Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Winged Words Of Ancient Archers.—Part Iii.
WINGED WORDS OF ANCIENT ARCHERS . —PART III .
" Cerla quidem nostra , est certa ttmrn una sagitta C ' ertior , in vacuo qua ? vulnera pec-tore fecit . "—OviDl HOMERIC HEROES . Pinsr duly celebrating , in the song of Naso , the arrowy attributes of the Archer-god—who , unpropitiated , no feathered shaft sped ever to its mark—venture we forth with grey-goose point , prepared to single out
these heroes for our aim who drew the bended bow on -Ilium ' s plain . And first the gallant Pandarus appears ; a Lycian he " Of royal blood , To whom his att Apollo deigned to show , Graced with the present of his shaft and bow . " Beautiful , divine indeed seems that weapon which he holds in his hand ! Yet , we have Homer ' s word for it , that it is of the earth , earthly : anel , perhapsthe owner purposely left the heavenly one behind him ( like his
, horses ) at home , lest it should be spoilt . But behold the Bow" ' 1 * ' was formed of horn and smoothed with artful toil ; A mountain gnat resigned the shining spoil . Which pierced longsiuce beneath his arrows bled ; Tlie stately quarry on the cliffs lay dead . And sixteen palms his brow ' s large' honours spread . The workmen joined and shaped lhebended boms . And beaten gold each taper point adorns . " A model , doubtless , of that of the Poean god ; strength , elasticity , and
splendour conjoined ! Five feet long at least—four inches more if the goat ' s cranium be counted as the handle—and , in such hands , no plaything ; for well its force could drive through coat of steel , as any drawn at Agincourt or Cressy . " This , by the Creeks unseen the warrior bends , Screened bv tiie shields ot'Iiissurrouiiding friends . There meditates the mark ; and couching low Fits the sliarparrow to tile well-strung how . "
So says Master Pope—but Homer does not say , " there meditates the mark , " nor anything like it . He was then too busy with closely inspecting the new-nocked noose to see that all Avas right—that there Avas not a twitch to the rig ht side or to the left ; and that the whole string , or thong , or gut , was straight as the arrow to be stuck on it , without a twist from one end to the other . Besides , Pandarus ivas still close shut in bhis comrades shieldsand had not yet stepped aside to look outas
y , , he must have done , more or less , to take his aim at Atrides . He had not had time even to uncover his quiver , as Cowper correctly depicts him doing , deliberately searching for a maid en shaft ; for some of these sharp barbs had been fleshed before in the foe . " Ills quiver ' s lid displaced , he chose a dart Ui-ilowu , full-Hedged , and barb'd with bitf rest ivo . ' ; He lodged it on the cord , but , etc it flew . To I . ycian Phoebus vowed , at his return of his aid
To Z-lia ' s walls , in honour , A hecatomb all Unstrings ( if tlie llnck . Then , seizing fast the recti , he diew the barb Home to his ' lio'v— tlie I'O . vsiring to his breast . And when the horn was rounded to an arcli He twang'd it , whizz'd the bowstring , ami thc reed With full impatience started to the gaol . " Pope , who excels in adapting the sound to the sense , finely says here" The impatient weapon whizzes on . he wing . Sounds Ihe tough horn , and twangs the quivering str . iiR . '
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Winged Words Of Ancient Archers.—Part Iii.
WINGED WORDS OF ANCIENT ARCHERS . —PART III .
" Cerla quidem nostra , est certa ttmrn una sagitta C ' ertior , in vacuo qua ? vulnera pec-tore fecit . "—OviDl HOMERIC HEROES . Pinsr duly celebrating , in the song of Naso , the arrowy attributes of the Archer-god—who , unpropitiated , no feathered shaft sped ever to its mark—venture we forth with grey-goose point , prepared to single out
these heroes for our aim who drew the bended bow on -Ilium ' s plain . And first the gallant Pandarus appears ; a Lycian he " Of royal blood , To whom his att Apollo deigned to show , Graced with the present of his shaft and bow . " Beautiful , divine indeed seems that weapon which he holds in his hand ! Yet , we have Homer ' s word for it , that it is of the earth , earthly : anel , perhapsthe owner purposely left the heavenly one behind him ( like his
, horses ) at home , lest it should be spoilt . But behold the Bow" ' 1 * ' was formed of horn and smoothed with artful toil ; A mountain gnat resigned the shining spoil . Which pierced longsiuce beneath his arrows bled ; Tlie stately quarry on the cliffs lay dead . And sixteen palms his brow ' s large' honours spread . The workmen joined and shaped lhebended boms . And beaten gold each taper point adorns . " A model , doubtless , of that of the Poean god ; strength , elasticity , and
splendour conjoined ! Five feet long at least—four inches more if the goat ' s cranium be counted as the handle—and , in such hands , no plaything ; for well its force could drive through coat of steel , as any drawn at Agincourt or Cressy . " This , by the Creeks unseen the warrior bends , Screened bv tiie shields ot'Iiissurrouiiding friends . There meditates the mark ; and couching low Fits the sliarparrow to tile well-strung how . "
So says Master Pope—but Homer does not say , " there meditates the mark , " nor anything like it . He was then too busy with closely inspecting the new-nocked noose to see that all Avas right—that there Avas not a twitch to the rig ht side or to the left ; and that the whole string , or thong , or gut , was straight as the arrow to be stuck on it , without a twist from one end to the other . Besides , Pandarus ivas still close shut in bhis comrades shieldsand had not yet stepped aside to look outas
y , , he must have done , more or less , to take his aim at Atrides . He had not had time even to uncover his quiver , as Cowper correctly depicts him doing , deliberately searching for a maid en shaft ; for some of these sharp barbs had been fleshed before in the foe . " Ills quiver ' s lid displaced , he chose a dart Ui-ilowu , full-Hedged , and barb'd with bitf rest ivo . ' ; He lodged it on the cord , but , etc it flew . To I . ycian Phoebus vowed , at his return of his aid
To Z-lia ' s walls , in honour , A hecatomb all Unstrings ( if tlie llnck . Then , seizing fast the recti , he diew the barb Home to his ' lio'v— tlie I'O . vsiring to his breast . And when the horn was rounded to an arcli He twang'd it , whizz'd the bowstring , ami thc reed With full impatience started to the gaol . " Pope , who excels in adapting the sound to the sense , finely says here" The impatient weapon whizzes on . he wing . Sounds Ihe tough horn , and twangs the quivering str . iiR . '