Book 12

So the valiant son of Menoetius in his hutwas tending Eurypylus, who had been struck; and they fought on,Argives and Trojans in thronging masses; nor any morewas the ditch to hold the Danaans, nor the wall above it,the wide wall they had built above the ships, and around it a ditchthey dug; and to the gods they gave no glorious hecatombs;so that it might guard their swift ships and their great plunderheld within; but it was built against the willof the deathless gods; and so it stood firm no long time.As long as Hector lived, and Achilles nursed his wrath,and the city of lord Priam stood unsacked,so long the great wall of the Achaeans stood firm.But when the best of the Trojans had died,and many of the Argives too, some slain and some left behind,and the city of Priam was sacked in the tenth year,and the Argives had gone home in their ships to their dear country,then it was that Poseidon and Apollo plannedto blot out the wall, bringing in the fury of the rivers.All the rivers that pour from the Idaean mountains to the sea,Rhesus and Heptaporus and Caresus and Rhodiusand Grenicus and Aesepus and shining Scamanderand Simoeis, where many ox-hide shields and helmetsfell in the dust, and the race of demigod men —of all these Phoebus Apollo turned the mouths together,and for nine days he hurled their stream against the wall; and Zeus rainedwithout ceasing, to sweep the wall to the sea the sooner.And the Earth-shaker himself, trident in his hands,led them, and drove out all the foundations into the waves,of timbers and stones, which the Achaeans had set there with toil,and made all smooth beside the strong-flowing Hellespont,and again covered the great shore over with sand,blotting out the wall; and he turned the riversback along their course, where before their fair water ran.So Poseidon and Apollo were to do in after time;but then the battle and the war-cry blazed aroundthe well-built wall, and the spears clashed on the towersas they were cast; and the Argives, beaten by the whip of Zeus,penned in beside the hollow ships, were held back,dreading Hector, the mighty contriver of rout;but he fought as before, like a whirlwind.As when among dogs and hunting mena boar or a lion turns, glorying in his strength,and they, packed shoulder to shoulder in a tower-close mass,stand against him and hurl thickspears from their hands; and his glorious heart neverflinches nor flees, but his own daring kills him;again and again he wheels, testing the ranks of men;wherever he charges, there the ranks of men give way —so Hector went through the throng, rallying his comrades,urging them to cross the ditch; but his horsesswift-footed dared not, but neighed loudly on the veryedge as they stood; for the wide ditch frightened them away,nor was it easy to leap over it, norto cross; for steep banks stood round it on both sides,and on top it was set with sharp stakes,which the sons of the Achaeans had planted,thick and tall, a defense against enemy men.There no horse dragging a well-wheeled chariotcould easily enter; on foot they meant to try.Then Polydamas stood beside bold Hector and spoke:Hector, and you other leaders of the Trojans and allies,we drive our swift horses through the ditch like fools;it is very hard to cross; for sharp stakes stand in it,and beyond them the wall of the Achaeans,where there is no way to go down and fightfor horsemen; for it is narrow, and there I think we shall be wounded.For if Zeus who thunders on high means them utter harm,and is eager to help the Trojans,then I myself would wish this to happen at once,that the Achaeans perish here nameless, far from Argos;but if they turn back, and a rout comesfrom the ships, and we are caught in the dug ditch,then I think no messenger will get backto the city, once the Achaeans have wheeled on us.Come then, let us all do as I say:let the attendants hold the horses at the ditch,and let us on foot, armed in our armor,all follow Hector in a body; and the Achaeanswill not stand, if the ends of destruction are fastened on them.So spoke Polydamas, and his blameless word pleased Hector,and at once he leapt from his chariot in his armor to the ground.Nor did the other Trojans stay gathered on their horses,but all sprang down when they saw shining Hector.Then each man gave orders to his own charioteerto hold the horses well in order back at the ditch;and they, dividing and marshalling themselves,arrayed in five companies, followed with their leaders.Some went with Hector and blameless Polydamas,who were the most and the best, and most eagerto break the wall and fight at the hollow ships.And Cebriones followed third with them; beside the chariotHector left another man, worse than Cebriones.Of the second company Paris led, and Alcathous and Agenor,of the third Helenus and godlike Deiphobus,two sons of Priam; and third was the hero Asius,Asius son of Hyrtacus, whom his horses brought from Arisbe,great tawny horses from the river Selleis.Of the fourth the good son of Anchises led,Aeneas, and with him two sons of Antenor,Archelochus and Acamas, well skilled in all battle.And Sarpedon led the far-famed allies,and chose with him Glaucus and warlike Asteropaeus;for he thought these were best, apart from himself,of the others after himself; and he stood out among all.And when they had fitted their shields together with well-made ox-hides,they went straight at the Danaans eager, and thoughtthey would not be stopped, but would fall upon the black ships.Then the other Trojans and the far-famed alliesobeyed the counsel of blameless Polydamas;but Asius son of Hyrtacus, leader of men, would notleave his horses there and his charioteer attendant,but with them he came near the swift ships —fool, and he was not to escape the evil fatesand return, exulting in his horses and chariot, from the shipsback to windy Ilion;for before that an ill-named doom wrapped round him,by the spear of Idomeneus, the glorious son of Deucalion.For he drove toward the left of the ships, where the Achaeanswere coming back from the plain with horses and chariots;there he drove his horses and chariot through, and did not findthe doors