Page 396 - the-iliad

and the greatness of my house—for Peleus must surely be
either dead, or what little life remains to him is oppressed
alike with the infirmities of age and ever present fear lest he
should hear the sad tidings of my death.’
He wept as he spoke, and the elders sighed in concert as
each thought on what he had left at home behind him. The
son of Saturn looked down with pity upon them, and said
presently to Minerva, ‘My child, you have quite deserted
your hero; is he then gone so clean out of your recollection?
There he sits by the ships all desolate for the loss of his dear
comrade, and though the others are gone to their dinner he
will neither eat nor drink. Go then and drop nectar and am-
brosia into his breast, that he may know no hunger.’
With these words he urged Minerva, who was already
of the same mind. She darted down from heaven into the
air like some falcon sailing on his broad wings and scream-
ing. Meanwhile the Achaeans were arming throughout the
host, and when Minerva had dropped nectar and ambro-
sia into Achilles so that no cruel hunger should cause his
limbs to fail him, she went back to the house of her mighty
father. Thick as the chill snow-flakes shed from the hand of
Jove and borne on the keen blasts of the north wind, even
so thick did the gleaming helmets, the bossed shields, the
strongly plated breastplates, and the ashen spears stream
from the ships. The sheen pierced the sky, the whole land
was radiant with their flashing armour, and the sound of
the tramp of their treading rose from under their feet. In
the midst of them all Achilles put on his armour; he gnashed
his teeth, his eyes gleamed like fire, for his grief was greater