Irische Texte : mit ersetzungen und Wterbuch

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116 The Destruction of Troy.
Myrmidons at the first soldier's onrush which he gave against
thern. He brought confusion then on all the hosts, and ruined
the Greeks, and slew the Myrmidons, as far as the entrances
of the camp. And he caused the slaughter of the hosts; and
of the unreckonable things of the 'Destruction (of Troy') is
what Troilus slew of the Greeks on that day only. And it is
hard to say 1
if any one of the whole host escaped from him,
that was not lame or blind or deaf or lefthanded, after being
cut and mutilated by the thrust of his spear, by the mouth
of his sword, by the edge of his shield, by the end of his fist,
by the crook of his elbow, by the thick of his knee; so that
at the same time he plied them with the rocks (?) of the stones,
the bodies of the chariots, the yokes of the oxen, the shares
of the ploughs. Then he used to take the shields and the
swords and the stakes and the lances, so that only their rem-
nants lay in his hand after being broken in smiting his foes.
So greatly did they flee that it is doubtful (whether even)
Ajax son of Telamon remained behind them. Troilus with his
Trojans returned with great victory and great triumph at the
hour of evening to their city. There was great grief on that
night in the leaguer of the Greeks through fear of Troilus' hand.
A marvel (?) to them was the youth of the lad and how little 2
the choice of the champions and warriors of the west of the
world could maintain striking against him. Each of them said to
the other that if his (Troilus') score of years were complete, he
would kill the whole host and that not a man to tell tidings
of them would get back from him to the land of Greece. If
he were a man in the prime 3 of his age he would overtop
the heroes and champions of the earth, from the rising of the
sun to the setting thereof, and he would fill the world with
stories of him and of his valorous achievements and mighty
deeds, and would surpass even Hercules in strength and bra-
very. But if his life were lengthened 4 till he was thirty years
1
Lit. a share (quota) of pain.
2 Lit. the littleness.
'
J
Lit. choice.
' Lit. if it were lengthened on him.