shut against him and the long bar,but men held them wide open, in case they might save some comradefleeing from war back to the ships.Straight there he drove his horses, and they followed with himshouting shrilly; for they thought the Achaeans would no longerstand, but would fall upon the black ships —fools, for in the gates they found two of the best men,the high-hearted sons of the Lapith spearmen,one the son of Peirithous, mighty Polypoetes,the other Leonteus, like Ares, the bane of men.These two stood in front of the high gates,like high-crowned oaks in the mountains,which wait out wind and rain all their days,fitted with great roots running unbroken;so the two, trusting in their hands and their strength,waited for great Asius coming on, and did not flee.And they made straight for the well-built wall, holding up their raw ox-hide shieldson high, and came with a great war-cry,around lord Asius, and Iamenus and Orestes,and Adamas son of Asius, and Thoon, and Oenomaus.Now these, as long as they were inside, kept urging the well-greaved Achaeansto defend themselves around the ships;but when they saw the Trojans rushing at the wall,and there arose a cry and a panic among the Danaans,the two sprang out and fought in front of the gates,like wild boars, which in the mountainsawait the onrush of men and dogs,and leaping sideways break the brush around them,cutting it off at the root, and beneath there is a gnashing of teeth,until someone strikes and takes their life;so their shining bronze rang on their chestsas they were struck face to face; for they fought very fiercely,trusting in the men above them and in their own strength.And the others threw stones from the well-built towers,defending themselves and their hutsand their swift ships; and they fell like snowflakes to the ground,which a violent wind, shaking the shadowy clouds,pours down thick upon the much-nourishing earth;so from their hands the missiles flowed, from the Achaeansand from the Trojans too; and helmets rang hard and dry around themas they were struck by the millstones, and the bossed shields.Then indeed Asius son of Hyrtacus groaned and struck his thighs,and in his bitterness spoke a word:Father Zeus, so you too have come to love lyingaltogether! For I did not think the Achaean heroeswould hold against our fury and our irresistible hands.But they, like wasps or bees in the middlewho make their homes on a rugged path,and do not leave their hollow home, but stayingfight off the hunters for their young;so these two, though only two, do not wishto give way from the gates before either being killed or taken.So he spoke, but saying this did not persuade the heart of Zeus;for his heart wished to give glory to Hector.And others fought their battle at other gates;and it is hard for me to tell all this as if I were a god;for on every side around the wall a god-sent fire blazed,a fire of stone; and the Argives, though grieving, by necessitydefended their ships; and the gods were grieved at heart,all who were helpers of the Danaans in battle.And the Lapiths joined in war and fighting.Then again the son of Peirithous, mighty Polypoetes,struck Damasus with his spear through his bronze-cheeked helmet;nor did the bronze helmet hold it, but straight throughthe bronze spear-point broke the bone, and the brainwas all bespattered inside; and he killed him as he charged;and then he stripped Pylon and Ormenus.And Leonteus, the branch of Ares, struck the son of Antimachus,Hippomachus, with his spear, hitting him at the belt.Then drawing his sharp sword from its sheathhe sprang through the throng and first struck Antiphatesat close quarters; and he fell backward on the ground;and then Menon and Iamenus and Orestes,all of them one after another, he brought down to the much-nourishing earth.While these stripped the shining armor from them,meanwhile the sons followed Polydamas and Hector,who were the most and the best, and most eagerto break the wall and burn the ships with fire —and they still stood pondering beside the ditch.For as they were eager to cross, a bird came to them,an eagle flying high, on the left of the army,carrying in its talons a monstrous blood-red snake,still alive and writhing, and not yet forgetful of the fight;for it struck the eagle holding it, on the chest by the neck,twisting back; and the eagle let it drop to the groundin pain from the agony, and it fell in the middle of the throng,and the eagle itself flew off shrieking on the winds.And the Trojans shuddered when they saw the coiled snakelying in their midst, a portent from Zeus who holds the aegis.Then Polydamas stood beside bold Hector and spoke:Hector, you are always somehow finding fault with me in the assemblieswhen I counsel what is good, since it is not fittingfor a man of the people to speak out of turn, either in councilor in war, but always to increase your power;yet now I will speak again as seems to me best.Let us not go to fight the Danaans over the ships.For I think it will turn out this way, if this bird trulycame to the Trojans as they were eager to cross,the high-flying eagle, on the left of the army,carrying in its talons a monstrous blood-red snake,alive; and it dropped it at once before it reached its own home,and did not carry it home to give to its young.So we, even if we break the gates and the wall of the Achaeansby our great strength, and the Achaeans give way,we shall not come back by the same paths to the ships in good order;for we shall leave many of the Trojans behind, whom the Achaeanswill cut down with bronze as they defend the ships.So would a prophet answer, who clearly knowsthe signs in his heart, and the people would believe him.Then Hector of the shining helmet answered him with a dark look:Polydamas, you no longer speak words dear to me;you know how to think of a better word than this.But if you truly speak this in earnest,then the gods themselves have destroyed your wits,you who bid me forget the counsels of Zeus who thunders loud,which he himself promised me and nodded to;But you bid me trust in long-winged birds,to which I pay no heed at all, nor care,whether they fly to the