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

THE THEBAIDHippomedón did not know what he should do thereat, and thatwar-goddess again urged him, and said to him " : It is moreproper for thee to aid Adrastus than to stay by these perforatedentrails of Tydeus." Then he put under the safeguard of hispeople after him the battle-objective, to wit, the body of Tydeus,and he came after the war-goddess, she being in the form ofHalys, till she went from him in her own shape. And when shehad gone away, he saw the Greeks, and amongst them Adrastusin his chariot, with no fear or anxiety on his part. And Tisiphonehad wrought that guile in order that the Thebans might bearaway the body of Tydeus behind Hippomedon's back.But as to the Thebans, they took with them the body of Tydeusforthwith behind Hippomedon's back. Shouts of victory andboasting were raised by them over his head ; and when Hippomedonheard that he recognised what had happened. " It is true,"said he, "over Tydeus' body is this cry uttered." But yet it wasrare for champions to brag over him while he lived, for morefrequent with him were disasters of great calamities and defeatsinflicted upon the Theban tribes by him. And when the bodyof Tydeus had reached them thus, they surrounded it fromevery direction and made an enemy mutilation of him as if hewere alive, and it^was a victory of valour to the championamong them who reddene4 his weapons in Tydeus' entrails.Now Hippomedon could not bear to listen to that withoutgoing to him, though he knew that it was folly for himself tofight there for a lifeless body. And he proceeded with his nakedsword in his hand, and he gave no recognition to friend orcomrade there owing to the pressure of haste and the boilingof rage. But yet a hindrance to him were the paths slipperywith the copious streams of blood which poured from the sidesof the champions stricken by him, and owing to the quantity ofweapons of the slaughtered veterans, and of the hard fracturedchariots of the heroes utterly broken, and owing to half-deadwarriors as they strove to rise again. And a hindrance to hismoving and full activity was the wound which Eteocles, king ofthe Thebans, had inflicted on him. And he did not perceivethat, or if he knew, he did not deign to show it, till he couldc.225I 5