, the assembly stood,      When Agamemnon thus his prayer preferred.      Almighty Father! Glorious above all!      Cloud-girt, who dwell'st in heaven thy throne sublime,      Let not the sun go down, till Priam's roof      Fall flat into the flames; till I shall burn      His gates with fire; till I shall hew away      His hack'd and riven corslet from the breast      Of Hector, and till numerous Chiefs, his friends,      Around him, prone in dust, shall bite the ground.      So prayed he, but with none effect, The God      Received his offering, but to double toil      Doom'd them, and sorrow more than all the past.      They then, the triturated barley grain      First duly sprinkling, the sharp steel infix'd      Deep in the victim's neck reversed, then stripp'd      The carcase, and divided at their joint      The thighs, which in the double caul involved      They spread with slices crude, and burn'd with fire      Ascending fierce from billets sere and dry.      The spitted entrails next they o'er the coals      Suspended held. The thighs with fire consumed,      They gave to each his portion of the maw,      Then slash'd the remnant, pierced it with the spits,      And managing with culinary skill      The roast, withdrew it from the spits again.      Thus, all their task accomplished, and the board      Set forth, they feasted, and were all sufficed.      When neither hunger more nor thirst remain'd      Unsatisfied, Gerenian Nestor spake.      Atrides! Agamemnon! King of men!      No longer waste we time in useless words,      Nor to a distant hour postpone the work      To which heaven calls thee. Send thine heralds forth.      Who shall convene the Achaians at the fleet,      That we, the Chiefs assembled here, may range,      Together, the imbattled multitude,      And edge their spirits for immediate fight.      He spake, nor Agamemnon not complied.      At once he bade his clear-voiced heralds call      The Greeks to battle. They the summons loud      Gave forth, and at the sound the people throng'd.      Then Agamemnon and the Kings of Greece      Dispatchful drew them into order just,      With whom Minerva azure-eyed advanced,      The inestimable gis on her arm,      Immortal, unobnoxious to decay      A hundred braids, close twisted, all of gold,      Each valued at a hundred beeves,[17] around      Dependent fringed it. She from side to side      Her eyes cerulean rolled, infusing thirst      Of battle endless into every breast.      War won them now, war sweeter now to each      Than gales to waft them over ocean home.[18]      As when devouring flames some forest seize      On the high mountains, splendid from afar      The blaze appears, so, moving on the plain,      The steel-clad host innumerous flash'd to heaven.      And as a multitude of fowls in flocks      Assembled various, geese, or cranes, or swans      Lithe-neck'd, long hovering o'er Caster's banks      On wanton plumes, successive on the mead      Alight at last, and with a clang so loud      That all the hollow vale of Asius rings;      In number such from ships and tents effused,      They cover'd the Scamandrian plain; the earth      Rebellow'd to the feet of steeds and men.      They overspread Scamander's grassy vale,      Myriads, as leaves, or as the flowers of spring.      As in the hovel where the peasant milks      His kine in spring-time, when his pails are fill'd,      Thick clouds of humming insects on the wing      Swarm all around him, so the Grecians swarm'd      An unsumm'd multitude o'er all the plain,      Bright arm'd, high crested, and athirst for war.      As goat-herds separate their numerous flocks      With ease, though fed promiscuous, with like ease      Their leaders them on every side reduced      To martial order glorious;[19] among whom      Stood Agamemnon "with an eye like Jove's,      To threaten or command," like Mars in girth,      And with the port of Neptune. As the bull      Conspicuous among all the herd appears,      For he surpasses all, such Jove ordain'd      That day the son of Atreus, in the midst      Of Heroes, eminent above them all.      Tell me, (for ye are are heavenly, and beheld[20]      A scene, whereof the faint report alone      Hath reached our ears, remote and ill-informed,)      Tell me, ye Muses, under whom, beneath      What Chiefs of royal or of humbler note      Stood forth the embattled Greeks? The host at large;      They were a multitude in number more      Than with ten tongues, and with ten mouths, each mouth      Made vocal with a trumpet's throat of brass      I might declare, unless the Olympian nine,      Jove's daughters, would the chronicle themselves      Indite, of all assembled, under Troy.      