Chapter 34 34

While Ajax was fighting to the death on the ship, Patroclus hurried to his friend Achilles.As soon as he entered his friend's barracks, he burst into tears.The son of Peleus looked at him sympathetically, and said, "Patroclus, you are weeping like a little girl. Is there any bad news from Fuzia? I know that your father Menetio Si is still alive, and so is my father Peleus! Or are you lamenting the fate of the Argives? Their tragedy is entirely self-inflicted. In short, if you have anything on your mind, please tell me frankly.” Patroclus sighed, and finally said: "Noble hero, please don't be angry, forgive me! Indeed, as you expected, the misfortune of the Greeks weighed heavily on my heart like a huge stone! Finally Those who were brave were shot or stabbed, and all lay unable to move in the ships. Diomedes, Odysseus, and Agamemnon were shot; Arrows in the thigh. They're all under treatment and can't go directly to war. And you're not willing to reconcile. Your parents weren't Peleus and Thetis - mortals and goddesses, presumably you're the gloomy sea or the hard Born of stone, so hard is your heart! Well, if it is your mother's word or the command of the gods that keeps you from fighting, then at least let me and your warriors go to the aid of the Greeks. Put you Lend me your armor, and if the Trojans see that I think it's you, maybe they'll be shocked. I hope this will give the Daneans time to regroup!"

Upon hearing this, Achilles replied coldly: "Neither the words of my mother nor the orders of the gods prevented me from participating in the battle. I endured the torment and pain in my heart because a Greek dared to despise me." I, dare to take the spoils that are mine. But I was never prepared to hold a grudge forever, and resolved from the beginning that when the war came close to the ships, I would do what was necessary. But I have no intention of participating in the battle now, You may, however, put on my armor and lead my soldiers into battle. You should fight with all your might to drive the Trojans from their ships. There is only one man you cannot fight, and that is Hector. You have to be careful, don't fall into the hands of a god. You have to understand that Apollo loves our enemies! You must come back immediately after saving the warship, and let the rest of the people stay on the warship to fight Now! I hope that all the Daneans will be destroyed, and only the two of us will be left. Let us go and conquer the city of Troy by ourselves!"

As they talked, the fighting around the ship intensified, and Ajax began to breathe.Enemy arrows and spears clanged against his helmet.His shoulders bearing the great shield were numb.Ajax was dripping with sweat, but he could not rest.Hector swung his sword and fell the point of his spear to the ground, when Ajax realized that the gods were only against the Greeks, and he backed away in despair.Hector took the opportunity to throw a big torch on the ship.After a while, a raging flame ignited at the stern of the ship. In the barracks, Achilles felt a pain in his heart when he saw the flames on the warship outside. "Ah, Patroclus," he cried, "you go, before the enemy takes our warships and cuts off our way home! I will go and gather my soldiers myself!" Patroclus listened He was very happy, and he hurriedly put on the greaves of Achilles, tied the colorful armor on his chest, carried a sharp sword on his shoulder, wore a battle helmet with a horsehair helmet on his head, and held a shield in his left hand. , holding two sturdy spears in his right hand.Of course he hoped to borrow the spear of his friend Achilles, hewn from an ash tree on Mount Pelion in Thessaly.Back then, when Chiron, a half-man and half-horse Centaur, trained Peleus, he gave this spear to Peleus, and later passed it to Achilles.The spear was so thick and heavy that no other hero could wield it.Now Patroclus ordered Automedon, his friend and steward, to harness the gods Masanthus and Barius, the horses born of the woman-bird Podarge and Zephyrus.Automedon also put on the wind-riding horse Pedasus, which Achilles brought back from the mysterious city of Thebes as a spoil.Achilles himself summoned an army composed of the Myrmidonians, with fifty men per ship, a total of fifty warships.The five chiefs of this army were: Menstius, the son of Spertius, the river god, and Polydora, the beautiful daughter of Peleus; Hermes and Polyme. Oyudorus, son of Le,; Posandros, son of Maemaros, the most valiant warrior after Patroclus; Camedon.

