Complete Works of Homer Page 4
(All rising from their thrones) their sire, attending to his court.
None sate when he rose, none delayed the furnishing his port
Till he came near, all met with him, and brought him to his throne.
Nor sate great Juno ignorant, when she beheld alone
Old Nereus' silver-footed seed with Jove, that she had brought
Counsels to heaven; and straight her tongue had teeth in it, that wrought
This sharp invective : " Who was that (thou craftiest counsellor
Of all the Gods) that so apart some secret did implore?
Ever, apart from me, thou lovest to counsel and decree
Things of more close trust than thou think'st are fit t' impart to me.
Whatever thou determin'st I must ever he denied
The knowledge of it by thy will." To her speech thus replied
The Father both of men and Gods : " Have never hope to know
My whole intentions, though my wife; it fits not, nor would show
Well to thine own thoughts: but what fits thy woman's ear to hear,
Woman, nor man, nor God, shall know before it grace thine ear.
Yet, what apart from men and Gods I please to know, forbear
T' examine or inquire of that." She with the cow's fair eyes,
Respected Juno, this returned : " Austere king of the skies,
What hast thou uttered? When did I before this time inquire
Or sift thy counsels? Passing close you are still. Your desire
Is served with such care, that I fear you can scarce vouch the deed
That makes it public; being seduced by this old sea-god's seed,
That could so early use her knees, embracing thine. I doubt
The late act of thy bowed head was for the working out
Of some boon she asked; that her son thy partial hand would please
With plaguing others." " Wretch!" said he, " thy subtle jealousies
Are still exploring; my designs dan never 'scape thine eye,
Which yet thou never canst prevent. Thy curiosity
Makes thee less cared for at my hands, and horrible the end
Shall make thy humour. If it be what thy suspects intend,
What then? 'Tis my free will it should; to which let way be given
With silence. Curb your tongue in time, lest all the Gods in heaven
Too few be and too weak to help thy punished insolence,
When my inaccessible hands shall fall on thee." The sense
Of this high threatening made her fear, and silent she sate down,
Humbling her great heart. All the Gods in court of Jove did frown
At this offence given; amongst whom heaven's famous artizan,
Ephaistus, in his mother's care this comely speech began :
“Believe it, these, words will breed wounds beyond our powers to bear.
If thus for mortals ye fall out. Ye make a tumult here
That spoils our banquet. Evermore worst matters put down best,
But, mother, thou yourself be wise, yet let your son request
His wisdom audience. Give good terms to our loved, father Jove,
For fear he take offence again, and our kind banquet prove
A wrathful battle. If he will, the heavenly Light'ner can
Take you and toss you from your throne, his power Olympian
Is so surpassing. Soften then with gentle speech his spleen,
And drink to him; I know his heart will quickly down again."
This said, arising from his throne, in his loved mother's hand
He put the double-handed cup, and said: " Come, do not stand
On these cross humours, suffer, bear, though your great bosom grieve,
And lest blows force you, all my aid not able to relieve
Your hard condition, though these eyes behold it, and this heart
Sorrow to think it. 'Tis a task too dangerous to take part
Against Olympius. I myself the proof of this still feel.
When other Gods would fain have helped, he took me by the heel,
And hurled me out of heaveb. All day I was in falling down;
At length in Lemnos I struck earth. The likewise-falling sun
And I, together, set; my life almost set too; yet there
The Sintii cheered and. took me up." This did to laughter cheer
White-wristed Juno, who now took the cup of him and smiled.
The sweet peace-making draught went round, and lame Ephaistus filled
Nectar to all the other Gods. A laughter never left
Shook all the blessed deities, to see the lame so deft
At that cup service. All that day, even till the sun went down,
They banqueted, and had such cheer as did their wishes crown.
Nor had they music less divine; Apollo there did touch
His most sweet harp, to which, with voice, the Muses pleased as much.
But when the sun's fair light was set, each Godhead to his house
Addressed for sleep, where every one, with art most curious,
By heaven's great both-foot-halting God a several roof had built.
Even he to sleep went, by whose hand heaven is with lightning gilt,
High Jove, where he had used to rest when sweet sleep seized his eyes :
By him the golden-throned Queen slept, the Queen of Deities.
BOOK II
ARGUMENT.
Jove calls a vision up from Somnus' den
To bid Atrides muster up Ms men.
The King, to Greeks dissembling his desire,
Persuades them to their country to retire.
By Pallas' will, Ulysses stays their flight;
And wise old Nestor heartens them, to fight.
They take their meat; which done, to arms they go,
And march in good array against the foe.
So those of Troy; when Iris, from the sky,
Of Saturn's son performs the embassy.
ANOTHER ARGUMENT.
Beta the dream and synod cites;
And catalogues the naval knights.
