Iliad 21. 1-33

Iliad 21. 1-33

主題: 序曲

第21卷，Achilles 在Scamander河岸大開殺戒，許多躲在這條聖河畔草叢裡的特洛伊英雄一一被Achilles發現，Achilles也毫無慈悲心，殺人無數，血流滿河，河神終於動怒了。在第22-33行，詩人用大海豚比喻Achilles，追逐一群弱勢的小魚，這群魚就是落難的特洛伊人。

Scamander河岸佈滿的灌木林，是μυρίκη (檉柳)。
tamarisk (in Greece, Tamarix tetrandra; in Egypt, Tamarix articulata)

這植物可能不夠高大與濃密，當然也因為躲的人太多，很容易就被發現。

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0133%3Abook%3D21%3Acard%3D1

αὐτὰρ ὃ διογενὴς δόρυ μὲν λίπεν αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ ὄχθῃ

κεκλιμένον μυρίκῃσιν, ὃ δ᾽ ἔσθορε δαίμονι ἶσος

φάσγανον οἶον ἔχων, κακὰ δὲ φρεσὶ μήδετο ἔργα,

τύπτε δ᾽ ἐπιστροφάδην: τῶν δὲ στόνος ὄρνυτ᾽ ἀεικὴς

ἄορι θεινομένων, ἐρυθαίνετο δ᾽ αἵματι ὕδωρ.

ὡς δ᾽ ὑπὸ δελφῖνος μεγακήτεος ἰχθύες ἄλλοι

φεύγοντες πιμπλᾶσι μυχοὺς λιμένος εὐόρμου

δειδιότες: μάλα γάρ τε κατεσθίει ὅν κε λάβῃσιν:

ὣς Τρῶες ποταμοῖο κατὰ δεινοῖο ῥέεθρα

πτῶσσον ὑπὸ κρημνούς. ὃ δ᾽ ἐπεὶ κάμε χεῖρας ἐναίρων,

ζωοὺς ἐκ ποταμοῖο δυώδεκα λέξατο κούρους

ποινὴν Πατρόκλοιο Μενοιτιάδαο θανόντος:

τοὺς ἐξῆγε θύραζε τεθηπότας ἠΰτε νεβρούς,

δῆσε δ᾽ ὀπίσσω χεῖρας ἐϋτμήτοισιν ἱμᾶσι,

τοὺς αὐτοὶ φορέεσκον ἐπὶ στρεπτοῖσι χιτῶσι,

δῶκε δ᾽ ἑταίροισιν κατάγειν κοίλας ἐπὶ νῆας.

αὐτὰρ ὃ ἂψ ἐπόρουσε δαϊζέμεναι μενεαίνων.  (Iliad 21. 17-33)

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/iliad21.htm

Then divinely born Achilles left his spear    

beside a tamarisk bush and jumped into the stream,

like an inhuman thing, armed only with his sword,

his heart intent on killing. Turning in all directions,   

he kept on striking. The men his sword slaughtered

cried out in terror. The water turned blood red.

Just as other fish swim off from a huge dolphin

filling safe corners of some sheltered harbour,

fearful because the beast eats all it captures—

that’s how Trojans huddled then, under hanging banks,

all along the stream edge of that murderous river.     

When Achilles’ arms grew weary from the killing,

he plucked out of the river twelve young men alive,

as blood payment for the killing of Patroclus,

Menoetius’ son. He led them up onto dry land,

like stupefied fawns, tied their hands behind them,    

using belts they wore around their woven tunics,           

and gave them to his men to lead back to the ships.

Then he jumped in again, eager to keep killing.

下面圖片與資料出處: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scamander

Water, or the Fight of Achilles against Scamander and Simoeis by Auguste Couder, 1819.