I will rehearse the Captains and their fleets.      [21]Boeotia's sturdy sons Peneleus led,      And Letus, whose partners in command      Arcesilaus and Prothoenor came,      And Clonius. Them the dwellers on the rocks      Of Aulis followed, with the hardy clans      Of Hyrie, Schoenos, Scholos, and the hills      Of Eteon; Thespia, Gra, and the plains      Of Mycalessus them, and Harma served,      Eleon, Erythr, Peteon; Hyle them,      Hesius and Ocalea, and the strength      Of Medeon; Cop also in their train      Marched, with Eutresis and the mighty men      Of Thisbe famed for doves; nor pass unnamed      Whom Corona, and the grassy land      Of Haliartus added to the war,      Nor whom Plata, nor whom Glissa bred,      And Hypotheb,[22] and thy sacred groves      To Neptune, dark Onchestus. Arne claims      A record next for her illustrious sons,      Vine-bearing Arne. Thou wast also there      Mideia, and thou Nissa; nor be thine      Though last, Anthedon, a forgotten name.      These in Boeotia's fair and gallant fleet      Of fifty ships, each bearing o'er the waves      Thrice forty warriors, had arrived at Troy.      In thirty ships deep-laden with the brave,      Aspledon and Orchomenos had sent      Their chosen youth; them ruled a noble pair,      Sons of Astyoche; she, lovely nymph,      Received by stealth, on Actor's stately roof,      The embraces of a God, and bore to Mars      Twins like himself, Ascalaphus the bold,      And bold Ilmenus, expert in arms.      Beneath Epistrophus and Schedius, took      Their destined station on Boeotia's left,      The brave Phocensians; they in forty ships      From Cyparissus came, and from the rocks      Of Python, and from Crissa the divine;      From Anemoria, Daulis, Panopeus,      And from Hyampolis, and from the banks      Of the Cephissus, sacred stream, and from      Lila, seated at its fountain-head.      Next from beyond Euboea's happy isle      In forty ships conveyed, stood forth well armed      The Locrians; dwellers in Augeia some      The pleasant, some of Opois possessed,      Some of Calliarus; these Scarpha sent,      And Cynus those; from Bessa came the rest,      From Tarpha, Thronius, and from the brink      Of loud Boagrius; Ajax them, the swift,      Son of Oleus led, not such as he      From Telamon, big-boned and lofty built,      But small of limb, and of an humbler crest;      Yet he, competitor had none throughout      The Grecians of what land soe'er, for skill      In ushering to its mark the rapid lance.      Elphenor brought (Calchodon's mighty son)      The Euboeans to the field. In forty ships      From Histra for her vintage famed,      From Chalcis, from Iretria, from the gates      Of maritime Cerinthus, from the heights      Of Dios rock-built citadel sublime,      And from Caristus and from Styra came      His warlike multitudes, all named alike      Abantes, on whose shoulders fell behind      Their locks profuse,[23] and they were eager all      To split the hauberk with the pointed spear.      Nor Athens had withheld her generous sons,      The people of Erectheus. Him of old      The teeming glebe produced, a wondrous birth!      And Pallas rear'd him: her own unctuous fane      She made his habitation, where with bulls      The youth of Athens, and with slaughter'd lambs      Her annual worship celebrate. Then led      Menestheus, whom, (sage Nestor's self except,      Thrice school'd in all events of human life,)      None rivall'd ever in the just array      Of horse and man to battle. Fifty ships      Black-prowed, had borne them to the distant war.      Ajax from Salamis twelve vessels brought,      And where the Athenian band in phalanx stood      Marshall'd compact, there station'd he his powers.      The men of Argos and Tyrintha next,      And of Hermione, that stands retired      With Asine, within her spacious bay;      Of Epidaurus, crown'd with purple vines,      And of Troezena, with the Achaian youth      Of sea-begirt gina, and with thine,      Maseta, and the dwellers on thy coast,      Wave-worn Eon; these all obeyed      The dauntless Hero Diomede, whom served      Sthenelus, son of Capaneus, a Chief      Of deathless fame, his second in command,      And godlike man, Euryalus, the son      Of King Mecisteus, Talas' son, his third.      