THE GRIEF OF ACHILLES, AND NEW ARMOUR1 MADE HIM BY VULCAN.
The news of the death of Patroclus is brought to Achilles by Antilochus. Thetis, hearing his lamentations, comes with all her sea- nymphs to comfort him. The speeches of the mother and son on this occasion. Iris3 appears to Achilles by the command of Juno, and orders him to show himself at the head of the intrenchments. The sight of him turns the fortunes of the day, and the body of Patroclus is carried off by the Greeks. The Trojans call a council, where Hector and Polydamas disagree in their opinions: but the advice of the former prevails, to remain encamped in the field. The grief of Achilles over the body of Patroclus.
Thetis goes to the palace of Vulcan to obtain new arms for her son. The description of the wonderful works of Vulcan: and, lastly, that noble one of the shield of Achilles.
The latter part of the nine-and-twentieth day, and the night ensuing, take up this book: the scene is at Achilles' tent on the sea-shore, from whence it changes to the palace of Vulcan.
Thus like the rage of fire the combat burns,250
And now it rises, now it sinks by turns.
Meanwhile, where Hellespont's broad waters flow,
Stood Nestor's son, the messenger of woe8:
There sat Achilles, shaded by his sails,
On hoisted9 yards extended to the gales11;
Pensive12 he sat; for all that fate design'd
Rose in sad prospect13 to his boding14 mind.
Thus to his soul he said: "Ah! what constrains15
The Greeks, late victors, now to quit the plains?
Is this the day, which heaven so long ago
Ordain16'd, to sink me with the weight of woe?
(So Thetis warn'd;) when by a Trojan hand
The bravest of the Myrmidonian band
Should lose the light! Fulfilled is that decree;
Fallen is the warrior18, and Patroclus he!
In vain I charged him soon to quit the plain,
And warn'd to shun19 Hectorean force in vain!"
[pg 332]
Thus while he thinks, Antilochus appears,
And tells the melancholy20 tale with tears.
"Sad tidings, son of Peleus! thou must hear;
And wretched I, the unwilling21 messenger!
Dead is Patroclus! For his corse they fight;
His naked corse: his arms are Hector's right."
A sudden horror shot through all the chief,
And wrapp'd his senses in the cloud of grief;
Cast on the ground, with furious hands he spread
The scorching23 ashes o'er his graceful24 head;
His purple garments, and his golden hairs,
Those he deforms25 with dust, and these he tears;
On the hard soil his groaning27 breast he threw,
And roll'd and grovell'd, as to earth he grew.
The virgin28 captives, with disorder'd charms,
(Won by his own, or by Patroclus' arms,)
Rush'd from their tents with cries; and gathering29 round,
Beat their white breasts, and fainted on the ground:
While Nestor's son sustains a manlier30 part,
And mourns the warrior with a warrior's heart;
Hangs on his arms, amidst his frantic31 woe,
And oft prevents the meditated34 blow.
Far in the deep abysses of the main,251
With hoary35 Nereus, and the watery36 train,
The mother-goddess from her crystal throne
Heard his loud cries, and answer'd groan26 for groan.
The circling Nereids with their mistress weep,
And all the sea-green sisters of the deep.
Thalia, Glauce (every watery name),
Nesaea mild, and silver Spio came:
Cymothoe and Cymodoce were nigh,
And the blue languish37 of soft Alia's eye.
Their locks Actaea and Limnoria rear,
Then Proto, Doris, Panope appear,
Thoa, Pherusa, Doto, Melita;
Agave gentle, and Amphithoe gay:
Next Callianira, Callianassa show
Their sister looks; Dexamene the slow,
And swift Dynamene, now cut the tides:
Iaera now the verdant39 wave divides:
Nemertes with Apseudes lifts the head,
Bright Galatea quits her pearly bed;
These Orythia, Clymene, attend,
Maera, Amphinome, the train extend;
And black Janira, and Janassa fair,
And Amatheia with her amber40 hair.
All these, and all that deep in ocean held
Their sacred seats, the glimmering41 grotto42 fill'd;
[pg 333]
Each beat her ivory breast with silent woe,
Till Thetis' sorrows thus began to flow:
"Hear me, and judge, ye sisters of the main!
How just a cause has Thetis to complain!
How wretched, were I mortal, were my fate!
How more than wretched in the immortal43 state!
Sprung from my bed a godlike hero came,
The bravest far that ever bore the name;
Like some fair olive, by my careful hand
He grew, he flourish'd and adorn'd the land
To Troy I sent him: but the fates ordain
He never, never must return again.
So short a space the light of heaven to view,
So short, alas44! and fill'd with anguish38 too!
Hear how his sorrows echo through the shore!
I cannot ease them, but I must deplore45;
I go at least to bear a tender part,
And mourn my loved-one with a mother's heart."
She said, and left the caverns46 of the main,
All bathed in tears; the melancholy train
Attend her way. Wide-opening part the tides,
While the long pomp the silver wave divides.
Approaching now, they touch'd the Trojan land;
Then, two by two, ascended47 up the strand48.
The immortal mother, standing49 close beside
Her mournful offspring, to his sighs replied;
Along the coast their mingled50 clamours ran,
And thus the silver-footed dame51 began:
"Why mourns my son? thy late preferr'd request
The god has granted, and the Greeks distress'd:
Why mourns my son? thy anguish let me share,
Reveal the cause, and trust a parent's care."
He, deeply groaning—"To this cureless grief,
Not even the Thunderer's favour brings relief.
Patroclus—Ah!—say, goddess, can I boast
A pleasure now? revenge itself is lost;
Patroclus, loved of all my martial52 train,
Beyond mankind, beyond myself is slain53!
Lost are those arms the gods themselves bestow'd
On Peleus; Hector bears the glorious load.
Cursed be that day, when all the powers above
Thy charms submitted to a mortal love:
O hadst thou still, a sister of the main,
Pursued the pleasures of the watery reign54:
And happier Peleus, less ambitious, led
A mortal beauty to his equal bed!
Ere the sad fruit of thy unhappy womb
Had caused such sorrows past, and woes55 to come.
For soon, alas! that wretched offspring slain,
New woes, new sorrows, shall create again.
[pg 334]
'Tis not in fate the alternate now to give;
Patroclus dead, Achilles hates to live.
Let me revenge it on proud Hector's heart,
Let his last spirit smoke upon my dart56;
On these conditions will I breathe: till then,
I blush to walk among the race of men."
A flood of tears, at this, the goddess shed:
"Ah then, I see thee dying, see thee dead!
When Hector falls, thou diest."—"Let Hector die,
And let me fall! (Achilles made reply)
Far lies Patroclus from his native plain!
He fell, and falling, wish'd my aid in vain.
Ah then, since from this miserable57 day
I cast all hope of my return away;
Since, unrevenged, a hundred ghosts demand
The fate of Hector from Achilles' hand;
Since here, for brutal58 courage far renown'd,
I live an idle burden to the ground,
(Others in council famed for nobler skill,
More useful to preserve, than I to kill,)
Let me—But oh! ye gracious powers above!
Wrath59 and revenge from men and gods remove:
Far, far too dear to every mortal breast,
Sweet to the soul, as honey to the taste:
Gathering like vapours of a noxious60 kind
From fiery61 blood, and darkening all the mind.
Me Agamemnon urged to deadly hate;
'Tis past—I quell62 it; I resign to fate.
Yes—I will meet the murderer of my friend;
Or (if the gods ordain it) meet my end.
The stroke of fate the strongest cannot shun:
The great Alcides, Jove's unequall'd son,
To Juno's hate, at length resign'd his breath,
And sunk the victim of all-conquering death.
So shall Achilles fall! stretch'd pale and dead,
No more the Grecian hope, or Trojan dread63!
Let me, this instant, rush into the fields,
And reap what glory life's short harvest yields.
Shall I not force some widow'd dame to tear
With frantic hands her long dishevell'd hair?
Shall I not force her breast to heave with sighs,
And the soft tears to trickle64 from her eyes?
