I call for two brave warriors arm’d to prove
Each other’s skill with weapons keen, this prize
Disputing, next, in presence of us all.1000
Who first shall through his armor reach the skin
Of his antagonist, and shall draw his blood,
To him this silver-studded falchion bright
I give; the blade is Thracian, and of late
Asteropæus wore it, whom I slew.1005
These other arms shall be their common meed,
And I will banquet both within my tent.
He said, then Telamonian Ajax huge
Arose, and opposite the son arose
Of warlike Tydeus, Diomede the brave.1010
Apart from all the people each put on
His arms, then moved into the middle space,
Lowering terrific, and on fire to fight.
The host look’d on amazed. Approaching each
The other, thrice they sprang to the assault,1015
And thrice struck hand to hand. Ajax the shield
Pierced of his adversary, but the flesh
Attain’d not, baffled by his mail within.
Then Tydeus’ son, sheer o’er the ample disk
Of Ajax, thrust a lance home to his neck,1020
And the Achaians for the life appall’d
Of Ajax, bade them, ceasing, share the prize.
But the huge falchion with its sheath and belt—
Achilles them on Diomede bestow’d.
The hero, next, an iron clod produced1025
Rough from the forge, and wont to task the might
Of King Eëtion; but, when him he slew,
Pelides, glorious chief, with other spoils
From Thebes convey’d it in his fleet to Troy.
He stood erect, and to the Greeks he cried.1030
Come forth who also shall this prize dispute!
How far soe’er remote the winner’s fields,
This lump shall serve his wants five circling years;
His shepherd shall not, or his plower, need
In quest of iron seek the distant town,1035
But hence he shall himself their wants supply.[25]
Then Polypœtes brave in fight arose,
Arose Leonteus also, godlike chief,
With Ajax son of Telamon. Each took
His station, and Epeüs seized the clod.1040
He swung, he cast it, and the Grecians laugh’d.
Leonteus, branch of Mars, quoited it next.
Huge Telamonian Ajax with strong arm
Dismiss’d it third, and overpitch’d them both.
But when brave Polypœtes seized the mass1045
Far as the vigorous herdsman flings his staff
That twirling flies his numerous beeves between,[26]
So far his cast outmeasured all beside,
And the host shouted. Then the friends arose
Of Polypœtes valiant chief, and bore1050
His ponderous acquisition to the ships.
The archers’ prize Achilles next proposed,
Ten double and ten single axes, form’d
Of steel convertible to arrow-points.
He fix’d, far distant on the sands, the mast1055
Of a brave bark cerulean-prow’d, to which
With small cord fasten’d by the foot he tied
A timorous dove, their mark at which to aim.
[27]Who strikes the dove, he conquers, and shall bear
These double axes all into his tent.1060
But who the cord alone, missing the bird,
Successful less, he wins the single blades.
The might of royal Teucer then arose,
And, fellow-warrior of the King of Crete,
Valiant Meriones. A brazen casque1065
Received the lots; they shook them, and the lot
Fell first to Teucer. He, at once, a shaft
Sent smartly forth, but vow’d not to the King[28]
A hecatomb, all firstlings of the flock.
He therefore (for Apollo greater praise1070
Denied him) miss’d the dove, but struck the cord
That tied her, at small distance from the knot,
And with his arrow sever’d it. Upsprang
The bird into the air, and to the ground
Depending fell the cord. Shouts rent the skies.1075
Then, all in haste, Meriones the bow
Caught from his hand holding a shaft the while
Already aim’d, and to Apollo vow’d
A hecatomb, all firstlings of the flock.
He eyed the dove aloft, under a cloud,1080
And, while she wheel’d around, struck her beneath
The pinion; through her and beyond her pass’d
The arrow, and, returning, pierced the soil
Fast by the foot of brave Meriones.
She, perching on the mast again, her head1085
Reclined, and hung her wide-unfolded wing,
But, soon expiring, dropp’d and fell remote.
Amazement seized the people. To his tent
Meriones the ten best axes bore,
And Teucer the inferior ten to his.[29]1090
Then, last, Achilles in the circus placed
A ponderous spear and caldron yet unfired,
Emboss’d with flowers around, its worth an ox.
Upstood the spear-expert; Atrides first,
Wide-ruling Agamemnon, King of men,1095
And next, brave fellow-warrior of the King
Of Crete, Meriones; when thus his speech
Achilles to the royal chief address’d.
Atrides! (for we know thy skill and force
Matchless! that none can hurl the spear as thou)1100
This prize is thine, order it to thy ship;
And if it please thee, as I would it might,
Let brave Meriones the spear receive.
He said; nor Agamemnon not complied,
But to Meriones the brazen spear
Presenting, to Talthybius gave in charge
The caldron, next, his own illustrious prize.