right, toward the dawn and the sun,or to the left, toward the misty darkness.But let us obey the counsel of great Zeus,who rules over all mortals and immortals.One omen is best: to fight for one's country.Why do you fear war and fighting?For even if all the rest of us are killed aroundthe Argive ships, there is no fear that you will die;for your heart is not steadfast in battle, nor warlike.But if you hold back from the fighting, or with your words turnsome other man aside from war,at once, struck by my spear, you will lose your life.So speaking he led the way, and they followed with himwith a wondrous cry; and Zeus who delights in thunderroused a storm of wind from the Idaean mountains,which bore the dust straight at the ships; and it bewitched the minds of the Achaeans,but gave glory to the Trojans and to Hector.Trusting in his portents and in their strength,they tried to break the great wall of the Achaeans.They tore at the battlements of the towers and threw down the parapets,and levered out the projecting posts, which the Achaeanshad first set in the earth to be supports of the towers.These they tore up, and hoped to break the wall of the Achaeans;but the Danaans did not yet give way from the path,but they, fencing the parapets with ox-hides,hurled at the enemy coming up beneath the wall.And both Ajaxes went to and fro on the towerson every side, urging on the fury of the Achaeans.One man with gentle words, another with harsh wordsthey rebuked, whoever they saw wholly hanging back from the fight:Friends, Argives, whoever is foremost, whoever is middling,or whoever is lesser — for men are not all alikein war — now there is work for all;and you yourselves know this, I think. Let no one turn backtoward the ships, hearing the summoning call,but press forward and call to one another,in hope that Olympian Zeus, the lightning-giver,may grant that, having beaten off the fight, we drive the enemy to their city.So the two shouted and urged on the battle of the Achaeans.And theirs, as thick snowflakes fallon a winter day, when Zeus the counselor rouses himselfto snow upon men, showing forth his shafts;and having lulled the winds he pours steadily, so that he may coverthe peaks of the high mountains and the topmost ridgesand the lotus-bearing plains and the rich works of men,and it is poured out also on the gray sea, on the harbors and the shores,and the wave beating upon it is held back; and all things elseare wrapped over, when the rain of Zeus presses down;so from both sides the stones flew thick,some toward the Trojans, and some from the Trojans at the Achaeans,as they threw; and over all the wall a din arose.And not yet then would the Trojans and shining Hectorhave broken the gates of the wall and the long bar,if Zeus the counselor had not roused his own son Sarpedonagainst the Argives, like a lion against crooked-horned cattle.At once he held his shield before him, equal on every side,beautiful, beaten bronze, which the smith had hammered out,and inside he had stitched thick ox-hideswith golden rods running all around the rim.Holding this before him and shaking two spears,he went like a mountain-bred lion, who for a long timehas lacked meat, and his proud heart urges himto try the flocks and come to the close-built fold;for even if he finds herdsmen thereguarding the flocks with dogs and spears,he does not mean to be driven from the fold untried,but either he springs in and seizes one, or he himselfis struck among the foremost by a spear from a swift hand;so then the heart urged godlike Sarpedonto spring at the wall and break through the parapets.And at once he spoke to Glaucus, son of Hippolochus:Glaucus, why are we two honored mostwith seats and meat and cups filled fullin Lycia, and all look on us as gods,and we hold a great precinct beside the banks of the Xanthus,fair with orchards and wheat-bearing plowland?So now we must stand among the first of the Lyciansand face the blazing battle,so that some one of the close-armed Lycians may say:Our kings who rule in Lycia are not without glory;they eat fat sheepand drink choice honey-sweet wine; but their strength too is good,since they fight among the first of the Lycians.My friend, if we two could escape this warand were always to be ageless and deathless,I would not myself fight among the foremost,nor would I send you into the battle that brings men glory;but now, since the fates of death stand all around,countless, which no mortal can flee or escape,let us go, and give glory to someone, or someone to us.So he spoke, and Glaucus did not turn away nor disobey;and the two went straight on, leading the great host of the Lycians.And when he saw them, Menestheus, son of Peteos, shuddered;for they were coming to his tower, bringing disaster.He looked along the wall of the Achaeans, to see if he could spotone of the leaders who might ward off disaster from his comrades;and he noticed the two Ajaxes, insatiate of war,standing there, and Teucer just coming from his hutnearby; but there was no way for him to make himself heard by shouting,so great was the din, and the shout reached heaven,of shields and horse-haired helmets being struck,and of the gates; for all were barred, and they stood at themtrying to break in by force.At once he sent the herald Thootes to Ajax:Go, shining Thootes, at a run, call Ajax —both of them, better; for that would be far the best of all,since sheer destruction will soon be wrought here.For thus the leaders of the Lycians have pressed on, who even beforeare violent in the strong encounters.But if toil and strife have arisen for them there too,let at least Telamonian Ajax come alone,and let Teucer follow with him, well skilled with the bow.So he spoke, and the herald did not disobey when he heard,but ran along the wall of the bronze-clad Achaeans,and came and stood by the Ajaxes, and spoke at once:Ajaxes, leaders of the bronze-clad Argives,the dear son of Peteos, nurtured by Zeus, bids youcome there, so that you may share the toil, if only for a little —both of you, better; for that would be far the best of all,since sheer destruction will soon be wrought there;for