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iliad10-第69部分
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in your tents: or if it so please you; wait; though you would
fain fight at once; and my squires shall bring the gifts from my
ship; that you may see whether what I give you is enough。〃
And Achilles answered; 〃Son of Atreus; king of men Agamemnon; you
can give such gifts as you think proper; or you can withhold
them: it is in your own hands。 Let us now set battle in array; it
is not well to tarry talking about trifles; for there is a deed
which is as yet to do。 Achilles shall again be seen fighting
among the foremost; and laying low the ranks of the Trojans: bear
this in mind each one of you when he is fighting。〃
Then Ulysses said; 〃Achilles; godlike and brave; send not the
Achaeans thus against Ilius to fight the Trojans fasting; for the
battle will be no brief one; when it is once begun; and heaven
has filled both sides with fury; bid them first take food both
bread and wine by the ships; for in this there is strength and
stay。 No man can do battle the livelong day to the going down of
the sun if he is without food; however much he may want to fight
his strength will fail him before he knows it; hunger and thirst
will find him out; and his limbs will grow weary under him。 But a
man can fight all day if he is full fed with meat and wine; his
heart beats high; and his strength will stay till he has routed
all his foes; therefore; send the people away and bid them
prepare their meal; King Agamemnon will bring out the gifts in
presence of the assembly; that all may see them and you may be
satisfied。 Moreover let him swear an oath before the Argives that
he has never gone up into the couch of Briseis; nor been with her
after the manner of men and women; and do you; too; show yourself
of a gracious mind; let Agamemnon entertain you in his tents with
a feast of reconciliation; that so you may have had your dues in
full。 As for you; son of Atreus; treat people more righteously in
future; it is no disgrace even to a king that he should make
amends if he was wrong in the first instance。〃
And King Agamemnon answered; 〃Son of Laertes; your words please
me well; for throughout you have spoken wisely。 I will swear as
you would have me do; I do so of my own free will; neither shall
I take the name of heaven in vain。 Let; then; Achilles wait;
though he would fain fight at once; and do you others wait also;
till the gifts e from my tent and we ratify the oath with
sacrifice。 Thus; then; do I charge you: take some noble young
Achaeans with you; and bring from my tents the gifts that I
promised yesterday to Achilles; and bring the women also;
furthermore let Talthybius find me a boar from those that are
with the host; and make it ready for sacrifice to Jove and to the
sun。〃
Then said Achilles; 〃Son of Atreus; king of men Agamemnon; see to
these matters at some other season; when there is breathing time
and when I am calmer。 Would you have men eat while the bodies of
those whom Hector son of Priam slew are still lying mangled upon
the plain? Let the sons of the Achaeans; say I; fight fasting and
without food; till we have avenged them; afterwards at the going
down of the sun let them eat their fill。 As for me; Patroclus is
lying dead in my tent; all hacked and hewn; with his feet to the
door; and his rades are mourning round him。 Therefore I can
take thought of nothing save only slaughter and blood and the
rattle in the throat of the dying。〃
Ulysses answered; 〃Achilles; son of Peleus; mightiest of all the
Achaeans; in battle you are better than I; and that more than a
little; but in counsel I am much before you; for I am older and
of greater knowledge。 Therefore be patient under my words。
Fighting is a thing of which men soon surfeit; and when Jove; who
is war's steward; weighs the upshot; it may well prove that the
straw which our sickles have reaped is far heavier than the
grain。 It may not be that the Achaeans should mourn the dead with
their bellies; day by day men fall thick and threefold
continually; when should we have respite from our sorrow? Let us
mourn our dead for a day and bury them out of sight and mind; but
let those of us who are left eat and drink that we may arm and
fight our foes more fiercely。 In that hour let no man hold back;
waiting for a second summons; such summons shall bode ill for him
who is found lagging behind at our ships; let us rather sally as
one man and loose the fury of war upon the Trojans。〃
When he had thus spoken he took with him the sons of Nestor; with
Meges son of Phyleus; Thoas; Meriones; Lyedes son of Creontes;
