介绍:
Jove sends a lying dream to Agamemnon, who thereon calls the
chiefs in assembly, and proposes to sound the mind of his
army--In the end they march to fight--Catalogue of the
Achaean and Trojan forces.
Now the other gods and the armed warriors on the plain slept soundly,
but Jove was wakeful, for he was thinking how to do honour to Achilles,
and destroyed much people at the ships of the Achaeans. In the end he
deemed it would be best to send a lying dream to King Agamemnon; so he
called one to him and said to it, "Lying Dream, go to the ships of the
Achaeans, into the tent of Agamemnon, and say to him word for word as I
now bid you. Tell him to get the Achaeans instantly under arms, for he
shall take Troy. There are no longer divided counsels among the gods;
Juno has brought them to her own mind, and woe betides the Trojans."
The dream went when it had heard its message, and soon reached the
ships of the Achaeans. It sought Agamemnon son of Atreus and found him
in his tent, wrapped in a profound slumber. It hovered over his head in
the likeness of Nestor, son of Neleus, whom Agamemnon honoured above
all his councillors, and said:--
"You are sleeping, son of Atreus; one who has the welfare of his host
and so much other care upon his shoulders should dock his sleep. Hear
me at once, for I come as a messenger from Jove, who, though he be not
near, yet takes thought for you and pities you. He bids you get the
Achaeans instantly under arms, for you shall take Troy. There are no
longer divided counsels among the gods; Juno has brought them over to
her own mind, and woe betides the Trojans at the hands of Jove.
Remember this, and when you wake see that it does not escape you."
The dream then left him, and he thought of things that were, surely not
to be accomplished. He thought that on that same day he was to take the
city of Priam, but he little knew what was in the mind of Jove, who had
many another hard-fought fight in store alike for Danaans and Trojans.
Then presently he woke, with the divine message still ringing in his
ears; so he sat upright, and put on his soft shirt so fair and new, and
over this his heavy cloak. He bound his sandals on to his comely feet,
and slung his silver-studded sword about his shoulders; then he took
the imperishable staff of his father, and sallied forth to the ships of
the Achaeans.
The goddess Dawn now wended her way to vast Olympus that she might
herald day to Jove and to the other immortals, and Agamemnon sent the
criers round to call the people in assembly; so they called them and
the people gathered thereon. But first he summoned a meeting of the
elders at the ship of Nestor king of Pylos, and when they were
assembled he laid a cunning counsel before them.
"My friends," said he, "I have had a dream from heaven in the dead of
night, and its face and figure resembled none but Nestor's. It hovered
over my head and said, 'You are sleeping, son of Atreus; one who has
the welfare of his host and so much other care upon his shoulders
should dock his sleep. Hear me at once, for I am a messenger from Jove,
who, though he be not near, yet takes thought for you and pities you.
He bids you get the Achaeans instantly under arms, for you shall take
Troy. There are no longer divided counsels among the gods; Juno has
brought them over to her own mind, and woe betides the Trojans at the
hands of Jove. Remember this.' The dream then vanished and I awoke. Let
us now, therefore, arm the sons of the Achaeans. But it will be well
that I should first sound them, and to this end I will tell them to fly
with their ships; but do you others go about among the host and prevent
their doing so."
He then sat down, and Nestor the prince of Pylos with all sincerity and
goodwill addressed them thus: "My friends," said he, "princes and
councillors of the Argives, if any other man of the Achaeans had told
us of this dream we should have declared it false, and would have had
nothing to do with it. But he who has seen it is the foremost man among
us; we must therefore set about getting the people under arms."
With this he led the way from the assembly, and the other sceptred
kings rose with him in obedience to the word of Agamemnon; but the
people pressed forward to hear. They swarmed like bees that sally from
some hollow cave and flit in countless throng among the spring flowers,
bunched in knots and clusters; even so did the mighty multitude pour
from ships and tents to the assembly, and range themselves upon the
wide-watered shore, while among them ran Wildfire Rumour, messenger of
Jove, urging them ever to the fore. Thus they gathered in a pell-mell
of mad confusion, and the earth groaned under the tramp of men as the
people sought their places. Nine heralds went crying about among them
to stay their tumult and bid them listen to the kings, till at last
they were got into their several places and ceased their clamour. Then
King Agamemnon rose, holding his sceptre. This was the work of Vulcan,
who gave it to Jove the son of Saturn. Jove gave it to Mercury, slayer
of Argus, guide and guardian. King Mercury gave it to Pelops, the
mighty charioteer, and Pelops to Atreus, shepherd of his people.
Atreus, when he died, left it to Thyestes, rich in flocks, and Thyestes
in his turn left it to be borne by Agamemnon, that he might be lord of
all Argos and of the isles. Leaning, then, on his sceptre, he addressed
the Argives.
"My friends," he said, "heroes, servants of Mars, the hand of heaven
has been laid heavily upon me. Cruel Jove gave me his solemn promise
that I should sack the city of Priam before returning, but he has
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