Kalamon

This is part 3 of 3. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.

Τοσαῦτα δὲ πεπονθὼς καὶ μυρία ἕτερα ὑποστάς, ὅσα ὁ λόγος παρέδραμεν, ὅμως ἀντεῖχεν ἔτι γενναίως πρὸς τὰς ἐπιφορὰς τῶν δεινῶν ἐρρωμένος ὢν τὸ φρονεῖν. πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐπεισχεομένους καὶ βάλλοντας ἐπιστρεφόμενος ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν ἐφθέγγετο, εἰ μὴ τὸ “Κύριε ἐλέησον” καὶ “ἵνα τί κάλαμον συντετριμμένον προσεπικλᾶτε;” ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ ποδῶν ἀπαιώρησιν οἱ ἀνούστατοι ὄχλοι τοῦ πολυπαθοῦς ἀπέσχοντο Ἀνδρονίκου ἢ φειδὼ τῶν ἐκείνου σαρκῶν ἔλαβον, ἀλλὰ περιελόντες τὸ χιτώνιον κακῶς ἐτίθουν τὰ παιδογόνα μόρια. ἀνόσιος δέ τις καὶ διὰ τοῦ φάρυγγος εἰς τὰ ἔγκατα ἐπίμηκες ξίφος ἔβαψε, τινὲς δὲ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ Λατινικοῦ γένους καὶ κατὰ τῆς ἐξέδρας ἀκινάκην ἀμφοτέραις ἐπήρεισαν καὶ περιστάντες κατέφερον τὰ ξίφη, ὁποῖόν ἐστι τμητικώτερον ἀποπειρώμενοι καὶ τῇ τῆς χειρὸς κομπάζοντες δεξιότητι διὰ τὸ ἀξιόλογον τῆς πληγῆς. καὶ μετὰ τοσαῦτα μογήματα καὶ παθήματα μόλις ἀπέρρηξε τὴν ζωήν, τὴν δεξιὰν χεῖρα μετ’ ὀδύνης ἐκτείνας καὶ περιαγαγὼν οὕτω τῷ στόματι, ὥστε καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἔδοξεν ἐκμυζᾶν τοῦ ἐκ ταύτης ἔτι θερμοῦ ἀποστάζοντος αἵματος διὰ τὸ νεαρὸν τῆς τομῆς.
(Niketas Choniates, Hist. 2, p. 350-351 Van Dieten)

Suffering all these evils and countless others which I have omitted, he held up bravely under the horrors inflicted upon him and remained in possession of his senses. To those who poured forth one after another and struck him, he turned and said no more than “Lord, have mercy,” and “Why do you further bruise the broken reed?” Even after he was suspended by his feet, the foolish masses neither kept their hands off the much-tormented Andronikos, nor did they spare his flesh, but removing his short tunic, they assaulted his genitals. A certain ungodly man dipped his long sword into his entrails by way of the pharynx; certain members of the Latin race raised their swords with both hands above his buttocks, and, standing around him, they brought them down, making trial as to whose cut was deeper and boasting loudly as to the dexterity of their hands which resulted in such a noteworthy wound. After so much suffering, Andronikos broke the thread of life, his right arm extended in agony and brought around to his mouth so that it seemed to many that he was sucking out the still-warm blood dripping from the recent amputation. (tr. Harry J. Magoulias)