As they set off, Achilles warned them in a loud voice: "Warriors of Myrmidona, don't forget that you have threatened the Trojans many times in the past, and you still blame me for being angry and keeping you from participating in the battle." Fight. Now, the moment you long for has finally come. Fight bravely!" After speaking, he walked into the barracks and took out a refined wine cup from the box that his mother Thetis put on the ship.The chest also contained corsets, brocade quilts, coats and other treasures.Achilles's cup has never been used by anyone but him.In addition, Achilles also used it to hold wine, and only held a pouring ceremony for Zeus.Now, he went to the door, poured wine on the ground, performed a dosing ceremony to Zeus, and prayed that Zeus would bless the Greeks with victory and let his friend Patroclus return safely.Zeus heard his prayer and agreed to his first request, but shook his head embarrassingly at the second request.But these expressions Achilles could not see.He went back to the barracks, put away his wine glasses, and came out to watch the bloody battle.

Patroclus led the Myrmiduna into battle like a swarm of bees.When the Trojans saw him rushing, they trembled with fear, and there was a sudden confusion in their ranks, because they thought Achilles was coming.Taking advantage of the fear of the Trojans, Patroclus threw his gleaming spear at the dense crowd of enemies.Perekmus, the Paonian, was shot through his right shoulder, and fell staggeringly on his back.The Paonian screamed and fled in all directions.Patroclus put out the fire, and the warship was half burnt.Now the Trojans fled in terror, and they were driven into the lane between the galleys by the Daneans.Then the Danae came after them again, but the Trojans soon calmed down.The Greeks had to fight on foot, and the two sides twisted into a ball.Patroclus shot Arelycus in the thigh with his lance; Menelaus struck Thoas in the chest; Antilochus, son of Antilochus, stabbed Artimnius in the hip.

Seeing his brother Artimnius stabbed to death on the ground, Maris became furious and rushed straight to Antilochus, covering his brother's body with his body while waving his spear to prevent Antilochus from approaching. .But Trasmedes, another son of Nestor, stabbed him in the shoulder with a spear, and he fell to the ground, dying.At this time, little Ajax also jumped forward nimbly, just in time to see Crevoporos fleeing in the panicked crowd, and cut his neck with his sharp sword.Penaraus and the Trojan hero Lycon shot at each other with their spears, but they missed, so they drew their swords and fought, and Penaraus the Greek killer finally won.Akamas, the son of Antenor, was about to board the chariot and escape, but was cut on the right shoulder by the sword of Merionus, and he fell to the ground and died.Idomeneus thrust his spear into Erymus' mouth, killing him instantly.

Ajax the Great wanted to stab Hector with his spear.But Hector is a battle-tested veteran, alert and experienced. He blocked his body with a shield, and let the arrows and spears fall to the ground one after another.The hero had seen that victory was no longer his own and that of the Trojans, but he remained steadfast on the battlefield, hoping to protect and rescue his closest comrades.Later, when the enemy became stronger and stronger, he had to turn around and drive his horse across the ditch.Other Trojans were not so lucky, and many chariots crashed in the trenches.Those who managed to escape from the trench flocked to the city of Troy.Patroclus pursued the fleeing Trojans with a cry.Many people panicked and fell under the wheels, and the chariot overturned with a loud crash.Finally, the god horse lent by Achilles to Patroclus also dragged the chariot across the ditch, and Patroclus rode forward, trying to catch up with Hector who was fleeing in chariot.He pursued and slew the enemies he met in the field between the ship and the wall: Palonous, Thestor, Erylaus, and nine other Trojans.When Sarpedon the Lycian saw this, he was saddened and angry.He quickly stopped his team, and then jumped out of the chariot fully armed.Patroclus also jumped from the chariot.

