第 18 节
作者:恐龙王      更新:2022-07-12 16:21      字数:9321
  thy heart thou art no son of mine; nor of the race of Periclymenus; who
  stood up in battle even against the strong man Heracles!〃
  But   Memnon   was   too   strong   for   Thrasymedes;   and   drove   him   off;
  while   old   Nestor   himself   charged   sword   in   hand;   though   Memnon   bade
  him begone; for he was not minded to strike so aged a man; and Nestor
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  drew   back;   for   he   was   weak   with   age。      Then   Memnon   and   his   army
  charged      the  Greeks;    slaying    and   stripping    the  dead。    But    Nestor    had
  mounted his chariot and driven to Achilles; weeping; and imploring him to
  come     swiftly    and   save   the  body   of   Antilochus;      and   he  sped    to  meet
  Memnon; who lifted   a great stone;  the landmark   of a field;  and drove it
  against the shield of the son of Peleus。             But Achilles was not shaken by
  the blow; he ran forward; and wounded Memnon over the rim of his shield。
  Yet wounded as he was Memnon fought on and struck his spear through
  the   arm  of Achilles;   for   the   Greeks   fought   with   no   sleeves   of   bronze   to
  protect their arms。
  Then Achilles drew his great sword; and flew on Memnon; and with
  sword…strokes they lashed at each other on shield and helmet; and the long
  horsehair crests of the helmets were shorn off; and flew down the wind;
  and their shields rang terribly beneath the sword strokes。                  They thrust at
  each others' throats between shield and visor of the helmet; they smote at
  knee; and thrust at breast; and the armour rang about their bodies; and the
  dust   from   beneath   their   feet   rose   up   in   a   cloud   around   them;   like   mist
  round the falls of a great river in flood。            So they fought; neither of them
  yielding a step; till Achilles made so rapid a thrust that Memnon could not
  parry it; and the bronze sword passed clean through his body beneath the
  breast…bone; and he fell; and his armour clashed as he fell。
  Then Achilles; wounded as he was and weak from loss of blood; did
  not stay  to   strip the golden   armour   of   Memnon; but shouted his   warcry;
  and   pressed   on;   for   he   hoped   to   enter   the   gate   of   Troy   with   the   fleeing
  Trojans; and all the Greeks followed after him。                So they pursued; slaying
  as   they   went;   and   the   Scaean   gate   was   choked   with   the   crowd   of   men;
  pursuing and pursued。          In that hour would the Greeks have entered Troy;
  and burned the city; and taken the women captive; but Paris stood on the
  tower   above   the   gate;   and   in   his   mind   was   anger   for   the   death   of   his
  brother Hector。       He tried the string of his bow; and found it frayed; for all
  day    he   had   showered      his  arrows    on   the  Greeks;     so  he   chose   a  new
  bowstring; and fitted it; and strung the bow; and chose an arrow from his
  quiver; and aimed at the ankle of Achilles; where it was bare beneath the
  greave;     or  leg…guard     of   metal;   that   the  God    had    fashioned     for  him。
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  Through the ankle flew the arrow; and Achilles wheeled round; weak as he
  was; and stumbled; and fell; and the armour that the God had wrought was
  defiled with dust and blood。
  Then Achilles rose again; and cried:               〃What coward has smitten   me
  with   a   secret   arrow   from   afar?    Let   him   stand   forth   and   meet   me   with
  sword and spear!〃          So speaking he seized the shaft with his strong hands
  and tore it out of the wound; and much blood gushed; and darkness came
  over   his    eyes。   Yet    he   staggered     forward;    striking    blindly;   and   smote
  Orythaon; a dear friend of Hector; through the helmet; and others he smote;
  but   now   his   force   failed   him;   and   he   leaned   on   his   spear;   and   cried   his
  warcry;   and   said;   〃Cowards   of   Troy;   ye   shall   not   all   escape   my   spear;
  dying as I am。〃 But as he spoke he fell; and all his armour rang around
  him;   yet   the   Trojans   stood   apart   and   watched;   and   as   hunters   watch   a
  dying   lion   not   daring   to   go   nigh   him;   so   the   Trojans   stood   in   fear   till