thus the leaders of the Lycians have pressed on, who even beforeare violent in the strong encounters.But if war and strife have arisen here too,let at least Telamonian Ajax come alone,and let Teucer follow with him, well skilled with the bow.So he spoke, and great Telamonian Ajax did not disobey.At once he spoke winged words to the son of Oileus:Ajax, you two stay here, you and mighty Lycomedes,and standing here urge the Danaans to fight with all their strength;but I will go there and face the battle;and I will come back quickly, once I have helped them well.So speaking, Telamonian Ajax went off,and Teucer went with him, his brother by the same father;and with them Pandion carried Teucer's curved bow.When they came to the tower of great-hearted Menestheus,coming inside the wall, they came to men in need,and they climbed onto the parapets, like a dark hurricane —the mighty leaders and lords of the Lycians;and they joined battle face to face, and the shout went up.And Telamonian Ajax first killed a man,Sarpedon's comrade, great-hearted Epicles,striking him with a jagged stone, which inside the walllay, a great stone by the parapet, the topmost one; not easilycould a man hold it with both hands, not even a strong young one,such as mortals are now; but he lifted it and threw it from above,and smashed the four-horned helmet, and crushed the bonesall together of his head; and he, like a diver,fell from the high tower, and his life left his bones.And Teucer struck Glaucus, the mighty son of Hippolochus,with an arrow as he rushed at the high wall,where he saw his arm bared, and stopped him from fighting.He leapt back from the wall unseen, so that no Achaeanmight see him wounded and exult over him with boasting words.Grief came to Sarpedon when Glaucus went away,as soon as he noticed; yet he did not forget his fighting,but he struck Thestor's son Alcmaon with his spear,and drew the spear out; and he fell following the spearface down, and his armor clattered around him, ornate with bronze.And Sarpedon, seizing a parapet with his strong hands,pulled, and the whole thing followed clean through, and abovethe wall was laid bare, and he made a path for many.Then Ajax and Teucer, attacking together, one struck himwith an arrow, his shining baldric across his chest,the strap of the shield that covers a man; but Zeus warded off the fatesfrom his son, lest he be slain at the ships' sterns;and Ajax sprang and struck his shield, but the spear did not gothrough, but checked him in his eagerness.He gave ground a little from the parapet, but did notretreat entirely, for his heart hoped to win glory.He turned and called to the godlike Lycians:Lycians, why do you slacken your furious valor so?It is hard for me, though I am mighty,alone to break through and make a path to the ships;but follow on; the work of more men is better.So he spoke, and they, dreading their lord's rebuke,pressed on the harder around their counselor lord.And the Argives on the other side strengthened their ranksinside the wall, and the work loomed great before them;for neither could the mighty Lycians, having broken the wall,make a path to the ships,nor could the spearman Danaans drive the Lyciansback from the wall, once they had first come close.But as two men quarrel over boundariesholding measures in their hands in a common field,who contend in a small space over an equal share;so the parapets kept them apart; and over themthey kept cutting at each other's ox-hide shields on their chests,the well-rounded shields and the winged light bucklers.And many were wounded on the flesh by the pitiless bronze,whether when a man turned and his back was baredas they fought, and many right through the shield itself.Everywhere the towers and parapets were sprinkled with the blood of menfrom both sides, from the Trojans and the Achaeans.But even so they could not put the Achaeans to flight,but they held, as an honest working woman holds the scales,who, holding the weight and the wool, pulls them apart and balances,so that she may win a sorry wage for her children;so their battle and war stretched on even,until Zeus gave the greater glory to Hector,son of Priam, who was first to leap onto the wall of the Achaeans.He shouted piercingly, calling to the Trojans:Up, horse-taming Trojans, break the wallof the Argives, and set the ships ablaze with fire.So he spoke urging them, and all heard with their ears,and they rushed at the wall in a body; and someclimbed up on the battlements holding sharpened spears,and Hector seized and carried a stone, which before the gatesstood, thick at the base, but on topit was sharp; two of the best men of the people could noteasily heave it from the ground onto a wagon,such as mortals are now; but he shook it easily, alone.The son of crooked-counseling Cronos made it light for him.As when a shepherd easily carries the fleece of a ram,taking it in one hand, and it presses on him as a small burden,so Hector carried the stone, lifting it, straight at the doors,which shut the gates, firmly and stoutly fitted,tall double doors; and two bars insideheld them, crossing each other, and a single key-pin pressed on them.He came and stood very close, and setting himself, threw at the middle,with a good wide stance, so that his throw might not be weak,and broke off both hinge-posts; and the stone fell inwardwith its weight, and the gates bellowed loudly around, and the barsdid not hold, and the planks split apart this way and thatunder the stone's cast; and shining Hector leapt inlike the swift night, terrible to look upon; and he shone with the bronzethat he had put around his body, and in his hands twospears he held; no one could have held him back meeting himapart from the gods, when he leapt to the gates; and his eyes blazed with fire.He turned and called to the Trojans through the throngto climb over the wall; and they obeyed his urging.At once some climbed over the wall, and others poured inthrough the well-made gates; and the Danaans were put to flightalong the hollow ships, and the uproar became unceasing.

