Chapter 44 44

When the people who participated in the funeral game dispersed, Achilles tossed and turned all night and couldn't fall asleep. He was still thinking about his buried friends.Early the next morning he harnessed the horse, tied Hector's body to the chariot, and dragged it three times round the tomb of Patroclus.Apollo couldn't bear the humiliation of the corpse, so his aegis covered Hector like a golden umbrella, so that his corpse would not be damaged.Achilles drove over the body, dropped it on the ground and drove away.Except for Hera, all the gods on the holy mountain of Olympus were very sad and angry when they saw this scene.Zeus sent an envoy to find Achilles' mother Thetis, and ordered her to rush to the Greek barracks to tell his son Achilles: All the gods, including Zeus, abused Hector wantonly. and kept the body on board to keep Redemption from wrath.

Thetis obeyed the order, came to his son's tent, approached him and sat down, and said gently: "My dear son, how long will you torture yourself like this, sighing sadly, and not eating or drinking? Listen, Zeus wants me to treat you Speak: he and the gods are angry because you have mistreated Hector's body and kept it in the ship. My son, ask for a rich ransom and deliver the body!" Ah Chileus raised his head, looked at his mother and said, "That's it, I respect the opinions of Zeus and the gods! Whoever pays me a ransom can take the corpse back." At this moment, Zeus sent the messenger Iris to the city of King Priam to convey the decision of the gods.She saw the sound of wailing and weeping in the city of Troy.She went up to the king quietly, and whispered to him: "Son of Dardanus, don't be discouraged! I bring you good news. Zeus has mercy on you, and he told me to command you to go to Achilles." , redeem your son's body with a rich gift. You must go alone, with only an old messenger. The messenger will drive you to bring the body back to the city. Do not be afraid, Zeus sent the heroic Hell Moss protects you!"

Believing the goddess, Priam ordered his sons to prepare a horse and a chariot for him.He himself entered the treasure room built of fragrant cypress wood.There are all kinds of rare antiques in it, which are priceless.He summoned his wife Hecuba and told her the news sent by Zeus.Hecuba tried to dissuade him, telling him to give up the idea. "Don't hinder me," said Priam firmly, "even if death is waiting for me on the enemy's ship, I don't care, as long as I can hold my dearest son in my arms, I will be satisfied. As he spoke, he opened the chest and picked out twelve brocade robes, twelve carpets, and the same number of tights and cloaks.Then he weighed out ten talents of gold, and took out four shining cooking pots, two tripod tripods, and a precious golden goblet presented to him by the Thracians.Priam drove away all the Trojans who came to dissuade him, and said to them reproachfully: "Aren't you too busy at home to come here to dissuade me and increase my sorrow?" Then he turned to his son and said, "You cowards, if only you would be killed instead of Hector! The best men are dead, and the rest are useless. Go and get me a car, Put this thing in the basket, load it into the car, and let me go on my way!" The sons were very worried, but they saw their father's anger, so they had to obey, so they harnessed him to the car, and moved the ransom and gifts to the car .They harnessed their costly horses to Priam's chariot.The aged messenger who accompanied the king stood aside.

It was with a heavy heart that Hecuba handed to the King the golden goblet for the pouring.The maid came with a kettle and basin. King Priam washed his hands with clean water, took the golden wine cup, stood in the middle of the court, poured the wine on the ground, and prayed loudly to Zeus: "Zeus, father of all gods, master of Mount Ida, let me have mercy and favor before the son of Peleus! Please show me a sign, so that I can go boldly to the warship of the Daneans! "As soon as the king finished speaking, a black eagle flew from the clouds high in the sky on the right. The black eagle spread its big wings and swept across the city.The Trojans cheered when they saw this good omen.The old king climbed into the chariot with confidence and sat down.

When the chariots came outside the city, Priam and the messenger saw the tomb of the ancient king Iros next to them, so they ordered the two chariots to stop for a while and let the animals drink water by the river.At this time, it was almost dusk, and the earth was shrouded in twilight.The messenger Iteus suddenly saw a figure nearby, and he was startled, and said to Priam, "Master, there is a man over there. I suspect he's waiting there to murder us. "Just as he was talking, the man had come over. It turned out that he was not an enemy, but Hermes, the messenger sent by Zeus. Priam didn't know him, but the god shook hands with him and said yes. to protect him.

Priam breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "Now I see that the gods only protect me, for he has given me such a friendly and wise companion, and I am very grateful. But tell me, Who are you?" "My father is Polyctor," answered Hermes. "I am the youngest of seven of us, a Myrmidonian, the friend of Achilles." "If you are a friend of the son of the dreaded Peleus," said Priam anxiously, "then tell me if my son is still in the ship, and whether Achilles has fed him to the dogs ?” "No," replied Hermes, "he was still lying in Achilles' tent. Although twelve days had passed, and Achilles dragged him around his friend's grave every morning, His body was not damaged at all because it was protected by the gods. You will be amazed to see him, there is no blood on the body and all the wounds are healed. Even after his death, the gods still love and care for him .”

Priam happily took out the golden wine glass that he carried with him in the car. "Take it," he said, "and accompany me to your master." Hermes refuses to accept the cup, as if he fears accepting the gift behind Achilles' back.But he too jumped into the chariot and sat beside the old man, holding the reins with both hands.Soon came the trenches and walls.The soldiers on guard are having dinner.The god only pointed with his finger, and the soldiers immediately buried their heads and fell asleep.He pointed again, and the camp gate on the wall opened automatically.So Priam's chariot came safely to the gate of Achilles' barracks.Hermes jumped out of the chariot, persuaded Priam to hug the knees of the hero Achilles, and named the hero's parents to beg him.After speaking, Hermes revealed his identity as a god, and then disappeared.

