So she spake. And he awoke in a moment and obeyed her. But when he saw the neck
and lovely eyes of Aphrodite, he was afraid and turned his eyes aside another way, hiding
his comely face with his cloak. Then he uttered winged words and entreated her: “So soon as ever I saw you with my eyes, goddess, I knew that you were divine; but
you did not tell me truly. Yet by Zeus who holds the aegis I beseech you, leave me not to
lead a palsied life among men, but have pity on me; for he who lies with a deathless goddess is no hale man afterwards.”Then Aphrodite
the daughter of Zeus answered him: “Anchises, most glorious of mortal men, take courage and
be not too fearful in your heart. You need fear no harm from me nor from the other blessed ones, for you are dear to the gods: and you shall have a
dear son who shall reign among the Trojans, and children's children after him, springing up
continually. His name shall be Aeneas,The name Aeneas is
here connected with the epithet ainos (awful):
similarly the name Odysseus is derived (in Od. i.
62) from o)dussomai (I grieve).
because I felt awful grief in that I laid me in the bed of a mortal man: yet are those of your race always the most like to gods of all mortal men in beauty
and in stature.Aphrodite extenuates her disgrace by claiming
that the race of Anchises is almost divine, as is shown in the persons of Ganymedes and
Tithonus. Verily wise Zeus carried off golden-haired Ganymedes because of his
beauty, to be amongst the Deathless Ones and pour drink for the gods in the house of Zeus — a wonder to see—,honored by all the immortals as he draws the red nectar from the
golden bowl. But grief that could not be soothed filled the heart of Tros; for he knew not
whither the heaven-sent whirlwind had caught up his dear son, so that he mourned him always,
unceasingly, until Zeus pitied him and gave him high-stepping horses such as carry the immortals
as recompense for his son. These he gave him as a gift. And at the command of Zeus, the
Guide, the slayer of Argus, told him all, and how his son would be deathless and unageing,
even as the gods. So when Tros heard these tidings from Zeus, he no longer kept mourning but rejoiced
in his heart and rode joyfully with his storm-footed horses.So also golden-throned Eos rapt away Tithonus who was of your race and like
the deathless gods. And she went to ask the dark-clouded Son of Cronos that he should be deathless and
live eternally; and Zeus bowed his head to her prayer and fulfilled her desire. Too simple
was queenly Eos: she thought not in her heart to ask youth for him and to strip him of the
slough of deadly age. So while he enjoyed the sweet flower of life he lived rapturously with
golden-throned Eos, the early-born, by the streams of Ocean, at the ends of the earth; but
when the first grey hairs began to ripple from his comely head and noble chin, queenly Eos kept away from his bed, though she cherished him in her house and
nourished him with food and ambrosia and gave him rich clothing. But when loathsome old age
pressed full upon him, and he could not move nor lift his limbs, this seemed to her in her heart the best counsel: she laid him in a room and put to
the shining doors. There he babbles endlessly, and no more has strength at all, such as once
he had in his supple limbs. I would not have you be deathless among the deathless gods and live continually after such sort. Yet if you could live on such as now you are
in look and in form, and be called my husband, sorrow would not then enfold my careful
heart. But, as it is, harshSo Christ connecting the word
withw)mo/s. L. and S. give=dmoi=os, “common to all.” old age will soon enshroud you — ruthless age which stands someday at the side of every man, deadly, wearying,
dreaded even by the gods.And now because of you I shall
have great shame among the deathless gods henceforth, continually. For until now they feared
my jibes and the wiles by which, or soon or late, I mated all the immortals with mortal women, making them all subject to my will.
But now my mouth shall no more have this power among the gods; for very great has been my
madness, my miserable and dreadful madness, and I went astray out of my mind who have gotten a child beneath my girdle, mating with a mortal man. As for the
child, as soon as he sees the light of the sun, the deep-breasted mountain Nymphs who
inhabit this great and holy mountain shall bring him up. They rank neither with mortals nor
with immortals: long indeed do they live, eating heavenly food and treading the lovely dance among
the immortals, and with them the Sileni and the sharp-eyed Slayer of Argus mate in the
depths of pleasant caves; but at their birth pines or high-topped oaks spring up with them upon the fruitful earth, beautiful, flourishing trees, towering
high upon the lofty mountains (and men call them holy places of the immortals, and never
mortal lops them with the axe); but when the fate of death is near at hand, first those lovely trees wither where they stand, and the bark shrivels away about
them, and the twigs fall down, and at last the life of the Nymph and of the tree leave the
light of the sun together. These Nymphs shall keep my son with them and rear him, and as
soon as he is come to lovely boyhood, the goddesses will bring him here to you and show you your child. But, that I may
tell you all that I have in mind, I will come here again towards the fifth year and bring
you my son. So soon as ever you have seen him —a scion to delight the eyes —, you will
rejoice in beholding him; for he shall be most godlike: