第 17 节
作者:恐龙王      更新:2022-07-12 16:21      字数:9322
  fight   with   the   sword;   so   the   company   of   the   Twelve   were   thinned;   the
  bodyguard of Penthesilea。
  The    Trojans    and   Greeks    kept   slaying    each   other;  but   Penthesilea
  avenged her maidens; driving the ranks of Greece as a lioness drives the
  cattle on the hills; for they could not stand before her。            Then she shouted;
  〃Dogs!      to…day   shall   you   pay   for   the  sorrows     of  Priam!     Where      is
  Diomede; where is Achilles; where is Aias; that; men say; are your bravest?
  Will none of them stand before my spear?〃                Then she charged again; at
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  the head of the Household of Priam; brothers and kinsmen of Hector; and
  where   they   came   the   Greeks   fell   like   yellow   leaves   before   the   wind   of
  autumn。       The white horse that Penthesilea rode; a gift from the wife of
  the   North   Wind;   flashed   like   lightning   through   a   dark   cloud   among   the
  companies of the Greeks; and the chariots that followed the charge of the
  Amazon rocked as they swept over the bodies of the slain。 Then the old
  Trojans; watching from the walls; cried:               〃This is no mortal maiden but a
  Goddess; and to…day she will burn the ships of the Greeks; and they will
  all perish in Troyland; and see Greece never more again。〃
  Now it so was that Aias and Achilles had not heard the din and the cry
  of war; for both had gone to weep over the great new grave of Patroclus。
  Penthesilea and the Trojans had driven back the Greeks within their ditch;
  and   they  were   hiding   here   and   there   among   the   ships;   and   torches   were
  blazing   in   men's   hands   to   burn   the   ships;   as   in   the  day  of   the   valour   of
  Hector:      when Aias heard the din of battle; and called to Achilles to make
  speed towards the ships。
  So they ran swiftly to their huts; and armed themselves; and Aias fell
  smiting      and   slaying    upon    the   Trojans;    but   Achilles    slew    five   of  the
  bodyguard        of  Penthesilea。      She;     beholding      her   maidens     fallen;   rode
  straight   against Aias   and Achilles;   like   a   dove   defying   two   falcons;   and
  cast her spear; but it fell back blunted from the glorious shield that the God
  had made for the son of Peleus。               Then she threw another spear at Aias;
  crying; 〃I am the daughter of the God of War;〃 but his armour kept out the
  spear; and he and Achilles laughed aloud。                Aias paid no more heed to the
  Amazon;   but   rushed   against   the   Trojan   men;   while   Achilles   raised   the
  heavy   spear   that   none   but   he   could   throw;   and   drove   it   down   through
  breastplate and breast of Penthesilea; yet still her hand grasped her sword…
  hilt。   But; ere she could draw her sword; Achilles speared her horse; and
  horse and rider fell; and died in their fall。
  There   lay  fair   Penthesilea  in   the   dust;   like   a   tall   poplar  tree  that   the
  wind has overthrown;  and her helmet   fell; and the  Greeks who gathered
  round   marvelled   to   see   her   lie   so   beautiful   in   death;   like   Artemis;   the
  Goddess of the Woods; when she sleeps alone; weary with hunting on the
  hills。    Then     the   heart   of  Achilles    was    pierced    with   pity   and   sorrow;
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  thinking   how   she   might   have   been   his   wife   in   his   own   country;   had   he
  spared her; but he was never to see pleasant Phthia; his native land; again。
  So Achilles stood and wept over Penthesilea dead。
  Now   the   Greeks;   in   pity   and   sorrow;   held   their   hands;   and   did   not
  pursue   the   Trojans   who   had   fled;   nor   did   they   strip   the   armour   from
  Penthesilea and her twelve maidens; but laid the bodies on biers; and sent
  them back in peace to Priam。             Then the Trojans burned Penthesilea in the
  midst of her dead maidens; on a great pile of dry wood; and placed their
  ashes   in   a   golden   casket;   and   buried   them   all   in   the   great   hill…grave   of
  Laomedon;   an   ancient   King   of   Troy;   while   the   Greeks   with   lamentation