So the brave son of Menoetius was in his huttending Eurypylus, who had been wounded; and the fighting went onbetween Greeks and Trojans in throngs; and no longerwould the ditch hold the Greeks, nor the wall above it,the wide wall they had built above the ships, and around it a ditchthey dug; but they did not give the gods glorious sacrifices.The wall was meant to keep their swift ships and their great plundersafe inside; but it was built against the willof the deathless gods; and so it did not stand for long.As long as Hector lived, and Achilles' anger lasted,and the city of lord Priam stood unsacked,so long the great wall of the Greeks stood firm.But when the best of the Trojans had died,and many Greeks too, some killed and some left behind,and Priam's city was sacked in the tenth year,and the Greeks had sailed home in their ships to their own country,then Poseidon and Apollo plannedto wipe out the wall, bringing in the fury of the rivers.All the rivers that flow from the mountains of Ida to the sea,Rhesus, Heptaporus, Caresus, Rhodius,Grenicus, Aesepus, shining Scamander,and Simoeis, where so many ox-hide shields and helmetsfell in the dust, and the race of half-divine men —Apollo turned all their mouths togetherand hurled their flood at the wall for nine days; and Zeus rainedwithout stopping, to sweep the wall into the sea faster.Poseidon the Earth-shaker, trident in his hands,led them, and drove out all the foundations into the waves,of timbers and stones the Greeks had set there with such labor,and made it all flat beside the strong-flowing Hellespont,and covered the great shore back over with sand,wiping out the wall; and he turned the riversback along their course, where their fair water had flowed before.That is what Poseidon and Apollo were going to do later;but now battle and war-cry blazed aroundthe well-built wall, and the spears clattered on the towersas they were thrown; and the Greeks, beaten by Zeus's whip,penned in beside the hollow ships, were held back,terrified of Hector, that powerful bringer of panic.But he fought as before, like a whirlwind.Like when among dogs and hunting mena boar or a lion turns, glorying in his strength,and they, packed shoulder to shoulder,stand against him and throw their thickspears from their hands; and his proud heart neverflinches or runs, but his own courage kills him;again and again he wheels, testing the ranks of men;wherever he charges, the ranks of men give way —so Hector moved through the crowd, rallying his comrades,urging them to cross the ditch; but his horsesdid not dare, swift-footed as they were, but neighed loudlystanding at the very edge; the wide ditch scared themoff — it was not easy to leap it or crossit; for steep banks stood on both sides all along,and on top it was set with sharp stakesthat the sons of the Greeks had planted there,thick and tall, a defense against enemy men.No horse pulling a well-wheeled chariot could easilyget in; the foot soldiers meant to try.Then Polydamas stood by bold Hector and said:"Hector, and you other leaders of the Trojans and allies,we are driving our fast horses through this ditch like fools.It is very hard to cross; sharp stakes stand in it,and beyond them is the Greek wall,where there is no way for horsemen to get downand fight; it is a narrow place — I think we will be wounded there.If thundering Zeus really means to destroy these men,and he is on the Trojan side,then I would want it to happen right now,that the Greeks die here with no name, far from Argos.But if they turn around, and there is a routfrom the ships, and we get trapped in the dug ditch,then I do not think even a messenger will get backto the city, once the Greeks wheel on us.Come on, let us all do what I say:let the drivers hold the horses at the ditch,and let us go on foot, armed in our armor,all following Hector together; and the Greekswill not stand, if death is truly fixed on them."So said Polydamas, and his blameless advice pleased Hector,and at once he jumped from his chariot to the ground in his armor.The other Trojans did not stay on their horses either,but all jumped down when they saw shining Hector.Each man then told his own charioteerto hold the horses in good order back at the ditch;and they divided up and got themselves ready,arranged in five groups, and followed with their leaders.One group went with Hector and blameless Polydamas,the biggest and the best, and the most eagerto break the wall and fight at the hollow ships.Cebriones followed third with them; beside the chariotHector left a driver worse than Cebriones.The second group was led by Paris, Alcathous, and Agenor;the third by Helenus and godlike Deiphobus,two sons of Priam; and third was the hero Asius,Asius son of Hyrtacus, whose horses brought him from Arisbe,big tawny horses from the river Selleis.The fourth was led by the good son of Anchises,Aeneas, and with him two sons of Antenor,Archelochus and Acamas, who knew every kind of fighting.Sarpedon led the famous allies,and picked Glaucus and warlike Asteropaeus with him;he thought they were the best, next to himself,of all the rest; and he stood out among them all.When they had fitted their shields together, made of good ox-hide,they went straight at the Greeks, eager, and they thoughtnothing would stop them, but that they would fall on the black ships.Then the other Trojans and the far-famed alliesobeyed the advice of blameless Polydamas.But Asius son of Hyrtacus, leader of men, refusedto leave his horses there and his charioteer,and drove with them right up to the swift ships —fool, and he was not going to escape the evil fatesand come back, proud of his horses and chariot, from the shipsto windy Troy;for before that an unlucky doom wrapped round him,by the spear of Idomeneus, the glorious son of Deucalion.He drove to the left of the ships, where the Greekswere coming back from the plain with horses and chariots.He drove his horses and chariot straight through there, and did not findthe doors shut against him with the long bar,but men held them wide open, hoping to save some comraderunning from battle back to the ships.Straight there he drove his horses, and his men followedshouting shrilly; they thought the