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

THE THEBAIDNow the high-king Adrastus heard that there was no checkby Thebans upon the fray of those twain, and he urged his horseswiftly between them in order to separate them. And he saidthere :" Greeks, and O Thebans," said he, " check these menfrom their fratricide ; and, O Eteocles," said he, " though thouart an enemy, remain with me ; and O Polynices, if it be lustfor a kingdom thou hast, here is the kingship of the Greeks forthee, provided thou do but check thy contest." Now no more didthey listen to that than had it been spoken to the pursuing waifstrewnsea that ceases not from its noise and clamour round theworld. And when Adrastus was unable to separate those twain,and saw their swift horses strongly pacing, and their thongedspears being directed from their long very white fingers, heturned from them unto his camp, and left a fair field betweenthe heroes behind him. Now their fate was preventing themfrom falling in that short hour, for they urged their horses twiceat one another. Neither of them inflicted wound or hurt onthe other owing to the dexterity of their defence and the excellenceof the guard which the champions maintained against oneanother ; and thrice did they allow their reins to slacken out oftheir hands, and they roughly urged the horses with sharp ironspurs. The keen champions of the Thebans and the daringheroes of the Greeks looked on.Together they arose to supporttheir princes and lords in the stress of conflict in which theywere. Albeit it was the fate of those twain, to wit, Eteocles andPolynices, to fall by one another.The goddess of peace, to wit, Pax, came from the very brightheights of heaven unto those battalions of both sides, so that theywere glad and peaceful among themselves ; and they abandonedthe struggle to Eteocles and Polynices, giving no assistance toeither of them. Hence furious and very great fits of rage werekindled in those men, and they hardened their warlike contentioushearts towards one another. It was a wail of " alas ! " to theirassemblies to be beholding that fratricide.For the faces of thewarriors under their beautiful shapely helmets were alike.c 289 19The