Iliad 16.569-683

主題: 面目全非的屍體

Iliad 16. 569-683

 戰場上，兩軍廝殺，但也有一些唇槍舌戰的插曲，在戰火綿延裡，這些看似激烈的對話，倒顯得荒謬。穿插幾段一對一的對打，但，顯然進入僵局，此時史詩的敘述焦點轉到Sarpedon面目全非的屍體 (Iliad 16. 632ff)，躺在戰場的屍體已難以分辨，甚至最聰明的人都看不出來 (Iliad 16. 638-40)。出現兩組比喻，第一組是山中的伐木，大聲作響，穿過整片森林，樹倒，正象徵眾英雄一一倒地；第二組，春天農場，一群蒼蠅撲向豐收的奶 (不一定是牛奶，可以是任何動物的奶)，說明Sarpedon腐敗的屍體，和流出的鮮血，引來眾多蟲。這組比喻，對照田園景觀和血流滿地的戰場，鮮明、也反諷。戰亂中Sarpedon的屍體被弄得面目全非，但是，後來Patroclus的屍首會被分解，而Hector的屍體還被凌虐，說明戰爭拖越久，手段越殘忍，卻失去人性。宙斯派阿波羅移走Sarpedon的遺體，擦去污血，抹上油膏，穿上不朽的衣袍，睡神與死神送回故土，立墓碑，享有一位英雄之死應有的尊榮 (Iliad 15.656-675)。

終究，荷馬史詩打破僵局，達到一暫時的緩和: 希臘大軍奪走Sarpedon的盔甲，但眷顧愛子的宙斯，救走Sarpedon的屍體。 宙斯開始思考，他絕對不會饒過殺他愛子的Patroclus，他想的是「何時」對付這兇手。表面上，宙斯助Patroclus旗開得勝，但卻一步步帶他走向死亡；遠離戰場，在船上等待的Achilles不知道戰爭前線發生的事，如果他知道，會勸Patroclus不要一職向前衝? Patroclus會聽他的勸告嗎?

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0133%3Abook%3D16%3Acard%3D619 ὣς εἰπὼν ὃ μὲν ἦρχ᾽, ὃ δ᾽ ἅμ᾽ ἕσπετο ἰσόθεος φώς. τῶν δ᾽ ὥς τε δρυτόμων ἀνδρῶν ὀρυμαγδὸς ὀρώρει οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃς, ἕκαθεν δέ τε γίγνετ᾽ ἀκουή, ὣς τῶν ὄρνυτο δοῦπος ἀπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης χαλκοῦ τε ῥινοῦ τε βοῶν τ᾽ εὐποιητάων, νυσσομένων ξίφεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισιν. οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἔτι φράδμων περ ἀνὴρ Σαρπηδόνα δῖον ἔγνω, ἐπεὶ βελέεσσι καὶ αἵματι καὶ κονίῃσιν ἐκ κεφαλῆς εἴλυτο διαμπερὲς ἐς πόδας ἄκρους. οἳ δ᾽ αἰεὶ περὶ νεκρὸν ὁμίλεον, ὡς ὅτε μυῖαι σταθμῷ ἔνι βρομέωσι περιγλαγέας κατὰ πέλλας ὥρῃ ἐν εἰαρινῇ, ὅτε τε γλάγος ἄγγεα δεύει: ὣς ἄρα τοὶ περὶ νεκρὸν ὁμίλεον, οὐδέ ποτε Ζεὺς τρέψεν ἀπὸ κρατερῆς ὑσμίνης ὄσσε φαεινώ, ἀλλὰ κατ᾽ αὐτοὺς αἰὲν ὅρα καὶ φράζετο θυμῷ, πολλὰ μάλ᾽ ἀμφὶ φόνῳ Πατρόκλου μερμηρίζων, ἢ ἤδη καὶ κεῖνον ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ ἀντιθέῳ Σαρπηδόνι φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ χαλκῷ δῃώσῃ, ἀπό τ᾽ ὤμων τεύχε᾽ ἕληται, ἦ ἔτι καὶ πλεόνεσσιν ὀφέλλειεν πόνον αἰπύν. (Iliad 16.632-651) http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/iliad16.htm Saying this, Patroclus led off, and Meriones, that godlike man, went too. Then the turmoil started— just like the din woodcutters make in mountain forests,  a noise heard far away—that’s how it sounded then, the clamour rising from the widely travelled earth, a clash of bronze and leather, well-made ox-hide shields, as they fought there with two-edged spears and swords. Not even a man who knew Sarpedon very well could recognize him then, covered with blood and dirt and weapons, from the soles of his feet up to his head.   For men were swarming round the corpse like farmyard flies clustering by buckets full of milk in springtime, when milk overflows the pails—that how those warriors buzzed around Sarpedon then.                               Zeus’ bright eyes never once glanced from that brutal combat, gazing down and thinking in his heart of many different things about how lord Patroclus ought to meet his death, wondering whether glorious Hector should cut him down  with his bronze in that bitter fighting there over godlike Sarpedon and then strip the armour from his shoulders, or whether he should multiply grim misery for still more men. 字彙 Δρυτόμος: wood-cutter ἄκρος: at the farthest point μυῖα: fly περιγλαγής: full of milk

以下圖片與資料出處: http://genius.com/2696078

以下圖片與資料出處: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sleep_and_Death_Carrying_off_the_Slain_Sarpedon_(cista_handle),_400-380_BC,_Etruscan,_bronze_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC08260.JPG

Sleep and Death Carrying off the Slain Sarpedon (cista handle), 400-380 BC, Etruscan, bronze - Cleveland Museum of Art