Book 15

But when they had crossed the stakes and the trench,fleeing, and many were subdued beneath the hands of the Danaans,some were held back beside their chariots, waiting,pale with fear, terrified; and Zeus awokeon the peaks of Ida, beside golden-throned Hera,and he sprang up and stood, and saw the Trojans and the Achaeans,these routed, and those driving them in rout behind,the Argives, and among them lord Poseidon;and he saw Hector lying in the plain, and around him his comradeswere seated, and he was held by grievous gasping, dazed in heart,vomiting blood, since not the feeblest of the Achaeans had struck him.Seeing him, the father of men and gods pitied him,and looking terribly from under his brows he spoke a word to Hera:Truly, Hera, your cunning, past all remedy,has stopped shining Hector from battle and routed the hosts.Yet I do not know whether you will be the first to reap the fruit of your grievous mischief,and I will lash you with blows.Do you not remember when you hung from on high, and from your feetI let down two anvils, and about your hands I cast a bondof gold, unbreakable? And you hung in the upper air and the clouds,and the gods murmured throughout great Olympus,but could not loose you as they stood by; and whomever I caughtI would seize and hurl from the threshold till he cameto earth, faint with strength gone; yet not even so did unceasing griefrelease my heart for godlike Heracles,whom you, persuading the North Wind with blasts,sent over the barren sea, devising evils,and then carried him away to well-peopled Cos.Him I rescued from there and brought back againto horse-pasturing Argos, though he had suffered much.Of these things I will remind you again, so that you cease from your deceits,that you may see whether your love and your bed will avail you,in which you lay, coming away from the gods and deceiving me.So he spoke, and ox-eyed lady Hera shuddered,and she spoke to him winged words:Let Earth now witness this, and broad Heaven above,and the down-flowing water of Styx, which is the greatestand most terrible oath for the blessed gods,and your sacred head, and our own marriage bed,the bed of our youth, which I would never swear by in vain:not by my will does Poseidon the earth-shakerafflict the Trojans and Hector, and bring them aid,but surely his own heart urges and commands him,and seeing the Achaeans worn out beside the ships he pitied them.Yet I too would advise himto go wherever you, the dark-clouded, may lead.So she spoke, and the father of men and gods smiled,and answering her he spoke winged words:If indeed you, then, ox-eyed lady Hera,will sit among the immortals thinking as I think,then Poseidon, even if he greatly wishes otherwise,would soon turn his mind to follow your heart and mine.But if you speak truly and exactly,go now to the tribes of the gods, and call hitherIris to come, and Apollo of the famous bow,so that she may go to the host of the bronze-clad Achaeansand tell lord Poseidonto cease from war and come to his own house,and let Phoebus Apollo urge Hector into battle,and breathe fresh strength into him, and make him forget the painsthat now wear his mind; and may he turn the Achaeansback again, rousing in them cowardly flight,and fleeing they may fall among the many-benched shipsof the son of Peleus, Achilles; and he will rouse his comradePatroclus; and glorious Hector will kill him with the spearbefore Ilion, after he has destroyed many vigorous men,the others, and among them my son, shining Sarpedon.Then, angered for him, shining Achilles will kill Hector.From that time on I would fashion for you a turning back from the ships,continually and without pause, until the Achaeanstake steep Ilion through the counsels of Athena.But before that I do not cease my wrath, nor will I let any otherof the immortals defend the Danaans here,before the desire of the son of Peleus is fulfilled,as I promised him at first, and nodded with my head,on the day when the goddess Thetis clasped my knees,begging me to honour Achilles, sacker of cities.So he spoke, and the goddess white-armed Hera did not disobey,but went from the mountains of Ida to great Olympus.As when the mind of a man darts, who has travelled over muchland and in his shrewd mind thinksI would I were there or there, and longs for many places,so swiftly in her eagerness lady Hera flew,and reached steep Olympus, and came among the assembledimmortal gods in the house of Zeus; and seeing herall sprang up and greeted her with cups.She let the others be, but from Themis of the fair cheeksshe took the cup; for she came running to meet her first,and speaking to her she addressed her with winged words:Hera, why have you come? You look like one distraught.Surely the son of Cronus, who is your husband, has frightened you.Then the goddess white-armed Hera answered her:Do not ask me this, goddess Themis; you yourself knowhow overbearing and harsh that man's spirit is.But do you begin the equal feast among the gods in the hall;and these things you shall hear among all the immortals,what evil deeds Zeus is bringing to light; nor do I thinkthat all alike will be glad at heart, neither mortalsnor gods, if anyone even now feasts in good cheer.So speaking, lady Hera sat down,and the gods were troubled throughout the house of Zeus; but she laughedwith her lips, nor did her forehead above her dark browsbrighten; and vexed at all of them she spoke:Fools, who in our folly rage against Zeus!Do we still long to check him by drawing nearwith words or with force? He sits apart and cares nothing,and heeds not; for he says that among the immortal godshe is by far the best in might and in strength.So endure whatever evil he sends to each of you.For already now I think a sorrow has befallen Ares;for his son has perished in battle, dearest of men to him,Ascalaphus, whom mighty Ares declares to be his own.So she spoke, and Ares smote his sturdy thighswith the flat of both hands, and lamenting he spoke:Do not now be angry with me, you who hold Olympian homes,if I go to the ships of the Achaeans to avenge the murder of my son,even if it is my fate, struck by the thunderbolt of Zeus,to lie among the dead with blood and dust.So he spoke, and ordered Terror and Fear to yoke his horses,and himself put on his shining armour.Then would have arisen yet greater and more grievous wrathand anger from Zeus among the immortal gods,had not Athena, fearing for all the gods,risen and gone through the doorway, leaving the seat where she sat,and taken the helmet from his head and the shield from his shoulders,and taking the bronze spear from his sturdy hand she set it up,the spear of bronze; and she rebuked furious Ares with words:Madman, ruined in your wits! In vain, it seems,you have ears to hear, and your mind and your shame are gone.Do you not hear what the goddess white-armed Hera says,who has just now come from Olympian Zeus?Do you wish, after you have filled yourself with many evils,to go back to Olympus, though grieving, by necessity,and to plant a great evil for all the others?For presently he will leave the proud-hearted Trojans and the Achaeansand come to Olympus to rout us,and he will lay hands on us one after another, guilty and guiltless alike.Therefore I now bid you let go your wrath for your son;for already someone better than he in strength and handshas been born, or will be born hereafter; and it is hardto rescue the race and offspring of all men.So speaking she seated furious Ares on his throne.And Hera called Apollo outside the house,and Iris, who is messenger among the immortal gods,and speaking she addressed them with winged words:Zeus bids you two come to Ida as quickly as possible;and when you have come and looked upon the face of Zeus,do whatever he urges and commands.So speaking, lady Hera went back,and sat down on her throne; and the two sprang up and flew.They came to Ida of many springs, mother of beasts,and found the far-thundering son of Cronus on the peak of Gargarusseated; and around him a fragrant cloud was wreathed.The two came before Zeus the cloud-gathererand stood; nor seeing them was he angered in his heart,because they quickly obeyed the words of his dear wife.And to Iris first he spoke winged words:Go now, swift Iris, to lord Poseidonand announce all this, and be no false messenger.Bid him cease from battle and warand go to the tribes of the gods, or into the shining sea.But if he will not obey my words, but disregards them,let him then consider in his mind and heartwhether he, though strong, can endure me when I come against him,and stand his ground, since I declare I am far better than he in strengthand elder in birth; yet his dear heart does not shrinkfrom saying he is my equal, though others also loathe him.So he spoke, and