The Æneids of Virgil, Done into English Verse. Virgil

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СКАЧАТЬ Thy cheerful face? what mean these hurts thou showest to mine eyes?'

      Nought: nor my questions void and vain one moment turned his speech;

       Who from the inmost of his heart a heavy groan did reach:

       'O Goddess-born, flee forth,' he said, 'and snatch thee from the fire!

       The foeman hath the walls, and Troy is down from topmost spire.290

       For Priam and for country now enough. If any hand

       Might have kept Pergamos, held up by mine it yet should stand.

       Her holy things and household gods Troy gives in charge to thee;

       Take these as fellows of thy fate: go forth the walls to see,

       The great walls thou shalt build, when thou the sea hast wandered o'er.'

      He spake, and from the inner shrine forth in his hands he bore

       Great Vesta, and the holy bands, and fire that never dies.

      Meanwhile the city's turmoiled woe was wrought in diverse wise,

       And though my father's house aback apart from all was set,

       And hedged about with many trees, clearer and clearer yet300

       The sounds grew on us, ever swelled the weapons' dread and din.

       I shake off sleep and forthwithal climb up aloft and win

       To topmost roof: with ears pricked up I stand to hearken all.

       As when before the furious South the driven flame doth fall

       Among the corn: or like as when the hill-flood rolls in haste

       To waste the fields and acres glad, the oxen's toil to waste,

       Tearing the headlong woods along, while high upon a stone

       The unready shepherd stands amazed, and hears the sound come on.

      Then was their faith made manifest, then Danaan guile lay bare;

       Deïphobus' wide house e'en now, o'ertopped by Vulcan's flare,

       Shows forth its fall; Ucalegon's is burning by its side:310

       The narrow seas Sigæum guards gleam litten far and wide.

       The shout of men ariseth now, and blaring of the horn,

       And mad, I catch my weapons up though idly they be borne;

       But burned my heart to gather folk for battle, and set forth

       Upon the burg in fellowship; for fury and great wrath

       Thrust on my heart: to die in arms, it seemed a good reward.

      But lo, now Panthus newly slipped from 'neath the Achean sword,

       Panthus the son of Othrys, priest of Phœbus' house on high;

       His holy things and vanquished Gods, his little lad thereby320

       He drags, and as a madman runs, to gain our doorway set.

       'Panthus, how fares it at the worst? what stronghold keep we yet?'

       Scarce had I said, when from his mouth a groan and answer fares:

      'Troy's latest day has come on us, a tide no struggling wears:

       Time was, the Trojans were; time was, and Ilium stood; time was,

       And glory of the Teucrian folk! Jove biddeth all to pass

       To Argos now: in Troy afire the Danaans now are lords;

       The horse high set amidst the town pours forth a flood of swords,

       And Sinon, of the victors now, the flame is driving home

       High mocking: by the open gates another sort is come,330

       As many thousands as ere flocked from great Mycenæ yet:

       Others with weapons ready dight the narrow ways beset,

       And ban all passage; point and edge are glittering drawn and bare

       Ready for death: and scarcely now the first few gatewards dare

       The battle, and blind game of Mars a little while debate.'

      Spurred by such speech of Othrys' son, and force of godhead great,

       Mid fire and steel I follow on as grim Erinnys shows,

       Where call the cries, where calls the shout that ever heavenward goes,

       Rhipeus therewith, and Epytus the mighty under shield,

       Dymas and Hypanis withal their fellowship now yield;340

       Met by the moon they join my side with young Corœbus; he

       The son of Mygdon, at that tide in Troy-town chanced to be;

       Drawn thither by Cassandra's love that burned within his heart.

       So he to Priam service gave, and helped the Phrygian part:

       Unhappy! that the warning word of his God-maddened love

       He might not hearken on that day.

       Now when I see them gathered so to dare the battle's pain,

       Thus I begin:

       'O fellows fair, O hardy hearts in vain!

       If now ye long to follow me who dares the utterance

       And certain end, ye see indeed what wise our matters chance.350

       The Gods, who in the other days our lordship mighty made,

       Are gone from altar and from shrine: a town of flames ye aid.

       Fall on a very midst the fire and die in press of war!

       One hope there is for vanquished men, to cherish hope no more.'

      Therewith the fury of their minds I feed, and thence away,

       As ravening wolves by night and cloud their bellies' lust obey,

       That bitter-sharp is driving on, the while their whelps at home

       Dry-jawed await them, so by steel, by crowd of foes we come

       Into the very death; we hold the city's midmost street,

       Black night-tide's wings with hollow shade about our goings meet.360

      O ruin and death of that ill night, what tongue may set it forth!

       Or who may pay the debt of tears that agony was worth!

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