THE TAKING OF ILIOS 



" What spirit of ill name hath brought thee again, 

 )rophetess of evil, bold dog-fly ? Vainly dost thou try 

 X) stay us with thy barking. Is thy mind not yet 

 veary of its plague of madness, and hast thou not 

 lad thy fill of ill-omened ravings, but thou hast come 

 n vexation at our mirth, when Zeus, the son of 

 [Cronus, hath lighted for us all the day of freedom 

 ind scattered the ships of the Achaeans ? And no 

 onger are the long spears brandished, no longer are 

 ;he bows drawn, no longer flash the swords, the 

 irrows are silent. But dances and honey-breathing 

 nusie is ours and no more strife : no more wails the 

 nother over the child, nor doth the wife send her 

 lusband to the fray and weep, a widow, over his 

 »rpse. Athena, guardian of the citv, welcomes the 

 lorse which is drawn along. But thou, bold maiden, 

 ushing before the house with false prophecies and wild 

 aving, labourest to no purpose and jwllutest the 

 loly city. Go to ! but our care is dance and mirth, 

 "or no longer is terror left under the walls of Troy, 

 ind no longer have we need of thy prophetic voice." 



So he spake, and bade lead away the frenzied 

 naiden, hiding her in her chamber. And hardly and 

 igainst her will she obeyed her parent, and throwing 

 lerself upon her maiden bed she wept, knowing her 

 »wn doom : already she beheld the fire raging on 

 he walls of her burning fatherland. But the others 

 it the temple of the goddess Athena, guardian of the 

 dty, set up the horse on well-polished pedestal, and 

 mmed fair offerings on savoury altars ; but the 

 mmortals refused their vain hecatombs. And there 

 vsiS festival in the town and infinite lust, lust 

 iplifting the drunkenness of wine that unmans, 

 ^nd all the city was filled with foolishness and gaped 



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