wind-swift swift Iris did not disobey,but went down from the mountains of Ida to holy Ilion.As when from the clouds flies a snowflake or cold hailbeneath the blast of the air-born North Wind,so swiftly in her eagerness swift Iris flew,and standing near she spoke to the famed earth-shaker:A message I have come here to bring you, earth-holder, dark-haired,from Zeus who bears the aegis.He bids you cease from battle and warand go to the tribes of the gods, or into the shining sea.But if you will not obey his words, but disregard them,he threatens that he too will come here to fight you face to face;and he bids you keep out of his way,his hands, since he declares he is far better than you in strengthand elder in birth; and your dear heart does not shrinkfrom saying you are his equal, though others also loathe you.Then greatly troubled the famed earth-shaker answered her:Alas, though he is noble he has spoken outrageously,if he will hold me back by force against my will, though I am of equal honour.For we are three brothers born of Cronus, whom Rhea bore,Zeus and I, and third Hades who rules the dead.All things were divided three ways, and each received his honour;I by lot obtained the grey sea to dwell in for ever,when the lots were shaken, and Hades obtained the misty darkness,and Zeus obtained the broad heaven in the upper air and the clouds;yet the earth is still common to all, and great Olympus.So I will not live by the will of Zeus, but let him stay quiet,and though he is strong, abide in his third portion.Let him not seek to frighten me with his hands as if I were a coward;for it would be better for him to threaten with terrible wordshis daughters and sons, those he himself begot,who will listen to him when he urges, even by necessity.Then wind-swift swift Iris answered him:So then, earth-holder, dark-haired one,do I bring you this harsh and mighty message from Zeus:will you change your mind at all? The minds of the noble are turnable.You know how the Furies always follow the elder-born.Then Poseidon the earth-shaker answered her:Goddess Iris, you have spoken this word very fitly;it is good also when a messenger knows what is right.But this dread grief comes upon my heart and spiritwhenever one whose lot is equal and appointed by the same fatewishes to scold with angry words.But for now I will give way, though indignant;and another thing I will tell you, and threaten it in my heart:if without me, and without Athena driver of spoil,and Hera, and Hermes, and lord Hephaestus,he will spare steep Ilion, and will not wishto sack it and give great victory to the Argives,let him know this, that there will be an incurable wrath between us two.So speaking the earth-shaker left the Achaean host,and went and plunged into the sea, and the Achaean heroes longed for him.And then Zeus the cloud-gatherer spoke to Apollo:Go now, dear Phoebus, to Hector of the bronze helm;for already the earth-holder, the earth-shaker,has gone into the shining sea, avoiding my terrible wrath;for the others too would have learned of the battle,even the gods below who are about Cronus.But this was far better both for me and for him,that he gave way before me in indignation,before my hands, since it would not have been accomplished without sweat.But do you take in your hands the tasselled aegis,and shaking it well, put the Achaean heroes to flight;and let glorious Hector be your own care, O far-shooter;rouse in him for so long great strength, until the Achaeansin flight reach the ships and the Hellespont.From there I myself will consider both deed and word,so that the Achaeans may once more breathe from their toil.So he spoke, and Apollo did not disobey his father,but went down from the mountains of Ida like a hawk,the swift dove-killer, which is swiftest of winged things.He found the son of wise Priam, shining Hector,sitting up, no longer lying, and gathering his spirit anew,and recognizing his comrades around him; and his gasping and sweathad ceased, since the mind of aegis-bearing Zeus had roused him.Standing near, far-working Apollo spoke to him:Hector, son of Priam, why do you sit apart from the others,faint with weakness? Surely some sorrow has come upon you.Then Hector of the flashing helm answered him, faint in strength:Who are you, best of gods, who ask me face to face?Do you not hear how, at the sterns of the Achaeans' ships,as I was slaying his comrades, good at the war-cry Ajax struck mewith a stone upon the chest, and stopped my furious valour?And indeed I thought that on this day I should come to the deadand the house of Hades, when I breathed out my dear life.Then lord far-working Apollo answered him:Take courage now; such a helper has the son of Cronussent from Ida to stand beside you and defend you,Phoebus Apollo of the golden sword, who even beforeprotected you, both you yourself and your steep city.But come now, urge your many charioteersto drive their swift horses against the hollow ships;and I, going before, will make the whole waysmooth for the horses, and I will turn the Achaean heroes.So speaking he breathed great strength into the shepherd of the people.As when a stalled horse, fed on barley at the manger,breaks his halter and gallops pounding over the plain,accustomed to bathe in the fair-flowing river,exulting; he holds his head high, and his maneflutters about his shoulders; and confident in his beautyhis knees carry him swiftly to the haunts and pasture of horses:so Hector moved his swift feet and knees,urging on the charioteers, since he had heard the voice of the god.And they, as when hounds and country men rushafter a horned stag or a wild goat,and a sheer rock and a shady wood protect it,nor was it fated for them to catch it;but at their shouting a bearded lion appearsin the path, and quickly turns them all back, eager though they were:so the Danaans for a while kept pursuing in throngs,stabbing with swords and two-edged spears;but when they saw Hector ranging through the ranks of men,they were terrified, and the heart fell at the feet of them all.Then Thoas, son of Andraemon, spoke among them,by far the best of the Aetolians, skilled with the javelinand good in close combat; and in assembly few of the Achaeanscould beat him, when the young men contended in words.He, well-minded, spoke to them and said:Alas, a great marvel is this that I see with my eyes,how Hector has risen up again, escaping the fates,Hector! Surely the heart of each man greatly hopedthat he had died beneath the hands of Ajax, son of Telamon.But some god has rescued and saved him again,Hector, who has loosed the knees of many Danaans,as I think will happen even now; for not withoutZeus the loud-thunderer does he stand forth as champion so eager.But come, let us all be persuaded as I shall say.Let us bid the multitude go back to the ships;and we ourselves, as many as claim to be best in the army,let us stand, if haply we may first hold them back by meeting themwith spears upraised; and I think that he, eager though he is,will fear in his heart to plunge into the throng of Danaans.So he spoke, and they listened to him and obeyed.Those around Ajax and lord Idomeneus,and Teucer, Meriones, and Meges equal to Ares,arrayed the battle, calling the chiefs together,against Hector and the Trojans; but behind themthe multitude went back to the ships of the Achaeans.But the Trojans advanced in throngs, and Hector led themwith long strides; and before him went Phoebus Apolloclothed in a cloud about his shoulders, and he held the furious aegis,terrible, shaggy-fringed, splendid, which the smithHephaestus gave to Zeus to carry for the rout of men;holding this in his hands he led the hosts.And the Argives stood firm in throngs, and a shrill cryrose from both sides, and arrows from the bowstringsleapt; and many spears from bold handsstuck in the flesh of swift-warring young men,and many, midway before they touched the white skin,stood in the earth, longing to glut themselves on flesh.As long as Phoebus Apollo held the aegis quietly in his hands,so long the missiles of both sides struck, and the people fell.But when he looked straight at the Danaans of swift horsesand shook it, and himself shouted very loudly, then their spiritin their breasts he bewitched, and they forgot their furious valour.And they, as when two beasts rout a herd of cattle or a great flock of sheepin the dead of black night,coming suddenly when the herdsman is not there:so the Achaeans fled, cowardly; for Apollo castfear into them, and gave glory to the Trojans and Hector.Then man took man as the battle was broken up.Hector slew Stichius and Arcesilaus,the one a leader of the bronze-clad Boeotians,the other the trusty comrade of great-hearted Menestheus;and Aeneas stripped Medon and Iasus.Now Medon