The two roared and rushed towards each other. Zeus sat on the mountain and looked at his son Sarpedon sympathetically.Hera taunted him from the sidelines. "What are you thinking?" she said, "Do you want to save a man who is doomed long ago? You might as well think about it, what if all the gods dragged their sons out of the battle? Or listen to me It is better for him to die on the field of battle. You give him to Sleep and Death, and let the Lycians carry their hero from the chaos of the field and bury him solemnly!" Zeus hated the goddess With these ruthless words, a tear fell from the eyes of the gods and rolled down on the ground.

Now the two warriors are just a stone's throw away.Patroclus struck Sarpedon's brave comrade-in-arms Tracithemus first.The spear thrown by Sarpedon missed Patroclus, but pierced the right flank of the fine horse Pedasus.Pedasus fell down panting heavily, and the two god horses beside him also became frightened, and suddenly became violent: the yoke rattled, and the reins twisted together. Pull out a sharp sword and cut the dead horse's belt, so that the reins will not be broken. Sarpedon threw his spear a second time, but missed, and Patroclus hit Sarpedon in the stomach, and he fell down with a crash, calling out to his friend Glaucus in despair. , asking him and other friends to grab his body.After speaking, he died.

Glaucus is praying to Phoebus Apollo, asking the sun god to heal his arm from an arrow wound.It was shot by Teucerus during the struggle for the wall.The trauma tormented him and kept him out of combat to this day.God only had mercy on him, and immediately stopped the pain of his wound.So he strode through the Trojan procession, and summoned the heroes Polydamas, Agenor, and Aeneas to guard Sarpedon's body.The princes were deeply saddened to hear of the hero's death.Although Sarpedon is a foreigner, he has become a powerful pillar to defend the city of Troy.The princes rushed towards the Dannea like crazy, and Hector was the first.Patroclus also inspired the Greeks to fight bravely.The heroes of both sides fought a fierce battle for Sarpedon's body.

