Euryalus, by mighty love of glory smitten home,
Stood all amazed, then answered thus his fiery-hearted friend:
"O Nisus, wilt thou yoke me not to such a noble end?
And shall I send thee unto deeds so perilous alone?
My sire Opheltes, wise in war, nourished no such an one,200
Reared mid the terror of the Greeks and Troy-town's miseries;
Nor yet with thee have I been wont to deedless deeds like these,
Following Æneas' mighty heart through Fortune's furthest way.
Here is a soul that scorns the light, and deems it good to pay
With very life for such a fame as thou art brought anear."
Saith Nisus: "Nay, I feared of thee no such a thing, I swear,
No such ill thought; so may he bring thy friend back with the prize,
Great Jove, or whosoe'er beholds these things with equal eyes.
But if some hap (thou seest herein how many such may fall),
If any hap, if any God bear me the end of all,210
Fain were I thou wert left: thine age is worthier life-day's gain;
Let there be one to buy me back snatched from amidst the slain,
And give me earth: or if e'en that our wonted fortune ban,
Do thou the rites, and raise the tomb unto the missing man;
Nor make me of thy mother's woe the fashioner accurst:
She who, O friend, alone of all our many mothers durst
To follow thee, nor heeded aught of great Acestes' town."
He said: "For weaving of delay vain is thy shuttle thrown;
Nor is my heart so turned about that I will leave the play:
Let us be doing!"
Therewithal he stirs the guards, and they220
Come up in turn, wherewith he leaves the warding-stead behind,
And goes with Nisus, and the twain set forth the prince to find.
All other creatures, laid asleep o'er all the earthly soil,
Let slip the cares from off their hearts, forgetful of their toil,
But still the dukes of Trojan men and chosen folk of war
Held counsel of that heavy tide that on the kingdom bore,
What was to do, or who would go Æneas' messenger.
There shield on arm, and leaned upon the length of shafted spear,
They stand amid their stronghold's mead: in eager haste the twain,
Nisus and young Euryalus, the presence crave to gain,230
For matters great and worth the time: straight doth Iulus take
Those hurried men to him, and bids that Nisus speech should wake.
Then saith the son of Hyrtacus: "Just-hearted, hearken now,
Folk of Æneas, neither look upon the things we show
As by our years. The Rutuli slackened by wine and sleep
Lie hushed, and we have seen whereby upon our way to creep,
E'en by the double-roaded gate that near the sea-strand lies:
Their fires are slaked, and black the smoke goes upward to the skies.
If ye will suffer us to use this fortune that doth fall
We will go seek Æneas now and Pallanteum's wall:240
Ye shall behold him and his spoils from mighty victory wrought
Come hither presently: the way shall fail our feet in nought,
For we have seen the city's skirts amid the valleys dim
In daily hunt, whereby we learned the river's uplong brim."
Then spake Aletes weighty-wise, heart-ripe with plenteous eld:
"Gods of our fathers, under whom the weal of Troy is held,
Ye have not doomed all utterly the Teucrian folk undone,
When ye for us such souls of youth, such hardy hearts have won."
So saying by shoulder and by hand he took the goodly twain,
While all his countenance and cheeks were wet with plenteous rain,250
"What gifts may I deem worthy, men, to pay such hearts athirst
For utmost glory? certainly the fairest and the first
The Gods and your own hearts shall grant: the rest your lord shall give,
Godly Æneas; and this man with all his life to live,
Ascanius here, no memory of such desert shall lack."
"But I," Ascanius breaketh in, "whose father brought aback
Is all my heal—Nisus, I pray by those great Gods of mine,
By him of old, Assaracus, by hoary Vesta's shrine,
Bring back my father! whatsoe'er is left with me today
Of Fate or Faith, into your breasts I give it all away.260
O give me back the sight of him, and grief is all gone by.
Two cups of utter silver wrought and rough with imagery
I give you, which my father took from wracked Arisbe's hold;
Two tripods eke, two talents' weight of fire-beproven gold;
A beaker of the time agone, Sidonian Dido's gift.
But if we hap to win the day and spoil of battle shift,
If we lay hand on Italy and staff of kingship bear,—
Ye saw the horse that bore today gold Turnus and his gear,
That very same, the shield withal, and helm-crest ruddy dyed,
Thy gifts, O Nisus, from the spoil henceforth I set aside.270
Moreover of the mother-folk twice six most excellent
My sire shall give, and captive men with all their armament,
And therewithal the kingly field, Latinus' garden-place.
But thou, O boy most worshipful, whom nigher in the race
Mine own years follow, thee I take unto mine inmost heart,
Embracing thee my very friend in all to have a part;
Nor any glory of my days without thee shall I seek,
Whether I fashion peace or war; all that I do or speak
I trust to thee."
In answer thus Euryalus 'gan say:
"No day henceforth of all my life shall prove me fallen away280
From this my deed: only may fate in kindly wise befall,
Nor stand against me: now one gift I ask thee over all:
I have a mother born on earth from Priam's ancient race,
Who wretched in the land of Troy had no abiding-place,
Nor in Acesta's steadfast wall; with me she still must wend:
Her, who knows nought of this my risk, whatever may be the end
Unto thy safeguard do I leave: Night and thy right hand there
Be witness that my mother's tears I had no heart to bear.
But solace thou her lack, I pray; comfort her desert need;
Yea let me bear this hope with me, and boldlier shall I speed290
Amid all haps."
Touched to the heart the Dardans might not keep
Their tears aback, and chief of all did fair Iulus weep,
The image of his father's love so flashed upon his soul:
And therewithal he spake the word:
"All things I duly answer for worthy thy deed of fame;
Thy mother shall my mother be, nor lack but e'en the name
To be Creusa: store of thanks no little hath she won
That bore thee. Whatsoever hap thy valorous deed bear on,
By this my head, whereon my sire is wont the troth to plight,
Whatever I promised thee come back, with all things wrought aright,300
Thy mother and thy kin shall bide that very same reward."
So spake he, weeping, and did off his shoulder-girded sword
All golden, that with wondrous craft Lycaon out of Crete
Had fashioned, fitting it withal in ivory scabbard meet.
And Mnestheus unto Nisus gives a stripped-off lion's hide
And shaggy coat; and helm for helm giveth Aletes tried.
Then forth they wend in weed of war, and they of first estate,
Young men and old, went forth with them, and leave them at the gate
With following vows; and therewithal Iulus, goodly-wrought,
Who far beyond his tender years had mind of manly thought,310
Charged them with many messages unto his father's ear,—
Vain words the night-winds bore away and gave the clouds to bear.