Yes, I shall give the fair those mournful charms—
In vain you hold me—Hence! my arms! my arms!—
Soon shall the sanguine65 torrent66 spread so wide,
That all shall know Achilles swells67 the tide."
"My son (coerulean Thetis made reply,
To fate submitting with a secret sigh,)
The host to succour, and thy friends to save,
Is worthy68 thee; the duty of the brave.
[pg 335]
But canst thou, naked, issue to the plains?
Thy radiant arms the Trojan foe69 detains.
Insulting Hector bears the spoils on high,
But vainly glories, for his fate is nigh.
Yet, yet awhile thy generous ardour stay;
Assured, I meet thee at the dawn of day,
Charged with refulgent70 arms (a glorious load),
Vulcanian arms, the labour of a god."
Then turning to the daughters of the main,
The goddess thus dismiss'd her azure71 train:
"Ye sister Nereids! to your deeps descend72;
Haste, and our father's sacred seat attend;
I go to find the architect divine,
Where vast Olympus' starry73 summits shine:
So tell our hoary sire"—This charge she gave:
The sea-green sisters plunge74 beneath the wave:
Thetis once more ascends75 the bless'd abodes77,
And treads the brazen78 threshold of the gods.
Illustration: THETIS ORDERING THE NEREIDS TO DESCEND INTO THE SEA.
THETIS ORDERING THE NEREIDS TO DESCEND INTO THE SEA.
And now the Greeks from furious Hector's force,
Urge to broad Hellespont their headlong course;
Nor yet their chiefs Patroclus' body bore
Safe through the tempest to the tented shore.
The horse, the foot, with equal fury join'd,
Pour'd on the rear, and thunder'd close behind:
And like a flame through fields of ripen'd corn,
The rage of Hector o'er the ranks was borne.
Thrice the slain hero by the foot he drew;
Thrice to the skies the Trojan clamours flew:
As oft the Ajaces his assault sustain;
[pg 336]
But check'd, he turns; repuls'd, attacks again.
With fiercer shouts his lingering troops he fires,
Nor yields a step, nor from his post retires:
So watchful80 shepherds strive to force, in vain,
The hungry lion from a carcase slain.
Even yet Patroclus had he borne away,
And all the glories of the extended day,
Had not high Juno from the realms of air,
Secret, despatch'd her trusty messenger.
The various goddess of the showery bow,
Shot in a whirlwind to the shore below;
To great Achilles at his ships she came,
And thus began the many-colour'd dame:
"Rise, son of Peleus! rise, divinely brave!
Assist the combat, and Patroclus save:
For him the slaughter83 to the fleet they spread,
And fall by mutual84 wounds around the dead.
To drag him back to Troy the foe contends:
Nor with his death the rage of Hector ends:
A prey85 to dogs he dooms86 the corse to lie,
And marks the place to fix his head on high.
Rise, and prevent (if yet you think of fame)
Thy friend's disgrace, thy own eternal shame!"
"Who sends thee, goddess, from the ethereal skies?"
Achilles thus. And Iris thus replies:
"I come, Pelides! from the queen of Jove,
The immortal empress of the realms above;
Unknown to him who sits remote on high,
Unknown to all the synod of the sky."
"Thou comest in vain (he cries, with fury warm'd);
Arms I have none, and can I fight unarm'd?
Unwilling as I am, of force I stay,
Till Thetis bring me at the dawn of day
Vulcanian arms: what other can I wield88,
Except the mighty89 Telamonian shield?
That, in my friend's defence, has Ajax spread,
While his strong lance around him heaps the dead:
The gallant90 chief defends Menoetius' son,
And does what his Achilles should have done."
"Thy want of arms (said Iris) well we know;
But though unarm'd, yet clad in terrors, go!
Let but Achilles o'er yon trench4 appear,
Proud Troy shall tremble, and consent to fear;
Greece from one glance of that tremendous eye
Shall take new courage, and disdain91 to fly."
She spoke92, and pass'd in air. The hero rose:
Her aegis93 Pallas o'er his shoulder throws;
Around his brows a golden cloud she spread;
A stream of glory flamed above his head.
As when from some beleaguer'd town arise
[pg 337]
The smokes, high curling to the shaded skies;
(Seen from some island, o'er the main afar,
When men distress'd hang out the sign of war;)
Soon as the sun in ocean hides his rays,
Thick on the hills the flaming beacons94 blaze;
With long-projected beams the seas are bright,
And heaven's high arch reflects the ruddy light:
So from Achilles' head the splendours rise,
Reflecting blaze on blaze against the skies.
Forth95 march'd the chief, and distant from the crowd,
High on the rampart raised his voice aloud;
With her own shout Minerva swells the sound;
Troy starts astonish'd, and the shores rebound96.
As the loud trumpet's brazen mouth from far
With shrilling98 clangour sounds the alarm of war,
Struck from the walls, the echoes float on high,
And the round bulwarks99 and thick towers reply;
So high his brazen voice the hero rear'd:
Hosts dropp'd their arms, and trembled as they heard:
And back the chariots roll, and coursers bound,
And steeds and men lie mingled on the ground.
Aghast they see the living lightnings play,
And turn their eyeballs from the flashing ray.
Thrice from the trench his dreadful voice he raised,
And thrice they fled, confounded and amazed.
Twelve in the tumult102 wedged, untimely rush'd
On their own spears, by their own chariots crush'd:
While, shielded from the darts103, the Greeks obtain
The long-contended carcase of the slain.
A lofty bier the breathless warrior bears:
Around, his sad companions melt in tears.
But chief Achilles, bending down his head,
Pours unavailing sorrows o'er the dead,
Whom late triumphant104, with his steeds and car,
He sent refulgent to the field of war;
(Unhappy change!) now senseless, pale, he found,
Stretch'd forth, and gash'd with many a gaping105 wound.
Meantime, unwearied with his heavenly way,
In ocean's waves the unwilling light of day
Quench'd his red orb106, at Juno's high command,
And from their labours eased the Achaian band.
The frighted Trojans (panting from the war,
Their steeds unharness'd from the weary car)
A sudden council call'd: each chief appear'd
In haste, and standing; for to sit they fear'd.
'Twas now no season for prolong'd debate;
They saw Achilles, and in him their fate.
Silent they stood: Polydamas at last,
Skill'd to discern the future by the past,
The son of Panthus, thus express'd his fears
[pg 338]
(The friend of Hector, and of equal years;
The self-same night to both a being gave,
One wise in council, one in action brave):
Illustration: JUNO COMMANDING THE SUN TO SET.
JUNO COMMANDING THE SUN TO SET.
"In free debate, my friends, your sentence speak;
For me, I move, before the morning break,
To raise our camp: too dangerous here our post,
Far from Troy walls, and on a naked coast.
I deem'd not Greece so dreadful, while engaged
In mutual feuds108 her king and hero raged;
Then, while we hoped our armies might prevail
We boldly camp'd beside a thousand sail.
I dread Pelides now: his rage of mind
Not long continues to the shores confined,
Nor to the fields, where long in equal fray109
Contending nations won and lost the day;
For Troy, for Troy, shall henceforth be the strife110,
And the hard contest not for fame, but life.
Haste then to Ilion, while the favouring night
Detains these terrors, keeps that arm from fight.
If but the morrow's sun behold111 us here,
That arm, those terrors, we shall feel, not fear;
And hearts that now disdain, shall leap with joy,
If heaven permit them then to enter Troy.
Let not my fatal prophecy be true,
Nor what I tremble but to think, ensue.
Whatever be our fate, yet let us try
What force of thought and reason can supply;
Let us on counsel for our guard depend;
The town her gates and bulwarks shall defend.
[pg 339]
When morning dawns, our well-appointed powers,
Array'd in arms, shall line the lofty towers.
Let the fierce hero, then, when fury calls,
Vent33 his mad vengeance113 on our rocky walls,
Or fetch a thousand circles round the plain,
Till his spent coursers seek the fleet again:
So may his rage be tired, and labour'd down!
And dogs shall tear him ere he sack the town."
"Return! (said Hector, fired with stern disdain)
What! coop whole armies in our walls again?
Was't not enough, ye valiant114 warriors115, say,
Nine years imprison'd in those towers ye lay?