was a bastard son of godlike Oileus,and brother of Ajax; but he dweltin Phylace, far from his native land, having killed a man,the kinsman of his stepmother Eriopis, whom Oileus had married;and Iasus was made a leader of the Athenians,and was called the son of Sphelus, son of Bucolus.Polydamas slew Mecisteus, and Polites slew Echiusin the first onset, and shining Agenor slew Clonius.And Paris struck Deiochus on the lowest shoulder from behind,as he fled among the front ranks, and drove the bronze clean through.While they were stripping the armour from these, the Achaeansstumbling into the dug trench and the stakesfled this way and that, and by necessity entered the wall.And Hector shouted aloud and called to the Trojansto rush on the ships, and to leave the bloody spoils;and whomever I see apart from the ships, elsewhere,for him I will devise death on the spot; and his kinsmenand kinswomen shall not give him his portion of fire when dead,but dogs shall drag him before our city.So speaking he lashed his horses with the whip from the shoulder,calling to the Trojans along the ranks; and they with himall shouted together and drove their strong-drawn horseswith a wondrous din; and before them Phoebus Apolloswept down the banks of the deep trench with his feet,trampling them into the middle, and bridged the waylong and wide, as far as a spear's castcomes, when a man tests his strength.There they poured through in companies, and before them Apolloholding the precious aegis; and he threw down the wall of the Achaeansvery easily, as when a child by the sea,who, when he has made playthings in his childishness,again scatters them with feet and hands in play.So you, Phoebus, went and confounded the great toil and sorrowof the Argives, and roused flight in them.Thus they were held back, waiting beside the ships,calling to one another, and to all the godslifting up their hands, each man prayed greatly:and Nestor above all, the Gerenian horseman of the Achaeans,prayed, stretching his hand to the starry heaven:Father Zeus, if ever anyone in Argos rich in wheat,burning the rich thigh-bones of an ox or a sheep,prayed for return, and you promised and nodded assent,remember these things and ward off the pitiless day, Olympian,and do not so let the Achaeans be subdued by the Trojans.So he spoke in prayer, and Zeus the counsellor thundered loudly,hearing the prayers of the old man, son of Neleus.And the Trojans, when they heard the thunder of aegis-bearing Zeus,rushed the more upon the Argives, and remembered their fighting spirit.And they, as when a great wave of the wide-wayed seacomes down over the walls of a ship, when the forceof the wind drives it; for that most swells the waves;so the Trojans with a great shout went up over the wall,and driving their horses in they fought at the sternswith two-edged spears at close quarters, some from their chariots,and others from the black ships, having climbed up high,with long poles, which lay along the ships,jointed ship-fighting pikes, tipped with bronze at the point.And Patroclus, as long as the Achaeans and the Trojanswere fighting about the wall, outside the swift ships,so long he sat in the hut of kindly Eurypylusand delighted him with talk, and on his grievous woundhe spread soothing herbs for his black pains.But when he saw the Trojans rushing over the wall,and panic and shouting arose among the Danaans,then he groaned aloud and smote his thighswith the flat of both hands, and lamenting he spoke:Eurypylus, though you need me, I can no longerstay here with you; for a great strife has arisen;but let an attendant comfort you, and I myselfwill hasten to Achilles, to urge him to fight.Who knows if, with a god's help, I may stir his spiritby persuading him? A comrade's persuasion is a good thing.So he spoke, and his feet bore him away; and the Achaeansstood firm against the oncoming Trojans, nor could theythough they were fewer push them back from the ships;nor could the Trojans ever break the ranks of the Danaansand mingle with their huts and ships.But as a carpenter's line makes a ship's timber straightin the hands of a skilled builder, who well knowsall his craft through the instructions of Athena,so their battle and war were stretched in even balance;and others fought their battle about other ships,but Hector made straight for glorious Ajax.The two had their labour about one ship, nor couldthe one drive him off and set the ship on fire,nor the other push him back, since a god had brought him near.Then glorious Ajax struck Caletor, son of Clytius,as he was bringing fire to the ship, on the chest with his spear.He fell with a thud, and the torch dropped from his hand.And Hector, when he saw with his eyes his cousinfallen in the dust before the black ship,shouted aloud and called to the Trojans and Lycians:Trojans and Lycians and Dardanians who fight at close quarters,do not give ground from the battle in this narrow place,but save the son of Clytius, lest the Achaeansstrip his armour, now he has fallen in the struggle by the ships.So speaking he hurled at Ajax with his shining spear.He missed him, but then Lycophron, son of Mastor,the Cytherian attendant of Ajax, who dwelt beside himsince he had killed a man in holy Cythera,him he struck on the head above the ear with sharp bronze,as he stood near Ajax; and he fell on his back in the dustfrom the ship's stern to the ground, and his limbs were loosed.And Ajax shuddered, and spoke to his brother:Dear Teucer, our trusty comrade is slain,the son of Mastor, whom we, when he came from Cythera,honoured in our halls like our own parents;him great-hearted Hector has killed. Where now are your arrowsthat bring swift death, and the bow Phoebus Apollo gave you?So he spoke, and he understood, and running he stood beside him,holding in his hand his back-bent bow and his quiverthat holds arrows; and very quickly he let fly at the Trojans.And he struck Clitus, the splendid son of Peisenor,comrade of noble Polydamas, son of Panthous,as he held the reins in his hands; he was busy with his horses,for he was driving where the thickest companies were routed,doing Hector and the Trojans a favour; and quicklyevil came on him, which none of them, eager as they were, could avert.For the much-groaning arrow fell on his neck from behind;and he fell from the chariot, and his horses swerved asiderattling the empty car. And lord Polydamas noticed it at once,and was the first to come to face the horses.These he gave to Astynous, son of Protiaon,and urged him much to keep them near and watch them;and he himself went back and mingled with the front ranks.And Teucer took another arrow against Hector of the bronze helm,and would have stopped him from battle at the Achaeans' ships,if, striking him as he strove foremost, he had taken away his life.But he did not escape the close mind of Zeus, who was guardingHector, and took away the glory from Teucer, son of Telamon,for as he drew it, the well-twisted string in his flawless bowbroke; and his arrow, heavy with bronze, went astray elsewhere,and the bow fell from his hand.And Teucer shuddered, and spoke to his brother:Alas, truly a god utterly cuts short the plans of our battle,who has thrown the bow from my hand,and torn the new-twisted string, which I fastenedthis morning, that it might bear the arrows leaping thickly.Then great Ajax, son of Telamon, answered him:Dear brother, let the bow and the thick-falling arrowslie there, since a god, grudging the Danaans, has confounded them;but taking a long spear in your hands and a shield on your shoulder,fight the Trojans and rouse the other hosts.Let them not, though they master us, take our well-benched shipswithout a struggle, but let us remember our fighting spirit.So he spoke, and he laid the bow in the huts,and put about his shoulders a shield of four layers,and on his strong head he set a well-made helmetwith horse-hair plume, and the crest nodded terribly above;and he took a stout spear pointed with sharp bronze,and went, and running very quickly stood beside Ajax.And Hector, when he saw Teucer's missiles baffled,shouted aloud and called to the Trojans and Lycians:Trojans and Lycians and Dardanians who fight at close quarters,be men, my friends, and remember your furious valourthroughout the hollow ships; for I have seen with my eyesthe missiles of a chief man baffled by Zeus.Easy to know among men is the help of Zeus,both for those to whom he grants surpassing glory,and for those whom he abases and will not defend,as now he abases the might of the Argives and helps us.But fight in a body at the ships; and whoever among youmeets death and fate, struck or smitten,let him die; it is no disgrace for him to die while defending his fatherland;but his wife will be safe, and his