The Epigoniad A Poem. In Nine Books. By William Wilkie, The Second Edition, Carefully Corrected and Improved. To which is Added, A Dream. In the Manner of Spenser. [by William Winkie] |
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| I. |
| II. | BOOK II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
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 | The Epigoniad |  |
21
BOOK II.
Assembl'd on the plain, the Theban pow'rs
In order'd ranks appear before the tow'rs;
Creon their leader, whose superior sway,
The martial sons of sacred Thebes obey.
The chiefs obedient to his high command,
Rul'd the whole war, and marshal'd every band.
His valiant son the first, his country's boast,
Her noblest hope, the bulwark of her host,
Leophron, to the field the warriors led,
Whom Thebes herself within her ramparts bred:
Peneleus, who from Medeon led his pow'rs,
Œchalia low, and Arne's lofty tow'rs:
Leitus from Thespia, where the verdant shades
Of Helicon invite the tuneful maids:
Porthenor rich, whose wide possessions lay
Where fam'd Æsopus winds his wat'ry way;
Beneath Cytheron's height, the lofty mound
Which parts Bœotian plains from hostile ground:
Phericles, who the valiant warriors led
In Mycalessus, Harma, Aulis, bred:
Andremon, leader of his native band,
From lofty Schœnus on th' Ismenian strand:
And Anthedon where swift Euripus pent
Divides Eubœa from the continent:
These rul'd the Theban pow'rs beneath the care
Of Creon, chief and sov'reign of the war.
In order'd ranks appear before the tow'rs;
Creon their leader, whose superior sway,
The martial sons of sacred Thebes obey.
The chiefs obedient to his high command,
Rul'd the whole war, and marshal'd every band.
His valiant son the first, his country's boast,
Her noblest hope, the bulwark of her host,
Leophron, to the field the warriors led,
Whom Thebes herself within her ramparts bred:
Peneleus, who from Medeon led his pow'rs,
Œchalia low, and Arne's lofty tow'rs:
Leitus from Thespia, where the verdant shades
Of Helicon invite the tuneful maids:
Porthenor rich, whose wide possessions lay
Where fam'd Æsopus winds his wat'ry way;
Beneath Cytheron's height, the lofty mound
Which parts Bœotian plains from hostile ground:
Phericles, who the valiant warriors led
In Mycalessus, Harma, Aulis, bred:
22
From lofty Schœnus on th' Ismenian strand:
And Anthedon where swift Euripus pent
Divides Eubœa from the continent:
These rul'd the Theban pow'rs beneath the care
Of Creon, chief and sov'reign of the war.
The aids from Macedon the next were plac'd;
Their shining casques with waving plumage grac'd;
A wolf's grey hide, around their shoulders flung,
With martial grace above their armour hung:
From high Dodona's sacred shades they came;
Cassander led them to the fields of fame.
The Thracians next, a formidable band;
Nations and tribes distinct, in order stand:
Byzantines fierce, whose crooked keels divide
The Pontic gulf, and stem the downward tide:
In Grecian arms the hardy warriors move,
With pond'rous shields and glitt'ring spears above.
The Thynians next were marshal'd on the field;
Each with a faulcion arm'd and lunar shield,
Whose bending horns a verge of silver bound;
And figures fierce their brazen helmets crown'd:
With these the Daci came, a martial race;
Fierce as their clime, they rear the pond'rous mace;
In giant strength secure, they scorn the spear,
And crush, with weighty blows, the ranks of war;
From Ister's icy streams, a barb'rous crowd,
In shaggy furs, a herd promiscuous stood;
Swift as their savage game; for wide they roam
In tribes and nations, ignorant of home;
Excelling all who boast superior skill
To send the winged arrow swift to kill:
These Rhœsus rul'd, of various tribes compos'd,
By various leaders on the field dispos'd.
Their shining casques with waving plumage grac'd;
A wolf's grey hide, around their shoulders flung,
With martial grace above their armour hung:
From high Dodona's sacred shades they came;
Cassander led them to the fields of fame.
The Thracians next, a formidable band;
Nations and tribes distinct, in order stand:
Byzantines fierce, whose crooked keels divide
The Pontic gulf, and stem the downward tide:
In Grecian arms the hardy warriors move,
With pond'rous shields and glitt'ring spears above.
The Thynians next were marshal'd on the field;
Each with a faulcion arm'd and lunar shield,
Whose bending horns a verge of silver bound;
And figures fierce their brazen helmets crown'd:
With these the Daci came, a martial race;
Fierce as their clime, they rear the pond'rous mace;
In giant strength secure, they scorn the spear,
And crush, with weighty blows, the ranks of war;
From Ister's icy streams, a barb'rous crowd,
In shaggy furs, a herd promiscuous stood;
23
In tribes and nations, ignorant of home;
Excelling all who boast superior skill
To send the winged arrow swift to kill:
These Rhœsus rul'd, of various tribes compos'd,
By various leaders on the field dispos'd.
To fight the Argives mov'd in close array;
Bright shone their arms and flash'd redoubl'd day;
Resolv'd, and still as silent night, they go;
Nor with insulting shouts provoke the foe.
Thick from their steps, in dusky volumes, rise
The parched fields, and darken all the skies.
Beneath the shade, the ardent warriors close;
Their shields and helmets ring with sounding blows.
