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Homer, Iliad

§ 1.1  BOOK 1
The wrath sing, goddess, ofPeleus' son,Achilles, that destructive wrath which brought countless woes upon theAchaeans, and sent forth toHades many valiant souls of heroes, and made them themselves spoil fordogs and every bird; thus the plan ofZeus came to fulfillment,

§ 1.5  from the time when first they parted in strifeAtreus' son, king of men, and brilliantAchilles. Who then of the gods was it that brought these two together to contend? The son ofLeto andZeus; for he in anger against the king roused throughout the host an evil pestilence, and the people began to perish,

§ 1.10  because upon the priestChryses the son ofAtreus had wrought dishonour. For he had come to the swift ships of theAchaeans to free his daughter, bearing ransom past counting; and in his hands he held the wreaths ofApollo who strikes from afar, on a staff of gold; and he implored all theAchaeans,

§ 1.15  but most of all the two sons ofAtreus, the marshallers of the people: “Sons ofAtreus, and other well-greavedAchaeans, to you may the gods who have homes uponOlympus grant that you sack the city ofPriam, and return safe to your homes; but my dear child release to me, and accept the ransom

§ 1.20  out of reverence for the son ofZeus,Apollo who strikes from afar.” Then all the rest of the Achaeans shouted assent, to reverence the priest and accept the glorious ransom, yet the thing did not please the heart ofAgamemnon, son ofAtreus, but he sent him away harshly, and laid upon him a stern command:

§ 1.25   “Let me not find you, old man, by the hollow ships, either tarrying now or coming back later, lest your staff and the wreath of the god not protect you. Her I will not set free. Sooner shall old age come upon her in our house, inArgos, far from her native land,

§ 1.30  as she walks to and fro before the loom and serves my bed. But go, do not anger me, that you may return the safer.” So he spoke, and the old man was seized with fear and obeyed his word. He went forth in silence along the shore of the loud-resounding sea, and earnestly then, when he had gone apart, the old man prayed

§ 1.35  to the lordApollo, whom fair-hairedLeto bore: “Hear me, god of the silver bow, who stand overChryse and holyCilla, and rule mightily overTenedos,Sminthian god, if ever I roofed over a temple to your pleasing, or if ever I burned to you fat thigh-pieces ofbulls andgoats,

§ 1.40  fulfill this prayer for me: let theDanaans pay for my tears by your arrows” So he spoke in prayer, andPhoebusApollo heard him. Down from the peaks ofOlympus he strode, angered at heart, bearing on his shoulders his bow and covered quiver.

§ 1.45  The arrows rattled on the shoulders of the angry god as he moved, and his coming was like the night. Then he sat down apart from the ships and let fly an arrow: terrible was the twang of the silver bow. The mules he assailed first and the swiftdogs,

§ 1.50  but then on the men themselves he let fly his stinging shafts, and struck; and constantly the pyres of the dead burned thick. For nine days the missiles of the god ranged among the host, but on the tenthAchilles called the people to assembly, for the goddess, white-armedHera, had put it in his heart,

§ 1.55  since she pitied theDanaans, when she saw them dying. When they were assembled and gathered together, among them arose and spoke swift-footedAchilles: “Son ofAtreus, now I think we shall return home, beaten back again, should we even escape death,

§ 1.60  if war and pestilence alike are to ravage the Achaeans. But come, let us ask some seer or priest, or some reader of dreams—for a dream too is fromZeus—who might say whyPhoebusApollo is so angry, whether he finds fault with a vow or a hecatomb;

§ 1.65  in hope that he may accept the savour oflambs and unblemishedgoats, and be willing to ward off the pestilence from us.” When he had thus spoken he sat down, and among them aroseCalchas son ofThestor, far the best of bird-diviners, who knew the things that were, and that were to be, and that had been before,

§ 1.70  and who had guided the ships of the Achaeans toIlios by his own prophetic powers whichPhoebusApollo had bestowed upon him. He with good intent addressed the gathering, and spoke among them: “Achilles, dear toZeus, you bid me declare the wrath ofApollo, the lord who strikes from afar.

§ 1.75  Therefore I will speak; but take thought and swear that you will readily defend me with word and with might of hand; for I think I shall anger a man who rules mightily over all theArgives, and whom the Achaeans obey. For mightier is a king, when he is angry at a lesser man.

§ 1.80  Even if he swallows down his wrath for that day, yet afterwards he cherishes resentment in his heart till he brings it to fulfillment. Say then, if you will keep me safe.” In answer to him spoke swift-footedAchilles: “Take heart, and speak out whatever oracle you know;

§ 1.85  for byApollo, dear toZeus, to whom you,Calchas, pray when you reveal oracles to theDanaans, no one, while I live and have sight on the earth, shall lay heavy hands on you beside the hollow ships, no one of the whole host of theDanaans,

§ 1.90  not even if you nameAgamemnon, who now claims to be far the best of the Achaeans.” Then the blameless seer took heart, and spoke: “It is not then because of a vow that he finds fault, nor because of a hecatomb, but because of the priest whomAgamemnon dishonoured, and did not release his daughter nor accept the ransom.

§ 1.95  For this cause the god who strikes from afar has given woes and will still give them. He will not drive off from theDanaans the loathsome pestilence, until we give back to her dear father the bright-eyed maiden, unbought, unransomed, and lead a sacred hecatomb toChryse. Then we might appease and persuade him.”

§ 1.100  When he had thus spoken he sat down, and among them arose the warrior, son ofAtreus, wide-rulingAgamemnon, deeply troubled. With rage his black heart was wholly filled, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ToCalchas first of all he spoke, and his look threatened evil:

§ 1.105   “Prophet of evil, never yet have you spoken to me a pleasant thing; ever is evil dear to your heart to prophesy, but a word of good you have never yet spoken, nor brought to pass. And now among theDanaans you claim in prophecy that for this reason the god who strikes from afar brings woes upon them,

§ 1.110  that I would not accept the glorious ransom for the girl, the daughter ofChryses, since I much prefer to keep her in my home. For certainly I prefer her toClytemnestra, my wedded wife, since she is not inferior to her, either in form or in stature, or in mind, or in any handiwork.

§ 1.115  Yet even so will I give her back, if that is better; I would rather the people be safe than perish. But provide me with a prize of honour forthwith, lest I alone of theArgives be without one, since that would not be proper. For you all see this, that my prize goes elsewhere.”

§ 1.120  In answer to him spoke swift-footed brilliantAchilles: “Most glorious son ofAtreus, most covetous of all, how shall the great-hearted Achaeans give you a prize? We know nothing of a hoard of wealth in common store, but whatever we took by pillage from the cities has been apportioned,

§ 1.125  and it is not seemly to gather these things back from the army. But give back the girl to the god, and we Achaeans will recompense you three and fourfold, if everZeus grants us to sack the well-walled city ofTroy.” In answer to him spoke lordAgamemnon:

§ 1.130   “Do not thus, mighty though you are, godlikeAchilles, seek to deceive me with your wit; for you will not get by me nor persuade me. Are you willing, so that your yourself may keep your prize, for me to sit here idly in want, while you order me to give her back? No, if the great-hearted Achaeans give me a prize,

§ 1.135  suiting it to my mind, so that it will be worth just as much—but if they do not, I myself will come and take your prize, or that ofAias, or that ofOdysseus I will seize and bear away. Angry will he be, to whomever I come. But these things we will consider hereafter.

§ 1.140  Let us now drag a black ship to the shining sea, and quickly gather suitable rowers into it, and place on board a hecatomb, and embark on it the fair-cheeked daughter ofChryses herself. Let one prudent man be its commander, eitherAias, orIdomeneus, or brilliantOdysseus,

§ 1.145  or you, son ofPeleus, of all men most extreme, so that on our behalf you may propitiate the god who strikes from afar by offering sacrifice.” Glaring from beneath his brows spoke to him swift-footedAchilles: “Ah me, clothed in shamelessness, thinking of profit, how shall any man of the Achaeans obey your words with a ready heart

§ 1.150  either to go on a journey or to fight against men with force? It was not on account of theTrojan spearmen that I came here to fight, since they have done no wrong to me. Never have they driven off mycattle or myhorses, nor ever in deep-soiledPhthia, nurse of men,

§ 1.155  did they lay waste the harvest, for many things lie between us—shadowy mountains and sounding sea. But you, shameless one, we followed, so that you might rejoice, seeking to win recompense forMenelaus and for yourself,dog-face, from theTrojans. This you disregard, and take no heed of.

§ 1.160  And now you threaten that you will yourself take my prize away from me, for which I toiled so much, which the sons of the Achaeans gave to me. Never have I prize like yours, whenever the Achaeans sack a well-inhabited citadel of theTrojans. The brunt of furious battle

§ 1.165  do my hands undertake, but if ever an apportionment comes, your prize is far greater, while small but dear is the reward I take to my ships, when I have worn myself out in the fighting. Now I will go back toPhthia, since it is far better to return home with my beaked ships, nor do I intend

§ 1.170  while I am here dishonoured to pile up riches and wealth for you.” Then the king of men,Agamemnon, answered him: “Flee then, if your heart urges you; I do not beg you to remain for my sake. With me are others who will honour me, and above allZeus, the lord of counsel.

§ 1.175  Most hateful to me are you of all the kings thatZeus nurtures, for always strife is dear to you, and wars and battles. If you are very strong, it was a god, I think, who gave you this gift. Go home with your ships and your companions and lord it over theMyrmidons; for you I care not,

§ 1.180  nor take heed of your wrath. But I will threaten you thus: asPhoebusApollo takes from me the daughter ofChryses, her with my ship and my companions I will send back, but I will myself come to your tent and take the fair-cheekedBriseis, your prize, so that you will understand

§ 1.185  how much mightier I am than you, and another may shrink from declaring himself my equal and likening himself to me to my face.” So he spoke.Grief came upon the son ofPeleus, and within his shaggy breast his heart was divided, whether he should draw his sharp sword from beside his thigh,

§ 1.190  and break up the assembly, and slay the son ofAtreus, or stay his anger and curb his spirit. While he pondered this in mind and heart, and was drawing from its sheath his great sword,Athene came from heaven. The white-armed goddessHera had sent her forth,

§ 1.195  for in her heart she loved and cared for both men alike. She stood behind him, and seized the son ofPeleus by his fair hair, appearing to him alone. No one of the others saw her.Achilles was seized with wonder, and turned around, and immediately recognizedPallas Athene. Terribly her eyes shone.

§ 1.200  Then he addressed her with winged words, and said: “Why now, daughter of aegis-bearingZeus, have you come? Is it so that you might see the arrogance ofAgamemnon, son ofAtreus? One thing I will tell you, and I think this will be brought to pass: through his own excessive pride shall he presently lose his life.”

§ 1.205  Him then the goddess, bright-eyedAthene, answered: “I have come from heaven to stay your anger, if you will obey, The goddess white-armedHera sent me forth, for in her heart she loves and cares for both of you. But come, cease from strife, and do not grasp the sword with your hand.

§ 1.210  With words indeed taunt him, telling him how it shall be. For thus will I speak, and this thing shall truly be brought to pass. Hereafter three times as many glorious gifts shall be yours on account of this arrogance. But refrain, and obey us.” In answer to her spoke swift-footedAchilles:

§ 1.215   “It is necessary, goddess, to observe the words of you two, however angered a man be in his heart, for is it better so. Whoever obeys the gods, to him do they gladly give ear.” He spoke, and stayed his heavy hand on the silver hilt, and back into its sheath thrust the great sword, and did not disobey

§ 1.220  the word ofAthene. She returned toOlympus to the palace of aegis-bearingZeus, to join the company of the other gods. But the son ofPeleus again addressed with violent words the son ofAtreus, and in no way ceased from his wrath: “Heavy with wine, with the face of adog but the heart of a deer,

§ 1.225  never have you had courage to arm for battle along with your people, or go forth to an ambush with the chiefs of the Achaeans. That seems to you even as death. Indeed it is far better throughout the wide camp of the Achaeans to deprive of his prize whoever speaks contrary to you.

§ 1.230  People-devouring king, since you rule over nobodies; else, son ofAtreus, this would be your last piece of insolence. But I will speak out to you, and will swear thereto a mighty oath: by this staff, that shall never more put forth leaves or shoots since first it left its stump among the mountains,

§ 1.235  nor shall it again grow green, for the bronze has stripped it on all sides of leaves and bark, and now the sons of the Achaeans carry it in their hands when they act as judges, those who guard the ordinances that come fromZeus; and this shall be for you a mighty oath. Surely some day a longing forAchilles will come upon the sons of the Achaeans

§ 1.240  one and all, and on that day you will not be able to help them at all, for all your grief, when many shall fall dying before man-slayingHector. But you will gnaw the heart within you, in anger that you did no honour to the best of the Achaeans.” So spoke the son ofPeleus, and down to the earth he dashed

§ 1.245  the staff studded with golden nails, and himself sat down, while over against him the son ofAtreus continued to vent his wrath. Then among them aroseNestor, sweet of speech, the clear-voiced orator of thePylians, from whose tongue flowed speech sweeter than honey. Two generations of mortal men had passed away in his lifetime,

§ 1.250  who had been born and reared with him before in sacredPylos, and he was king among the third. He with good intent addressed the gathering and spoke among them: “Comrades, great grief has come upon the land ofAchaea. Truly wouldPriam and the sons ofPriam

§ 1.255  rejoice, and the rest of theTrojans would be most glad at heart, were they to hear all this of you two quarrelling, you who are chief among theDanaans in counsel and chief in war. Listen to me, for you are both younger than I. In earlier times I moved among men more warlike than you,

§ 1.260  and never did they despise me. Such warriors have I never since seen, nor shall I see, asPeirithous was andDryas, shepherd of the people, andCaeneus andExadius and godlikePolyphemus, andTheseus, son ofAegeus, a man like the immortals.

§ 1.265  Mightiest were these of men reared upon the earth; mightiest were they, and with the mightiest they fought, the mountain-dwellingcentaurs, and they destroyed them terribly. With these men I had fellowship, when I came fromPylos, from a distant land far away; for they themselves called me.

§ 1.270  And I fought on my own; with those men could no one fight of the mortals now upon the earth. Yes, and they listened to my counsel, and obeyed my words. So also should you obey, since to obey is better. Neither do you, mighty though you are, take away the girl,

§ 1.275  but let her be, as the sons of the Achaeans first gave her to him as a prize; nor do you, son ofPeleus, be minded to strive with a king, might against might, for it is no common honour that is the portion of a sceptre-holding king, to whomZeus gives glory. If you are a stronger fighter, and a goddess mother bore you,

§ 1.280  yet he is the mightier, since he is king over more. Son ofAtreus, check your rage. Indeed, I beg you to let go your anger againstAchilles, who is for all the Achaeans a mighty bulwark in evil war.” In answer to him spoke lordAgamemnon:

§ 1.285   “All these things, old man, to be sure, you have spoken as is right. But this man wishes to be above all others; over all he wishes to rule and over all to be king, and to all to give orders; in this, I think, there is someone who will not obey. If the gods who exist for ever made him a spearman,

§ 1.290  do they therefore license him to keep uttering insults?” BrilliantAchilles broke in upon him and replied: “Surely I would be called cowardly and of no account, if I am to yield to you in every matter that you say. On others lay these commands, but do not give orders to me,

§ 1.295  for I do not think I shall obey you any longer. And another thing I will tell you, and take it to heart: with my hands I will not fight for the girl's sake either with you nor with any other, since you are taking away what you have given. But of all else that is mine by my swift black ship,

§ 1.300  nothing will you take or carry away against my will. Come, just try, so that these too may know: forthwith will your dark blood flow forth about my spear.” So when the two had made an end of contending with violent words, they rose, and broke up the gathering beside the ships of the Achaeans.

§ 1.305  The son ofPeleus went his way to his huts and his balanced ships together with the son ofMenoetius, and with his men; but the son ofAtreus launched a swift ship on the sea, and chose for it twenty rowers, and drove on board a hecatomb for the god, and brought the fair-cheeked daughter ofChryses and set her in the ship;

§ 1.310  andOdysseus of many wiles went on board to take command. So these embarked and sailed over the watery ways; but the son ofAtreus bade the people purify themselves. And they purified themselves, and cast the defilement into the sea, and offered toApollo perfect hecatombs

§ 1.315  ofbulls andgoats by the shore of the barren sea; and the savour thereof went up to heaven, eddying amid the smoke. Thus were they busied throughout the camp; butAgamemnon did not cease from the strife with which he had first threatenedAchilles, but called toTalthybius andEurybates,

§ 1.320  who were his heralds and ready squires: “Go to the hut ofAchilles,Peleus' son, and take by the hand the fair-cheekedBriseis, and lead her hither; and if he give her not, I will myself go with a larger company and take her; that will be even the worse for him.”

§ 1.325  So saying he sent them forth, and laid upon them a stern command. Unwilling went the two along the shore of the barren sea, and came to the tents and the ships of theMyrmidons. Him they found sitting beside his tent and his black ship; andAchilles was not glad at sight of them.

§ 1.330  The two, seized with dread and in awe of the king, stood, and spoke no word to him, nor made question; but he knew in his heart, and spoke: “Hail, heralds, messengers ofZeus and men, draw near. It is not you who are guilty in my sight, butAgamemnon,

§ 1.335  who sent you forth for the sake of the girl,Briseis. But come,Patroclus, sprung fromZeus, bring forth the girl, and give her to them to lead away. However, let these two themselves be witnesses before the blessed gods and mortal men, and before him, that ruthless king, if hereafter

§ 1.340  there shall be need of me to ward off shameful ruin from the host. Truly he rages with baneful mind, and knows not at all to look both before and after, that his Achaeans might wage war in safety beside their ships.” So he spoke, andPatroclus obeyed his dear comrade,

§ 1.345  and led forth from the hut the fair-cheekedBriseis, and gave her to them to lead away. So the two went back beside the ships of the Achaeans, and with them, all unwilling, went the woman. ButAchilles burst into tears, and withdrew apart from his comrades, and sat down on the shore of the grey sea, looking forth over the wine-dark deep.

§ 1.350  Earnestly he prayed to his dear mother with hands outstretched: “Mother, since you bore me, though to so brief a span of life, honour surely ought theOlympian to have given into my hands,Zeus who thunders on high; but now he has honoured me not a bit. Truly the son ofAtreus, wide-rulingAgamemnon

§ 1.355  has dishonoured me: for he has taken and keeps my prize through his own arrogant act.” So he spoke, weeping, and his lady mother heard him, as she sat in the depths of the sea beside the old man, her father. And speedily she came forth from the grey sea like a mist, and sat down before him, as he wept,

§ 1.360  and she stroked him with her hand, and spoke to him, and called him by name: “My child, why do you weep? What sorrow has come upon your heart? Speak out; hide it not in your mind, that we both may know.” Then with heavy moaning spoke swift-footedAchilles to her: “You know. Why then should I tell the tale to you who knows all?

§ 1.365  We went forth toThebe, the sacred city ofEetion, and laid it waste, and brought here all the spoil. This the sons of the Achaeans divided properly among themselves, but for the son ofAtreus they chose out the fair-cheeked daughter ofChryses. However,Chryses, priest ofApollo, who strikes from afar,

§ 1.370  came to the swift ships of the bronze-clad Achaeans, to free his daughter, bearing ransom past counting, and in his hands he held the wreaths ofApollo who strikes from afar, on a staff of gold, and he implored all the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons ofAtreus, marshallers of the people.

§ 1.375  Then all the rest of the Achaeans shouted assent, to reverence the priest and accept the glorious ransom; yet the thing did not please the heart ofAgamemnon, son ofAtreus, but he sent him away harshly, and laid upon him a stern command. So the old man went back again in anger; andApollo

§ 1.380  heard his prayer, for he was very dear to him, and sent against theArgives an evil shaft. Then the people began to die thick and fast, and the shafts of the god ranged everywhere throughout the wide camp of the Achaeans. But to us the prophet with sure knowledge declared the oracles of the god who strikes from afar.

§ 1.385  Forthwith, then, I first bade propitiate the god, but thereafter anger seized the son ofAtreus, and straightway he arose and spoke a threatening word, which now has come to pass. For the quick-glancing Achaeans are taking the maiden in a swift ship toChryse, and are bearing gifts to the god;

§ 1.390  while the other woman the heralds have just now taken from my tent and led away, the daughter ofBriseus, whom the sons of the Achaeans gave me. But, you, if you are able, guard your own son; go toOlympus and make prayer toZeus, if ever you have gladdened his heart by word or deed.

§ 1.395  For often I have heard you glorying in the halls of my father, and declaring that you alone among the immortals warded off shameful ruin from the son ofCronos, lord of the dark clouds, on the day when the other Olympians wished to put him in bonds, evenHera andPoseidon andPallas Athene.

§ 1.400  But you came, goddess, and freed him from his bonds, when you had quickly called to highOlympus him of the hundred hands, whom the gods callBriareus, but all menAegaeon; for he is mightier than his father. He sat down by the side of the son ofCronos, exulting in his glory,

§ 1.405  and the blessed gods were seized with fear of him, and did not bindZeus. Bring this now to his remembrance, and sit by his side, and clasp his knees, in hope that he might perhaps wish to succour theTrojans, and for those others, the Achaeans, to pen them in among the sterns of their ships and around the sea as they are slain, so that they may all have profit of their king,

§ 1.410  and that the son ofAtreus, wide-rulingAgamemnon may know his blindness in that he did no honour to the best of the Achaeans.” ThenThetis answered him as she wept: “Ah me, my child, why did I rear you, cursed in my child-bearing? Would that it had been your lot to remain by your ships without tears and without grief,

§ 1.415  since your span of life is brief and endures no long time; but now you are doomed to a speedy death and are laden with sorrow above all men; therefore to an evil fate I bore you in our halls. Yet in order to tell this your word toZeus who delights in the thunderbolt I will myself go to snowyOlympus, in hope that he may be persuaded.

§ 1.420  But remain by your swift, sea-faring ships, and continue your wrath against the Achaeans, and refrain utterly from battle; forZeus went yesterday toOceanus, to the blamelessEthiopians for a feast, and all the gods followed with him; but on the twelfth day he will come back again toOlympus,

§ 1.425  and then will I go to the house ofZeus with threshold of bronze, and will clasp his knees in prayer, and I think I shall win him.” So saying, she went her way and left him where he was, angry at heart for the fair-girdled woman's sake, whom they had taken from him by force though he was unwilling; and meanwhileOdysseus

§ 1.430  came toChryse bringing the holy hecatomb. When they had arrived within the deep harbour, they furled the sail, and stowed it in the black ship, and the mast they lowered by the forestays and brought it to the crutch with speed, and rowed her with oars to the place of anchorage.

§ 1.435  Then they cast out the mooring-stones and made fast the stern cables, and themselves went forth upon the shore of the sea. They brought forth the hecatomb forApollo, who strikes from afar, and forth stepped also the daughter ofChryses from the sea-faring ship. Her then didOdysseus of many wiles lead to the altar,

§ 1.440  and place in the arms of her dear father, saying to him: “Chryses,Agamemnon, king of men, sent me forth to bring to you your daughter, and to offer toPhoebus a holy hecatomb on theDanaans' behalf, that therewith we may propitiate the lord, who has now brought upon theArgives woeful lamentation.”

§ 1.445  So saying he placed her in his arms, and he joyfully took his dear child; but they made haste to set in array for the god the holy hecatomb around the well-built altar, and then they washed their hands and took up the barley grains. ThenChryses lifted up his hands, and prayed aloud for them:

§ 1.450   “Hear me, god of the silver bow, who stands overChryse and holyCilla, and rules mightily overTenedos. As before you heard me when I prayed—to me you did honour, and mightily smote the host of the Achaeans—even so now fulfill me this my desire:

§ 1.455  ward off now from theDanaans the loathly pestilence.” So he spoke in prayer, andPhoebusApollo heard him. Then, when they had prayed, and had sprinkled the barley grains, they first drew back the victims' heads, and cut their throats, and flayed them, and cut out the thighs and covered them

§ 1.460  with a double layer of fat, and laid raw flesh thereon. And the old man burned them on stakes of wood, and made libation over them of gleaming wine; and beside him the young men held in their hands the five-pronged forks. But when the thigh-pieces were wholly burned, and they had tasted the entrails, they cut up the rest and spitted it,

§ 1.465  and roasted it carefully, and drew all off the spits. Then, when they had ceased from their labour and had made ready the meal, they feasted, nor did their hearts lack anything of the equal feast. But when they had put from them the desire for food and drink, the youths filled the bowls brim full of drink

§ 1.470  and served out to all, first pouring drops for libation into the cups. So the whole day long they sought to appease the god with song, singing the beautiful paean, the sons of the Achaeans, hymning the god who works from afar; and his heart was glad, as he heard. But when the sun set and darkness came on,

§ 1.475  they lay down to rest by the stern cables of the ship, and as soon as early rosy-fingeredDawn appeared, then they set sail for the wide camp of the Achaeans. AndApollo, who works from afar, sent them a favouring wind, and they set up the mast and spread the white sail.

§ 1.480  So the wind filled the belly of the sail, and the dark wave sang loudly about the stem of the ship, as she went, and she sped over the wave, accomplishing her way. But when they came to the wide camp of the Achaeans, they drew the black ship up on the shore,

§ 1.485  high upon the sands, and set in line the long props beneath, and themselves scattered among the tents and ships. But he in his wrath sat beside his swift-faring ships, theZeus-sprung son ofPeleus, swift-footedAchilles. Never did he go forth to the place of gathering, where men win glory,

§ 1.490  nor ever to war, but wasted away his own heart, as he tarried where he was; and he longed for the war-cry and the battle. Now when the twelfth morning thereafter had come, then intoOlympus came the gods who are for ever, all in one company, andZeus led the way. AndThetis did not forget the behest

§ 1.495  of her son, but rose up from the wave of the sea, and at early morning went up to great heaven andOlympus. There she found the far-seeing son ofCronos sitting apart from the rest upon the topmost peak of many-ridgedOlympus. So she sat down before him, and clasped his knees

§ 1.500  with her left hand, while with her right she touched him beneath the chin, and she spoke in prayer to kingZeus, son ofCronos: “FatherZeus, if ever amid the immortals I gave you aid by word or deed, grant me this prayer: do honour to my son, who is doomed to a speedy death beyond all other men;

§ 1.505  yet nowAgamemnon, king of men, has dishonoured him, for he has taken and keeps his prize by his own arrogant act. But honour him,OlympianZeus, lord of counsel; and give might to theTrojans, until the Achaeans do honour to my son, and magnify him with recompense.”

§ 1.510  So she spoke; butZeus, the cloud-gatherer, spoke no word to her, but sat a long time in silence. YetThetis, even as she had clasped his knees, so held to him, clinging close, and questioned him again a second time: “Give me your infallible promise, and bow your head to it, or else deny me, for there is nothing to make you afraid; so that I may know well

§ 1.515  how far I among all the gods am honoured the least.” Then, greatly troubled,Zeus, the cloud-gatherer spoke to her: “Surely this will be sorry work, since you will set me on to engage in strife withHera, when she shall anger me with taunting words. Even now she always upbraids me among the immortal gods,

§ 1.520  and declares that I give aid to theTrojans in battle. But for the present, depart again, lestHera note something; and I will take thought for these things to bring all to pass. Come, I will bow my head to you, that thou may be certain, for this from me is the surest token among the immortals;

§ 1.525  no word of mine may be recalled, nor is false, nor unfulfilled, to which I bow my head.” The son ofCronos spoke, and bowed his dark brow in assent, and the ambrosial locks waved from the king's immortal head; and he made greatOlympus quake.

§ 1.530  When the two had taken counsel together in this way, they parted; she leapt straightway into the deep sea from gleamingOlympus, andZeus went to his own palace. All the gods together rose from their seats before the face of their father; no one dared to await his coming, but they all rose up before him.

§ 1.535  So he sat down there upon his throne; butHera saw, and failed not to note how silver-footedThetis, daughter of the old man of the sea, had taken counsel with him. Forthwith then she spoke toZeus, son ofCronos, with mocking words: “Who of the gods, crafty one, has now again taken counsel with you?

§ 1.540  Always is it your pleasure to hold aloof from me, and to give judgments which you have pondered in secret, nor have you ever brought yourself with a ready heart to declare to me the matter which you devise.” In answer to her spoke the father of men and gods: “Hera, do not hope to know all my words:

§ 1.545  hard will they prove for you, though you are my wife. Whatever it is fitting for you to hear, this none other shall know before you, whether of gods or men; but what I wish to devise apart from the gods, of all this do not in any way inquire nor ask.”

§ 1.550  In answer to him spoke theox-eyed ladyHera: “Most dread son ofCronos, what a word you have said! Truly, in the past I have not been accustomed to inquire nor ask you, but at your ease you devise all things whatever you wish. But now I have wondrous dread at heart, lest

§ 1.555  silver-footedThetis, daughter of the old man of the sea, have beguiled you; for at early dawn she sat by you and clasped your knees. To her, I think, you bowed your head in sure token that you will honourAchilles, and bring many to death beside the ships of the Achaeans.” Then in answer to her spokeZeus, the cloud-gatherer:

§ 1.560   “Strange one, you are always suspecting, and I do not escape you; yet you shall be able to accomplish nothing, but shall be even further from my heart; and that shall be the worse for you. If this thing is as you say, then it must be pleasing to me. Sit down in silence, and obey my word,

§ 1.565  lest all the gods that are inOlympus avail you not against my drawing near, when I put forth upon you my irresistible hands.” He spoke, andox-eyed ladyHera was seized with fear, and sat down in silence, curbing her heart. Then troubled were the gods of heaven throughout the palace ofZeus,

§ 1.570  and among themHephaestus, the famed craftsman, was first to speak, doing pleasure to his dear mother, white-armedHera: “Surely this will be sorry work, that is no longer bearable, if you two are to wrangle thus for mortals' sakes, and set the gods in tumult; neither will there be any joy in the excellent feast,

§ 1.575  since worse things prevail. And I give counsel to my mother, wise though she be herself, to do pleasure to our dear fatherZeus, that the father upbraid her not again, and bring confusion upon our feast. What if theOlympian, the lord of the lightning, were minded

§ 1.580  to dash us from our seats! for he is mightiest far. But address him with gentle words; so shall theOlympian forthwith be gracious to us.” So saying, he sprang up and placed in his dear mother's hand the double cup, and spoke to her:

§ 1.585   “Be patient, my mother, and endure for all your grief, lest, dear as you are to me, my eyes see you stricken, and then I shall in no way be able to succour you for all my sorrow; for a hard foe is theOlympian to meet in strife. On a time before this, when I was striving to save you,

§ 1.590  he caught me by the foot and hurled me from the heavenly threshold; the whole day long I was carried headlong, and at sunset I fell inLemnos, and but little life was in me. There the Sintian folk quickly tended me for my fall.” So he spoke, and the goddess, white-armedHera, smiled,

§ 1.595  and smiling took in her hand the cup from her son. Then he poured wine for all the other gods from left to right, drawing forth sweet nectar from the bowl. And unquenchable laughter arose among the blessed gods, as they sawHephaestus puffing through the palace.

§ 1.600  Thus the whole day long till the setting of the sun they feasted, nor did their heart lack anything of the equal feast, nor of the beauteous lyre, thatApollo held, nor yet of theMuses, who sang, replying one to the other with sweet voices. But when the bright light of the sun was set,

§ 1.605  they went each to his own house to take their rest, where for each one a palace had been built with cunning skill by the famedHephaestus, the limping god; andZeus, theOlympian, lord of the lightning, went to his couch, where of old he took his rest, whenever sweet sleep came upon him.

§ 1.610  There went he up and slept, and beside him layHera of the golden throne.