Wide o'er the world was Ilion famed of old
For brass116 exhaustless, and for mines of gold:
But while inglorious in her walls we stay'd,
Sunk were her treasures, and her stores decay'd;
The Phrygians now her scatter117'd spoils enjoy,
And proud Maeonia wastes the fruits of Troy.
Great Jove at length my arms to conquest calls,
And shuts the Grecians in their wooden walls,
Darest thou dispirit whom the gods incite118?
Flies any Trojan? I shall stop his flight.
To better counsel then attention lend;
Take due refreshment119, and the watch attend.
If there be one whose riches cost him care,
Forth let him bring them for the troops to share;
'Tis better generously bestow'd on those,
Than left the plunder120 of our country's foes121.
Soon as the morn the purple orient warms,
Fierce on yon navy will we pour our arms.
If great Achilles rise in all his might,
His be the danger: I shall stand the fight.
Honour, ye gods! or let me gain or give;
And live he glorious, whosoe'er shall live!
Mars is our common lord, alike to all;
And oft the victor triumphs, but to fall."
The shouting host in loud applauses join'd;
So Pallas robb'd the many of their mind;
To their own sense condemn'd, and left to choose
The worst advice, the better to refuse.
While the long night extends her sable122 reign,
Around Patroclus mourn'd the Grecian train.
Stern in superior grief Pelides stood;
Those slaughtering123 arms, so used to bathe in blood,
Now clasp his clay-cold limbs: then gushing124 start
The tears, and sighs burst from his swelling125 heart.
The lion thus, with dreadful anguish stung,
Roars through the desert, and demands his young;
When the grim savage126, to his rifled den22
Too late returning, snuffs the track of men,
[pg 340]
And o'er the vales and o'er the forest bounds;
His clamorous127 grief the bellowing128 wood resounds129.
So grieves Achilles; and, impetuous, vents32
To all his Myrmidons his loud laments130.
"In what vain promise, gods! did I engage,
When to console Menoetius' feeble age,
I vowed131 his much-loved offspring to restore,
Charged with rich spoils, to fair Opuntia's shore?252
But mighty Jove cuts short, with just disdain,
The long, long views of poor designing man!
One fate the warrior and the friend shall strike,
And Troy's black sands must drink our blood alike:
Me too a wretched mother shall deplore,
An aged107 father never see me more!
Yet, my Patroclus! yet a space I stay,
Then swift pursue thee on the darksome way.
Ere thy dear relics133 in the grave are laid,
Shall Hector's head be offer'd to thy shade;
That, with his arms, shall hang before thy shrine134;
And twelve, the noblest of the Trojan line,
Sacred to vengeance, by this hand expire;
Their lives effused around thy flaming pyre.
Thus let me lie till then! thus, closely press'd,
Bathe thy cold face, and sob135 upon thy breast!
While Trojan captives here thy mourners stay,
Weep all the night and murmur136 all the day:
Spoils of my arms, and thine; when, wasting wide,
Our swords kept time, and conquer'd side by side."
He spoke, and bade the sad attendants round
Cleanse137 the pale corse, and wash each honour'd wound.
A massy caldron of stupendous frame
They brought, and placed it o'er the rising flame:
Then heap'd the lighted wood; the flame divides
Beneath the vase, and climbs around the sides:
In its wide womb they pour the rushing stream;
The boiling water bubbles to the brim.
The body then they bathe with pious138 toil139,
Embalm140 the wounds, anoint the limbs with oil,
High on a bed of state extended laid,
And decent cover'd with a linen141 shade;
Last o'er the dead the milk-white veil they threw;
That done, their sorrows and their sighs renew.
Meanwhile to Juno, in the realms above,
(His wife and sister,) spoke almighty142 Jove.
"At last thy will prevails: great Peleus' son
Rises in arms: such grace thy Greeks have won.
Say (for I know not), is their race divine,
And thou the mother of that martial line?"
"What words are these? (the imperial dame replies,
[pg 341]
While anger flash'd from her majestic143 eyes)
Succour like this a mortal arm might lend,
And such success mere144 human wit attend:
And shall not I, the second power above,
Heaven's queen, and consort145 of the thundering Jove,
Say, shall not I one nation's fate command,
Not wreak146 my vengeance on one guilty land?"
Illustration: TRIPOD.
TRIPOD.
So they. Meanwhile the silver-footed dame
Reach'd the Vulcanian dome147, eternal frame!
High-eminent amid the works divine,
Where heaven's far-beaming brazen mansions148 shine.
There the lame2 architect the goddess found,
Obscure in smoke, his forges flaming round,
While bathed in sweat from fire to fire he flew;
And puffing150 loud, the roaring billows blew.
That day no common task his labour claim'd:
Full twenty tripods for his hall he framed,
That placed on living wheels of massy gold,
(Wondrous to tell,) instinct with spirit roll'd
From place to place, around the bless'd abodes
Self-moved, obedient to the beck of gods:
For their fair handles now, o'erwrought with flowers,
In moulds prepared, the glowing ore he pours.
Just as responsive to his thought the frame
Stood prompt to move, the azure goddess came:
Charis, his spouse152, a grace divinely fair,
(With purple fillets round her braided hair,)
Observed her entering; her soft hand she press'd,
And, smiling, thus the watery queen address'd:
"What, goddess! this unusual favour draws?
All hail, and welcome! whatsoe'er the cause;
[pg 342]
Till now a stranger, in a happy hour
Approach, and taste the dainties of the bower153."
Illustration: THETIS AND EURYNOME RECEIVING THE INFANT VULCAN.
THETIS AND EURYNOME RECEIVING THE INFANT VULCAN.
High on a throne, with stars of silver graced,
And various artifice154, the queen she placed;
A footstool at her feet: then calling, said,
"Vulcan, draw near, 'tis Thetis asks your aid."
"Thetis (replied the god) our powers may claim,
An ever-dear, an ever-honour'd name!
When my proud mother hurl'd me from the sky,
(My awkward form, it seems, displeased155 her eye,)
She, and Eurynome, my griefs redress'd,
And soft received me on their silver breast.
Even then these arts employ'd my infant thought:
Chains, bracelets156, pendants, all their toys, I wrought151.
Nine years kept secret in the dark abode76,
Secure I lay, conceal'd from man and god:
Deep in a cavern'd rock my days were led;
The rushing ocean murmur'd o'er my head.
Now, since her presence glads our mansion149, say,
For such desert what service can I pay?
Vouchsafe157, O Thetis! at our board to share
The genial159 rites161, and hospitable162 fare;
While I the labours of the forge forego,
And bid the roaring bellows163 cease to blow."
Then from his anvil164 the lame artist rose;
Wide with distorted legs oblique165 he goes,
And stills the bellows, and (in order laid)
Locks in their chests his instruments of trade.
Then with a sponge the sooty workman dress'd
[pg 343]
His brawny166 arms embrown'd, and hairy breast.
With his huge sceptre graced, and red attire167,
Came halting forth the sovereign of the fire:
The monarch168's steps two female forms uphold,
That moved and breathed in animated169 gold;
To whom was voice, and sense, and science given
Of works divine (such wonders are in heaven!)
On these supported, with unequal gait,
He reach'd the throne where pensive Thetis sate170;
There placed beside her on the shining frame,
He thus address'd the silver-footed dame:
"Thee, welcome, goddess! what occasion calls
(So long a stranger) to these honour'd walls?
'Tis thine, fair Thetis, the command to lay,
And Vulcan's joy and duty to obey."
Illustration: VULCAN AND CHARIS RECEIVING THETIS.
VULCAN AND CHARIS RECEIVING THETIS.
To whom the mournful mother thus replies:
(The crystal drops stood trembling in her eyes:)
"O Vulcan! say, was ever breast divine
So pierced with sorrows, so o'erwhelm'd as mine?
Of all the goddesses, did Jove prepare
For Thetis only such a weight of care?
I, only I, of all the watery race
By force subjected to a man's embrace,
Who, sinking now with age and sorrow, pays
The mighty fine imposed on length of days.