Bright shone their arms and flash'd redoubl'd day;
Resolv'd, and still as silent night, they go;
Nor with insulting shouts provoke the foe.
Thick from their steps, in dusky volumes, rise
The parched fields, and darken all the skies.
Beneath the shade, the ardent warriors close;
Their shields and helmets ring with sounding blows.
First Menelaus struck a Theban lord;
His armed breast the weighty launce explor'd;
Burst the close mail; the shining breast-plate tore;
And, from life's fountain drew a stream of gore.
Supine he fell amidst his native bands,
And wrench'd the fixed dart with dying hands.
To spoil the slain the son of Atreus flies;
The Thebans interpose with hostile cries;
And Creon's valiant son his buckler spread,
An orb of triple brass to guard the dead:
As Jove's imperial bird her wings extends,
And from the shepherds rage her young defends;
So stern Leophron bore his ample shield;
Like Mars, he stood the terror of the field.
With dread unusual check'd, the Spartan band
Recoil'd; Atrides only dar'd to stand.
He thus began. Presumptuous youth! forbear
To tempt the fury of my flying spear.
That warrior there was by my javelin slain,
His spoils to guard you interpose in vain.
Atrides thus; and Creon's son replies:
Thy launce I dread not, and thy threats despise.
This hand hath many a chief of high renown,
And braver warriors oft in fight o'erthrown:
Like theirs thy fall shall dignify my spear,
And future boasters thence be taught to fear.
Thus as he spoke his weighty launce he threw
At Atreus's son; which rising as it flew
Upon the hero's crest with furious sway,
Glanc'd as it pass'd and shav'd the plumes away.
Hissing amidst the Spartan ranks it came,
And struck a youth of undistinguish'd name:
Cold, thro' his breast, the steel and polish'd wood
A passage forc'd, and drew a stream of blood.
His armed breast the weighty launce explor'd;
Burst the close mail; the shining breast-plate tore;
And, from life's fountain drew a stream of gore.
Supine he fell amidst his native bands,
And wrench'd the fixed dart with dying hands.
To spoil the slain the son of Atreus flies;
The Thebans interpose with hostile cries;
And Creon's valiant son his buckler spread,
An orb of triple brass to guard the dead:
As Jove's imperial bird her wings extends,
And from the shepherds rage her young defends;
So stern Leophron bore his ample shield;
Like Mars, he stood the terror of the field.
With dread unusual check'd, the Spartan band
Recoil'd; Atrides only dar'd to stand.
24
To tempt the fury of my flying spear.
That warrior there was by my javelin slain,
His spoils to guard you interpose in vain.
Atrides thus; and Creon's son replies:
Thy launce I dread not, and thy threats despise.
This hand hath many a chief of high renown,
And braver warriors oft in fight o'erthrown:
Like theirs thy fall shall dignify my spear,
And future boasters thence be taught to fear.
Thus as he spoke his weighty launce he threw
At Atreus's son; which rising as it flew
Upon the hero's crest with furious sway,
Glanc'd as it pass'd and shav'd the plumes away.
Hissing amidst the Spartan ranks it came,
And struck a youth of undistinguish'd name:
Cold, thro' his breast, the steel and polish'd wood
A passage forc'd, and drew a stream of blood.
His launce Atrides next prepares to throw;
Poises it long, and meditates the blow:
Then, from his hand dismiss'd with happier aim,
Thund'ring against the Theban shield it came;
Where wreath'd around a mimic serpent twin'd,
With plates of polish'd silver lightly join'd:
Thence turn'd with course oblique it drove along,
And spent its fury on the vulgar throng.
Leophron straight his flaming faulcion drew,
And at his foe, with eager fury, flew:
As stooping from above, an eagle springs
To snatch his prey, and shoots upon his wings.
The Spartan warrior dreads impending fate;
And, turning, meditates a quick retreat.
As when a shepherd swain, in desert shades,
The blood-nurs'd offspring of the wolf invades;
If, from the opening of some thicket near,
With rage inflam'd, the angry dam appear,
With darts at first, and threat'ning shouts he tries,
To awe the guardian, and assert the prize:
But, when she springs, the close encounter dreads,
And, trembling, from the angry foe recedes.
So Menelaus fled. His native train,
In wild disorder, scatters o'er the plain.
Poises it long, and meditates the blow:
Then, from his hand dismiss'd with happier aim,
Thund'ring against the Theban shield it came;
Where wreath'd around a mimic serpent twin'd,
With plates of polish'd silver lightly join'd:
Thence turn'd with course oblique it drove along,
And spent its fury on the vulgar throng.
Leophron straight his flaming faulcion drew,
And at his foe, with eager fury, flew:
As stooping from above, an eagle springs
To snatch his prey, and shoots upon his wings.
25
And, turning, meditates a quick retreat.
As when a shepherd swain, in desert shades,
The blood-nurs'd offspring of the wolf invades;
If, from the opening of some thicket near,
With rage inflam'd, the angry dam appear,
With darts at first, and threat'ning shouts he tries,
To awe the guardian, and assert the prize:
But, when she springs, the close encounter dreads,
And, trembling, from the angry foe recedes.
So Menelaus fled. His native train,
In wild disorder, scatters o'er the plain.
