Achilles Shield
Also heavily influenced by the various Archaic sites in Turkey we visited in 1988.
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| Teos |
Achilles Shield
The first thing he created was a huge and sturdy shield, all wonderfully crafted.
Around its outer edge, he fixed a triple rim glittering in the light,
attached to it a carrying strap.
The shield had five layers.
Lame Hephaestus, bent over his anvil.
Suffering from arsenic poisoning, due to the lack of tin to add to the bronze.
He was very strong and worked very hard, but unfortunately had skin cancer.
On the outer one, with his great skill he fashioned many rich designs.
There he hammered out the earth, the heavens the sea,
the untiring sun, the moon at the full, along with every constellation which crowns the heavens-
the Pleiades, the Hyades, mighty Orion, and the bear which some people call the Wain,
always circling in the same position, watching Orion,
The only stars that never bathe in the ocean stream.
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the untiring sun, the moon at the full, along with every constellation which crowns the heavens-
the Pleiades, the Hyades, mighty Orion, and the bear which some people call the Wain,
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| the first city of mortal men |
Then he created two splendid cities of mortal men.
In one, there were feasts and weddings.
By the light of blazing torches, people were leading the brides out of their homes
and through the town to loud music of the bridal song.
There were young lads dancing, whirling to the constant tunes of flutes and lyres,
while all the women stood beside their doors, staring in admiration.
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By the light of blazing torches |
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| People were leading the brides out of their houses |
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| There were young lads dancing |
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| all the women stood beside their doors, staring in admiration |
Then the people gathered in the assembly, for a dispute had taken place.
Two men were arguing about blood money owed for a murdered man.
One claimed he'd paid in full, setting out his case before the people,
but the other was refusing any compensation.
Both were keen to get a judgment from the arbitration.
The crowd there cheered them on,
some supporting one, some the other,
while heralds kept the throng controlled.
Meanwhile, elders were sitting there on polished stones in the sacred circle,
holding in their hands the staffs they'd taken from the clear voiced heralds.
With those they'd stand up there and render judgment, each in his turn.
In the centre lay two golden talents,
to be awarded to the one among them all
who delivered the most righteous verdict.
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The crowd there cheered them on,
some supporting one, some the other,
while heralds kept the throng controlled.
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Meanwhile, elders were sitting there on polished stones in the sacred circle,
holding in their hands the staffs they'd taken from the clear voiced heralds.
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In the centre lay two golden talents, to be awarded to the one among them all
who delivered the most righteous verdict.
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The second city was surrounded by two armies,
soldiers with gleaming weapons.
They were discussing two alternatives, each one pleasing some of them-
whether to attack that city and plunder it,
or to accept as payment half of all the goods in that fair town.
But those under siege who disagreed were arming for a secret ambush.
Their dear wives and children stood up on the walls as a defence,
along with those too old to fight.
The rest were leaving,
led by Pallas Athena and Ares, both made of gold,
dressed in golden clothes, large, beautiful and armed-
as is suitable for the gods.
They stood out above the smaller people with them.
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The second city was surrounded by two armies,
soldiers with gleaming weapons.
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They were discussing two alternatives, each one pleasing some of them-
whether to attack that city and plunder it,
or to accept as payment half of all the goods in that fair town.
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Their dear wives and children along with those too old to fight stood up on the walls as a defence.
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The rest were leaving,
led by Pallas Athena and Ares, both made of gold,
dressed in golden clothes, large, beautiful and armed-
as is suitable for the gods.
They stood out above the smaller people with them.
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| smaller person |
When the soldiers reached a spot which seemed alright for ambush,
a place beside a river where the cattle came to drink,
they stopped there covered in shining bronze.
Two scouts were stationed some distance from that army,
waiting to catch sight of sheep and short horned cattle.
These soon appeared, followed by two herdsmen playing their flutes and not anticipating any danger.
But those lying in ambush saw them and rushed out,
quickly cutting off the herds of cattle and fine flocks of white fleeced sheep,
Killing the herdsmen with them.
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The soldiers reached a spot which seemed alright for an ambush  |
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| a place beside the river where the cattle came to drink |
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Two scouts were stationed some distance from that army,
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waiting to catch sight of sheep and short horned cattle.
These soon appeared, followed by two herdsmen playing their flutes and not anticipating any danger.
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When the besiegers sitting in their meeting place
heard the great commotion coming from the cattle,
they quickly climbed up behind their prancing horses and set out.
They soon caught up with those attackers.
Then they organized themselves for battle and fought along the river banks,
men hitting one another with bronze tipped spears.
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When the besiegers sitting in their meeting place
heard the great commotion coming from the cattle,
they quickly climbed up behind their prancing horses and set out.