§ 2.1  BOOK 2
Now all the other gods and men, lords of chariots, slumbered the whole night through, butZeus was not holden of sweet sleep, for he was pondering in his heart how he might do honour toAchilles and lay many low beside the ships of the Achaeans. And this plan seemed to his mind the best,

§ 2.5  to send toAgamemnon, son ofAtreus, a baneful dream. So he spake, and addressed him with winged words: “Up, go, thou banefulDream, unto the swift ships of the Achaeans, and when thou art come to the hut ofAgamemnon, son ofAtreus,

§ 2.10  tell him all my word truly, even as I charge thee. Bid him arm the long-haired Achaeans with all speed, since now he may take the broad-wayed city of theTrojans. For the immortals, that have homes uponOlympus, are no longer divided in counsel,

§ 2.15  sinceHera hath bent the minds of all by her supplication, and over theTrojans hang woes.” So spake he, and theDream went his way, when he had heard this saying. Forthwith he came to the swift ships of the Achaeans, and went his way toAgamemnon, son ofAtreus, and found him sleeping in his hut, and over him was shed ambrosial slumber.

§ 2.20  So he took his stand above his head, in the likeness of the son ofNeleus, evenNestor, whom above all the eldersAgamemnon held in honour; likening himself to him, theDream from heaven spake, saying: “Thou sleepest, son of wise-heartedAtreus, the tamer ofhorses. To sleep the whole night through beseemeth not a man that is a counsellor,

§ 2.25  to whom a host is entrusted, and upon whom rest so many cares. But now, hearken thou quickly unto me, for I am a messenger to thee fromZeus, who, far away though he be, hath exceeding care for thee and pity. He biddeth thee arm the long-haired Achaeans with all speed, since now thou mayest take the broad-wayed city of theTrojans.

§ 2.30  For the immortals that have homes uponOlympus are no longer divided in counsel, sinceHera hath bent the minds of all by her supplication, and over theTrojans hang woes by the will ofZeus. But do thou keep this in thy heart, nor let forgetfulness lay hold of thee, whenso honey-hearted sleep shall let thee go.”

§ 2.35  So spoke theDream, and departed, and left him there, pondering in his heart on things that were not to be brought to pass. For in sooth he deemed that he should take the city ofPriam that very day, fool that he was! seeing he knew not what deedsZeus was purposing,

§ 2.40  who was yet to bring woes and groanings onTrojans alike andDanaans throughout the course of stubborn fights. Then he awoke from sleep, and the divine voice was ringing in his ears. He sat upright and did on his soft tunic, fair and glistering, and about him cast his great cloak, and beneath his shining feet he bound his fair sandals,

§ 2.45  and about his shoulders flung his silver-studded sword; and he grasped the sceptre of his fathers, imperishable ever, and therewith took his way along the ships of the brazen-coated Achaeans. Now the goddessDawn went up to highOlympus, to announce the light toZeus and the other immortals,

§ 2.50  butAgamemnon bade the clear-voiced heralds summon to the place of gathering the long-haired Achaeans. And they made summons, and the men gathered full quickly. But the king first made the council of the great-souled elders to sit down beside the ship ofNestor, the kingPylos-born.

§ 2.55  And when he had called them together, he contrived a cunning plan, and said: “Hearken, my friends, aDream from heaven came to me in my sleep through the ambrosial night, and most like was it to goodlyNestor, in form and in stature and in build. It took its stand above my head, and spake to me, saying:

§ 2.60  ‘Thou sleepest, son of wise-heartedAtreus, the tamer ofhorses. To sleep the whole night through beseemeth not a man that is a counsellor, to whom a host is entrusted, and upon whom rest so many cares. But now, hearken thou quickly unto me, for I am a messenger to thee fromZeus, who, far away though he be, hath exceeding care for thee and pity.

§ 2.65  He biddeth thee arm the long-haired Achaeans with all speed, since now thou mayest take the broad-wayed city of theTrojans. For the immortals that have homes uponOlympus are no longer divided in counsel, sinceHera hath bent the minds of all by her supplication, and over theTrojans hang woes by the will ofZeus.

§ 2.70  But do thou keep this in thy heart.’ So spake he, and was flown away, and sweet sleep let me go. Nay, come now, if in any wise we may, let us arm the sons of the Achaeans; but first will I make trial of them in speech, as is right, and will bid them flee with their benched ships;

§ 2.75  but do you from this side and from that bespeak them, and strive to hold them back.” So saying, he sate him down, and among them uproseNestor, that was king of sandyPylos. He with good intent addressed their gathering and spake among them: “My friends, leaders and rulers of theArgives,

§ 2.80  were it any other of the Achaeans that told us this dream we might deem it a false thing, and turn away therefrom the more; but now hath he seen it who declares himself to be far the mightiest of the Achaeans. Nay, come then, if in any wise we may arm the sons of the Achaeans.” He spake, and led the way forth from the council,

§ 2.85  and the other sceptred kings rose up thereat and obeyed the shepherd of the host; and the people the while were hastening on. Even as the tribes of throngingbees go forth from some hollow rock, ever coming on afresh, and in clusters over the flowers of spring fly in throngs, some here, some there;

§ 2.90  even so from the ships and huts before the low sea-beach marched forth in companies their many tribes to the place of gathering. And in their midst blazed forthRumour, messenger ofZeus, urging them to go; and they were gathered.

§ 2.95  And the place of gathering was in a turmoil, and the earth groaned beneath them, as the people sate them down, and a din arose. Nine heralds with shouting sought to restrain them, if so be they might refrain from uproar and give ear to the kings, nurtured ofZeus. Hardly at the last were the people made to sit, and were stayed in their places,

§ 2.100  ceasing from their clamour. Then among them lordAgamemnon uprose, bearing in his hands the sceptre whichHephaestus had wrought with toil.Hephaestus gave it to kingZeus, son ofCronos, andZeus gave it to the messengerArgeiphontes; andHermes, the lord, gave it toPelops, driver ofhorses,

§ 2.105  andPelops in turn gave it toAtreus, shepherd of the host; andAtreus at his death left it toThyestes, rich in flocks, andThyestes again left it toAgamemnon to bear, that so he might be lord of many isles and of allArgos. Thereon he leaned, and spake his word among theArgives:

§ 2.110   “My friends, Danaan warriors, squires ofAres, greatZeus, son ofCronos, hath ensnared me in grievous blindness of heart, cruel god! seeing that of old he promised me, and bowed his head thereto, that not until I had sacked well-walledIlios should I get me home; but now hath he planned cruel deceit, and bids me return inglorious toArgos,

§ 2.115  when I have lost much people. So, I ween, must be the good pleasure ofZeus, supreme in might, who hath laid low the heads of many cities, yea, and shall yet lay low, for his power is above all. A shameful thing is this even for the hearing of men that are yet to be,

§ 2.120  how that thus vainly so goodly and so great a host of the Achaeans warred a bootless war, and fought with men fewer than they, and no end thereof hath as yet been seen. For should we be minded, both Achaeans andTrojans, to swear a solemn oath with sacrifice, and to number ourselves,

§ 2.125  and should theTrojans be gathered together, even all they that have dwellings in the city, and we Achaeans be marshalled by tens, and choose, each company of us, a man of theTrojans to pour our wine, then would many tens lack a cup-bearer; so far, I deem, do the sons of the Achaeans outnumber theTrojans that dwell in the city.

§ 2.130  But allies there be out of many cities, men that wield the spear, who hinder me mightily, and for all that I am fain, suffer me not to sack the well-peopled citadel ofIlios. Already have nine years of greatZeus gone by,

§ 2.135  and lo, our ships' timbers are rotted, and the tackling loosed; and our wives, I ween, and little children sit in our halls awaiting us; yet is our task wholly unaccomplished in furtherance whereof we came hither. Nay, come, even as I shall bid, let us all obey:

§ 2.140  let us flee with our ships to our dear native land; for no more is there hope that we shall take broad-wayedTroy.” So spake he, and roused the hearts in the breasts of all throughout the multitude, as many as had not heard the council. And the gathering was stirred like the long sea-waves of theIcarian main,

§ 2.145  which theEast Wind or theSouth Wind has raised, rushing upon them from the clouds of fatherZeus. And even as when theWest Wind at its coming stirreth a deep cornfield with its violent blast, and the ears bow thereunder, even so was all their gathering stirred, and they with loud shouting rushed towards the ships;

§ 2.150  and from beneath their feet the dust arose on high. And they called each one to his fellow to lay hold of the ships and draw them into the bright sea, and they set themselves to clear the launching-ways, and their shouting went up to heaven, so fain were they of their return home; and they began to take the props from beneath the ships.

§ 2.155  Then would theArgives have accomplished their return even beyond what was ordained, had notHera spoken a word toAthene, saying: “Out upon it, child ofZeus that beareth the aegis, unwearied one! Is it thus indeed that theArgives are to flee to their dear native land over the broad back of the sea?

§ 2.160  Aye, and they would leave toPriam and theTrojans their boast, evenArgiveHelen, for whose sake many anAchaean hath perished inTroy, far from his dear native land. But go thou now throughout the host of the brazen-coated Achaeans; with thy gentle words seek thou to restrain every man,

§ 2.165  neither suffer them to draw into the sea their curved ships.” So spake she, and the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene, failed not to hearken. Down from the peaks ofOlympus she went darting, and speedily came to the swift ships of the Achaeans. There she foundOdysseus, the peer ofZeus in counsel,

§ 2.170  as he stood. He laid no hand upon his benched, black ship, for that grief had come upon his heart and soul; and flashing-eyedAthene stood near him, and said: “Son ofLaertes, sprung fromZeus,Odysseus of many wiles, is it thus indeed that ye will fling yourselves

§ 2.175  on your benched ships to flee to your dear native land? Aye, and ye would leave toPriam and theTrojans their boast, evenArgiveHelen, for whose sake many anAchaean hath perished inTroy, far from his dear native land. But go thou now throughout the host of the Achaeans, and hold thee back no more;

§ 2.180  and with thy gentle words seek thou to restrain every man, neither suffer them to draw into the sea their curved ships.” So said she, and he knew the voice of the goddess as she spake, and set him to run, and cast from him his cloak, which his herald gathered up, evenEurybates ofIthaca, that waited on him.

§ 2.185  But himself he went straight toAgamemnon, son ofAtreus, and received at his hand the staff of his fathers, imperishable ever, and therewith went his way along the ships of the brazen-coated Achaeans. Whomsoever he met that was a chieftain or man of note, to his side would he come and with gentle words seek to restrain him, saying:

§ 2.190   “Good Sir, it beseems not to seek to affright thee as if thou were a coward, but do thou thyself sit thee down, and make the rest of thy people to sit. For thou knowest not yet clearly what is the mind of the son ofAtreus; now he does but make trial, whereas soon he will smite the sons of the Achaeans. Did we not all hear what he spake in the council?

§ 2.195  Beware lest waxing wroth he work mischief to the sons of the Achaeans. Proud is the heart of kings, fostered of heaven; for their honour is fromZeus, andZeus, god of counsel, loveth them.” But whatsoever man of the people he saw, and found brawling, him would he smite with his staff; and chide with words, saying,

§ 2.200   “Fellow, sit thou still, and hearken to the words of others that are better men than thou; whereas thou art unwarlike and a weakling, neither to be counted in war nor in counsel. In no wise shall we Achaeans all be kings here. No good thing is a multitude of lords; let there be one lord,

§ 2.205  one king, to whom the son of crooked-counsellingCronos hath vouchsafed the sceptre and judgments, that he may take counsel for his people.” Thus masterfully did he range through the host, and they hasted back to the place of gathering from their ships and huts with noise, as when a wave of the loud-resounding sea

§ 2.210  thundereth on the long beach, and the deep roareth. Now the others sate them down and were stayed in their places, only there still kept chattering onThersites of measureless speech, whose mind was full of great store of disorderly words, wherewith to utter revilings against the kings, idly, and in no orderly wise,

§ 2.215  but whatsoever he deemed would raise a laugh among theArgives. Evil-favoured was he beyond all men that came toIlios: he was bandy-legged and lame in the one foot, and his two shoulders were rounded, stooping together over his chest, and above them his head was warped, and a scant stubble grew thereon.

§ 2.220  Hateful was he toAchilles above all, and toOdysseus, for it was they twain that he was wont to revile; but now again with shrill cries he uttered abuse against goodlyAgamemnon. With him were the Achaeans exceeding wroth, and had indignation in their hearts. Howbeit with loud shoutings he spake and chidAgamemnon:

§ 2.225   “Son ofAtreus, with what art thou now again discontent, or what lack is thine? Filled are thy huts with bronze, and women full many are in thy huts, chosen spoils that we Achaeans give thee first of all, whensoe'er we take a citadel. Or dost thou still want gold also,

§ 2.230  which some man of the horse-tamingTrojans shall bring thee out ofIlios as a ransom for his son, whom I haply have bound and led away or some other of the Achaeans? Or is it some young girl for thee to know in love, whom thou wilt keep apart for thyself? Nay, it beseemeth not one that is their captain to bring to ill the sons of the Achaeans.

§ 2.235  Soft fools! base things of shame, ye women ofAchaea, men no more, homeward let us go with our ships, and leave this fellow here in the land ofTroy to digest his prizes, that so he may learn whether in us too there is aught of aid for him or no—for him that hath now done dishonour toAchilles, a man better far than he;

§ 2.240  for he hath taken away, and keepeth his prize by his own arrogant act. Of a surety there is naught of wrath in the heart ofAchilles; nay, he heedeth not at all; else, son ofAtreus, wouldest thou now work insolence for the last time.” So spakeThersites, railing atAgamemnon, shepherd of the host. But quickly to his side came goodlyOdysseus,

§ 2.245  and with an angry glance from beneath his brows, chid him with harsh words, saying: “Thersites of reckless speech, clear-voiced talker though thou art, refrain thee, and be not minded to strive singly against kings. For I deem that there is no viler mortal than thou amongst all those that with the sons ofAtreus came beneathIlios.

§ 2.250  Wherefore 'twere well thou shouldst not take the name of kings in thy mouth as thou protest, to cast reproaches upon them, and to watch for home-going. In no wise do we know clearly as yet how these things are to be, whether it be for good or ill that we sons of the Achaeans shall return. Therefore dost thou now continually utter revilings againstAtreus' son,Agamemnon, shepherd of the host,

§ 2.255  for that the Danaan warriors give him gifts full many; whereas thou pratest on with railings. But I will speak out to thee, and this word shall verily be brought to pass: if I find thee again playing the fool, even as now thou dost, then may the head ofOdysseus abide no more upon his shoulders,

§ 2.260  nor may I any more be called the father ofTelemachus, if I take thee not, and strip off thy raiment, thy cloak, and thy tunic that cover thy nakedness, and for thyself send thee wailing to the swift ships, beaten forth from the place of gathering with shameful blows.”

§ 2.265  So spakeOdysseus, and with his staff smote his back and shoulders; andThersites cowered down, and a big tear fell from him, and a bloody weal rose up on his back beneath the staff of gold. Then he sate him down, and fear came upon him, and stung by pain with helpless looks he wiped away the tear.

§ 2.270  But the Achaeans, sore vexed at heart though they were, broke into a merry laugh at him, and thus would one speak with a glance at his neighbour: “Out upon it! verily hathOdysseus ere now wrought good deeds without number as leader in good counsel and setting battle in army, but now is this deed far the best that he hath wrought among theArgives,

§ 2.275  seeing he hath made this scurrilous babbler to cease from his prating. Never again, I ween, will his proud spirit henceforth set him on to rail at kings with words of reviling.” So spake the multitude; but up roseOdysseus, sacker of cities, the sceptre in his hand, and by his side flashing-eyedAthene,

§ 2.280  in the likeness of a herald, bade the host keep silence, that the sons of the Achaeans, both the nearest and the farthest, might hear his words, and lay to heart his counsel. He with good intent addressed their gathering and spake among them: “Son ofAtreus, now verily are the Achaeans minded to make thee, O king,

§ 2.285  the most despised among all mortal men, nor will they fulfill the promise that they made to thee, while faring hitherward fromArgos, the pasture-land ofhorses, that not until thou hadst sacked well-walledIlios shouldest thou get thee home. For like little children or widow women

§ 2.290  do they wail each to the other in longing to return home. Verily there is toil enough to make a man return disheartened. For he that abideth but one single month far from his wife in his benched ship hath vexation of heart, even he whom winter blasts and surging seas keep afar;

§ 2.295  but for us is the ninth year at its turn, while we abide here; wherefore I count it not shame that the Achaeans have vexation of heart beside their beaked ships; yet even so it is a shameful thing to tarry long, and return empty. Endure, my friends, and abide for a time, that we may know

§ 2.300  whether the prophecies ofCalchas be true, or no. For this in truth do we know well in our hearts, and ye are all witnesses thereto, even as many as the fates of death have not borne away. It was but as yesterday or the day before, when the ships of the Achaeans were gathering inAulis, laden with woes forPriam and theTrojans;

§ 2.305  and we round about a spring were offering to the immortals upon the holy altars hecatombs that bring fulfillment, beneath a fair plane-tree from whence flowed the bright water; then appeared a great portent: aserpent, blood-red on the back, terrible, whom theOlympian himself had sent forth to the light,

§ 2.310  glided from beneath the altar and darted to the plane-tree. Now upon this were the younglings of a sparrow, tender little ones, on the topmost bough, cowering beneath the leaves, eight in all, and the mother that bare them was the ninth, Then theserpent devoured them as they twittered piteously,

§ 2.315  and the mother fluttered around them, wailing for her dear little ones; howbeit he coiled himself and caught her by the wing as she screamed about him. But when he had devoured the sparrow's little ones and the mother with them, the god, who had brought him to the light, made him to be unseen; for the son of crooked-counsellingCronos turned him to stone;

§ 2.320  and we stood there and marveled at what was wrought. So, when the dread portent brake in upon the hecatombs of the gods, then straightway didCalchas prophesy, and address our gathering, saying: 'Why are ye thus silent, ye long-haired Achaeans? To us hathZeus the counsellor shewed this great sign,

§ 2.325  late in coming, late in fulfillment, the fame whereof shall never perish. Even as thisserpent devoured the sparrow's little ones and the mother with them—the eight, and the mother that bare them was the ninth—so shall we war there for so many years, but in the tenth shall we take the broad-wayed city.' On this wise spakeCalchas,

§ 2.330  and now all this is verily being brought to pass. Nay, come, abide ye all, ye well-greaved Achaeans, even where ye are, until we take the great city ofPriam.” So spake he, and theArgives shouted aloud, and all round about them the ships echoed wondrously beneath the shouting of the Achaeans,

§ 2.335  as they praised the words of godlikeOdysseus. And there spake among them the horseman,Nestor ofGerenia: “Now look you; in very truth are ye holding assembly after the manner of silly boys that care no whit for deeds of war. What then is to be the end of our compacts and our oaths?

§ 2.340  Nay, into the fire let us cast all counsels and plans of warriors, the drink-offerings of unmixed wine, and the hand-clasps wherein we put our trust. For vainly do we wrangle with words, nor can we find any device at all, for all our long-tarrying here. Son ofAtreus, do thou as of old keep unbending purpose,

§ 2.345  and be leader of theArgives throughout stubborn fights; and for these, let them perish, the one or two of the Achaeans, that take secret counsel apart—yet no accomplishment shall come therefrom—to depart first toArgos or ever we have learned whether the promise ofZeus that beareth the aegis be a lie or no.

§ 2.350  For I declare thatCronos' son, supreme in might, gave promise with his nod on that day when theArgives went on board their swift-faring ships, bearing unto theTrojans death and fate; for he lightened on our right and shewed forth signs of good. Wherefore let no man make haste to depart homewards until each have lain with the wife of someTrojan,

§ 2.355  and have got him requital for his strivings and groanings forHelen's sake. Howbeit, if any man is exceeding fain to depart homewards, let him lay his hand upon his black, well-benched ship, that before the face of all he may meet death and fate.

§ 2.360  But do thou, O King, thyself take good counsel, and hearken to another; the word whatsoever I speak, shalt thou not lightly cast aside. Separate thy men by tribes, by clans,Agamemnon, that clan may bear aid to clan and tribe to tribe. If thou do thus, and the Achaeans obey thee,

§ 2.365  thou wilt know then who among thy captains is a coward, and who among thy men, and who too is brave; for they will fight each clan for itself. So shalt thou know whether it is even by the will of heaven that thou shalt not take the city, or by the cowardice of thy folk and their witlessness in war.” Then in answer to him spake the king,Agamemnon:

§ 2.370   “Aye verily once more, old sir, art thou pre-eminent in speech above the sons of the Achaeans. I would, O fatherZeus andAthene andApollo, that I had ten such counsellors; then would the city of kingPriam forthwith bow her head, taken and laid waste beneath our hands.

§ 2.375  But the son ofCronos, evenZeus that beareth the aegis, hath brought sorrows upon me, in that he casteth me into the midst of fruitless strifes and wranglings. For verily I andAchilles fought about a girl with violent words, and it was I that waxed wroth the first; but if e'er we shall be at one in counsel,

§ 2.380  then shall there no more be any putting off of evil for theTrojans, no not for an instant. But for this present go ye to your meal, that we may join battle. Let every man whet well his spear and bestow well his shield, and let him well give to his swift-footedhorses their food, and look well to his chariot on every side, and bethink him of fighting;

§ 2.385  that the whole day through we may contend in hateful war. For of respite shall there intervene, no, not a whit, until night at its coming shall part the fury of warriors. Wet with sweat about the breast of many a man shall be the baldric of his sheltering shield, and about the spear shall his hand grow weary,

§ 2.390  and wet with sweat shall a man'shorse be, as he tugs at the polished car. But whomsoever I shall see minded to tarry apart from the fight beside the beaked ships, for him shall there be no hope thereafter to escape thedogs and birds.” So spake he, and theArgives shouted aloud as a wave against a high headland,

§ 2.395  when theSouth Wind cometh and maketh it to swell—even against a jutting crag that is never left by the waves of all the winds that come from this side or from that. And they arose and hasted to scatter among the ships, and made fires in the huts, and took their meal.

§ 2.400  And they made sacrifice one to one of the gods that are for ever, and one to another, with the prayer that they might escape from death and the toil of war. ButAgamemnon, king of men, slew a fatbull of five years to the son ofCronos, supreme in might, and let call the elders, the chieftains of theAchaean host,

§ 2.405  Nestor, first of all, and kingIdomeneus, and thereafter the twainAiantes and the son ofTydeus, and as the sixthOdysseus, the peer ofZeus in counsel. And unbidden came to himMenelaus, good at the war-cry, for he knew in his heart wherewith his brother was busied.

§ 2.410  About thebull they stood and took up the barley grains, and in prayer lordAgamemnon spake among them, saying. “Zeus, most glorious, most great, lord of the dark clouds, that dwellest in the heaven, grant that the sun set not, neither darkness come upon us, until I have cast down in headlong ruin the hall ofPriam, blackened with smoke,

§ 2.415  and have burned with consuming fire the portals thereof, and cloven about the breast ofHector his tunic, rent with the bronze; and in throngs may his comrades round about him fall headlong in the dust, and bite the earth.” So spake he; but not as yet would the son ofCronos grant him fulfillment;

§ 2.420  nay, he accepted the sacrifice, but toil he made to wax unceasingly. Then, when they had prayed and had sprinkled the barley grains, they first drew back the victims' heads and cut their throats, and flayed them; and they cut out the thigh-pieces and covered them with a double layer of fat, and laid raw flesh thereon.

§ 2.425  These they burned on billets of wood stripped of leaves, and the inner parts they pierced with spits, and held them over the flame ofHephaestus. But when the thigh-pieces were wholly burned and they had tasted of the inner parts, they cut up the rest and spitted it, and roasted it carefully, and drew all off the spits.

§ 2.430  Then, when they had ceased from their labour and had made ready the meal, they feasted, nor did their hearts lack aught of the equal feast. But when they had put from them the desire of food and drink, among them the horseman,Nestor ofGerenia, was first to speak, saying: “Most glorious son ofAtreus,Agamemnon, king of men,

§ 2.435  let us now not any more remain gathered here, nor any more put off the work which verily the god vouchsafeth us. Nay, come, let the heralds of the brazen-coated Achaeans make proclamation, and gather together the host throughout the ships, and let us go thus in a body through the broad camp of the Achaeans,

§ 2.440  that we may with the more speed stir up sharp battle.” So spake he, and the king of men,Agamemnon, failed not to hearken. Straightway he bade the clear-voiced heralds summon to battle the long-haired Achaeans. And they made summons, and the host gathered full quickly.

§ 2.445  The kings, nurtured ofZeus, that were aboutAtreus' son, sped swiftly, marshalling the host, and in their midst was the flashing-eyedAthene, bearing the priceless aegis, that knoweth neither age nor death, wherefrom are hung an hundred tassels all of gold, all of them cunningly woven, and each one of the worth of an hundredoxen.

§ 2.450  Therewith she sped dazzling throughout the host of the Achaeans, urging them to go forth; and in the heart of each man she roused strength to war and to battle without ceasing. And to them forthwith war became sweeter than to return in their hollow ships to their dear native land.

§ 2.455  Even as a consuming fire maketh a boundless forest to blaze on the peaks of a mountain, and from afar is the glare thereof to be seen, even so from their innumerable bronze, as they marched forth, went the dazzling gleam up through the sky unto the heavens. And as the many tribes of winged fowl,

§ 2.460  wild geese or cranes or long-necked swans on the Asian mead by the streams ofCaystrius, fly this way and that, glorying in their strength of wing, and with loud cries settle ever onwards, and the mead resoundeth; even so their many tribes poured forth from ships and huts

§ 2.465  into the plain ofScamander, and the earth echoed wondrously beneath the tread of men andhorses. So they took their stand in the flowery mead ofScamander, numberless, as are the leaves and the flowers in their season. Even as the many tribes of swarming flies

§ 2.470  that buzz to and fro throughout the herdsman's farmstead in the season of spring, when the milk drenches the pails, even in such numbers stood the long-haired Achaeans upon the plain in the face of the men ofTroy, eager to rend them asunder. And even as goatherds separate easily the wide-scattered flocks ofgoats,

§ 2.475  when they mingle in the pasture, so did their leaders marshal them on this side and on that to enter into the battle, and among them lordAgamemnon, his eyes and head like untoZeus that hurleth the thunderbolt, his waist like untoAres, and his breast untoPoseidon.

§ 2.480  Even as abull among the herd stands forth far the chiefest over all, for that he is pre-eminent among the gatheringkine, even such didZeus makeAgamemnon on that day, pre-eminent among many, and chiefest amid warriors. Tell me now, yeMuses that have dwellings onOlympus—

§ 2.485  for ye are goddesses and are at hand and know all things, whereas we hear but a rumour and know not anything—who were the captains of theDanaans and their lords. But the common folk I could not tell nor name, nay, not though ten tongues were mine and ten mouths

§ 2.490  and a voice unwearying, and though the heart within me were of bronze, did not theMuses ofOlympus, daughters ofZeus that beareth the aegis, call to my mind all them that came beneathIlios. Now will I tell the captains of the ships and the ships in their order. Of theBoeotiansPeneleos andLeitus were captains,

§ 2.495  andArcesilaus andProthoenor andClonius; these were they that dwelt inHyria and rockyAulis andSchoenus andScolus andEteonus with its many ridges,Thespeia,Graea, and spaciousMycalessus; and that dwelt aboutHarma andEilesium andErythrae;

§ 2.500  and that heldEleon andHyle andPeteon,Ocalea andMedeon, the well-built citadel,Copae,Eutresis, andThisbe, the haunt of doves; that dwelt inCoroneia and grassyHaliartus, and that heldPlataea and dwelt inGlisas;

§ 2.505  that held lowerThebe, the well-built citadel, and holyOnchestus, the bright grove ofPoseidon; and that heldArne, rich in vines, andMideia and sacredNisa andAnthedon on the seaboard. Of these there came fifty ships, and on board of each

§ 2.510  went young men of theBoeotians an hundred and twenty. And they that dwelt inAspledon andOrchomenus of theMinyae were led byAscalaphus andIalmenus, sons ofAres, whom, in the palace ofActor, son ofAzeus,Astyoche, the honoured maiden, conceived of mightyAres, when she had entered into her upper chamber;

§ 2.515  for he lay with her in secret. And with these were ranged thirty hollow ships. And of thePhociansSchedius andEpistrophus were captains, sons of great-souledIphitus, son ofNaubolus; these were they that heldCyparissus and rockyPytho,

§ 2.520  and sacredCrisa andDaulis andPanopeus; and that dwelt aboutAnemoreia andHyampolis, and that lived beside the goodly riverCephisus, and that heldLilaea by the springs ofCephisus. With these followed forty black ships.

§ 2.525  And their leaders busily marshalled the ranks of thePhocians, and made ready for battle hard by theBoeotians on the left. And theLocrians had as leader the swift son ofOileus,Aias the less, in no wise as great asTelamonianAias, but far less. Small of stature was he, with corselet of linen,

§ 2.530  but with the spear he far excelled the whole host of Hellenes and Achaeans. These were they that dwelt inCynus andOpus andCalliarus andBessa andScarphe and lovelyAugeiae andTarphe andThronium about the streams ofBoagrius. WithAias followed forty black ships of

§ 2.535  theLocrians that dwell over against sacredEuboea. And theAbantes, breathing fury, that heldEuboea andChalcis andEretria andHistiaea, rich in vines, andCerinthus, hard by the sea, and the steep citadel ofDios; and that heldCarystus and dwelt inStyra,—

§ 2.540  all these again had as leaderElephenor, scion ofAres, him that was son ofChalcodon and captain of the great-souledAbantes. And with him followed the swiftAbantes, with hair long at the back, spearmen eager with outstretched ashen spears to rend the corselets about the breasts of the foemen.

§ 2.545  And with him there followed forty black ships. And they that heldAthens, the well-built citadel, the land of great-heartedErechtheus, whom of oldAthene, daughter ofZeus, fostered, when the earth, the giver of grain, had borne him; and she made him to dwell inAthens, in her own rich sanctuary,

§ 2.550  and there the youths of theAthenians, as the years roll on in their courses, seek to win his favour with sacrifices ofbulls and rams;—these again had as leaderMenestheus, son ofPeteos. Like unto him was none other man upon the face of the earth for the marshalling of chariots and of warriors that bear the shield.

§ 2.555  OnlyNestor could vie with him, for he was the elder. And with him there followed fifty black ships. AndAias led fromSalamis twelve ships, and stationed them where the battalions of theAthenians stood. And they that heldArgos andTiryns, famed for its walls,

§ 2.560  andHermione andAsine, that enfold the deep gulf,Troezen andEionae and vine-cladEpidaurus, and the youths of the Achaeans that heldAegina andMases,—these again had as leadersDiomedes, good at the war-cry, andSthenelus, dear son of gloriousCapaneus.

§ 2.565  And with them came a third,Euryalus, a godlike warrior, son of kingMecisteus, son ofTalaus; but leader over them all wasDiomedes, good at the war-cry. And with these there followed eighty black ships. And they that heldMycenae, the well-built citadel,

§ 2.570  and wealthyCorinth, and well-builtCleonae, and dwelt inOrneiae and lovelyAraethyrea andSicyon, wherein at the firstAdrastus was king; and they that heldHyperesia and steepGonoessa andPellene,

§ 2.575  and that dwelt aboutAegium and throughout allAegialus, and about broadHelice,—of these was the son ofAtreus, lordAgamemnon, captain, with an hundred ships. With him followed most people by far and goodliest; and among them he himself did on his gleaming bronze, a king all-glorious, and was pre-eminent among all the warriors,

§ 2.580  for that he was noblest, and led a people far the most in number. And they that held the hollow land ofLacedaemon with its many ravines, andPharis andSparta andMesse, the haunt of doves, and that dwelt inBryseiae and lovelyAugeiae, and that heldAmyclae andHelus, a citadel hard by the sea,

§ 2.585  and that heldLaas, and dwelt aboutOetylus,—these were led byAgamemnon's brother, evenMenelaus, good at the war-cry, with sixty ships; and they were marshalled apart. And himself he moved among them, confident in his zeal, urging his men to battle; and above all others was his heart fain

§ 2.590  to get him requital for his strivings and groanings forHelen's sake. And they that dwelt inPylos and lovelyArene andThryum, the ford ofAlpheius, and fair-foundedAepy, and that had their abodes inCyparisseis andAmphigeneia andPteleos andHelus andDorium,

§ 2.595  where theMuses metThamyris the Thracian and made an end of his singing, even as he was journeying fromOechalia, from the house ofEurytus theOechalian: for he vaunted with boasting that he would conquer, were theMuses themselves to sing against him, the daughters ofZeus that beareth the aegis; but they in their wrath maimed him,

§ 2.600  and took from him his wondrous song, and made him forget his minstrelsy;—all these folk again had as leader the horseman,Nestor ofGerenia. And with him were ranged ninety hollow ships. And they that held Arcadia beneath the steep mountain ofCyllene, beside the tomb ofAepytus, where are warriors that fight in close combat;

§ 2.605  and they that dwelt inPheneos andOrchomenus, rich in flocks, andRhipe andStratia and wind-sweptEnispe; and that heldTegea and lovelyMantineia; and that heldStymphalus and dwelt inParrhasia, —all these were led by the son ofAncaeus, LordAgapenor,

§ 2.610  with sixty ships; and on each ship embarked full manyArcadian warriors well-skilled in fight. For of himself had the king of men,Agamemnon, given them benched ships wherewith to cross over the wine-dark sea, even the son ofAtreus, for with matters of seafaring had they naught to do.