and Melanippus; and went to the tent of Agamemnon son of Atreus。
The word was not sooner said than the deed was done: they
brought out the seven tripods which Agamemnon had promised; with
the twenty metal cauldrons and the twelve horses; they also
brought the women skilled in useful arts; seven in number; with
Briseis; which made eight。 Ulysses weighed out the ten talents of
gold and then led the way back; while the young Achaeans brought
the rest of the gifts; and laid them in the middle of the
assembly。
Agamemnon then rose; and Talthybius whose voice was like that of
a god came to him with the boar。 The son of Atreus drew the knife
which he wore by the scabbard of his mighty sword; and began by
cutting off some bristles from the boar; lifting up his hands in
prayer as he did so。 The other Achaeans sat where they were all
silent and orderly to hear the king; and Agamemnon looked into
the vault of heaven and prayed saying; 〃I call Jove the first and
mightiest of all gods to witness; I call also Earth and Sun and
the Erinyes who dwell below and take vengeance on him who shall
swear falsely; that I have laid no hand upon the girl Briseis;
neither to take her to my bed nor otherwise; but that she has
remained in my tents inviolate。 If I swear falsely may heaven
visit me with all the penalties which it metes out to those who
perjure themselves。〃
He cut the boar's throat as he spoke; whereon Talthybius whirled
it round his head; and flung it into the wide sea to feed the
fishes。 Then Achilles also rose and said to the Argives; 〃Father
Jove; of a truth you blind men's eyes and bane them。 The son of
Atreus had not else stirred me to so fierce an anger; nor so
stubbornly taken Briseis from me against my will。 Surely Jove
must have counselled the destruction of many an Argive。 Go; now;
and take your food that we may begin fighting。〃
On this he broke up the assembly; and every man went back to his
own ship。 The Myrmidons attended to the presents and took them
away to the ship of Achilles。 They placed them in his tents;
while the stable…men drove the horses in among the others。
Briseis; fair as Venus; when she saw the mangled body of
Patroclus; flung herself upon it and cried aloud; tearing her
breast; her neck; and her lovely face with both her hands。
Beautiful as a goddess she wept and said; 〃Patroclus; dearest
friend; when I went hence I left you living; I return; O prince;
to find you dead; thus do fresh sorrows multiply upon me one
after the other。 I saw him to whom my father and mother married
me; cut down before our city; and my three own dear brothers
perished with him on the self…same day; but you; Patroclus; even
when Achilles slew my husband and sacked the city of noble Mynes;
told me that I was not to weep; for you said you would make
Achilles marry me; and take me back with him to Phthia; we should
have a wedding feast among the Myrmidons。 You were always kind to
me and I shall never cease to grieve for you。〃
She wept as she spoke; and the women joined in her lament…making
as though their tears were for Patroclus; but in truth each was
weeping for her own sorrows。 The elders of the Achaeans gathered
round Achilles and prayed him to take food; but he groaned and
would not do so。 〃I pray you;〃 said he; 〃if any rade will hear
me; bid me neither eat nor drink; for I am in great heaviness;
and will stay fasting even to the going down of the sun。〃
On this he sent the other princes away; save only the two sons of
Atreus and Ulysses; Nestor; Idomeneus; and the knight Phoenix;
who stayed behind and tried to fort him in the bitterness of
his sorrow: but he would not be forted till he should have
flung himself into the jaws of battle; and he fetched sigh on
sigh; thinking ever of Patroclus。 Then he said
〃Hapless and dearest rade; you it was who would get a good
dinner ready for me at once and without delay when the Achaeans
were hasting to fight the Trojans; now; therefore; though I have
meat and drink in my tents; yet will I fast for sorrow。 Grief
greater than this I could not know; not even though I were to
hear of the death of my father; who is now in Phthia weeping for
the loss of me his son; who am here fighting the Trojans in a
strange land for the accursed sake of Helen; nor yet though I
should hear that my son is no morehe who is being brought up in
Scyrosif indeed Neoptolemus is still living。 Till now I made
sure that I alone was to fall here at Troy away from Argos; while
you were to return to Phthia; bring back my son with you in your
own ship; and show him all my property; my bondsmen; and the
greatness of my housefor Peleus must su
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