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they soon caught up with those attackers
and fought along the river banks
Larger drawing unavailable at present
Strife and Confusion joined the fight, along with cruel Death,
who seized one wounded man while still alive
and then another man without a wound,
while pulling the feet of one more corpse out from the fight.
The clothes Death wore around her shoulders were dyed red with human blood
They even joined the slaughter as living mortals,
fighting there and hauling off the bodies of dead men
which each of them had killed.
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Strife and Confusion joined the fight, along with cruel Death
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The clothes Death wore around her shoulders were dyed red with human blood
A soft and fallow field
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On that shield Hephaestus next set a soft and fallow field,
fertile spacious farmland, which had been ploughed three times
Many labourers were wheeling ploughs across it,
moving back and forth.
As they reached the fields edge, they turned,
and a man came up to offer them a cup of wine as sweet as honey.
Then they'd turn back, down the furrow,
eager to move through that deep soil and reach the fields edge once again.
The land behind them was black,
looking as though it had just been ploughed,
though it was made of gold-an amazing piece of work!
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Then he pictured on the shield a kings landed estate,
where harvesters were reaping corn, using sharp sickles.
Armfuls of corn were falling on the ground in rows, one after the other.
binders were tying them up in sheaves with twisted straw.
Three binders stood there.
Behind the reapers, boys were gathering the crop,
bringing it to sheaf-binders, keeping them occupied.
Among them stood the king
saying nothing, but with pleasure in his heart.
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| saying nothing, but with pleasure in his heart. |
Some distance off, under an oak tree, heralds were setting up a feast,
dressing a huge ox which they'd just killed.
Women were sprinkling white barley on the meat
in large amounts for the workers meal.
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| heralds were setting up a feast |
Next, Hephaestus placed on that shield a vineyard,
full of grapes made of splendid gold.
The grapes were black, the poles supporting vines throughout were silver.
Around it, he made a ditch of blue enamel,
around that, a fence of tin.
A single path led in,
where the grape pickers came and went at harvest time.
Young girls and carefree lads with wicker baskets
were carrying off the crop as sweet as honey.
In the middle of them all, a boy with a clear toned lyre played pleasant music,
singing the Song of Linos,
in his delicate fine voice.
His comrades kept time,
beating the ground behind him, singing and dancing.
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The grapes were black, the poles supporting vines throughout were silver. |
*
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Young girls and carefree lads with wicker baskets
were carrying off the crop as sweet as honey.
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a boy with a clear toned lyre played pleasant music,
singing the song of Linos.
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A single path led in,
where the grape pickers came and went at harvest time.
Young girls and carefree lads with wicker baskets
were carrying off the crop as sweet as honey.
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*
Then he set on the shield a herd of straight horned cattle,
with cows crafted out of gold and tin.
They were lowing as they hurried out from farm to pasture land,
beside a rippling river lined with waving reeds.
the herdsmen walking with the cattle, four of them,
were also made of gold.
Nine swift footed dogs ran on behind.
But there at the front of the herd,
two fearful lions had seized a bellowing bull.
They were dragging him off as he roared aloud.
The dogs and young men were chasing after them.
The lions, after ripping open the great ox's hide,
were gorging on its entrails, on its black blood,
as herdsmen kept trying in vain to chase them off,
setting their swift dogs on them.
But, fearing the lions,
the dogs kept turning back before they nipped them,
and stood there barking, close by but out of reach.
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| the herdsmen with the cattle, four of them |
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| nine swift footed dogs ran on behind |
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| * |
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| two lions had seized a bellowing bull |
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gorging on its entrails |
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Then the famous crippled god created there a pasture
in a lovely valley bottom, an open ground
for white-fleeced sheep, sheep folds, roofed huts and pens.
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Next on that shield, the celebrated lame god made an elaborately crafted dancing floor,
like the one Daedalus created long ago in spacious Cnossus,
for Ariadne with the lovely hair.
On that floor,
young men and women whose bride price would require many cattle
were dancing, holding onto one another by the wrists.
The girls wore fine linen dresses,
the men lightly rubbed with oil wore woven tunics.
on their heads the girls had lovely flower garlands.
The men were carrying golden daggers on silver straps.
They turned with such a graceful ease on skillful feet,
just as a potter sits with a wheel between his hands,
testing it, to make sure it runs smoothly.
then they would line up and run towards each other.
A large crowd stood around enjoying the dancing magic,
as in the middle two acrobats led on the dance,
springing, and whirling and tumbling.
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Then they would line up and run towards each other.
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A large crowd stood around enjoying the dancing magic
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springing, and whirling and tumbling
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*
On that shield,
Hephaestus then depicted Ocean, the mighty river,
flowing all around the outer edge.
The more I return to this blog, the more I realise I want to add to this subject. It contains pretty well all of life's story within.
There are also at least a dozen more illustrations 150 miles away, which will find their way online
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