"Those two winds, tumbling clouds in heaps."
ACHILLES orders justs a of exequies b
For his Patroclus; and doth sacrifice
Twelve Trojan princes; most lov'd hounds and horse,
And other offerings, to the honour'd corse.
He institutes, besides, a funeral game,
Where Diomed, for horse-race, wins the fame :
For foot, Ulysses; others otherwise
Strive, and obtain: and end the exequies.
ANOTHER ARGUMENT.
Psi sings the rites of the decease
Ordain'd by great acides.
THUS mourn'd all Troy: but when at fleet, and Hellespontus' shore, The Greeks arriv'd, each to his ship, only the conqueror
a Justs" tournaments, martial games."
b Exequies-"funeral rites."
Kept undispers'd his Myrmidons; and said, Lov'd countrymen,
Disjoin not we chariots and horse; but (bearing hard our rein)
With state of both, march soft and close, and mourn about the corse:
'Tis proper honour to the dead. Then take we out our horse,
When with our friends' kind woe our hearts have felt delight to do
A virtuous soul right, and then sup. This said, all full of woe
Circled the corse. Achilles led, and thrice about him, close
All bore their goodly-coated a horse. Amongst all Thetis rose,
And stirr'd up a delight in grief, till all their arms with tears,
And all the sands, were wet: so much they lov'd that lord of fears.
Then to the centre fell the prince; and putting in the breast
Of his slain friend his slaught'ring hands, began to all the rest
Words to their tears: Rejoice (said he), O my Patroclus: thou
Courted by Dis now: now I pay to thy late overthrow
All my revenges vow'd before; Hector lies slaughter'd here
Dragg'd at my chariot; and our dogs shall all in pieces tear
His hated limbs. Twelve Trojan youths, born of their noblest strains,
I took alive and (yet enrag'd) will empty all their veins
Of vital spirits, sacrific'd before thy heap of fire.
This said, a work unworthy him, he put upon his ire,
And trampled Hector under foot, at his friend's feet. The rest
Disarm'd; took horse from chariot, and all to sleep address'd
At his black vessel. Infinite were those that rested there.
Himself yet sleeps not, now his spirits were wrought about the cheer Fit for so high a funeral. About the steel us'd then,
Oxen in heaps lay bellowing, preparing food for men:
Bleating of sheep and goats fill'd air; numbers of white-tooth'd swine (Swimming in fat) lay singeing there: the person of the slain
Was girt with slaughter. All this done, all the Greek kings convey'd
Achilles to the king of men; his rage not yet allay'd
For his Patroclus. Being arriv'd at Agamemnon's tent,
Himself bad heralds put to fire a caldron, and present
The service of it to the prince, to try if they could win
His pleasure, to admit their pains, to cleanse the blood soak'd in
About his conquering hands and brows. Not, by the king of heaven (He swore). The laws of friendship damn this false-heart licence given To men that lose friends: not a drop shall touch me till I put
Patroclus in the funeral pile, before these curls be cut,
b Singeing-" having the hair scorched off."
His tomb erected. 'Tis the last of all care I shall take,
While I consort the careful: yet, for your entreaties' sake,
(And though I loathe food) I will eat: but early in the morn,
Atrides, use your strict command, that loads of wood be borne
To our design'd place, all that fits to light home such a one
As is to pass the shades of death, that fire enough, set gone
His person quickly from our eyes, and our diverted a men
May ply their business. This all ears did freely entertain,
And found observance: then they supp'd, with all things fit, and all
Repair'd to tents and rest. The friend the shores maritimal b
Sought for his bed, and found a place, fair, and upon which play'd
The murmuring billows. There his limbs to rest, not sleep, he laid,
Heavily sighing. Round about (silent, and not too near)
Stood all his Myrmidons, when straight (so over-labour'd were
His goodly lineaments with chace of Hector, that beyond
His resolution not to sleep) Sleep cast his sudden bond
Over his sense, and loos'd his care. Then of his wretched friend
The soul appear'd; at every part the form did comprehend c
His likeness; his fair eyes, his voice, his stature, every weed
His person wore, it fantasied, and stood above his head,
This sad speech uttering. Dost thou sleep? acides, am I
Forgotten of thee? Being alive, I found thy memory
Ever respectful; but now dead, thy dying love abates.
Inter me quickly, enter me in Pluto's iron gates,
For now the souls (the shades) of men, fled from this being, beat
My spirit from rest, and stay my much-desir'd receipt
Amongst souls plac'd beyond the flood. Now every way I err
About this broad-door'd house of Dis. O help then to prefer
My soul yet further, here I mourn: but had the funeral fire
Consum'd my body, never more my spirit should retire
From hell's low region: from thence souls never are retriev'd
To talk with friends here; nor shall I; a hateful fate depriv'd
My being here, that at my birth was fix'd, and to such fate
Even thou, O god-like man, art mark'd; the deadly Ilion gate
Must entertain thy death. O then, I charge thee now, take care
That our bones part not, but as life combin’d in equal fare
Our loving beings, so let death. When from Opunta's tow'rs
My father brought me to your roofs (since, 'gainst my will, my pow'rs
a Diverted-" turned to a business that does not properly belong to them."