Zeus watched the battle carefully.He considered whether to let Patroclus die immediately.But he felt that it was better to let him win before he died.And so the friend of Achilles repelled the counterattack of the Trojans and Lycians.The Greeks stripped Sarpedon of his armor.When Patroclus was about to hand over the body to the Myrmidonians, Apollo descended from the mountain of God to the battlefield at the command of Zeus, carried Sarpedon's body on his shoulders, and went all the way to Scamander. on the banks of the Ross River.He put the corpse in the river, drained the corpse with clean water, anointed it with ointment, and then gave it to the twin brothers Sleep and Death.The two brothers took the body back to Lykia and buried it with the soil of their native land. Now Patroclus pursued the Trojans and the Lycians.He killed nine Trojans one after another and stripped them of their armor.He slashed all the way so ferociously, as if entering no one's land.If Apollo hadn't stood on the strong tower to protect the Trojans, Patroclus would have taken Troy alone.The son of Menotius climbed up the city three times in a row, but Apollo blocked his attack three times and shouted: "Get back!" . At this time, Hector fled to the central city gate. He reined in his horse and stopped the chariot, thinking about whether to lead the soldiers back to the battlefield to fight, or to bring them into the city and close the gate.While he was hesitating, Phoebus, in the form of Asius, Hecuba's brother, came up to him and said, "Hector, why don't you dare go on fighting? Drive your horses to Papa Troclus rushes on. Who knows that Apollo won't give you victory as a gift?" Asius just finished speaking, and then disappeared.Immediately inspired, Hector encouraged his charioteer Cebrionas to urge his horse to the battlefield.Apollo led the way, causing confusion in the Greek ranks.Hector didn't stop to kill any of the Argives, he kept rushing towards Patroclus. Seeing him approaching, Patroclus sprang from his chariot.Holding a spear in his left hand, he picked up a large stone from the ground with his right hand and threw it at Cebrionas, hitting him on the forehead.The poor emperor suddenly fell to the ground and died.Patroclus ran like a lion to the corpse of the fallen.Hector bravely guards the body of his half-brother.He seized the dead man's head, but Patroclus took the dead man's feet.The Trojans and the Daneans fought on both sides, killing each other.It was not until evening that Argos gained the upper hand.Under a rain of arrows, they took Cebrionas' body and stripped him of his armor. Encouraged, Patroclus charged at the Trojans even more ferociously, and killed twenty-seven Trojan soldiers one after another. When he attacked again, Death was watching him quietly by his side, for this time Phoebus Apollo himself came out to fight.Patroclus could not see him, for he was hidden in the fog.Apollo stood behind him and slapped him on the back with his palm, and he was immediately dizzy and unable to stand on his feet.The god knocked off the helmet on his head again, and the helmet rolled under the horse's hooves, and the feathers on the helmet were covered with dust and blood.Apollo broke his spear again, and untied the girdle and armor that hung from his shoulders.At this time, Euphorbus, the son of Pentos, stabbed him from behind with a spear, and the point of the spear passed through the chest.Euphorbus, a brave Trojan hero, who had killed twenty Greeks that day, hurried back to battle.At this time Hector suddenly appeared on the battlefield, swung his spear and pierced Patroclus' abdomen, and the point of the spear protruded from his back.Hector exclaimed joyously: "Ha ha, Patroclus! You want to lay our city in ruins, and take our women away, and ship them home to be slaves! Now, at least, I will put this ominous day Postponed later!" Before dying, Patroclus replied in a weak voice: "Go and gloat! Zeus and Apollo have given you victory without effort. If they hadn't intervened in the war, my spear would have killed you. And kill twenty of your soldiers! Phoebus conquers me among gods, Euphorbus conquers me among mortals. Thou shalt strip me of my armor ready-made! But there One thing I can predict: your doom is coming, and I know whose hands you will die!" Patroclus breathed weakly while speaking, and after a while, his soul came out of his body and went leisurely to the underworld. Later Euphorbus the Trojans and Menelaus fought over the body of Patroclus.Euphorbus cried out: "Blood debt must be paid in blood. You killed my brother Hyprenor and made his wife a widow. I demand your life!" The son of Atreus threw it, and the point of the spear struck the shield and turned into a hook.Menelaus also raised his spear and stabbed at the opponent, stabbing the throat.Euphorbus fell dead.Menelaus snatched his weapon and was about to strip him of his armor, but Apollo, jealous of him getting such a spoil, changed his shape and went to Hector.Apollo advised him not to chase Achilles' horse because it was an impossible prize.Hector then returns to protect Euphorbus' body.Menelaus heard the cry of the