The Other Way 'Round - Page 15
© Michael Martinez
But she in pride of triumph on she rode
Throned on a goodly steed and fleet, the gift
Of Oreithyia, the wild North-wind's bride,
Given to her guest the warrior-maid, what time
She came to Thrace, a steed whose flying feet
Could match the Harpies' wings. Riding thereon
Penthesileia in her goodlihead
Left the tall palaces of Troy behind. Penthesileia rides through the Achaean forces like an unstoppable force. Even as her Amazonian companions are struck down, one by one, she decimates the Achaean warriors, so that they fall back before her in terror. Seeing his men dispersed and their morale broken, Achilles turns his attention upon the Amazon. The confrontation between Achilles and Penthesileia is both long and thrilling, and quite sad. She is the daughter of Ares, but Achilles is invulnerable to all her weapons. As the Amazon attempts to ride him down, Achilles pierces both horse and rider with a spear, and Penthesileia takes a mortal wound. Her fall disheartens the Trojans, who to this point have all but routed the Achaeans and are (once again, as happens in the "Iliad") on the verge of burning the Achaeans' ships. The Trojans thus flee back to their city, and Achilles gloats over his kill. But he does not enjoy his victory for long. For Achilles removes Penthesileia's helmet, and seeing her beauty, he falls in love with her, even as she lays dead before him:
So spake he, and his ashen spear the son
Of Peleus drew from that swift horse, and from
Penthesileia in death's agony.
Then steed and rider gasped their lives away
Slain by one spear. Now from her head he plucked
The helmet splendour-flashing like the beams
Of the great sun, or Zeus' own glory-light.
Then, there as fallen in dust and blood she lay,
Rose, like the breaking of the dawn, to view
'Neath dainty-pencilled brows a lovely face,
Lovely in death. The Argives thronged around,
And all they saw and marvelled, for she seemed
Like an Immortal. In her armour there
Upon the earth she lay, and seemed the
Child Of Zeus, the tireless Huntress Artemis
Sleeping, what time her feet forwearied are
With following lions with her flying shafts
Over the hills far-stretching. She was made
A wonder of beauty even in her death
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