§ 2.615  And they that dwelt inBuprasium and goodlyElis, all that part thereof thatHyrmine andMyrsinus on the seaboard and the rock ofOlen and Alesium enclose between them—these again had four leaders, and ten swift ships followed each one, and manyEpeians embarked thereon.

§ 2.620  Of these some were led byAmphimachus andThalpius, of the blood ofActor, sons, the one ofCteatus and the other ofEurytus; and of some was the son ofAmarynceus captain, even mightyDiores; and of the fourth company godlikePolyxeinus was captain, son of kingAgasthenes,Augeias' son.

§ 2.625  And those fromDulichium and theEchinae, the holy isles, that lie across the sea, over againstElis, these again had as leaderMeges, the peer ofAres, even the son ofPhyleus, whom the horsemanPhyleus, dear toZeus, begat—he that of old had gone to dwell inDulichium in wrath against his father.

§ 2.630  And withMeges there followed forty black ships. AndOdysseus led the great-souledCephallenians that heldIthaca andNeritum, covered with waving forests, and that dwelt inCrocyleia and ruggedAegilips; and them that heldZacynthus, and that dwelt aboutSamos,

§ 2.635  and held the mainland and dwelt on the shores over against the isles. Of these wasOdysseus captain, the peer ofZeus in counsel. And with him there followed twelve ships with vermilion prows. And theAetolians were led byThoas,Andraemon's son, even they that dwelt inPleuron andOlenus andPylene

§ 2.640  andChalcis, hard by the sea, and rockyCalydon. For the sons of great-heartedOeneus were no more, neither did he himself still live, and fair-hairedMeleager was dead, to whom had commands been given that he should bear full sway among theAetolians. And withThoas there followed forty black ships.

§ 2.645  And theCretans had as leaderIdomeneus, famed for his spear, even they that heldCnosus andGortys, famed for its walls,Lyctus andMiletus andLycastus, white with chalk, andPhaestus andRhytium, well-peopled cities; and all they beside that dwelt inCrete of the hundred cities.

§ 2.650  Of all these wasIdomeneus, famed for his spear, captain, andMeriones, the peer ofEnyalius, slayer of men. And with these there followed eighty black ships. AndTlepolemus, son ofHeracles, a valiant man and tall, led fromRhodes nine ships of the lordlyRhodians,

§ 2.655  that dwelt inRhodes sundered in three divisions—inLindos andIalysus andCameirus, white with chalk. These were led byTlepolemus, famed for his spear, he that was born to mightyHeracles by Astyocheia, whom he had led forth out ofEphyre from the riverSelleis,

§ 2.660  when he had laid waste many cities of warriors fostered ofZeus. But whenTlepolemus had grown to manhood in the well-fenced palace, forthwith he slew his own father's dear uncle,Licymnius, scion ofAres, who was then waxing old. So he straightway built him ships, and when he had gathered together much people,

§ 2.665  went forth in flight over the sea, for that the other sons and grandsons of mightyHeracles threatened him. But he came toRhodes in his wanderings, suffering woes, and there his people settled in three divisions by tribes, and were loved ofZeus that is king among gods and men;

§ 2.670  and upon them was wondrous wealth poured by the son ofCronos. MoreoverNireus led three shapely ships fromSyme,Nireus that was son ofAglaia andCharops the king,Nireus the comeliest man that came beneathIlios of all theDanaans after the fearless son ofPeleus.

§ 2.675  Howbeit he was a weakling, and but few people followed with him. And they that heldNisyrus andCrapathus andCasus andCos, the city ofEurypylus, and theCalydnian isles, these again were led byPheidippus andAntiphus, the two sons of kingThessalus, son ofHeracles.

§ 2.680  And with them were ranged thirty hollow ships. Now all those again that inhabitedPelasgianArgos, and dwelt inAlos andAlope andTrachis, and that heldPhthia andHellas, the land of fair women, and were calledMyrmidons and Hellenes and Achaeans—

§ 2.685  of the fifty ships of these men wasAchilles captain. Howbeit they bethought them not of dolorous war, since there was no man to lead them forth into the ranks. For he lay in idleness among the ships, the swift-footed, goodlyAchilles, in wrath because of the fair-haired girlBriseis,

§ 2.690  whom he had taken out ofLyrnessus after sore toil, when he wastedLyrnessus and the walls ofThebe, and laid lowMynes andEpistrophus, warriors that raged with the spear, sons of kingEvenus, Selepus' son. In sore grief for her layAchilles idle; but soon was he to arise again.

§ 2.695  And they that heldPhylace and floweryPyrasus, the sanctuary ofDemeter, andIton, mother of flocks, andAntron, hard by the sea, andPteleos, couched in grass, these again had as leader warlikeProtesilaus, while yet he lived; howbeit ere now the black earth held him fast.

§ 2.700  His wife, her two cheeks torn in wailing, was left inPhylace and his house but half established, while, for himself, a Dardanian warrior slew him as he leapt forth from his ship by far the first of the Achaeans. Yet neither were his men leaderless, though they longed for their leader; forPodarces, scion ofAres, marshalled them,

§ 2.705  he that was son ofPhylacus' son,Iphiclus, rich in flocks, own brother to great-souledProtesilaus, and younger-born; but the other was the elder and the better man, even the warrior, valiantProtesilaus. So the host in no wise lacked a leader, though they longed for the noble man they had lost.

§ 2.710  And with him there followed forty black ships. And they that dwelt inPherae beside the lakeBoebeis, and inBoebe, andGlaphyrae, and well-builtIolcus, these were led by the dear son ofAdmetus with eleven ships, even byEumelus, whomAlcestis, queenly among women, bare toAdmetus,

§ 2.715  even she, the comeliest of the daughters ofPelias. And they that dwelt inMethone andThaumacia, and that heldMeliboea and ruggedOlizon, these with their seven ships were led byPhiloctetes, well-skilled in archery,

§ 2.720  and on each ship embarked fifty oarsmen well skilled to fight amain with the bow. ButPhiloctetes lay suffering grievous pains in an island, even in sacredLemnos, where the sons of the Achaeans had left him in anguish with an evil wound from a deadly water-snake. There he lay suffering;

§ 2.720  yet full soon were theArgives beside their ships to bethink them of kingPhiloctetes. Howbeit neither were these men leaderless, though they longed for their leader; butMedon marshalled them, the bastard son ofOileus, whomRhene bare toOileus, sacker of cities. And they that heldTricca andIthome of the crags,

§ 2.730  andOechalia, city ofOechalianEurytus, these again were led by the two sons ofAsclepius, the skilled leechesPodaleirius andMachaon. And with these were ranged thirty hollow ships. And they that heldOrmenium and the fountainHypereia,

§ 2.735  and that heldAsterium and the white crests ofTitanus, these were led byEurypylus, the glorious son ofEuaemon. And with him there followed forty black ships. And they that heldArgissa, and dwelt inGyrtone,Orthe, andElone, and the white city ofOloosson,

§ 2.740  these again had as leaderPolypoetes, staunch in fight, son ofPeirithous, whom immortalZeus begat— even him whom gloriousHippodameia conceived toPeirithous on the day when he got him vengeance on the shaggycentaurs, and thrust them forth fromPelium, and drave them to theAethices.

§ 2.745  Not alone was he, but with him wasLeonteus, scion ofAres, the son ofCaeneus' son,Coronus, high of heart. And with them there followed forty black ships. AndGouneus led fromCyphus two and twenty ships, and with him followed theEnienes and thePeraebi, staunch in fight,

§ 2.750  that had set their dwellings about wintryDodona, and dwelt in the ploughland about lovelyTitaressus, that poureth his fair-flowing streams intoPeneius; yet doth he not mingle with the silver eddies ofPeneius, but floweth on over his waters like unto olive oil;

§ 2.755  for that he is a branch of the water ofStyx, the dread river of oath. And theMagnetes had as captainProthous, son ofTenthredon. These were they that dwelt aboutPeneius andPelion, covered with waving forests. Of these was swiftProthous captain; and with him there followed forty black ships.

§ 2.760  These were the leaders of theDanaans and their lords. But who was far the best among them do thou tell me,Muse—best of the warriors and of thehorses that followed with the sons ofAtreus. Ofhorses best by far were the mares of the son ofPheres, those that Eumelas drave, swift as birds,

§ 2.765  like of coat, like of age, their backs as even as a levelling line could make. These hadApollo of the silver bow reared inPereia, both of them mares, bearing with them the panic of war. And of warriors far best wasTelamonianAias, while yetAchilles cherished his wrath; forAchilles was far the mightiest,

§ 2.770  he and thehorses that bare the peerless son ofPeleus. Howbeit he abode amid his beaked, seafaring ships in utter wrath againstAgamemnon,Atreus' son, shepherd of the host; and his people along the sea-shore took their joy in casting the discus and the javelin, and in archery;

§ 2.775  and theirhorses each beside his own car, eating lotus and parsley of the marsh, stood idle, while the chariots were set, well covered up, in the huts of their masters. But the men, longing for their captain, dear toAres, roared hither and thither through the camp, and fought not.

§ 2.780  So marched they then as though all the land were swept with fire; and the earth groaned beneath them, as beneathZeus that hurleth the thunderbolt in his wrath, when he scourgeth the land aboutTyphoeus in the country of the Arimi, where men say is the couch ofTyphoeus. Even so the earth groaned greatly beneath their tread as they went;

§ 2.785  and full swiftly did they speed across the plain. And to theTrojans went, as a messenger fromZeus that beareth the aegis, wind-footed, swiftIris with a grievous message. These were holding assembly atPriam's gate, all gathered in one body, the young men alike and the elders.

§ 2.790  And swift-footedIris stood near and spake to them; and she made her voice like to that ofPolites, son ofPriam, who was wont to sit as a sentinel of theTrojans, trusting in his fleetness of foot, on the topmost part of the barrow of agedAesyetes, awaiting until the Achaeans should sally forth from their ships.

§ 2.795  Likening herself to him swifted-footedIris spake toPriam, saying: “Old sir, ever are endless words dear to thee, now even as of yore in time of peace; but war unabating is afoot. Verily full often have I entered ere now into battles of warriors, but never yet have I seen a host so goodly and so great;

§ 2.800  for most like to the leaves or the sands are they, as they march over the plain to fight against the city.Hector, to thee beyond all others do I give command, and do thou even according to my word. Inasmuch as there are allies full many throughout the great city ofPriam, and tongue differs from tongue among men that are scattered abroad;

§ 2.805  let each one therefore give the word to those whose captain he is, and these let him lead forth, when he has marshalled the men of his own city.” So spake she, andHector in no wise failed to know the voice of the goddess, but forthwith brake up the gathering; and they rushed to arms. The gates one and all were opened wide, and forth the folk hasted,

§ 2.810  both footmen and charioteers; and a great din arose. Now there is before the city a steep mound afar out in the plain, with a clear space about it on this side and on that; this do men verily callBatieia, but the immortals call it the barrow ofMyrine, light of step.

§ 2.815  There on this day did theTrojans and their allies separate their companies. TheTrojans were led by greatHector of the flashing helm, the son ofPriam, and with him were marshalled the greatest hosts by far and the goodliest, raging with the spear. Of the Dardanians again the valiant son ofAnchises was captain,

§ 2.820  evenAeneas, whom fairAphrodite conceived toAnchises amid the spurs ofIda, a goddess couched with a mortal man. Not alone was he; with him wereAntenor's two sons,Archelochus andAcamas, well skilled in all manner of fighting. And they that dwelt inZeleia beneath the nethermost foot ofIda,

§ 2.825  men of wealth, that drink the dark water ofAesepus, even theTroes, these again were led by the glorious son ofLycaon,Pandarus, to whomApollo himself gave the bow. And they that heldAdrasteia and the land ofApaesus, and that heldPityeia and the steep mount ofTereia,

§ 2.830  these were led byAdrastus and Araphius, with corslet of linen, sons twain ofMerops ofPercote, that was above all men skilled in prophesying, and would not suffer his sons to go into war, the bane of men. But the twain would in no wise hearken, for the fates of black death were leading them on.

§ 2.835  And they that dwelt aboutPercote andPractius, and that heldSestus andAbydus and goodlyArisbe, these again were led byHyrtacus' sonAsius, a leader of men—Asius, son ofHyrtacus, whom hishorses tawny and tall had borne fromArisbe, from the riverSelleis.

§ 2.840  AndHippothous led the tribes of thePelasgi, that rage with the spear, even them that dwelt in deep-soiledLarisa; these were led byHippothous andPylaeus, scion ofAres, sons twain ofPelasgianLethus, son ofTeutamus. But theThraciansAcamas led and Peirous, the warrior,

§ 2.845  even all them that the strong stream of theHellespont encloseth. AndEuphemus was captain of theCiconian spearmen, the son of Ceas' son Troezenus, nurtured ofZeus. ButPyraechmes led thePaeonians, with curved bows, from afar, out ofAmydon from the wide-flowingAxius—

§ 2.850  Axius the water whereof floweth the fairest over the face of the earth. And thePaphlagonians didPylaemenes of the shaggy heart lead from the land of theEneti, whence is the race of wild she-mules. These were they that heldCytorus and dwelt aboutSesamon, and had their famed dwellings around the riverParthenius

§ 2.855  andCromna andAegialus and loftyErythini. But of theHalizonesOdius andEpistrophus were captains from afar, from Alybe, where is the birth-place of silver. And of theMysians the captains wereChromis and Ennomus the augur; howbeit with his auguries he warded not off black fate,

§ 2.860  but was slain beneath the hands of the son ofAeacus, swift of foot, in the river, whereAchilles was making havoc of theTrojans and the others as well. AndPhorcys and godlikeAscanius led thePhrygians from afar, fromAscania, and were eager to fight in the press of battle. And theMaeonians had captains twain,Mesthles andAntiphus,

§ 2.865  the two sons ofTalaemenes, whose mother was the nymph of theGygaean lake; and they led theMaeonians, whose birth was beneath Tmolos. AndNastes again led theCarians, uncouth of speech, who heldMiletus and the mountain of Phthires, dense with its leafage, and the streams ofMaeander, and the steep crests ofMycale.

§ 2.870  These were led by captains twain,Amphimachus and Nastes —Nastes andAmphimachus, the glorious children ofNomion. And he came to the war all decked with gold, like a girl, fool that he was; but his gold in no wise availed to ward off woeful destruction; nay, he was slain in the river beneath the hands of the son ofAeacus, swift of foot;

§ 2.875  andAchilles, wise of heart, bare off the gold. AndSarpedon and peerlessGlaucus were captains of theLycians from afar out ofLycia, from the eddyingXanthus.

§ 3.1  BOOK 3
Now when they were marshalled, the several companies with their captains, theTrojans came on with clamour and with a cry like birds, even as the clamour of cranes ariseth before the face of heaven, when they flee from wintry storms and measureless rain,

§ 3.5  and with clamour fly toward the streams of Ocean, bearing slaughter and death to Pigmy men, and in the early dawn they offer evil battle. But the Achaeans came on in silence, breathing fury, eager at heart to bear aid each man to his fellow.

§ 3.10  Even as when theSouth Wind sheddeth a mist over the peaks of a mountain, a mist that the shepherd loveth not, but that to the robber is better than night, and a man can see only so far as he casteth a stone; even in such wise rose the dense dust-cloud from beneath their feet as they went; and full swiftly did they speed across the plain.

§ 3.15  Now when they were come near, as they advanced one host against the other, among theTrojans there stood forth as champion godlikeAlexander, bearing upon his shoulders a panther skin and his curved bow, and his sword; and brandishing two spears tipped with bronze he challenged all the best ofArgives

§ 3.20  to fight with him face to face in dread combat. But whenMenelaus, dear toAres, was ware of him as he came forth before the throng with long strides, then even as alion is glad when he lighteth on a great carcase, having found a horned stag or a wildgoat

§ 3.25  when he is hungry; for greedily doth he devour it, even though swiftdogs and lusty youths set upon him: even so wasMenelaus glad when his eyes beheld godlikeAlexander; for he thought that he had gotten him vengeance on the sinner. And forthwith he leapt in his armour from his chariot to the ground.

§ 3.30  But when godlikeAlexander was ware of him as he appeared among the champions, his heart was smitten, and back he shrank into the throng of his comrades, avoiding fate. And even as a man at sight of asnake in the glades of a mountain starteth back, and trembling seizeth his limbs beneath him,

§ 3.35  and he withdraweth back again and pallor layeth hold of his cheeks; even so did godlikeAlexander, seized with fear ofAtreus' son, shrink back into the throng of the lordlyTrojans. ButHector saw him, and chid him with words of shame: “EvilParis, most fair to look upon, thou that art mad after women, thou beguiler,

§ 3.40  would that thou hadst ne'er been born and hadst died unwed. Aye, of that were I fain, and it had been better far than that thou shouldest thus be a reproach, and that men should look upon thee in scorn. Verily, methinks, will the long-haired Achaeans laugh aloud, deeming that a prince is our champion because a comely

§ 3.45  form is his, while there is no strength in his heart nor any valour. Was it in such strength as this that thou didst sail over the main in thy seafaring ships, when thou hadst gathered thy trusty comrades, and, coming to an alien folk, didst bring back a comely woman from a distant land, even a daughter of warriors who wield the spear,

§ 3.50  but to thy father and city and all the people a grievous bane—to thy foes a joy, but to thine own self a hanging down of the head? Wilt thou indeed not abideMenelaus, dear toAres? Thou wouldest learn what manner of warrior he is whose lovely wife thou hast. Then will thy lyre help thee not, neither the gifts ofAphrodite,

§ 3.55  thy locks and thy comeliness, when thou shalt lie low in the dust. Nay, verily, theTrojans are utter cowards: else wouldest thou ere this have donned a coat of stone by reason of all the evil thou hast wrought.” And to him did godlikeAlexander make answer, saying: “Hector, seeing that thou dost chide me duly, and not beyond what is due—

§ 3.60  ever is thy heart unyielding, even as an axe that is driven through a beam by the hand of man that skilfully shapeth a ship's timber, and it maketh the force of his blow to wax; even so is the heart in thy breast undaunted—cast not in my teeth the lovely gifts of goldenAphrodite.

§ 3.65  Not to be flung aside, look you, are the glorious gifts of the gods, even all that of themselves they give, whereas by his own will could no man win them. But now, if thou wilt have me war and do battle, make the otherTrojans to sit down and all the Achaeans, but set ye me in the midst andMenelaus, dear toAres,

§ 3.70  to do battle forHelen and all her possessions. And whichsoever of us twain shall win, and prove him the better man, let him duly take all the wealth and the woman, and bear them to his home. But for you others, do ye swear friendship and oaths of faith with sacrifice. So should ye dwell in deep-soiled Troyland, and let them return

§ 3.75  toArgos, pasture-land ofhorses, and toAchaea, the land of fair women.” So spake he, andHector rejoiced greatly when he heard his words; and he went into the midst, and kept back the battalions of theTrojans with his spear grasped by the middle; and they all sate them down.

§ 3.80  But the long-haired Achaeans sought the while to aim their arrows at him, and to smite him, and to cast at him with stones. But aloud shoutedAgamemnon, king of men: “Hold, yeArgives, shoot no more, ye youths of the Achaeans; forHector of the flashing helm makes as though he would say somewhat.” So spake he, and they stayed them from battle, and became silent forthwith.

§ 3.85  AndHector spake between the two hosts: “Hear from me, yeTrojans and well-greaved Achaeans, the words ofAlexander, for whose sake strife hath been set afoot. The otherTrojans and all the Achaeans he biddeth to lay aside their goodly battle-gear upon the bounteous earth,

§ 3.90  and himself in the midst andMenelaus, dear toAres, to do battle forHelen and all her possessions. And whichsoever of the twain shall win, and prove him the better man, let him duly take all the wealth and the woman, and bear them to his home; but for us others, let us swear friendship and oaths of faith with sacrifice.”

§ 3.95  So spake he, and they all became hushed in silence; and among them spakeMenelaus, good at the war-cry: “Hearken ye now also unto me, for upon my heart above all others hath sorrow come; my mind is thatArgives andTrojans now be parted, seeing ye have suffered many woes

§ 3.100  because of my quarrel andAlexander's beginning thereof. And for whichsoever of us twain death and fate are appointed, let him lie dead; but be ye others parted with all speed. Bring ye twolambs, a white ram and a black ewe, forEarth and Sun, and forZeus we will bring another;

§ 3.105  and fetch ye hither the mightyPriam, that he may himself swear an oath with sacrifice, seeing that his sons are over-weening and faithless; lest any by presumptuous act should do violence to the oaths ofZeus. Ever unstable are the hearts of the young; but in whatsoever an old man taketh part, he looketh both before and after,

§ 3.110  that the issue may be far the best for either side.” So spake he, and the Achaeans andTrojans waxed glad, deeming that they had won rest from woeful war. So they stayed their chariots in the ranks, and themselves stepped forth, and did off their battle-gear. This they laid upon the ground,

§ 3.115  each hard by each, and there was but little space between. AndHector sent to the city heralds twain with all speed to fetch thelambs and to summonPriam. AndTalthybius did lordAgamemnon send forth to the hollow ships, and bade him bring alamb;

§ 3.120  and he failed not to hearken to goodlyAgamemnon. ButIris went as a messenger to white-armedHelen, in the likeness of her husband's sister, the wife ofAntenor's son, even her that lordHelicaon,Antenor's son, had to wife,Laodice, the comeliest of the daughters ofPriam.

§ 3.125  She foundHelen in the hall, where she was weaving a great purple web of double fold, and thereon was broidering many battles of thehorse-tamingTrojans and the brazen-coated Achaeans, that for her sake they had endured at the hands ofAres. Close to her side then cameIris, swift of foot, and spake to her, saying:

§ 3.130   “Come hither, dear lady, that thou mayest behold the wondrous doings of thehorse-tamingTrojans and the brazen-coated Achaeans. They that of old were wont to wage tearful war against one another on the plain, their hearts set on deadly battle, even they abide now in silence, and the battle has ceased,

§ 3.135  and they lean upon their shields, and beside them their long spears are fixed. ButAlexander andMenelaus, dear toAres, will do battle with their long spears for thee; and whoso shall conquer, his dear wife shalt thou be called.” So spake the goddess, and put into her heart sweet longing

§ 3.140  for her former lord and her city and parents; and straightway she veiled herself with shining linen, and went forth from her chamber, letting fall round tears, not alone, for with her followed two handmaids as well,Aethra, daughter ofPittheus, andox-eyedClymene;

§ 3.145  and with speed they came to the place where were theScaean gates. And they that were aboutPriam andPanthous andThymoetes andLampus andClytius andHicetaon, scion ofAres, andUcalegon andAntenor, men of prudence both, sat as elders of the people at theScaean gates.

§ 3.150  Because of old age had they now ceased from battle, but speakers they were full good, like unto cicalas that in a forest sit upon a tree and pour forth their lily-like voice; even in such wise sat the leaders of theTrojans upon the wall. Now when they sawHelen coming upon the wall,

§ 3.155  softly they spake winged words one to another: “Small blame thatTrojans and well-greaved Achaeans should for such a woman long time suffer woes; wondrously like is she to the immortal goddesses to look upon. But even so, for all that she is such an one, let her depart upon the ships,

§ 3.160  neither be left here to be a bane to us and to our children after us.” So they said, butPriam spake, and calledHelen to him: “Come hither, dear child, and sit before me, that thou mayest see thy former lord and thy kinsfolk and thy people—thou art nowise to blame in my eyes; it is the gods, methinks, that are to blame,

§ 3.165  who roused against me the tearful war of the Achaeans —and that thou mayest tell me who is this huge warrior, this man ofAchaea so valiant and so tall. Verily there be others that are even taller by a head, but so comely a man have mine eyes never yet beheld,

§ 3.170  neither one so royal: he is like unto one that is a king.” AndHelen, fair among women, answered him, saying: “Revered art thou in mine eyes, dear father of my husband, and dread. Would that evil death had been my pleasure when I followed thy son hither, and left my bridal chamber and my kinfolk

§ 3.175  and my daughter, well-beloved, and the lovely companions of my girlhood. But that was not to be; wherefore I pine away with weeping. Howbeit this will I tell thee, whereof thou dost ask and enquire. Yon man is the son ofAtreus, wide-rulingAgamemnon, that is both a noble king and a valiant spearman.

§ 3.180  And he was husband's brother to shameless me, as sure as ever such a one there was.” So spake she, and the old man was seized with wonder, and said: “Ah, happy son ofAtreus, child of fortune, blest of heaven; now see I that youths of the Achaeans full many are made subject unto thee. Ere now have I journeyed to the land ofPhrygia, rich in vines,

§ 3.185  and there I saw in multitudes thePhrygian warriors, masters of glancing steeds, even the people ofOtreus and godlikeMygdon, that were then encamped along the banks ofSangarius. For I, too, being their ally, was numbered among them on the day when theAmazons came, the peers of men.

§ 3.190  Howbeit not even they were as many as are the bright-eyed Achaeans.” And next the old man sawOdysseus, and asked: “Come now, tell me also of yonder man, dear child, who he is. Shorter is he by a head thanAgamemnon, son ofAtreus, but broader of shoulder and of chest to look upon.

§ 3.195  His battle-gear lieth upon the bounteous earth, but himself he rangeth like the bell-wether of a herd through the ranks of warriors. Like a ram he seemeth to me, a ram of thick fleece, that paceth through a great flock of white ewes.” To him made answerHelen, sprung fromZeus:

§ 3.200   “This again isLaertes' son,Odysseus of many wiles, that was reared in the land ofIthaca, rugged though it be, and he knoweth all manner of craft and cunning devices.” Then to her again made answerAntenor, the wise: “Lady, this verily is a true word that thou hast spoken,

§ 3.205  for erstwhile on a time goodlyOdysseus came hither also on an embassy concerning thee, together withMenelaus, dear toAres; and it was I that gave them entertainment and welcomed them in my halls, and came to know the form and stature of them both and their cunning devices. Now when they mingled with theTrojans, as they were gathered together,

§ 3.210  when they stoodMenelaus overtopped him with his broad shoulders; howbeit when the twain were seatedOdysseus was the more royal. But when they began to weave the web of speech and of counsel in the presence of all,Menelaus in truth spake fluently, with few words, but very clearly, seeing he was not a man of lengthy speech

§ 3.215  nor of rambling, though verily in years he was the younger. But wheneverOdysseus of many wiles arose, he would stand and look down with eyes fixed upon the ground, and his staff he would move neither backwards nor forwards, but would hold it stiff, in semblance like a man of no understanding;

§ 3.220  thou wouldest have deemed him a churlish man and naught but a fool. But whenso he uttered his great voice from his chest, and words like snowflakes on a winter's day, then could no mortal man beside vie withOdysseus; then did we not so marvel to beholdOdysseus' aspect.”

§ 3.225  And, thirdly, the old man sawAias, and asked: “Who then is this otherAchaean warrior, valiant and tall, towering above theArgives with his head and broad shoulders?” And to him made answer long-robedHelen, fair among women: “This is hugeAias, bulwark of the Achaeans.

§ 3.230  AndIdomeneus over against him standeth amid theCretans even as a god, and about him are gathered the captains of theCretans. Full often wasMenelaus, dear toAres, wont to entertain him in our house, whenever he came fromCrete. And now all the rest of the bright-eyed Achaeans do I see,

§ 3.235  whom I could well note, and tell their names; but two marshallers of the host can I not see,Castor, tamer ofhorses, and the goodly boxer,Polydeuces, even mine own brethren, whom the same mother bare. Either they followed not with the host from lovelyLacedaemon,

§ 3.240  or though they followed hither in their seafaring ships, they have now no heart to enter into the battle of warriors for fear of the words of shame and the many revilings that are mine.” So said she; but they ere now were fast holden of the life-giving earth there inLacedaemon, in their dear native land.

§ 3.245  Meanwhile the heralds were bearing through the city the offerings for the holy oaths of the gods, twolambs and, in agoat-skin bottle, wine that maketh glad the heart, the fruit of the earth. And the heraldIdaeus bare a shining bowl and golden cups; and he came to the old king's side and roused him, saying:

§ 3.250   “Rise, thou son ofLaomedon, the chieftains of thehorse-tamingTrojans, and of the brazen-coated Achaeans, summon thee to go down into the plain, that ye may swear oaths of faith with sacrifice. ButAlexander andMenelaus, dear toAres, will do battle with long spears for the woman's sake;

§ 3.255  and whichsoever of the twain shall conquer, him let woman and treasure follow; and we others, swearing friendship and oaths of faith with sacrifice, should then dwell in deep-soiledTroy, but they will depart toArgos, pastureland ofhorses, andAchaea, the land of fair women.” So spake he, and the old man shuddered, yet bade his companions

§ 3.260  yoke thehorses; and they speedily obeyed. ThenPriam mounted and drew back the reins, and by his sideAntenor mounted the beauteous car; and the twain drave the swifthorses through theScaean gates to the plain. But when they were now come to theTrojans and Achaeans,

§ 3.265  they stepped forth from the chariot upon the bounteous earth, and went into the midst of theTrojans and Achaeans. Straightway then rose upAgamemnon, king of men, andOdysseus of many wiles, and the lordly heralds brought together the offerings for the holy oaths of the gods, and mixed the wine in the bowl,

§ 3.270  and poured water over the hands of the kings. And the son ofAtreus drew forth with his hand the knife that ever hung beside the great sheath of his sword, and cut hair from off the heads of thelambs; and the heralds portioned it out to the chieftains of theTrojans and Achaeans.

§ 3.275  Then in their midstAgamemnon lifted up his hands and prayed aloud: “FatherZeus, that rulest fromIda, most glorious, most great, and thou Sun, that beholdest all things and hearest all things, and ye rivers and thou earth, and ye that in the world below take vengeance on men that are done with life, whosoever hath sworn a false oath;

§ 3.280  be ye witnesses, and watch over the oaths of faith. IfAlexander slayMenelaus, then let him keepHelen and all her treasure; and we will depart in our seafaring ships. But if so be fair-hairedMenelaus shall slayAlexander,

§ 3.285  then let theTrojans give backHelen and all her treasure, and pay to theArgives in requital such recompense as beseemeth, even such as shall abide in the minds of men that are yet to be. Howbeit, ifPriam and the sons ofPriam be not minded to pay recompense unto me, whenAlexander falleth,

§ 3.290  then will I fight on even thereafter, to get me recompense, and will abide here until I find an end of war.” He spake, and cut thelambs' throats with the pitiless bronze; and laid them down upon the ground gasping and failing of breath, for the bronze had robbed them of their strength.

§ 3.295  Then they drew wine from the bowl into the cups, and poured it forth, and made prayer to the gods that are for ever. And thus would one of the Achaeans andTrojans say: “Zeus, most glorious, most great, and ye other immortal gods, which host soever of the twain shall be first to work harm in defiance of the oaths,

§ 3.300  may their brains be thus poured forth upon the ground even as this wine, theirs and their children's; and may their wives be made slaves to others.” So spake they, but not yet was the son ofCronos to vouchsafe them fulfillment. Then in their midst spakePriam,Dardanus' son, saying: “Hearken to me, yeTrojans and well-greaved Achaeans.

