when he saw her, she was so beautiful.
But the Khita, the people of Eurypylus, feasted in the open air among the
Trojans, by the light of great fires burning, and to the music of pipes
and flutes. The Greeks saw the fires, and heard the merry music, and
they watched all night lest the Trojans should attack the ships before
the dawn. But in the dawn Eurypylus rose from sleep and put on his
armour, and hung from his neck by the belt the great shield on which were
fashioned, in gold of many colours and in silver, the Twelve Adventures
of Heracles, his grandfather; strange deeds that he did, fighting with
monsters and giants and with the Hound of Hades, who guards the dwellings
of the dead. Then Eurypylus led on his whole army, and with the brothers
of Hector he charged against the Greeks, who were led by Agamemnon.
In that battle Eurypylus first smote Nireus, who was the most beautiful
of the Greeks now that Achilles had fallen. There lay Nireus, like an
apple tree, all covered with blossoms red and white, that the wind has
overthrown in a rich man's orchard. Then Eurypylus would have stripped
off his armour, but Machaon rushed in, Machaon who had been wounded and
taken to the tent of Nestor, on the day of the Valour of Hector, when he
brought fire against the ships. Machaon drove his spear through the left
shoulder of Eurypylus, but Eurypylus struck at his shoulder with his
sword, and the blood flowed; nevertheless, Machaon stooped, and grasped a
great stone, and sent it against the helmet of Eurypylus. He was shaken,
but he did not fall, he drove his spear through breastplate and breast of
Machaon, who fell and died. With his last breath he said, "Thou, too,
shalt fall," but Eurypylus made answer, "So let it be! Men cannot live
for ever, and such is the fortune of war."
Thus the battle rang, and shone, and shifted, till few of the Greeks kept
steadfast, except those with Menelaus and Agamemnon, for Diomede and
Ulysses were far away upon the sea, bringing from Scyros the son of
Achilles. But Teucer slew Polydamas, who had warned Hector to come
within the walls of Troy; and Menelaus wounded Deiphobus, the bravest of
the sons of Priam who were still in arms, for many had fallen; and
Agamemnon slew certain spearmen of the Trojans. Round Eurypylus fought
Paris, and Aeneas, who wounded Teucer with a great stone, breaking in his
helmet, but he drove back in his chariot to the ships. Menelaus and
Agamemnon stood a
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