children behind him,and his house and his portion unharmed, if the Achaeansdepart with their ships to their dear native land.So speaking he roused the might and spirit of each man.And Ajax from the other side called to his comrades:Shame, Argives! Now it is enough either to perishor to be saved and push the evil from the ships.Do you hope, if Hector of the flashing helm takes the ships,that each of you will reach his own native land on foot?Or do you not hear how he urges on the whole host,Hector, who rages to set the ships on fire?He does not invite them to a dance, but to fight.And for us there is no better thought and plan than this:to mingle hands and might at close quarters.Better either to perish once for all, or to live on,than to be worn out for long in dread battlehere by the ships, under men worse than we are.So speaking he roused the might and spirit of each man.Then Hector slew Schedius, son of Perimedes,leader of the Phocians, and Ajax slew Laodamas,the splendid son of Antenor, leader of the foot-soldiers;and Polydamas stripped Otus of Cyllene,comrade of the son of Phyleus, leader of the great-hearted Epeians.Seeing this, Meges sprang at him; but Polydamas swerved asideand he missed him; for Apollo would notallow the son of Panthous to be slain among the front ranks;but he stabbed Croesmus in the middle of the chest with his spear.He fell with a thud; and he stripped the armour from his shoulders.Meanwhile Dolops sprang at him, well skilled with the spear,son of Lampus, whom Lampus begot as his best son,son of Laomedon, well skilled in furious valour,who then stabbed the middle of the son of Phyleus' shield with his spear,rushing from close by; but his thick corselet warded it off,which he wore, fitted with plates; which once Phyleusbrought from Ephyre, from the river Selleeis.For his host, Euphetes, lord of men, gave it to himto wear in war, a defence against hostile men;and it then warded destruction from his son's flesh.And Meges stabbed with his sharp spear the topmost bossof his bronze-cheeked helmet with its horse-hair crest,and broke the horse-hair crest from it; and all of it fell to the groundin the dust, bright with its fresh crimson.While he fought him, standing his ground and still hoping for victory,meanwhile warlike Menelaus came as his defender,and stood on one side with his spear unseen, and struck his shoulder from behind;and the point rushed eagerly through his chest,driving forward; and he fell face down.The two rushed to strip the bronze armour from his shoulders;and Hector called to his brothers,to all of them, and first rebuked Hicetaon's son,strong Melanippus. He, while he pastured his rolling-footed cattlein Percote, far from the enemy,but when the curved ships of the Danaans came,he came back to Ilion, and stood out among the Trojans,and dwelt beside Priam, who honoured him like his own children;him Hector rebuked, and spoke a word and named him:Melanippus, shall we be so slack? Does your dear heartfeel no shame for your slain cousin?Do you not see how they are busy about the armour of Dolops?But come on; for it is no longer possible to fight the Argivesfrom afar, before either we kill them or they utterlytake steep Ilion and slay its citizens.So speaking he led, and the godlike man followed with him;and great Ajax, son of Telamon, roused the Argives:Friends, be men, and put shame in your hearts,and have shame of one another through the strong encounters.Of men who feel shame, more are saved than slain;but from those who flee, neither glory nor any defence arises.So he spoke, and they themselves were eager to ward off the foe,and they laid his word to heart, and fenced the shipswith a bronze fence; and Zeus roused the Trojans on.And Menelaus good at the war-cry roused Antilochus:Antilochus, there is no other Achaean younger than you,nor swifter of foot, nor as stout in battle;if only you could spring out and strike some Trojan man.So speaking he hurried back, and stirred him up;and he sprang out from the front ranks, and hurled with his shining spear,glancing about him; and the Trojans shrank backfrom the man as he hurled; nor did he send his missile in vain,but Hicetaon's son, the high-hearted Melanippus,as he came on into the war, he struck on the chest beside the nipple.He fell with a thud, and darkness covered his eyes.And Antilochus sprang on him like a dog, which springs on a wounded fawnthat has leapt from its bed,which a hunter has chanced to hit and has loosed its limbs;so on you, Melanippus, sprang Antilochus, staunch in battle,to strip your armour; but he did not escape shining Hector,who came running against him through the battle.And Antilochus did not wait, swift warrior though he was,but fled, like a beast that has done a mischief,which, having killed a dog or a herdsman about the cattle,flees before the throng of men can gather;so fled the son of Nestor, and the Trojans and Hectorwith a wondrous din poured on their groan-laden missiles;and he turned and stood, when he reached the host of his comrades.And the Trojans, like raw-flesh-eating lions,rushed on the ships, and were fulfilling the commands of Zeus,who ever roused in them great might, and bewitched the spiritof the Argives and took away their glory, while he spurred the others on.For his heart wished to give glory to Hector,son of Priam, so that he might cast on the curved ships fireunwearied and blazing, and might fulfil the monstrous prayer of Thetis;for Zeus the counsellor was eagerto see with his eyes the blaze of a burning ship.For from that time he was about to make a turning back from the shipsof the Trojans, and to give glory to the Danaans.With this in mind he roused against the hollow shipsHector, son of Priam, eager though he already was.He raged as when Ares of the spear, or destroying fire,rages on the mountains in the thickets of a deep wood;foam gathered about his mouth, and his two eyesblazed beneath his grim brows, and about his temples the helmetshook terribly as Hector fought;for Zeus himself from the upper air was his defender,Zeus, who honoured and glorified him, alone among more men;for his life was to be short;for already Pallas Athena was rousing against him his fated day,under the strength of the son of Peleus.And he wished to break the ranks of men, trying them,where he saw the greatest throng and the best armour;yet not even so could he break them, much as he raged;for they stood fitted together tower-like, like a rocksheer and great, standing near the grey sea,which endures the swift paths of the shrill winds,and the swollen waves that roar against it:so the Danaans stood firm against the Trojans and did not flee.But he, blazing with fire on every side, leapt into the throng,and fell upon them as when a wave falls on a swift shipviolent, reared beneath the clouds by the wind; and the whole shipis hidden by the spray, and the terrible blast of the windthunders in the sail, and the sailors tremble in their heartswith fear; for they are borne but a little way from death:so the spirit in the breasts of the Achaeans was torn.But he, as when a lion of baleful mind comes on cattlethat graze in the meadow of a great marsh,countless, and among them a herdsman not yet knowing clearlyhow to fight the beast about the slaughter of a crumple-horned ox;indeed he walks ever with the first and the last of the cattle,but the lion, springing into the middle,devours an ox, and they all flee: so then the Achaeansfled wondrously before Hector and father Zeus,all of them; and he alone slew Periphetes of Mycenae,the dear son of Copreus, who used to go on messagesfor lord Eurystheus, for the strength of Heracles.From a far worse father was born a better son,in all excellences, both of foot and of battle,and in mind he was among the first of the Mycenaeans;and he then granted Hector surpassing glory.For he turned and leapt back upon the rim of his shield,which he himself carried, a fence from spears down to his feet;stumbling on it he fell on his back, and about him the helmetrang terribly about his temples as he fell.And Hector marked it sharply, and running he stood beside him,and fixed his spear in his chest, and killed him among his dear comradesclose by; and they could not, though grieving for their comrade,help him; for they greatly feared shining Hector.They were driven back to the ships, and the foremost shipsthat had been drawn up first enclosed them; and the Trojans poured on.And the Argives gave ground from the ships, by necessity,from the foremost ones, and stayed there beside the hutsin a body, and did not scatter through the camp; for shame held them,and fear; for they kept calling to one another unceasingly.And Nestor above all, the Gerenian horseman of the Achaeans,begged, imploring each