Togail na Tebe = The Thebiad of Statius : the Irish text

:THE THEBAIDit is likely that I shall be again hindering it, for fear of evilto you." And after that Adrastus kissed his daughter, and" Daughter," said he, " I do not cast back upon thee thecomplaint thou makest and the excessive lamentation. Putfrom thee thy fear, and cause thy spouse to be comforted, sincewe are preparing for that battle, and its being fought is acertainty." And since the morning came before the limits ofthat conversation, Adrastus arose.BOOK IVNow for three years up to the time of that beautiful springtidethey had been preparing for that fratricide between theThebans and the Greeks. And the contentious war-goddess arose,and brandished flaming baleful torches over the cities of theGreeks and the Thebans. She cried and spread horror over thebroad and very long camps so that furious troops and stubbornmighty men seized their very sharp arms through pressure ofthe hastening of that red-mouthed goddess. And when the timecame for that battle to be drawn up, huge and great sacrificeswere made by them, so that the priests might cause an equal goodto them afterwards through the sacrifices, and then arose smallchoice white boys, and fresh pure modest girls, and withereddecrepit seniors to bid farewell to those men, so that swiftshowers of tears were dripping^over the hollow helms, over thearms and clothing of those powerful friends as they kissed oneanother before parting.The muster of the Greeks now hereafter.These are the nations that went to that war, and theirnoblekings with them, to wit, the sad, silent, feeble, angry, anxious,ever guileful king, Adrastus.And that man was not strong tocarry arms, save it were his sword only, his arms being with hispeople behind him. His charioteer yoked and caparisoned hisswift well-running horses in the gate of the city of Larissa ;andhis quiet well-coursing horse, Arion, was becoming restive andhard-mouthed ; and to them that was a sign of evil to come.87