第 13 节
作者:
希望之舟 更新:2021-02-19 01:13 字数:9322
find what they had lost; or might escape from their distresses。
Ulysses slept in more than one temple; and once in that of Pallas
Athene; and the priests and priestesses were kind to him; and gave
him food in the morning when the gates of the temple were opened。
In the temple of Pallas Athene; where the Luck of Troy lay always
on her altar; the custom was that priestesses kept watch; each for
two hours; all through the night; and soldiers kept guard within
call。 So one night Ulysses slept there; on the floor; with other
distressed people; seeking for dreams from the Gods。 He lay still
all through the night till the turn of the last priestess came to
watch。 The priestess used to walk up and down with bare feet among
the dreaming people; having a torch in her hand; and muttering
hymns to the Goddess。 Then Ulysses; when her back was turned;
slipped the gold phial out of his rags; and let it lie on the
polished floor beside him。 When the priestess came back again; the
light from her torch fell on the glittering phial; and she stooped
and picked it up; and looked at it curiously。 There came from it a
sweet fragrance; and she opened it; and tasted the drug。 It seemed
to her the sweetest thing that ever she had tasted; and she took
more and more; and then closed the phial and laid it down; and went
along murmuring her hymn。
But soon a great drowsiness came over her; and she sat down on the
step of the altar; and fell sound asleep; and the torch sunk in her
hand; and went out; and all was dark。 Then Ulysses put the phial
in his wallet; and crept very cautiously to the altar; in the dark;
and stole the Luck of Troy。 It was only a small black mass of what
is now called meteoric iron; which sometimes comes down with
meteorites from the sky; but it was shaped like a shield; and the
people thought it an image of the warlike shielded Goddess; fallen
from Heaven。 Such sacred shields; made of glass and ivory; are
found deep in the earth in the ruined cities of Ulysses' time。
Swiftly Ulysses hid the Luck in his rags and left in its place on
the altar a copy of the Luck; which he had made of blackened clay。
Then he stole back to the place where he had lain; and remained
there till dawn appeared; and the sleepers who sought for dreams
awoke; and the temple gates were opened; and Ulysses walked out
with the rest of them。
He stole down a lane; where as yet no people were stirring; and
crept along; leaning on his staff; till he came to the eastern
gate; at the back of the city; which the Greeks never attacked; for
they had never drawn their army in a circle round the town。 There
Ulysses explained to the sentinels that he had gathered food enough
to last for a long journey to some other town; and opened his bag;
which seemed full of bread and broken meat。 The soldiers said he
was a lucky beggar; and let him out。 He walked slowly along the
waggon road by which wood was brought into Troy from the forests on
Mount Ida; and when he found that nobody was within sight he
slipped into the forest; and stole into a dark thicket; hiding
beneath the tangled boughs。 Here he lay and slept till evening;
and then took the new clothes which Helen had given him out of his
wallet; and put them on; and threw the belt of the sword over his
shoulder; and hid the Luck of Troy in his bosom。 He washed himself
clean in a mountain brook; and now all who saw him must have known
that he was no beggar; but Ulysses of Ithaca; Laertes' son。
So he walked cautiously down the side of the brook which ran
between high banks deep in trees; and followed it till it reached
the river Xanthus; on the left of the Greek lines。 Here he found
Greek sentinels set to guard the camp; who cried aloud in joy and
surprise; for his ship had not yet returned from Delos; and they
could not guess how Ulysses had come back alone across the sea。 So
two of the sentinels guarded Ulysses to the hut of Agamemnon; where
he and Achilles and all the chiefs were sitting at a feast。 They
all leaped up; but when Ulysses took the Luck of Troy from within
his mantle; they cried that this was the bravest deed that had been
done in the war; and they sacrificed ten oxen to Zeus。
〃So you were the old beggar;〃 said young Thrasymedes。
〃Yes;〃 said Ulysses; 〃and when next you beat a beggar; Thrasymedes;
do not strike so hard and so long。〃
That night all the Greeks were full of hope; for now they had the
Luck of Troy; but the Trojans were in despair; and guessed that the
beggar was the thief; and that Ulysses had been the beggar。 The