§ 3.305  I verily will go my way back to windyIlios, since I can in no wise bear to behold with mine eyes my dear son doing battle withMenelaus, dear toAres. But this, I ween,Zeus knoweth, and the other immortal gods, for which of the twain the doom of death is ordained.”

§ 3.310  So spake the godlike man, and let place thelambs in his chariot, and himself mounted, and drew back the reins, and by his sideAntenor mounted the beauteous car; and the twain departed back toIlios. ButHector,Priam's son, and goodlyOdysseus

§ 3.315  first measured out a space, and thereafter took the lots and shook them in the bronze-wrought helmet, to know which of the twain should first let fly his spear of bronze. And the people made prayer and lifted their hands to the gods; and thus would one of the Achaeans andTrojans speak:

§ 3.320   “FatherZeus, that rulest fromIda, most glorious, most great, whichsoever of the twain it be that brought these troubles upon both peoples, grant that he may die and enter the house ofHades, whereas to us there may come friendship and oaths of faith.” So spake they, and greatHector of the flashing helm shook the helmet,

§ 3.325  looking behind him the while; and straightway the lot ofParis leapt forth. Then the people sate them down in ranks, where were each man's high-steppinghorses, and his inlaid armour was set. But goodlyAlexander did on about his shoulders his beautiful armour, even he, the lord of fair-hairedHelen.

§ 3.330  The greaves first he set about his legs; beautiful they were, and fitted with silver ankle-pieces; next he did on about his chest the corselet of his brotherLycaon, and fitted it to himself. And about his shoulders he cast his silver-studded sword

§ 3.335  of bronze, and thereafter his shield great and sturdy; and upon his mighty head he set a well-wrought helmet withhorse-hair crest —and terribly did the plume nod from above— and he took a valorous spear, that fitted his grasp. And in the self-same manner warlikeMenelaus did on his battle-gear.

§ 3.340  But when they had armed themselves on either side of the throng, they strode into the space between theTrojans and Achaeans, glaring terribly; and amazement came upon them that beheld, both theTrojans, tamers ofhorses, and the well-greaved Achaeans; and the twain took their stand near together in the measured space,

§ 3.345  brandishing their spears in wrath one at the other. FirstAlexander hurled his far-shadowing spear, and smote upon the son ofAtreus' shield that was well balanced on every side ; howbeit the bronze brake not through but its point was turned in the stout shield. NextAtreus' son,Menelaus, rushed upon him with his spear,

§ 3.350  and made prayer to fatherZeus: “Zeus, our king, grant that I may avenge me on him that was first to do me wrong, even on goodlyAlexander, and subdue thou him beneath my hands; that many a one even of men yet to be may shudder to work evil to his host, that hath shown him friendship.”

§ 3.355  He spoke, and poised his far-shadowing spear, and hurled it; and he smote upon the son ofPriam's shield, that was well balanced upon every side. Through the bright shield went the mighty spear, and through the corselet, richly dight, did it force its way; and straight on beside his flank the spear shore through his tunic;

§ 3.360  but he bent aside and escaped black fate. Then the son ofAtreus drew his silver-studded sword, and raising himself on high smote the horn of his helmet; but upon it his sword shattered in pieces three, aye, four, and fell from his hand. Then the son ofAtreus uttered a bitter cry with a glance at the broad heaven:

§ 3.365   “FatherZeus, than thou is no other god more baleful. Verily I deemed that I had got me vengeance uponAlexander for his wickedness, but now is my sword broken in my hands, and forth from my grasp has my spear flown in vain, and I smote him not.” So saying, he sprang upon him, and seized him by the helmet with thick crest ofhorse-hair,

§ 3.370  and whirling him about began to drag him towards the well-greaved Achaeans; andParis was choked by the richly-broidered strap beneath his soft throat, that was drawn tight beneath his chin to hold his helm. And now wouldMenelaus have dragged him away, and won glory unspeakable, had notAphrodite, daughter ofZeus, been quick to see,

§ 3.375  and to his cost broken in twain the thong, cut from the hide of a slaughteredox; and the empty helm came away in his strong hand. This he then tossed with a swing into the company of the well-greaved Achaeans, and his trusty comrades gathered it up; but himself he sprang back again, eager to slay his foe

§ 3.380  with spear of bronze. But himAphrodite snatched up, full easily as a goddess may, and shrouded him in thick mist, and set him down in his fragrant, vaulted chamber, and herself went to summonHelen. Her she found on the high wall, and round about her in throngs were the women ofTroy.

§ 3.385  Then with her hand the goddess laid hold of her fragrant robe, and plucked it, and spake to her in the likeness of an ancient dame, a wool-comber, who had been wont to card the fair wool for her when she dwelt inLacedaemon, and who was well loved of her; in her likeness fairAphrodite spake:

§ 3.390   “Come hither;Alexander calleth thee to go to thy home. There is he in his chamber and on his inlaid couch, gleaming with beauty and fair raiment. Thou wouldest not deem that he had come thither from warring with a foe, but rather that he was going to the dance, or sat there as one that had but newly ceased from the dance.”

§ 3.395  So spake she, and stirredHelen's heart in her breast; and when she marked the beauteous neck of the goddess, her lovely bosom, and her flashing eyes, then amazement seized her, and she spake, and addressed her, saying: “Strange goddess, why art thou minded to beguile me thus?

§ 3.400  Verily thou wilt lead me yet further on to one of the well-peopled cities ofPhrygia or lovelyMaeonia, if there too there be some one of mortal men who is dear to thee, seeing that nowMenelaus hath conquered goodlyAlexander, and is minded to lead hateful me to his home.

§ 3.405  It is for this cause that thou art now come hither with guileful thought. Go thou, and sit by his side, and depart from the way of the gods, neither let thy feet any more bear thee back toOlympus; but ever be thou troubled for him, and guard him, until he make thee his wife, or haply his slave.

§ 3.410  But thither will I not go—it were a shameful thing—to array that man's couch; all the women ofTroy will blame me hereafter; and I have measureless griefs at heart.” Then stirred to wrath fairAphrodite spake to her: “Provoke me not, rash woman, lest I wax wroth and desert thee,

§ 3.415  and hate thee, even as now I love thee wondrously; and lest I devise grievous hatred between both,Trojans alike andDanaans; then wouldst thou perish of an evil fate.” So spake she, andHelen, sprung fromZeus, was seized with fear; and she went, wrapping herself in her bright shining mantle,

§ 3.420  in silence; and she was unseen of theTrojan women; and the goddess led the way. Now when they were come to the beautiful palace ofAlexander, the handmaids turned forthwith to their tasks, but she, the fair lady, went to the high-roofed chamber. And the goddess, laughter-lovingAphrodite, took for her a chair,

§ 3.425  and set it before the face ofAlexander. ThereonHelen sate her down, the daughter ofZeus that beareth the aegis, with eyes turned askance; and she chid her lord, and said: “Thou hast come back from the war; would thou hadst perished there, vanquished by a valiant man that was my former lord.

§ 3.430  Verily it was thy boast aforetime that thou wast a better man thanMenelaus, dear toAres, in the might of thy hands and with thy spear. But go now, challengeMenelaus, dear toAres, again to do battle with thee, man to man. But, nay, I of myself bid thee refrain, and not war amain against fair-hairedMenelaus,

§ 3.435  nor fight with him in thy folly, lest haply thou be vanquished anon by his spear.” ThenParis made answer, and spake to her, saying: “Chide not my heart, lady, with hard words of reviling. For this present hathMenelaus vanquished me withAthene's aid,

§ 3.440  but another time shall I vanquish him; on our side too there be gods. But come, let us take our joy, couched together in love; for never yet hath desire so encompassed my soul—nay, not when at the first I snatched thee from lovelyLacedaemon and sailed with thee on my seafaring ships,

§ 3.445  and on the isle ofCranae had dalliance with thee on the couch of love—as now I love thee, and sweet desire layeth hold of me.” He spake, and led the way to the couch, and with him followed his wife. Thus the twain were couched upon the corded bed; but the son ofAtreus ranged through the throng like a wild beast,

§ 3.450  if anywhere he might have sight of godlikeAlexander. But none of theTrojans or their famed allies could then discoverAlexander toMenelaus, dear toAres. Not for love verily were they fain to hide him, could any have seen him, for he was hated of all even as black death.

§ 3.455  Then the king of men,Agamemnon, spake among them, saying: “Hearken to me, yeTrojans and Dardanians and allies. Victory is now of a surety seen to rest withMenelaus, dear toAres; do ye therefore give upArgiveHelen and the treasure with her, and pay ye in requital such recompense as beseemeth,

§ 3.460  even such as shall abide in the minds of men that are yet to be.” So spake the son ofAtreus, and all the Achaeans shouted assent.

§ 4.1  BOOK 4
Now the gods, seated by the side ofZeus, were holding assembly on the golden floor, and in their midst the queenlyHebe poured them nectar, and they with golden goblets pledged one the other as they looked forth upon the city of theTrojans.

§ 4.5  And forthwith the son ofCronos made essay to provokeHera with mocking words, and said with malice: “Twain of the goddesses hathMenelaus for helpers, evenArgiveHera, and AlalcomeneanAthene. Howbeit these verily sit apart and take their pleasure in beholding,

§ 4.10  whereas by the side of that other laughter-lovingAphrodite ever standeth, and wardeth from him fate, and but now she saved him, when he thought to perish. But of a surety victory rests withMenelaus, dear toAres; let us therefore take thought how these things are to be;

§ 4.15  whether we shall again rouse evil war and the dread din of battle, or put friendship between the hosts. If this might in any wise be welcome to all and their good pleasure, then might the city of kingPriam still be an habitation, andMenelaus take backArgiveHelen.”

§ 4.20  So spake he, and thereatAthene andHera murmured, who sat side by side, and were devising ills for theTrojans.Athene verily held her peace and said naught, wroth though she was at fatherZeus, and fierce anger gat hold of her; howbeitHera's breast contained not her anger, but she spake to him, saying:

§ 4.25   “Most dread son ofCronos, what a word hast thou said! How art thou minded to render my labour vain and of none effect, and the sweat that I sweated in my toil,—aye, and myhorses twain waxed weary with my summoning the host for the bane ofPriam and his sons? Do thou as thou wilt; but be sure we other gods assent not all thereto.”

§ 4.30  Then, stirred to hot anger, spake to herZeus, the cloud-gatherer: “Strange queen, wherein doPriam and the sons ofPriam work thee ills so many, that thou ragest unceasingly to lay waste the well-built citadel ofIlios? If thou wert to enter within the gates and the high walls,

§ 4.35  and to devourPriam raw and the sons ofPriam and all theTrojans besides, then perchance mightest thou heal thine anger. Do as thy pleasure is; let not this quarrel in time to come be to thee and me a grievous cause of strife between us twain. And another thing will I tell thee, and do thou lay it to heart.

§ 4.40  When it shall be that I, vehemently eager to lay waste a city, choose one wherein dwell men that are dear to thee, seek thou in no wise to hinder my anger, but suffer me; since I too have yielded to thee of mine own will, yet with soul unwilling. For of all cities beneath sun and starry heaven

§ 4.45  wherein men that dwell upon the face of the earth have their abodes, of these sacredIlios was most honoured of my heart, andPriam and the people ofPriam, with goodly spear of ash. For never at any time was mine altar in lack of the equal feast, the drink-offering, and the savour of burnt-offering, even the worship that is our due.”

§ 4.50  Then in answer to him spakeox-eyed, queenlyHera: “Verily have I three cities that are far dearest in my sight,Argos andSparta and broad-wayedMycenae; these do thou lay waste whensoe'er they shall be hateful to thy heart. Not in their defence do I stand forth, nor account them too greatly.

§ 4.55  For even though I grudge thee, and am fain to thwart their overthrow, I avail naught by my grudging, for truly thou art far the mightier. Still it beseemeth that my labour too be not made of none effect; for I also am a god, and my birth is from the stock whence is thine own, and crooked-counsellingCronos begat me as the most honoured of his daughters

§ 4.60  in twofold wise, for that I am eldest, and am called thy wife, whilst thou art king among all the immortals. Nay then, let us yield one to the other herein, I to thee and thou to me, and all the other immortal gods will follow with us; and do thou straightway bidAthene

§ 4.65  go her way into the dread din of battle ofTrojans and Achaeans, and contrive how that theTrojans may be first in defiance of their oaths to work evil upon the Achaeans that exult in their triumph.” So said she, and the father of men and gods failed not to hearken; forthwith he spake toAthene winged words:

§ 4.70   “Haste thee with all speed unto the host into the midst ofTrojans and Achaeans, and contrive how that theTrojans may be first in defiance of their oaths to work evil upon the Achaeans that exult in their triumph.” So saying, he stirred onAthene that was already eager, and down from the peaks ofOlympus she went darting.

§ 4.75  Even in such wise as the son of crooked-counsellingCronos sendeth a star to be a portent for seamen or for a wide host of warriors, a gleaming star, and therefrom the sparks fly thick; even so dartedPallas Athene to earth, and down she leapt into the midst; and amazement came upon all that beheld,

§ 4.80  onhorse-tamingTrojans and well-greaved Achaeans; and thus would a man say with a glance at his neighbour: “Verily shall we again have evil war and the dread din of battle, or else friendship is set amid the hosts byZeus, who is for men the dispenser of battle.”

§ 4.85  So would many a one of Achaeans andTrojans speak. ButAthene entered the throng of theTrojans in the guise of a man, even ofLaodocus, son ofAntenor, a valiant spearman, in quest of god-likePandarus, if haply she might find him. And she foundLycaon's son, peerless and stalwart,

§ 4.90  as he stood, and about him were the stalwart ranks of the shield-bearing hosts that followed him from the streams ofAesepus. Then she drew near, and spake to him winged words: “Wilt thou now hearken to me, thou wise-hearted son ofLycaon? Then wouldst thou dare to let fly a swift arrow uponMenelaus,

§ 4.95  and wouldst win favour and renown in the eyes of all theTrojans, and of kingAlexander most of all. From him of a surety wouldst thou before all others bear off glorious gifts, should he seeMenelaus, the warlike son ofAtreus, laid low by thy shaft, and set upon the grievous pyre.

§ 4.100  Nay, come, shoot thine arrow at gloriousMenelaus, and vow toApollo, thewolf-born god, famed for his bow, that thou wilt sacrifice a glorious hecatomb of firstlinglambs, when thou shalt come to thy home, the city of sacredZeleia.” So spakeAthene, and persuaded his heart in his folly.

§ 4.105  Straightway he uncovered his polished bow of the horn of a wild ibex, that himself on a time had smitten beneath the breast as it came forth from a rock, he lying in wait the while in a place of ambush, and had struck it in the chest, so that it fell backward in a cleft of the rock. From its head the horns grew to a length of sixteen palms;

§ 4.110  these the worker in horn had wrought and fitted together, and smoothed all with care, and set thereon a tip of gold. This bow he bent, leaning it against the ground, and laid it carefully down; and his goodly comrades held their shields before him, lest the warrior sons of the Achaeans should leap to their feet

§ 4.115  or everMenelaus, the warlike son ofAtreus, was smitten. Then opened he the lid of his quiver, and took forth an arrow, a feathered arrow that had never been shot, freighted with dark pains; and forthwith he fitted the bitter arrow to the string, and made a vow toApollo, thewolf-born god, famed for his bow,

§ 4.120  that he would sacrifice a glorious hecatomb of firstlinglambs, when he should come to his home, the city of sacredZeleia. And he drew the bow, clutching at once the notched arrow and the string ofox's sinew: the string he brought to his breast and to the bow the iron arrow-head. But when he had drawn the great bow into a round,

§ 4.125  the bow twanged and the string sang aloud, and the keen arrow leapt, eager to wing its way amid the throng. Then, OMenelaus, the blessed gods, the immortals, forgat thee not; and before all the daughter ofZeus, she that driveth the spoil, who took her stand before thee, and warded off the stinging arrow.

§ 4.130  She swept it just aside from the flesh, even as a mother sweepeth a fly from her child when he lieth in sweet slumber; and of herself she guided it where the golden clasps of the belt were fastened and the corselet overlapped. On the clasped belt lighted the bitter arrow,

§ 4.135  and through the belt richly dight was it driven, and clean through the curiously wrought corselet did it force its way, and through the taslet which he wore, a screen for his flesh and a barrier against darts, wherein was his chiefest defence; yet even through this did it speed. So the arrow grazed the outermost flesh of the warrior,

§ 4.140  and forthwith the dark blood flowed from the wound. As when a woman staineth ivory with scarlet, some woman ofMaeonia orCaria, to make a cheek-piece forhorses, and it lieth in a treasure-chamber, though many horsemen pray to wear it; but it lieth there as a king's treasure,

§ 4.145  alike an ornament for hishorse and to its driver a glory; even in such wise,Menelaus, were thy thighs stained with blood, thy shapely thighs and thy legs and thy fair ankles beneath. Thereat shuddered the king of men,Agamemnon, as he saw the black blood flowing from the wound,

§ 4.150  andMenelaus, dear toAres, himself likewise shuddered. But when he saw that the sinew and the barbs were without the flesh, back again into his breast was his spirit gathered. But with a heavy moan spake among them lordAgamemnon, holdingMenelaus by the hand; and his comrades too made moan:

§ 4.155   “Dear brother, it was for thy death, meseems, that I swore this oath with sacrifice, setting thee forth alone before the face of the Achaeans to do battle with theTrojans, seeing theTrojans have thus smitten thee, and trodden under foot the oaths of faith. Yet in no wise is an oath of none effect and the blood oflambs and drink-offerings of unmixed wine and the hand-clasps, wherein we put our trust.

§ 4.160  For even if for the moment theOlympian vouchsafeth not fulfillment, yet late and at length doth he fulfill them, and with a heavy price do men make atonement, even with their own heads and their wives and their children. For of a surety know I this in heart and soul: the day shall come when sacredIlios shall be laid low,

§ 4.165  andPriam, and the people ofPriam, with goodly spear of ash; andZeus, son ofCronos, throned on high, that dwelleth in the heaven, shall himself shake over them all his dark aegis in wrath for this deceit. These things verily shall not fail of fulfillment; yet dread grief for thee shall be mine, OMenelaus,

§ 4.170  if thou shalt die and fill up thy lot of life. Aye, and as one most despised should I return to thirstyArgos, for straightway will the Achaeans bethink them of their native land, and so should we leave toPriam and theTrojans their boast, evenArgiveHelen. And thy bones shall the earth rot

§ 4.175  as thou liest in the land ofTroy with thy task unfinished; and thus shall many a one of the overweeningTrojans say, as he leapeth upon the barrow of gloriousMenelaus: “Would that in every matter it may he thus thatAgamemnon may fulfill his wrath, even as now he led hither a host of the Achaeans to no purpose, and lo!

§ 4.180  he hath departed home to his dear native land with empty ships, and hath left here nobleMenelaus.” So shall some man speak in aftertime; in that day let the wide earth gape for me.” But fair-hairedMenelaus spake and heartened him, saying: “Be thou of good cheer, neither affright in any wise the host of the Achaeans.

§ 4.185  Not in a fatal spot hath the shaft been fixed; ere that my flashing belt stayed it, and the kilt beneath, and the taslet that the coppersmiths fashioned.” Then in answer to him spake lordAgamemnon: “Would it may be so, dearMenelaus.

§ 4.190  But the leech shall search the wound and lay thereon simples that shall make thee cease from dark pains.” Therewith he spake toTalthybius, the godlike herald: “Talthybius, make haste to call hitherMachaon, son ofAsclepius, the peerless leech,

§ 4.195  to see warlikeMenelaus, son ofAtreus, whom some man well skilled in archery hath smitten with an arrow, someTrojan orLycian, compassing glory for himself but for us sorrow.” So spake he, and the herald failed not to hearken, as he heard, but went his way throughout the host of the brazen-coated Achaeans,

§ 4.200  glancing this way and that for the warriorMachaon; and he marked him as he stood, and round about him were the stalwart ranks of the shield-bearing hosts that followed him fromTricca, the pastureland ofhorses. And he came up to him, and spake winged words, saying: “Rouse thee, son ofAsclepius; lordAgamemnon calleth thee

§ 4.205  to see warlikeMenelaus, captain of the Achaeans, whom some man, well skilled in archery, hath smitten with an arrow, someTrojan orLycian, compassing glory for himself but for us sorrow.” So spake he, and roused the heart in his breast, and they went their way in the throng throughout the broad host of the Achaeans. And when they were come where was fair-hairedMenelaus,

§ 4.210  wounded, and around him were gathered in a circle all they that were chieftains, the godlike hero came and stood in their midst, and straightway drew forth the arrow from the clasped belt; and as it was drawn forth the sharp barbs were broken backwards.

§ 4.215  And he loosed the flashing belt and the kilt beneath and the taslet that the coppersmiths fashioned. But when he saw the wound where the bitter arrow had lighted, he sucked out the blood, and with sure knowledge spread thereon soothing simples, which of oldCheiron had given to his father with kindly thought.

§ 4.220  While they were thus busied withMenelaus, good at the war-cry, meanwhile the ranks of the shield-bearingTrojans came on; and the Achaeans again did on their battle-gear, and bethought them of war. Then wouldst thou not have seen goodlyAgamemnon slumbering, nor cowering, nor with no heart for fight,

§ 4.225  but full eager for battle where men win glory. Hishorses and his chariot adorned with bronze he let be, and his squire,Eurymedon, son of Peiraeus' sonPtolemaeus, kept the snorting steeds withdrawn apart; and straitly didAgamemnon charge him to have them at hand, whenever

§ 4.230  weariness should come upon his limbs, as he gave commands throughout all the host; but he himself ranged on foot through the ranks of warriors. And whomsoever of theDanaans with swift steeds he saw eager, to these would he draw nigh, and hearten them earnestly, saying: “YeArgives, relax ye no whit of your furious valour;

§ 4.235  for fatherZeus will be no helper of lies; nay, they that were the first to work violence in defiance of their oaths, their tender flesh of a surety shall vultures devour, and we shall bear away in our ships their dear wives and little children, when we shall have taken their citadel.”

§ 4.240  And whomsoever again he saw holding back from hateful war, them would he chide roundly with angry words: “YeArgives that rage with the bow, ye men of dishonour, have ye no shame? Why is it that ye stand thus dazed, like fawns that, when they have grown weary with running over a wide plain,

§ 4.245  stand still, and in their hearts is no valour found at all? Even so ye stand dazed and fight not. Is it that ye wait for theTrojans to come near where your ships with stately sterns are drawn up on the shore of the grey sea, that ye may know if haply the son ofCronos will stretch forth his arm over you?”

§ 4.250  Thus ranged he giving his commands through the ranks of warriors; and he came to theCretans as he fared through the throng of men. These were arming them for war around wise-heartedIdomeneus; andIdomeneus stood amid the foremost fighters like a wildboar in valour, whileMeriones was speeding on the hindmost battalions.

§ 4.255  At sight of themAgamemnon, king of men, waxed glad, and forthwith he spake toIdomeneus with gentle words: “Idomeneus, beyond all theDanaans with swift steeds do I show honour to thee both in war and in tasks of other sort, and at the feast, when the chieftains of theArgives let mingle in the bowl the flaming wine of the elders.

§ 4.260  For even though the other long-haired Achaeans drink an allotted portion, thy cup standeth ever full, even as for mine own self, to drink whensoever thy heart biddeth thee. Come, rouse thee for battle, such a one as of old thou declaredst thyself to be.”

§ 4.265  To him thenIdomeneus, leader of theCretans, made answer, saying: “Son ofAtreus, of a surety will I be to thee a trusty comrade, even as at the first I promised and gave my pledge; but do thou urge on the other long-haired Achaeans that we may fight with speed, seeing theTrojans have made of none effect our oaths.

§ 4.270  Death and woes shall hereafter be their lot, for that they were the first to work violence in defiance of the oaths.” So spake he, and the son ofAtreus passed on, glad at heart, and came to theAiantes as he fared through the throng of warriors;

§ 4.275  these were arming them for battle, and a cloud of footmen followed with them. Even as when from some place of outlook a goatherd seeth a cloud coming over the face of the deep before the blast of theWest Wind, and to him being afar off it seemeth blacker than pitch as it passeth over the face of the deep, and it bringeth a mighty whirlwind; and he shuddereth at sight of it, and driveth his flock beneath a cave;

§ 4.280  even in such wise by the side of theAiantes did the thick battalions of youths, nurtured ofZeus, move into furious war—dark battalions, bristling with shields and spears. At sight of these lordAgamemnon waxed glad, and he spake and addressed them with winged words:

§ 4.285   “YeAiantes, leaders of the brazen-coatedArgives, to you twain, for it beseemeth not to urge you, I give no charge; for of yourselves ye verily bid your people fight amain. I would, O fatherZeus andAthene andApollo, that such spirit as yours might be found in the breasts of all;

§ 4.290  then would the city of kingPriam forthwith bow her head, taken and laid waste beneath our hands.” So saying, he left them there and went to others. Then found heNestor, the clear-voiced orator of thePylians, arraying his comrades and urging them to fight,

§ 4.295  around mightyPelagon andAlastor andChromius and lordHaemon andBias, shepherd of the host. The charioteers first he arrayed with theirhorses and cars, and behind them the footmen, many and valiant, to be a bulwark of battle; but the cowards he drave into the midst,

§ 4.300  that were he never so loath each man must needs fight perforce. Upon the charioteers was he first laying charge, and he bade them keep theirhorses in hand, nor drive tumultuously on amid the throng. “Neither let any man, trusting in his horsemanship and his valour, be eager to fight with theTrojans alone in front of the rest,

§ 4.305  nor yet let him draw back; for so will ye be the feebler. But what man soe'er from his own car can come at a car of the foe, let him thrust forth with his spear, since verily it is far better so. Thus also did men of olden time lay waste cities and walls, having in their breasts mind and spirit such as this.”

§ 4.310  So was the old man urging them on, having knowledge of battles from of old. At sight of him lordAgamemnon waxed glad, and he spake, and addressed him with winged words: “Old Sir, I would that even as is the spirit in thy breast, so thy limbs might obey, and thy strength be firm.

§ 4.315  But evil old age presseth hard upon thee; would that some other among the warriors had thy years, and that thou wert among the youths.” To him then made answer the horseman,Nestor ofGerenia: “Son ofAtreus, verily I myself could wish that I were such a one as on the day when I slew goodlyEreuthalion.

§ 4.320  But in no wise do the gods grant to men all things at one time. As I was then a youth, so now doth old age attend me. Yet even so will I abide among the charioteers and urge them on by counsel and by words; for that is the office of elders. Spears shall the young men wield

§ 4.325  who are more youthful than I and have confidence in their strength.” So spake he, and the son ofAtreus passed on glad at heart. He foundMenestheus, driver ofhorses, son ofPeteos, as he stood, and about him were theAthenians, masters of the war-cry. And hard by stoodOdysseus of many wiles,

§ 4.330  and with him the ranks of theCephallenians, no weakling folk, stood still; for their host had not as yet heard the war-cry, seeing the battalions of thehorse-tamingTrojans and the Achaeans had but newly bestirred them to move; wherefore these stood, and waited until some other serried battalions of the Achaeans should advance

§ 4.335  to set upon theTrojans, and begin the battle. At sight of theseAgamemnon, king of men, chid them, and spoke, and addressed them with winged words: “O son ofPeteos, the king nurtured ofZeus, and thou that excellest in evil wiles, thou of crafty mind,

§ 4.340  why stand ye apart cowering, and wait for others? For you twain were it seemly that ye take your stand amid the foremost, and confront blazing battle; for ye are the first to hear my bidding to the feast, whenso we Achaeans make ready a banquet for the elders.

§ 4.345  Then are ye glad to eat roast meat and drink cups of honey-sweet wine as long as ye will. But now would ye gladly behold it, aye if ten serried battalions of the Achaeans were to fight in front of you with the pitiless bronze.” Then with an angry glance from beneath his browsOdysseus of many wiles addressed him:

§ 4.350   “Son ofAtreus, what a word hath escaped the barrier of thy teeth! How sayest thou that we are slack in battle, whenso we Achaeans rouse keen war against thehorse-tamingTrojans? Thou shalt see, if so be thou wilt and if thou carest aught therefor, the father ofTelemachus mingling with the foremost fighters

§ 4.355  of thehorse-tamingTrojans. This that thou sayest is as empty wind.” Then lordAgamemnon spake to him with a smile, when he knew that he was wroth, and took back his words: “Zeus-born son ofLaertes,Odysseus of many wiles, neither do I chide thee overmuch nor urge thee on,

§ 4.360  for I know that the heart in thy breast knoweth kindly thoughts, seeing thou art minded even as I am. Nay, come, these things will we make good hereafter, if any harsh word hath been spoken now; and may the gods make all to come to naught.” So saying he left them there and went to others.

§ 4.365  Then found he the son ofTydeus,Diomedes high of heart, as he stood in his jointed car; and by his side stoodSthenelus, son ofCapaneus. At sight of him too lordAgamemnon chid him, and spake and addressed him with winged words:

§ 4.370   “Ah me, thou son of wise-heartedTydeus, tamer ofhorses, why cowerest thou, why gazest thou at the dykes of battle?Tydeus of a surety was not wont thus to cower, but far in advance of his comrades to fight against the foe, as they tell who saw him amid the toil of war; for I never

§ 4.375  met him, neither saw him; but men say that he was pre-eminent over all. Once verily he came toMycenae, not as an enemy, but as a guest, in company with godlikePolyneices, to gather a host; for in that day they were waging a war against the sacred walls ofThebes, and earnestly did they make prayer that glorious allies be granted them;

§ 4.380  and the men ofMycenae were minded to grant them, and were assenting even as they bade, butZeus turned their minds by showing tokens of ill. So when they had departed and were with deep reeds, that coucheth in the grass, there did the Achaeans send forthTydeus on an embassage.

§ 4.385  And he went his way, and found the many sons ofCadmus feasting in the house of mightyEteocles. Then, for all he was a stranger, the horsemanTydeus feared not, all alone though he was amid the manyCadmeians, but challenged them all to feats of strength and in every one vanquished he them

§ 4.390  full easily; such a helper wasAthene to him. But theCadmeians, goaders ofhorses, waxed wroth, and as he journeyed back, brought and set a strong ambush, even fifty youths, and two there were as leaders,Maeon, son ofHaemon, peer of the immortals,

§ 4.395  and Autophonus' son, Polyphontes, staunch in fight. ButTydeus even upon these let loose a shameful fate, and slew them all; one only man suffered he to return home;Maeon he sent forth in obedience to the portents of the gods. Such a man wasTydeus ofAetolia; howbeit the son

§ 4.400  that he begat is worse than he in battle, though in the place of gathering he is better.” So he spake, and stalwartDiomedes answered him not a word, but had respect to the reproof of the king revered. But the son of gloriousCapaneus made answer. “Son ofAtreus, utter not lies, when thou knowest how to speak truly.

§ 4.405  We declare ourselves to be better men by far than our fathers: we took the seat ofThebe of the seven gates, when we twain had gathered a lesser host against a stronger wall, putting our trust in the portents of the gods and in the aid ofZeus; whereas they perished through their own blind folly.

§ 4.410  Wherefore I bid thee put not our fathers in like honour with us.” Then with an angry glance from beneath his brows stalwartDiomedes addressed him: “Good friend, abide in silence, and hearken to my word. I count it not shame thatAgamemnon, shepherd of the host, should urge on to battle the well-greaved Achaeans;

§ 4.415  for upon him will great glory attend if the Achaeans shall slay theTrojans and take sacredIlios, and upon him likewise will fall great sorrow, if the Achaeans be slain. Nay, come, let us twain also bethink us of furious valour.” He spake, and leapt in his armour from his chariot to the ground,

§ 4.420  and terribly rang the bronze upon the breast of the prince as he moved; thereat might terror have seized even one that was steadfast of heart. As when on a sounding beach the swell of the sea beats, wave after wave, before the driving of theWest Wind; out on the deep at the first is it gathered in a crest, but thereafter

§ 4.425  is broken upon the land and thundereth aloud, and round about the headlands it swelleth and reareth its head, and speweth forth the salt brine: even in such wise on that day did the battalions of theDanaans move, rank after rank, without cease, into battle; and each captain gave charge to his own men, and the rest marched on in silence; thou wouldst not have deemed

§ 4.430  that they that followed in such multitudes had any voice in their breasts, all silent as they were through fear of their commanders; and on every man flashed the inlaid armour wherewith they went clad. But for theTrojans, even as ewes stand in throngs past counting in the court of a man of much substance to be milked of their white milk,

§ 4.435  and bleat without ceasing as they near the voices of theirlambs: even so arose the clamour of theTrojans throughout the wide host; for they had not all like speech or one language, but their tongues were mingled, and they were a folk summoned from many lands. These were urged on byAres, and the Greeks by flashing-eyedAthene,

§ 4.440  andTerror, and Rout, and Discord that rageth incessantly, sister and comrade of man-slayingAres; she at the first rears her crest but little, yet thereafter planteth her head in heaven, while her feet tread on earth. She it was that now cast evil strife into their midst

§ 4.445  as she fared through the throng, making the groanings of men to wax. Now when they were met together and come into one place, then dashed they together shields and spears and the fury of bronze-mailed warriors; and the bossed shields closed each with each, and a great din arose.

§ 4.450  Then were heard alike the sound of groaning and the cry of triumph of the slayers and the slain, and the earth flowed with blood. As when winter torrents, flowing down the mountains from their great springs to a place where two valleys meet, join their mighty floods in a deep gorge,

§ 4.455  and far off amid the mountains the shepherd heareth the thunder thereof; even so from the joining of these in battle came shouting and toil.Antilochus was first to slay a warrior of theTrojans in full armour, a goodly man amid the foremost fighters,Echepolus, son of Thalysius. Him was he first to smite upon the horn of his helmet with crest ofhorse-hair,

§ 4.460  and into his forehead drave the spear, and the point of bronze passed within the bone; and darkness enfolded his eyes, and he crashed as doth a wall, in the mighty conflict. As he fell lordElephenor caught him by the feet, the son he ofChalcodon, and captain of the great-souledAbantes,

§ 4.465  and sought to drag him from beneath the missiles, fain with all speed to strip off his armour; yet but for a scant space did his striving endure; for as he was haling the corpse great-souledAgenor caught sight of him, and where his side was left uncovered of his shield, as he stooped, even there; he smote him with a thrust of his bronze-shod spear, and loosed his limbs.

§ 4.470  So his spirit left him, and over his body was wrought grievous toil ofTrojans and Achaeans. Even aswolves leapt they one upon the other, and man made man to reel. ThenTelamonianAias smote Anthemion's son, the lusty youthSimoeisius, whom on a time his mother

§ 4.475  had born beside the banks ofSimois, as she journeyed down fromIda, whither she had followed with her parents to see their flocks. For this cause they called himSimoeisius; yet paid he not back to his dear parents the recompense of his upbringing, and but brief was the span of his life, for that he was laid low by the spear of great-souledAias.

§ 4.480  For, as he strode amid the foremost, he was smitten on the right breast beside the nipple; and clean through his shoulder went the spear of bronze, and he fell to the ground in the dust like a poplar tree that hath grown up in the bottom land of a great marsh, smooth of stem, but from the top thereof branches grow:

§ 4.485  this hath some wainwright felled with the gleaming iron that he might bend him a felloe for a beauteous chariot, and it lieth drying by a river's banks. Even in such wise didZeus-bornAias slaySimoeisius, son of Anthemion. And at himPriam's sonAntiphus, of the flashing corselet,

§ 4.490  cast with his sharp spear amid the throng. Him he missed, but smote in the groinOdysseus' goodly comrade,Leucus, as he was drawing the corpse to the other side; so he fell upon it, and the body slipped from his grasp. For his slaying waxedOdysseus mightily wroth at heart,

§ 4.495  and strode amid the foremost warriors, harnessed in flaming bronze; close to the foe he came and took his stand, and glancing warily about him hurled with his bright spear; and back did theTrojans shrink from the warrior as he cast. Not in vain did he let fly his spear, but smotePriam's bastard son Democoon,

§ 4.500  that had come at his call fromAbydus, from his stud of swift mares. HimOdysseus, wroth for his comrade's sake, smote with his spear on the temple, and out through the other temple passed the spear-point of bronze, and darkness enfolded his eyes, and he fell with a thud and upon him his armour clanged.

§ 4.505  Then the foremost warriors and gloriousHector gave ground; and theArgives shouted aloud, and drew off the bodies, and charged far further onward. AndApollo, looking down fromPergamus, had indignation, and called with a shout to theTrojans: “Rouse ye,horse-tamingTrojans, give not ground in fight

§ 4.510  beforeArgives; not of stone nor of iron is their flesh to resist the bronze that cleaveth the flesh, when they are smitten. Nay, andAchilles moreover fighteth not, the son of fair-hairedThetis, but amid the ships nurseth his bitter wrath.” So spake the dread god from the city; but the Achaeans

§ 4.515  were urged on by the daughter ofZeus, most gloriousTritogeneia, who fared throughout the throng wheresoever she saw them giving ground. Then wasAmarynceus' son,Diores, caught in the snare of fate; for with a jagged stone was he smitten on the right leg by the ankle, and it was the leader of theThracians that made the cast,

§ 4.520  evenPeiros, son of Imbrasus, that had come fromAenus. The sinews twain and the bones did the ruthless stone utterly crush; and he fell backward in the dust and stretched out both his hands to his dear comrades, gasping out his life; and there ran up he that smote him,

§ 4.525  Peiros, and dealt him a wound with a thrust of his spear beside the navel; and forth upon the ground gushed all his bowels, and darkness enfolded his eyes. But as the other sprang backThoas ofAetolia smote him with a cast of his spear in the breast above the nipple, and the bronze was fixed in his lung; andThoas came close to him, and plucked forth from his chest the mighty spear,

§ 4.530  and drew his sharp sword and smote him therewith full upon the belly, and took away his life. Howbeit of his armour he stripped him not, for about him his comrades, men ofThrace that wear the hair long at the top, stood with long spears grasped in their hands, and for all that he was great and mighty and lordly,

§ 4.535  drave him back from them, so that he reeled and gave ground. Thus the twain lay stretched in the dust each by the other, captains the one of theThracians and the other of the brazen-coatedEpeians; and about them were others full many likewise slain. Then could no man any more enter into the battle and make light thereof,

§ 4.540  whoso still unwounded by missile or by thrust of sharp bronze, might move throughout the midst, being led ofPallas Athene by the hand, and by her guarded from the onrush of missiles: for multitudes ofTrojans and Achaeans alike were that day stretched one by the other's side with faces in the dust.

§ 5.1  BOOK 5
And now toTydeus' son,Diomedes,Pallas Athene gave might and courage, that he should prove himself pre-eminent amid all theArgives, and win glorious renown. She kindled from his helm and shield flame unwearying,

§ 5.5  like to the star of harvesttime that shineth bright above all others when he hath bathed him in the stream of Ocean. Even such flame did she kindle from his head and shoulders; and she sent him into the midst where men thronged the thickest. Now there was amid theTrojans oneDares, a rich man and blameless,

§ 5.10  a priest ofHephaestus; and he had two sons,Phegeus andIdaeus, both well skilled in all manner of fighting. These twain separated themselves from the host and went forth againstDiomedes, they in their car, while he charged on foot upon the ground. And when they were come near, as they advanced against each other,

§ 5.15  firstPhegeus let fly his far-shadowing spear; and over the left shoulder of the son ofTydeus passed the point of the spear, and smote him not. ThenTydeus' son rushed on with the bronze, and not in vain did the shaft speed from his hand, but he smote his foe on the breast between the nipples, and thrust him from the car.

§ 5.20  AndIdaeus sprang back, and left the beauteous chariot, and had no heart to bestride his slain brother. Nay, nor would he himself have escaped black fate, had notHephaestus guarded him, and saved him, enfolding him in darkness, that his aged priest might not be utterly fordone with grief.

§ 5.25  Howbeit thehorses did the son of great souledTydeus drive forth and give to his comrades to bring to the hollow ships. But when the great-souledTrojans beheld the two sons ofDares, the one in flight and the other slain beside the car, the hearts of all were dismayed. And flashing-eyedAthene

§ 5.30  took furiousAres by the hand and spake to him, saying: “Ares,Ares, thou bane of mortals, thou blood-stained stormer of walls, shall we not now leave theTrojans and Achaeans to fight, to whichsoever of the two it be that fatherZeus shall vouchsafe glory? But for us twain, let us give place, and avoid the wrath ofZeus.”

§ 5.35  So spake she, and led furiousAres forth from the battle. Then she made him to sit down on the sandy banks ofScamander, and theTrojans were turned in flight by theDanaans. Each one of the captains slew his man; first the king of men,Agamemnon, thrust from his car the leader of theHalizones, greatOdius,

§ 5.40  for as he turned first of all to flee he fixed his spear in his back between the shoulders and drave it through his breast; and he fell with a thud, and upon him his armour clanged. AndIdomeneus slewPhaestus, son ofBorus theMaeonian, that had come from deep-soiledTarne.

§ 5.45  Him even as he was mounting his chariotIdomeneus, famed for his spear, pierced with a thrust of his long spear through the right shoulder; and he fell from his car, and hateful darkness gat hold of him. Him then the squires ofIdomeneus stripped of his armour; andScamandrius, son ofStrophius, cunning in the chase,

§ 5.50  didAtreus' sonMenelaus slay with his sharp spear, even him the mighty hunter; forArtemis herself had taught him to smite all wild things that the mountain forest nurtureth. Yet in no wise did the archerArtemis avail him now, neither all that skill in archery wherein of old he excelled;

§ 5.55  but the son ofAtreus,Menelaus famed for his spear, smote him as he fled before him with a thrust of his spear in the back between the shoulders, and drave it through his breast. So he fell face foremost, and upon him his armour clanged. AndMeriones slewPhereclus, son ofTecton,

§ 5.60  Harmon's son, whose hands were skilled to fashion all manner of curious work; forPallas Athene loved him above all men. He it was that had also built forAlexander the shapely ships, source of ills, that were made the bane of all theTrojans and of his own self, seeing he knew not in any wise the oracles of the gods.

§ 5.65  After himMeriones pursued, and when he had come up with him, smote him in the right buttock, and the spear-point passed clean through even to the bladder beneath the bone;, and he fell to his knees with a groan, and death enfolded him. AndPedaeus,Antenor's son, was slain ofMeges;

§ 5.70  he was in truth a bastard, howbeit goodlyTheano had reared him carefully even as her own children, to do pleasure to her husband. To himPhyleus' son, famed for his spear, drew nigh and smote him with a cast of his sharp spear on the sinew of the head; and straight through amid the teeth the bronze shore away the tongue at its base.

§ 5.75  So he fell in the dust, and bit the cold bronze with his teeth. AndEurypylus, son ofEuaemon, slew goodly Hypsenor, son of Dolopion high of heart, that was made priest ofScamander, and was honoured of the folk even as a god—upon him didEurypylus,Euaemon's glorious son,

§ 5.80  rush with his sword as he fled before him, and in mid-course smite him upon the shoulder and lop off his heavy arm. So the arm all bloody fell to the ground; and down over his eyes came dark death and mighty fate. Thus toiled they in the mighty conflict;

§ 5.85  but ofTydeus' son couldst thou not have told with which host of the twain he was joined, whether it was with theTrojans that he had fellowship or with the Achaeans. For he stormed across the plain like unto a winter torrent at the full, that with its swift flood sweeps away the embankments; this the close-fenced embankments hold not back,

§ 5.90  neither do the walls of the fruitful vineyards stay its sudden coming when the rain ofZeus driveth it on; and before it in multitudes the fair works of men fall in ruin. Even in such wise beforeTydeus' son were the thick battalions of theTrojans driven in rout, nor might they abide him for all they were so many.

§ 5.95  But when the glorious son ofLycaon was ware of him as he raged across the plain and drove the battalions in rout before him, forthwith he bent against the son ofTydeus his curved bow, and with sure aim smote him as he rushed onwards upon the right shoulder on the plate of his corselet; through this sped the bitter arrow

§ 5.100  and held straight on its way, and the corselet was spattered with blood. Over him then shouted aloud the glorious son ofLycaon: “Rouse you, great-souledTrojans, ye goaders ofhorses. Smitten is the best man of the Achaeans, and I deem he will not for long endure the mighty shaft, if in very truth the king,

§ 5.105  the son ofZeus, sped me on my way when I set forth fromLycia.” So spake he vauntingly; howbeit that other did the swift arrow not lay low, but he drew back, and took his stand before hishorses and chariot, and spake toSthenelus, son ofCapaneus: “Rouse thee, good son ofCapaneus; get thee down from the car,

§ 5.110  that thou mayest draw forth from my shoulder the bitter arrow.” So spake he, andSthenelus leapt from his chariot to the ground, and stood beside him, and drew forth the swift arrow clean through his shoulder; and the blood spurted up through the pliant tunic. And thereatDiomedes, good at the war-cry, made prayer:

§ 5.115   “Hear me, child ofZeus that beareth the aegis, unwearied one! If ever with kindly thought thou stoodest by my father's side amid the fury of battle, even so do thou now be likewise kind to me,Athene. Grant that I may slay this man, and that he come within the cast of my spear, that hath smitten me or ever I was ware of him, and boasteth over me,

§ 5.120  and declareth that not for long shall I behold the bright light of the sun.” So spake he in prayer, andPallas Athene heard him, and made his limbs light, his feet and his hands above; and she drew near to his side and spake to him winged words: “Be of good courage now,Diomedes, to fight against theTrojans,

§ 5.125  for in thy breast have I put the might of thy father, the dauntless might, such as the horsemanTydeus, wielder of the shield, was wont to have. And the mist moreover have I taken from thine eyes that afore was upon them, to the end that thou mayest well discern both god and man. Wherefore now if any god come hither to make trial of thee,

§ 5.130  do not thou in any wise fight face to face with any other immortal gods, save only ifAphrodite, daughter ofZeus, shall enter the battle, her do thou smite with a thrust of the sharp bronze.” When she had thus spoken, the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene, departed, and the son ofTydeus returned again and mingled with the foremost fighters;

§ 5.135  and though afore his heart had been eager to do battle with theTrojans, now verily did fury thrice so great lay hold upon him, even as upon alion that a shepherd in the field, guarding his fleecysheep, hath wounded as he leapt over the wall of thesheep-fold, but hath not vanquished; his might hath he roused, but thereafter maketh no more defence,

§ 5.140  but slinketh amid the farm buildings, and the flock all unprotected is driven in rout, and thesheep are strewn in heaps, each hard by each, but thelion in his fury leapeth forth from the high fold; even in such fury did mightyDiomedes mingle with theTrojans. Then slew heAstynous and Hypeiron, shepherd of the host;

§ 5.145  the one he smote above the nipple with a cast of his bronze-shod spear, and the other he struck with his great sword upon the collar-bone beside the shoulder, and shore off the shoulder from the neck and from the back. These then he let be, but went his way in pursuit ofAbas andPolyidus, sons of the old manEurydamas, the reader of dreams;

§ 5.150  howbeit they came not back for the old man to interpret dreams for them, but mightyDiomedes slew them. Then went he on afterXanthus andThoon, sons twain of Phaenops, and both well beloved; and their father was fordone with grievous old age, and begat no other son to leave in charge of his possessions.

§ 5.155  ThereDiomedes slew them, and bereft them of dear life, both the twain; but for the father he left lamentation and grievous sorrow, seeing they lived not for him to welcome them on their return; and the next of kin divided his goods. Then took he two sons ofPriam,Dardanus' son,

§ 5.160  Echemmon andChromius, the twain being in one car. Even as alion leapeth among thekine and breaketh the neck of a heifer or a cow as they graze in a woodland pasture, so didTydeus' son thrust both these in evil wise from their car, sorely against their will, and thereafter despoiled them of their armour;

§ 5.165  and thehorses he gave to his comrades to drive to the ships. ButAeneas was ware of him as he made havoc of the ranks of warriors, and went his way along the battle amid the hurtling of the spears in quest of godlikePandarus, if so be he might anywhere find him. He found the son ofLycaon, goodly and valiant,

§ 5.170  and took his stand before his face, and spake to him, saying: “Pandarus, where now are thy bow and thy winged arrows, and thy fame? Therein may no man of this land vie with thee, nor any inLycia declare himself to be better than thou. Come now, lift up thy hands in prayer toZeus, and let fly a shaft at this man,

§ 5.175  whoe'er he be that prevaileth thus, and hath verily wrought theTrojans much mischief, seeing he hath loosed the knees of many men and goodly; if indeed he be not some god that is wroth with theTrojans, angered by reason of sacrifices; with grievous weight doth the wrath of god rest upon men.”4 To him then spake the glorious son ofLycaon:

§ 5.180   “Aeneas, counsellor of the brazen-coatedTrojans, to the wise-hearted son ofTydeus do I liken him in all things, knowing him by his shield and his crested helm, and when I look on hishorses; yet I know not surely if he be not a god. But if he be the man I deem him, even the wise-hearted son ofTydeus,

§ 5.185  not without the aid of some god doth he thus rage, but one of the immortals standeth hard by him, his shoulders wrapped in cloud, and turned aside from him my swift shaft even as it lighted. For already have I let fly a shaft at him, and I smote him upon the right shoulder clean through the plate of his corselet;

§ 5.190  and I deemed that I should send him forth toAidoneus, yet I subdued him not; verily he is some wrathful god. Andhorses have I not at hand, neither car whereon I might mount—yet inLycaon's halls, I ween, there be eleven fair chariots, new-wrought, new-furnished, with cloths spread over them;

§ 5.195  and by each standeth its yoke ofhorses feeding on white barley and spelt. Aye, and as I set out hither the old spearmanLycaon straitly charged me in our well-built house: he bade me be mounted onhorse and car,

§ 5.200  and so lead theTrojans in mighty conflicts. Howbeit I hearkened not— verily it had been better far!—but spared thehorses lest in the multitude of men they should lack fodder, they that were wont to eat their fill. So I left them, and am come on foot toIlios, trusting in my bow;

§ 5.205  but this, meseems, was to avail me not. Already have I let fly a shaft at two chieftains, the son ofTydeus andAtreus' son, and smitten them fairly, and from them both of a surety I drew forth blood, yet did I but arouse them the more. Wherefore with ill hap was it that I took from the peg my curved bow

§ 5.210  on that day when I led myTrojans to lovelyIlios to do pleasure toHector. But if so be I shall return and behold with mine eyes my native land and my wife and great, high-roofed palace, then may some alien forthwith cut my head from me,

§ 5.215  if I break not this bow with my hands and cast it into the blazing fire; for worthless as wind doth it attend me.” To him then spake in answerAeneas, leader of theTrojans: “Nay, speak not thus; things shall in no wise be any better before that we twain withhorses and chariot

§ 5.220  go to face this man and make trial of him in arms. Nay, come, mount upon my car, that thou mayest see of what sort are thehorses ofTros, well skilled to course fleetly hither and thither over the plain whether in pursuit or in flight. They twain will bring the two of us safely to the city,

§ 5.225  if againZeus shall vouchsafe glory toTydeus' sonDiomedes. Come, therefore, take thou now the lash and the shining reins, and I will dismount to fight; or else do thou await his onset, and I will look to thehorses.” Then made answer to him the glorious son ofLycaon:

§ 5.230   “Aeneas, keep thou the reins thyself, and drive thine ownhorses; better will they draw the curved car under their wonted charioteer, if so be we must flee from the son ofTydeus. I would not that they take fright and run wild, and for want of thy voice be not minded to bear us forth from the battle,

§ 5.235  and so the son of great-souledTydeus leap upon us and slay the two of us, and drive off the single-hoovedhorses. Nay, drive thou thyself thine own car and thine ownhorses, and I will abide this man's onset with my sharp spear.” So saying they mounted upon the inlaid car and

§ 5.240  eagerly drave the swifthorses against the son ofTydeus. AndSthenelus, the glorious son ofCapaneus, saw them and straightway spake toTydeus' son winged words: “Diomedes, son ofTydeus, dear to my heart, I behold two valiant warriors eager to fight against thee,

§ 5.245  endued with measureless strength. The one is well skilled with the bow, evenPandarus, and moreover avoweth him to be the son ofLycaon; whileAeneas avoweth himself to be born of peerlessAnchises, and his mother isAphrodite. Nay, come, let us give ground on the car, neither rage thou thus,

§ 5.250  I pray thee, amid the foremost fighters, lest thou haply lose thy life.” Then with an angry glance from beneath his brows mightyDiomedes spake to him: “Talk not thou to me of flight, for I deem thou wilt not persuade me. Not in my blood is it to fight a skulking fight or to cower down; still is my strength steadfast.

§ 5.255  And I have no mind to mount upon a car, but even as I am will I go to face them; that I should quailPallas Athene suffereth not. As for these twain, their swifthorses shall not bear both back from us again, even if one or the other escape. And another thing will I tell thee, and do thou lay it to heart.

§ 5.260  If so beAthene, rich in counsel, shall vouchsafe me this glory, to slay them both, then do thou hold here these swifthorses, binding the reins taut to the chariot rim; but be mindful to rush upon thehorses ofAeneas and drive them forth from theTrojans to the host of the well-greaved Achaeans.

§ 5.265  For they are of that stock wherefromZeus, whose voice is borne afar, gave toTros recompense for his sonGanymedes, for that they were the best of allhorses that are beneath the dawn and the sun. Of this stock the king of menAnchises stole a breed, putting his mares to them whileLaomedon knew naught thereof.

§ 5.270  And from these a stock of six was born him in his palace; four he kept himself and reared at the stall, and the other two he gave toAeneas, devisers of rout. Could we but take these twain, we should win us goodly renown.” Thus they spake on this wise one to the other,

§ 5.275  and forthwith drew near those other twain, driving the swifthorses. AndLycaon's glorious son spake first to him, saying: “Thou son of lordlyTydeus, stalwart and wise of heart, verily my swift shaft subdued thee not, the bitter arrow; now will I again make trial of thee with my spear, if so be I may hit thee.”

§ 5.280  So saying, he poised and hurled his far-shadowing spear, and smote upon the shield ofTydeus' son; and straight therethrough sped the point of bronze and reached the corselet. Then over him shouted aloud the glorious son ofLycaon: “Thou art smitten clean through the belly, and not for long, methinks,

§ 5.285  shalt thou endure; but to me hast thou granted great glory.” Then with no touch of fear spake to him mightyDiomedes: “Thou hast missed and not hit; but ye twain, I deem, shall not cease till one or the other of you shall have fallen and glutted with his bloodAres, the warrior with tough shield of hide.”

§ 5.290  So spake he and hurled; andAthene guided the spear upon his nose beside the eye, and it pierced through his white teeth. So the stubborn bronze shore off his tongue at its root, and the spear-point came out by the base of the chin. Then he fell from out the car,

§ 5.295  and his armour all bright and flashing clanged upon him, and the swift-footedhorses swerved aside; and there his spirit and his strength were undone. ButAeneas leapt down with shield and long spear, seized with fear lest perchance the Achaeans might drag from him the dead man. Over him he strode like alion confident in his strength, and before him he held his spear and his shield that was well balanced on every side,

§ 5.300  eager to slay the man whosoever should come to seize the corpse, and crying a terrible cry. But the son ofTydeus grasped in his hand a stone—a mighty deed—one that not two men could bear, such as mortals now are; yet lightly did he wield it even alone.

§ 5.305  Therewith he smoteAeneas on the hip, where the thigh turns in the hip joint,—the cup, men call it—and crushed the cup-bone, and broke furthermore both sinews, and the jagged stone tore the skin away. Then the warrior fell upon his knees, and thus abode, and with his stout hand leaned he

§ 5.310  upon the earth; and dark night enfolded his eyes. And now would the king of men,Aeneas, have perished, had not the daughter ofZeus,Aphrodite, been quick to mark, even his mother, that conceived him toAnchises as he tended hiskine. About her dear son she flung her white arms,

§ 5.315  and before him she spread a fold of her bright garment to be a shelter against missiles, lest any of theDanaans with swifthorses might hurl a spear of bronze into his breast and take away his life. She then was bearing her dear son forth from out the battle; but the son ofCapaneus forgat not

§ 5.320  the commands thatDiomedes good at the war-cry laid upon him. He held his own single-hoovedhorses away from the turmoil, binding the reins taut to the chariot rim, but rushed upon the fair-manedhorses ofAeneas, and drave them forth from theTrojans into the host of the well-greaved Achaeans,

§ 5.325  and gave them toDeipylus his dear comrade, whom he honoured above all the companions of his youth, because he was like-minded with himself; him he bade drive them to the hollow ships. Then did the warrior mount his own car and take the bright reins, and straightway drive his stout-hoovedhorses in eager quest ofTydeus' son.

§ 5.330  He the while had gone in pursuit ofCypris with his pitiless bronze, discerning that she was a weakling goddess, and not one of those that lord it in the battle of warriors,—noAthene she, norEnyo, sacker of cities. But when he had come upon her as he pursued her through the great throng,

§ 5.335  then the son of great-souledTydeus thrust with his sharp spear and leapt upon her, and wounded the surface of her delicate hand, and forthwith through the ambrosial raiment that theGraces themselves had wrought for her the spear pierced the flesh upon the wrist above the palm and forth flowed the immortal blood of the goddess,

§ 5.340  the ichor, such as floweth in the blessed gods; for they eat not bread neither drink flaming wine, wherefore they are bloodless, and are called immortals. She then with a loud cry let fall her son, andPhoebusApollo took him in his arms

§ 5.345  and saved him in a dark cloud, lest any of theDanaans with swifthorses might hurl a spear of bronze into his breast and take away his life. But over her shouted aloudDiomedes good at the war-cry: “Keep thee away, daughter ofZeus, from war and fighting. Sufficeth it not that thou beguilest weakling women?

§ 5.350  But if into battle thou wilt enter, verily methinks thou shalt shudder at the name thereof, if thou hearest it even from afar.” So spake he, and she departed frantic, and was sore distressed; and wind-footedIris took her and led her forth from out the throng, racked with pain, and her fair flesh was darkened.

§ 5.355  Anon she found furiousAres abiding on the left of the battle, and upon a cloud was his spear leaning, and at hand were his swifthorses twain. Then she fell upon her knees and with instant prayer begged for her dear brother'shorses with frontlets of gold: “Dear brother, save me, and give me thyhorses,

§ 5.360  that I may get me toOlympus, where is the abode of the immortals. For sorely am I pained with a wound which a mortal man dealt me,Tydeus' son, that would now fight even with fatherZeus.” So spake she, andAres gave her hishorses with frontlets of gold; and she mounted upon the car, her heart distraught,

§ 5.365  and beside her mountedIris and took the reins in her hand. She touched thehorses with the lash to start them, and nothing loath the pair sped onward. Straightway then they came to the abode of the gods, to steepOlympus and there wind-footed, swiftIris stayed thehorses and loosed them from the car, and cast before them food ambrosial;

§ 5.370  but fairAphrodite flung herself upon the knees of her motherDione. She clasped her daughter in her arms, and stroked her with her hand and spake to her, saying: “Who now of the sons of heaven, dear child, hath entreated thee thus wantonly, as though thou wert working some evil before the face of all?”

§ 5.375  To her then made answer laughter-lovingAphrodite: “Tydeus' son,Diomedes high of heart, wounded me, for that I was bearing forth from out the war my dear sonAeneas, who is in my eyes far the dearest of all men. For no longer is the dread battle one betweenTrojans and Achaeans;

§ 5.380  nay, theDanaans now fight even with the immortals.” To her then made answerDione, the fair goddess: “Be of good heart, my child, and endure for all thy suffering; for full many of us that have dwellings onOlympus have suffered at the hands of men, in bringing grievous woes one upon the other.

§ 5.385  So sufferedAres, whenOtus and mightyEphialtes, the sons ofAloeus, bound him in cruel bonds, and in a brazen jar he lay bound for thirteen months; and then wouldAres, insatiate of war, have perished, had not the stepmother of the sons ofAloeus, the beauteousEeriboea,

§ 5.390  brought tidings untoHermes; and he stole forthAres, that was now sore distressed, for his grievous bonds were overpowering him. So sufferedHera, when the mighty son ofAmphitryon smote her on the right breast with a three-barbed arrow; then upon her too came pain that might in no wise be assuaged.

§ 5.395  And so suffered monstrousHades even as the rest a bitter arrow, when this same man, the son ofZeus that beareth the aegis, smote him inPylos amid the dead, and gave him over to pains. But he went to the house ofZeus and to highOlympus with grief at heart, pierced through with pains;

§ 5.400  for into his mighty shoulder had the shaft been driven, and distressed his soul. ButPaeeon spread thereon simples that slay pain, and healed him; for verily he was in no wise of mortal mould. Rash man, worker of violence, that recked not of his evil deeds, seeing that with his arrows he vexed the gods that holdOlympus.

§ 5.405  And upon thee has the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene, set this man—fool that he is; for the heart ofTydeus' son knoweth not this, that verily he endureth not for long who fighteth with the immortals, nor do his children prattle about his knees when he is come back from war and the dread conflict.

§ 5.410  Wherefore now letTydeus' son, for all he is so mighty, beware lest one better than thou fight against him, lest in soothAegialeia, the daughter ofAdrastus, passing wise, wake from sleep with her long lamentings all her household, as she wails for her wedded husband, the best man of the Achaeans, even she,

§ 5.415  the stately wife ofhorse-tamingDiomedes.” She spake, and with both her hands wiped the ichor from the arm; the arm was restored, and the grievous pains assuaged. ButAthene andHera, as they looked upon her, sought to angerZeus, son ofCronos, with mocking words.

§ 5.420  And among them the goddess flashing-eyedAthene was first to speak: “FatherZeus, wilt thou anywise be wroth with me for the word that I shall say? Of a surety nowCypris has been urging some one of the women ofAchaea to follow after theTrojans, whom now she so wondrously loveth; and while stroking such a one of the fair-robed women ofAchaea,

§ 5.425  she hath scratched upon her golden brooch her delicate hand.” So spake she, but the father of men and gods smiled, and calling to him goldenAphrodite, said: “Not unto thee, my child, are given works of war; nay, follow thou after the lovely works of marriage,

§ 5.430  and all these things shall be the business of swiftAres andAthene.” On this wise spake they one to the other; butDiomedes, good at the war-cry, leapt uponAeneas, though well he knew thatApollo himself held forth his arms above him; yet had he no awe even of the great god, but was still eager

§ 5.435  to slayAeneas and strip from him his glorious armour. Thrice then he leapt upon him, furiously fain to slay him, and thrice didApollo beat back his shining shield. But when for the fourth time he rushed upon him like a god, then with a terrible cry spake to himApollo that worketh afar:

§ 5.440   “Bethink thee, son ofTydeus, and give place, neither be thou minded to be like of spirit with the gods; seeing in no wise of like sort is the race of immortal gods and that of men who walk upon the earth.” So spake he, and the son ofTydeus gave ground a scant space backward, avoiding the wrath ofApollo that smiteth afar.

§ 5.445  Aeneas then didApollo set apart from the throng in sacredPergamus where was his temple builded. ThereLeto and the archerArtemis healed him in the great sanctuary, and glorified him; butApollo of the silver bow fashioned a wraith

§ 5.450  in the likeness ofAeneas' self and in armour like to his; and over the wraith theTrojans and goodly Achaeans smote thebull's-hide bucklers about one another's breasts, the round shields and fluttering targets. Then unto furiousAres spakePhoebusApollo:

§ 5.455   “Ares,Ares, thou bane of mortals, thou blood-stained stormer of walls, wilt thou not now enter into the battle and withdraw this man therefrom, this son ofTydeus, who now would fight even against fatherZeus?Cypris first hath he wounded in close fight on the hand at the wrist, and thereafter rushed he upon mine own self like unto a god.”

§ 5.460  So spake he, and himself sate him down upon the height ofPergamus, and banefulAres entered amid theTrojans' ranks and urged them on, in the likeness of swiftAcamas, leader of theThracians. ToPriam's sons, nurtured ofZeus, he called, saying: “Ye sons ofPriam, the king nurtured ofZeus,

§ 5.465  how long will ye still suffer your host to be slain by the Achaeans? Shall it be until such time as they fight about our well-built gates? Low lieth a man whom we honoured even as goodlyHector,Aeneas, son of great-heartedAnchises. Nay, come, let us save from out the din of conflict our noble comrade.”

§ 5.470  So saying he aroused the strength and spirit of every man. AndSarpedon moreover sternly chid goodlyHector, saying: “Hector, where now is the strength gone that aforetime thou hadst? Thou saidst forsooth that without hosts and allies thou wouldst hold the city alone with the aid of thy sisters' husbands and thy brothers;

§ 5.475  howbeit of these can I now neither behold nor mark anyone, but they cower asdogs about alion; and it is we that fight, we that are but allies among you. For I that am but an ally am come from very far; afar isLycia by eddyingXanthus,

§ 5.480  where I left my dear wife and infant son, and my great wealth the which every man that is in lack coveteth. Yet even so urge I on theLycians, and am fain myself to fight my man, though here is naught of mine such as the Achaeans might bear away or drive;

§ 5.485  whereas thou standest and dost not even urge thy hosts to abide and defend their wives. Beware lest thou and they, as if caught in the meshes of all-ensnaring flax, become a prey and spoil unto your foemen; and they shall anon lay waste your well-peopled city. On thee should all these cares rest by night and day,

§ 5.490  and thou shouldest beseech the captains of thy far-famed allies to hold their ground unflinchingly, and so put away from thee strong rebukings.” So spakeSarpedon, and his word stungHector to the heart. Forthwith he leapt in his armour from his chariot to the ground,

§ 5.495  and brandishing his two sharp spears went everywhere throughout the host, urging men to fight, and roused the dread din of battle. So they rallied and took their stand with their faces towards the Achaeans; and theArgives in close throng abode their coming and fled not. And even as the wind carrieth chaff about the sacred threshing-floors

§ 5.500  of men that are winnowing, when fair-hairedDemeter amid the driving blasts of wind separates the grain from the chaff, and the heaps of chaff grow white; even so now did the Achaeans grow white over head and shoulders beneath the cloud of dust that through the midst of the warriors the hooves of theirhorses beat up to the brazen heaven,

§ 5.505  as the fight was joined again; and the charioteers wheeled round. The might of their hands they bare straight forward, and about the battle furiousAres drew a veil of night to aid theTrojans, ranging everywhere; so fulfilled he the behest ofPhoebusApollo of the golden sword, who bade him

§ 5.510  rouse the spirit of theTrojans, whenso he saw thatPallas Athene was departed; for she it was that bare aid to theDanaans. AndApollo himself sentAeneas forth from out the rich sanctuary, and put courage in the breast of the shepherd of the host. AndAeneas took his place in the midst of his comrades, and these waxed glad

§ 5.515  as they saw him come to join them alive and whole and possessed of valiant courage. Howbeit they questioned him not at all, for toil of other sort forbade them, even that which he of the silver bow was stirring, andAres the bane of mortals, and Discord that rageth without ceasing. On the other side theAiantes twain andOdysseus andDiomedes

§ 5.520  roused theDanaans to fight; yet these even of themselves quailed not before theTrojans' violence and their onsets, but stood their ground like mists that in still weather the son ofCronos setteth on the mountain-tops moveless, what time the might of theNorth Wind sleepeth and of the other furious winds

§ 5.525  that blow with shrill blasts and scatter this way and that the shadowy clouds; even so theDanaans withstood theTrojans steadfastly, and fled not. And the son ofAtreus ranged throughout the throng with many a word of command: “My friends, be men, and take to you hearts of valour, and have shame each of the other in the fierce conflict. Of men that have shame more are saved than are slain, but from them that flee cometh neither glory nor any avail.” He spake, and hurled his spear swiftly and smote a foremost warrior, a comrade of great-souledAeneas,Deicoon,

§ 5.535  son of Pergasus, whom theTrojans honoured even as the sons ofPriam, for that he was swift to fight amid the foremost. Him did lordAgamemnon smite with his spear upon the shield, and this stayed not the spear, but clean through it passed the bronze, and into the lower belly he drave it through the belt;

§ 5.540  and he fell with a thud, and upon him his armour clanged. ThenAeneas slew two champions of theDanaans, the sons ofDiocles,Crethon andOrsilochus, whose father dwelt in well-builtPhere, a man rich in substance, and in lineage was he sprung from the river

§ 5.545  Alpheius that flows in broad stream through the land of thePylians, and that begatOrsilochus to be king over many men. AndOrsilochus begat greatsouledDiocles, and ofDiocles were born twin sons,Crethon andOrsilochus, well skilled in all manner of fighting.

§ 5.550  Now when the twain had reached manhood, they followed with theArgives on the black ships toIlios famed for itshorses, seeking to win recompense for the sons ofAtreus,Agamemnon andMenelaus; but their own selves in that land did the doom of death enfold. Like them twolions upon the mountain tops

§ 5.555  are reared by their dam in the thickets of a deep wood; and the twain snatchcattle and goodlysheep and make havoc of the farmsteads of men, until themselves are slain by the hands of men with the sharp bronze; even in such wise were these twain vanquished beneath the hands ofAeneas, and fell like tall fir-trees.

§ 5.560  But as they fellMenelaus dear toAres had pity for them, and strode through the foremost fighters, harnessed in flaming bronze and brandishing his spear; andAres roused his might with intent that he might be vanquished beneath the hands ofAeneas.

§ 5.565  ButAntilochus, son of great-souledNestor, beheld him, and strode through the foremost fighters; for greatly did he fear for the shepherd of the host, lest aught befall him, and he utterly thwart them of their toil. Now the twain were holding forth their hands and their sharp spears each against the other, fain to do battle,

§ 5.570  whenAntilochus came close beside the shepherd of the host. ThenAeneas abode not, swift warrior though he was, when he beheld the two holding their ground side by side; and they, when they had dragged the dead to the host of the Achaeans, laid the hapless pair in the arms of their comrades,

§ 5.575  and themselves turned back and fought amid the foremost. Then the twain slewPylaemenes, peer ofAres, the leader of the great-souledPaphlagonian shieldmen. Him as he stood still, the son ofAtreus, spear-famedMenelaus, pierced with his spear, smiting him upon the collar-bone;

§ 5.580  andAntilochus made a cast atMydon, his squire and charioteer, the goodly son ofAtymnius, even as he was turning the single-hoovedhorses, and smote him with a stone full upon the elbow; and the reins, white with ivory, fell from his hands to the ground in the dust. ThenAntilochus leapt upon him and drave his sword into his temple,

§ 5.585  and gasping he fell forth from out the well-built car headlong in the dust on his head and shoulders. Long time he stood there—for he lighted on deep sand—until hishorses kicked him and cast him to the ground in the dust; and themAntilochus lashed, and drave into the host of the Achaeans.

§ 5.590  ButHector marked them across the ranks, and rushed upon them shouting aloud, and with him followed the strong battalions of theTrojans; andAres led them and the queenEnyo, she bringing ruthlessKydoimos (Din of War), whileAres wielded in his hands a monstrous spear,

§ 5.595  and ranged now in front ofHector and now behind him. At sight of himDiomedes, good at the war-cry shuddered; and even as a man in passing over a great plain halteth in dismay at a swift-streaming river that floweth on to the sea, and seeing it seething with foam starteth backward,

§ 5.600  even so now did the son ofTydeus give ground, and he spake to the host: “Friends, look you how we were ever wont to marvel at goodlyHector, deeming him a spearman and a dauntless warrior; whereas ever by his side is some god that wardeth from him ruin, even as nowAres is by his side in the likeness of a mortal man.

§ 5.605  But with faces turned toward theTrojans give ye ground ever backwards, neither rage ye to fight amain with gods.” So spake he, and theTrojans came very close to them. ThenHector slew two warriors well skilled in fight,Menesthes andAnchialus, the twain being in one car.

§ 5.610  And as they fell greatTelamonianAias had pity of them, and came and stood close at hand, and with a cast of his shining spear smoteAmphius, son of Selagus, that dwelt inPaesus, a man rich in substance, rich in corn-land; but fate led him to bear aid toPriam and his sons.

§ 5.615  HimTelamonianAias smote upon the belt, and in the lower belly was the far-shadowing spear fixed, and he fell with a thud. Then gloriousAias rushed upon him to strip him of his armour, and theTrojans rained upon him their spears, all sharp and gleaming, and his shield caught many thereof.

§ 5.620  But he planted his heel upon the corpse and drew forth the spear of bronze, yet could he not prevail likewise to strip the rest of the fair armour from his shoulders, for he was sore pressed with missiles. Furthermore, he feared the strong defence of the lordlyTrojans, that beset him both many and valiant with spears in their hands and,

§ 5.625  for all he was so tall and mighty and lordly, thrust him from them; and he gave ground and was made to reel. So these toiled in the mighty conflict, butTlepolemus, son ofHeracles, a valiant man and tall, was roused by resistless fate against godlikeSarpedon.

§ 5.630  And when they were come near as they advanced one against the other, the son and grandson ofZeus the cloud-gatherer, thenTlepolemus was first to speak, saying: “Sarpedon, counsellor of theLycians, why must thou be skulking here, that art a man unskilled in battle?

§ 5.635  They speak but a lie that say thou art sprung fromZeus that beareth the aegis, seeing thou art inferior far to those warriors that were sprung fromZeus in the days of men of old. Of other sort, men say, was mightyHeracles, my father, staunch in fight, the lionhearted,

§ 5.640  who on a time came hither by reason of the mares ofLaomedon with but six ships and a scantier host, yet sacked the city ofIlios and made waste her streets. But thine is a coward's heart, and thy people are minishing. In no wise methinks shall thy coming fromLycia prove a defence to the men ofTroy,

§ 5.645  though thou be never so strong, but thou shalt be vanquished by my hand and pass the gates ofHades.” And to himSarpedon, captain of theLycians, made answer: “Tlepolemus, thy sire verily destroyed sacredIlios through the folly of the lordly man,Laomedon,

§ 5.650  who chid with harsh words him that had done him good service, and rendered him not the mares for the sake of which he had come from afar. But for thee, I deem that death and black fate shall here be wrought by my hands, and that vanquished beneath my spear thou shalt yield glory to me, and thy soul toHades of the goodly steeds.”

§ 5.655  So spakeSarpedon, andTlepolemus lifted on high his ashen spear, and the long spears sped from the hands of both at one moment.Sarpedon smote him full upon the neck, and the grievous point passed clean through, and down upon his eyes came the darkness of night and enfolded him.

§ 5.660  AndTlepolemus smoteSarpedon upon the left thigh with his long spear, and the point sped through furiously and grazed the bone; howbeit his father as yet warded from him destruction. Then his goodly companions bare godlikeSarpedon forth from out the fight, and the long spear burdened him sore,

§ 5.665  as it trailed, but no man marked it or thought in their haste to draw forth from his thigh the spear of ash, that he might stand upon his feet; such toil had they in tending him. And on the other side the well-greaved Achaeans bareTlepolemus from out the fight, and goodlyOdysseus

§ 5.670  of the enduring soul was ware of it, and his spirit waxed furious within him; and he pondered then in heart and soul whether he should pursue further after the son ofZeus that thundereth aloud, or should rather take the lives of moreLycians. But not for great-heartedOdysseus was it ordained

§ 5.675  to slay with the sharp bronze the valiant son ofZeus; whereforeAthene turned his mind toward the host of theLycians. Then slew heCoeranus andAlastor andChromius and Alcandrus and Halius andNoemon andPrytanis; and yet more of theLycians would goodlyOdysseus have slain,

§ 5.680  but that greatHector of the flashing helm was quick to see, and strode through the foremost fighters harnessed in flaming bronze, bringing terror to theDanaans.

§ 5.685  Then glad at his coming wasSarpedon, son ofZeus, and spake to him a piteous word: “Son ofPriam, suffer me not to lie here a prey to theDanaans, but bear me aid; thereafter, if need be, let life depart from me in your city, seeing it might not be that I should return home to mine own native land to make glad my dear wife and infant son.” So spake he, yetHector of the flashing helm spake no word in answer,

§ 5.690  but hastened by, eager with all speed to thrust back theArgives and take the lives of many. Then his goodly comrades made godlikeSarpedon to sit beneath a beauteous oak ofZeus that beareth the aegis,

§ 5.695  and forth from his thigh valiantPelagon, that was his dear comrade, thrust the spear of ash; and his spirit failed him, and down over his eyes a mist was shed. Howbeit he revived, and the breath of theNorth Wind as it blew upon him made him to live again after in grievous wise he had breathed forth his spirit. But theArgives before the onset ofAres andHector harnessed in bronze

§ 5.700  neither turned them to make for the black ships, nor yet could they hold out in fight, but they ever gave ground backward, when they heard thatAres was amid theTrojans. Who then was first to be slain and who last byHector,Priam's son, and brazenAres?

§ 5.705  GodlikeTeuthras, and thereafterOrestes, driver ofhorses, Trechus, spearman ofAetolia, andOenomaus, andHelenus, son of Oenops, andOresbius with flashing taslet, he that dwelt inHyle on the border of theCephisian mere, having great care of his wealth;

§ 5.710  and hard by him dwelt otherBoeotians having a land exceeding rich. But when the goddess, white-armedHera, was ware of them as they made havoc of theArgives in the fierce conflict, forthwith she spake winged words toAthene: “Out upon it, thou child ofZeus that beareth the aegis, unwearied one,

§ 5.715  verily it was for naught that we pledged our word toMenelaus, that not until he had sacked well-walledIlios should he get him home, if we are to suffer banefulAres thus to rage. Nay, come, let us twain likewise bethink us of furious valour.” So spake she, and the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene, failed not to hearken.

§ 5.720  ThenHera, the queenly goddess, daughter of greatCronos, went to and fro harnessing thehorses of golden frontlets. andHebe quickly put to the car on either side the curved wheels of bronze, eight-spoked, about the iron axle-tree. Of these the felloe verily is of gold imperishable,

§ 5.725  and thereover are tires of bronze fitted, a marvel to behold; and the naves are of silver, revolving on this side and on that; and the body is plaited tight with gold and silver thongs, and two rims there are that run about it. From the body stood forth the pole of silver, and on the end

§ 5.730  thereof she bound the fair golden yoke, and cast thereon the fair golden breast-straps; andHera led beneath the yoke the swift-footedhorses, and was eager for strife and the war-cry. ButAthene, daughter ofZeus that beareth the aegis, let fall upon her father's floor her soft robe,

§ 5.735  richly broidered, that herself had wrought and her hands had fashioned, and put on her the tunic ofZeus, the cloud-gatherer, and arrayed her in armour for tearful war. About her shoulders she flung the tasselled aegis, fraught with terror, all about which Rout is set as a crown,

§ 5.740  and therein isStrife, therein Valour, and therein Onset, that maketh the blood run cold, and therein is the head of the dread monster, theGorgon, dread and awful, a portent ofZeus that beareth the aegis. And upon her head she set the helmet with two horns and with bosses four, wrought of gold, and fitted with the men-at-arms of an hundred cities.

§ 5.745  Then she stepped upon the flaming car and grasped her spear, heavy and huge and strong, wherewith she vanquisheth the ranks of men—of warriors with whom she is wroth, she, the daughter of the mighty sire. AndHera swiftly touched thehorses with the lash, and self-bidden groaned upon their hinges the gates of heaven which theHorae had in their keeping,

§ 5.750  to whom are entrusted great heaven andOlympus, whether to throw open the thick cloud or shut it to. There through the gate they drave theirhorses patient of the goad; and they found the son ofCronos as he sat apart from the other gods on the topmost peak of many-ridgedOlympus.

§ 5.755  Then the goddess, white-armedHera, stayed thehorses, and made question ofZeus most high, the son ofCronos, and spake to him: “FatherZeus, hast thou no indignation withAres for these violent deeds, that he hath destroyed so great and so goodly a host of the Achaeans recklessly and in no seemly wise to my sorrow;

§ 5.760  while at their easeCypris andApollo of the silver bow take their joy, having set on this madman that regardeth not any law? FatherZeus, wilt thou in any wise be wroth with me if I smiteAres in sorry fashion and drive him out of the battle?” Then in answer spake to herZeus, the cloud-gatherer:

§ 5.765   “Nay, come now, rouse against himAthene, driver of the spoil, who has ever been wont above others to bring sore pain upon him.” So spake he, and the goddess, white-armedHera, failed not to hearken, but touched herhorses with the the lash; and nothing loath the pair flew on between earth and starry heaven.

§ 5.770  As far as a man seeth with his eyes into the haze of distance as he sitteth on a place of outlook and gazeth over the wine-dark deep, even so far do the loud-neighinghorses of the gods spring at a bound. But when they were come to the land ofTroy and the two flowing rivers, where theSimois andScamander join their streams,

§ 5.775  there the goddess, white-armedHera, stayed herhorses, and loosed them from the car, and shed thick mist about them; andSimois made ambrosia to spring up for them to graze upon. Then the goddesses twain went their way with steps like those of timorous doves, eager to bring aid to theArgive warriors.

§ 5.780  And when they were come where the most and the bravest stood close thronging about mightyDiomedes, tamer ofhorses, in semblance like raveninglions or wildboars, whose is no weakling strength, there the goddess, white-armedHera,

§ 5.785  stood and shouted in the likeness of great-hearted Stentor of the brazen voice, whose voice is as the voice of fifty other men: “Fie, yeArgives, base things of shame fair in semblance only! So long as goodlyAchilles was wont to fare into battle, never would theTrojans come forth even before the Dardanian gate;

§ 5.790  for of his mighty spear had they dread; but now far from the city they are fighting at the hollow ships.” So saying she roused the strength and spirit of every man. And to the side ofTydeus' son sprang the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene. She found that prince beside hishorses and car,

§ 5.795  cooling the wound thatPandarus had dealt him with his arrow. For the sweat vexed him beneath the broad baldric of his round shield; therewith was he vexed and his arm grew weary, so he was lifting up the baldric and wiping away the dark blood. Then the goddess laid hold of the yoke of hishorses, and said:

§ 5.800   “Verily little like himself was the son thatTydeus begat.Tydeus was small in stature, but a warrior. Even when I would not suffer him to fight or make a show of prowess, what time he came, and noAchaean with him, on an embassage toThebes into the midst of the manyCadmeians—

§ 5.805  I bade him feast in their halls in peace—yet he having his valiant soul as of old challenged the youths of theCadmeians and vanquished them in everything full easily; so present a helper was I to him. But as for thee, I verily stand by thy side and guard thee,

§ 5.810  and of a ready heart I bid thee fight with theTrojans, yet either hath weariness born of thy many onsets entered into thy limbs, or haply spiritless terror possesseth thee. Then art thou no offspring ofTydeus, the wise-hearted son ofOeneus.” Then in answer to her spake mightyDiomedes:

§ 5.815   “I know thee, daughter ofZeus that beareth the aegis; therefore with a ready heart will I tell thee my thought and hide it not. In no wise doth spiritless terror possess me nor any slackness, but I am still mindful of thy behest which thou didst lay upon me. Thou wouldest not suffer me to fight face to face with the other blessed gods,

§ 5.820  but ifAphrodite the daughter ofZeus should enter the battle, her thou badest me smite with the sharp bronze. Therefore it is that I now give ground myself and have given command to all the rest of theArgives to be gathered here likewise; for I discernAres lording it over the battle-field.”

§ 5.825  And the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene, answered him, saying: “Son ofTydeus,Diomedes, dear to my heart, fear thou notAres for that, neither any other of the immortals; so present a helper am I to thee. Nay, come, atAres first drive thou thy single-hoovedhorses,

§ 5.830  and smite him in close fight, neither have thou awe of furiousAres that raveth here a full-wrought bane, a renegade, that but now spake with me andHera, and made as though he would fight against theTrojans but give aid to theArgives; yet now he consorteth with theTrojans and hath forgotten these.”

§ 5.835  So saying, with her hand she drew backSthenelus, and thrust him from the car to earth, and he speedily leapt down; and she stepped upon the car beside goodlyDiomedes, a goddess eager for battle. Loudly did the oaken axle creak beneath its burden, for it bare a dread goddess and a peerless warrior.

§ 5.840  ThenPallas Athene grasped the lash and the reins, and againstAres first she speedily drave the single-hoovedhorses. He was stripping of his armour hugePeriphas that was far the best of theAetolians, the glorious son of Ochesius. Him was blood-stainedAres stripping; butAthene

§ 5.845  put on the cap ofHades, to the end that mightyAres should not see her. Now whenAres, the bane of mortals, was ware of goodlyDiomedes, he let be hugePeriphas to lie where he was, even where at the first he had slain him and taken away his life but made straight forDiomedes, tamer ofhorses.

§ 5.850  And when they were now come near as they advanced one against the other,Ares first let drive over the yoke and the reins of thehorses with his spear of bronze, eager to take away the other's life; but the spear the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene, caught in her hand and thrust above the car to fly its way in vain.

§ 5.855  NextDiomedes, good at the war-cry, drave atAres with his spear of bronze, andPallas Athene sped it mightily against his nethermost belly, where he was girded with his taslets. There did he thrust and smite him, rending the fair flesh, and forth he drew the spear again. Then brazenAres bellowed

§ 5.860  loud as nine thousand warriors or ten thousand cry in battle, when they join in the strife of the War-god; and thereat trembling came upon Achaeans alike andTrojans, and fear gat hold of them; so mightily bellowedAres insatiate of war. Even as a black darkness appeareth from the clouds

§ 5.865  when after heat a blustering wind ariseth, even in such wise untoDiomedes, son ofTydeus, did brazenAres appear, as he fared amid the clouds unto broad heaven. Speedily he came to the abode of the gods, to steepOlympus, and sate him down by the side ofZeus, son ofCronos, grieved at heart, and shewed the immortal blood flowing from the wound,

§ 5.870  and with wailing spake to him winged words: “FatherZeus, hast thou no indignation to behold these violent deeds? Ever do we gods continually suffer most cruelly by one another's devices, whenas we show favour to men.

§ 5.875  With thee are we all at strife, for thou art father to that mad and baneful maid, whose mind is ever set on deeds of lawlessness. For all the other gods that are inOlympus are obedient unto thee, and subject to thee, each one of us; but to her thou payest no heed whether in word or in deed,

§ 5.880  but rather settest her on, for that this pestilent maiden is thine own child. Now hath she set on the son ofTydeus,Diomedes high of heart, to vent his rage upon immortal gods.Cypris first he wounded with a thrust in close fight upon the hand at the wrist, and thereafter rushed upon mine own self as he had been a god.

§ 5.885  Howbeit my swift feet bare me away; otherwise had I long suffered woes there amid the gruesome heaps of the dead, or else had lived strengthless by reason of the smitings of the spear.” Then with an angry glance from beneath his brows spake to himZeus, the cloud-gatherer: “Sit thou not in any wise by me and whine, thou renegade.

§ 5.890  Most hateful to me art thou of all gods that holdOlympus, for ever is strife dear to thee and wars and fightings. Thou hast the unbearable, unyielding spirit of thy mother, even ofHera; her can I scarce control by my words. Wherefore it is by her promptings, meseems, that thou sufferest thus.

§ 5.895  Howbeit I will no longer endure that thou shouldest be in pain, for thou art mine offspring, and it was to me that thy mother bare thee; but wert thou born of any other god, thus pestilent as thou art, then long ere this hadst thou been lower than the sons of heaven.”9 He spake, and badePaeeon heal his hurt;

§ 5.900  andPaeeon spread thereon simples that slay pain, and healed him; for verily he was in no wise of mortal mould. Even as the juice of the fig speedily maketh to grow thick the white milk that is liquid, but is quickly curdled as a man stirreth it, even so swiftly healed he furiousAres.

§ 5.905  AndHebe bathed him, and clad him in beautiful raiment, and he sate him down by the side ofZeus, son ofCronos, exulting in his glory. Then back to the palace of greatZeus faredArgiveHera andAlalcomeneanAthene, when they had madeAres, the bane of mortals, to cease from his man-slaying.

§ 6.1  BOOK 6
So was the dread strife of theTrojans and Achaeans left to itself, and oft to this side and to that surged the battle over the plain, as they aimed one at the other their bronze-tipped spears between theSimois and the streams ofXanthus.

§ 6.5  Aias, son ofTelamon, bulwark of the Achaeans was first to break a battalion of theTrojans, and to bring a light of deliverance to his comrades, for he smote a man that was chiefest among theThracians, even Eussorus' sonAcamas, a valiant man and tall. Him he was first to smite upon the horn of his helmet with thick crest ofhorse-hair,

§ 6.10  and drave the spear into his forehead so that the point of bronze pierced within the bone; and darkness enfolded his eyes. AndDiomedes, good at the war-cry, slew Axylus,Teuthras' son, that dwelt in well-builtArisbe, a man rich in substance, that was beloved of all men;

§ 6.15  for he dwelt in a home by the high-road and was wont to give entertainment to all. Howbeit of all these was there not one on this day to meet the foe before his face, and ward from him woeful destruction; butDiomedes robbed the twain of life, himself and his squire Calesius, that was then the driver of his car; so they two passed beneath the earth.

§ 6.20  ThenEuryalus slew Dresus and Opheltius, and went on afterAesepus andPedasus, whom on a time the fountain-nymphAbarbarea bare to peerlessBucolion. NowBucolion was son of lordlyLaomedon, his eldest born, though the mother that bare him was unwed;

§ 6.25  he while shepherding his flocks lay with the nymph in love, and she conceived and bare twin sons. Of these did the son ofMecisteus loose the might and the glorious limbs and strip the armour from their shoulders. AndPolypoetes staunch in fight slew Astyalus,

§ 6.30  andOdysseus with his spear of bronze laid lowPidytes ofPercote, andTeucer goodlyAretaon. AndAntilochus, son ofNestor, slew Ablerus with his bright spear, and the king of men,Agamemnon, slewElatus that dwelt in steepPedasus by the banks of fair-flowing Satnioeis.

§ 6.35  And the warriorLeitus slewPhylacus, as he fled before him; andEurypylus laidMelanthius low. ButAdrastus didMenelaus, good at the war-cry, take alive; for his twohorses, coursing in terror over the plain, became entangled in a tamarisk bough, and breaking the curved car at the end of the pole,

§ 6.40  themselves went on toward the city whither the rest were fleeing in rout; but their master rolled from out the car beside the wheel headlong in the dust upon his face. And to his side cameMenelaus, son ofAtreus, bearing his far-shadowing spear.

§ 6.45  ThenAdrastus clasped him by the knees and besought him: “Take me alive, thou son ofAtreus, and accept a worthy ransom; treasures full many lie stored in the palace of my wealthy father, bronze and gold and iron wrought with toil; thereof would my father grant thee ransom past counting,

§ 6.50  should he hear that I am alive at the ships of the Achaeans.” So spake he, and sought to persuade the other's heart in his breast, and lo,Menelaus was about to give him to his squire to lead to the swift ships of the Achaeans, butAgamemnon came running to meet him, and spake a word of reproof, saying:

§ 6.55   “Soft-heartedMenelaus, why carest thou thus for the men? Hath then so great kindness been done thee in thy house byTrojans? Of them let not one escape sheer destruction and the might of our hands, nay, not the man-child whom his mother bears in her womb; let not even him escape,

§ 6.60  but let all perish together out ofIlios, unmourned and unmarked.” So spake the warrior, and turned his brother's mind, for he counselled aright; soMenelaus with his hand thrust from him the warriorAdrastus, and lordAgamemnon smote him on the flank, and he fell backward; and the son ofAtreus

§ 6.65  planted his heel on his chest, and drew forth the ashen spear. ThenNestor shouted aloud, and called to theArgives: “My friends, Danaan warriors, squires ofAres, let no man now abide behind in eager desire for spoil, that he may come to the ships bearing the greatest store;

§ 6.70  nay, let us slay the men; thereafter in peace shall ye strip the armour from the corpses that lie dead over the plain.” So saying he aroused the strength and spirit of every man. Then would theTrojans have been driven again by the Achaeans dear toAres up toIlios, vanquished in their weakness,

§ 6.75  had not the son ofPriam,Helenus, far the best of augurs, come up toAeneas andHector, and said to them: “Aeneas andHector, seeing that upon you above all others rests the war-toil ofTrojans andLycians, for that in every undertaking ye are the best both in war and in counsel,

§ 6.80  hold ye your ground, and go ye this way and that throughout the host and keep them back before the gates, or ever in flight they fling themselves in their women's arms, and be made a joy to their foemen. But when ye have aroused all our battalions, we verily will abide here and fight against theDanaans,

§ 6.85  sore wearied though we be, for necessity weighs hard upon us; but do thou,Hector, go thy way to the city and speak there to her that is thy mother and mine; let her gather the aged wives to the temple of flashing-eyedAthene in the citadel, and when she has opened with the key the doors of the holy house,

§ 6.90  the robe that seemeth to her the fairest and amplest in her hall, and that is far dearest to her own self, this let her lay upon the knees of fair-hairedAthene, and vow to her that she will sacrifice in her temple twelve sleek heifers that have not felt the goad, if she will have compassion

§ 6.95  on the city and theTrojan's wives and their little children; in hope she may hold back from sacredIlios the son ofTydeus, that savage spearman, a mighty deviser of rout, who has verily, meseems, proved himself the mightiest of the Achaeans. Not evenAchilles did we ever fear on this wise, that leader of men,

§ 6.100  who, they say, is born of a goddess; nay this man rageth beyond all measure, and no one can vie with him in might.” So spake he, andHector was in no wise disobedient unto his brother's word. Forthwith he leapt in his armour from his chariot to the ground, and brandishing his two sharp spears went everywhere throughout host,

§ 6.105  urging them to fight; and he roused the dread din of battle. So they rallied, and took their stand with their faces toward the Achaeans, and theArgives gave ground and ceased from slaying; and they deemed that one of the immortals had come down from starry heaven to bear aid to theTrojans, that they rallied thus.

§ 6.110  AndHector shouted aloud and called to theTrojans: “YeTrojans, high of heart, and far-famed allies, be men, my friends, and bethink you of furious valour, the while I go toIlios and bid the elders that give counsel, and our wives

§ 6.115  to make prayer to the gods, and promise them hecatombs.” So saying,Hector of the flashing helm departed, and the black hide at either end smote against his ankles and his neck, even the rim that ran about the outermost edge of his bossed shield. ButGlaucus, son ofHippolochus, and the son ofTydeus

§ 6.120  came together in the space between the two hosts, eager to do battle. And when the twain were now come near as they advanced one against the other,Diomedes, good at the war-cry, was first to speak, saying: “Who art thou, mighty one, among mortal men? For never have I seen thee in battle where men win glory

§ 6.125  until this day, but now hast thou come forth far in advance of all in thy hardihood, in that thou abidest my far-shadowing spear. Unhappy are they whose children face my might. But and if thou art one of the immortals come down from heaven, then will I not fight with the heavenly gods.

§ 6.130  Nay, for even the son ofDryas, mightyLycurgus, lived not long, seeing that he strove with heavenly gods—he that on a time drave down over the sacred mount ofNysa the nursing mothers of madDionysus; and they all let fall to the ground their wands, smitten with anox-goad by man-slayingLycurgus.

§ 6.135  ButDionysus fled, and plunged beneath the wave of the sea, andThetis received him in her bosom, filled with dread, for mighty terror gat hold of him at the man's threatenings. Then againstLycurgus did the gods that live at ease wax wroth, and the son ofCronos made him blind;

§ 6.140  and he lived not for long, seeing that he was hated of all the immortal gods. So would not I be minded to fight against the blessed gods. But if thou art of men, who eat the fruit of the field, draw nigh, that thou mayest the sooner enter the toils of destruction.”2 Then spake to him the glorious son ofHippolochus:

§ 6.145   “Great-souled son ofTydeus, wherefore inquirest thou of my lineage? Even as are the generations of leaves, such are those also of men. As for the leaves, the wind scattereth some upon the earth, but the forest, as it bourgeons, putteth forth others when the season of spring is come; even so of men one generation springeth up and another passeth away.

§ 6.150  Howbeit, if thou wilt, hear this also, that thou mayest know well my lineage; and many there be that know it. There is a cityEphyre in the heart ofArgos, pasture-land ofhorses, and there dweltSisyphus that was craftiest of men,Sisyphus, son ofAeolus; and he begat a sonGlaucus;

§ 6.155  andGlaucus begat peerlessBellerophon. To him the gods granted beauty and lovely manliness; butProetus in his heart devised against him evil, and drave him, seeing he was mightier far, from the land of theArgives; forZeus had made them subject to his sceptre.

