the-song-books.yossr

had never been in danger, whatever reinforcements came. After all, who
could get past Achilles?
But then Diomedes stepped forward, praising the plan and frightening the
men with visions of night raids and burning ships. This last was particularlyy
effective—without the ships, we could not get home again. Byy the end of it,
the men’s eyyes were bright and eager. As theyy went cheerfullyy off to the
woods with their hatchets and levels, Odyysseus found the original troublecausing
soldier—Thersites, his name was—and had him beaten quietlyy into
unconsciousness.
That was the end of mutinies at Troyy.
THINGS CHANGED AFTER THAT, whether because of the joint venture of the
wall or the relief of violence averted. All of us, from the lowest foot soldier
to the general himself, began to think of Troyy as a sort of home. Our
invasion became an occupation. Before now we had lived as scavengers off
the land and the villages that we raided. Now we began to build, not just the
wall, but the things of a town: a forge, and a pen for the cattle that we stole
from the neighboring farms, even a potter’s shed. In this last, amateur
artisans labored to replace the cracking ceramics we had brought with us,
most of them leaking or broken from hard camp use. Everyything we owned
now was makeshift, scrounged, having lived at least two lives before as
something else. Onlyy the kings’ personal armors remained untouched,
insignias polished and pure.
The men too became less like dozens of different armies, and more like
countryymen. These men, who had left Aulis as Cretans and Cyypriots and
Argives, now were simplyy Greeks—cast into the same pot byy the otherness
of the Trojans, sharing food and women and clothing and battle stories,
their distinctions blurred awayy. Agamemnon’s boast of uniting Greece was
not so idle after all. Even yyears later this camaraderie would remain, a
fellow-feeling so uncharacteristic of our fiercelyy warring kingdoms. For a
generation, there would be no wars among those of us who had fought at
Troyy.
EVEN I WAS NOT EXEMPT. During this time—six, seven yyears in which I spent
more and more hours in Machaon’s tent and fewer with Achilles in the field
—I got to know the other men well. Everyyone eventuallyy made their wayy
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