ds have
accomplished evil sorrows to my soul, as my mother once informed me, and
told me that the bravest of the Myrmidons, I being yet alive, would
leave the light of the sun, by the hands of the Trojans. Too surely now
the valiant son of Menoetius is dead,--obstinate one! certainly I
desired him, having repelled the hostile fire, to return to the ships,
nor to fight bravely with Hector."

Whilst he was revolving these things in his mind and in his soul, in the
meantime the son of illustrious Nestor drew near, shedding warm tears,
and delivered his sad message:

"Alas! O son of warlike Peleus, surely thou wilt hear a very grievous
message, which--would that it had not taken place. Patroclus lies low;
and around his unarmed corse they are now fighting, whilst crest-tossing
Hector possesses his armour."

Thus he spoke; but him a black cloud of grief overshadowed, and taking
the burnt ashes with both hands, he poured them on his head, and denied
his comely countenance; but the dark ashes everywhere adhered to his
rich[570] tunic. But he, mighty, lay extended at great length in the
dust, and tearing, he disordered his hair with his hands. The handmaids,
whom Achilles and Patroclus had taken, grieved in their souls, shrieked
aloud, and ran out of the door round warlike Achilles; and all smote
their breasts with their hands,[571] and the limbs of each were relaxed.
Antilochus, on the other side, lamented, shedding tears, holding the
hands of Achilles; (and he kept groaning within his generous heart,) for
he feared lest he should cut his throat with his sword. Then he moaned
dreadfully, and his venerable mother heard him, sitting in the depths of
the sea, beside her aged father, and immediately lamented: and all the
goddesses assembled around her, as many Nereides as were at the bottom
of the sea. There were Glauce, Thaleia, and Cymodoce, Nesaea, Spio, Thoa,
and large-eyed Halia, Cymothoe, Actaea, and Limnorea, Melita, Iaera,
Amphithoe, and Agave, Doto, Proto, Pherusa, and Dynamene, Dexamene,
Amphinome, and Callianira, Doris, Panope, and distinguished Galatea,
Nemertes, Apseudes, and Callianassa. There were also Clymene, Ianira,
and Ianassa, Maera, Orithya, and fair-haired Amathea, and other Nereides
which were in the depths of the sea. But the resplendent cave was full
of them, and all at once they beat their breasts; but Thetis began the
lamentation:

[Footnote 570: So [Greek: nektareon eanon], iii. 385.--Heyne.]