But Diomede controll'd them all, and him      Twice forty sable ships their leader own'd.      Came Agamemnon with a hundred ships,      Exulting in his powers; more numerous they,      And more illustrious far than other Chief      Could boast, whoever. Clad in burnish'd brass,      And conscious of pre-eminence, he stood.      He drew his host from cities far renown'd,      Mycen, and Corinthus, seat of wealth,      Orneia, and Cleon bulwark'd strong,      And lovely Arthyria; Sicyon, where      His seat of royal power held at the first      Adrastus: Hyperesia, and the heights      Of Gonossa; gium, with the towns      That sprinkle all that far-extended coast,      Pellene also and wide Helice      With all their shores, were number'd in his train.      From hollow Lacedmon's glen profound,      From Phare, Sparta, and from Messa, still      Resounding with the ring-dove's amorous moan,      From Brysia, from Augeia, from the rocks      Of Laas, from Amycla, Otilus,      And from the towers of Helos, at whose foot      The surf of Ocean falls, came sixty barks      With Menelaus. From the monarch's host      The royal brother ranged his own apart,      and panted for revenge of Helen's wrongs,      And of her sighs and tears.[24] From rank to rank,      Conscious of dauntless might he pass'd, and sent      Into all hearts the fervor of his own.      Gerenian Nestor in thrice thirty ships      Had brought his warriors; they from Pylus came,      From blithe Arene, and from Thryos, built      Fast by the fords of Alpheus, and from steep      And stately py. Their confederate powers      Sent Amphigenia, Cyparissa veiled      With broad redundance of funereal shades,      Pteleos and Helos, and of deathless fame      Dorion. In Dorion erst the Muses met      Threcian Thamyris, on his return      From Eurytus, Oechalian Chief, and hush'd      His song for ever; for he dared to vaunt      That he would pass in song even themselves      The Muses, daughters of Jove gis-arm'd.      They therefore, by his boast incensed, the bard      Struck blind, and from his memory dash'd severe      All traces of his once celestial strains.      Arcadia's sons, the dwellers at the foot      Of mount Cyllene, where pytus sleeps      Intomb'd; a generation bold in fight,      And warriors hand to hand; the valiant men      Of Pheneus, of Orchomenos by flocks      Grazed numberless, of Ripe, Stratia, bleak      Enispe; Mantinea city fair,      Stymphelus and Parrhasia, and the youth      Of Tegea; royal Agapenor these,      Ancus' offspring, had in sixty ships      To Troy conducted; numerous was the crew,      And skilled in arms, which every vessel brought,      And Agamemnon had with barks himself      Supplied them, for, of inland realms possessed,      They little heeded maritime employs.[25]      The dwellers in Buprasium, on the shores      Of pleasant Elis, and in all the land      Myrsinus and the Hyrminian plain between,      The rock Olenian, and the Alysian fount;      These all obey'd four Chiefs, and galleys ten      Each Chief commanded, with Epeans filled.      Amphimachus and Thalpius govern'd these,      This, son of Cteatus, the other, sprung      From Eurytus, and both of Actor's house.      Diores, son of Amarynceus, those      Led on, and, for his godlike form renown'd,      Polyxenus was Chieftain o'er the rest,      Son of Agasthenes, Augeias' son.      Dulichium, and her sister sacred isles      The Echinades, whose opposite aspect      Looks toward Elis o'er the curling waves,      Sent forth their powers with Meges at their head,      Brave son of Phyleus, warrior dear to Jove.      Phyleus in wrath, his father's house renounced,      And to Dulichium wandering, there abode.      Twice twenty ships had follow'd Meges forth.      Ulysses led the Cephallenians bold.      From Ithaca, and from the lofty woods      Of Neritus they came, and from the rocks      Of rude gilipa. Crocylia these,      And these Zacynthus own'd; nor yet a few      From Samos, from Epirus join'd their aid,      And from the opposite Ionian shore.      Them, wise as Jove himself, Ulysses led      In twelve fair ships, with crimson prows adorn'd.      