His valiant brother heard upon the right,
Where in his lofty car he rul'd the fight;
And to his squire Nicomachus: With speed,
Turn to the left, and urge the flying steed:
For, if these sounds deceive not, Sparta fails;
And, with a tide of conquest, Thebes prevails.
Quick as the word, the silver reins he drew,
And thro' the fight the bounding chariot flew.
Like some swift vessel, when a prosp'rous gale
Favours her course, and stretches ev'ry sail;
Above the parting waves she lightly flies,
And smooth behind a tract of ocean lies:
So, 'midst the combat, rush'd the lofty car;
Pierc'd the thick tumult, and disjoin'd the war.
But Clytodemon's son a jav'lin threw;
With force impell'd, it lighten'd as it flew,
And struck the right-hand courser to the ground,
Ethon, for swiftness in the race renown'd.
Behind his ear the deadly weapon stood,
Loos'd his high neck, and drew a stream of blood.
Groaning he sunk; and spread his flowing mane,
A shining circle, on the dusty plain.
Intangled deep the royal chariot stood,
With hostile spears beset, an iron wood.
Where in his lofty car he rul'd the fight;
And to his squire Nicomachus: With speed,
Turn to the left, and urge the flying steed:
For, if these sounds deceive not, Sparta fails;
And, with a tide of conquest, Thebes prevails.
Quick as the word, the silver reins he drew,
And thro' the fight the bounding chariot flew.
Like some swift vessel, when a prosp'rous gale
Favours her course, and stretches ev'ry sail;
Above the parting waves she lightly flies,
And smooth behind a tract of ocean lies:
So, 'midst the combat, rush'd the lofty car;
Pierc'd the thick tumult, and disjoin'd the war.
But Clytodemon's son a jav'lin threw;
With force impell'd, it lighten'd as it flew,
And struck the right-hand courser to the ground,
Ethon, for swiftness in the race renown'd.
26
Loos'd his high neck, and drew a stream of blood.
Groaning he sunk; and spread his flowing mane,
A shining circle, on the dusty plain.
Intangled deep the royal chariot stood,
With hostile spears beset, an iron wood.
From his high seat the Spartan hero sprung
Amid the foe; his clanging armour rung.
Before the king, the armed bands retire;
As shepherd swains avoid a lion's ire,
When fierce from famine on their darts he turns,
And rage indignant in his eye-balls burns.
Amid the fight, distinguish'd like the star
Of ev'ning, shone his silver arms afar;
Which, o'er the hills, its setting light displays;
And marks the ruddy west with silver rays.
Pale and amaz'd his brother chief he found,
An armed circle of his friends around.
Alas, my brother! have I liv'd to see
Thy life redeem'd with deathless infamy!
(The hero cry'd) far better that a ghost
You now had wander'd on the Stygian coast,
And by a glorious fall preserv'd your name
Safe and unblasted by the breath of fame;
Which soon shall tell the world, amaz'd to hear,
That Menelaus taught the host to fear.
Amid the foe; his clanging armour rung.
Before the king, the armed bands retire;
As shepherd swains avoid a lion's ire,
When fierce from famine on their darts he turns,
And rage indignant in his eye-balls burns.
Amid the fight, distinguish'd like the star
Of ev'ning, shone his silver arms afar;
Which, o'er the hills, its setting light displays;
And marks the ruddy west with silver rays.
Pale and amaz'd his brother chief he found,
An armed circle of his friends around.
Alas, my brother! have I liv'd to see
Thy life redeem'd with deathless infamy!
(The hero cry'd) far better that a ghost
You now had wander'd on the Stygian coast,
And by a glorious fall preserv'd your name
Safe and unblasted by the breath of fame;
Which soon shall tell the world, amaz'd to hear,
That Menelaus taught the host to fear.
By conscious guilt subdu'd the youth appear'd;
Without reply, the just reproach he heard:
Confounded, to the ground he turn'd his eyes;
Indignant thus the great Atrides cries:
Mycæneans! Spartans! taught to seek renown
From dangers greatly brav'd and battles won;
Ah warriors! will ye fly, when close behind
Dishonour follows swifter than the wind?
Return to glory: whether Jove ordains,
With wreaths of conquest, to reward your pains,
Or dooms your fall; he merits equal praise,
With him who conquers, he who bravely dies.
The hero thus; and, like swift light'ning driv'n
Thro' scatter'd clouds along the vault of heav'n
By Jove's dread arm, his martial voice inspir'd
The fainting host, and ev'ry bosom fir'd.
Again upon the conqu'ring foe they turn'd:
The war again, in all its fury, burn'd.
As when the deep, which ebbing from the land
Along the coast displays a waste of sand,
Returns; and, hlown by angry tempests, roars
A stormy deluge 'gainst the rocky shores:
So, rushing to the fight, the warriors came;
Ardent to conquer, and retrieve their fame.
Without reply, the just reproach he heard:
Confounded, to the ground he turn'd his eyes;
Indignant thus the great Atrides cries:
27
From dangers greatly brav'd and battles won;
Ah warriors! will ye fly, when close behind
Dishonour follows swifter than the wind?
Return to glory: whether Jove ordains,
With wreaths of conquest, to reward your pains,
Or dooms your fall; he merits equal praise,
With him who conquers, he who bravely dies.