priestess; Theano; could tell them nothing; they found her; with
the extinguished torch drooping in her hand; asleep; as she sat on
the step of the altar; and she never woke again。
THE BATTLES WITH THE AMAZONS AND MEMNONTHE DEATH OF ACHILLES
Ulysses thought much and often of Helen; without whose kindness he
could not have saved the Greeks by stealing the Luck of Troy。 He
saw that; though she remained as beautiful as when the princes all
sought her hand; she was most unhappy; knowing herself to be the
cause of so much misery; and fearing what the future might bring。
Ulysses told nobody about the secret which she had let fall; the
coming of the Amazons。
The Amazons were a race of warlike maids; who lived far away on the
banks of the river Thermodon。 They had fought against Troy in
former times; and one of the great hill…graves on the plain of Troy
covered the ashes of an Amazon; swift…footed Myrine。 People
believed that they were the daughters of the God of War; and they
were reckoned equal in battle to the bravest men。 Their young
Queen; Penthesilea; had two reasons for coming to fight at Troy:
one was her ambition to win renown; and the other her sleepless
sorrow for having accidentally killed her sister; Hippolyte; when
hunting。 The spear which she threw at a stag struck Hippolyte and
slew her; and Penthesilea cared no longer for her own life; and
desired to fall gloriously in battle。 So Penthesilea and her
bodyguard of twelve Amazons set forth from the wide streams of
Thermodon; and rode into Troy。 The story says that they did not
drive in chariots; like all the Greek and Trojan chiefs; but rode
horses; which must have been the manner of their country。
Penthesilea was the tallest and most beautiful of the Amazons; and
shone among her twelve maidens like the moon among the stars; or
the bright Dawn among the Hours which follow her chariot wheels。
The Trojans rejoiced when they beheld her; for she looked both
terrible and beautiful; with a frown on her brow; and fair shining
eyes; and a blush on her cheeks。 To the Trojans she came like
Iris; the Rainbow; after a storm; and they gathered round her
cheering; and throwing flowers and kissing her stirrup; as the
people of Orleans welcomed Joan of Arc when she came to deliver
them。 Even Priam was glad; as is a man long blind; when he has
been healed; and again looks upon the light of the sun。 Priam held
a great feast; and gave to Penthesilea many beautiful gifts: cups
of gold; and embroideries; and a sword with a hilt of silver; and
she vowed that she would slay Achilles。 But when Andromache; the
wife of Hector; heard her she said within herself; 〃Ah; unhappy
girl; what is this boast of thine! Thou hast not the strength to
fight the unconquerable son of Peleus; for if Hector could not slay
him; what chance hast thou? But the piled…up earth covers Hector!〃
In the morning Penthesilea sprang up from sleep and put on her
glorious armour; with spear in hand; and sword at side; and bow and
quiver hung behind her back; and her great shield covering her side
from neck to stirrup; and mounted her horse; and galloped to the
plain。 Beside her charged the twelve maidens of her bodyguard; and
all the company of Hector's brothers and kinsfolk。 These headed
the Trojan lines; and they rushed towards the ships of the Greeks。
Then the Greeks asked each other; 〃Who is this that leads the
Trojans as Hector led them; surely some God rides in the van of the
charioteers!〃 Ulysses could have told them who the new leader of
the Trojans was; but it seems that he had not the heart to fight
against women; for his name is not mentioned in this day's battle。
So the two lines clashed; and the plain of Troy ran red with blood;
for Penthesilea slew Molios; and Persinoos; and Eilissos; and
Antiphates; and Lernos high of heart; and Hippalmos of the loud
warcry; and Haemonides; and strong Elasippus; while her maidens
Derinoe and Clonie slew each a chief of the Greeks。 But Clonie
fell beneath the spear of Podarkes; whose hand Penthesilea cut off
with the sword; while Idomeneus speared the Amazon Bremousa; and
Meriones of Crete slew Evadre; and Diomede killed Alcibie and
Derimacheia in close fight with the sword; so the company of the
Twelve were thinned; the bodyguard of Penthesilea。
The Trojans and Greeks kept slaying each other; but Penthesilea
avenged her maidens; driving the ranks of Greece as a lioness
drives the cattle on the hills; for they could not stand before
her。 Then she shouted; 〃Dogs! to…day shall you pay for the sorrows
of Priam! Where is Diomede; where is Achilles; wh