work_id,theme,provenance,created_at,text,reviewed_on,id,comments,metaphor,dictionary,updated_at,context
4209,"",HDIS,2003-10-26 00:00:00 UTC,"A Flood of Tears, at this, the Goddess shed:
Ah then, I see thee dying, see thee dead!
When Hector falls, thou dy'st.--Let Hector die,
And let me fall! ( Achilles made reply)
Far lyes Patroclus from his native plain!
He fell, and falling wish'd my Aid in vain.
Ah then, since from this miserable Day
I cast all hope of my Return away,
Since unreveng'd, a hundred Ghosts demand
The Fate of Hector from Achilles' hand;
Since here, for brutal Courage far renown'd,
I live an idle Burden to the Ground,
(Others in Council fam'd for nobler Skill,
More useful to preserve, than I to kill)
Let me--But oh! ye gracious Pow'rs above!
Wrath and Revenge from Men and Gods remove:
Far, far too dear to ev'ry mortal Breast,
Sweet to the Soul, as Hony to the Taste;
Gath'ring like Vapours of a noxious kind
From fiery Blood, and dark'ning all the Mind.
Me Agamemnon urg'd to deadly Hate;
'Tis past--I quell it; I resign to Fate.
Yes--I will meet the Murd'rer of my Friend,
Or (if the Gods ordain it) meet my End.
The Stroke of Fate the bravest cannot shun:
The great Alcides ,Jove 's unequal'd Son,
To Juno 's Hate at length resign'd his Breath,
And sunk the Victim of all-conqu'ring Death.
So shall Achilles fall! stretch'd pale and dead,
No more the Grecian Hope, or Trojan Dread!
Let me, this instant, rush into the Fields,
And reap what Glory Life's short Harvest yields.
Shall I not force some widow'd Dame to tear
With frantic Hands, her long dishevell'd Hair?
Shall I not force her Breast to heave with Sighs,
And the soft Tears to trickle from her Eyes?
Yes, I shall give the Fair those mournful Charms--
In vain you hold me--Hence! my Arms, my Arms
Soon shall the sanguine Torrent spread so wide,
That all shall know, Achilles swells the Tide.
",2004-07-12,10932,"","""Far, far too dear to ev'ry mortal Breast, / Sweet to the Soul, as Hony to the Taste; / Gath'ring like Vapours of a noxious kind / From fiery Blood, and dark'ning all the Mind.""","",2009-09-14 19:35:24 UTC,""
4209,"",HDIS,2003-10-26 00:00:00 UTC,"Then drops the radiant Burden on the Ground;
Clang the strong Arms, and ring the Shores around:
Back shrink the Myrmidons with dread Surprize,
And from the broad Effulgence turn their Eyes.
Unmov'd, the Hero kindles at the Show,
And feels with Rage divine his Bosom glow
From his fierce Eye-balls living Flames expire,
And flash incessant like a Stream of Fire:
He turns the radiant Gift; and feeds his Mind
On all th'immortal Artist had design'd ",,10933,"","""He turns the radiant Gift; and feeds his Mind / On all th'immortal Artist had design'd.""","",2013-06-10 18:27:58 UTC,""
4209,"",HDIS,2003-10-26 00:00:00 UTC,"Thou too, Patroclus ! (thus his Heart he vents)
Hast spread th'inviting Banquet in our Tents;
Thy sweet Society, thy winning Care,
Oft' stay'd Achilles , rushing to the War.
But now alas! to Death's cold Arms resign'd,
What Banquet but Revenge can glad my Mind?
What greater Sorrow could afflict my Breast,
What more, if hoary Peleus were deceast?
Who now, perhaps, in Pthia dreads to hear
His Son's sad Fate, and drops a tender Tear.)
What more, should Neoptolemus the brave,
(My only Offspring) sink into the Grave?
If yet that Offspring lives, (I distant far,
Of all neglectful, wage a hateful War.)
I cou'd not this, this cruel Stroke attend;
Fate claim'd Achilles , but might spare his Friend.
[2] I hop'd Patroclus might survive, to rear
My tender Orphan with a Parent's Care,
From Scyros Isle conduct him o'er the Main,
And glad his Eyes with his paternal Reign,
The lofty Palace, and the large Domain.
For Peleus breaths no more the vital Air;
Or drags a wretched Life of Age and Care,
But till the News of my sad Fate invades
His hastening Soul, and sinks him to the Shades.