THE other Gods, and knights at arms, all night slept; only Jove
Sweet slumber seized not; he discoursed how best he might approve
His vow made for Achilles' grace, and make the Grecians find
His miss in much death. All ways cast, this counsel served his mind
With most allowance; to despatch a harmful dream to greet
The king of men, and gave this charge : " Go to the Achive fleet,
Pernicious dream, and, being arrived in Agamemnon's tent,
Deliver truly all this charge. Command him to convent
His whole host armed before these towers; for now Troy's broad-wayed town
He shall take in; the heaven-housed Gods are now indifferent grown;
Juno's request hath won them; Troy now under imminent ills
At all parts labours." This charge heard the Vision straight fulfils:
The ships reached, and Atrides' tent, in which he found him laid,
Divine sleep poured about his powers. He stood above his head
Like Nestor, graced of old men most, and this did intimate :
“Sleeps the wise Atreus' tame-horse son? A councillor of state
Must not the whole night spend in sleep, to whom the people are
For guard committed, and whose life stands bound to so much care.
Now hear me then, Jove's messenger, who, though far off from thee,
Is near thee yet in ruth and care, and gives command by me
To arm thy whole host. Thy strong hand the broad-wayed town of Troy
Shall now take in; no more the Gods dissentiously employ
Their high-housed powers; Juno's suit hath won them all to her;
And ill fates overhang these towers, addressed by Jupiter. .
Fix in thy mind this, nor forget to give it action when
Sweet sleep shall leave thee." Thus, he fled;
and left the king of men
Repeating in discourse his dream, and dreaming still, awake,
Of power, not ready yet for act. O fool, he thought to take
In that next day old Priam's town; not knowing what affairs
Jove had in purpose, who prepared, by strong fight, sighs and cares
For Greeks and Trojans.' The dream gone, his voice still murmured
About the king's ears; who sate up, put on him in his bed
His silken inner weed, fair, new: and then in haste arose,
Cast on his ample mantle, tied to his soft feet fair shoes,
His silver-hilted sword he hung about his shoulders, took
His father's sceptre never stained, which then abroad he shook,
And went to fleet. And now great heaven Goddess Aurora scaled,
To Jove, and all Gods, bringing light; when Agamemnon called
His heralds, charging them aloud to call to instant court
The thick-haired Greeks. The heralds called; the Greeks made quick resort.
The Council chiefly he composed of old great-minded men,
At Nestor's ships, the Pylian king. All there assembled then,
Thus Atreus' son began the court: " Hear, friends : A dream divine,
Amidst the calm night in my sleep, did through my shut eyes shine,
Within my fantasy. His form did passing naturally
Resemble Nestor; such attire, a stature just as high.
,He stood above my head, and words thus fashioned did relate:
' Sleeps the wise Atreus' tame-horse son? A councillor of state
Must not the whole night spend in sleep, to whom the pepole are
For guard committed, and whose life stands bound to so much care.
Now hear me then, Jove's messenger, who, though far off from thee,
Is near thee yet in love and care, and gives command by me
To arm thy whole host. Thy strong hand the broad-wayed town of Troy
Shall now take in; no more the Gods dissentiously employ
Their high-housed powers; Saturnia's suit hath won them all to her;
And ill fates overhang these towers, addressed by Jupiter.
Fix in thy mind this.' This expressed, he took wing and away,
And sweet sleep left me. Let us then by all our means assay
To arm our army; I will first (as far as fits our right)
Try their addictions, and command with full sailed ships our flight;
Which if they yield to, oppose you." He sate, and up arose
Nestor, of sandy Pylos king, who, willing to dispose
Their counsel to the public good, proposed this to the state:
“Princes and Councillors of Greece, if any should relate
This vision but the king himself, it might be held a tale,
And move the rather our retreat; but since our General
Affirms he saw it, hold it true, and all our best means make
To arm our army." This speech used, he first the Council brake;
The other sceptre-bearing States arose too, and obeyed
The people's Rector. Being abroad, the earth was overlaid
With fiockers to them, that came forth, as when of frequent bees
Swarms rise out of a hollow rock, repairing the degrees
Of their egression endlessly, with ever rising new
From forth their sweet nest; as their store, still as it faded, grew,
And never would cease sending forth her clusters to the spring,
They still crowd out so; this flock here, that there, belabouring
The loaded flowers; so from the ships and tents the army's store
Trooped to these princes, and the court, along the unmeasured shore;
Amongst whom, Jove's ambassadress, Fame, in her virtue shined,
Exciting greediness to hear. The rabble, thus inclined,
Hurried together: uproar seized the high court; earth did groan
Beneath the settling multitude; tumult was there alone.
Thrice three vociferous heralds rose to check the rout, and get
Ear to their Jove-kept governors, and instantly was set
The huge confusion; every man set fast, the clamour ceased.