Sprung from my bed, a godlike hero came,
The bravest sure that ever bore the name;
Like some fair plant beneath my careful hand
He grew, he flourish'd, and he graced the land:
[pg 344]
To Troy I sent him! but his native shore
Never, ah never, shall receive him more;
(Even while he lives, he wastes with secret woe;)
Nor I, a goddess, can retard171 the blow!
Robb'd of the prize the Grecian suffrage172 gave,
The king of nations forced his royal slave:
For this he grieved; and, till the Greeks oppress'd
Required his arm, he sorrow'd unredress'd.
Large gifts they promise, and their elders send;
In vain—he arms not, but permits his friend
His arms, his steeds, his forces to employ:
He marches, combats, almost conquers Troy:
Then slain by Phoebus (Hector had the name)
At once resigns his armour, life, and fame.
But thou, in pity, by my prayer be won:
Grace with immortal arms this short-lived son,
And to the field in martial pomp restore,
To shine with glory, till he shines no more!"
To her the artist-god: "Thy griefs resign,
Secure, what Vulcan can, is ever thine.
O could I hide him from the Fates, as well,
Or with these hands the cruel stroke repel173,
As I shall forge most envied arms, the gaze
Of wondering ages, and the world's amaze!"
Thus having said, the father of the fires
To the black labours of his forge retires.
Soon as he bade them blow, the bellows turn'd
Their iron mouths; and where the furnace burn'd,
Resounding174 breathed: at once the blast expires,
And twenty forges catch at once the fires;
Just as the god directs, now loud, now low,
They raise a tempest, or they gently blow;
In hissing176 flames huge silver bars are roll'd,
And stubborn brass, and tin, and solid gold;
Before, deep fix'd, the eternal anvils177 stand;
The ponderous178 hammer loads his better hand,
His left with tongs179 turns the vex'd metal round,
And thick, strong strokes, the doubling vaults180 rebound.
Then first he form'd the immense and solid shield;
Rich various artifice emblazed the field;
Its utmost verge181 a threefold circle bound;253
[pg 345]
A silver chain suspends the massy round;
Five ample plates the broad expanse compose,
And godlike labours on the surface rose.
There shone the image of the master-mind:
There earth, there heaven, there ocean he design'd;
The unwearied sun, the moon completely round;
The starry lights that heaven's high convex crown'd;
The Pleiads, Hyads, with the northern team;
And great Orion's more refulgent beam;
To which, around the axle of the sky,
The Bear, revolving182, points his golden eye,
Still shines exalted183 on the ethereal plain,
Nor bathes his blazing forehead in the main.
Two cities radiant on the shield appear,
The image one of peace, and one of war.
Here sacred pomp and genial feast delight,
And solemn dance, and hymeneal rite160;
Along the street the new-made brides are led,
With torches flaming, to the nuptial184 bed:
The youthful dancers in a circle bound
To the soft flute185, and cithern's silver sound:
Through the fair streets the matrons in a row
Stand in their porches, and enjoy the show.
There in the forum186 swarm187 a numerous train;
The subject of debate, a townsman slain:
One pleads the fine discharged, which one denied,
And bade the public and the laws decide:
The witness is produced on either hand:
For this, or that, the partial people stand:
The appointed heralds189 still the noisy bands,
And form a ring, with sceptres in their hands:
On seats of stone, within the sacred place,254
The reverend elders nodded o'er the case;
Alternate, each the attesting190 sceptre took,
And rising solemn, each his sentence spoke
Two golden talents lay amidst, in sight,
The prize of him who best adjudged the right.
Another part (a prospect differing far)255
Glow'd with refulgent arms, and horrid191 war.
[pg 346]
Two mighty hosts a leaguer'd town embrace,
And one would pillage192, one would burn the place.
Meantime the townsmen, arm'd with silent care,
A secret ambush193 on the foe prepare:
Their wives, their children, and the watchful band
Of trembling parents, on the turrets194 stand.
They march; by Pallas and by Mars made bold:
Gold were the gods, their radiant garments gold,
And gold their armour: these the squadron led,
August, divine, superior by the head!
A place for ambush fit they found, and stood,
Cover'd with shields, beside a silver flood.
Two spies at distance lurk195, and watchful seem
If sheep or oxen seek the winding196 stream.
Soon the white flocks proceeded o'er the plains,
And steers197 slow-moving, and two shepherd swains;
Behind them piping on their reeds they go,
Nor fear an ambush, nor suspect a foe.
In arms the glittering squadron rising round
Rush sudden; hills of slaughter heap the ground;
Whole flocks and herds82 lie bleeding on the plains,
And, all amidst them, dead, the shepherd swains!
The bellowing oxen the besiegers hear;
They rise, take horse, approach, and meet the war,
They fight, they fall, beside the silver flood;
The waving silver seem'd to blush with blood.
There Tumult, there Contention198 stood confess'd;
One rear'd a dagger199 at a captive's breast;
One held a living foe, that freshly bled
With new-made wounds; another dragg'd a dead;
Now here, now there, the carcases they tore:
Fate stalk'd amidst them, grim with human gore200.
And the whole war came out, and met the eye;
And each bold figure seem'd to live or die.
A field deep furrow'd next the god design'd,256
[pg 347]
The third time labour'd by the sweating hind79;
The shining shares full many ploughmen guide,
And turn their crooked201 yokes202 on every side.
Still as at either end they wheel around,
The master meets them with his goblet203 crown'd;
The hearty204 draught205 rewards, renews their toil,
Then back the turning ploughshares cleave206 the soil:
Behind, the rising earth in ridges207 roll'd;
And sable look'd, though form'd of molten gold.
Another field rose high with waving grain;
With bended sickles208 stand the reaper209 train:
Here stretched in ranks the levell'd swarths are found,
Sheaves heap'd on sheaves here thicken up the ground.
With sweeping210 stroke the mowers strow the lands;
The gatherers follow, and collect in bands;
And last the children, in whose arms are borne
(Too short to gripe them) the brown sheaves of corn.
The rustic211 monarch of the field descries212,
With silent glee, the heaps around him rise.
A ready banquet on the turf is laid,
Beneath an ample oak's expanded shade.
The victim ox the sturdy youth prepare;
The reaper's due repast, the woman's care.
Next, ripe in yellow gold, a vineyard shines,
Bent213 with the ponderous harvest of its vines;
A deeper dye the dangling214 clusters show,
And curl'd on silver props215, in order glow:
A darker metal mix'd intrench'd the place;
And pales of glittering tin the inclosure grace.
To this, one pathway gently winding leads,
Where march a train with baskets on their heads,
(Fair maids and blooming youths,) that smiling bear
The purple product of the autumnal year.
To these a youth awakes the warbling strings216,
Whose tender lay the fate of Linus sings;
In measured dance behind him move the train,
Tune5 soft the voice, and answer to the strain.
Here herds of oxen march, erect217 and bold,
Rear high their horns, and seem to low in gold,
And speed to meadows on whose sounding shores
A rapid torrent through the rushes roars:
Four golden herdsmen as their guardians218 stand,
And nine sour dogs complete the rustic band.
Two lions rushing from the wood appear'd;
And seized a bull, the master of the herd81:
He roar'd: in vain the dogs, the men withstood;
They tore his flesh, and drank his sable blood.
[pg 348]
The dogs (oft cheer'd in vain) desert the prey,
Dread the grim terrors, and at distance bay.
Next this, the eye the art of Vulcan leads
Deep through fair forests, and a length of meads,
And stalls, and folds, and scatter'd cots between;
And fleecy flocks, that whiten all the scene.
A figured dance succeeds; such once was seen
In lofty Gnossus for the Cretan queen,
Form'd by Daedalean art; a comely219 band
Of youths and maidens220, bounding hand in hand.
The maids in soft simars of linen dress'd;
The youths all graceful in the glossy221 vest:
Of those the locks with flowery wreath inroll'd;
Of these the sides adorn'd with swords of gold,
That glittering gay, from silver belts depend.