",,10934,"","""But now alas! to Death's cold Arms resign'd, / What Banquet but Revenge can glad my Mind?""","",2009-09-14 19:35:24 UTC,""
4209,Reported Thought; Conversation; Soliloquy,HDIS,2003-10-26 00:00:00 UTC,"Verse 140. The Soliloquy of Hector .]
There is much Greatness in the Sentiments of this whole Soliloquy. Hector prefers Death to an ignominious Life: He knows how to die with Glory, but not how to live with Dishonour. The Reproach of Polydamas affects him; the Scandals of the meanest People have an Influence on his Thoughts.
'Tis remarkable that he does not say, he fears the Insults of the braver Trojans , but of the most worthless only. Men of Merit are always the most candid; but others are ever for bringing all Men to a Level with themselves. They cannot bear that any one should be so bold as to excel, and are ready to pull him down to them, upon the least Miscarriage. This Sentiment is perfectly fine, and agreeable to the way of thinking natural to a great and sensible Mind.
There is a very beautiful Break in the middle of this Speech. Hector 's Mind fluctuates every way, he is calling a Council in his own Breast, and consulting what Method to pursue: He doubts if he should not propose Terms of Peace to Achilles, and grants him very large Concessions; but of a sudden he checks himself, and leaves the Sentence unfinish'd. The Paragraph runs thus, ""If, says Hector , I should offer him the largest Conditions, give all that Troy contains--There he stops, and immediately subjoins, ""But why do I delude myself, &c.
'Tis evident from this Speech that the Power of making Peace was in Hector 's Hands: For unless Priam had transfer'd it to him he could not have made these Propositions. So that it was Hector who broke the Treaty in the third Book; (where the very same Conditions were propos'd by Agamemnon .) 'Tis Hector therefore that is guilty, he is blameable in continuing the War, and involving the Greeks and Trojans in Blood. This Conduct in Homer was necessary; he observes a poetical Justice, and shews us that Hector is a Criminal, before he brings him to Death.
Eustathius. ",,10935,•Eustathius was archbishop of Thessalonica in the second half of the twelfth century. He is known for his commentary on Iliad and Odyssey of Homer.,"""Hector's Mind fluctuates every way, he is calling a Council in his own Breast, and consulting what Method to pursue.""",Inhabitants,2009-09-14 19:35:24 UTC,Note to Book 22
4209,Patroclus's Ghost,HDIS (Poetry),2003-10-26 00:00:00 UTC,"Verse 92. Forbid to pass th'irremeable Flood. ]
It was the common Opinion of the Ancients, that the Souls of the Departed were not admitted into the Number of the Happy till their Bodies had receiv'd the funeral Rites; they suppos'd those that wanted them wander'd an hundred Years before they were wafted over the infernal River: Virgil perhaps had this Passage of Homer in his view in the sixth Æneis , at least he coincides with his Sentiments concerning the State of the departed Souls.
Hæc omnis, quam cernis inops inhumataq; Turba est :
Nec ripas datur horrendas, nec rauca fluenta
Transportare priùs, quàm sedibus ossa quierunt ;
Centum errant annos volitantq; hæc littora circum
Tum demum admissi stagna exoptata revisunt.
It was during this Interval, between their Death and the Rites of Funeral, that they suppos'd the only Time allow'd for separate Spirits to appear to Men; therefore Patroclus here tells his Friend,
------ To the farther Shore
When once we pass, the Soul returns no more.
For the fuller understanding of Homer, it is necessary to be acquainted with his Notion of the State of the Soul after Death: He follow'd the Philosophy of the Ægyptians, who suppos'd Man to be compounded of three Parts, an intelligent Mind , a Vehicle for that Mind , and a Body; the Mind they call'd [GREEK], or [GREEK], the Vehicle [GREEK], Image or Soul , and the gross Body [GREEK]. The Soul, in which the Mind was lodg'd, was suppos'd exactly to resemble the Body in Shape, Magnitude, and Features; for this being in the Body as the Statue in its Mold, so soon as it goes forth is properly the Image of that Body in which it was enclos'd: This it was that appear'd to Achilles, with the full Resemblance of his Friend Patroclus .
Vid. Dacier on the Life of Pythagoras , p. 71. ",,10936,•REVISIT and clean up the fonts by transliterating the Greek,"""The Soul, in which the Mind was lodg'd, was suppos'd exactly to resemble the Body in Shape, Magnitude, and Features; for this being in the Body as the Statue in its Mold, so soon as it goes forth is properly the Image of that Body in which it was enclos'd.""","",2011-11-24 19:25:15 UTC,""
4209,"",HDIS,2003-10-26 00:00:00 UTC,"He said: and seizing Thrasimedes' Shield,
(His valiant Offspring) hasten'd to the Field;
(That Day, the Son his Father's Buckler bore)
Then snatch'd a Lance, and issu'd from the Door.
