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460 Rushing on Pallas, whom he
thus reproach’d.
Wasp! front of impudence, and past all bounds
Audacious! Why impellest thou the Gods To fight? Thy own proud spirit is the cause. Remember’st not, how, urged by thee, the son 465 Of Tydeus, Diomede, myself assail’d, When thou, the radiant spear with thy own hand Guiding, didst rend my body? Now, I ween, The hour is come in which I shall exact Vengeance for all thy malice shown to me. 470
So saying, her shield he smote tassell’d around
Terrific, proof against the bolts of Jove; That shield gore-tainted Mars with fury smote. But she, retiring, with strong grasp upheaved A rugged stone, black, ponderous, from the plain, 475 A land-mark fixt by men of ancient times, Which hurling at the neck of stormy Mars She smote him. Down he fell. Seven acres, stretch’d, He overspread, his ringlets in the dust Polluted lay, and dreadful rang his arms. 480 The Goddess laugh’d, and thus in accents wing’d With exultation, as he lay, exclaim’d.
Fool! Art thou still to learn how far my force
Surpasses thine, and darest thou cope with me? Now feel the furies of thy mother’s ire 485 Who hates thee for thy treachery to the Greeks, And for thy succor given to faithless Troy.
She said, and turn’d from Mars her glorious eyes.
But him deep-groaning and his torpid powers Recovering slow, Venus conducted thence 490 Daughter of Jove, whom soon as Juno mark’d, In accents wing’d to Pallas thus she spake.
Daughter invincible of glorious Jove!
Haste—follow her—Ah shameless! how she leads Gore-tainted Mars through all the host of heaven. 495
So she, whom Pallas with delight obey’d;
To Venus swift she flew, and on the breast With such force smote her that of sense bereft The fainting Goddess fell. There Venus lay And Mars extended on the fruitful glebe, 500 And Pallas thus in accents wing’d exclaim’d.
I would that all who on the part of Troy
Oppose in fight Achaia’s valiant sons, Were firm and bold as Venus in defence Of Mars, for whom she dared my power defy! 505 So had dissension (Ilium overthrown And desolated) ceased long since in heaven.
So Pallas, and approving Juno smiled.
Then the imperial Shaker of the shores Thus to Apollo. Phoebus! wherefore stand 510 We thus aloof? Since others have begun, Begin we also; shame it were to both Should we, no combat waged, ascend again Olympus and the brass-built hall of Jove. Begin, for thou art younger; me, whose years 515 Alike and knowledge thine surpass so far, It suits not. Oh stupidity! how gross Art thou and senseless! Are no traces left In thy remembrance of our numerous wrongs Sustain’d at Ilium, when, of all the Gods
Wasp! front of impudence, and past all bounds
Audacious! Why impellest thou the Gods To fight? Thy own proud spirit is the cause. Remember’st not, how, urged by thee, the son 465 Of Tydeus, Diomede, myself assail’d, When thou, the radiant spear with thy own hand Guiding, didst rend my body? Now, I ween, The hour is come in which I shall exact Vengeance for all thy malice shown to me. 470
So saying, her shield he smote tassell’d around
Terrific, proof against the bolts of Jove; That shield gore-tainted Mars with fury smote. But she, retiring, with strong grasp upheaved A rugged stone, black, ponderous, from the plain, 475 A land-mark fixt by men of ancient times, Which hurling at the neck of stormy Mars She smote him. Down he fell. Seven acres, stretch’d, He overspread, his ringlets in the dust Polluted lay, and dreadful rang his arms. 480 The Goddess laugh’d, and thus in accents wing’d With exultation, as he lay, exclaim’d.
Fool! Art thou still to learn how far my force
Surpasses thine, and darest thou cope with me? Now feel the furies of thy mother’s ire 485 Who hates thee for thy treachery to the Greeks, And for thy succor given to faithless Troy.
She said, and turn’d from Mars her glorious eyes.
But him deep-groaning and his torpid powers Recovering slow, Venus conducted thence 490 Daughter of Jove, whom soon as Juno mark’d, In accents wing’d to Pallas thus she spake.
Daughter invincible of glorious Jove!
Haste—follow her—Ah shameless! how she leads Gore-tainted Mars through all the host of heaven. 495
So she, whom Pallas with delight obey’d;
To Venus swift she flew, and on the breast With such force smote her that of sense bereft The fainting Goddess fell. There Venus lay And Mars extended on the fruitful glebe, 500 And Pallas thus in accents wing’d exclaim’d.
I would that all who on the part of Troy
Oppose in fight Achaia’s valiant sons, Were firm and bold as Venus in defence Of Mars, for whom she dared my power defy! 505 So had dissension (Ilium overthrown And desolated) ceased long since in heaven.
So Pallas, and approving Juno smiled.
Then the imperial Shaker of the shores Thus to Apollo. Phoebus! wherefore stand 510 We thus aloof? Since others have begun, Begin we also; shame it were to both Should we, no combat waged, ascend again Olympus and the brass-built hall of Jove. Begin, for thou art younger; me, whose years 515 Alike and knowledge thine surpass so far, It suits not. Oh stupidity! how gross Art thou and senseless! Are no traces left In thy remembrance of our numerous wrongs Sustain’d at Ilium, when, of all the Gods