Then stood divine Atrides up, and in his haud compressed
His sceptre, the elaborate work of fiery Muloiber,
Who gave it to Saturnian Jove; Jove to his messenger;
His messenger, Argicides, to Pelops, skilled in horse;
Pelops to Atreus, chief of men; he, dying, gave it course
To prince Thyestes, rich in herds; Thyestes to the hand
Of Agamemnon rendered it, and with it the command
Of many isles, and Argos all. On this he leaning, said:
“O friends, great sons of Danaus, servants of Mars, Jove laid
A heavy curse on me; to vow, and bind it with the bent
Of his high forehead, that, this Troy of all her people spent,
I should return; yet now to mock our hopes built on his vow,
And charge ingloriously my flight, when such an overthrow
Of brave friends I have authored. But to his mightiest will
We must submit us, that hath razed and will be razing still
Men's footsteps from so many towns; because bis power is most,
He will destroy most. But how vile such and so great an host
Will show to future times, that, matched with lesser numbers far,
We fly, not putting on the crown of our so long-held war,
Of which there yet appears no end. Yet should our foes and we
Strike truce, and number both our powers, Troy taking all that be
Her armed inhabitants, and we in tens should all sit down
At our truce banquet, every ten allowed one of the town
To fill his feast-cup; many tens would their attendant want;
So much I must affirm our power exceeds the inhabitant.
But their auxiliary bands,, those brandishers of spears,
From many cities drawn, are they that are our hinderers,
Not suffering well-raised Troy to fall. Nine years are ended now,
Since Jove our conquest vowed; and now our vessels rotten grow,
Our tackling fails; our wives, young sons, sit in their doors and long
For our arrival; yet the work that should have wreaked our wrong,
And made us welcome, lies unwrought. Come then, as I bid, all
Obey, and fly to our loved home; for now, nor ever, shall
Our utmost take in broad-wayed Troy." This said, the multitude
Was all for home; and all men else that what this would conclude
Had not discovered. All the crowd was shoved about the shore,
In sway, like rude and raging waves, roused with the fervent blore
Of th' east and south winds, when they break from Jove's clouds, and are borne
On rough backs of the Icarian seas; or like a field of corn
High grown, that Zephyr's vehement gusts bring easily underneath,
And make the stiff up-bristled ears do homage to his breath;
For even so easily, with the breath Atrides used, was swayed
The violent multitude. To fleet with shouts, and disarrayed,
All rushed; and with a fog of dust their rude feet dimmed the day;
Each cried to other, " Cleanse our ships, come, launch, aboard, away."
The clamour of the runners home reached heaven; and then, past fate,
The Greeks had left Troy, had not then the Goddess of estate
Thus spoke to Pallas: " O foul shame! Thou untamed seed of Jove,
Shall thus the sea's broad back be charged with these our friends' remove,
Thus leaving Argive Helen here, thus Priam graced, thus Troy,
In whose fields, far from their loved own, for Helen's sake, the joy
And life of so much Grecian birth is vanished? Take thy way
T' our brass-ar
med people, speak them fair, let not a man obey
The charge now given, nor launch one ship." She said, and Pallas did
As she commanded; from the tops of heaven's steep hill she slid,
And straight the Greeks' swift ships she reached; Ulysses (like to Jove
In gifts of counsel) she found out, who to that base remove
Stirred not a foot, nor touched a ship, but grieved at heart to see
That fault in others. To him close the Blue-eyed Deity
Made way, and said: " Thou wisest Greek, divine Laertes' son,
Thus fly ye homewards to your ships? Shall all thus headlong run?
Glory to Priam thus ye leave, glory to all his friends,
If thus ye leave her here, for whom so many violent ends
Have closed your Greek eyes, and so far from their so loved home.
Go to these people, use no stay, with fair terms overcome
Their foul endeavour, not a man a flying sail let hoice." '
Thus spake she; and Ulysses knew 'twas Pallas by her voice,
Ran to the runners, cast from him his mantle, which his man
And herald, grave Eurybates, the Ithacensian,
That followed him, took up. Himself to Agamemnon went,
His incorrupted sceptre took, his sceptre of descent,
And with it went about the fleet. What prince, or man of name,
He found flight-giv'n, he would restrain with words of gentlest blame:
“Good sir, it fits not you to fly, or fare as one afraid,
You should not only stay yourself, but see the people stayed.
You know not clearly, though you heard the king's words, yet his mind
He only tries men's spirits now, and, whom his trials find
Apt to this course, he will chastise. Nor you, nor I, heard all
He spake in council; nor durst press too near our General,
Lest we incensed him to our hurt. The anger of a king
Is mighty; he is kept of Jove, and from Jove likewise spring
His honours, which, out of the love of wise Jove, he enjoys."
Thus he the best sort used; the worst, whose spirits brake out in noise,
He cudgelled with his sceptre, chid, and said: " Stay, wretch, be still,
And hear thy betters; thou art base, and both in power and skill
Poor and unworthy, without name in counsel or in war.
We must not all be kings. The rule is most irregular
Where many rule. One lord, one king, propose to thee; and he,
To whom wise Saturn's son hath given both law and empery