Now all at once they rise, at once descend,
With well-taught feet: now shape in oblique ways,
Confusedly regular, the moving maze101:
Now forth at once, too swift for sight, they spring,
And undistinguish'd blend the flying ring:
So whirls a wheel, in giddy circle toss'd,
And, rapid as it runs, the single spokes222 are lost.
The gazing multitudes admire around:
Two active tumblers in the centre bound;
Now high, now low, their pliant223 limbs they bend:
And general songs the sprightly224 revel225 end.
Thus the broad shield complete the artist crown'd
With his last hand, and pour'd the ocean round:
In living silver seem'd the waves to roll,
And beat the buckler's verge, and bound the whole.
This done, whate'er a warrior's use requires
He forged; the cuirass that outshone the fires,
The greaves of ductile226 tin, the helm impress'd
With various sculpture, and the golden crest227.
At Thetis' feet the finished labour lay:
She, as a falcon228 cuts the aerial way,
Swift from Olympus' snowy summit flies,
And bears the blazing present through the skies.257
[pg 349]
BOOK XIX.
ARGUMENT.
THE RECONCILIATION229 OF ACHILLES AND AGAMEMNON.
Thetis brings to her son the armour made by Vulcan. She preserves the body of his friend from corruption230, and commands him to assemble the army, to declare his resentment231 at an end. Agamemnon and Achilles are solemnly reconciled: the speeches, presents, and ceremonies on that occasion. Achilles is with great difficulty persuaded to refrain from the battle till the troops have refreshed themselves by the advice of Ulysses. The presents are conveyed to the tent of Achilles, where Briseis laments over the body of Patroclus. The hero obstinately232 refuses all repast, and gives himself up to lamentations for his friend. Minerva descends233 to strengthen him, by the order of Jupiter. He arms for the fight: his appearance described. He addresses himself to his horses, and reproaches them with the death of Patroclus. One of them is miraculously234 endued235 with voice, and inspired to prophesy236 his fate: but the hero, not astonished by that prodigy237, rushes with fury to the combat.
The thirteenth day. The scene is on the sea-shore.
Soon as Aurora238 heaved her Orient head
Above the waves, that blush'd with early red,
(With new-born day to gladden mortal sight,
And gild239 the courts of heaven with sacred light,)
The immortal arms the goddess-mother bears
Swift to her son: her son she finds in tears
Stretch'd o'er Patroclus' corse; while all the rest
Their sovereign's sorrows in their own express'd.
A ray divine her heavenly presence shed,
And thus, his hand soft touching240, Thetis said:
"Suppress, my son, this rage of grief, and know
It was not man, but heaven, that gave the blow;
Behold what arms by Vulcan are bestow'd,
Arms worthy thee, or fit to grace a god."
Then drops the radiant burden on the ground;
Clang the strong arms, and ring the shores around;
Back shrink the Myrmidons with dread surprise,
And from the broad effulgence241 turn their eyes.
Unmoved the hero kindles242 at the show,
And feels with rage divine his bosom243 glow;
[pg 350]
From his fierce eyeballs living flames expire,
And flash incessant244 like a stream of fire:
He turns the radiant gift: and feeds his mind
On all the immortal artist had design'd.
"Goddess! (he cried,) these glorious arms, that shine
With matchless art, confess the hand divine.
Now to the bloody245 battle let me bend:
But ah! the relics of my slaughter'd friend!
In those wide wounds through which his spirit fled,
Shall flies, and worms obscene, pollute the dead?"
"That unavailing care be laid aside,
(The azure goddess to her son replied,)
Whole years untouch'd, uninjured shall remain,
Fresh as in life, the carcase of the slain.
But go, Achilles, as affairs require,
Before the Grecian peers renounce246 thine ire:
Then uncontroll'd in boundless247 war engage,
And heaven with strength supply the mighty rage!"
Illustration: THETIS BRINGING THE ARMOUR TO ACHILLES.
THETIS BRINGING THE ARMOUR TO ACHILLES.
Then in the nostrils248 of the slain she pour'd
Nectareous drops, and rich ambrosia249 shower'd
O'er all the corse. The flies forbid their prey,
Untouch'd it rests, and sacred from decay.
Achilles to the strand obedient went:
The shores resounded250 with the voice he sent.
The heroes heard, and all the naval251 train
That tend the ships, or guide them o'er the main,
Alarm'd, transported, at the well-known sound,
Frequent and full, the great assembly crown'd;
Studious to see the terror of the plain,
Long lost to battle, shine in arms again.
[pg 351]
Tydides and Ulysses first appear,
Lame with their wounds, and leaning on the spear;
These on the sacred seats of council placed,
The king of men, Atrides, came the last:
He too sore wounded by Agenor's son.
Achilles (rising in the midst) begun:
"O monarch! better far had been the fate
Of thee, of me, of all the Grecian state,
If (ere the day when by mad passion sway'd,
Rash we contended for the black-eyed maid)
Preventing Dian had despatch'd her dart,
And shot the shining mischief252 to the heart!
Then many a hero had not press'd the shore,
Nor Troy's glad fields been fatten'd with our gore.
Long, long shall Greece the woes we caused bewail,
And sad posterity253 repeat the tale.
But this, no more the subject of debate,
Is past, forgotten, and resign'd to fate.
Why should, alas, a mortal man, as I,
Burn with a fury that can never die?
Here then my anger ends: let war succeed,
And even as Greece has bled, let Ilion bleed.
Now call the hosts, and try if in our sight
Troy yet shall dare to camp a second night!
I deem, their mightiest254, when this arm he knows,
Shall 'scape with transport, and with joy repose255."
He said: his finish'd wrath with loud acclaim256
The Greeks accept, and shout Pelides' name.
When thus, not rising from his lofty throne,
In state unmoved, the king of men begun:
"Hear me, ye sons of Greece! with silence hear!
And grant your monarch an impartial257 ear:
Awhile your loud, untimely joy suspend,
And let your rash, injurious clamours end:
Unruly murmurs258, or ill-timed applause,
Wrong the best speaker, and the justest cause.
Nor charge on me, ye Greeks, the dire175 debate:
Know, angry Jove, and all-compelling Fate,
With fell Erinnys, urged my wrath that day
When from Achilles' arms I forced the prey.
What then could I against the will of heaven?
Not by myself, but vengeful Ate driven;
She, Jove's dread daughter, fated to infest259
The race of mortals, enter'd in my breast.
Not on the ground that haughty260 fury treads,
But prints her lofty footsteps on the heads
Of mighty men; inflicting261 as she goes
Long-festering wounds, inextricable woes!
Of old, she stalk'd amid the bright abodes;
And Jove himself, the sire of men and gods,
[pg 352]
The world's great ruler, felt her venom'd dart;
Deceived by Juno's wiles262, and female art:
For when Alcmena's nine long months were run,
And Jove expected his immortal son,
To gods and goddesses the unruly joy
He show'd, and vaunted of his matchless boy:
'From us, (he said) this day an infant springs,
Fated to rule, and born a king of kings.'
Saturnia ask'd an oath, to vouch158 the truth,
And fix dominion263 on the favour'd youth.
The Thunderer, unsuspicious of the fraud,
Pronounced those solemn words that bind264 a god.
The joyful265 goddess, from Olympus' height,
Swift to Achaian Argos bent her flight:
Scarce seven moons gone, lay Sthenelus's wife;
She push'd her lingering infant into life:
Her charms Alcmena's coming labours stay,
And stop the babe, just issuing to the day.
Then bids Saturnius bear his oath in mind;
'A youth (said she) of Jove's immortal kind
Is this day born: from Sthenelus he springs,
And claims thy promise to be king of kings.'
Grief seized the Thunderer, by his oath engaged;
Stung to the soul, he sorrow'd, and he raged.
From his ambrosial266 head, where perch'd she sate,
He snatch'd the fury-goddess of debate,
The dread, the irrevocable oath he swore,
The immortal seats should ne'er behold her more;
And whirl'd her headlong down, for ever driven
From bright Olympus and the starry heaven:
Thence on the nether267 world the fury fell;
Ordain'd with man's contentious268 race to dwell.
