Why stand’st thou here, Æneas! thy own band
Left at such distance? Is it that thine heart
Glows with ambition to contend with me
In hope of Priam’s honors, and to fill
His throne hereafter in Troy steed-renown’d?230
But shouldst thou slay me, not for that exploit
Would Priam such large recompense bestow,
For he hath sons, and hath, beside, a mind
And disposition not so lightly changed.
Or have the Trojans of their richest soil235
For vineyard apt or plow assign’d thee part
If thou shalt slay me? Difficult, I hope,
At least, thou shalt experience that emprize.
For, as I think, I have already chased
Thee with my spear. Forgettest thou the day240
When, finding thee alone, I drove thee down
Headlong from Ida, and, thy cattle left
Afar, thou didst not dare in all thy flight
Turn once, till at Lyrnessus safe arrived,
Which city by Jove’s aid and by the aid245
Of Pallas I destroy’d, and captive led
Their women? Thee, indeed, the Gods preserved
But they shall not preserve thee, as thou dream’st
Now also. Back into thy host again;
Hence, I command thee, nor oppose in fight250
My force, lest evil find thee. To be taught
By suffering only is the part of fools.
To whom Æneas answer thus return’d.
Pelides! hope not, as I were a boy,
With words to scare me. I have also taunts255
At my command, and could be sharp as thou.
By such reports as from the lips of men
We oft have heard, each other’s birth we know
And parents; but my parents to behold
Was ne’er thy lot, nor have I thine beheld.260
Thee men proclaim from noble Peleus sprung
And Thetis, bright hair’d Goddess of the Deep;
I boast myself of lovely Venus born
To brave Anchises; and his son this day
In battle slain thy sire shall mourn, or mine;265
For I expect not that we shall depart
Like children, satisfied with words alone.
But if it please thee more at large to learn
My lineage (thousands can attest it true)
Know this. Jove, Sovereign of the storms, begat270
Dardanus, and ere yet the sacred walls
Of Ilium rose, the glory of this plain,
He built Dardania; for at Ida’s foot
Dwelt our progenitors in ancient days.
Dardanus was the father of a son,275
King Ericthonius, wealthiest of mankind.
Three thousand mares of his the marish grazed,
Each suckling with delight her tender foal.
Boreas, enamor’d of no few of these,
The pasture sought, and cover’d them in form280
Of a steed azure-maned. They, pregnant thence,
Twelve foals produced, and all so light of foot,
That when they wanton’d in the fruitful field
They swept, and snapp’d it not, the golden ear;
And when they wanton’d on the boundless deep,285
They skimm’d the green wave’s frothy ridge, secure.
From Ericthonius sprang Tros, King of Troy,
And Tros was father of three famous sons,
Ilus, Assaracus, and Ganymede
Loveliest of human kind, whom for his charms290
The Gods caught up to heaven, there to abide
With the immortals, cup-bearer of Jove.
Ilus begat Laomedon, and he
Five sons, Tithonus, Priam, Clytius,
Lampus, and Hicetaon, branch of Mars.295
Assaracus a son begat, by name
Capys, and Capys in due time his son
Warlike Anchises, and Anchises me.
But Priam is the noble Hector’s sire.[6]
Such is my lineage, and such blood I boast;300
But valor is from Jove; he, as he wills,
Increases or reduces it in man,
For he is lord of all. Therefore enough—
Too long like children we have stood, the time
Consuming here, while battle roars around.305
Reproach is cheap. Easily might we cast
Gibes at each other, till a ship that asks
A hundred oars should sink beneath the load.
The tongue of man is voluble, hath words
For every theme, nor wants wide field and long,310
And as he speaks so shall he hear again.
But we—why should we wrangle, and with taunts
Assail each other, as the practice is
Of women, who with heart-devouring strife
On fire, start forth into the public way315
To mock each other, uttering, as may chance,
Much truth, much falsehood, as their anger bids?
The ardor of my courage will not slack
For all thy speeches; we must combat first;
Now, therefore, without more delay, begin,320
That we may taste each other’s force in arms.[7]
So spake Æneas, and his brazen lance
Hurl’d with full force against the dreadful shield.
Loud roar’d its ample concave at the blow.
Not unalarm’d, Pelides his broad disk325
Thrust farther from him, deeming that the force
Of such an arm should pierce his guard with ease.