From forty ships, Thoas, Andrmon's son,      Had landed his tolians; for extinct      Was Meleager, and extinct the house      Of Oeneus all, nor Oeneus self survived;      To Thoas therefore had tolia fallen;      Him Olenos, Pylene, Chalcis served,      With Pleuro, and the rock-bound Calydon.      Idomeneus, spear-practised warrior, led      The numerous Cretans. In twice forty ships      He brought his powers to Troy. The warlike bands      Of Cnossus, of Gortyna wall'd around,      Of Lyctus, of Lycastus chalky-white,      Of Phstus, of Miletus, with the youth      Of Rhytius him obey'd; nor these were all,      But others from her hundred cities Crete      Sent forth, all whom Idomeneus the brave      Commanded, with Meriones in arms      Dread as the God of battles blood-imbrued.      Nine ships Tlepolemus, Herculean-born,      For courage famed and for superior size,      Fill'd with his haughty Rhodians. They, in tribes      Divided, dwelt distinct. Jelyssus these,      Those Lindus, and the rest the shining soil      Of white Camirus occupied. Him bore      To Hercules, (what time he led the nymph      From Ephyre, and from Sellea's banks,      After full many a city laid in dust.)      Astyocheia. In his father's house      Magnificent, Tlepolemus spear-famed      Had scarce up-grown to manhood's lusty prime      When he his father's hoary uncle slew      Lycimnius, branch of Mars. Then built he ships,      And, pushing forth to sea, fled from the threats      Of the whole house of Hercules. Huge toil      And many woes he suffer'd, till at length      At Rhodes arriving, in three separate bands      He spread himself abroad, Much was he loved      Of all-commanding Jove, who bless'd him there,      And shower'd abundant riches on them all.      Nireus of Syma, with three vessels came;      Nireus, Agla's offspring, whom she bore      To Charopus the King; Nireus in form,      (The faultless son of Peleus sole except,)      Loveliest of all the Grecians call'd to Troy.      But he was heartless and his men were few.[26]      Nisyrus, Casus, Crapathus, and Cos      Where reign'd Eurypylus, with all the isles      Calydn named, under two valiant Chiefs      Their troops disposed; Phidippus one, and one,      His brother Antiphus, begotten both      By Thessalus, whom Hercules begat.      In thirty ships they sought the shores of Troy.      The warriors of Pelasgian Argos next,      Of Alus, and Alope, and who held      Trechina, Phthia, and for women fair      Distinguish'd, Hellas; known by various names      Hellenes, Myrmidons, Achans, them      In fifty ships embark'd, Achilles ruled.      But these were deaf to the hoarse-throated war,      For there was none to draw their battle forth,      And give them just array. Close in his ships      Achilles, after loss of the bright-hair'd      Brisis, lay, resentful; her obtained      Not without labor hard, and after sack      Of Thebes and of Lyrnessus, where he slew      Two mighty Chiefs, sons of Evenus both,      Epistrophus and Mynes, her he mourn'd,      And for her sake self-prison'd in his fleet      And idle lay, though soon to rise again.      From Phylace, and from the flowery fields      Of Pyrrhasus, a land to Ceres given      By consecration, and from Iton green,      Mother of flocks; from Antron by the sea,      And from the grassy meads of Pteleus, came      A people, whom while yet he lived, the brave      Protesilas led; but him the earth      Now cover'd dark and drear. A wife he left,      To rend in Phylace her bleeding cheeks,      And an unfinish'd mansion. First he died      Of all the Greeks; for as he leap'd to land      Foremost by far, a Dardan struck him dead.      Nor had his troops, though filled with deep regret,      No leader; them Podarces led, a Chief      Like Mars in battle, brother of the slain,      But younger born, and from Iphiclus sprung      Who sprang from Phylacus the rich in flocks.      But him Protesilas, as in years,      So also in desert of arms excell'd      Heroic, whom his host, although they saw      Podarces at their head, still justly mourn'd;      For he was fierce in battle, and at Troy      With forty sable-sided ships arrived.      Eleven galleys, Pher on the lake,      And Boebe, and Ilchus, and the vale      Of Glaphyr supplied with crews robust      Under Eumelus; him Alcestis, praised      For beauty above all her sisters fair,      In Thessaly to King Admetus bore.      