Soon as the Prospect open'd to his View,
His wounded Eyes the Scene of Sorrow knew;
Dire Disarray! the Tumult of the Fight,
The Wall in Ruins, and the Greeks in Flight.
As when old Ocean's silent Surface sleeps,
The Waves just heaving on the purple Deeps;
While yet th'expected Tempest hangs on high,
Weighs down the Cloud, and blackens in the Sky,
The Mass of Waters will no Wind obey;
Jove sends one Gust, and bids them roll away.
While wav'ring Counsels thus his Mind engage,
Fluctuates, in doubtful Thought, the Pylian Sage;
To join the Host, or to the Gen'ral haste,
Debating long, he fixes on the last:
Yet, as he moves, the Fight his Bosom warms;
The Field rings dreadful with the Clang of Arms;
The gleaming Faulchions flash, the Javelins fly;
Blows echo Blows, and all, or kill, or die.
Verse 21. As when old Ocean's silent Surface sleeps. ]
There are no where more finish'd Pictures of Nature, than those which Homer draws in several of his Comparisons. The Beauty however of some of these will be lost to many, who cannot perceive the Resemblance, having never had Opportunity to observe the things themselves. The Life of this Description will be most sensible to those who have been at Sea in a Calm: In this Condition the Water is not entirely motionless, but swells gently in smooth Waves, which fluctuate backwards and forwards in a kind of balancing Motion: This State continues till a rising Wind gives a Determination to the Waves, and rolls 'em one certain way. There is scarce any thing in the whole Compass of Nature that can more exactly represent the State of an irresolute Mind, wavering between two different Designs, sometimes inclining to the one, sometimes to the other, and then moving to the Point to which its Resolution is at last determin'd. Every Circumstance of this Comparison is both beautiful and just; and it is the more to be admir'd, because it is very difficult to find sensible Images proper to represent the Motions of the Mind; wherefore we but rarely meet with such Comparisons even in the best Poets. There is one of great Beauty in Virgil, upon a Subject very like this, where he compares his Hero's Mind, agitated with a great Variety and quick Succession of Thoughts, to a dancing Light reflected from a Vessel of Water in Motion.
Cuncta videns, magno curarum fluctuat æstu ,
Atque animum, nunc huc, celerem, nunc dividit illuc ,
In partesq; rapit varias, perque omnia versat.
Sicut aquæ tremulum labris ubi lumen ahenis
Sole repercussum, aut radiantis imagine lunæ ,
Omnia pervolitat latè loca; jamque sub auras
Erigitur, summique ferit laquearia tecti.
Æn. l. 8. V. 19.
",2003-12-30,10937,"•I've included this entry twice: Once in 'Liquid' and once in 'Optics'.
•I've included verses and notes on the verses
•INTEREST. Pope admits that it is hard to come up with images for the mind's motion. Cross-reference
•I should also include the passage from Virgil in the database... And I have. The first translation of the passage I've found is by Cowper. See his ""Translation from Virgil: Aeneid, Book VIII. Line 18"" (12/30/2003)","""There is [a Comparison] of great Beauty in Virgil, upon a Subject very like this, where he compares his Hero's Mind, agitated with a great Variety and quick Succession of Thoughts, to a dancing Light reflected from a Vessel of Water in Motion.""","",2009-09-14 19:35:24 UTC,""
4209,"","Found again searching ""empire"" and ""mind"" in HDIS (Poetry); And a third time searching ""reason"" and ""empire""",2003-09-29 00:00:00 UTC,"Forbear! (the Progeny of Jove replies)
To calm thy Fury I forsook the Skies:
Let great Achilles, to the Gods resign'd,
To Reason yield the Empire o'er his Mind.
By awful Juno this Command is giv'n;
The King and You are both the Care of Heav'n.
The Force of keen Reproaches let him feel,
But sheath, Obedient, thy revenging Steel.
For I pronounce (and trust a heav'nly Pow'r)
Thy injur'd Honour has its fated Hour,
When the proud Monarch shall thy Arms implore,
And bribe thy Friendship with a boundless Store.
Then let Revenge no longer bear the Sway,
Command thy Passions, and the Gods obey.