§ 6.160  Now the wife ofProetus, fairAnteia, lusted madly forBellerophon, to lie with him in secret love, but could in no wise prevail upon wise-heartedBellerophon, for that his heart was upright. So she made a tale of lies, and spake to kingProetus: “Either die thyself,Proetus, or slayBellerophon,

§ 6.165  seeing he was minded to lie with me in love against my will.” So she spake, and wrath gat hold upon the king to hear that word. To slay him he forbare, for his soul had awe of that; but he sent him toLycia, and gave him baneful tokens, graving in a folded tablet many signs and deadly,

§ 6.170  and bade him show these to his own wife's father, that he might be slain. So he went his way toLycia under the blameless escort of the gods. And when he was come toLycia and the stream ofXanthus, then with a ready heart did the king of wideLycia do him honour: for nine days' space he shewed him entertainment, and slew nineoxen. Howbeit when the tenth rosy-fingeredDawn appeared,

§ 6.175  then at length he questioned him and asked to see whatever token he bare from his daughter's husband,Proetus. But when he had received from him the evil token of his daughter's husband, first he bade him slay the ragingChimaera.

§ 6.180  She was of divine stock, not of men, in the fore part alion, in the hinder aserpent, and in the midst agoat, breathing forth in terrible wise the might of blazing fire. AndBellerophon slew her, trusting in the signs of the gods. Next fought he with the gloriousSolymi,

§ 6.185  and this, said he was the mightest battle of warriors that ever he entered; and thirdly he slew theAmazons, women the peers of men. And against him, as he journeyed back therefrom, the king wove another cunning wile; he chose out of wideLycia the bravest men and set an ambush; but these returned not home in any wise,

§ 6.190  for peerlessBellerophon slew them one and all. But when the king now knew that he was the valiant offspring of a god, he kept him there, and offered him his own daughter, and gave to him the half of all his kingly honour; moreover theLycians meted out for him a demesne pre-eminent above all,

§ 6.195  a fair tract of orchard and of plough-land, to possess it. And the lady bare to wise-heartedBellerophon three children,Isander andHippolochus andLaodameia. WithLaodameia layZeus the counsellor, and she bare godlikeSarpedon, the warrior harnessed in bronze.

§ 6.200  But when evenBellerophon came to be hated of all the gods, then verily he wandered alone over theAleian plain, devouring his own soul, and shunning the paths of men; andIsander his son was slain byAres, insatiate of battle, as he fought against the gloriousSolymi;

§ 6.205  and his daughter was slain in wrath byArtemis of the golden reins. ButHippolochus begat me and of him do I declare that I am sprung; and he sent me toTroy and straitly charged me ever to be bravest and pre-eminent above all, and not bring shame upon the race of my fathers,

§ 6.210  that were far the noblest inEphyre and in wideLycia. This is the lineage and the blood whereof I avow me sprung.” So spake he, andDiomedes, good at the warcry, waxed glad. He planted his spear in the bounteous earth, and with gentle words spake to the shepherd of the host:

§ 6.215   “Verily now art thou a friend of my father's house from of old: for goodlyOeneus on a time entertained peerlessBellerophon in his halls, and kept him twenty days; and moreover they gave one to the other fair gifts of friendship.Oeneus gave a belt bright with scarlet,

§ 6.220  andBellerophon a double cup of gold which I left in my palace as I came hither. ButTydeus I remember not, seeing I was but a little child when he left, what time the host of the Achaeans perished atThebes. Therefore now am I a dear guest-friend to thee in the midst ofArgos,

§ 6.225  and thou to me inLycia, whenso I journey to the land of that folk. So let us shun one another's spears even amid the throng; full many there be for me to slay, bothTrojans and famed allies, whomsoever a god shall grant me and my feet overtake;

§ 6.230  and many Achaeans again for thee to slay whomsoever thou canst. And let us make exchange of armour, each with the other, that these men too may know that we declare ourselves to be friends from our fathers' days.” When they had thus spoken, the twain leapt down from their chariots and clasped each other's hands and pledged their faith. And then fromGlaucus didZeus, son ofCronos, take away his wit,

§ 6.235  seeing he made exchange of armour withDiomedes, son ofTydeus, giving golden for bronze, the worth of an hundredoxen for the worth of nine. But whenHector was come to theScaean gate and the oak-tree, round about him came running the wives and daughters of theTrojans asking of their sons and brethren and friends

§ 6.240  and husbands. But he thereupon bade them make prayer to the gods, all of them in turn; yet over many were sorrows hung. But when he was now come to the beauteous palace ofPriam, adorned with polished colonnades —and in it were fifty chambers of polished stone,

§ 6.245  built each hard by the other; therein the sons ofPriam were wont to sleep beside their wedded wives; and for his daughters over against them on the opposite side within the court were twelve roofed chambers of polished stone, built each hard by the other;

§ 6.250  therein sleptPriam's sons-in-law beside their chaste wives—there his bounteous mother came to meet him, leading inLaodice, fairest of her daughters to look upon; and she clasped him by the hand and spake and addressed him: “My child, why hast thou left the fierce battle and come hither?

§ 6.255  Of a surety the sons of the Achaeans, of evil name, are pressing sore upon thee as they fight about our city, and thy heart hath bid thee come hitherward and lift up thy hands toZeus from the citadel. But stay till I have brought thee honey-sweet wine that thou mayest pour libation toZeus and the other immortals first,

§ 6.260  and then shalt thou thyself have profit thereof, if so be thou wilt drink. When a man is spent with toil wine greatly maketh his strength to wax, even as thou art spent with defending thy fellows.” Then in answer to her spake greatHector of the flashing helm: “Bring me no honey-hearted wine, honoured mother,

§ 6.265  lest thou cripple me, and I be forgetful of my might and my valour; moreover with hands unwashen I have awe to pour libation of flaming wine toZeus; nor may it in any wise be that a man should make prayer to the son ofCronos, lord of the dark clouds, all befouled with blood and filth. Nay, do thou go to the temple ofAthene,

§ 6.270  driver of the spoil, with burnt-offerings, when thou hast gathered together the aged wives; and the robe that seemeth to thee the fairest and amplest in thy hall, and that is dearest far to thine own self, this do thou lay upon the knees of fair-hairedAthene and vow to her that thou wilt sacrifice in her temple twelve sleek heifers that have not felt the goad,

§ 6.275  if she will take pity onTroy and theTrojans' wives and their little children; in hope she may hold back the son ofTydeus from sacredIlios, that savage spearman, a mighty deviser of rout. So go thou to the temple ofAthene, driver of the spoil;

§ 6.280  and I will go afterParis, to summon him, if haply he will hearken to my bidding. Would that the earth might straightway gape for him! for in grievous wise hath theOlympian reared him as a bane to theTrojans and to great-heartedPriam, and the sons ofPriam. If I but saw him going down to the house ofHades,

§ 6.285  then might I deem that my heart had forgotten its woe.” So spake he, and she went to the hall and called to her handmaidens; and they gathered together the aged wives throughout the city. But the queen herself went down to the vaulted treasurechamber wherein were her robes, richly broidered, the handiwork ofSidonian women,

§ 6.290  whom godlikeAlexander had himself brought from Sidon, as he sailed over the wide sea on that journey on the which he brought back high-bornHelen. Of theseHecabe took one, and bare it as an offering forAthene, the one that was fairest in its broiderings and amplest,

§ 6.295  and shone like a star, and lay undermost of all. Then she went her way, and the throng of aged wives hastened after her. Now when they were come to the temple ofAthene in the citadel, the doors were opened for them by fair-cheekedTheano, daughter ofCisseus, the wife ofAntenor, tamer ofhorses;

§ 6.300  for her had theTrojans made priestess ofAthene. Then with sacred cries they all lifted up their hands toAthene; and fair-cheekedTheano took the robe and laid it upon the knees of fair-hairedAthene, and with vows made prayer to the daughter of greatZeus:

§ 6.305   “LadyAthene, that dost guard our city, fairest among goddesses, break now the spear ofDiomedes, and grant furthermore that himself may fall headlong before theScaean gates; to the end that we may now forthwith sacrifice to thee in thy temple twelve sleek heifers that have not felt the goad, if thou wilt take pity

§ 6.310  onTroy and theTrojans' wives and their little children.” So spake she praying, butPallas Athene denied the prayer. Thus were these praying to the daughter of greatZeus, butHector went his way to the palace ofAlexander, the fair palace that himself had builded with the men

§ 6.315  that were in that day the best builders in deep-soiledTroy; these had made him a chamber and hall and court hard by the palaces ofPriam andHector in the citadel. There entered inHector, dear toZeus, and in his hand he held a spear of eleven cubits, and before him blazed

§ 6.320  the spear-point of bronze, around which ran a ring of gold. He foundParis in his chamber busied with his beauteous arms, his shield and his corselet, and handling his curved bow; andArgiveHelen sat amid her serving-women and appointed to them their glorious handiwork.

§ 6.325  And at sight of himHector rebuked him with words of shame: “Strange man, thou dost not well to nurse this anger in thy heart. Thy people are perishing about the town and the steep wall in battle, and it is because of thee that the battle-cry and the war are ablaze about this city; thou wouldest thyself vent wrath on any other,

§ 6.330  whomso thou shouldest haply see shrinking from hateful war. Nay, then, rouse thee, lest soon the city blaze with consuming fire.” And to him did godlikeAlexander make answer, saying: “Hector, seeing that thou dost chide me duly, and not beyond what is due, therefore will I tell thee; and do thou take thought and hearken unto me.

§ 6.335  Not so much by reason of wrath and indignation against theTrojans sat I in my chamber, but I was minded to yield myself to sorrow. Even now my wife sought to turn my mind with gentle words and urged me to the war: and I, mine own self, deem that it will be better so; victory shifteth from man to man.

§ 6.340  But come now, tarry a while, let me don my harness of war; or go thy way, and I will follow; and methinks I shall overtake thee.” So said he, andHector of the flashing helm answered him not a word, but unto him spakeHelen with gentle words: “O Brother of me that am adog, a contriver of mischief and abhorred of all,

§ 6.345  I would that on the day when first my mother gave me birth an evil storm-wind had borne me away to some mountain or to the wave of the loud-resounding sea, where the wave might have swept me away or ever these things came to pass. Howbeit, seeing the gods thus ordained these ills,

§ 6.350  would that I had been wife to a better man, that could feel the indignation of his fellows and their many revilings. But this man's understanding is not now stable, nor ever will be hereafter; thereof I deem that he will e'en reap the fruit. But come now, enter in, and sit thee upon this chair,

§ 6.355  my brother, since above all others has trouble encompassed thy heart because of shameless me, and the folly ofAlexander; on whomZeus hath brought an evil doom, that even in days to come we may be a song for men that are yet to be.” Then made answer to her greatHector of the flashing helm:

§ 6.360   “Bid me not sit,Helen, for all thou lovest me; thou wilt not persuade me. Even now my heart is impatient to bear aid to theTrojans that sorely long for me that am not with them. Nay, but rouse thou this man, and let him of himself make haste, that he may overtake me while yet I am within the city.

§ 6.365  For I shall go to my home, that I may behold my housefolk, my dear wife, and my infant son; for I know not if any more I shall return home to them again, or if even now the gods will slay me beneath the hands of the Achaeans.” So saying,Hector of the flashing helm departed,

§ 6.370  and came speedily to his well-built house. But he found not white-armedAndromache in his halls; she with her child and a fair-robed handmaiden had taken her stand upon the wall, weeping and wailing. SoHector when he found not his peerless wife within,

§ 6.375  went and stood upon the threshold, and spake amid the serving-women: “Come now, ye serving-women, tell me true; whither went white-armedAndromache from the hall? Is she gone to the house of any of my sisters or my brothers' fair-robed wives, or to the temple ofAthene, where the other

§ 6.380  fair-tressed women ofTroy are seeking to propitiate he dread goddess?” Then a busy house-dame spake to him, saying: “Hector, seeing thou straitly biddest us tell thee true, neither is she gone to any of thy sisters or thy brothers' fair-robed wives, nor yet to the temple ofAthene, where the other

§ 6.385  fair-tressedTrojan women are seeking to propitiate the dread goddess; but she went to the great wall ofIlios, for that she heard theTrojans were sorely pressed, and great victory rested with the Achaeans. So is she gone in haste to the wall, like one beside herself; and with her the nurse beareth the child.”

§ 6.390  So spake the house-dame, andHector hasted from the house back over the same way along the well-built streets. When now he was come to the gate, as he passed through the great city, theScaean gate, whereby he was minded to go forth to the plain, there came running to meet him his bounteous wife,

§ 6.395  Andromache, daughter of great-heartedEetion,Eetion that dwelt beneath woodedPlacus, inThebe underPlacus, and was lord over the men ofCilicia; for it was his daughter that bronze-harnessedHector had to wife. She now met him, and with her came a handmaid bearing in her bosom

§ 6.400  the tender boy, a mere babe, the well-loved son ofHector, like to a fair star. HimHector was wont to call Scamandrius, but other menAstyanax; for onlyHector guardedIlios.4 ThenHector smiled, as he glanced at his boy in silence,

§ 6.405  butAndromache came close to his side weeping, and clasped his hand and spake to him, saying: “Ah, my husband, this prowess of thine will be thy doom, neither hast thou any pity for thine infant child nor for hapless me that soon shall be thy widow; for soon will the Achaeans

§ 6.410  all set upon thee and slay thee. But for me it were better to go down to the grave if I lose thee, for nevermore shall any comfort be mine, when thou hast met thy fate, but only woes. Neither father have I nor queenly mother. My father verily goodlyAchilles slew,

§ 6.415  for utterly laid he waste the well-peopled city of theCilicians, evenThebe of lofty gates. He slewEetion, yet he despoiled him not, for his soul had awe of that; but he burnt him in his armour, richly dight, and heaped over him a barrow; and all about were elm-trees planted by nymphs of the mountain, daughters ofZeus that beareth the aegis.

§ 6.420  And the seven brothers that were mine in our halls, all these on the selfsame day entered into the house ofHades, for all were slain of swift-footed, goodlyAchilles, amid theirkine of shambling gait and their white-fleecedsheep.

§ 6.425  And my mother, that was queen beneath woodedPlacus, her brought he hither with the rest of the spoil, but thereafter set her free, when he had taken ransom past counting; and in her father's hallsArtemis the archer slew her. Nay,Hector, thou art to me father and queenly mother,

§ 6.430  thou art brother, and thou art my stalwart husband. Come now, have pity, and remain here on the wall, lest thou make thy child an orphan and thy wife a widow. And for thy host, stay it by the wild fig-tree, where the city may best be scaled, and the wall is open to assault.

§ 6.435  For thrice at this point came the most valiant in company with the twainAiantes and gloriousIdomeneus and the sons ofAtreus and the valiant son ofTydeus, and made essay to enter: whether it be that one well-skilled in soothsaying told them, or haply their own spirit urgeth and biddeth them thereto.”

§ 6.440  Then spake to her greatHector of the flashing helm: “Woman, I too take thought of all this, but wondrously have I shame of theTrojans, and theTrojans' wives, with trailing robes, if like a coward I skulk apart from the battle. Nor doth mine own heart suffer it, seeing I have learnt to be valiant

§ 6.445  always and to fight amid the foremostTrojans, striving to win my father's great glory and mine own. For of a surety know I this in heart and soul: the day shall come when sacredIlios shall be laid low, andPriam, and the people ofPriam with goodly spear of ash.

§ 6.450  Yet not so much doth the grief of theTrojans that shall be in the aftertime move me, neitherHecabe's own, nor kingPriam's, nor my brethren's, many and brave, who then shall fall in the dust beneath the hands of their foemen, as doth thy grief, when some brazen-coatedAchaean

§ 6.455  shall lead thee away weeping and rob thee of thy day of freedom. Then haply inArgos shalt thou ply the loom at another s bidding, or bear water fromMesseis orHypereia, sorely against thy will, and strong necessity shall be laid upon thee. And some man shall say as he beholdeth thee weeping:

§ 6.460   “Lo, the wife ofHector, that was pre-eminent in war above all thehorse-tamingTrojans, in the day when men fought aboutIlios.” So shall one say; and to thee shall come fresh grief in thy lack of a man like me to ward off the day of bondage. But let me be dead, and let the heaped-up earth cover me,

§ 6.465  ere I hear thy cries as they hale thee into captivity.” So saying, gloriousHector stretched out his arms to his boy, but back into the bosom of his fair-girdled nurse shrank the child crying, affrighted at the aspect of his dear father, and seized with dread of the bronze and the crest ofhorse-hair,

§ 6.470  as he marked it waving dreadfully from the topmost helm. Aloud then laughed his dear father and queenly mother; and forthwith gloriousHector took the helm from his head and laid it all-gleaming upon the ground. But he kissed his dear son, and fondled him in his arms,

§ 6.475  and spake in prayer toZeus and the other gods: “Zeus and ye other gods, grant that this my child may likewise prove, even as I, pre-eminent amid theTrojans, and as valiant in might, and that he rule mightily overIlios. And some day may some man say of him as he cometh back from war,‘He is better far than his father’;

§ 6.480  and may he bear the blood-stained spoils of the foeman he hath slain, and may his mother's heart wax glad.” So saying, he laid his child in his dear wife's arms, and she took him to her fragrant bosom, smiling through her tears; and her husband was touched with pity at sight of her,

§ 6.485  and he stroked her with his hand, and spake to her, saying: “Dear wife, in no wise, I pray thee, grieve overmuch at heart; no man beyond my fate shall send me forth toHades; only his doom, methinks, no man hath ever escaped, be he coward or valiant, when once he hath been born.

§ 6.490  Nay, go thou to the house and busy thyself with thine own tasks, the loom and the distaff, and bid thy handmaids ply their work: but war shall be for men, for all, but most of all for me, of them that dwell inIlios.” So spake gloriousHector and took up his helm

§ 6.495  withhorse-hair crest; and his dear wife went forthwith to her house, oft turning back, and shedding big tears. Presently she came to the well-built palace of man-slayingHector and found therein her many handmaidens; and among them all she roused lamentation.

§ 6.500  So in his own house they made lament forHector while yet he lived; for they deemed that he should never more come back from battle, escaped from the might and the hands of the Achaeans. Nor didParis tarry long in his lofty house, but did on his glorious armour, dight with bronze,

§ 6.505  and hastened through the city, trusting in his fleetness of foot. Even as when a stalledhorse that has fed his fill at the manger breaketh his halter and runneth stamping over the plain—being wont to bathe him in the fair-flowing river—and exulteth; on high doth he hold his head, and about his shoulders

§ 6.510  his mane floateth streaming, and as he glorieth in his splendour, his knees nimbly bear him to the haunts and pastures of mares; even soParis, son ofPriam, strode down from highPergamus, all gleaming in his armour like the shining sun, laughing for glee, and his swift feet bare him on. Speedily then

§ 6.515  he overtook goodlyHector, his brother, even as he was about to turn back from the place where he had dallied with his wife. Then godlikeAlexander was first to speak to him, saying: “My brother, full surely I delay thee in thine haste by my long tarrying, and came not in due season, as thou badest me.”

§ 6.520  Then in answer to him spakeHector of the flashing helm: “Strange man, no one that is rightminded could make light of thy work in battle, for thou art valiant; but of thine own will art thou slack, and hast no care; and thereat my heart is grieved within me, whenso I hear regarding thee words of shame

§ 6.525  from the lips of theTrojans, who because of thee have grievous toil. But let us go our way; these things we will make good hereafter, if so beZeus shall grant us to set for the heavenly gods that are for ever a bowl of deliverance in our halls, when we have driven forth from the land ofTroy the well-greaved Achaeans.”

§ 7.1  BOOK 7
So saying, gloriousHector hastened forth from the gates, and with him went his brotherAlexander; and in their hearts were both eager for war and battle. And as a god giveth to longing seamen

§ 7.5  a fair wind when they have grown weary of beating the sea with polished oars of fir, and with weariness are their limbs fordone; even so appeared these twain to the longingTrojans. Then the one of them slew the son of kingAreithous,Menesthius, that dwelt inArne, who was born of the mace-man

§ 7.10  Areithous andox-eyedPhylomedusa; andHector with his sharp spear smoteEioneus on the neck beneath the well-wrought helmet of bronze, and loosed his limbs. AndGlaucus, son ofHippolochus, leader of theLycians, made a cast with his spear in the fierce conflict atIphinous,

§ 7.15  son of Dexios, as he sprang upon his car behind his swift mares, and smote him upon the shoulder; so he fell from his chariot to the ground and his limbs were loosed. But when the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene, was ware of them as they were slaying theArgives in the fierce conflict, she went darting down from the peaks ofOlympus

§ 7.20  to sacredIlios. AndApollo sped forth to meet her, for he looked down from out ofPergamus and beheld her, and was fain to have victory for theTrojans. So the twain met one with the other by the oak-tree. Then to her spake first the kingApollo, son ofZeus: “Wherefore art thou again come thus eagerly fromOlympus, thou daughter of greatZeus,

§ 7.25  and why hath thy proud spirit sent thee? Is it that thou mayest give to theDanaans victory to turn the tide of battle, seeing thou hast no pity for theTrojans, that perish? But if thou wouldst in anywise hearken unto me—and so would it be better far—let us now stay the war and fighting

§ 7.30  for this day. Hereafter shall they fight again until they win the goal ofIlios, since thus it seemeth good to the hearts of you immortal goddesses, to lay waste this city.” And in answer to him spake the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene: “So be it, thou god that workest afar;

§ 7.35  with this in mind am I myself come fromOlympus to the midst ofTrojans and Achaeans. But come, how art thou minded to stay the battle of the warriors?” Then in answer to her spake kingApollo, son ofZeus: “Let us rouse the valiant spirit ofhorse-tamingHector, in hope that he may challenge some one of theDanaans in single fight

§ 7.40  to do battle with him man to man in dread combat. So shall the bronze-greaved Achaeans have indignation and rouse some one to do battle in single combat against goodlyHector.” So he spake, and the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene, failed not to hearken. AndHelenus, the dear son ofPriam, understood in spirit

§ 7.45  this plan that had found pleasure with the gods in council; and he came and stood byHector's side, and spake to him, saying: “Hector, son ofPriam, peer ofZeus in counsel, wouldst thou now in anywise hearken unto me? for I am thy brother. Make theTrojans to sit down, and all the Achaeans,

§ 7.50  and do thou challenge whoso is best of the Achaeans to do battle with thee man to man in dread combat. Not yet is it thy fate to die and meet thy doom; for thus have I heard the voice of the gods that are for ever.” So spake he andHector rejoiced greatly when he heard his words;

§ 7.55  and he went into the midst and kept back the battalions of theTrojans with his spear grasped by the middle; and they all sate them down, andAgamemnon made the well-greaved Achaeans to sit. AndAthene andApollo of the silver bow in the likeness of vultures sate them

§ 7.60  upon the lofty oak of fatherZeus that beareth the aegis, rejoicing in the warriors; and the ranks of these sat close, bristling with shields and helms and spears. Even as there is spread over the face of the deep the ripple of theWest Wind, that is newly risen, and the deep groweth black beneath it,

§ 7.65  so sat the ranks of the Achaeans andTrojans in the plain. AndHector spake between the two hosts: “Hear me, yeTrojans and well-greaved Achaeans, that I may speak what the heart in my breast biddeth me. Our oaths the son ofCronos, throned on high, brought not to fulfillment,

§ 7.70  but with ill intent ordaineth a time for both hosts, until either ye take well-walledTroy or yourselves be vanquished beside your sea-faring ships. With you are the chieftains of the whole host of the Achaeans; of these let now that man whose heart soever biddeth him fight with me,

§ 7.75  come hither from among you all to be your champion against goodlyHector. And thus do I declare my word, and beZeus our witness thereto: if so be he shall slay me with the long-edged bronze, let him spoil me of my armour and bear it to the hollow ships, but my body let him give back to my home,

§ 7.80  that theTrojans and theTrojan wives may give me my due meed of fire in my death. But if so be I slay him, andApollo give me glory, I will spoil him of his armour and bear it to sacredIlios and hang it upon the temple ofApollo, the god that smiteth afar, but his corpse will I render back to the well-benched ships,

§ 7.85  that the long-haired Achaeans may give him burial, and heap up for him a barrow by the wideHellespont. And some one shall some day say even of men that are yet to be, as he saileth in his many-benched ship over the wine-dark sea: ‘This is a barrow of a man that died in olden days,

§ 7.90  whom on a time in the midst of his prowess gloriousHector slew.’ So shall some man say, and my glory shall never die.” So spake he, and they all became hushed in silence; shame had they to deny him, but they feared to meet him. Howbeit at lengthMenelaus arose among them and spake,

§ 7.95  chiding them with words of reviling, and deeply did he groan at heart: “Ah me, Ye braggarts, ye women ofAchaea, men no more! Surely shall this be a disgrace dread and dire, if no man of theDanaans shall now go to meetHector. Nay, may ye one and all turn to earth and water,

§ 7.100  ye that sit there each man with no heart in him, utterly inglorious. Against this man will I myself arm me; but from on high are the issues of victory holden of the immortal gods.” So spake he, and did on his fair armour. And nowMenelaus, would the end of life have appeared for thee

§ 7.105  at the hands ofHector, seeing he was mightier far, had not the kings of the Achaeans sprung up and laid hold of thee. AndAtreus' son himself, wide-rulingAgamemnon, caught him by the right hand and spake to him, saying: “Thou art mad,Menelaus, nurtured ofZeus, and this thy madness beseemeth thee not.

§ 7.110  Hold back, for all thy grief, and be not minded in rivalry to fight with one better than thou, even withHector, son ofPriam, of whom others besides thee are adread. EvenAchilles shuddereth to meet this man in battle, where men win glory; and he is better far than thou.

§ 7.115  Nay, go thou for this present, and sit thee amid the company of thy fellows; against this man shall the Achaeans raise up another champion. Fearless though he be and insatiate of battle, methinks he will be glad to bend his knees in rest, if so be he escape from the fury of war and the dread conflict.”

§ 7.120  So spake the warrior and turned his brother's mind, for he counselled aright; andMenelaus obeyed. Then with gladness his squires took his armour from his shoulders; andNestor rose up and spake amid theArgives: “Fie upon you! In good sooth is great grief come upon the land ofAchaea.

§ 7.125  Verily aloud would oldPeleus groan, the driver of chariots, goodly counsellor, and orator of theMyrmidons, who on a time questioned me in his own house, and rejoiced greatly as he asked of the lineage and birth of all theArgives. If he were to hear that these were now all cowering beforeHector

§ 7.130  then would he lift up his hands to the immortals in instant prayer that his soul might depart from his limbs into the house ofHades. I would, O fatherZeus andAthene andApollo, that I were young as when beside swift-flowing Celadon thePylians andArcadians that rage with spears gathered together and fought

§ 7.135  beneath the walls ofPheia about the streams ofIardanus. On their side stood forthEreuthalion as champion, a godlike man, bearing upon his shoulders the armour of kingAreithous, goodlyAreithous that men and fair-girdled women were wont to call the mace-man,

§ 7.140  for that he fought not with bow or long spear, but with a mace of iron brake the battalions. HimLycurgus slew by guile and nowise by might, in a narrow way, where his mace of iron saved him not from destruction. For ere that might beLycurgus came upon him at unawares

§ 7.145  and pierced him through the middle with his spear, and backward was he hurled upon the earth; andLycurgus despoiled him of the armour that brazenAres had given him. This armour he thereafter wore himself amid the turmoil ofAres, but whenLycurgus grew old within his halls

§ 7.150  he gave it toEreuthalion, his dear squire, to wear. And wearing this armour didEreuthalion challenge all the bravest; but they trembled sore and were afraid, nor had any man courage to abide him. But me did my enduring heart set on to battle with him in my hardihood, though in years I was youngest of all. So fought I with him, andAthene gave me glory.

§ 7.155  The tallest was he and the strongest man that ever I slew: as a huge sprawling bulk he lay stretched this way and that. Would I were now as young and my strength as firm, then shouldHector of the flashing helm soon find one to face him. Whereas ye that are chieftains of the whole host of the Achaeans,

§ 7.160  even ye are not minded with a ready heart to meetHector face to face.” So the old man chid them, and there stood up nine in all. Upsprang far the first the king of men,Agamemnon, and after himTydeus' son, mightyDiomedes, and after them theAiantes, clothed in furious valour,

§ 7.165  and after themIdomeneus andIdomeneus' comradeMeriones, the peer ofEnyalius, slayer of men, and after themEurypylus, the glorious son ofEuaemon; and up sprangThoas, son ofAndraemon, and goodlyOdysseus; all these were minded to do battle with goodlyHector.

§ 7.170  Then among them spake again the horseman,Nestor ofGerenia: “Cast ye the lot now from the first unto the last for him whoso shall be chosen; for he shall verily profit the well-greaved Achaeans and himself in his own soul shall profit withal, if so be he escape from the fury of war and the dread conflict.”

§ 7.175  So said he, and they marked each man his lot and cast them in the helmet ofAgamemnon, son ofAtreus; and the host made prayer, and lifted up their hands to the gods. And thus would one say with a lance up to the broad heaven: “FatherZeus, grant that the lot fall ofAias or the son ofTydeus

§ 7.180  or else on the king himself ofMycene rich in gold.” So spake they, and the horseman,Nestor ofGerenia, shook the helmet, and forth therefrom leapt the lot that themselves desired, even the lot ofAias. And the herald bare it everywhither throughout the throng, and showed it from left to right to all the chieftains of the Achaeans;

§ 7.185  but they knew it not, and denied it every man. But when in bearing it everywhither throughout the throng he was come to him that had marked it and cast it into the helm, even to gloriousAias, thenAias held forth his hand, and the herald drew near and laid the lot therein; andAias knew at a glance the token on the lot, and waxed glad at heart.

§ 7.190  The lot then he cast upon the ground beside his foot, and spake: “My friends, of a surety the lot is mine, and mine own heart rejoiceth, for I deem that I shall vanquish goodlyHector. But come now, while I am doing on me my battle gear, make ye prayer the while to kingZeus, son ofCronos,

§ 7.195  in silence by yourselves, that theTrojans learn naught thereof—nay, or openly, if ye will, since in any case we fear no man. For by force shall no man drive me in flight of his own will and in despite of mine, nor yet by skill; since as no skilless wight methinks was I born and reared inSalamis.”

§ 7.200  So spake he, and they made prayer to kingZeus, son ofCronos; and thus would one speak with a glance up to the broad heaven: “FatherZeus, that rulest fromIda, most glorious, most great, vouchsafe victory toAias and that he win him glorious renown; or if so be thou lovestHector too, and carest for him,

§ 7.205  vouchsafe to both equal might and glory.” So they spake, andAias arrayed him in gleaming bronze. But when he had clothed about his flesh all his armour, then sped he in such wise as hugeAres goeth forth when he enters into battle amid warriors whom the son ofCronos

§ 7.210  hath brought together to contend in the fury of soul-devouring strife. Even in such wise sprang forth hugeAias, the bulwark of the Achaeans, with a smile on his grim face; and he went with long strides of his feet beneath him, brandishing his far-shadowing spear. Then were theArgives glad as they looked upon him,

§ 7.215  but upon theTrojans crept dread trembling on the limbs of every man, andHector's own heart beat fast within his breast. Howbeit in no wise could he any more flee or shrink back into the throng of the host, seeing he had made challenge to fight. SoAias drew near, bearing his shield that was like a city wall,

§ 7.220  a shield of bronze with sevenfoldbull's-hide, the whichTychius had wrought with toil, he that was far best of workers in hide, having his home inHyle, who had made him his flashing shield of seven hides of sturdybulls, and thereover had wrought an eighth layer of bronze. ThisTelamonianAias bare before his breast,

§ 7.225  and he came and stood close byHector, and spake threatening: “Hector, now verily shalt thou know of a surety, man to man, what manner of chieftains there be likewise among theDanaans, even afterAchilles, breaker of the ranks of men, thelion-hearted. Howbeit he abideth amid his beaked seafaring ships

§ 7.230  in utter wrath againstAgamemnon,Atreus' son, shepherd of the host; yet are we such as to face thee, yea, full many of us. But begin thou war and battle.” To him then made answer greatHector of the flashing helm: “Aias, sprung fromZeus, thou son ofTelamon, captain of the host,

§ 7.235  in no wise make thou trial of me as of some puny boy or a woman that knoweth not deeds of war. Nay, full well know I battles and slayings of men. I know well how to wield to right, and well how to wield to left my shield of seasoned hide, which I deem a sturdy thing to wield in fight;

§ 7.240  and I know how to charge into the mellay of chariots drawn by swift mares; and I know how in close fight to tread the measure of furiousAres. Yet am I not minded to smite thee, being such a one as thou art, by spying thee at unawares; but rather openly, if so be I may hit thee.” He spake, and poised his far-shadowing spear, and hurled it;

§ 7.245  and he smoteAias' dread shield of sevenfoldbull's-hide upon the outermost bronze, the eighth layer that was thereon. Through six folds shore the stubborn bronze, but in the seventh hide it was stayed. Then in turnZeus-bornAias hurled his far-shadowing spear,

§ 7.250  and smote upon the son ofPriam's shield, that was well balanced upon every side. Through the bright shield went the mighty spear, and through the corselet, richly dight, did it force its way; and straight on beside his flank the spear shore through his tunic; but he bent aside, and escaped black fate.