Methone, and Olizon's craggy coast,      With Meliboea and Thaumasia sent      Seven ships; their rowers were good archers all,      And every vessel dipped into the wave      Her fifty oars. Them Philoctetes, skill'd      To draw with sinewy arm the stubborn bow,      Commanded; but he suffering anguish keen      Inflicted by a serpent's venom'd tooth,      Lay sick in Lemnos; him the Grecians there      Had left sore-wounded, but were destined soon      To call to dear remembrance whom they left.      Meantime, though sorrowing for his sake, his troops      Yet wanted not a chief; them Medon ruled,      Whom Rhena to the far-famed conqueror bore      Oleus, fruit of their unsanction'd loves.      From Tricca, from Ithome rough and rude      With rocks and glens, and from Oechalia, town      Of Eurytus Oechalian-born, came forth      Their warlike youth by Podalirius led      And by Machaon, healers both expert      Of all disease, and thirty ships were theirs.      The men of Ormenus, and from beside      The fountain Hypereia, from the tops      Of chalky Titan, and Asteria's band;      Them ruled Eurypylus, Evmon's son      Illustrious, whom twice twenty ships obeyed.      Orthe, Gyrtone, Olosson white,      Argissa and Helone; they their youth      Gave to control of Polypoetes, son      Undaunted of Pirithos, son of Jove.      Him, to Pirithos, (on the self-same day      When he the Centaurs punish'd and pursued      Sheer to thic driven from Pelion's heights      The shaggy race) Hippodamia bore.      Nor he alone them led. With him was join'd      Leonteus dauntless warrior, from the bold      Coronus sprung, who Cneus call'd his sire.      Twice twenty ships awaited their command.      Guneus from Cyphus twenty and two ships      Led forth; the Enienes him obey'd,      And the robust Peroebi, warriors bold,      And dwellers on Dodona's wintry brow.      To these were join'd who till the pleasant fields      Where Titaresius winds; the gentle flood      Pours into Peneus all his limpid stores,      But with the silver-eddied Peneus flows      Unmixt as oil;[27] for Stygian is his stream,      And Styx is the inviolable oath.      Last with his forty ships, Tenthredon's son,      The active Prothos came. From the green banks      Of Peneus his Magnesians far and near      He gather'd, and from Pelion forest-crown'd.      These were the princes and the Chiefs of Greece.      Say, Muse, who most in personal desert      Excell'd, and whose were the most warlike steeds      And of the noblest strain. Their hue, their age,      Their height the same, swift as the winds of heaven      And passing far all others, were the mares      Which drew Eumelus; on Pierian hills      The heavenly Archer of the silver bow,      Apollo, bred them. But of men, the chief      Was Telamonian Ajax, while wrath-bound      Achilles lay; for he was worthier far,      And more illustrious were the steeds which bore      The noble son of Peleus; but revenge      On Agamemnon leader of the host      Was all his thought, while in his gallant ships      Sharp-keel'd to cut the foaming flood, he lay.      Meantime, along the margin of the deep      His soldiers hurled the disk, or bent the bow.      Or to its mark dispatch'd the quivering lance.      Beside the chariots stood the unharness'd steeds      Cropping the lotus, or at leisure browsed      On celery wild, from watery freshes gleaned.      Beneath the shadow of the sheltering tent      The chariot stood, while they, the charioteers      Roam'd here and there the camp, their warlike lord      Regretting sad, and idle for his sake.      As if a fire had burnt along the ground,      Such seem'd their march; earth groan'd their steps beneath;      As when in Arimi, where fame reports      Typhous stretch'd, the fires of angry Jove      Down darted, lash the ground, so groan'd the earth      Beneath them, for they traversed swift the plain.      And now from Jove, with heavy tidings charged,      Wind-footed Iris to the Trojans came.      It was the time of council, when the throng      At Priam's gate assembled, young and old:      Them, standing nigh, the messenger of heaven      Accosted with the voice of Priam's son,      Polites. He, confiding in his speed      For sure deliverance, posted was abroad      On syeta's tomb,[28] intent to watch      When the Achaian host should leave the fleet.      The Goddess in his form thus them address'd.      Oh, ancient Monarch! Ever, evermore      Speaking, debating, as if all were peace;      I have seen many a bright-embattled field,      But never one so throng'd as this to-day.      