",2003-10-22,10939,•I've included twice: Rule of Reason and Empire,"""Let great Achilles, to the Gods resign'd, / To Reason yield the Empire o'er his Mind.""","",2009-09-14 19:35:24 UTC,""
4209,"","Searching ""conque"" and ""mind"" in HDIS (Poetry)",2005-02-06 00:00:00 UTC,"Behold! Pisander, urg'd by Fate's Decree,
Springs thro' the Ranks to fall, and fall by thee,
Great Menelaus! to enhance thy Fame,
High-tow'ring in the Front, the Warrior came.
First the sharp Lance was by Atrides thrown;
The Lance far distant by the Winds was blown.
Nor pierc'd Pisander thro' Atrides' Shield;
Pisander's Spear fell shiver'd on the Field.
Not so discourag'd, to the Future blind,
Vain Dreams of Conquest swell his haughty Mind;
Dauntless he rushes where the Spartan Lord
Like Light'ning brandish'd his far-beaming Sword.
His left Arm high oppos'd the shining Shield;
[1]His right, beneath, the cover'd Pole-Axe held;
(An Olive's cloudy Grain the Handle made,
Distinct with Studs; and brazen was the Blade)
This on the Helm discharg'd a noble Blow;
The Plume dropp'd nodding to the Plain below,
Shorn from the Crest. Atrides wav'd his Steel:
Deep thro' his Front the weighty Faulchion fell.
The crashing Bones before its Force gave way;
In Dust and Blood the groaning Hero lay;
Forc'd from their ghastly Orbs, and spouting Gore,
The clotted Eye-balls tumble on the Shore.
The fierce Atrides spurn'd him as he bled,
Tore off his Arms, and loud-exulting said.
",,10959,"","""Vain Dreams of Conquest"" may swell the haughty Mind","",2009-09-14 19:35:25 UTC,""
4209,"","Searching ""conque"" and ""heart"" in HDIS (Poetry); found again ""conque"" and ""soul""",2005-02-10 00:00:00 UTC,"[1]Hence, let us go--why waste we Time in vain?
See what Effect our low Submissions gain!
Lik'd or not lik'd, his Words we must relate,
The Greeks expect them, and our Heroes wait.
Proud as he is, that Iron-heart retains
Its stubborn Purpose, and his Friends disdains.
Stern, and unpitying! if a Brother bleed,
On just Attonement, we remit the Deed;
A Sire the Slaughter of his Son forgives;
[2]The Price of Blood discharg'd, the Murd'rer lives:
The haughtiest Hearts at length their Rage resign,
And Gifts can conquer ev'ry Soul but thine.
The Gods that unrelenting Breast have steel'd,
And curs'd thee with a Mind that cannot yield.
One Woman-Slave was ravish'd from thy Arms:
Lo, sev'n are offer'd, and of equal Charms.
Then hear, Achilles! be of better Mind;
[3]Revere thy Roof, and to thy Guests be kind;
And know the Men, of all the Grecian Host,
Who honour Worth, and prize thy Valour most.",,10960,"","""The haughtiest Hearts at length their Rage resign, / And Gifts can conquer ev'ry Soul but thine.""","",2017-02-21 06:06:01 UTC,""
4209,"","Searching ""mind"" and ""impression"" in HDIS (Poetry)",2005-05-16 00:00:00 UTC,"Verse 815. Three Ships with Nireus.]
This Leader is no where mention'd but in these Lines, and is an Exception to the Observation of Macrobius that all the Persons of the Catalogue make their Appearance afterwards in the Poem.Homer himself gives us the reason, because Nireus had but a small Share of Worth and Valour; his Quality only gave him a Privilege to be nam'd among Men. The Poet has caused him to be remember'd no less than Achilles orUlysses , but yet in no better manner than he deserv'd, whose only Qualification was his Beauty: 'Tis by a bare Repetition of his Name three times, which just leaves some Impression of him on the Mind of the Reader. Many others, of as trivial Memory as Nireus, have been preserv'd by Poets from Oblivion; but few Poets have ever done this Favour to Want of Merit with so much Judgment. Demetrius Phalereus peri ErmhneiaV , Sect. 61. takes notice of this beautiful Repetition, which in a just Deference to so delicate a Critick is here preserv'd in the Translation.",,10968,"•Footnote to following lines: ""Three Ships with Nireus sought the Trojan Shore, / Nireus, whom Agläe to Charopus bore, / Nireus, in faultless Shape, and blooming Grace""","""'Tis by a bare Repetition of his Name three times, which just leaves some Impression of him on the Mind of the Reader""",Impression,2009-09-14 19:35:26 UTC,""