Vain fear! he recollected not that arms
Glorious as his, gifts of the immortal Gods,
Yield not so quickly to the force of man.330
The stormy spear by brave Æneas sent,
No passage found; the golden plate divine
Repress’d its vehemence; two folds it pierced,
But three were still behind, for with five folds
Vulcan had fortified it; two were brass;335
The two interior, tin; the midmost, gold;
And at the golden one the weapon stood.[8]
Achilles next, hurl’d his long shadow’d spear,
And struck Æneas on the utmost verge
Of his broad shield, where thinnest lay the brass,340
And thinnest the ox-hide. The Pelian ash
Started right through the buckler, and it rang.
Æneas crouch’d terrified, and his shield
Thrust farther from him; but the rapid beam
Bursting both borders of the ample disk,345
Glanced o’er his back, and plunged into the soil.
He ’scaped it, and he stood; but, as he stood,
With horror infinite the weapon saw
Planted so near him. Then, Achilles drew
His falchion keen, and with a deafening shout350
Sprang on him; but Æneas seized a stone
Heavy and huge, a weight to overcharge
Two men (such men as are accounted strong
Now) but he wielded it with ease, alone.
Then had Æneas, as Achilles came355
Impetuous on, smitten, although in vain,
His helmet or his shield, and Peleus’ son
Had with his falchion him stretch’d at his feet,
But that the God of Ocean quick perceived
His peril, and the Immortals thus bespake.360
I pity brave Æneas, who shall soon,
Slain by Achilles, see the realms below,
By smooth suggestions of Apollo lured
To danger, such as he can ne’er avert.
But wherefore should the Chief, guiltless himself,365
Die for the fault of others? at no time
His gifts have fail’d, grateful to all in heaven.
Come, therefore, and let us from death ourselves
Rescue him, lest if by Achilles’ arm
This hero perish, Jove himself be wroth;370
For he is destined to survive, lest all
The house of Dardanus (whom Jove beyond
All others loved, his sons of woman born)
Fail with Æneas, and be found no more.
Saturnian Jove hath hated now long time375
The family of Priam, and henceforth
Æneas and his son, and his sons’ sons,
Shall sway the sceptre o’er the race of Troy.
To whom, majestic thus the spouse of Jove.
Neptune! deliberate thyself, and choose380
Whether to save Æneas, or to leave
The hero victim of Achilles’ ire.
For Pallas and myself ofttimes have sworn
In full assembly of the Gods, to aid
Troy never, never to avert the day385
Of her distress, not even when the flames
Kindled by the heroic sons of Greece,
Shall climb with fury to her topmost towers.
She spake; then Neptune, instant, through the throng
Of battle flying, and the clash of spears,390
Came where Achilles and Æneas fought.
At once with shadows dim he blurr’d the sight
Of Peleus’ son, and from the shield, himself,
Of brave Æneas the bright-pointed ash
Retracting, placed it at Achilles’ feet.395
Then, lifting high Æneas from the ground,
He heaved him far remote; o’er many a rank
Of heroes and of bounding steeds he flew,
Launch’d into air from the expanded palm
Of Neptune, and alighted in the rear400
Of all the battle where the Caucons stood.
Neptune approach’d him there, and at his side
Standing, in accents wing’d, him thus bespake.
What God, Æneas! tempted thee to cope
Thus inconsiderately with the son405
Of Peleus, both more excellent in fight
Than thou, and more the favorite of the skies?
From him retire hereafter, or expect
A premature descent into the shades.
But when Achilles shall have once fulfill’d410
His destiny, in battle slain, then fight
Fearless, for thou canst fall by none beside.
So saying, he left the well-admonish’d Chief,
And from Achilles’ eyes scatter’d the gloom
Shed o’er them by himself. The hero saw415
Clearly, and with his noble heart incensed
By disappointment, thus conferring, said.
Gods! I behold a prodigy. My spear
Lies at my foot, and he at whom I cast
The weapon with such deadly force, is gone!420
Æneas therefore, as it seems, himself
Interests the immortal Gods, although
I deem’d his boast of their protection vain.
I reck not. Let him go. So gladly ’scaped
From slaughter now, he shall not soon again425
Feel an ambition to contend with me.
Now will I rouse the Danaï, and prove
The force in fight of many a Trojan more.
He said, and sprang to battle with loud voice,
Calling the Grecians after him.—Ye sons430
Of the Achaians! stand not now aloof,
My noble friends! but foot to foot let each
Fall on courageous, and desire the fight.
The task were difficult for me alone,
Brave as I boast myself, to chase a foe435
So numerous, and to combat with them all.
Not Mars himself, immortal though he be,
Nor Pallas, could with all the ranks contend
Of this vast multitude, and drive the whole.
With hands, with feet, with spirit and with might,440
All that I can I will; right through I go,
And not a Trojan who shall chance within
Spear’s reach of me, shall, as I judge, rejoice.