man by his parents:Friends, be men, and put shame in your heartsbefore other men, and let each of you rememberhis children and his wife, his property and his parents,both those for whom they still live and those for whom they have died;for their sake, though they are not here, I implore youto stand stoutly, and not to turn to flight.So speaking he roused the might and spirit of each man.And Athena drove a misty cloud from their eyes,a wondrous one; and much light came to them from both sides,both toward the ships and toward the close-fighting war.And they marked Hector good at the war-cry, and his comrades,both those who stood back behind and did not fight,and those who fought their battle beside the swift ships.Nor did it any longer please great-hearted Ajax in his heartto stand where the other sons of the Achaeans stood back;but he ranged along the decks of the ships with long strides,and wielded in his hands a great ship-fighting pike,joined with bolts, two-and-twenty cubits long.As when a man well skilled at riding horses,who, having picked out four horses from many,drives them from the plain and speeds toward the great cityalong the crowded road; and many men and womengaze at him; and he steadily and surely, alwaysleaping, passes from one to another, and they fly along:so Ajax over the many decks of the swift shipswent with long strides, and his voice reached the upper air,and ever shouting terribly he called to the Danaansto defend the ships and the huts. Nor did Hectorhold back in the throng of the thick-armoured Trojans;but as among winged birds a tawny eagleswoops on a flock feeding beside a river,of geese or cranes or long-necked swans,so Hector rushed straight for a dark-prowed shipspringing against it; and Zeus pushed him on from behindwith his very great hand, and roused the host along with him.And again a sharp battle arose beside the ships;you would say they met one another in war unweariedand untired, so eagerly did they fight.And this was the mind of those fighting: the Achaeanssaid they would not flee out of danger, but would perish;and in the breasts of each of the Trojans the heart hopedto burn the ships and slay the Achaean heroes.With these thoughts they stood against one another;and Hector laid hold of the stern of a sea-going ship,a fair one, swift on the sea, which had brought Protesilausto Troy, and did not carry him back to his native land.It was about this ship that the Achaeans and the Trojanskept slaying one another at close quarters; nor did theyany longer wait apart for the swift arrows or the spears,but standing close together with one spiritthey fought with sharp axes and hatchetsand great swords and two-edged spears.And many fair swords, dark-bound, with hilt fitted,some fell from their hands to the ground, and others from the shouldersof men fighting; and the black earth flowed with blood.And Hector, once he had grasped it from the stern, did not let go,holding the stern-post in his hands, and he called to the Trojans:Bring fire, and all together raise the battle-cry;now Zeus has given us a day worthy of all our hopes,to take the ships, which came here against the will of the godsand made many woes for us, through the cowardice of the elders,who, though I wished to fight at the sterns of the ships,kept holding me back and restraining the host;but if the far-thundering Zeus then bluntedour minds, now he himself urges and commands.So he spoke, and they sprang even more upon the Argives.And Ajax no longer held his ground; for he was overpowered by missiles;but he gave ground a little, thinking he would die,onto the seven-foot bench, and left the decks of the trim ship.There he stood on guard, and with his spear everkept the Trojans from the ships, whoever brought unwearied fire;and ever shouting terribly he called to the Danaans:Dear friends, heroes, Danaans, servants of Ares,be men, my friends, and remember your furious valour.Do we think there are any helpers behind us,or any better wall, which might ward destruction from men?There is no city near fitted with towers,to which we might turn and defend ourselves with a people that could help;but in the plain of the thick-armoured Trojanswe sit leaning on the sea, far from our native land;so our light is in our hands, not in the gentleness of war.So he spoke, and raging he plied his sharp spear.And whichever of the Trojans rushed on the hollow shipswith blazing fire, to gratify the urging Hector,him Ajax would wound, waiting with his long spear;and he wounded twelve men before the ships at close quarters.

But when they had crossed the stakes and the ditch,running away, and many had been beaten down by the Danaans' hands,some were being held back, waiting beside their chariots,pale with fear, terrified; and Zeus woke upon the peaks of Ida, beside golden-throned Hera,and he sprang up and stood, and saw the Trojans and the Achaeans,one side in confusion, the other routing them from behind,the Argives, and with them lord Poseidon;and he saw Hector lying in the plain, and his companionswere sitting around him, and he was gripped by painful gasping, dazed in mind,vomiting blood, since no weakling among the Achaeans had struck him.When he saw him, the father of men and gods felt pity,and glaring terribly from under his brows he spoke a word to Hera:So your trickery, Hera, past all remedy,has stopped shining Hector from fighting and put the troops to flight.But I do not know whether you will be the first to reap the fruit of your painful scheming,and I will whip you with blows.Do you not remember when you hung from above, and from your feetI let down two anvils, and around your hands I threw a bondof gold that could not be broken? And you hung in the upper air and the clouds,and the gods grumbled throughout great Olympus,but they could not release you though they stood beside you; and whoever I caughtI would grab and hurl off the threshold until he landedon the ground, barely alive; yet even so no ceaseless grieffor godlike Heracles let my heart go,whom you persuaded the North Wind with blaststo send over the barren sea, plotting evils,and then you carried him off to well-settled Cos.Him I rescued from there and brought back againto horse-pasturing Argos, though he had suffered much.I will remind you of that again so you stop your deceiving,so you can see whether your love and your bed help you,the bed you came to, leaving the gods, and deceived me.So he spoke, and ox-eyed lady Hera shuddered,and she spoke winged words to him:Let Earth witness this now, and broad Heaven above,and the water of Styx that flows down, which is the greatestand most terrible oath for the blessed gods,and your sacred head, and our own marriage bed,the bed of our youth, which I would never swear by falsely:not by my wish does Poseidon the earth-shakerhurt the Trojans and Hector and help them,but somehow his own heart urges and drives him,and seeing the Achaeans worn out by the ships he pitied them.Yet I too would advise himto go wherever you, the dark-clouded one, lead.So she spoke, and the father of men and gods smiled,and answering her he spoke winged words:If really you will sit among the immortal gods, ox-eyed lady Hera,thinking the same as I do,then Poseidon, even if he very much wants it otherwise,would quickly turn his mind to follow your heart and mine.But if you are speaking truly and exactly,go now to the tribes of the gods, and call hereIris to come, and Apollo of the famous bow,so that she may go to the army of the bronze-clad Achaeansand tell lord Poseidonto stop fighting and go to his own house,and let Phoebus Apollo drive Hector into battle,and breathe strength into him again, and make him forget the painsthat now wear down his mind; and let him turn the Achaeansback again, rousing cowardly flight in them,so that fleeing they fall on the many-benched shipsof Peleus' son Achilles; and he will rouse his companionPatroclus; and glorious Hector will kill him with the spearin front of Ilion, after he has destroyed many vigorous men,the others, and among them my son, shining Sarpedon.Then, angry for him, shining Achilles will kill Hector.From then on I would keep making a counter-attack from the shipsfor you, without pause, until the Achaeanscapture steep Ilion through Athena's plans.But before that I will not stop my anger, nor will I let any otherof the immortals defend the Danaans here,until the wish of Peleus' son is fulfilled,as I promised him at first, and nodded with my head,on the day when the goddess Thetis touched my knees,begging me to honour Achilles, sacker of cities.So he spoke, and the goddess white-armed Hera did not disobey,but went from the mountains of Ida to great Olympus.As when a man's mind darts, a man who has travelled over muchland