The hero thus; and, like swift light'ning driv'n
Thro' scatter'd clouds along the vault of heav'n
By Jove's dread arm, his martial voice inspir'd
The fainting host, and ev'ry bosom fir'd.
Again upon the conqu'ring foe they turn'd:
The war again, in all its fury, burn'd.
As when the deep, which ebbing from the land
Along the coast displays a waste of sand,
Returns; and, hlown by angry tempests, roars
A stormy deluge 'gainst the rocky shores:
So, rushing to the fight, the warriors came;
Ardent to conquer, and retrieve their fame.
Before his host the son of Creon stood,
With labour'd dust obscure, and hostile blood;
He thus exclaim'd: And shall this dastard train
(Warriors of Thebes!) dispute the field again?
Their better chief, I know him, leads the band;
But fate shall soon subdue him by my hand.
He said; and, at the king, his jav'lin threw;
Which, aim'd amiss, with erring fury flew.
Across the armed ranks it swiftly drove,
The warriors stooping as it rush'd above.
The Spartan hero aim'd his weighty spear;
And thus to Jove address'd an ardent prayer:
Hear me, great Sire of gods! whose boundless sway
The fates of men and mortal things obey;
Whose sov'reign hand, with unresisted might,
Depresses or exalts the scales of fight:
Now grant success to my avenging hand,
And stretch this dire destroyer on the sand.
Jove, grant me now to reach his hated life,
And save my warriors in this doubtful strife.
The hero thus; and sent his weighty spear.
With speed it flew, and pierc'd the yielding air;
Swift, as a faulcon to her quarry springs,
When down the wind she stretches on her wings.
Leophron, stooping, shun'd the deadly stroke,
Which on the shield of Hegisander broke.
Vain now his lute; in vain his melting strains,
Soft as Apollo's on the Lycian plains:
His soul excluded, seeks the dark abodes
By Styx embrac'd, the terror of the Gods;
Where surly Charon, with his lifted oar,
Drives the light ghosts, and rules the dreary shore.
With labour'd dust obscure, and hostile blood;
He thus exclaim'd: And shall this dastard train
(Warriors of Thebes!) dispute the field again?
Their better chief, I know him, leads the band;
But fate shall soon subdue him by my hand.
He said; and, at the king, his jav'lin threw;
Which, aim'd amiss, with erring fury flew.
28
The warriors stooping as it rush'd above.
The Spartan hero aim'd his weighty spear;
And thus to Jove address'd an ardent prayer:
Hear me, great Sire of gods! whose boundless sway
The fates of men and mortal things obey;
Whose sov'reign hand, with unresisted might,
Depresses or exalts the scales of fight:
Now grant success to my avenging hand,
And stretch this dire destroyer on the sand.
Jove, grant me now to reach his hated life,
And save my warriors in this doubtful strife.
The hero thus; and sent his weighty spear.
With speed it flew, and pierc'd the yielding air;
Swift, as a faulcon to her quarry springs,
When down the wind she stretches on her wings.
Leophron, stooping, shun'd the deadly stroke,
Which on the shield of Hegisander broke.
Vain now his lute; in vain his melting strains,
Soft as Apollo's on the Lycian plains:
His soul excluded, seeks the dark abodes
By Styx embrac'd, the terror of the Gods;
Where surly Charon, with his lifted oar,
Drives the light ghosts, and rules the dreary shore.
With grief Leophron saw the warrior slain.
He snatch'd a pond'rous mace from off the plain,
Cut in the Thracian woods, with snags around
Of pointed steel with iron circles bound.
Heav'd with gigantic force the club to throw,
He swung it thrice, and hurl'd it at his foe.
Thund'ring upon his armed head it fell;
The brazen helmet rang with stunning knell.
As when a rock by forceful engines thrown,
Where hostile arms invest a frontier town,
Threat'ning destruction, rolls along the skies;
And war itself stands wond'ring as it flies:
Falls on some turret's top, the structure bends
Beneath the tempest, and at once descends
With hideous crash; thus, stooping to the ground,
Atrides sunk; his silver arms resound.
But Pallas, mixing in the dire debate,
A life to rescue yet not due to fate,
Had o'er his head her cloudy buckler held;
And half the fury of the blow repell'd.
The son of Creon rush'd to seize his prize,
The hero's spoils; and thus exulting cries:
Warriors of Thebes! your labours soon shall cease,
And final victory restore your peace;
For great Atrides, by my valour slain,
A lifeless corse, lies stretch'd upon the plain.
Only be men! and make the Argive bands
Dread in succeeding times your mighty hands;
That foes no more, when mad ambition calls,
With dire alarms may shake your peaceful walls.
Exulting thus, the hero rush'd along;
And kindled, with his shouts, the vulgar throng.
Resolv'd and firm the Spartan warriors stand
Around their king, a formidable band.
Their spears, protended thick, the foe restrain'd;
Their bucklers join'd, the weighty war sustain'd.
But as a mountain wolf, from famine bold,
On prey intent, surveys the midnight fold;
Where, in the shelter of some arching rock,
At ev'n the careful shepherd pens his flock;
On spoil and ravage bent, he stalks around,
And meditates to spring the lofty mound:
Impatient thus the Theban chief survey'd
The close-compacted ranks on ev'ry side;
To find where least the serred orb could bear
The strong impression of a pointed war.