Full oft the god his son's hard toils269 bemoan'd,
Cursed the dire fury, and in secret groan'd.258
Even thus, like Jove himself, was I misled,
While raging Hector heap'd our camps with dead.
What can the errors of my rage atone271?
My martial troops, my treasures are thy own:
This instant from the navy shall be sent
Whate'er Ulysses promised at thy tent:
But thou! appeased272, propitious273 to our prayer,
Resume thy arms, and shine again in war."
" O king of nations! whose superior sway
[pg 353]
(Returns Achilles) all our hosts obey!
To keep or send the presents, be thy care;
To us, 'tis equal: all we ask is war.
While yet we talk, or but an instant shun
The fight, our glorious work remains274 undone275.
Let every Greek, who sees my spear confound
The Trojan ranks, and deal destruction round,
With emulation276, what I act survey,
And learn from thence the business of the day.
The son of Peleus thus; and thus replies
The great in councils, Ithacus the wise:
"Though, godlike, thou art by no toils oppress'd,
At least our armies claim repast and rest:
Long and laborious277 must the combat be,
When by the gods inspired, and led by thee.
Strength is derived278 from spirits and from blood,
And those augment279 by generous wine and food:
What boastful son of war, without that stay,
Can last a hero through a single day?
Courage may prompt; but, ebbing280 out his strength,
Mere unsupported man must yield at length;
Shrunk with dry famine, and with toils declined,
The drooping281 body will desert the mind:
But built anew with strength-conferring fare,
With limbs and soul untamed, he tires a war.
Dismiss the people, then, and give command.
With strong repast to hearten every band;
But let the presents to Achilles made,
In full assembly of all Greece be laid.
The king of men shall rise in public sight,
And solemn swear (observant of the rite)
That, spotless, as she came, the maid removes,
Pure from his arms, and guiltless of his loves.
That done, a sumptuous282 banquet shall be made,
And the full price of injured honour paid.
Stretch not henceforth, O prince.! thy sovereign might
Beyond the bounds of reason and of right;
'Tis the chief praise that e'er to kings belong'd,
To right with justice whom with power they wrong'd."
To him the monarch: "Just is thy decree,
Thy words give joy, and wisdom breathes in thee.
Each due atonement gladly I prepare;
And heaven regard me as I justly swear!
Here then awhile let Greece assembled stay,
Nor great Achilles grudge283 this short delay.
Till from the fleet our presents be convey'd,
And Jove attesting, the firm compact made.
A train of noble youths the charge shall bear;
These to select, Ulysses, be thy care:
In order rank'd let all our gifts appear,
[pg 354]
And the fair train of captives close the rear:
Talthybius shall the victim boar convey,
Sacred to Jove, and yon bright orb of day."
"For this (the stern ?acides replies)
Some less important season may suffice,
When the stern fury of the war is o'er,
And wrath, extinguish'd, burns my breast no more.
By Hector slain, their faces to the sky,
All grim with gaping wounds, our heroes lie:
Those call to war! and might my voice incite,
Now, now, this instant, shall commence the fight:
Then, when the day's complete, let generous bowls,
And copious284 banquets, glad your weary souls.
Let not my palate know the taste of food,
Till my insatiate rage be cloy'd with blood:
Pale lies my friend, with wounds disfigured o'er,
And his cold feet are pointed112 to the door.
Revenge is all my soul! no meaner care,
Interest, or thought, has room to harbour there;
Destruction be my feast, and mortal wounds,
And scenes of blood, and agonizing285 sounds."
"O first of Greeks, (Ulysses thus rejoin'd,)
The best and bravest of the warrior kind!
Thy praise it is in dreadful camps to shine,
But old experience and calm wisdom mine.
Then hear my counsel, and to reason yield,
The bravest soon are satiate of the field;
Though vast the heaps that strow the crimson286 plain,
The bloody harvest brings but little gain:
The scale of conquest ever wavering lies,
Great Jove but turns it, and the victor dies!
The great, the bold, by thousands daily fall,
And endless were the grief, to weep for all.
Eternal sorrows what avails to shed?
Greece honours not with solemn fasts the dead:
Enough, when death demands the brave, to pay
The tribute of a melancholy day.
One chief with patience to the grave resign'd,
Our care devolves on others left behind.
Let generous food supplies of strength produce,
Let rising spirits flow from sprightly juice,
Let their warm heads with scenes of battle glow,
And pour new furies on the feebler foe.
Yet a short interval287, and none shall dare
Expect a second summons to the war;
Who waits for that, the dire effects shall find,
If trembling in the ships he lags behind.
Embodied288, to the battle let us bend,
And all at once on haughty Troy descend."
And now the delegates Ulysses sent,
[pg 355]
To bear the presents from the royal tent:
The sons of Nestor, Phyleus' valiant heir,
Thias and Merion, thunderbolts of war,
With Lycomedes of Creiontian strain,
And Melanippus, form'd the chosen train.
Swift as the word was given, the youths obey'd:
Twice ten bright vases in the midst they laid;
A row of six fair tripods then succeeds;
And twice the number of high-bounding steeds:
Seven captives next a lovely line compose;
The eighth Briseis, like the blooming rose,
Closed the bright band: great Ithacus, before,
First of the train, the golden talents bore:
The rest in public view the chiefs dispose,
A splendid scene! then Agamemnon rose:
The boar Talthybius held: the Grecian lord
Drew the broad cutlass sheath'd beside his sword:
The stubborn bristles289 from the victim's brow
He crops, and offering meditates290 his vow132.
His hands uplifted to the attesting skies,
On heaven's broad marble roof were fixed291 his eyes.
The solemn words a deep attention draw,
And Greece around sat thrill'd with sacred awe292.
"Witness thou first! thou greatest power above,
All-good, all-wise, and all-surveying Jove!
And mother-earth, and heaven's revolving light,
And ye, fell furies of the realms of night,
Who rule the dead, and horrid woes prepare
For perjured293 kings, and all who falsely swear!
The black-eyed maid inviolate294 removes,
Pure and unconscious of my manly295 loves.
If this be false, heaven all its vengeance shed,
And levell'd thunder strike my guilty head!"
With that, his weapon deep inflicts296 the wound;
The bleeding savage tumbles to the ground;
The sacred herald188 rolls the victim slain
(A feast for fish) into the foaming297 main.
Then thus Achilles: "Hear, ye Greeks! and know
Whate'er we feel, 'tis Jove inflicts the woe;
Not else Atrides could our rage inflame298,
Nor from my arms, unwilling, force the dame.
'Twas Jove's high will alone, o'erruling all,
That doom87'd our strife, and doom'd the Greeks to fall.
Go then, ye chiefs! indulge the genial rite;
Achilles waits ye, and expects the fight."
The speedy council at his word adjourn'd:
To their black vessels299 all the Greeks return'd.
Achilles sought his tent. His train before
March'd onward300, bending with the gifts they bore.
Those in the tents the squires302 industrious303 spread:
[pg 356]
The foaming coursers to the stalls they led;
To their new seats the female captives move
Briseis, radiant as the queen of love,
Slow as she pass'd, beheld304 with sad survey
Where, gash'd with cruel wounds, Patroclus lay.
Prone305 on the body fell the heavenly fair,
Beat her sad breast, and tore her golden hair;
All beautiful in grief, her humid eyes
Shining with tears she lifts, and thus she cries:
"Ah, youth for ever dear, for ever kind,
Once tender friend of my distracted mind!
I left thee fresh in life, in beauty gay;
Now find thee cold, inanimated clay!
What woes my wretched race of life attend!
Sorrows on sorrows, never doom'd to end!
The first loved consort of my virgin bed
Before these eyes in fatal battle bled:
My three brave brothers in one mournful day
All trod the dark, irremeable way:
Thy friendly hand uprear'd me from the plain,
And dried my sorrows for a husband slain;
Achilles' care you promised I should prove,
The first, the dearest partner of his love;
That rites divine should ratify306 the band,
And make me empress in his native land.
Accept these grateful tears! for thee they flow,
For thee, that ever felt another's woe!"
Her sister captives echoed groan for groan,
Nor mourn'd Patroclus' fortunes, but their own.