and in his shrewd mind thinksI wish I were there or there, and longs for many places,so quickly, eager, did lady Hera fly,and she reached steep Olympus and came among the assembledimmortal gods in the house of Zeus; and when they saw herthey all sprang up and greeted her with cups.She let the others alone, but from Themis of the fair cheeksshe took the cup; for she came running to meet her first,and speaking she addressed her with winged words:Hera, why have you come? You look like someone panicked.Surely the son of Cronus, your own husband, has frightened you.Then the goddess white-armed Hera answered her:Do not ask me that, goddess Themis; you yourself knowhow arrogant and harsh his temper is.But you begin the equal feast for the gods in the house;and you will hear this among all the immortals too,what evil deeds Zeus is revealing; and I do not thinkeveryone will be glad at heart, neither mortalsnor gods, if anyone is still feasting cheerfully.So speaking, lady Hera sat down,and the gods were upset throughout Zeus' house; but she laughedwith her lips, and her forehead above her dark browsdid not brighten; and annoyed with them all she said:Fools, we who foolishly rage against Zeus!Do we still expect to stop him by going closewith words or with force? He sits apart and does not careand pays no attention; for he says that among the immortal godshe is far the best in strength and power.So put up with whatever evil he sends to each of you.For already now I think a disaster has come to Ares:his son has died in battle, dearest of men to him,Ascalaphus, whom mighty Ares says is his own.So she spoke, and Ares struck his sturdy thighswith the flat of both hands, and lamenting he spoke:Do not be angry with me now, you who have Olympian homes,if I go to the ships of the Achaeans to avenge my son's murder,even if it is my fate, struck by Zeus' thunderbolt,to lie with the dead amid blood and dust.So he spoke, and told Terror and Fear to yokehis horses, and he himself put on his shining armour.Then an even greater and more painful anger and wrathfrom Zeus would have arisen among the immortal gods,if Athena, fearing for all the gods,had not risen and gone out through the doorway, leaving the seat where she sat,and taken the helmet from his head and the shield from his shoulders,and taking the bronze spear from his strong hand set it upright,the bronze spear; and she rebuked furious Ares with words:Madman, ruined in your wits! So you really have earsthat hear for nothing, and your mind and your shame are gone.Do you not hear what the goddess white-armed Hera says,she who has just now come from Olympian Zeus?Do you want, after filling yourself with many troubles,to go back to Olympus, grieving though you are, out of necessity,and plant a great evil for all the others?For soon he will abandon the proud-hearted Trojans and the Achaeansand come to Olympus to rout us,and he will grab us one after another, guilty and innocent alike.So now I tell you to let go of your anger for your son;for already someone stronger in force and hands than hehas been born, or will be born later; and it is hardto save the race and offspring of all men.So speaking, she seated furious Ares on his throne.And Hera called Apollo outside the house,and Iris, who is the messenger for the immortal gods,and speaking she addressed them with winged words:Zeus tells you two to come to Ida as fast as possible;and when you come and look at Zeus' face,do whatever he urges and commands.So speaking, lady Hera went back,and sat on her throne; and the two sprang up and flew.They reached Ida with its many springs, mother of beasts,and found the far-thundering son of Cronus on the peak of Gargarussitting; and a fragrant cloud was wrapped around him.The two came in front of Zeus the cloud-gathererand stood; and when he saw them he was not angry in his heart,because they quickly obeyed the words of his dear wife.And to Iris first he spoke winged words:Go, swift Iris, to lord Poseidonand announce all this to him, and do not be a false messenger.Tell him to stop fighting and warand go to the tribes of the gods or into the shining sea.But if he will not obey my words, but ignores them,then let him think it over in his mind and heartwhether he, strong as he is, can stand up to me when I come at him,for I say I am far stronger than he isand older in birth; yet his heart is not ashamedto say he is my equal, though others hate him too.So he spoke, and wind-footed swift Iris did not disobey,but went down from the mountains of Ida to holy Ilion.As when from the clouds a snowflake or cold hail fliesunder the blast of the air-born North Wind,so quickly, eager, swift Iris flew,and standing near she spoke to the famous earth-shaker:I have come here bringing you a message, earth-holder, dark-haired,from Zeus who holds the aegis.He told you to stop fighting and warand go to the tribes of the gods or into the shining sea.And if you will not obey his words, but ignore them,he threatened that he too would come here to fight you face to face;and he told you to get out of the way of his hands,since he says he is far stronger than youand older in birth; and your heart is not ashamedto say you are his equal, though others hate him too.Then, greatly upset, the famous earth-shaker answered her:Ah, though he is noble, he has spoken outrageously,if he will hold me back by force against my will, when I have equal honour.For we are three brothers born from Cronus, whom Rhea bore,Zeus and I, and third Hades, who rules the dead.Everything was divided in three, and each got his share of honour:I got the grey sea to live in forever,when the lots were shaken, and Hades got the misty darkness,and Zeus got the broad heaven in the upper air and the clouds;but the earth is still common to all, and great Olympus.So I will not live by Zeus' wishes, but let him stay quiet,strong as he is, in his third share.And let him not try to scare me with his hands as if I were some coward;for it would be better for him to threaten with terrible wordshis daughters and sons, the ones he fathered himself,who will listen to him when he urges, whether they like it or not.Then wind-footed swift Iris answered him:So, earth-holder, dark-haired one, this is the harsh and powerfulmessage I bring you from Zeus:will you change your mind at all? The minds of good men can be turned.You know how the Furies always follow the older ones.Then Poseidon the earth-shaker answered her:Goddess Iris, you have spoken that word very properly;it is good too when a messenger knows what is right.But this terrible grief reaches my heart and spiritwhenever one with an equal lot and appointed by the same fatewants to scold with angry words.But for now I will give way, though I resent it;and I will tell you another thing and threaten it in my heart:if, without me and without Athena who drives the spoil,and Hera, and Hermes, and lord Hephaestus,he will spare steep Ilion and will not wantto sack it and give great power to the Argives,let him know this: that there will be an unforgivable anger between us two.So speaking, the earth-shaker left the Achaean army,and went and plunged into the sea, and the Achaean heroes missed him.And then Zeus the cloud-gatherer spoke to Apollo:Go now, dear Phoebus, to Hector of the bronze helmet;for already the earth-holder, the earth-shaker,has gone into the shining sea, avoiding my terrible anger;for the others would surely have heard of the fight too,even the gods below who are around Cronus.But this turned out far better both for me and for him,that he gave way to me in resentment,before my hands, since it would not have been done without sweat.But you, take the tasselled aegis in your hands,and shaking it hard, put the Achaean heroes to flight;and you take care of glorious Hector yourself, far-shooter;for so long rouse great strength in him, until the Achaeansin flight reach the ships and the Hellespont.From there I myself will plan both deed and word,so that the Achaeans may breathe again from their toil.So he spoke, and Apollo did not disobey his father,but went down from the mountains of Ida, like a hawk,the swift dove-killer, which is the fastest of birds.He found the son of wise Priam, shining Hector,sitting up, no longer lying down, and just gathering his spirit,recognizing his companions around him; and his gasping and sweathad stopped, since the mind of aegis-bearing Zeus had woken him.Standing near, far-working Apollo spoke to him:Hector, son of Priam, why are you sitting apart from the others,faint and weak? Surely some grief has come to you.Then Hector of the flashing helmet answered him, weak in strength:Who are you, best of the gods, who ask me to my face?Have you not heard how, at the sterns of the