§ 7.255  Then the twain both at one moment drew forth with their hands their long spears, and fell to, in semblance like raveninglions or wildboars, whose is no weakling strength. Then the son ofPriam smote full upon the shield ofAias with a thrust of his spear, howbeit the bronze brake not through, for its point was turned;

§ 7.260  butAias leapt upon him and pierced his buckler, and clean through went the spear and made him reel in his onset; even to his neck it made its way, and gashed it, and the dark blood welled up. Yet not even so didHector of the flashing-helm cease from fight, but giving ground he seized with stout hand a stone

§ 7.265  that lay upon the plain, black and jagged and great; therewith he smoteAias' dread shield of sevenfoldbull's-hide full upon the boss; and the bronze rang about it. ThenAias in turn lifted on high a far greater stone, and swung and hurled it, putting into the cast measureless strength;

§ 7.270  and he burst the buckler inwards with the cast of the rock that was like unto a mill-stone, and beat downHector's knees; so he stretched upon his back, gathered together under his shield; howbeitApollo straightway raised him up. And now had they been smiting with their swords in close fight, but that the heralds, messengers ofZeus and men,

§ 7.275  came, one from theTrojans and one from the brazen-coated Achaeans, evenTalthybius andIdaeus, men of prudence both. Between the two they held forth their staves, and the heraldIdaeus, skilled in prudent counsel, spake, saying: “Fight ye no more, dear sons, neither do battle;

§ 7.280  both ye twain are loved ofZeus, the cloud-gatherer, and both are spearmen; that verily know we all. Moreover night is now upon us, and it is well to yield obedience to night's behest.” Then in answer to him spakeTelamonianAias: “Idaeus, bid yeHector speak these words,

§ 7.285  for it was he who of himself challenged to combat all our best. Let him be first and I verily will hearken even as he shall say.” Then spake unto him greatHector of the flashing helm: “Aias, seeing God gave thee stature and might, aye, and wisdom, and with thy spear thou art pre-eminent above all the Achaeans,

§ 7.290  let us now cease from battle and strife for this day; hereafter shall we fight again until God judge between us, and give victory to one side or the other. Howbeit night is now upon us, and it is well to yield obedience to night's behest, that thou mayest make glad all the Achaeans beside their ships,

§ 7.295  and most of all the kinsfolk and comrades that are thine; and I throughout the great city of kingPriam shall make glad theTrojan men andTrojan women with trailing robes, who because of me will enter the gathering of the gods with thanksgivings. But come, let us both give each to the other glorious gifts,

§ 7.300  to the end that many a one of Achaeans andTrojans alike may thus say: ‘The twain verily fought in rivalry of soul-devouring strife, but thereafter made them a compact and were parted in friendship.’” When he had thus said, he brought and gave him his silver-studded sword with its scabbard and well-cut baldric;

§ 7.305  andAias gave his belt bright with scarlet. So they parted, and one went his way to the host of the Achaeans and the other betook him to the throng of theTrojans. And these waxed glad when they sawHector coming to join them alive and whole, escaped from the fury ofAias and his invincible hands;

§ 7.310  and they brought him to the city scarce deeming that he was safe. AndAias on his part was led of the well-greaved Achaeans unto goodlyAgamemnon, filled with joy of his victory. And when they were now come to the huts of the son ofAtreus, then did the king of men,Agamemnon slay there abull,

§ 7.315  a male of five years, for the son ofCronos, supreme in might. This they flayed and dressed, and cut up all the limbs. Then they sliced these cunningly, and spitted them and roasted them carefully and drew all off the spits. But when they had ceased from their labour and had made ready the meal,

§ 7.320  they feasted, nor did their hearts lack aught of the equal feast. And untoAias for his honour was the long chine given by the warrior son ofAtreus, wide-rulingAgamemnon. But when they had put from them the desire of food and drink, first of all the old man began to weave the web of counsel for them,

§ 7.325  evenNestor, whose rede had of old ever seemed the best. He with good intent addressed their gathering and spake among them: “Son ofAtreus and ye other princes of the hosts ofAchaea, lo, full many long-haired Achaeans are dead, whose dark blood keenAres hath now spilt about fair-flowingScamander,

§ 7.330  and their souls have gone down to the house ofHades; therefore were it well that thou make the battle of the Achaeans to cease at daybreak, and we will gather to hale hither on carts the corpses withoxen and mules; and we will burn them a little way from the ships that each man may bear their bones home to their children,

§ 7.335  whenso we return again to our native land. And about the pyre let us heap a single barrow, rearing it from the plain for all alike, and thereby build with speed a lofty wall, a defence for our ships and for ourselves. And therein let us build gates close-fastening,

§ 7.340  that through them may be a way for the driving of chariots; and without let us dig a deep ditch hard by, which shall intervene and keep back chariots and footmen, lest ever the battle of the lordlyTrojans press heavily upon us.” So spake he, and all the kings assented thereto.

§ 7.345  And of theTrojans likewise was a gathering held in the citadel ofIlios, a gathering fierce and tumultuous, besidePriam's doors. Among them wiseAntenor was first to speak, saying: “Hearken to me, yeTrojans and Dardanians and allies, that I may speak what the heart in my breast biddeth me.

§ 7.350  Come ye now, let us giveArgiveHelen and the treasure with her unto the sons ofAtreus to take away. Now do we fight after proving false to our oaths of faith, wherefore have I no hope that aught will issue to our profit, if we do not thus.” When he had thus spoken he sate him down, and among them uprose

§ 7.355  goodlyAlexander, lord of fair-hairedHelen; he made answer, and spake to him winged words: “Antenor, this that thou sayest is no longer to my pleasure; yea thou knowest how to devise better words than these. But if thou verily speakest this in earnest,

§ 7.360  then of a surety have the gods themselves destroyed thy wits. Howbeit I will speak amid the gathering ofhorse-tamingTrojans and declare outright: my wife will I not give back; but the treasure that I brought fromArgos to our home, all this am I minded to give, and to add thereto from mine own store.”

§ 7.365  When he had thus spoken he sate him down, and among them uprosePriam, son ofDardanus, peer of the gods in counsel. He with good intent addressed their gathering, and spake among them: “Hearken to me, yeTrojans and Dardanians and allies, that I may say what the heart in my breast biddeth me.

§ 7.370  For this present take ye your supper throughout the city, even as of old, and take heed to keep watch, and be wakeful every man; and at dawn letIdaeus go to the hollow ships to declare toAtreus' sons,Agamemnon andMenelaus, the word ofAlexander, for whose sake strife hath been set afoot.

§ 7.375  And let him furthermore declare to them this word of wisdom, whether they are minded to cease from dolorous war till we have burned the dead; thereafter shall we fight again until God judge between us, and give victory to one side or the other.” So spake he, and they readily hearkened to him, and obeyed;

§ 7.380  then they took their supper throughout the host by companies, and at dawnIdaeus went his way to the hollow ships. There he found in the place of gathering theDanaans, squires ofAres, beside the stern ofAgamemnon's ship; and the loud-voiced herald took his stand in the midst and spake among them:

§ 7.385   “Son ofAtreus, and ye other princes of the hosts ofAchaea,Priam and the other lordlyTrojans bade me declare to you—if haply it be your wish and your good pleasure—the saying ofAlexander, for whose sake strife hath been set afoot. The treasure thatAlexander brought toTroy

§ 7.390  in his hollow ships—would that he had perished first!—all this he is minded to give, and to add thereto from his own store; but the wedded wife of gloriousMenelaus, he declares he will not give; though verily theTrojans bid him do it. Moreover they bade me declare unto you this word also, whether ye be minded

§ 7.395  to cease from dolorous war till we have burned the dead; thereafter shall we fight again until God judge between us and give victory to one side or the other.” So spake he, and they all became hushed in silence. But at length there spake among themDiomedes, good at the war-cry:

§ 7.400   “Let no man now accept the treasure fromAlexander, nay, norHelen; known is it, even to him who hath no wit at all, that now the cords of destruction are made fast upon theTrojans.” So spake he, and all the sons of the Achaeans shouted aloud, applauding the saying ofDiomedes, tamer ofhorses.

§ 7.405  Then toIdaeus spake lordAgamemnon: “Idaeus, verily of thyself thou hearest the word of the Achaeans, how they make answer to thee; and mine own pleasure is even as theirs. But as touching the dead I in no wise grudge that ye burn them; for to dead corpses should no man grudge,

§ 7.410  when once they are dead, the speedy consolation of fire. But to our oaths letZeus be witness, the loud-thundering lord ofHera.” So saying, he lifted up his staff before the face of all the gods, andIdaeus went his way back to sacredIlios. Now they were sitting in assembly,Trojans and Dardanians alike,

§ 7.415  all gathered in one body waiting untilIdaeus should come; and he came and stood in their midst and declared his message. Then they made them ready with all speed for either task, some to bring the dead, and others to seek for wood. And theArgives over against them hasted from the benched ships,

§ 7.420  some to bring the dead and others to seek for wood. The sun was now just striking on the fields, as he rose from softly-gliding, deep-flowingOceanus, and climbed the heavens, when the two hosts met together. Then was it a hard task to know each man again;

§ 7.425  howbeit with water they washed from them the clotted blood, and lifted them upon the waggons, shedding hot tears the while. But greatPriam would not suffer his folk to wail aloud; so in silence they heaped the corpses upon the pyre, their hearts sore stricken; and when they had burned them with fire they went their way to sacredIlios.

§ 7.430  And in like manner over against them the well-greaved Achaeans heaped the corpses upon the pyre, their hearts sore stricken, and when they had burned them with fire they went their way to the hollow ships. Now when dawn was not yet, but night was still 'twixt light and dark, then was there gathered about the pyre the chosen host of the Achaeans,

§ 7.435  and they made about it a single barrow, rearing it from the plain for all alike; and thereby they built a wall and a lofty rampart, a defence for their ships and for themselves. And therein they made gates, close-fastening, that through them might be a way for the driving of chariots.

§ 7.440  And without they dug a deep ditch hard by, wide and great, and therein they planted stakes. Thus were they toiling, the long-haired Achaeans; and the gods, as they sat by the side ofZeus, the lord of the lightning, marvelled at the great work of the brazen-coated Achaeans.

§ 7.445  And among themPoseidon, the Shaker ofEarth, was first to speak: “FatherZeus, is there now anyone of mortals on the face of the boundless earth, that will any more declare to the immortals his mind and counsel? Seest thou not that now again the long-haired Achaeans have builded them a wall to defend their ships, and about it have drawn a trench,

§ 7.450  but gave not glorious hecatombs to the gods? Of a surety shall the fame thereof reach as far as the dawn spreadeth, and men will forget the wall that I andPhoebusApollo built with toil for the warriorLaomedon.” Then greatly troubled,Zeus, the cloud-gatherer, spake to him:

§ 7.455   “Ah me, thou Shaker ofEarth, wide of sway, what a thing thou hast said! Another of the gods might haply fear this device, whoso was feebler far than thou in hand and might; whereas thy fame shall of a surety reach as far as the dawn spreadeth. Go to now, when once the long-haired Achaeans have gone with their ships to their dear native land,

§ 7.460  then do thou burst apart the wall and sweep it all into the sea, and cover the great beach again with sand, that so the great wall of the Achaeans may be brought to naught of thee.” On this wise spake they, one to the other,

§ 7.465  and the sun set, and the work of the Achaeans was accomplished; and they slaughteredoxen throughout the huts and took supper. And ships full many were at hand fromLemnos, bearing wine, sent forth byJason's son,Euneus, whomHypsipyle bare toJason, shepherd of the host.

§ 7.470  And for themselves alone unto the sons ofAtreus,Agamemnon andMenelaus, hadEuneus given wine to be brought them, even a thousand measures. From these ships the long-haired Achaeans bought them wine, some for bronze, some for gleaming iron, some for hides, some for wholecattle,

§ 7.475  and some for slaves; and they made them a rich feast. So the whole night through the long-haired Achaeans feasted, and theTrojans likewise in the city, and their allies; and all night longZeus, the counsellor, devised them evil, thundering in terrible wise. Then pale fear gat hold of them,

§ 7.480  and they let the wine flow from their cups upon the ground, neither durst any man drink until he had made a drink-offering to the son ofCronos, supreme in might. Then they laid them down, and took the gift of sleep.

§ 8.1  BOOK 8
NowDawn the saffron-robed was spreading over the face of all the earth, andZeus that hurleth the thunderbolt made a gathering of the gods upon the topmost peak of many-ridgedOlympus, and himself addressed their gathering; and all the gods gave ear:

§ 8.5   “Hearken unto me, all ye gods and goddesses, that I may speak what the heart in my breast biddeth me. Let not any goddess nor yet any god essay this thing, to thwart my word, but do ye all alike assent thereto, that with all speed I may bring these deeds to pass.

§ 8.10  Whomsoever I shall mark minded apart from the gods to go and bear aid either toTrojans orDanaans, smitten in no seemly wise shall he come back toOlympus, or I shall take and hurl him into murkyTartarus,

§ 8.15  far, far away, where is the deepest gulf beneath the earth, the gates whereof are of iron and the threshold of bronze, as far beneathHades as heaven is above earth: then shall ye know how far the mightiest am I of all gods. Nay, come, make trial, ye gods, that ye all may know. Make ye fast from heaven a chain of gold,

§ 8.20  and lay ye hold thereof, all ye gods and all goddesses; yet could ye not drag to earth from out of heavenZeus the counsellor most high, not though ye laboured sore. But whenso I were minded to draw of a ready heart, then with earth itself should I draw you and with sea withal;

§ 8.25  and the rope should I thereafter bind about a peak ofOlympus and all those things should hang in space. By so much am I above gods and above men.” So spake he, and they all became hushed in silence, marvelling at his words; for full masterfully did he address their gathering.

§ 8.30  But at length there spake among them the goddess, flashing-eyedAthene: “Father of us all, thou son ofCronos, high above all lords, well know we of ourselves that thy might is unyielding, yet even so have we pity for the Danaan spearmen who now shall perish and fulfill an evil fate.

§ 8.35  Yet verily will we refrain us from battle, even as thou dost bid; howbeit counsel will we offer to theArgives which shall be for their profit, that they perish not all by reason of thy wrath.” Then with a smile spake to herZeus the cloud-gatherer: “Be of good cheer,Tritogeneia, dear child. In no wise

§ 8.40  do I speak with full purpose of heart, but am minded to be kindly to thee.” So saying, he let harness beneath his car his bronze-hoovedhorses, swift of flight, with flowing manes of gold; and with gold he clad himself about his body, and grasped the well-wrought whip of gold, and stepped upon his car

§ 8.45  and touched thehorses with the lash to start them; and nothing loath the pair sped onward midway between earth and starry heaven. ToIda he fared, the many-fountained, mother of wild beasts, even toGargarus, where is his demesne and his fragrant altar. There did the father of men and gods stay hishorses,

§ 8.50  and loose them from the car, and shed thick mist upon them; and himself sat amid the mountain peaks exulting in his glory, looking upon the city of theTrojans and the ships of the Achaeans. But the long-haired Achaeans took their meal hastily throughout the huts, and as they rose up therefrom arrayed them in armour;

§ 8.55  and in like manner, theTrojans, on their side, armed themselves throughout the city; fewer they were, but even so were they eager to contend in battle through utter need, for their children's sake and their wives'. And all the gates were opened, and the host hasted forth, footmen alike and charioteers; and a great din arose.

§ 8.60  But when they were met together and come into one place, then clashed they their shields and spears, and the fury of bronze-mailed warriors; and the bossed shields closed each with each, and a great din arose. Then were heard alike the sound of groaning and the cry of triumph

§ 8.65  of the slayers and the slain, and the earth flowed with blood. Now as long as it was morn and the sacred day was waxing, so long the missiles of either side struck home, and the folk kept falling. But when the sun had reached mid heaven, then verily the Father lifted on high his golden scales,

§ 8.70  and set therein two fates of grievous death, one for thehorse-tamingTrojans, and one for the brazen-coated Achaeans; then he grasped the balance by the midst and raised it, and down sank the day of doom of the Achaeans. So the Achaeans' fates settled down upon the bounteous earth and those of theTrojans were raised aloft toward wide heaven.

§ 8.75  Then himself he thundered aloud fromIda, and sent a blazing flash amid the host of the Achaeans; and at sight thereof they were seized with wonder, and pale fear gat hold of all. Then had neitherIdomeneus the heart to abide, norAgamemnon, nor yet theAiantes twain, squires ofAres;

§ 8.80  onlyNestor ofGerenia abode, the warder of the Achaeans, and he nowise of his own will, but hishorse was sore wounded, seeing goodlyAlexander, lord of fair-hairedHelen, had smitten him with an arrow upon the crown of the head where the foremost hairs ofhorses grow upon the skull, and where is the deadliest spot.

§ 8.85  So, stung with agony thehorse leapt on high as the arrow sank into his brain, and he threw into confusionhorses and car as he writhed upon the bronze. And while the old man sprang forth and with his sword was cutting away the traces, meanwhile the swifthorses ofHector came on through the tumult, bearing a bold charioteer,

§ 8.90  evenHector. And now would the old man here have lost his life, had notDiomedes, good at the war-cry, been quick to see; and he shouted with a terrible shout, urging onOdysseus: “Zeus-born son ofLaertes,Odysseus of many wiles, whither fleest thou with thy back turned, like a coward in the throng?

§ 8.95  Let it not be that as thou fleest some man plant his spear in thy back. Nay, hold thy ground, that we may thrust back from oldNestor this wild warrior.” So spake he, howbeit the much-enduring goodlyOdysseus heard him not, but hasted by to the hollow ships of the Achaeans. But the son ofTydeus, alone though he was, mingled with the foremost fighters,

§ 8.100  and took his stand before thehorses of the old man,Neleus' son, and spake and addressed him with winged words: “Old sir, of a surety young warriors press thee sore; whereas thy might is broken and grievous old age attends thee, and thy squire is a weakling and thyhorses slow.

§ 8.105  Nay, come, mount upon my car, that thou mayest see of what sort are thehorses ofTros, well skilled to course fleetly hither and thither over the plain whether in pursuit or in flight, even those that once I took fromAeneas, devisers of rout. Thyhorses shall our two squires tend, but these twain

§ 8.110  shall thou and I drive straight against thehorse-tamingTrojans, thatHector too may know whether my spear also rageth in my hands.” So spake he, and the horseman,Nestor ofGerenia, failed not to hearken. So the mares ofNestor were tended by the two squires, valiantSthenelus andEurymedon the kindly;

§ 8.115  and the other twain mounted both upon the car ofDiomedes.Nestor took in his hands the shining reins, and touched thehorses with the lash, and speedily they drew nigh toHector. Upon him then as he charged straight at them the son ofTydeus made a cast: him he missed, but his squire that drave the chariot, Eniopeus, son of Thebaeus, high of heart,

§ 8.120  even as he was holding the reins, he smote on the breast beside the nipple. So he fell from out the car, and the swift-footedhorses swerved aside thereat; and there his spirit and his strength were undone. Then was the soul ofHector clouded with dread sorrow for his charioteer.

§ 8.125  Yet left he him to lie there, albeit he sorrowed for his comrade, and sought him a bold charioteer; nor did hishorses twain long lack a master, for straightway he foundIphitus' son, boldArcheptolemus, and made him mount behind his swift-footedhorses, and gave the reins into his hands.

§ 8.130  Then had ruin come and deeds beyond remedy been wrought, and they had been penned inIlios likelambs, had not the father of men and gods been quick to see. He thundered terribly and let fly his white lightning-bolt, and down before thehorses ofDiomedes he hurled it to earth;

§ 8.135  and a terrible flame arose of burning sulphur, and the twohorses, seized with terror, cowered beneath the car. Then from the hands ofNestor slipped the shining reins, and he waxed afraid at heart, and spake toDiomedes: “Son ofTydeus, come now, turn thou in flight thy single-hoovedhorses.

§ 8.140  Seest thou not that victory fromZeus waited not on thee? Now to yon man dothZeus, the son ofCronos, vouchsafe glory for this day; hereafter shall he grant it also to us, if so be he will. But a man may in no wise thwart the purpose ofZeus, be he never so valiant; for in sooth he is mightier far.”

§ 8.145  And in answer to him spakeDiomedes, good at the war cry: “Yea, verily, old sir, all this hast thou spoken according to right. But herein dread grief cometh upon my heart and soul, forHector will some day say, as he speaketh in the gathering of theTrojans: ‘Tydeus' son, driven in flight before me, betook him to the ships.’

§ 8.150  So shall he some day boast—on that day let the wide earth gape for me.” And in answer to him spake the horseman,Nestor ofGerenia: “Ah me, thou son of wise-heartedTydeus, what a thing hast thou said! For thoughHector shall call thee coward and weakling, yet will not theTrojans or the Dardanians hearken to him,

§ 8.155  nor the wives of the great-souledTrojans, bearers of the shield, they whose lusty husbands thou hast hurled in the dust.” So spake he, and turned in flight his single-hoovedhorses, back through the tumult; and theTrojans andHector with wondrous shouting poured forth upon them their missiles fraught with groanings.

§ 8.160  Over him then shouted aloud greatHector of the flashing helm: “Son ofTydeus, above all others were theDanaans with swift steeds wont to honour thee with a seat of honour and meats and full cups, but now will they scorn thee; thou art, it appeareth, no better than a woman. Begone, cowardly puppet; since through no flinching of mine

§ 8.165  shalt thou mount upon our walls, and carry away our women in thy ships; ere that will I deal thee thy doom.” So spake he, and the son ofTydeus was divided in counsel whether he should not wheel hishorses and fight him face to face. Thrice he wavered in heart and soul

§ 8.170  and thrice from the mountains ofIdaZeus the counsellor thundered, giving to theTrojans a sign and victory to turn the tide of battle. AndHector shouted aloud and called to theTrojans: “YeTrojans andLycians and Dardanians, that fight in close combat, be men, my friends, and bethink you of furious valour.

§ 8.175  I perceive that of a ready heart the son ofCronos hath given unto me victory and great glory, and to theDanaans woe. Fools they are, that contrived forsooth these walls, weak and of none account; these shall not withhold our might, and ourhorses shall lightly leap over the digged ditch.

§ 8.180  But when I be at length come amid the hollow ships, then see ye that consuming fire be not forgotten, that with fire I may burn the ships and furthermore slay the men, even theArgives beside their ships, distraught by reason of the smoke.” So saying he shouted to hishorses, and said: “Xanthus, and thou Podargus, andAethon, and goodlyLampus,

§ 8.185  now pay me back your tending wherewith in abundanceAndromache, daughter of great-heartedEetion, set before you honey-hearted wheat, and mingled wine for you to drink when your souls bade you,

§ 8.190  sooner than for me, that avow me to be her stalwart husband. Nay, haste ye in pursuit, that we may take the shield ofNestor, the fame whereof now reacheth unto heaven, that it is all of gold, the rods alike and the shield itself; and may take moreover from the shoulders ofhorse-tamingDiomedes

§ 8.195  his breastplate richly-dight, whichHephaestus wrought with toil. Could we but take these twain, then might I hope to make the Achaeans this very night embark upon their swift ships.” So spake he vauntingly, and queenlyHera had indignation thereat; she shook herself on her throne and made highOlympus to quake,

§ 8.200  and to the mighty godPoseidon she spake, saying: “Ah me, thou Shaker ofEarth, wide of sway, not even hath the heart in thy breast pity of theDanaans that are perishing. Yet in thine honour do they bring toHelice andAegae offerings many and gracious and hitherto thou didst wish them victory.

§ 8.205  For did we but will, all we that are aiders of theDanaans, to drive back theTrojans and to withholdZeus whose voice is borne afar, then, in vexation of spirit, would he sit alone there uponIda.” Then, his heart sore troubled, the lord, the Shaker ofEarth, spake to her: “Hera, reckless in speech, what a word hast thou spoken!

§ 8.210  It is not I that were fain to see us all at strife withZeus, son ofCronos, for he verily is mightier far.” On this wise spake they, one to the other; and now was all the space that the moat of the wall enclosed on the side of the ships filled alike with chariots and shield-bearing men

§ 8.215  huddled together: and huddled they were byHector,Priam's son, the peer of swiftAres, now thatZeus vouchsafed him glory. And now would he have burned the shapely ships with blazing fire, had not queenlyHera put it inAgamemnon's mind himself to bestir him, and speedily rouse on the Achaeans.

§ 8.220  So he went his way along the huts and ships of the Achaeans, bearing his great purple cloak in his stout hand, and took his stand byOdysseus' black ship, huge of hull, that was in the midst so that a shout could reach to either end, both to the huts ofAias, son ofTelamon,

§ 8.225  and to those ofAchilles; for these had drawn up their shapely ships at the furthermost ends, trusting in their valour and in the strength of their hands. There uttered he a piercing shout, calling aloud to theDanaans: “Fie, yeArgives, base things of shame fair in semblance only.

§ 8.230  Whither are gone our boastings, when forsooth we declared that we were bravest, the boasts that when ye were inLemnos ye uttered vaingloriously as ye ate abundant flesh of straight-hornedkine and drank bowls brim full of wine, saying that each man would stand to face in battle an hundred, aye, two hundredTrojans! whereas now can we match not even one,

§ 8.235  thisHector, that soon will burn our ships with blazing fire. FatherZeus, was there ever ere now one among mighty kings whose soul thou didst blind with blindness such as this, and rob him of great glory? Yet of a surety do I deem that never in my benched ship did I pass by fair altar of thine on my ill-starred way hither,

§ 8.240  but upon all I burned the fat and the thighs ofbulls, in my eagerness to lay waste well-walledTroy. Nay,Zeus, this desire fulfill thou me: ourselves at least do thou suffer to flee and escape, and permit not the Achaeans thus to be vanquished by theTrojans.”

§ 8.245  So spake he, and the Father had pity on him as he wept, and vouchsafed him that his folk should be saved and not perish. Forthwith he sent aneagle, surest of omens among winged birds, holding in his talons a fawn, the young of a swift hind. Beside the fair altar ofZeus he let fall the fawn,

§ 8.250  even where the Achaeans were wont to offer sacrifice toZeus from whom all omens come. So they, when they saw that it was fromZeus that the bird was come, leapt the more upon theTrojans and bethought them of battle. Then might no man of theDanaans, for all they were so many, vaunt that he before the son ofTydeus guided his swifthorses

§ 8.255  to drive them forth across the trench and to fight man to man; nay he was first by far to slay a mailed warrior of theTrojans, evenAgelaus, Phradraon's son. He in sooth had turned hishorses to flee, but as he wheeled aboutDiomedes fixed his spear in his back between the shoulders, and drave it through his breast;

§ 8.260  so he fell from out the car, and upon him his armour clanged. And after him came the sons ofAtreus,Agamemnon andMenelaus, and after them theAiantes, clothed in furious valour, and after themIdomeneus andIdomeneus' comrade,Meriones, peer ofEnyalius, slayer of men,

§ 8.265  and after themEurypylus, the glorious son ofEuaemon; andTeucer came as the ninth, stretching his back-bent bow, and took his stand beneath the shield ofAias, son ofTelamon. Then wouldAias move his shield aside from over him, and the warrior would spy his chance; and when he had shot his bolt and had smitten one in the throng,

§ 8.270  then would that man fall where he was and give up his life, andTeucer would hie him back, and as a child beneath his mother, so betake him for shelter toAias; andAias would ever hide him with his shining shield. Whom first then of theTrojans did peerlessTeucer slay?Orsilochus first andOrmenus and Ophelestes and

§ 8.275  Daetor andChromius and godlikeLycophontes and Amopaon, Polyaemon's son, andMelanippus. All these, one after another, he brought down to the bounteous earth. And at sight of himAgamemnon, king of men, waxed glad, as with his mighty bow he made havoc of the battalions of theTrojans;

§ 8.280  and he came and stood by his side and spake to him, saying: “Teucer, beloved, son ofTelamon, captain of hosts, shoot on in this wise, if so be thou mayest prove a light of deliverance to theDanaans and a glory to thy fatherTelamon, who reared thee when thou wast a babe, and for all thou wast a bastard cherished thee in his own house;

§ 8.285  him, far away though he be, do thou bring to honour. Moreover, I will declare to thee as it verily shall be brought to pass. IfZeus that beareth the aegis, andAthene shall vouchsafe me to lay waste the well-built citadel ofIlios, in thy hand first after mine own self will I place a meed of honour,

§ 8.290  either a tripod or twohorses with their car, or a woman that shall go up into thy bed.” Then in answer to him spake peerlessTeucer: “Most glorious son ofAtreus, why urgest thou me on, that of myself am eager? Verily I forbear not so far as might is in me,

§ 8.295  but from the time when we drave them towardIlios, even from that moment I lie in wait with my bow and slay the men. Eight long-barbed arrows have I now let fly, and all are lodged in the flesh of youths swift in battle; only this maddog can I not smite.”

§ 8.300  He spake, and shot another arrow from the string straight againstHector; and his heart was fain to smite him. Howbeit him he missed, but peerlessGorgythion he smote in the breast with his arrow,Priam's valiant son, that a mother wedded fromAesyme had born,

§ 8.305  even fair Castianeira, in form like to the goddesses. And he bowed his head to one side like a poppy that in a garden is laden with its fruit and the rains of spring; so bowed he to one side his head, laden with his helmet. AndTeucer shot another arrow from the string

§ 8.310  straight againstHector, and his heart was fain to smite him. Howbeit he missed him once again, forApollo made his dart to swerve, butArcheptolemus, the bold charioteer ofHector, as he hasted into battle he smote on the breast beside the nipple. So he fell from out the car, and the swift-footedhorses swerved aside thereat;

§ 8.315  and there his spirit and his strength were undone. Then was the soul ofHector clouded with dread sorrow for his charioteer. Yet left he him to lie there, though he sorrowed for his comrade, and badeCebriones, his own brother, that was nigh at hand, take the reins of thehorses; and he heard and failed not to hearken.

§ 8.320  And himselfHector leapt to the ground from his gleaming car crying a terrible cry, and seizing a stone in his hand made right atTeucer, and his heart bade him smite him. NowTeucer had drawn forth from the quiver a bitter arrow, and laid it upon the string, but even as he was drawing it backHector of the flashing helm

§ 8.325  smote him beside the shoulder where the collar-bone parts the neck and the breast, where is the deadliest spot; even there as he aimed eagerly against him he smote him with the jagged stone, and he brake the bow-string; but his hand grew numb at the wrist, and he sank upon his knees and thus abode, and the bow fell from his hand.

§ 8.330  HowbeitAias was not unmindful of his brother's fall, but ran and bestrode him and flung before him his shield as a cover. Then two trusty comrades stooped beneath him, evenMecisteus, son of Echius, and goodlyAlastor, and bare him, groaning heavily, to the hollow ships.