Tag: Tryphiodorus

Οἱ δ’ ἕτεροι γλαφυρῆς ἀπὸ γαστέρος ἔρρεον ἵππου,
τευχησταὶ βασιλῆες, ἀπὸ δρυὸς οἷα μέλισσαι,
αἵτ’ ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔκαμον πολυχανδέος ἔνδοθι σίμβλου
κηρὸν ὑφαίνουσαι μελιηδέα ποικιλοτέχναι,
ἐς νομὸν εὐγυάλοιο κατ’ ἄγγεος ἀμφιχυθεῖσαι
νύγμασι πημαίνουσι παραστείχοντας ὁδίτας·
ὣς Δαναοὶ κρυφίοιο λόχου κληῖδας ἀνέντες
θρῷσκον ἐπὶ Τρώεσσι καὶ εἰσέτι κοῖτον ἔχοντας
χαλκείου θανάτοιο κακοῖς ἐκάλυψαν ὀνείροις.
νήχετο δ’ αἵματι γαῖα, βοὴ δ’ ἄλληκτος ὀρώρει
Τρώων φευγόντων, ἐστείνετο δ’ Ἴλιος ἱρὴ
πιπτόντων νεκύων, οἱ δ’ ἀνδροφόνῳ κολοσυρτῷ
ἔζεον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα μεμηνότες οἷα λέοντες
σώμασιν ἀρτιφάτοισι γεφυρώσαντες ἀγυιάς.
(Tryphiodorus, Halōsis Iliou 533-546)

And those others poured from the carven belly of the horse, armed princes, even as bees from an oak: which when they have laboured within the capacious hive, weaving the sweet honeycomb with cunning art, pour from their vaulted nest to the pasture and vex the passing wayfarers with their stings: even so the Danaans undid the bolts of their secret ambush and leapt upon the Trojans and, while they still slept, shrouded them in evil dreams of brazen death. The earth swam with blood, and a cry unceasing arose from the fleeing Trojans, and sacred Ilios was straitened with falling corpses, while those others with murderous tumult raged this way and that, like mad lions, bridging the streets with new-slain bodies. (tr. Alexander William Mair)