Achaeans' ships,as I was killing his companions, Ajax good at the war-cry hit mewith a stone on the chest and stopped my furious courage?And I thought I would reach the dead and the house of Hadeson this very day, when I breathed out my dear life.Then lord far-working Apollo answered him:Be brave now; the son of Cronus has sent such a helperfrom Ida to stand beside you and defend you,Phoebus Apollo of the golden sword, who even beforeprotected you, both you and your steep city.But come now, urge your many charioteersto drive their swift horses at the hollow ships;and I, going ahead, will smooththe whole road for the horses, and I will turn the Achaean heroes.So speaking he breathed great strength into the shepherd of the people.As when a stalled horse, fattened at the manger,breaks his halter and gallops, pounding over the plain,used to bathing in the fair-flowing river,proud; he holds his head high, and his manetosses about his shoulders; and confident in his beautyhis knees carry him swiftly to the haunts and pasture of horses:so Hector moved his swift feet and knees,urging on the charioteers, since he had heard the god's voice.And they, as when hounds and country men rushafter a horned stag or a wild goat,and a sheer rock and a shady forest save it,and it was not fated for them to catch it;but at their shouting a bearded lion appearsin the path, and quickly turns them all back, eager as they were:so the Danaans for a while kept chasing in crowds,stabbing with swords and two-edged spears;but when they saw Hector going through the ranks of men,they were terrified, and everyone's heart fell at their feet.Then Thoas, the son of Andraemon, spoke among them,by far the best of the Aetolians, skilled with the javelinand good in close combat; and in assembly few of the Achaeanscould beat him, when the young men competed in words.He, meaning well, spoke to them and said:Oh no, this is a great wonder that I see with my eyes,how Hector has risen up again, escaping the fates,Hector! Surely each man's heart very much hopedthat he had died by the hands of Ajax, son of Telamon.But some god has rescued and saved him again,Hector, who has loosed the knees of many Danaans,as I think will happen even now; for not withoutZeus the loud-thunderer does he stand forth so eager as a champion.But come, let us all be persuaded by what I say.Let us tell the crowd to go back to the ships;and we ourselves, as many as claim to be the best in the army,let us stand, in case we can first hold them back by meeting themwith spears raised; and I think that he, eager as he is,will be afraid in his heart to plunge into the crowd of Danaans.So he spoke, and they listened to him and obeyed.Those around Ajax and lord Idomeneus,and Teucer, Meriones, and Meges equal to Ares,arranged the battle, calling the best men together,against Hector and the Trojans; but behind themthe crowd went back to the Achaeans' ships.But the Trojans pushed forward in a mass, and Hector led themwith long strides; and in front of him went Phoebus Apollowrapped in a cloud around his shoulders, and he held the furious aegis,terrible, thick-fringed, splendid, which the smithHephaestus gave to Zeus to carry to rout men;holding this in his hands he led the troops.And the Argives stood firm in a mass, and a sharp cryrose from both sides, and arrows from the bowstringsleapt; and many spears from bold handsstuck in the flesh of swift-fighting young men,and many, halfway before touching the white skin,stood in the ground, longing to glut themselves on flesh.As long as Phoebus Apollo held the aegis still in his hands,so long the weapons of both sides hit, and the people fell.But when he looked straight at the Danaans of swift horsesand shook it, and shouted very loudly himself, then he bewitchedthe spirit in their breasts, and they forgot their furious courage.And they, as when two wild beasts rout a herd of cattle or a big flock of sheepin the dead of black night,falling on them suddenly when the herdsman is not there:so the Achaeans fled, cowardly; for Apollo threwfear into them, and gave glory to the Trojans and Hector.Then man killed man as the battle broke up.Hector killed Stichius and Arcesilaus,one the leader of the bronze-clad Boeotians,the other the trusty companion of great-hearted Menestheus;and Aeneas stripped Medon and Iasus.Now Medon was a bastard son of godlike Oileus,and brother of Ajax; but he livedin Phylace, away from his native land, after killing a man,a relative of his stepmother Eriopis, whom Oileus had married;and Iasus had been made a leader of the Athenians,and was called the son of Sphelus, son of Bucolus.Polydamas killed Mecisteus, and Polites killed Echiusin the first clash, and shining Agenor killed Clonius.And Paris struck Deiochus on the lowest part of the shoulder from behind,as he fled among the front ranks, and drove the bronze right through.While they were stripping the armour off these men, the Achaeansstumbling into the dug ditch and the stakesfled this way and that, and were forced inside the wall.And Hector shouted aloud and called to the Trojansto rush at the ships and leave the bloody spoils;and whoever I see away from the ships, somewhere else,I will plan his death right there, and his male relativesand female relatives will not give him his share of fire when he is dead,but dogs will drag him in front of our city.So speaking he lashed his horses with the whip from the shoulder,calling to the Trojans along the ranks; and they with himall shouted together and drove their strong-drawn horseswith a tremendous din; and in front of them Phoebus Apolloswept down the banks of the deep ditch with his feet,threw them into the middle, and bridged the roadlong and wide, as far as a spear throwgoes when a man tests his strength.There they poured through in companies, and in front of them Apolloholding the precious aegis; and he threw down the Achaeans' wallvery easily, as when a child by the sea,who, after making playthings in his childishness,again scatters them with feet and hands in play.So you, Phoebus, went and confounded the great toil and miseryof the Argives, and roused flight in them.So they were held back, waiting by the ships,calling to one another, and to all the godslifting up their hands, each man prayed greatly:and Nestor above all, the Gerenian horseman of the Achaeans,prayed, stretching his hand to the starry sky:Father Zeus, if ever anyone in Argos rich in wheat,burning the rich thigh-bones of an ox or a sheep,prayed to return home, and you promised and nodded,remember these things and ward off the pitiless day, Olympian,and do not let the Achaeans be beaten down by the Trojans like this.So he spoke praying, and Zeus the counsellor thundered loudly,hearing the prayers of the old man, son of Neleus.And when the Trojans heard the thunder of aegis-bearing Zeus,they rushed at the Argives even more, and remembered their fighting spirit.And they, as when a great wave of the wide seacomes down over a ship's walls, when the forceof the wind presses it; for that most swells the waves;so the Trojans with a great shout climbed over the wall,and driving their horses in they fought at the sternswith two-edged spears at close range, some from the chariots,and others from the black ships, climbing up high,with long poles, which lay along the ships,jointed ship-fighting pikes, tipped with bronze at the point.And Patroclus, as long as the Achaeans and the Trojanswere fighting around the wall, outside the swift ships,so long he sat in the hut of kindly Eurypylusand entertained him with talk, and on his painful woundhe spread soothing herbs for his black pains.But when he saw the Trojans rushing against the wall,and there was shouting and panic among the Danaans,then he groaned and struck his thighswith the flat of both hands, and lamenting he spoke:Eurypylus, though you need me, I can no longerstay here with you; for a great quarrel has arisen;but let an attendant look after you, and I myselfwill hurry to Achilles, to urge him to fight.Who knows if, with a god's help, I may stir his spiritby talking to him? A companion's persuasion is a good thing.So he spoke, and his feet carried him off; but the Achaeansstood firm against the oncoming Trojans, and could notpush them back from the ships, though they were fewer;nor could the Trojans ever break through the Danaans' ranksand reach the huts and ships.But as a builder's line makes a ship's timber straightin the hands of a skilled carpenter, who knowshis whole craft well through Athena's teaching,so their battle and war were stretched evenly;and others fought their battle around other ships,but Hector made straight for glorious Ajax.The two had their struggle around one ship, and could not,the one drive him off and set