Classic Poem

Whom when I saw, assembled in such wise,
So desperately the battle to desire,
Then furthermore thus said I unto them:
"O ye young men, of courage stout in vain,
For nought ye strive to save the burning town.
What cruel fortune hath betid, ye see:
The gods out of the temples all are fled,
Through whose might long this empire was maintain'd:
Their altars eke are left both waste and void.
But if your will be bent with me to prove
That uttermost that now may us befall,
Then let us die, and run amid our foes:
To vanquisht folk, despair is only hope.'
With this the young men's courage did increase,
And through the dark, like to the ravening wolves
Whom raging fury of their empty maws
Drives from their den, leaving with hungry throats
Their whelps behind, among our foes we ran,
Upon their swords, unto apparent death;
Holding alway the chief street of the town,
Cover'd with the close shadows of the night.
Who can express the slaughter of that night,
Or tell the number of the corpses slain,
Or can in tears bewail them worthily?
The ancient famous city falleth down
That many years did hold such seignory.
With senseless bodies every street is spread,
Each palace, and sacred porch of the gods.
Nor yet alone the Troyan blood was shed.
Manhood ofttimes into the vanquisht breast
Returns, whereby some victors Greeks are slain.
Cruel complaints and terror everywhere,
And plenty of grisly pictures of death.
And, first with us Androgeus there met,
Fellowed with a swarming rout of Greeks,
Deeming us, unware, of that fellowship,
With friendly words whom thus he call'd unto:
"Haste ye, my friends! what sloth hath tarried you?
Your feres now sack and spoil the burning Troy:
From the tall ships were ye but newly come?'
When he had said, and heard no answer made
To him again, whereto he might give trust,
Finding himself chanced amid his foes,
Mazed he withdrew his foot back with his word.
Like him that wandering in the bushes thick
Treads on the adder with his reckless foot,
Reared for wrath, swelling her speckled neck,
Dismay'd, gives back all suddenly for fear:
Androgeus so, fear'd of that sight, stept back,
And we gan rush amid the thickest rout;
When, here and there we did them overthrow,
Stricken with dread, unskilful of the place.
Our first labour thus lucked well with us.
Chorebus then, encouraged by this chance,
Rejoicing said: "Hold forth the way of health,
My feres, that hap and manhood hath us taught.
Change we our shields; the Greeks' arms do we on.
Craft or manhood with foes what recks it which:
The slain to us their armour they shall yield.'
And with that word Androgeus' crested helm
And the rich arms of his shield did he on;
A Greekish sword he girded by his side.
Like gladly Dimas and Rhipeus did:
The whole youth gan them clad in the new spoils.
Mingled with Greeks, for no good luck to us,
We went, and gave many onsets that night,
And many a Greek we sent to Pluto's court.
Other there fled and hasted to their ships,
And to their coasts of safeguard ran again.
And some there were for shameful cowardry,
Clamb up again unto the hugy horse,
And did them hide in his well knowen womb.
Ay me! bootless it is for any wight
To hope on aught against will of the gods.
Lo, where Cassandra, Priam's daughter dear,
From Pallas' church was drawn with sparkled tress,
Lifting in vain her flaming eyen to heaven!
Her eyen, for fast her tender wrists were bound.
Which sight Chorebus raging could not bear,
Reckless of death, but thrust amid the throng;
And after we through thickest of the swords.
Here were we first ybatter'd with the darts
Of our own feres, from the high temples' top;
Whereby of us great slaughter did ensue,
Mistaken by our Greekish arms and crests.
Then flockt the Greeks moved with wrath and ire
Of the virgin from them so rescued:
The fell Ajax, and either Atrides,
And the great band cleped the Dolopes.
As wrestling winds out of dispersed whirl
Befight themselves, the west with southern blast,
And gladsome east proud of Aurora's horse;
The woods do whiz and foamy Nereus
Raging in fury with three-forked mace
From bottom's depth doth welter up the seas:
So came the Greeks.