Trojan hero, and knowing that he could not resist Hector and his soldiers, he left his body and armor and retreated.As he retreated, he looked for the hero Ajax the Great.At last he saw Ajax the Great on the left side of the chaotic battlefield, and he hastily called to him to go and retrieve the body of Patroclus. When they approached the body, Hector had stripped Patroclus of his armor, and was about to drag it away.But when he saw Ajax rushing forward with a shield of seven layers of oxhide in his hand, he put down the body, and hastened to join the ranks of the Trojans, and jumped into his chariot, and delivered the armor of Patroclus to his soldiers and sent them back to the city. , as a souvenir to show his military exploits.Ajax stood like a lion before the body of Patroclus, protecting it from the Trojans.Menelaus stood guard beside him. Glaucus looked down at Hector and said, "Where are you worthy of praise? What glory have you to see Ajax, so cowardly, that you fled back? From now on, you Go and defend Troy alone! Don't expect the Lycians to fight with you in the future. If you don't protect the body of our king, your friend and comrade-in-arms Sarpedon, let him die outside the city, how can we You are expected to protect an ordinary person? If the Trojans have the courage of our Lycians, we will drag Patroclus' body into Troy at once. If the Argos want to return Patroclus Then they will be willing to return Sarpedon's body to us!" Glaucus said this because he did not know that Apollo had taken Sarpedon's body from the Greeks and Properly buried. "You have no reason to blame me, Glaucus," replied Hector, "do you think I am afraid of Ajax? I have never been afraid of a war. But Zeus's spirit is stronger than ours. Bravery is more powerful. Now, my friend, come closer and see if I am really as timid and lacking in courage as you say!" And he ran after his comrades.They were carrying back to the city the armor of Achilles which had been stripped from Patroclus.Hector puts on the armor of Achilles, a gift given to him by the gods when Peleus married Thetis.Later Peleus passed it on to his son Achilles. Zeus, the ruler of gods and mortals, saw Hector wearing the armor of Achilles from the sky, immediately sank his face, shook his head solemnly, and said in his heart: "You don't know that Death has stood At your side. You slew Achilles' close ally, stripped him of his armor, and now put on the armor of the Son of the Goddess. Well, because you can never return from the field again, I can't see your wife Andromache either, so I will give you one last victory as compensation!" As soon as Zeus finished saying these words in his heart, Hector tightened his armor.He was imbued with the spirit of Ares, the god of war, and he felt strength added to his limbs.With a cry, he led his warriors toward the enemy. The battle for Patroclus' body began again.Hector was so brave that Ajax could not help saying to Menelaus beside him: "I am more concerned about myself than Patroclus who is dead, because Hector and his troops surround us from all sides. Cry out for help, and see if the heroes of Dannea can hear you." Menelaus shouted as loud as he could.The first to hear the cry was Ajax the Locris, son of Oreus, a swift hero.He hastened, and afterward Idomeneus, his comrade Myrionas, and countless other warriors.The Greeks surrounded the body of the fallen hero Patroclus with their spears.However, the Trojans came over again and tried to drag the corpse away.Fortunately, Ajax came to the rescue.When the ally of the Trojans, Hippetius the Pelasian, tied the corpse's ankles with a leather belt, and was about to drag it away, Ajax the Great pierced his helmet with his spear, and he fell instantly dead.Hector aimed a shot at Ajax, but it hit Schedius the Phocian.Phnopeus leaped to protect Hippetaus' body, but Ajax pierced the breastplate with his lance and penetrated into the abdomen.The Trojans had to retreat, and Hector also retreated a little.The Greeks were victorious, almost against the will of Zeus.But at this time Apollo rushed over, and he became the old messenger Periphas, leading the heroic Aeneas to the battlefield.Aeneas recognized that the opponent was a god, so he shouted loudly, encouraged his soldiers, and walked bravely at the head of the procession.The Trojans turned back and rushed towards the enemy.Aeneas shot and killed Leocrytus.Lycomedes avenged his slain friend by killing Apissaion the Paeonian. Finally, the Greeks finally protected Patroclus' body with spears again. Fighting had raged here for almost a whole day, and elsewhere on the battlefield, too, with sweat dripping down the thighs, knees, and heels of the fighters on both sides. "We would rather be swallowed up by the earth," cried the Dannea, "than give up this body to the Trojans, and go back to the ship empty-handed!" "Even if we were alone," roared the Trojan, "we would not retreat!" While they were fighting desperately, Achilles' horse stood quietly aside.When they heard that Patroclus the Master had died at the hand of Hector, they wept like men.Automedon could not make the horse return to the ship with the whip, with