Him Menelaus saw, with anguish stung;
And, from amidst his armed warriors, sprung
With wrath inflam'd; as starting from a brake,
Against some trav'ller, darts a crested snake.
His rage in vain the Theban ranks withstand;
The bravest warriors sink beneath his hand.
Clytander, Iphitus, Palemon, fam'd
For chariots rul'd and fiery coursers tam'd;
And Iphialtes, like the God of light,
Whose pointed arrows thinn'd the lines of fight:
These the first transports of his fury feel.
Against Leophron now he lifts his steel,
And speeds to vengeance; but, in full career,
He stood arrested by a vulgar spear.
Fix'd in his thigh the barbed weapon hung,
Relax'd the muscles, and the nerves unstrung.
The Spartan warriors to his succour flew;
Against the darts their ample shields they threw,
Which storm'd around; and, from the rage of war,
Convey'd the wounded hero to his car.
He snatch'd a pond'rous mace from off the plain,
Cut in the Thracian woods, with snags around
Of pointed steel with iron circles bound.
29
He swung it thrice, and hurl'd it at his foe.
Thund'ring upon his armed head it fell;
The brazen helmet rang with stunning knell.
As when a rock by forceful engines thrown,
Where hostile arms invest a frontier town,
Threat'ning destruction, rolls along the skies;
And war itself stands wond'ring as it flies:
Falls on some turret's top, the structure bends
Beneath the tempest, and at once descends
With hideous crash; thus, stooping to the ground,
Atrides sunk; his silver arms resound.
But Pallas, mixing in the dire debate,
A life to rescue yet not due to fate,
Had o'er his head her cloudy buckler held;
And half the fury of the blow repell'd.
The son of Creon rush'd to seize his prize,
The hero's spoils; and thus exulting cries:
Warriors of Thebes! your labours soon shall cease,
And final victory restore your peace;
For great Atrides, by my valour slain,
A lifeless corse, lies stretch'd upon the plain.
Only be men! and make the Argive bands
Dread in succeeding times your mighty hands;
That foes no more, when mad ambition calls,
With dire alarms may shake your peaceful walls.
Exulting thus, the hero rush'd along;
And kindled, with his shouts, the vulgar throng.
Resolv'd and firm the Spartan warriors stand
Around their king, a formidable band.
30
Their bucklers join'd, the weighty war sustain'd.
But as a mountain wolf, from famine bold,
On prey intent, surveys the midnight fold;
Where, in the shelter of some arching rock,
At ev'n the careful shepherd pens his flock;
On spoil and ravage bent, he stalks around,
And meditates to spring the lofty mound:
Impatient thus the Theban chief survey'd
The close-compacted ranks on ev'ry side;
To find where least the serred orb could bear
The strong impression of a pointed war.
Him Menelaus saw, with anguish stung;
And, from amidst his armed warriors, sprung
With wrath inflam'd; as starting from a brake,
Against some trav'ller, darts a crested snake.
His rage in vain the Theban ranks withstand;
The bravest warriors sink beneath his hand.
Clytander, Iphitus, Palemon, fam'd
For chariots rul'd and fiery coursers tam'd;
And Iphialtes, like the God of light,
Whose pointed arrows thinn'd the lines of fight:
These the first transports of his fury feel.
Against Leophron now he lifts his steel,
And speeds to vengeance; but, in full career,
He stood arrested by a vulgar spear.
Fix'd in his thigh the barbed weapon hung,
Relax'd the muscles, and the nerves unstrung.
The Spartan warriors to his succour flew;
Against the darts their ample shields they threw,
31
Convey'd the wounded hero to his car.
With fierce impatience Creon's son beheld
The Spartan warriors still dispute the field.
Before their leader fall'n the heroes stood;
Their spears erected, like the sacred wood
Which round some altar rises on the plain,
The mystic rites to hide from eyes profane.
Thither his native bands the hero turn'd;
Drawn to a wedge, again the combat burn'd.
Thro' all the air a storm of jav'lins sung;
With sounding blows each hollow buckler rung.
First Enopæus felt a deadly wound,
Who in Amycle till'd the fruitful ground;
To great Andremon's spear he yields his breath,
And starts and quivers in the grasp of death.
Next Hegesippus press'd th' insanguin'd plain;
Leophron's jav'lin mix'd him with the slain.
On Malea's cliffs he fed his fleecy store,
Along the windings of the craggy shore.
He vow'd to Phœbus, for a safe return,
An hundred victims on his hearth to burn.
In vain! the God, in justice, had decreed,
His gifts contemn'd, the offerer to bleed:
For violence augmented still his store;
And, unreliev'd, the stranger left his door.
Prone on the bloody ground the warrior fell;
His soul indignant sought the shades of hell.
The Spartan warriors still dispute the field.
Before their leader fall'n the heroes stood;
Their spears erected, like the sacred wood
Which round some altar rises on the plain,
The mystic rites to hide from eyes profane.
Thither his native bands the hero turn'd;
Drawn to a wedge, again the combat burn'd.
Thro' all the air a storm of jav'lins sung;
With sounding blows each hollow buckler rung.
First Enopæus felt a deadly wound,
Who in Amycle till'd the fruitful ground;
To great Andremon's spear he yields his breath,
And starts and quivers in the grasp of death.