Greeks would no longerstand, but would fall on the black ships —fools, for in the gates they found two of the best men,the high-hearted sons of the Lapith spearmen,one the son of Peirithous, mighty Polypoetes,the other Leonteus, like Ares, the ruin of men.These two stood in front of the high gates,like towering oaks in the mountains,that face wind and rain every day,fixed with great roots that never break;so the two, trusting their hands and their strength,waited for great Asius to come on, and did not run.And the attackers went straight for the well-built wall, holding their raw ox-hide shieldsup high, and came with a great yell,around lord Asius, and Iamenus and Orestes,Adamas son of Asius, Thoon, and Oenomaus.Now as long as these were inside, they kept urging the well-armed Greeksto defend the ships;but when they saw the Trojans rushing at the wall,and a cry and panic went up among the Greeks,the two sprang out and fought in front of the gates,like wild boars that in the mountainswait for the rush of men and dogs,and leaping sideways smash the brush around them,cutting it off at the root, while the gnashing of their teethgoes on until someone hits and kills them.Just so the bright bronze rang on their chestsas they were hit head-on; they fought very hard,trusting the men above them and their own strength.The others threw stones from the well-built towers,defending themselves, their huts,and their swift ships; and the stones fell like snowflakes to the ground,the kind a violent wind shakes down from the shadowy cloudsthick over the fertile earth —so the missiles poured from their hands, from the Greeksand from the Trojans too; and helmets rang hollow, and the round,bossed shields, hit by the stones.Then Asius son of Hyrtacus groaned and slapped his thighs,and spoke in bitterness:"Father Zeus, so you have turned into a lover of liesafter all! I never thought the Greek heroeswould stand up to our fury and our unstoppable hands.But they, like wasps or bees in the middlewho make their nest beside a rough road,and will not leave their hollow home, but stayand fight off the hunters for their children —so these two, though only two, refuseto leave the gates until they are killed or taken."So he spoke, but saying this did not persuade Zeus;for Zeus's heart wanted to give the glory to Hector.Others fought their battle at other gates;and I could not tell it all as if I were a god,for on every side around the stone wall a god-sent fire of battle blazed.The Greeks, though they were suffering, had todefend their ships; and the gods were sick at heart,all of them who were helpers of the Greeks in battle.The Lapiths joined in the war and the fighting.Then again the son of Peirithous, mighty Polypoetes,hit Damasus with his spear through his bronze-cheeked helmet;the bronze helmet did not stop it, but the bronze point wentstraight through and broke the bone, and the brainwas all smashed inside; he killed him as he charged.Then he stripped Pylon and Ormenus.And Leonteus, that branch of Ares, hit the son of Antimachus,Hippomachus, with his spear, catching him at the belt.Then he pulled his sharp sword from its sheathand sprang through the crowd and first struck Antiphatesat close range; he fell backward on the ground.Then Menon and Iamenus and Orestes,one after another, he brought all of them down to the fertile earth.While these were stripping the shining armor off them,the young men were following Polydamas and Hector —the biggest and best, who were the most eagerto break the wall and burn the ships with fire —and they were still standing by the ditch, thinking.As they were eager to cross, a bird came to them:an eagle flying high, on the left of the army,carrying a huge blood-red snake in its talons,still alive and writhing, and it had not given up the fight.It twisted back and struck the eagle holding it, on the chest by the neck;the eagle dropped it to the groundin pain, and it fell in the middle of the crowd,and the eagle itself flew off shrieking on the wind.The Trojans shuddered when they saw the spotted snakelying in their midst — a sign from Zeus who holds the aegis.Then Polydamas stood by bold Hector and said:"Hector, you always find fault with me in the assemblieswhen I give good advice, though it is not rightfor a common man to speak out of turn, in councilor in war — you should always be building up your power.But now I will say again what seems best to me:let us not go and fight the Greeks over the ships.I think it will turn out this way, if this birdreally came to the Trojans as they were eager to cross —the high-flying eagle on the left of the army,carrying a huge blood-red snake in its talons,alive; and it dropped it before it got home,and never carried it to give to its young.So we, even if we break the Greek gates and wallwith our great strength, and the Greeks give way,we will not come back to the ships by the same paths in good order;for we will leave many Trojans behind, whom the Greekswill cut down with bronze while defending their ships.That is how a prophet would answer, one who really knewthe signs in his heart and whom the people believed."Hector of the shining helmet answered him with a dark look:"Polydamas, what you say is no longer pleasing to me.You know how to think of a better plan than that.But if you really mean this seriously,then the gods themselves have ruined your mind,you who tell me to forget the plans of loud-thundering Zeus,which he himself promised me and nodded his head to.But you tell me to obey the birds with long wings,which I do not turn to at all, nor care about,whether they go to the right, toward the dawn and the sun,or to the left, toward the murky darkness.But let us obey the counsel of great Zeus,who rules over all mortals and immortals alike.One omen is best: to fight in defense of one's own country.Why do you fear war and the clash of battle?For even if all the rest of us are killed aroundthe ships of the Argives, there is no fear for you of dying;for your heart is not steadfast in battle nor warlike.But if you hold back from the battle, or by your wordspersuade and turn some other man away