The king jumped down from the chariot, handed over the horses and chariots to Iteus, and went straight into Achilles' room. He saw Achilles sitting there alone, leaving his companions, accompanied by And Automedon and Archimos.Achilles had just finished his supper, and the table had not been cleared.No one noticed Priam's stealthy entry.He hurried up to Achilles, embraced his knees, kissed the hands that had killed so many of his sons, and looked into his face.Achilles and his friends looked at the old man in amazement.So the old man begged: "Holy Achilles, think about your father, he is as old as me, maybe he is also hated and threatened by neighboring countries, isolated and frightened like me, but he I still look forward to seeing my son again, hoping that my son can return from Troy in triumph. And me? When the Argos came to the city of Troy, I had fifty sons, and they died one after another. I am this He who lost the most in this war. Now you have taken the only son who can protect us, the city and the people. Therefore, I come to your ship to redeem my Hector. I I bring you a large ransom. Son of Peleus, please obey the advice of the gods, think of your father, and have pity on me!" Priam's words aroused Achilles' nostalgia for his father He gently let go of the old man's hand, took a step back, finally helped the old man up, and said with infinite sympathy: "Poor thing, you have suffered so much. What courage you have shown, How dare you come alone to a Dane'a warship and meet a man who killed so many of your sons. You must have a heart as solid as granite! Come, please sit down and let us calm down. Though melancholy and Sorrow afflicts us, but enduring it is the fate that the gods ordained only for poor human beings, and they are carefree. In front of the gate of Zeus stood two pots, one of which contained disaster and misfortune , while the other pretends to be joy and happiness. God only gives two things to some people, and these people are mixed with sorrow and joy, but only to those who are unfortunate and calamity, so they have to be sad and painful forever. To Peleus, God only Give him riches, power, and even a goddess to be her wife. But also give him a disaster, that is, his son will die early, and he will not be able to comfort him in his old age. And you, old man, people Back then, I sang praises to you and wished you happiness, but the gods of the holy mountain of Olympus brought disaster on your head. Since then, there have been constant wars in front of your city. Endure your misfortune, because you can no longer make you His noble son has been raised from the dead."

Priam replied: "Beloved of Zeus, I cannot bear to sit down as long as Hector lies in your barracks unburied. Please let me redeem him. Take me and offer A big ransom for you, forgive me, and go back to your country!" Achilles frowned when he heard his last words, and said: "Old man, please don't force me! I am willing to return Hector's body to you, because my mother has told Zeus the order." Me. And, I also understand that God only helped you and brought you on my warship. Otherwise, a mortal, no matter how brave he is, would not be able to come here. But please stop making unreasonable demands , bother me." The old man said no more, and Achilles stepped out of the tent, followed by the warriors.

They untied the horses outside the tent, and let the messengers inside, and removed the ransom gifts from the chariots, leaving only two cloaks and a doublet to cover Hector's body.Achilles ordered Hector's body to be washed, anointed with ointment, and clothed.He put the body on the death bed himself.As his companions loaded Hector's body into the chariot, Achilles called out his friend's name: "Patroclus, if you hear in the underworld that I took Hector's body The body was returned to his father, please don't be angry with me! The ransom he brought is very rich, and you have a share of it!"

Achilles went into the barracks again, sat down opposite Priam, and said to him, "Your son is redeemable as you wish. He is dressed in rich clothes. Wait till morning, and you will be Brought him back. Now let's dine together! You have time to mourn your dear son, and you will have time to return to Troy, and then you will weep aloud!And he is the one worthy of your grief. With that he got up, went out, and slaughtered a lamb. His friends skinned the lamb, cut it into small pieces, and grilled it on spits. Then they sat down to eat. Automo Dong took out the bread and distributed it to everyone, and Achilles shared the mutton. Everyone was full. Priam was surprised to see the noble appearance of his master, and felt that he was really like a god. At the same time, Achilles saw Seeing the majestic appearance of the king and his extraordinary speech, he was secretly amazed. After the banquet, Priam said to Achilles: "Noble hero, please let me go to rest. I want to sleep to nourish my body.I haven't closed my eyes once since my son died in battle.Moreover, today is also the first time I drink meat! " Achilles then ordered his companions and maids to arrange a bed, with purple cushions and soft quilts, and a bed for the messenger.Achilles asked the old man friendly: "Please tell me: How many days will it take you to hold the funeral for your noble son? We will stop attacking your city during this time!" "If you will allow me to bury my son with great ceremonies," replied Priam, "give me eleven days. We are besieged, you know, and we have a long way to go outside. to the distant mountains to cut firewood. So it took us nine days to prepare. On the tenth day we buried Hector with a funeral feast, and on the eleventh we built his tomb. On the twelfth day, if unavoidable , then we can resume the war." "Well, just do as you say." Achilles replied, "I will ask the troops not to fight against you within this time limit." As he spoke, he firmly held the old man's right hand to dissuade him. Concern, and then let him go to sleep.He himself lay down on the bed in the back room and fell asleep. As they all fell asleep, the god Hermes considered how he could quietly send the king of Troy back to the city from the presence of the multitude of soldiers.Finally, he walked gently to the old man's bed and said to him: "Old king, how peacefully you sleep in the enemy's barracks. Yes, you redeemed your son with a lot of money. But when Aga When Memnon and the other Greeks know this, they will detain you and demand three times the ransom from your lay sons!" Priam was startled, and hastily awakened the messenger.Hermes himself harnessed them to the chariot, and rode with the king.Iteus drove the chariot and quietly drove out of the Greek camp with the corpse.Soon, away from the enemy's camp.