Aeneid

Virgil

Vergil. The Aeneid of Virgil. Williams, Theodore, C, translator. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1910.

  1. Forthwith Aeneas summons all who will
  2. to contest of swift arrows, and displays
  3. reward and prize. With mighty hand he rears
  4. a mast within th' arena, from the ship
  5. of good Sergestus taken; and thereto
  6. a fluttering dove by winding cord is bound
  7. for target of their shafts. Soon to the match
  8. the rival bowmen came and cast the lots
  9. into a brazen helmet. First came forth
  10. Hippocoon's number, son of Hyrtacus,
  11. by cheers applauded; Mnestheus was the next,
  12. late victor in the ship-race, Mnestheus crowned
  13. with olive-garland; next Eurytion,
  14. brother of thee, O bowman most renowned,
  15. Pandarus, breaker of the truce, who hurled
  16. his shaft upon the Achaeans, at the word
  17. the goddess gave. Acestes' Iot and name
  18. came from the helmet last, whose royal hand
  19. the deeds of youth dared even yet to try.
  20. Each then with strong arm bends his pliant bow,
  21. each from the quiver plucks a chosen shaft.
  22. First, with loud arrow whizzing from the string,
  23. the young Hippocoon with skyward aim
  24. cuts through the yielding air; and lo! his barb
  25. pierces the very wood, and makes the mast
  26. tremble; while with a fluttering, frighted wing
  27. the bird tugs hard,—and plaudits fill the sky.
  28. Boldly rose Mnestheus, and with bow full-drawn
  29. aimed both his eye and shaft aloft; but he
  30. failing, unhappy man, to bring his barb
  31. up to the dove herself, just cut the cord
  32. and broke the hempen bond, whereby her feet
  33. were captive to the tree: she, taking flight,
  34. clove through the shadowing clouds her path of air.
  35. But swiftly—for upon his waiting bow
  36. he held a shaft in rest—Eurytion
  37. invoked his brother's shade, and, marking well
  38. the dove, whose happy pinions fluttered free
  39. in vacant sky, pierced her, hard by a cloud;
  40. lifeless she fell, and left in light of heaven
  41. her spark of life, as, floating down, she bore
  42. the arrow back to earth. Acestes now
  43. remained, last rival, though the victor's palm
  44. to him was Iost; yet did the aged sire,
  45. to show his prowess and resounding bow,
  46. hurl forth one shaft in air; then suddenly
  47. all eyes beheld such wonder as portends
  48. events to be (but when fulfilment came,
  49. too late the fearful seers its warning sung):
  50. for, soaring through the stream of cloud, his shaft
  51. took fire, tracing its bright path in flame,
  52. then vanished on the wind,—as oft a star
  53. will fall unfastened from the firmament,
  54. while far behind its blazing tresses flow.
  55. Awe-struck both Trojan and Trinacrian stood,
  56. calling upon the gods. Nor came the sign
  57. in vain to great Aeneas. But his arms
  58. folded the blest Acestes to his heart,
  59. and, Ioading him with noble gifts, he cried:
  60. “Receive them, sire! The great Olympian King
  61. some peerless honor to thy name decrees
  62. by such an omen given. I offer thee
  63. this bowl with figures graven, which my sire,
  64. good gray Anchises, for proud gift received
  65. of Thracian Cisseus, for their friendship's pledge
  66. and memory evermore.” Thereon he crowned
  67. his brows with garland of the laurel green,
  68. and named Acestes victor over all.
  69. Nor could Eurytion, noble youth, think ill
  70. of honor which his own surpassed, though he,
  71. he only, pierced the bird in upper air.
  72. Next gift was his whose arrow cut the cord;
  73. last, his whose light shaft clove the lofty pine.