For like the leaves, or like the sands they come      Swept by the winds, to gird the city round.      But Hector! chiefly thee I shall exhort.      In Priam's spacious city are allies      Collected numerous, and of nations wide      Disseminated various are the tongues.      Let every Chief his proper troop command,      And marshal his own citizens to war.      She ceased; her Hector heard intelligent,      And quick dissolved the council. All took arms.      Wide flew the gates; forth rush'd the multitude,      Horsemen and foot, and boisterous stir arose.      In front of Ilium, distant on the plain,      Clear all around from all obstruction, stands      An eminence high-raised, by mortal men      Call'd Bateia, but the Gods the tomb      Have named it of Myrinna swift in fight.      Troy and her aids there set the battle forth.      Huge Priameian Hector, fierce in arms,      Led on the Trojans; with whom march'd the most      And the most valiant, dexterous at the spear.      neas, (on the hills of Ida him      The lovely Venus to Anchises bore,      A Goddess by a mortal man embraced)      Led the Dardanians; but not he alone;      Archilochus with him and Acamas      Stood forth, the offspring of Antenor, each,      And well instructed in all forms of war.      Fast by the foot of Ida, where they drank      The limpid waters of sepus, dwelt      The Trojans of Zeleia. Rich were they      And led by Pandarus, Lycaon's son,      Whom Phoebus self graced with the bow he bore.      Apsus, Adrastea, Terie steep,      And Pitueia--them, Amphius clad      In mail thick-woven, and Adrastus, ruled.      They were the sons of the Percosian seer      Merops, expert in the soothsayers' art      Above all other; he his sons forbad      The bloody fight, but disobedient they      Still sought it, for their destiny prevailed.      The warriors of Percote, and who dwelt      In Practius, in Arisba, city fair,      In Sestus, in Abydus, march'd behind      Princely Hyrtacides; his tawny steeds,      Strong-built and tall, from Sellcentes' bank      And from Arisba, had him borne to Troy.      Hippothous and Pilmus, branch of Mars,      Both sons of Lethus the Pelasgian, they,      Forth from Larissa for her fertile soil      Far-famed, the spear-expert Pelasgians brought.      The Thracians (all whom Hellespont includes      Within the banks of his swift-racing tide)      Heroic Acamas and Pirous led.      Euphemus, offspring of Troezenus, son      Of Jove-protected Ceas, was the Chief      Whom the spear-arm'd Ciconian band obey'd.      Ponia's archers follow'd to the field      Pyrchmes; they from Amydon remote      Were drawn, where Axius winds; broad Axius, stream      Diffused delightful over all the vale.      Pylmenes, a Chief of giant might      From the Eneti for forest-mules renowned      March'd with his Paphlagonians; dwellers they      In Sesamus and in Cytorus were,      And by the stream Parthenius; Cromna these      Sent forth, and those gialus on the lip      And margin of the land, and some, the heights      Of Erythini, rugged and abrupt.      Epistrophus and Odius from the land      Of Alybe, a region far remote,      Where veins of silver wind, led to the field      The Halizonians. With the Mysians came      Chromis their Chief, and Ennomus; him skill'd      In augury, but skill'd in vain, his art      Saved not, but by acides[29] the swift,      With others in the Xanthus[30] slain, he died.      Ascanius, lovely youth, and Phorcis, led      The Phrygians from Ascania far remote,      Ardent for battle. The Moeonian race,      (All those who at the foot of Tmolus dwelt,)      Mesthles and Antiphus, fraternal pair,      Sons of Pylmenes commanded, both      Of the Gygan lake in Lydia born.      Amphimachus and Nastes led to fight      The Carians, people of a barbarous speech,[31]      With the Milesians, and the mountain-race      Of wood-crown'd Phthira, and who dwelt beside      Mander, or on Mycale sublime.      Them led Amphimachus and Nastes, sons      Renown'd of Nomion. Like a simple girl      Came forth Amphimachus with gold bedight,      But him his trappings from a woful death      Saved not, when whirled beneath the bloody tide      To Peleus' stormy son his spoils he left.      Sarpedon with the noble Glaucus led      Their warriors forth from farthest Lycia, where      Xanthus deep-dimpled rolls his oozy tide.