The Iliads of Homer Translated according to the Greek · Homer
ANOTHER ARGUMENT
He fell, and his most weighty fall gave fit tune to his chance; For which all Greece extremely mourn’d. And as a mighty strife About a little fount begins, and riseth to the life Of some fell boar resolv’d to drink; when likewise to the spring A lion comes alike dispos’d, the boar thirsts, and his king, Both proud, and both will first be serv’d; and then the lion takes Advantage of his sov’reign strength, and th’ other, fainting, makes Resign his thirst up with his blood; Patroclus, so enforc’d When he had forc’d so much brave life, was from his own divorc’d. And thus his great divorcer brav’d: “Patroclus, thy conceit Gave thee th’ eversion of our Troy, and to thy fleet a freight Of Trojan ladies, their free lives put all in bands by thee; But (too much prizer of thy self) all these are propp’d by me, For these have my horse stretch’d their hoofs to this so long a war, And I (far best of Troy in arms) keep off from Troy as far, Ev’n to the last beam of my life, their necessary day.
And here, in place of us and ours, on thee shall vultures prey, Poor wretch; nor shall thy mighty friend afford thee any aid, That gave thy parting much deep charge, and this perhaps be said: ‘Martial Patroclus, turn not face, nor see my fleet before The curets from great Hector’s breast, all gilded with his gore, Thou hew’st in pieces.’ If thus vain were his far-stretched commands, As vain was thy heart to believe his words lay in thy hands.” He, languishing, replied: “This proves, thy glory worse than vain, That when two Gods have giv’n thy hands what their pow’rs did obtain, (They conqu’ring, and they spoiling me both of my arms and mind, It being a work of ease for them) thy soul should be so blind To oversee their evident deeds, and take their pow’rs to thee; When, if the pow’rs of twenty such had dar’d t’ encounter me, My lance had strew’d earth with them all. Thou only dost obtain A third place in my death; whom, first, a harmful hate hath slain Effected by Latona’s son; second, and first of men, Euphorbus.
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