The leaders press'd the chief on every side;
Unmoved he heard them, and with sighs denied.
"If yet Achilles have a friend, whose care
Is bent to please him, this request forbear;
Till yonder sun descend, ah, let me pay
To grief and anguish one abstemious307 day."
He spoke, and from the warriors turn'd his face:
Yet still the brother-kings of Atreus' race,
Nestor, Idomeneus, Ulysses sage308,
And Phoenix309, strive to calm his grief and rage:
His rage they calm not, nor his grief control;
He groans310, he raves17, he sorrows from his soul.
"Thou too, Patroclus! (thus his heart he vents)
Once spread the inviting311 banquet in our tents:
Thy sweet society, thy winning care,
Once stay'd Achilles, rushing to the war.
But now, alas! to death's cold arms resign'd,
What banquet but revenge can glad my mind?
What greater sorrow could afflict312 my breast,
What more if hoary Peleus were deceased?
Who now, perhaps, in Phthia dreads313 to hear
[pg 357]
His son's sad fate, and drops a tender tear.
What more, should Neoptolemus the brave,
My only offspring, sink into the grave?
If yet that offspring lives; (I distant far,
Of all neglectful, wage a hateful war.)
I could not this, this cruel stroke attend;
Fate claim'd Achilles, but might spare his friend.
I hoped Patroclus might survive, to rear
My tender orphan314 with a parent's care,
From Scyros' isle270 conduct him o'er the main,
And glad his eyes with his paternal315 reign,
The lofty palace, and the large domain316.
For Peleus breathes no more the vital air;
Or drags a wretched life of age and care,
But till the news of my sad fate invades
His hastening soul, and sinks him to the shades."
Sighing he said: his grief the heroes join'd,
Each stole a tear for what he left behind.
Their mingled grief the sire of heaven survey'd,
And thus with pity to his blue-eyed maid:
"Is then Achilles now no more thy care,
And dost thou thus desert the great in war?
Lo, where yon sails their canvas wings extend,
All comfortless he sits, and wails317 his friend:
Ere thirst and want his forces have oppress'd,
Haste and infuse ambrosia in his breast."
He spoke; and sudden, at the word of Jove,
Shot the descending318 goddess from above.
So swift through ether the shrill97 harpy springs,
The wide air floating to her ample wings,
To great Achilles she her flight address'd,
And pour'd divine ambrosia in his breast,259
With nectar sweet, (refection of the gods!)
Then, swift ascending319, sought the bright abodes.
Now issued from the ships the warrior-train,
And like a deluge320 pour'd upon the plain.
As when the piercing blasts of Boreas blow,
And scatter o'er the fields the driving snow;
From dusky clouds the fleecy winter flies,
Whose dazzling lustre321 whitens all the skies:
So helms succeeding helms, so shields from shields,
Catch the quick beams, and brighten all the fields;
Broad glittering breastplates, spears with pointed rays,
Mix in one stream, reflecting blaze on blaze;
Thick beats the centre as the coursers bound;
With splendour flame the skies, and laugh the fields around,
[pg 358]
Full in the midst, high-towering o'er the rest,
His limbs in arms divine Achilles dress'd;
Arms which the father of the fire bestow'd,
Forged on the eternal anvils of the god.
Grief and revenge his furious heart inspire,
His glowing eyeballs roll with living fire;
He grinds his teeth, and furious with delay
O'erlooks the embattled host, and hopes the bloody day.
The silver cuishes first his thighs322 infold;
Then o'er his breast was braced323 the hollow gold;
The brazen sword a various baldric tied,
That, starr'd with gems324, hung glittering at his side;
And, like the moon, the broad refulgent shield
Blazed with long rays, and gleam'd athwart the field.
So to night-wandering sailors, pale with fears,
Wide o'er the watery waste, a light appears,
Which on the far-seen mountain blazing high,
Streams from some lonely watch-tower to the sky:
With mournful eyes they gaze, and gaze again;
Loud howls the storm, and drives them o'er the main.
Next, his high head the helmet graced; behind
The sweepy crest hung floating in the wind:
Like the red star, that from his flaming hair
Shakes down diseases, pestilence325, and war;
So stream'd the golden honours from his head,
Trembled the sparkling plumes326, and the loose glories shed.
The chief beholds327 himself with wondering eyes;
His arms he poises328, and his motions tries;
Buoy'd by some inward force, he seems to swim,
And feels a pinion7 lifting every limb.
And now he shakes his great paternal spear,
Ponderous and huge, which not a Greek could rear,
From Pelion's cloudy top an ash entire
Old Chiron fell'd, and shaped it for his sire;
A spear which stern Achilles only wields329,
The death of heroes, and the dread of fields.
Automedon and Alcimus prepare
The immortal coursers, and the radiant car;
(The silver traces sweeping at their side;)
Their fiery mouths resplendent bridles330 tied;
The ivory-studded reins331, return'd behind,
Waved o'er their backs, and to the chariot join'd.
The charioteer then whirl'd the lash100 around,
And swift ascended at one active bound.
All bright in heavenly arms, above his squire301
Achilles mounts, and sets the field on fire;
Not brighter Phoebus in the ethereal way
Flames from his chariot, and restores the day.
High o'er the host, all terrible he stands,
And thunders to his steeds these dread commands:
[pg 359]
"Xanthus and Balius! of Podarges' strain,
(Unless ye boast that heavenly race in vain,)
Be swift, be mindful of the load ye bear,
And learn to make your master more your care:
Through falling squadrons bear my slaughtering sword,
Nor, as ye left Patroclus, leave your lord."
The generous Xanthus, as the words he said,
Seem'd sensible of woe, and droop'd his head:
Trembling he stood before the golden wain,
And bow'd to dust the honours of his mane.
When, strange to tell! (so Juno will'd) he broke
Eternal silence, and portentous332 spoke.
"Achilles! yes! this day at least we bear
Thy rage in safety through the files of war:
But come it will, the fatal time must come,
Not ours the fault, but God decrees thy doom.
Not through our crime, or slowness in the course,
Fell thy Patroclus, but by heavenly force;
The bright far-shooting god who gilds333 the day
(Confess'd we saw him) tore his arms way.
No—could our swiftness o'er the winds prevail,
Or beat the pinions6 of the western gale10,
All were in vain—the Fates thy death demand,
Due to a mortal and immortal hand."
Then ceased for ever, by the Furies tied,
His fateful voice. The intrepid334 chief replied
With unabated rage—"So let it be!
Portents335 and prodigies336 are lost on me.
I know my fate: to die, to see no more
My much-loved parents, and my native shore—
Enough—when heaven ordains337, I sink in night:
Now perish Troy!" He said, and rush'd to fight.
Illustration: HERCULES.
HERCULES.