good words, or with threats.They did not want to go where the Greeks were fighting, but stood silently before the chariot like stone pillars, with their heads bowed and big tears streaming from their eyes.Zeus was also very sympathetic when he saw this scene in the sky. "Poor horses," he murmured, "why should we give you immortal and godlike to mortal Peleus? Is it that you, too, suffer sorrow like wretched human beings?There is perhaps no creature in the world that suffers more than man. As for Hector, he will never tame you, nor drive you before his chariot.I will never allow this. " Therefore, Zeus endowed the horse with courage and strength.Immediately, the two horses shook the dust off their manes, dragged the chariot, and galloped quickly towards the place where the Trojans and Greeks were.Automedon couldn't stop him, so he had to let the horses drag the chariot forward.It is difficult for him to show his skills alone on the chariot, and he cannot drive the chariot with one hand and throw a spear at the enemy with the other hand.Alchemedon, the son of Laertes, was surprised to see Automedon rushing towards the chaotic battlefield with an empty chariot. "Alchemedon, my comrade-in-arms Patroclus has been slain, and besides him you are the best charioteer." Automedon shouted to him, "if you wish, I will send the horse Leave it to you, let me free up my hands to fight with all my strength." When Hector saw Automedon get up from his seat and give his place to another, he turned to Aeneas and said, "Look, Achilles' steed has galloped into battle, but Their drivers are inexperienced, let us take this trophy!" Aeneas nodded, and the two rushed forward holding their shields.Clomius and Aletus followed.Automedon prayed to Zeus, and Zeus immediately filled his heart with infinite power. "Alchemedon, hold fast to the reins!" cried Automedon. "Ajax, Menelaus, come quickly, and let the others guard the dead, and let us crush the dead. Attack! Hector and Aeneas are pursuing us, they are the two bravest Trojan heroes!" As he spoke, he swung his spear and pierced the shield of Aletos, and the point of the spear pierced into the stomach, Aletus fell instantly dead.Hector threw the spear at Automedon, but the spear whizzed past the opponent's head.The two sides were about to draw their swords again, when Ajax and Ajax arrived at the same time, separated them, and forced the Trojans to go back to the body of Patroclus. The battle there is raging.Zeus changed his mind.He sent the goddess Athena through the clouds to the earth.Athena, disguised as the old Phoenix, walks towards Menelaus.When Menelaus saw the old man approaching, he said: "Old Phonyx, may Athena give me strength today, so that I may avenge my dead friend, because I have seen from your eyes that you are Condemn me." The goddess rejoiced at his words, for Menelaus adored her alone among the gods, and she gave strength to his arms and legs, and made him strong and fierce in heart.He brandished his spear and rushed towards the place where Patroclus' body lay.Seeing that the situation was not good, Hector's comrade-in-arms, Podes, the son of Eetion, was about to turn around and run away, but the spear point of the son of Atreus had already stabbed him. Now Apollo, in the form of Phnopes, approached Hector, urging him to say: "Hector, if a Menelaus frightens you away, who among the Danae is afraid?" And you? He has slain your dearest friend, and now he will take the body of Patroclus from you!" Hector was furious at these words, and he rushed forward, The armor on his body gleamed.So, Zeus shook his aegis, covered Mount Ada with thick clouds, and sent down thunder and lightning, sending a signal of victory to the Trojans. "Menelaus," said Ajax, "does not know where Nestor's son Antilochus is? He is the most suitable messenger to tell Achilles that his friend Pascal Troclus is slain." Menelaus searched around, and finally found Antilochus in the confusion of the crowd. "Don't you know, Antilochus," said he, "that there is a god who brought calamity to the Danae and victory to the Trojans? Patroclus is dead, and the Greeks have lost their bravest Hero. There is only one braver man left alive, and that is Achilles. Go to Achilles' barracks and tell him the sad news. He may come to rescue the dead. A corpse stripped of its armor by Hector." Antilochus was taken aback by the news, and could not help weeping.He stood there blankly for a long time, unable to speak a word.Afterwards, he took off his armor, handed it to his steward Laudukos, and ran towards the warship. Menelaus returned to Patroclus' body and discussed with Ajax how to bring back his comrade's body.They can't count too much on Achilles to come to the rescue, because even if he promised to go out, his god armor has been taken away.The two of them carried the body up.Although the Trojans roared behind and waved their spears to catch up, but as long as Ajax turned around, they were too scared to come up to fight for the corpse.The two men carried the corpse and walked towards the warship, and the other Greeks also withdrew from the battlefield.Hector and Aeneas followed closely.