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

THE THEBAIDedged sword at his left with the figure of the monster that hadbeen killed by Oedipus therein, to wit, Sphinx. Yet Polyniceswas loth to go on that journey when it was borne in on himthat Argia, daughter of Adrastus, his own spouse, would be leftbehind; and at another time he was in haste to go to thekingdom of his mother and of his people ; and four thousandwas the number of that allied multitude about that mighty man.Then, too, the haughty, fulminating, joyous, cruel, restlessman, to wit, Tydeus, set his people forward ; and the spirit ofthat soldier rose when he heard the trumpets being blown, asrises a slimy angry serpent before the influence of the sun on abright summer day, so that waves of itspoison were belchedover woodland grasses, and man or cattle dared not touch it.And these were the hosts of that man, the brave races of Pylene,and the excellent soldiers of Pleuron, wherein dwelt his brother,to wit, Meleager ; and the brave troops of Calydon, the levies ofOlenos, the heroes of the city of Chalcis, and dwellers by theriver Achelous, cities of Italy those, in the confines of Calydon.And thus were the people of those cities, they had huge brasscuirasses to defend their bodies in battle, and broad spears intheir hands for wounding, and beautiful ornamented helmets ontheir heads ; and from every quarter those strong chosen youthsgathered round the handsome high-spirited soldier, to wit,Tydeus, son of Oeneus. Joyous in battles was that champion,and sterner was the menace of Tydeus against the Thebans thanthe threat of Polynices.Thereafter uprose the high pre-eminent king, to wit, freshbright-cheeked Hippomedon ; and his hosts were gathered byhim from the banks of the full-fair river Lyrcius, from theborders of the river Inachus, and from the high confines of theriver Asterion. And there came too the hard troops of theDryopes, and the huge levies of Epeans, and the many famous9i