Next Hegesippus press'd th' insanguin'd plain;
Leophron's jav'lin mix'd him with the slain.
On Malea's cliffs he fed his fleecy store,
Along the windings of the craggy shore.
He vow'd to Phœbus, for a safe return,
An hundred victims on his hearth to burn.
In vain! the God, in justice, had decreed,
His gifts contemn'd, the offerer to bleed:
For violence augmented still his store;
And, unreliev'd, the stranger left his door.
Prone on the bloody ground the warrior fell;
His soul indignant sought the shades of hell.
32
Next Arcas, Cleon, valiant Chromius, dy'd;
With Dares, to the Spartan chiefs ally'd.
And Phœmius, whom the Gods in early youth
Had form'd for virtue and the love of truth;
His gen'rous soul to noble deeds they turn'd,
And love to mankind in his bosom burn'd:
Cold thro' his throat the hissing weapon glides,
And on his neck the waving locks divides.
His fate the Graces mourn'd. The Gods above,
Who sit around the starry throne of Jove,
On high Olympus bending from the skies,
His fate beheld with sorrow-streaming eyes.
Pallas alone, unalter'd and serene,
With secret triumph saw the mournful scene:
Not hard of heart; for none of all the pow'rs,
In earth or ocean, or th' Olympian tow'rs,
Holds equal sympathy with human grief,
Or with a freer hand bestows relief;
But conscious that a mind by virtue steel'd,
To no impression of distress will yield;
That, still unconquer'd, in its awful hour
O'er death it triumphs with immortal pow'r.
With Dares, to the Spartan chiefs ally'd.
And Phœmius, whom the Gods in early youth
Had form'd for virtue and the love of truth;
His gen'rous soul to noble deeds they turn'd,
And love to mankind in his bosom burn'd:
Cold thro' his throat the hissing weapon glides,
And on his neck the waving locks divides.
His fate the Graces mourn'd. The Gods above,
Who sit around the starry throne of Jove,
On high Olympus bending from the skies,
His fate beheld with sorrow-streaming eyes.
Pallas alone, unalter'd and serene,
With secret triumph saw the mournful scene:
Not hard of heart; for none of all the pow'rs,
In earth or ocean, or th' Olympian tow'rs,
Holds equal sympathy with human grief,
Or with a freer hand bestows relief;
But conscious that a mind by virtue steel'd,
To no impression of distress will yield;
That, still unconquer'd, in its awful hour
O'er death it triumphs with immortal pow'r.
Now Thebes prevailing, Sparta's host retreats;
As falls some rampart where the ocean beats:
Unable to resist its stormy way,
Mounds heap'd on mounds, and bars of rock give way;
With inundation wide the deluge reigns,
Drowns the deep valleys, and o'erspreads the plains.
Thus o'er the field, by great Leophron led,
Their foes repuls'd, the Theban squadrons spread.
The hero, stooping where Atrides lay,
Rent from his head the golden casque away;
His mail unlock'd; and loos'd the golden chains,
The zone which by his side the sword sustains.
The monarch now amid the vulgar dead,
For wheels to crush and armed hoofs to tread,
Defenceless lay. But stern Leophron's hate
Retriev'd him, thus expos'd, from certain fate.
In semblance dead, he purpos'd to convey
The body naked to some public way;
Where dogs obscene, and all the rav'nous race,
With wounds unsightly, might his limbs disgrace.
Straight he commands; and to a neighb'ring grove,
His warriors, charg'd, the Spartan chief remove.
On their broad shields they bore him from the plain,
To sense a corse, and number'd with the slain.
His fixed eyes in hov'ring shades were drown'd;
His mighty limbs in death-like fetters bound.
The shouts tumultuous and the din of war,
His ear receiv'd like murmurs heard afar;
Or as some peasant hears, securely laid
Beneath a vaulted cliff or woodland shade,
When o'er his head unnumber'd insects sing
In airy rounds, the children of the spring.
As falls some rampart where the ocean beats:
Unable to resist its stormy way,
Mounds heap'd on mounds, and bars of rock give way;
With inundation wide the deluge reigns,
Drowns the deep valleys, and o'erspreads the plains.
33
Their foes repuls'd, the Theban squadrons spread.
The hero, stooping where Atrides lay,
Rent from his head the golden casque away;
His mail unlock'd; and loos'd the golden chains,
The zone which by his side the sword sustains.
The monarch now amid the vulgar dead,
For wheels to crush and armed hoofs to tread,
Defenceless lay. But stern Leophron's hate
Retriev'd him, thus expos'd, from certain fate.
In semblance dead, he purpos'd to convey
The body naked to some public way;
Where dogs obscene, and all the rav'nous race,
With wounds unsightly, might his limbs disgrace.
Straight he commands; and to a neighb'ring grove,
His warriors, charg'd, the Spartan chief remove.
On their broad shields they bore him from the plain,
To sense a corse, and number'd with the slain.
His fixed eyes in hov'ring shades were drown'd;
His mighty limbs in death-like fetters bound.
The shouts tumultuous and the din of war,
His ear receiv'd like murmurs heard afar;
Or as some peasant hears, securely laid
Beneath a vaulted cliff or woodland shade,
When o'er his head unnumber'd insects sing
In airy rounds, the children of the spring.
