The Iliad: Book 3 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFAGHIJKLMKCNOEP FQRKKAOOSTOUVWCXTFXX KOYXKCOKKKXOXOZOKA2B 2C2TD2XCKA2VKKOKTCE2 F2XA2G2XEUH2ODOI2KTO SJ2K2SQOSJ2A2HL2YXXX XM2OOXOTON2TXA2A2OMM 2TXA2OEWhen the companies were thus arrayed each under its own captain | A |
the Trojans advanced as a flight of wild fowl or cranes that scream | B |
overhead when rain and winter drive them over the flowing waters of | C |
Oceanus to bring death and destruction on the Pygmies and they | D |
wrangle in the air as they fly but the Achaeans marched silently | E |
in high heart and minded to stand by one another | F |
As when the south wind spreads a curtain of mist upon the mountain | A |
tops bad for shepherds but better than night for thieves and a man | G |
can see no further than he can throw a stone even so rose the dust | H |
from under their feet as they made all speed over the plain | I |
When they were close up with one another Alexandrus came forward as | J |
champion on the Trojan side On his shoulders he bore the skin of a | K |
panther his bow and his sword and he brandished two spears shod | L |
with bronze as a challenge to the bravest of the Achaeans to meet | M |
him in single fight Menelaus saw him thus stride out before the | K |
ranks and was glad as a hungry lion that lights on the carcase of | C |
some goat or horned stag and devours it there and then though dogs | N |
and youths set upon him Even thus was Menelaus glad when his eyes | O |
caught sight of Alexandrus for he deemed that now he should be | E |
revenged He sprang therefore from his chariot clad in his suit | P |
of armour | F |
Alexandrus quailed as he saw Menelaus come forward and shrank in | Q |
fear of his life under cover of his men As one who starts back | R |
affrighted trembling and pale when he comes suddenly upon a | K |
serpent in some mountain glade even so did Alexandrus plunge into the | K |
throng of Trojan warriors terror stricken at the sight of the son | A |
Atreus | O |
Then Hector upbraided him Paris said he evil hearted Paris | O |
fair to see but woman mad and false of tongue would that you had | S |
never been born or that you had died unwed Better so than live to | T |
be disgraced and looked askance at Will not the Achaeans mock at us | O |
and say that we have sent one to champion us who is fair to see but | U |
who has neither wit nor courage Did you not such as you are get | V |
your following together and sail beyond the seas Did you not from | W |
your a far country carry off a lovely woman wedded among a people of | C |
warriors to bring sorrow upon your father your city and your | X |
whole country but joy to your enemies and hang dog shamefacedness to | T |
yourself And now can you not dare face Menelaus and learn what manner | F |
of man he is whose wife you have stolen Where indeed would be your | X |
lyre and your love tricks your comely locks and your fair favour | X |
when you were lying in the dust before him The Trojans are a | K |
weak kneed people or ere this you would have had a shirt of stones | O |
for the wrongs you have done them | Y |
And Alexandrus answered Hector your rebuke is just You are | X |
hard as the axe which a shipwright wields at his work and cleaves the | K |
timber to his liking As the axe in his hand so keen is the edge of | C |
your scorn Still taunt me not with the gifts that golden Venus has | O |
given me they are precious let not a man disdain them for the | K |
gods give them where they are minded and none can have them for the | K |
asking If you would have me do battle with Menelaus bid the | K |
Trojans and Achaeans take their seats while he and I fight in their | X |
midst for Helen and all her wealth Let him who shall be victorious | O |
and prove to be the better man take the woman and all she has to bear | X |
them to his home but let the rest swear to a solemn covenant of peace | O |
whereby you Trojans shall stay here in Troy while the others go | Z |
home to Argos and the land of the Achaeans | O |
When Hector heard this he was glad and went about among the | K |
Trojan ranks holding his spear by the middle to keep them back and | A2 |
they all sat down at his bidding but the Achaeans still aimed at | B2 |
him with stones and arrows till Agamemnon shouted to them saying | C2 |
Hold Argives shoot not sons of the Achaeans Hector desires to | T |
speak | D2 |
They ceased taking aim and were still whereon Hector spoke Hear | X |
from my mouth said he Trojans and Achaeans the saying of | C |
Alexandrus through whom this quarrel has come about He bids the | K |
Trojans and Achaeans lay their armour upon the ground while he and | A2 |
Menelaus fight in the midst of you for Helen and all her wealth Let | V |
him who shall be victorious and prove to be the better man take the | K |
woman and all she has to bear them to his own home but let the | K |
rest swear to a solemn covenant of peace | O |
Thus he spoke and they all held their peace till Menelaus of the | K |
loud battle cry addressed them And now he said hear me too | T |
for it is I who am the most aggrieved I deem that the parting of | C |
Achaeans and Trojans is at hand as well it may be seeing how much | E2 |
have suffered for my quarrel with Alexandrus and the wrong he did | F2 |
me Let him who shall die die and let the others fight no more | X |
Bring then two lambs a white ram and a black ewe for Earth and | A2 |
Sun and we will bring a third for Jove Moreover you shall bid Priam | G2 |
come that he may swear to the covenant himself for his sons are | X |
high handed and ill to trust and the oaths of Jove must not be | E |
transgressed or taken in vain Young men's minds are light as air but | U |
when an old man comes he looks before and after deeming that which | H2 |
shall be fairest upon both sides | O |
The Trojans and Achaeans were glad when they heard this for they | D |
thought that they should now have rest They backed their chariots | O |
toward the ranks got out of them and put off their armour laying it | I2 |
down upon the ground and the hosts were near to one another with a | K |
little space between them Hector sent two messengers to the city to | T |
bring the lambs and to bid Priam come while Agamemnon told Talthybius | O |
to fetch the other lamb from the ships and he did as Agamemnon had | S |
said | J2 |
Meanwhile Iris went to Helen in the form of her sister in law | K2 |
wife of the son of Antenor for Helicaon son of Antenor had | S |
married Laodice the fairest of Priam's daughters She found her in | Q |
her own room working at a great web of purple linen on which she was | O |
embroidering the battles between Trojans and Achaeans that Mars had | S |
made them fight for her sake Iris then came close up to her and said | J2 |
Come hither child and see the strange doings of the Trojans and | A2 |
Achaeans till now they have been warring upon the plain mad with lust | H |
of battle but now they have left off fighting and are leaning upon | L2 |
their shields sitting still with their spears planted beside them | Y |
Alexandrus and Menelaus are going to fight about yourself and you are | X |
to the the wife of him who is the victor | X |
Thus spoke the goddess and Helen's heart yearned after her former | X |
husband her city and her parents She threw a white mantle over | X |
her head and hurried from her room weeping as she went not alone | M2 |
but attended by two of her handmaids Aethrae daughter of Pittheus | O |
and Clymene And straightway they were at the Scaean gates | O |
The two sages Ucalegon and Antenor elders of the people were | X |
seated by the Scaean gates with Priam Panthous Thymoetes Lampus | O |
Clytius and Hiketaon of the race of Mars These were too old to | T |
fight but they were fluent orators and sat on the tower like cicales | O |
that chirrup delicately from the boughs of some high tree in a wood | N2 |
When they saw Helen coming towards the tower they said softly to | T |
one another Small wonder that Trojans and Achaeans should endure | X |
so much and so long for the sake of a woman so marvellously and | A2 |
divinely lovely Still fair though she be let them take her and | A2 |
go or she will breed sorrow for us and for our children after us | O |
But Priam bade her draw nigh My child said he take your seat | M |
in front of me that you may see your former husband your kinsmen | M2 |
and your friends I lay no blame upon you it is the gods not you who | T |
are to blame It is they that have brought about this terrible war | X |
with the Achaeans Tell me then who is yonder huge hero so great and | A2 |
goodly I have seen men taller by a head but none so comely and so | O |
royal Surely he must be | E |
Homer
(1)
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