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PDFless myself than thou 330 Am
ever mindful of a warrior’s part, And when
the din of glorious arms is heard, Fight in the
van. If other Greeks my deeds Know not, at
least I judge them known to thee.
To whom the leader of the host of Crete 335
Idomeneus. I know thy valor well, Why speakest thus to me? Choose we this day An ambush forth of all the bravest Greeks, (For in the ambush is distinguish’d best The courage; there the timorous and the bold 340 Plainly appear; the dastard changes hue And shifts from place to place, nor can he calm The fears that shake his trembling limbs, but sits Low-crouching on his hams, while in his breast Quick palpitates his death-foreboding heart, 345 And his teeth chatter; but the valiant man His posture shifts not; no excessive fears Feels he, but seated once in ambush, deems Time tedious till the bloody fight begin;) Even there, thy courage should no blame incur.[8] 350 For should’st thou, toiling in the fight, by spear Or falchion bleed, not on thy neck behind Would fall the weapon, or thy back annoy, But it would meet thy bowels or thy chest While thou didst rush into the clamorous van. 355 But haste—we may not longer loiter here As children prating, lest some sharp rebuke Reward us. Enter quick, and from within My tent provide thee with a noble spear.
Then, swift as Mars, Meriones produced 360
A brazen spear of those within the tent Reserved, and kindling with heroic fire Follow’d Idomeneus. As gory Mars By Terror follow’d, his own dauntless son Who quells the boldest heart, to battle moves; 365 From Thrace against the Ephyri they arm, Or hardy Phlegyans, and by both invoked, Hear and grant victory to which they please; Such, bright in arms Meriones, and such Idomeneus advanced, when foremost thus 370 Meriones his fellow-chief bespake.
Son of Deucalion! where inclinest thou most
To enter into battle? On the right Of all the host? or through the central ranks? Or on the left? for nowhere I account 375 The Greeks so destitute of force as there.
Then answer thus Idomeneus return’d
Chief of the Cretans. Others stand to guard The middle fleet; there either Ajax wars, And Teucer, noblest archer of the Greeks, 380 Nor less in stationary fight approved. Bent as he is on battle, they will task And urge to proof sufficiently the force Of Priameian Hector; burn his rage How fierce soever, he shall find it hard, 385 With all his thirst of victory, to quell Their firm resistance, and to fire the fleet, Let not Saturnian Jove cast down from heaven Himself a flaming brand into the ships. High towering Telamonian Ajax yields 390 To no mere mortal by the common gift Sustain’d of Ceres, and whose flesh the spear Can penetrate, or rocky fragment bruise;
To whom the leader of the host of Crete 335
Idomeneus. I know thy valor well, Why speakest thus to me? Choose we this day An ambush forth of all the bravest Greeks, (For in the ambush is distinguish’d best The courage; there the timorous and the bold 340 Plainly appear; the dastard changes hue And shifts from place to place, nor can he calm The fears that shake his trembling limbs, but sits Low-crouching on his hams, while in his breast Quick palpitates his death-foreboding heart, 345 And his teeth chatter; but the valiant man His posture shifts not; no excessive fears Feels he, but seated once in ambush, deems Time tedious till the bloody fight begin;) Even there, thy courage should no blame incur.[8] 350 For should’st thou, toiling in the fight, by spear Or falchion bleed, not on thy neck behind Would fall the weapon, or thy back annoy, But it would meet thy bowels or thy chest While thou didst rush into the clamorous van. 355 But haste—we may not longer loiter here As children prating, lest some sharp rebuke Reward us. Enter quick, and from within My tent provide thee with a noble spear.
Then, swift as Mars, Meriones produced 360
A brazen spear of those within the tent Reserved, and kindling with heroic fire Follow’d Idomeneus. As gory Mars By Terror follow’d, his own dauntless son Who quells the boldest heart, to battle moves; 365 From Thrace against the Ephyri they arm, Or hardy Phlegyans, and by both invoked, Hear and grant victory to which they please; Such, bright in arms Meriones, and such Idomeneus advanced, when foremost thus 370 Meriones his fellow-chief bespake.
Son of Deucalion! where inclinest thou most
To enter into battle? On the right Of all the host? or through the central ranks? Or on the left? for nowhere I account 375 The Greeks so destitute of force as there.
Then answer thus Idomeneus return’d
Chief of the Cretans. Others stand to guard The middle fleet; there either Ajax wars, And Teucer, noblest archer of the Greeks, 380 Nor less in stationary fight approved. Bent as he is on battle, they will task And urge to proof sufficiently the force Of Priameian Hector; burn his rage How fierce soever, he shall find it hard, 385 With all his thirst of victory, to quell Their firm resistance, and to fire the fleet, Let not Saturnian Jove cast down from heaven Himself a flaming brand into the ships. High towering Telamonian Ajax yields 390 To no mere mortal by the common gift Sustain’d of Ceres, and whose flesh the spear Can penetrate, or rocky fragment bruise;
