Page:Homer - Iliad, translation Pope, 1909.djvu/375

BOOK XXI

THE ARGUMENT

THE BATTLE IN THE RIVER SCAMANDER

The Troians fly before Achilles, some towards the town, others to the river Scamander; he falls upon the latter with great slaughter, takes twelve captives alive, to sacrifice to the shade of Patroclus; and kills Lycaon and Asteropaeus. Scamander attacks him with all his waves; Neptune and Pallas assist the hero; Simois joins Scamander; at length Vulcan, by the instigation of Juno, almost dries up the river. This combat ended, the other gods engage each other. Meanwhile Achilles continues the slaughter, and drives the rest into Troy: Agenor only makes a stand, and is conveyed away in a cloud by Apollo: who (to delude Achilles) takes upon him Agenpr's snape, and while he pursues him in that disguise, gives the Trojans an opportunity of retiring into their city.

The same day continues. The scene is on the banks and in the stream of Scamander.

And now to Xanthus' gliding stream they drove,
Xanthus, immortal progeny of Jove.
The river here divides the flying train:
Part to the town fly diverse o'er the plain,
Where late their troops triumphant bore the fight,
Now chased and trembling in ignoble flight:
These with a gathered mist Saturnia shrouds,
And rolls behind the rout a heap of clouds:
Part plunge into the stream: old Xanthus roars;
The flashing billows beat the whitened shores:
With cries promiscuous all the banks resound,
And here and there, in eddies whirling round,
The flouncing steeds and shrieking warriors drowned,
As the scorched locusts from their fields retire,
While fast behind them runs the blaze of fire;
Driven from the land before the smoky cloud,
The clustering legions rush into the flood:
So plunged in Xanthus by Achilles' force,
Roars the resounding surge with men and horse.
His bloody lance the hero casts aside,
Which spreading tamarisks on the margin hide,
Then, like a god, the rapid billows braves,
Armed with his sword, high brandished o'er the waves;
Now down he plunges, now he whirls it round,
Deep groan the waters with the dying sound;

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