Adrastus' valiant son, with grief, beheld
The Spartans to inglorious flight compell'd;
Their valiant chief resign'd to hostile hands,
He thus aloud address'd the scatt'ring bands:
What shame, ye warriors! if ye thus expose
Your leader to the injuries of foes!
Tho' all should quit him, honor bids you bring
His reliques back, or perish with your king.
Leophron sure injuriously ordains,
With insults, to deface his dear remains;
Spurn'd by the feet of men, expos'd and bare,
For dogs obscene and rav'nous birds to share.
Exclaiming thus, thro' all the field he flew;
And call'd the host the conflict to renew.
They stop, they charge; again the combat burns:
They bleed, they conquer, and retreat by turns.
Hegialus excites the dire debate;
And, by example, leads the work of fate:
For now he sees Atrides borne afar,
By hostile hands, beyond the lines of war.
With indignation fierce his bosom glows;
He rushes fearless 'midst a host of foes;
And now had merited a deathless name,
And with a deed immortal crown'd his fame,
Atrides sav'd; but fate's supreme command
That honor destin'd for a mightier hand.
The Spartans to inglorious flight compell'd;
34
He thus aloud address'd the scatt'ring bands:
What shame, ye warriors! if ye thus expose
Your leader to the injuries of foes!
Tho' all should quit him, honor bids you bring
His reliques back, or perish with your king.
Leophron sure injuriously ordains,
With insults, to deface his dear remains;
Spurn'd by the feet of men, expos'd and bare,
For dogs obscene and rav'nous birds to share.
Exclaiming thus, thro' all the field he flew;
And call'd the host the conflict to renew.
They stop, they charge; again the combat burns:
They bleed, they conquer, and retreat by turns.
Hegialus excites the dire debate;
And, by example, leads the work of fate:
For now he sees Atrides borne afar,
By hostile hands, beyond the lines of war.
With indignation fierce his bosom glows;
He rushes fearless 'midst a host of foes;
And now had merited a deathless name,
And with a deed immortal crown'd his fame,
Atrides sav'd; but fate's supreme command
That honor destin'd for a mightier hand.
Leophron vex'd, that twice constrain'd to yield,
The Spartan warriors re-assum'd the field,
His pow'rs address'd: For ever lost our fame,
Dishonour foul will blot the Theban name;
If dastard foes, twice routed and pursu'd,
Shall brave the victors, still with rage renew'd.
Your glory gain'd with vigor now maintain;
Nor let us conquer thus and bleed in vain.
He said, and 'gainst the Argive hero turn'd;
With martial wrath his ardent bosom burn'd;
Who, fearless and undaunted, dar'd to wait;
Nor by ignoble flight declin'd his fate.
For, at the Theban chief, his launce he threw,
Which, aim'd amiss, with erring fury flew:
Beyond the hostile ranks the weapon drove;
The warriors stooping as it rush'd above.
Not so the Theban spear; with happier aim,
Full to the center of the shield, it came;
And, rising swiftly from the polish'd round,
His throat transfix'd, and bent him to the ground.
To spoil the slain the ardent victor flew:
The Spartan bands the bloody shock renew;
Fierce to the charge with tenfold rage return,
And all at once with thirst of vengeance burn.
O'er all the field the raging tumult grows;
And ev'ry helmet rings with sounding blows:
But most around the Argive hero dead;
There toil the mightiest, there the bravest bleed.
As when outrageous winds the ocean sweep,
And from the bottom stir the hoary deep;
O'er all the wat'ry plain the tempest raves,
Mixing in conflict loud the angry waves:
But where some pointed cliff the surface hides,
Whose top unseen provokes the angry tides,
With tenfold fury there the billows fly,
And mount in smoak and thunder to the sky.
The Spartan warriors re-assum'd the field,
His pow'rs address'd: For ever lost our fame,
Dishonour foul will blot the Theban name;
35
Shall brave the victors, still with rage renew'd.
Your glory gain'd with vigor now maintain;
Nor let us conquer thus and bleed in vain.
He said, and 'gainst the Argive hero turn'd;
With martial wrath his ardent bosom burn'd;
Who, fearless and undaunted, dar'd to wait;
Nor by ignoble flight declin'd his fate.
For, at the Theban chief, his launce he threw,
Which, aim'd amiss, with erring fury flew:
Beyond the hostile ranks the weapon drove;
The warriors stooping as it rush'd above.
Not so the Theban spear; with happier aim,
Full to the center of the shield, it came;
And, rising swiftly from the polish'd round,
His throat transfix'd, and bent him to the ground.
To spoil the slain the ardent victor flew:
The Spartan bands the bloody shock renew;
Fierce to the charge with tenfold rage return,
And all at once with thirst of vengeance burn.
O'er all the field the raging tumult grows;
And ev'ry helmet rings with sounding blows:
But most around the Argive hero dead;
There toil the mightiest, there the bravest bleed.
As when outrageous winds the ocean sweep,
And from the bottom stir the hoary deep;
O'er all the wat'ry plain the tempest raves,
Mixing in conflict loud the angry waves:
But where some pointed cliff the surface hides,
Whose top unseen provokes the angry tides,
36
And mount in smoak and thunder to the sky.
Adrastus, by unactive age restrain'd,
Behind the army on a mount remain'd;
Under an oak the hoary warrior sat,
And look'd and listen'd to the dire debate.