from war,struck by my spear you will at once lose your life.So he spoke and led the way, and they followed along with himwith a wondrous shout; and Zeus who delights in thunderstirred up a storm of wind from the mountains of Ida,which carried the dust straight toward the ships; but he bewitchedthe minds of the Achaeans, and gave glory to the Trojans and to Hector.Trusting in his signs and in their own strength,they tried to break the great wall of the Achaeans.They tore at the battlements of the towers and threw down the parapets,and with levers they worked loose the projecting pillars, which the Achaeanshad set first in the ground to be supports for the towers.These they pulled up, and they hoped to breakthe wall of the Achaeans; but the Danaans did not yet give way from the path,but they fenced the parapets with the hides of oxenand struck from them the enemies coming up under the wall.And both the Ajaxes, giving orders on the towers,moved everywhere urging on the fury of the Achaeans.One man with gentle words, another with harsh wordsthey rebuked, whoever they saw hanging back utterly from the fight:"Friends, whoever of the Argives is foremost, whoever is middling,and whoever is lesser — since men are not all alikein war — now the work has come to all of us;and you yourselves surely know this. Let no one turnback toward the ships when he hears the call,but press forward and give orders to one another,if Zeus of Olympus, the lightning-gatherer, grantsthat we push off the strife and drive the enemy back to their city."So the two of them, shouting aloud, urged on the battle of the Achaeans.And as thick flakes of snow fallon a wintry day, when Zeus the counselor has roused himselfto snow, displaying his missiles to men;and lulling the winds he pours it steadily, until he coversthe peaks of the high mountains and the topmost headlandsand the lotus-bearing plains and the rich works of men,and it is poured out on the gray sea, on harbors and shores,and the wave, beating against it, holds it back; but everything elseis wrapped over from above, when the rain of Zeus bears down;so from both sides the stones flew thick and fast,some toward the Trojans, and some from the Trojans toward the Achaeans,as they threw; and over the whole wall a din arose.And not even then would the Trojans and glorious Hectorhave broken the gates and the long bar of the wall,if Zeus the counselor had not roused his own son Sarpedonagainst the Argives, like a lion against crooked-horned cattle.At once he held his shield before him, equal on every side,beautiful, of beaten bronze, which a smithhad hammered out, and inside he stitched many layers of ox-hidewith golden rods running continuously around the circle.Holding this before him and brandishing two spearshe went forward like a mountain-bred lion, who for a long timehas lacked flesh, and whose proud heart urges himto go even into the close-built fold and make a try for the sheep;for even if he finds herdsmen there beside them,guarding the flocks with dogs and spears,he has no wish to be driven from the fold without a try,but either he springs in and seizes one, or he himselfis struck among the front ranks by a spear from a swift hand;so then his heart urged on godlike Sarpedonto rush at the wall and break through the parapets.At once he spoke to Glaucus, son of Hippolochus:"Glaucus, why are we two honored mostwith a seat and with meat and with full cupsin Lycia, and all look on us as on gods,and we hold a great precinct by the banks of the Xanthus,beautiful with orchard and with wheat-bearing plowland?So now we must stand among the first of the Lyciansand face the blazing battle,so that some one of the close-armored Lycians may say:'Truly our kings do not rule over Lycia without glory,and they eat fat sheepand choice honey-sweet wine; but indeed their strength toois good, since they fight among the first of the Lycians.'My friend, if we two could escape this warand were always to be ageless and deathless,then I would not myself fight among the firstnor would I send you into the battle that brings men glory;but now, since the fates of death stand by usin countless numbers, which no mortal can flee or escape,let us go, whether we shall give glory to someone or someone to us."So he spoke, and Glaucus did not turn away nor disobey;and the two went straight on, leading the great host of the Lycians.And Menestheus, son of Peteos, shuddered when he saw them;for they were coming toward his tower, bringing trouble.He looked along the wall of the Achaeans to see if he could spotany of the leaders who could ward off ruin from his companions;and he noticed the two Ajaxes, insatiate of war,standing there, and Teucer just coming from his hutclose by; but there was no way for him to make himself heard by shouting;for so great was the din, and the cry reached heaven,from the shields being struck and the horse-haired helmetsand the gates; for all of them had been shut, and the Trojans against themstood trying to break them by force and get inside.Quickly he sent the herald Thootes to Ajax:"Go, noble Thootes, running, call Ajax —both of them rather; for that would be far the best of all —since here a sheer destruction will soon be brought about.For so have the leaders of the Lycians pressed hard, who even beforeare violent in the strong clashes of battle.And if toil and strife have arisen for them there too,still let sturdy Telamonian Ajax come alone,and let Teucer follow with him, well skilled with the bow."So he spoke, and the herald did not disobey when he heard,and he set out running along the wall of the bronze-clad Achaeans,and came and stood beside the Ajaxes, and at once he spoke:"Ajaxes, leaders of the bronze-clad Argives,the dear son of Zeus-nurtured Peteos bids yougo there, so that you may face the toil for just a little while —both of you rather; for that would be far the best of all —since there a sheer destruction will soon be brought about.For so have the leaders of the Lycians pressed hard, who even beforeare violent in the strong clashes of battle.And if war and strife have arisen here too,still let sturdy Telamonian