第 22 节
作者:
恐龙王 更新:2022-07-12 16:21 字数:9322
of the poison came upon him; and the Trojans carried him into their city;
where the physicians tended him all night。 But he never slept; and lay
tossing in agony till dawn; when he said: 〃There is but one hope。 Take
me to OEnone; the nymph of Mount Ida!〃
〃Then his friends laid Paris on a litter; and bore him up the steep path
to Mount Ida。 Often had he climbed it swiftly; when he was young; and
went to see the nymph who loved him; but for many a day he had not trod
the path where he was now carried in great pain and fear; for the poison
turned his blood to fire。 Little hope he had; for he knew how cruelly he
had deserted OEnone; and he saw that all the birds which were disturbed
in the wood flew away to the left hand; an omen of evil。
At last the bearers reached the cave where the nymph OEnone lived;
and they smelled the sweet fragrance of the cedar fire that burned on the
floor of the cave; and they heard the nymph singing a melancholy song。
Then Paris called to her in the voice which she had once loved to hear; and
she grew very pale; and rose up; saying to herself; 〃The day has come for
which I have prayed。 He is sore hurt; and has come to bid me heal his
wound。〃 So she came and stood in the doorway of the dark cave; white
against the darkness; and the bearers laid Paris on the litter at the feet of
OEnone; and he stretched forth his hands to touch her knees; as was the
manner of suppliants。 But she drew back and gathered her robe about her;
that he might not touch it with his hands。
Then he said: 〃Lady; despise me not; and hate me not; for my pain is
more than I can bear。 Truly it was by no will of mine that I left you
lonely here; for the Fates that no man may escape led me to Helen。
Would that I had died in your arms before I saw her face! But now I
beseech you in the name of the Gods; and for the memory of our love; that
you will have pity on me and heal my hurt; and not refuse your grace and
let me die here at your feet。〃
Then OEnone answered scornfully: 〃Why have you come here to me?
Surely for years you have not come this way; where the path was once
worn with your feet。 But long ago you left me lonely and lamenting; for
the love of Helen of the fair hands。 Surely she is much more beautiful
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than the love of your youth; and far more able to help you; for men say
that she can never know old age and death。 Go home to Helen and let her
take away your pain。〃
Thus OEnone spoke; and went within the cave; where she threw
herself down among the ashes of the hearth and sobbed for anger and
sorrow。 In a little while she rose and went to the door of the cave;
thinking that Paris had not been borne away back to Troy; but she found
him not; for his bearers had carried him by another path; till he died
beneath the boughs of the oak trees。 Then his bearers carried him swiftly
down to Troy; where his mother bewailed him; and Helen sang over him
as she had sung over Hector; remembering many things; and fearing to
think of what her own end might be。 But the Trojans hastily built a great
pile of dry wood; and thereon laid the body of Paris and set fire to it; and
the flame went up through the darkness; for now night had fallen。
But OEnone was roaming in the dark woods; crying and calling after
Paris; like a lioness whose cubs the hunters have carried away。 The moon
rose to give her light; and the flame of the funeral fire shone against the
sky; and then OEnone knew that Paris had died beautiful Parisand that
the Trojans were burning his body on the plain at the foot of Mount Ida。
Then she cried that now Paris was all her own; and that Helen had no more
hold on him: 〃And though when he was living he left me; in death we
shall not be divided;〃 she said; and she sped down the hill; and through the
thickets where the wood nymphs were wailing for Paris; and she reached
the plain; and; covering her head with her veil like a bride; she rushed
through the throng of Trojans。 She leaped upon the burning pile of wood;
she clasped the body of Paris in her arms; and the flame of fire consumed
the bridegroom and the bride; and their ashes mingled。 No man could
divide them any more; and the ashes were placed in a golden cup; within a
chamber of stone; and the earth was mounded above them。 On that grave
the wood nymphs planted two rose trees; and their branches met and
plaited together。
This was the end of Paris and OEnone。
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HOW ULYSSES INVENTED THE
DEVICE OF THE HORSE OF TREE
After Paris died; Helen was not given back to Menelaus。 We are
often told that only fear of the anger of Paris had prevented the Trojans
from surrendering Helen and making peace。 Now Paris could not terrify
them; yet for all that the men of the town would not part with Helen;
whether because she was so beautiful; or because they thought it
dishonourable to yield her to the Greeks; who might put her to a cruel
death。 So Helen was taken by Deiphobus; the brother of Paris; to live in
his own house; and Deiphobus was at this time the best warrior and the
chief captain of the men of Troy。
Meanwhile; the Greeks made an assault against the Trojan walls and
fought long and hardily; but; being safe behind the battlements; and
shooting through loopholes; the Trojans drove them back with loss of
many of their men。 It was in vain that Philoctetes shot his poisoned
arrows; they fell back from the stone walls; or stuck in the palisades of
wood above the walls; and the Greeks who tried to climb over were
speared; or crushed with heavy stones。 When night fell; they retreated to
the ships and held a council; and; as usual; they asked the advice of the
prophet Calchas。 It was the business of Calchas to go about looking at
birds; and taking omens from what he saw them doing; a way of
prophesying which the Romans also used; and some savages do the same
to this day。 Calchas said that yesterday he had seen a hawk pursuing a
dove; which hid herself in a hole in a rocky cliff。 For a long while the
hawk tried to find the hole; and follow the dove into it; but he could not
reach her。 So he flew away for a short distance and hid himself; then the
dove fluttered out into the sunlight; and the hawk swooped on her and
killed her。
The Greeks; said Calchas; ought to learn a lesson from the hawk; and
take Troy by cunning; as by force they could do nothing。 Then Ulysses
stood up and described a trick which it is not easy to understand。 The
Greeks; he said; ought to make an enormous hollow horse of wood; and
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place the bravest men in the horse。 Then all the rest of the Greeks should
embark in their ships and sail to the Isle of Tenedos; and lie hidden behind
the island。 The Trojans would then come out of the city; like the dove out
of her hole in the rock; and would wander about the Greek camp; and
wonder why the great horse of tree had been made; and why it had been
left behind。 Lest they should set fire to the horse; when they would soon
have found out the warriors hidden in it; a cunning Greek; whom the
Trojans did not know by sight; should be left in the camp or near it。 He
would tell the Trojans that the Greeks had given up all hope and gone
home; and he was to say that they feared the Goddess Pallas was angry
with them; because they had stolen her image that fell from heaven; and
was called the Luck of Troy。 To soothe Pallas and prevent her from
sending great storms against the ships; the Trojans (so the man was to say)
had built this wooden horse as an offering to the Goddess