Now, tam'd by age, his coursers stood unbound;
His useless arms lay scatter'd on the ground;
Two aged heralds there the chief obey'd;
The squire attending by his master stay'd.
And thus the king: What sounds invade mine ear?
My friends! what sad disaster must we hear?
Some hero's fall; for with the shouts, I know
Loud lamentation mixt, and sounds of woe.
So were we told, when mighty Tydeus fell,
And Polynices trod the path to hell;
So rag'd the combat o'er the heroes slain,
And such the din and tumult of the plain.
He said; and list'ning (what he greatly fear'd)
Hegialus's name at last he heard
Mix'd with the noise; and, sick'ning at the sound,
By grief subdu'd, fell prostrate on the ground.
But rage succeeding and despair, he rose
Eager to rush amid the thickest foes.
His spear he grasp'd, impatient for the fight;
And pond'rous shield, unequal to the weight.
Him frantic thus his wise attendants held;
And to retire with prudent care compell'd.
Impatient of his state, by quick returns,
With grief he melts, with indignation burns.
And thus at last: Stern ruler of the sky!
Whose sport is man, and human misery;
What deed of mine has stirr'd thy boundless rage,
And call'd for vengeance on my helpless age?
Have I, by sacrilege, your treasures drain'd;
Your altars slighted, or your rites profan'd?
Did I forget my holy vows to pay?
Or bid you witness, and my faith betray?
Has lawless rapine e'er increas'd my store,
Or unreliev'd the stranger left my door?
If not; in justice, can your stern decree
With wrath pursue my guiltless race and me?
Here valiant Tydeus, Polynices fell;
In one sad hour they trod the path to hell:
For them my daughters mourn, their sorrows flow
Still fresh, and all their days are spent in woe.
Hegialus remain'd my hopes to raise;
The only comfort of my joyless days:
In whom I saw my vigorous youth return,
And all our native virtues brighter burn.
He's now no more; and to the nether skies,
Banish'd by fate, a bloodless spectre flies.
For what, ye Gods! has unrelenting fate
Curs'd my misfortunes with so long a date?
That thus I live to see our antient race
At once extinguish'd, and for ever cease!
Gods! grant me now, the only boon I crave,
For all my sorrows past, a peaceful grave:
Now let me perish, that my fleeting ghost
May reach my son in Pluto's shady coast;
Where, join'd for ever, kindred souls enjoy
An union fix'd, which nothing can destroy.
He said; and sinking prostrate on the ground,
His furrow'd cheeks with floods of sorrow drown'd;
And, furious in the rage of grief, o'erspread
With dust the reverend honors of his head.
Behind the army on a mount remain'd;
Under an oak the hoary warrior sat,
And look'd and listen'd to the dire debate.
Now, tam'd by age, his coursers stood unbound;
His useless arms lay scatter'd on the ground;
Two aged heralds there the chief obey'd;
The squire attending by his master stay'd.
And thus the king: What sounds invade mine ear?
My friends! what sad disaster must we hear?
Some hero's fall; for with the shouts, I know
Loud lamentation mixt, and sounds of woe.
So were we told, when mighty Tydeus fell,
And Polynices trod the path to hell;
So rag'd the combat o'er the heroes slain,
And such the din and tumult of the plain.
He said; and list'ning (what he greatly fear'd)
Hegialus's name at last he heard
Mix'd with the noise; and, sick'ning at the sound,
By grief subdu'd, fell prostrate on the ground.
But rage succeeding and despair, he rose
Eager to rush amid the thickest foes.
His spear he grasp'd, impatient for the fight;
And pond'rous shield, unequal to the weight.
Him frantic thus his wise attendants held;
And to retire with prudent care compell'd.
37
With grief he melts, with indignation burns.
And thus at last: Stern ruler of the sky!
Whose sport is man, and human misery;
What deed of mine has stirr'd thy boundless rage,
And call'd for vengeance on my helpless age?
Have I, by sacrilege, your treasures drain'd;
Your altars slighted, or your rites profan'd?
Did I forget my holy vows to pay?
Or bid you witness, and my faith betray?
Has lawless rapine e'er increas'd my store,
Or unreliev'd the stranger left my door?
If not; in justice, can your stern decree
With wrath pursue my guiltless race and me?
Here valiant Tydeus, Polynices fell;
In one sad hour they trod the path to hell:
For them my daughters mourn, their sorrows flow
Still fresh, and all their days are spent in woe.
Hegialus remain'd my hopes to raise;
The only comfort of my joyless days:
In whom I saw my vigorous youth return,
And all our native virtues brighter burn.
He's now no more; and to the nether skies,
Banish'd by fate, a bloodless spectre flies.
For what, ye Gods! has unrelenting fate
Curs'd my misfortunes with so long a date?
That thus I live to see our antient race
At once extinguish'd, and for ever cease!
Gods! grant me now, the only boon I crave,
For all my sorrows past, a peaceful grave:
38
May reach my son in Pluto's shady coast;
Where, join'd for ever, kindred souls enjoy
An union fix'd, which nothing can destroy.
He said; and sinking prostrate on the ground,
His furrow'd cheeks with floods of sorrow drown'd;
And, furious in the rage of grief, o'erspread
With dust the reverend honors of his head.
| The Epigoniad | |