  Achilles drew   his latest   breath。         Then   from  the   wall   the Trojan   women
  raised a great cry of joy over him who had slain the noble Hector:                         and
  thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Hector; that Achilles should fall in the
  Scaean gateway; by the hand of Paris。
  Then   the   best   of   the   Trojans   rushed   forth   from   the   gate   to   seize   the
  body of Achilles; and his glorious armour; but the Greeks were as eager to
  carry the body to the ships that it might have due burial。                 Round the dead
  Achilles men fought long and sore; and both sides were mixed; Greeks and
  Trojans; so that men dared not shoot arrows from  the walls of Troy  lest
  they should kill their own friends。            Paris; and Aeneas; and Glaucus; who
  had been the friend of Sarpedon; led the Trojans; and Aias and Ulysses led
  the Greeks; for we are not told that Agamemnon was fighting in this great
  battle   of   the   war。  Now   as   angry   wild   bees   flock   round   a   man   who   is
  taking their honeycombs; so the Trojans gathered round Aias; striving to
  stab him; but he set his great shield in front; and smote and slew all that
  came   within   reach   of   his   spear。     Ulysses;   too;   struck   down   many;   and
  though a spear was thrown and pierced his leg near the knee he stood firm;
  protecting      the  body   of   Achilles。     At   last   Ulysses    caught    the   body   of
  Achilles by the hands; and heaved it upon his back; and so limped towards
  the ships; but Aias and the men of Aias followed; turning round if ever the
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  Trojans     ventured     to  come     near;   and   charging     into  the   midst   of   them。
  Thus very slowly they bore the dead Achilles across the plain; through the
  bodies of the fallen and the blood; till they met Nestor in his chariot and
  placed Achilles therein; and swiftly Nestor drove to the ships。
  There   the   women;   weeping;   washed Achilles'   comely   body;   and   laid
  him   on   a   bier   with   a   great   white   mantle   over   him;   and   all   the   women
  lamented   and   sang   dirges;   and   the   first   was   Briseis;   who   loved Achilles
  better than her own country; and her father; and her brothers whom he had
  slain in war。      The Greek princes; too; stood round the body; weeping and
  cutting off their long locks of yellow hair; a token of grief and an offering
  to the dead。
  Men   say   that   forth   from   the   sea   came   Thetis   of   the   silver   feet;   the
  mother of Achilles; with her ladies; the deathless maidens of the waters。
  They rose up from their glassy chambers below the sea; moving on; many
  and   beautiful;   like   the   waves   on   a   summer   day;   and   their   sweet   song
  echoed   along   the   shores;   and   fear   came   upon   the   Greeks。         Then   they
  would   have   fled;   but   Nestor   cried:     〃Hold;   flee   not;   young   lords   of   the
  Achaeans!        Lo;    she   that  comes     from   the   sea   is  his  mother;     with   the
  deathless   maidens   of   the   waters;   to   look   on   the   face   of   her   dead   son。〃
  Then the sea nymphs stood around the dead Achilles and clothed him in
  the garments of the Gods; fragrant raiment; and all the Nine Muses; one to
  the other replying with sweet voices; began their lament。
  Next the Greeks made a great pile of dry wood; and laid Achilles on it;
  and set fire to it; till the flames had consumed his body except the white
  ashes。     These they placed in a great golden cup and mingled with them
  the ashes of Patroclus; and above all they built a tomb like a hill; high on a
  headland above the sea; that men for all time may see it as they go sailing
  by; and may remember Achilles。               Next they held in his honour foot races
  and chariot races; and other games; and Thetis gave splendid prizes。                      Last
  of   all;   when   the   games   were   ended;   Thetis   placed   before   the   chiefs   the
  glorious armour that the God had made for her son on the night after the
  slaying of Patroclus by Hector。             〃Let these arms be the prize of the best
  of the Greeks;〃 she said; 〃and of him that saved the body of Achilles out of