Comprehend-" contain."
Maritimal-" of the sea:" a word of Chapman's coinage.
Incens'd, and indiscreet at dice, slew fair Amphidamas)
Then Peleus entertain'd me well; then in thy charge I was
By his injunction and thy love; and therein let me still
Receive protection. Both our bones, provide in thy last will
That one urn may contain; and make the vessel all of gold
That Thetis gave thee, that rich urn. This said, Sleep ceas'd to hold
Achilles' temples, and the shade thus he receiv'd: O friend,
What needed these commands? my care before meant to commend
My bones to thine, and in that urn. Be sure thy will is done.
A little stay yet, let's delight, with some full passion
Of woe enough, either's affects; embrace we. Opening thus
His greedy arms, he felt no friend: like matter vaporous
The spirit vanish'd under earth, and murmur'd in his stoop.a
Achilles started; both his hands he clapp'd, and lifted up
In this sort wond'ring: O ye gods, I see we have a soul
In th' under-dwellings, and a kind of man-resembling idol : b
The soul's seat yet, all matter felt, stays with the carcase here.
O friends, hapless Patroclus' soul did all this night appear
Weeping and making moan to me, commanding everything
That I intended towards him; so truly figuring
Himself at all parts, as was strange. This accident did turn
To much more sorrow, and begat a greediness to mourn
In all that heard. When mourning thus, the rosy morn arose :
And Agamemnon through the tents wak'd all, and did dispose
Both men and mules for carriage of matter for the fire.
Of all which work Meriones (the Cretan sovereign's squire)
Was captain, and abroad they went.
Of all kinds, and well-twisted cords.
Wood-cutting tools they bore
The mules march all before.
Up hill and down hill, over thwarts, and break-neck cliffs they pass'd,
But when the fountful Ida's tops they scal'd with utmost haste,
All fell upon the high-hair'd oaks, and down their curled brows
Fell bustling to the earth; and up went all the boles and boughs,
Bound to the mules, and back again they parted the harsh way
Amongst them through the tangling shrubs, and long they thought the day
Till in the plain field all arriv'd, for all the woodmen bore
Logs on their necks; Meriones would have it so the shore
a Stoop-"departure." The metaphor is taken from a bird of prey pouncing on its victim; and
is designed to pourtray the rapid disappearance of the ghost.
b Idol-" eidolon;" the image of man, which the Greeks believed to survive him.
• Thwarts-" obstacles: " properly, sticks laid across.
At last they reach'd yet, and then down their carriages they cast,
And sat upon them, where the son of Peleus had plac'd
The ground for his great sepulchre, and for his friend's, in one.
They rais'd a huge pile, and to arms went every Myrmidon,
Charg'd by Achilles; chariots and horse were harnessed,
Fighters and charioteers got up, and they the sad march led:
A cloud of infinite foot behind. In midst of all was borne
Patroclus' person by his peers: on him were all heads shorn,
Even till they cover'd him with curls. Next to him march'd his friend
Embracing his cold neck all sad, since now he was to send
His dearest to his endless home. Arriv'd all where the wood
Was heap'd for funeral, they sat down. Apart Achilles stood,
And when enough wood was heap'd on, he cut his golden hair,
Long kept for Sperchius the flood, in hope of safe repair
To Phthia, by that river's pow'r, but now left hopeless thus
(Enrag'd, and looking on the sea) he cried out: Sperchius,
In vain my father's piety vow'd (at my implor'd return
To my lov'd country) that these curls should on thy shores be shorn,
Besides a sacred hecatomb; and sacrifice beside
Of fifty wethers, at whose founts, where men have edified
A lofty temple, and perfum'd an altar to thy name.
There vow'd he all these offerings, but fate prevents thy fame,
His hopes not suffering satisfied; and since I never more
Shall see my lov'd soil, my friends' hands shall to the Stygian shore
Convey these tresses. Thus he put in his friend's hands the hair.
And this bred fresh desire of moan, and in that sad affair
The sun had set amongst them all, had Thetis' son not spoke
Thus to Atrides: King of men, thy aid I still invoke,
Since thy command all men still hear; dismiss thy soldiers now,
And let them victual; they have mourn'd sufficient, 'tis we owe
The dead this honour; and with us let all the captains stay.
This heard, Atrides instantly the soldiers sent away,
The funeral officers remain'd, and heap'd on matter still,
Till of an hundred foot about they made the funeral pile,
In whose hot height they cast the corse, and then they pour'd on tears.
Numbers of fat sheep, and like store of crooked-going steers,
They slew before the solemn fire; stripp'd off their hides and dress'd. Of which Achilles took the fat, and cover'd the deceas'd
a Edified-" built:" the literal sense of the Latin ædificare.
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