主題:收割人
Iliad 11.67-90
兩軍作戰，雙方皆聲勢壯大，場面像甚麼? 荷馬史詩用一段比喻，像是一個有錢人擁有一大片的大面田與小麥田，收割的人面對面，一路砍下去，就看見一排排的倒下。多麼無情，不長眼的大刀！
試問，誰是拿著鐮刀的收割人(ἀμητήρ reaper)?
這比喻之後，史詩的鏡頭轉到眾神，高高在奧林比亞山，似乎隔岸觀火。只有紛爭女神，樂見雙方爭鬧不停。原來，揮動戰火刀，恣意廝殺的是人爭奪的心。
希臘文本引用出處:
οἳ δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ἀμητῆρες ἐναντίοι ἀλλήλοισιν
ὄγμον ἐλαύνωσιν ἀνδρὸς μάκαρος κατ᾽ ἄρουραν
πυρῶν ἢ κριθῶν: τὰ δὲ δράγματα ταρφέα πίπτει:
ὣς Τρῶες καὶ Ἀχαιοὶ ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλοισι θορόντες
δῄουν, οὐδ᾽ ἕτεροι μνώοντ᾽ ὀλοοῖο φόβοιο.
ἴσας δ᾽ ὑσμίνη κεφαλὰς ἔχεν, οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
θῦνον: Ἔρις δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔχαιρε πολύστονος εἰσορόωσα:
οἴη γάρ ῥα θεῶν παρετύγχανε μαρναμένοισιν,
οἳ δ᾽ ἄλλοι οὔ σφιν πάρεσαν θεοί, ἀλλὰ ἕκηλοι
σφοῖσιν ἐνὶ μεγάροισι καθήατο, ἧχι ἑκάστῳ
δώματα καλὰ τέτυκτο κατὰ πτύχας Οὐλύμποιο. (Iliad
11. 67-77)
Then, just as reapers work in some rich man’s
fields,
arranged in rows facing each other, cutting the
crop,
wheat or barley, scything handfuls thick and fast,
that’s how Trojans and Achaeans went at each
other,
slicing men down. No one thought of lethal flight.
The sides were matched in fury equally—they fought
like wolves ripping at each other. Looking on,
Strife,
goddess who brings much sorrow, was delighted.
She was the only god present at this battle.
The others were far off, sitting at their ease,
in their own homes on many-ridged Olympus,
where a fine house had been built for each of
them.