  buried them whom the Amazon had slain。
  The old men of Troy and the chiefs now held a council; and Priam said
  that they must not yet despair; for; if they had lost many of their bravest
  warriors; many of the Greeks had also fallen。                Their best plan was to fight
  only with arrows from  the walls and towers;  till King Memnon came   to
  their rescue with a great army of Aethiopes。                 Now Memnon was the son
  of   the   bright   Dawn;   a   beautiful   Goddess   who   had   loved   and   married   a
  mortal   man;   Tithonus。        She   had   asked   Zeus;   the   chief   of   the   Gods;   to
  make her lover immortal; and her prayer was granted。                    Tithonus could not
  die; but he began to grow grey; and then white haired; with a long white
  beard; and very weak; till nothing of him seemed to be left but his voice;
  always feebly chattering like the grasshoppers on a summer day。
  Memnon was the most beautiful of men; except Paris and Achilles; and
  his home was in a country that borders on the land of sunrising。                     There he
  was reared by the lily maidens called Hesperides; till he came to his full
  strength;   and   commanded   the   whole   army   of   the Aethiopes。              For   their
  arrival   Priam   wished   to   wait;   but   Polydamas   advised   that   the   Trojans
  should   give   back   Helen   to   the   Greeks;   with   jewels   twice   as   valuable   as
  those   which   she   had   brought   from   the   house   of   Menelaus。         Then   Paris
  was very angry; and said that Polydamas was a coward; for it was little to
  Paris that Troy should be taken and burned in a month if for a month he
  could keep Helen of the fair hands。
  At    length   Memnon        came;    leading    a  great   army    of   men    who    had
  nothing white about them but the teeth; so fiercely the sun burned on them
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  in their   own   country。      The Trojans   had   all   the   more   hopes   of   Memnon
  because;   on   his   long   journey   from   the   land   of   sunrising;   and   the   river
  Oceanus   that   girdles   the   round   world;   he   had   been   obliged   to   cross   the
  country   of   the   Solymi。      Now   the   Solymi   were   the   fiercest   of   men   and
  rose up against Memnon; but he and his army fought them for a whole day;
  and   defeated   them;   and   drove   them   to   the   hills。   When   Memnon   came;
  Priam gave him a great cup of gold; full of wine to the brim; and Memnon
  drank the wine at one draught。             But he did not make great boasts of what
  he could do; like poor Penthesilea; 〃for;〃 said he; 〃whether I am a good
  man at arms will be known in battle; where the strength of men is tried。
  So   now  let   us   turn   to   sleep;   for   to   wake   and   drink   wine   all through   the
  night is an ill beginning of war。〃
  Then Priam praised his wisdom; and all men betook them to bed; but
  the   bright   Dawn   rose   unwillingly   next   day;   to   throw   light   on   the   battle
  where her son was to risk his fife。            Then Memnon led out the dark clouds
  of his men into the plain; and the Greeks foreboded evil when they saw so
  great a new army of fresh and unwearied warriors; but Achilles; leading
  them in his shining armour; gave them courage。                    Memnon fell upon the
  left   wing   of   the   Greeks;   and   on   the   men   of   Nestor;   and   first   he   slew
  Ereuthus; and then attacked Nestor's young son; Antilochus; who; now that
  Patroclus had fallen; was the dearest friend of Achilles。                 On him Memnon
  leaped; like   a lion on a  kid; but Antilochus   lifted a  huge  stone  from  the
  plain; a pillar that had been set on the tomb of some great warrior long ago;
  and the stone smote full on the helmet of Memnon; who reeled beneath the
  stroke。     But Memnon seized his heavy spear; and drove it through shield
  and    corselet    of  Antilochus;      even   into   his  heart;   and   he   fell  and   died
  beneath his father's eyes。          Then Nestor in great sorrow and anger strode
  across the body of Antilochus and called to his other son; Thrasymedes;
  〃Come and drive afar this man that has slain thy brother; for if fear be in
  thy heart thou art no son of mine; nor of the race of Peri