点击
收听单词发音
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1
armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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iris
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| n.虹膜，彩虹 | |
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trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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pinions
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的第三人称单数 ) | |
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pinion
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| v.束缚；n.小齿轮 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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gales
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| 龙猫 | |
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pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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boding
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| adj.凶兆的，先兆的n.凶兆，前兆，预感v.预示，预告，预言( bode的现在分词 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待 | |
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constrains
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| 强迫( constrain的第三人称单数 )； 强使； 限制； 约束 | |
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ordain
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| vi.颁发命令；vt.命令，授以圣职，注定，任命 | |
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raves
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| n.狂欢晚会( rave的名词复数 )v.胡言乱语( rave的第三人称单数 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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shun
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| vt.避开，回避，避免 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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deforms
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| 使变形，使残废，丑化( deform的第三人称单数 ) | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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manlier
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| manly（有男子气概的）的比较级形式 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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vents
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| （气体、液体等进出的）孔、口( vent的名词复数 )； （鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的）肛门； 大衣等的)衩口； 开衩 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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35
hoary
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| adj.古老的；鬓发斑白的 | |
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36
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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37
languish
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| vi.变得衰弱无力，失去活力，（植物等）凋萎 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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41
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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42
grotto
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| n.洞穴 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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deplore
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| vt.哀叹，对...深感遗憾 | |
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caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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51
dame
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| n.女士 | |
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52
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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53
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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54
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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55
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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56
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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57
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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60
noxious
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| adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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quell
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| v.压制，平息，减轻 | |
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63
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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64
trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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66
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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67
swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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68
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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70
refulgent
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| adj.辉煌的，灿烂的 | |
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71
azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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72
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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73
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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75
ascends
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 ) | |
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76
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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77
abodes
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| 住所( abode的名词复数 )； 公寓； （在某地的）暂住； 逗留 | |
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78
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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79
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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80
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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81
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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82
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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83
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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84
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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85
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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86
dooms
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| v.注定( doom的第三人称单数 )；判定；使…的失败（或灭亡、毁灭、坏结局）成为必然；宣判 | |
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87
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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88
wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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89
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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91
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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92
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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93
aegis
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| n.盾；保护，庇护 | |
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94
beacons
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| 灯塔( beacon的名词复数 )； 烽火； 指路明灯； 无线电台或发射台 | |
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95
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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96
rebound
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| v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回 | |
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97
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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98
shrilling
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| （声音）尖锐的，刺耳的，高频率的( shrill的现在分词 )； 凄厉 | |
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99
bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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100
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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101
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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102
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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103
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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104
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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105
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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106
orb
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| n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形 | |
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107
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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108
feuds
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| n.长期不和，世仇( feud的名词复数 ) | |
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109
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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110
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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111
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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112
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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113
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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114
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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115
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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116
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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117
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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118
incite
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| v.引起，激动，煽动 | |
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119
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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120
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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121
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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122
sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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123
slaughtering
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 ) | |
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124
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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125
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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126
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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127
clamorous
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| adj.吵闹的，喧哗的 | |
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128
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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129
resounds
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的第三人称单数 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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130
laments
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| n.悲恸，哀歌，挽歌( lament的名词复数 )v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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131
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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132
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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133
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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134
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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135
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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136
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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137
cleanse
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| vt.使清洁，使纯洁，清洗 | |
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138
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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139
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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140
embalm
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| v.保存（尸体）不腐 | |
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141
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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142
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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143
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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144
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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145
consort
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| v.相伴；结交 | |
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146
wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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147
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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148
mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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149
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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150
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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151
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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152
spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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153
bower
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| n.凉亭，树荫下凉快之处；闺房；v.荫蔽 | |
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154
artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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155
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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156
bracelets
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| n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 ) | |
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157
vouchsafe
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| v.惠予，准许 | |
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158
vouch
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| v.担保；断定；n.被担保者 | |
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159
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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160
rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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161
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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162
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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163
bellows
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| n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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164
anvil
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| n.铁钻 | |
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165
oblique
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| adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的 | |
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166
brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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167
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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168
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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169
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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170
sate
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| v.使充分满足 | |
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171
retard
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| n.阻止，延迟；vt.妨碍，延迟，使减速 | |
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172
suffrage
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| n.投票，选举权，参政权 | |
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173
repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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174
resounding
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| adj. 响亮的 | |
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175
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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176
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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177
anvils
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| n.（铁）砧( anvil的名词复数 )；砧骨 | |
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178
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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179
tongs
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| n.钳；夹子 | |
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180
vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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181
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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182
revolving
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|
| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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183
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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184
nuptial
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| adj.婚姻的，婚礼的 | |
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185
flute
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| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
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186
forum
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| n.论坛，讨论会 | |
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187
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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188
herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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189
heralds
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| n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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190
attesting
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| v.证明( attest的现在分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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191
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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192
pillage
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| v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物 | |
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193
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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194
turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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195
lurk
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| n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏 | |
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196
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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197
steers
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| n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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198
contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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199
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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200
gore
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| n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶 | |
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201
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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202
yokes
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| 轭( yoke的名词复数 )； 奴役； 轭形扁担； 上衣抵肩 | |
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203
goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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204
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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205
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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206
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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207
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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208
sickles
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| n.镰刀( sickle的名词复数 ) | |
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209
reaper
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| n.收割者，收割机 | |
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210
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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211
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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212
descries
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| v.被看到的，被发现的，被注意到的( descried的现在分词 ) | |
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213
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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214
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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215
props
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| 小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋 | |
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216
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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217
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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218
guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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219
comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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220
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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221
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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222
spokes
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| n.（车轮的）辐条( spoke的名词复数 )；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 | |
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223
pliant
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| adj.顺从的；可弯曲的 | |
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224
sprightly
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| adj.愉快的，活泼的 | |
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225
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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226
ductile
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| adj.易延展的，柔软的 | |
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227
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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228
falcon
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| n.隼，猎鹰 | |
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229
reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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230
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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231
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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232
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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233
descends
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| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
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234
miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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235
endued
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| v.授予，赋予（特性、才能等）( endue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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236
prophesy
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| v.预言；预示 | |
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237
prodigy
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| n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆 | |
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238
aurora
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| n.极光 | |
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239
gild
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| vt.给…镀金，把…漆成金色，使呈金色 | |
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240
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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241
effulgence
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| n.光辉 | |
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242
kindles
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的第三人称单数 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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243
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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244
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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245
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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246
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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247
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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248
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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249
ambrosia
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| n.神的食物；蜂食 | |
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250
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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251
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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252
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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253
posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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254
mightiest
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| adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的 | |
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255
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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256
acclaim
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| v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞 | |
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257
impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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258
murmurs
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| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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259
infest
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| v.大批出没于；侵扰；寄生于 | |
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260
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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261
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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262
wiles
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| n.（旨在欺骗或吸引人的）诡计，花招；欺骗，欺诈( wile的名词复数 ) | |
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263
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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264
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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265
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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266
ambrosial
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| adj.美味的 | |
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267
nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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268
contentious
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| adj.好辩的，善争吵的 | |
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269
toils
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| 网 | |
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270
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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271
atone
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| v.赎罪，补偿 | |
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272
appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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273
propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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274
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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275
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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276
emulation
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| n.竞争；仿效 | |
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277
laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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278
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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279
augment
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| vt.(使)增大，增加，增长，扩张 | |
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280
ebbing
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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281
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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282
sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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283
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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284
copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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285
agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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286
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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287
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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288
embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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289
bristles
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| 短而硬的毛发，刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 ) | |
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290
meditates
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的第三人称单数 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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291
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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292
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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293
perjured
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| adj.伪证的，犯伪证罪的v.发假誓，作伪证( perjure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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294
inviolate
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| adj.未亵渎的，未受侵犯的 | |
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295
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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296
inflicts
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的第三人称单数 ) | |
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297
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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298
inflame
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| v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎 | |
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299
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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300
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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301
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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302
squires
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| n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 ) | |
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303
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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304
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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305
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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306
ratify
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| v.批准，认可，追认 | |
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307
abstemious
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| adj.有节制的，节俭的 | |
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308
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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309
phoenix
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| n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生 | |
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310
groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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311
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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312
afflict
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| vt.使身体或精神受痛苦，折磨 | |
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313
dreads
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| n.恐惧，畏惧( dread的名词复数 )；令人恐惧的事物v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的第三人称单数 ) | |
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314
orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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315
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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316
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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317
wails
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| 痛哭，哭声( wail的名词复数 ) | |
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318
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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319
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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320
deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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321
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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322
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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323
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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324
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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325
pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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326
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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327
beholds
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| v.看，注视( behold的第三人称单数 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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328
poises
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| 使平衡( poise的第三人称单数 )； 保持（某种姿势）； 抓紧； 使稳定 | |
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329
wields
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的第三人称单数 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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330
bridles
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| 约束( bridle的名词复数 )； 限动器； 马笼头； 系带 | |
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331
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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332
portentous
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| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
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333
gilds
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| 把…镀金( gild的第三人称单数 )； 给…上金色； 作多余的修饰（反而破坏原已完美的东西）； 画蛇添足 | |
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334
intrepid
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| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
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335
portents
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| n.预兆( portent的名词复数 )；征兆；怪事；奇物 | |
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336
prodigies
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| n.奇才，天才（尤指神童）( prodigy的名词复数 ) | |
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337
ordains
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的第三人称单数 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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