Friday, Jul. 20, 2012 6:56 p.m.

I saw Dad and brother coming home in my dream this morning. In the dream I was surprised to see Dad. Dad laid down. I asked, 'are you alright, Dad?' He said yes, but he also said he had hepatitis.

There were more details to this dream. When I thought about it this afternoon, I realized that perhaps it's a sign, or some indication of what I should do, or what to abandon.

The Iliad@London

Registered for this reading event at Hellenic Centre in Paddington tomorrow. My Greek classmate is going to perform music. This is the Iliad passage I am given:

BOOK XV

READER 102 | 800-827
alternative numbered lines (688-716)

Like an eagle
flashing down on a flock of long-winged birds
who feed at a riverside - white geese or cranes
or long-necked swans - so Hector struck ahead
and charged a ship with its black prow, for Zeus
behind him drove him on with his great hand

and cheered on soldiers with him.
Now again
there was a sharp fight near the ships; you'd say
that iron men, untiring, clashed in battle,
so fiercely they fought on. And to what end?
There was no way to escape, the Achaeans thought,
sure they would be destroyed. But every Trojan's
heart beat fast against his ribs with hope
of firing ships and killing Achaean soldiers.
These were their secret thoughts as they gave battle.

Hector gripped the stern of a deep-sea ship,
a fast sailer, a beauty, which had brought
Protesilaus to Troy but would not bring him
back to his own land. Around this ship
they slaughtered one another in close combat,
Trojans and Achaeans. Neither side
could stand a hail of arrows or javelins,
but for like reasons moved toward one another,
hewing with battle-axe and hatchet, wielding
longsword and double-bladed spear. The swords
were many and beautiful, black-sheathed and hilted,
that fell to earth out of the hands of men
or off their shoulders. Earth ran dark with blood.

像一只發光的鷹鳥，撲向
別的飛禽，后者正啄食河邊，成群結隊��
野鵝、鸛鶴或脖子修長的天鵝。
就像這樣，赫克托耳一個勁地猛衝，撲向一條海船，
翹著黑紅色的船頭；在他身後，宙斯揮起巨手，
奮力推送，同時催勵著他身邊的戰勇。
海船邊，雙方展開了一場殊死的拼搏。
他們打得如此狂烈，你或許以為兩軍
甫使開戰，不疲不倦，無傷無痕。
此時此刻，兵勇們在想些什麼？阿開亞人
以為，他們無法逃避災難，必死無疑；而
特洛伊人則懷抱希望，個個如此，
以為能放火燒船，殺死阿開亞戰勇。
帶著此般思緒，兩軍對陣，廝殺劈砍。
　　
赫克托耳一把抓住船尾，外形美觀、迅捷。
破浪遠洋的海船，曾把普羅忒西勞斯
載到此地，但卻沒有把他送還故鄉。
其時，圍繞著他的海船，阿開亞人和特洛伊人
展開了激戰，你殺我砍；雙方已不滿足於
遠距離的投射，弓箭和槍矛，
而是面對面地近戰，狂烈地廝殺，
用戰斧和鋒快的短柄小斧揮砍，用沉重的
利劍和雙刃的槍矛劈殺，地上掉滿了
銅劍，鑄工精皇，握柄粗重，綁條漆黑，
有的落自手中，有的掉自戰鬥中的
勇士的肩膀；地面上黑血湧注。