Ajax come alone,and let Teucer follow with him, well skilled with the bow."So he spoke, and great Telamonian Ajax did not disobey.At once he spoke winged words to the son of Oileus:"Ajax, the two of you stay here, you and strong Lycomedes,and standing here urge the Danaans to fight with all their might;but I will go there and face the fighting;and I will come back quickly, once I have defended them well."So speaking, Telamonian Ajax went off,and Teucer went with him, his brother by the same father;and with them Pandion carried the curved bow of Teucer.When they reached the tower of great-hearted Menestheusas they came inside the wall, and reached the men who needed them,they climbed onto the parapets, like a dark storm,the mighty leaders and lords of the Lycians;and they joined battle face to face, and the shout arose.And Telamonian Ajax was the first to kill a man,Epicles, great-hearted companion of Sarpedon,striking him with a jagged rock, which inside the walllay, a great stone by the topmost parapet; not easily could a manhold it with both hands, not even one in his prime,such as mortals are now; but he lifted it and hurled it from above,and crushed the four-horned helmet, and smashed the bonesall together in his head; and he, like a diver,fell from the high tower, and his life left his bones.And Teucer struck Glaucus, the strong son of Hippolochus,with an arrow as he rushed at the high wall,where he saw his arm laid bare, and stopped him from the fight.He leapt back away from the wall unseen, so that none of the Achaeansmight see him struck and boast over him with words.And grief came to Sarpedon when Glaucus went away,as soon as he noticed it; yet he did not forget the fight,but he struck Alcmaon, son of Thestor, with his spear,and drew out the spear; and he fell following the spearface down, and his armor clashed around him, ornate with bronze.And Sarpedon, seizing a parapet with his strong hands,pulled at it, and it came away entirely, all the way through, and abovethe wall was stripped bare, and he made a way for many.And Ajax and Teucer charged at him, one of them with an arrowhad hit the shining strap across his chest,the strap of his man-covering shield; but Zeus warded off the fatesfrom his son, that he might not be slain at the ships' sterns;and Ajax sprang and struck his shield, but the spear did notgo through, but it pushed him back as he pressed on.He gave ground a little from the parapet; but he did notyield altogether, for his heart hoped to win glory.He turned and called out to the godlike Lycians:"Lycians, why do you let go of your furious valor like this?It is hard for me, even though I am mighty,alone to break through and make a path to the ships;but follow with me; the work of more men is somehow better."So he spoke, and they, fearing the rebuke of their lord,pressed on all the more around their counselor lord.And the Argives on the other side strengthened their ranksinside the wall, and the work seemed great to them;for neither could the mighty Lycians, having broken the wall,make a path to the ships,nor could the spearmen Danaans ever push the Lyciansback from the wall, once they had first come near it.But just as two men contend over boundariesholding measures in their hands in a shared field,who quarrel over equal shares in a small space,so the parapets kept them apart; and over themthey kept slaying each other, around their chests the ox-hideshields, well-rounded, and the winged light bucklers.And many were wounded on the flesh by the pitiless bronze,both whenever a man turned and his back was left bareas they fought, and many straight through the shield itself.Everywhere the towers and parapets were bespattered with the blood of menfrom both sides, from the Trojans and the Achaeans.But not even so could they put the Achaeans to flight,but they held, just as an honest woman who works for hire holds the scales,who, holding the weight, pulls the wool this way and thatto balance it, so that she may earn a poor wage for her children;so the fight and the battle were stretched evenly for them,until Zeus gave the higher glory to Hector,son of Priam, who was the first to leap onto the wall of the Achaeans.He shouted shrilly, making himself heard by the Trojans:"Up, horse-taming Trojans, break the wallof the Argives and set the ships on fire with blazing flame."So he spoke urging them on, and they all heard with their ears,and they rushed in a body at the wall; and then someclimbed up on the battlements holding sharpened spears,and Hector seized and carried a stone, which before the gatesstood in front, thick at its base, but on topit was sharp; not even two men, the best of the people,could easily heave it from the ground onto a wagon,such as mortals are now; but he swung it easily, even alone.The son of crooked-counseling Cronus made it light for him.And as when a shepherd easily carries the fleece of a male sheep,taking it in one hand, and its weight burdens him little,so Hector carried the stone, lifting it straight at the planks,which protected the gates, closely and strongly fitted,double-folding and high; and two bars insideheld them, set one across the other, and a single key pinned them fast.He came very close and stood, and leaning into it he struck the middlewith a good wide stance, so that his blow might not be weak,and broke off both hinges; and the stone fell inwardwith its weight, and the gates bellowed loudly around it, nor did the barshold, and the planks split apart this way and thatunder the rush of the stone; and glorious Hector sprang inside,like swift night to look at; and he shone with the terrible bronzethat he wore about his body, and in his hands twospears he held; no one could have held him back by meeting himapart from the gods, when he leapt at the gates; and his eyes blazed with fire.He turned among the throng and called out to the Trojansto climb over the wall; and they obeyed him as he urged them on.At once some climbed over the wall, and others through the gatesthe well-made gates poured in; and the Danaans were put to flightalong the hollow ships, and an unceasing din arose.