230

The tribute of a melancholy day. One Chief with patience to the grave resign'd,

Our care devolves on others left behind. Let gen'rous food supplies of strength produce,

Let rising spirits flow from sprightly juice, Let their warm heads with scenes of battle glow,

And pour new furies on the feebler foe.
Yet a short interval, and none shall dare
Expect a second summons to the war;
Who waits for that, the dire effect shall
find,

If trembling in the ships he lags behind. 245
Embodied, to the battle let us bend,
And all at once on haughty Troy descend.'
And now the delegates Ulysses sent,
To bear the presents from the royal tent.
The sons of Nestor, Phyleus' valiant beir,
Thoas and Merion, thunderbolts of war,
With Lycomedes of Creiontian strain,
And Melanippus, form'd the chosen train.
Swift as the word was giv'n, the youths
obey'd;

Twice ten bright vases in the midst they laid;

250

A row of six fair tripods then succeeds; And twice the number of high-bounding

steeds;

Sev'n captives next a lovely line compose; The eighth Briseïs, like the blooming rose, Closed the bright band: great Ithacus before,

First of the train, the golden talents bore: The rest in public view the Chiefs dispose, A splendid scene! Then Agamemnon rose: The boar Talthybius held: the Grecian lord Drew the broad cutlass sheathed beside his

310

The first lov'd consort of my virgin bed
Before these eyes in fatal battle bled:
My three brave brothers in one mournful
day

All trod the dark irremeable way:
Thy friendly arm uprear'd me from the
plain,

And dried my sorrows for a husband slain; Achilles' care you promis'd I should prove, The first, the dearest partner of his love; That rites divine should ratify the band, And make me Empress in his native land. Accept these grateful tears! for thee they flow,

For thee, that ever felt another's woe!' 320 Her sister captives echoed groan for

gold:

The brazen sword a various baldric tied, 400 That, starr'd with gems, hung glitt'ring at his side;

And, like the moon, the broad refulgent shield

Blazed with long rays, and gleam'd athwart the field.

So to night-wand'ring sailors, pale with fears,

Wide o'er the wat'ry waste a light appears, Which on the far-seen mountain blazing high,

Streams from some lonely watch-tower to the sky:

With mournful eyes they gaze and gaze again;

Loud howls the storm, and drives them o'er the main.

Next, his high head the helmet graced; behind

The sweepy crest hung floating in the

wind: