Classic Poem

From thence his way the Trojan hero bent,
Into a grassy plain with mountains pent,
Whose brows were shaded with surrounding wood;
Full in the midst of this fair valley stood
A native theatre, which rising slow
By just degrees, o'erlooked the ground below.
A numerous train attend in solemn state;
High on the new-raised turf their leader sate.
Here those who in the rapid race delight
Desire of honour and the prize invite;
The Trojans and Sicilians mingled stand
With Nisus and Euryalus, the foremost of the band:
Euryalus with youth and beauty crowned,
Nisus for friendship to the boy renowned.
Diores next, of Priam's regal race,
Then Salius, joined with Patron, took his place:
But from Epirus one derived his birth,
The other owed it to Arcadian earth.
Then two Sicilian youths; the name of this
Was Helimus, of that was Panopes:
Two jolly huntsmen in the forest bred,
And owning old Acestes for their head;
With many others of obscurer name
Whom time has not delivered o'er to fame.
To these Aeneas in the midst arose,
And pleasingly did thus his mind expose:
‘Not one of you shall unrewarded go;
On each I will two Cretan spears bestow,
Pointed with polished steel; a battle-axe too,
With silver studded; these in common share,
The foremost three shall olive garlands wear;
The victor who shall first the race obtain
Shall for his prize a well-breathed courser gain,
Adorned with trappings; to the next in fame
The quiver of an Amazonian dame,
With feathered Thracian arrows well supplied,
Hung on a golden belt, and with a jewel tied;
The third this Grecian helmet must content.’
He said. To their appointed base they went,
With beating hearts th' expected sign receive,
And starting all at once, the station leave.
Spread out as on the wings of winds they flew,
And seized the distant goal with eager view;
Shot from the crowd, swift Nisus all o'erpassed,
Not storms nor thunder equal half his haste:
The next, but though the next yet far disjoined,
Came Salius; then, a distant space behind,
Euryalus the third;
Next Helymus, whom young Diores plied,
Step after step, and almost side by side,
His shoulders pressing, and in longer space
Had won, or left at least a doubtful race.
Now spent, the goal they almost reach at last,
When eager Nisus, hapless in his haste,
Slipped first, and slipping fell upon the plain,
Moist with the blood of oxen lately slain;
The careless victor had not marked his way,
But treading where the treacherous puddle lay
His heels flew up, and on the grassy floor
He fell, besmeared with filth and holy gore.
Nor mindless then Euryalus of thee,
Nor of the sacred bonds of amity,
He strove th' immediate rival to oppose,
And caught the foot of Salius as he rose;
So Salius lay extended on the plain:
Euryalus springs out the prize to gain,
And cuts the crowd; applauding peals attend
The conqueror to the goal, who conquered through his friend.
Next Helymus, and then Diores came,
By two misfortunes now the third in fame;
But Salius enters, and exclaiming loud
For justice, deafens and disturbs the crowd,
Urges his cause may in the court be heard,
And pleads the prize is wrongfully conferred.
But favour for Euryalus appears,
His blooming beauty and his graceful tears
Had bribed the judges to protect his claim:
Besides, Diores does as loud exclaim,
Who vainly reaches at the last reward
If the first palm on Salius be conferred.
Then thus the Prince: ‘Let no disputes arise;
Where Fortune placed it, I award the prize.
But give me leave her errors to amend,
At least to pity a deserving friend.’
Thus having said,
A lion's hide, amazing to behold,
Pond'rous with bristles and with paws of gold
He gave the youth, which Nisus grieved to view.
‘If such rewards to vanquished men are due,’
Said he, ‘and falling is to rise by you,
What prize may Nisus from your bounty claim,
Who merited the first rewards and fame?
In falling, both did equal fortune try;
Would fortune make me fall as happily!’
With this he pointed to his face, and showed
His hands and body all besmeared with blood.
Th' indulgent father of the people smiled,
And caused to be produced a massy shield
Of wondrous art, by Didymaon wrought,
Long since from Neptune's bars in triumph brought.
With this the graceful youth he gratified,
Then the remaining presents did divide.