the ship on fire,nor the other push him back, since a god had brought him near.Then glorious Ajax hit Caletor, son of Clytius,who was bringing fire to the ship, on the chest with his spear.He fell with a thud, and the torch dropped from his hand.And when Hector saw with his eyes his cousinfallen in the dust in front of the black ship,he shouted aloud and called to the Trojans and Lycians:Trojans and Lycians and Dardanians who fight at close range,do not give ground from the battle in this narrow space,but save the son of Clytius, in case the Achaeansstrip his armour, now he has fallen in the fight by the ships.So speaking he threw his shining spear at Ajax.He missed him, but then hit Lycophron, son of Mastor,the Cytherian attendant of Ajax, who lived beside him,since he had killed a man in holy Cythera,him he struck on the head above the ear with sharp bronze,as he stood near Ajax; and he fell on his back in the dustfrom the ship's stern to the ground, and his limbs went loose.And Ajax shuddered, and spoke to his brother:Dear Teucer, our trusty companion is dead,the son of Mastor, whom we, when he came from Cythera,honoured in our halls like our own parents;great-hearted Hector has killed him. Where now are your arrowsthat bring swift death, and the bow Phoebus Apollo gave you?So he spoke, and he understood, and running he stood beside him,holding in his hand his back-bent bow and the quiverthat holds arrows; and very quickly he shot at the Trojans.And he hit Clitus, the splendid son of Peisenor,the companion of noble Polydamas, son of Panthous,as he held the reins in his hands; he was busy with his horses,for he was driving where the thickest companies were in confusion,doing a favour to Hector and the Trojans; and quicklyevil came to him, which none of them, eager as they were, could prevent.For the much-groaning arrow fell on his neck from behind;and he fell from the chariot, and his horses shied awayrattling the empty car. And lord Polydamas noticed it at once,and was the first to come face to face with the horses.These he gave to Astynous, son of Protiaon,and urged him a lot to keep them near and watch them;and he himself went back and mingled with the front ranks.And Teucer picked another arrow for Hector of the bronze helmet,and would have stopped him from fighting at the Achaeans' ships,if, striking him as he fought in the front, he had taken away his life.But he did not escape the close mind of Zeus, who was guardingHector, and took the glory away from Teucer, son of Telamon,for as he drew it, the well-twisted string on his flawless bowbroke; and his arrow, heavy with bronze, went off elsewhere,and the bow fell from his hand.And Teucer shuddered, and spoke to his brother:Oh no, a god has completely cut short the plans of our battle,he who threw the bow from my hand,and tore the newly twisted string, which I fastenedthis morning, so that it would hold up under the arrows leaping thickly.Then great Ajax, son of Telamon, answered him:Dear brother, let the bow and the thick-falling arrowslie there, since a god, grudging the Danaans, has confounded them;but taking a long spear in your hands and a shield on your shoulder,fight the Trojans and rouse the other troops.Let them not, though they beat us, take our well-benched shipswithout a struggle, but let us remember our fighting spirit.So he spoke, and he put the bow in the huts,and put around his shoulders a shield of four layers,and on his strong head he set a well-made helmetwith a horse-hair plume, and the crest nodded terribly above it;and he took a sturdy spear pointed with sharp bronze,and went, and running very quickly stood beside Ajax.And when Hector saw Teucer's weapons baffled,he shouted aloud and called to the Trojans and Lycians:Trojans and Lycians and Dardanians who fight at close range,be men, my friends, and remember your furious couragethroughout the hollow ships; for I have seen with my eyesthe weapons of a leading man baffled by Zeus.Easy to recognize among men is the help of Zeus,both for those to whom he grants greater glory,and for those whom he weakens and will not defend,as now he weakens the strength of the Argives and helps us.But fight together at the ships; and whoever among youmeets death and fate, struck or hit,let him die; it is no shame for him to die defending his homeland;but his wife will be safe, and his children after him,and his house and his plot of land untouched, if the Achaeansgo off with their ships to their dear native land.So speaking he roused the strength and spirit of each man.And Ajax from the other side called to his companions:Shame, Argives! Now it is enough either to dieor to be saved and push the trouble away from the ships.Do you hope, if Hector of the flashing helmet takes the ships,that each of you will reach his own native land on foot?Or do you not hear how he urges on the whole army,Hector, who rages to set the ships on fire?He is not inviting them to a dance, but to fight.And for us there is no better thought and plan than this:to join hands and strength at close range.It is better either to die once and for all, or to live,than to be worn out for a long time in dreadful fightinglike this by the ships, under men who are worse than we are.So speaking he roused the strength and spirit of each man.Then Hector killed Schedius, son of Perimedes,leader of the Phocians, and Ajax killed Laodamas,the splendid son of Antenor, leader of the foot soldiers;and Polydamas stripped Otus of Cyllene,the companion of the son of Phyleus, leader of the great-hearted Epeians.Seeing this, Meges sprang at him; but Polydamas swerved awayand he missed him; for Apollo would notlet the son of Panthous be killed among the front ranks;but he stabbed Croesmus in the middle of the chest with his spear.He fell with a thud; and he stripped the armour from his shoulders.Meanwhile Dolops sprang at him, well skilled with the spear,son of Lampus, whom Lampus fathered as his best son,son of Laomedon, well skilled in furious courage,who then stabbed the middle of the son of Phyleus' shield with his spear,rushing from close by; but his thick breastplate warded it off,which he was wearing, fitted with plates; which once Phyleusbrought from Ephyre, from the river Selleeis.For his host Euphetes, lord of men, gave it to himto wear in war, as a defence against enemy men;and it then too warded destruction off his son's flesh.And Meges stabbed with his sharp spear the topmost part,the boss, of his bronze-cheeked helmet with its horse-hair crest,and broke the horse-hair crest off it; and it all fell to the groundin the dust, bright with its fresh crimson dye.While he fought him, holding his ground and still hoping for victory,meanwhile warlike Menelaus came as his defender,and stood off to one side with his spear unseen, and hit his shoulder from behind;and the point drove eagerly through his chest,pushing forward; and he fell face down.The two rushed to strip the bronze armour from his shoulders;and Hector called to his brothers,to all of them, and first rebuked Hicetaon's son,strong Melanippus. He, while he was pasturing his rolling-footed cattlein Percote, far from the enemy;but when the curved ships of the Danaans came,he came back to Ilion, and stood out among the Trojans,and lived beside Priam, who honoured him like his own children;him Hector rebuked, and spoke a word and called him by name:Melanippus, are we going to be so slack? Does your heartfeel no shame for your cousin who was killed?Do you not see how they are busy about the armour of Dolops?But come on; it is no longer possible to fight the Argivesfrom a distance, before either we kill them or they utterlytake steep Ilion and kill its citizens.So speaking he led, and the godlike man followed with him;and great Ajax, son of Telamon, roused the Argives:Friends, be men, and put shame in your hearts,and have respect for one another through the strong encounters.Of men who feel shame, more are saved than are killed;but from those who flee, neither glory nor any defence arises.So he spoke, and they themselves were eager to fight off the enemy,and they took his word to heart, and fenced the shipswith a wall of bronze; and Zeus roused the Trojans on.And Menelaus good at the war-cry roused Antilochus:Antilochus, there is no other Achaean younger than you,nor faster on his feet, nor as strong in battle;if only you could spring out and hit some Trojan man.So speaking he hurried away, and stirred him up;and he sprang out from the front ranks, and threw his shining spear,looking around him; and the Trojans shrank backfrom the man as he threw; and he did not send his weapon in vain,but Hicetaon's son, the high-hearted Melanippus,as he came on into the battle, he hit on the chest beside the nipple.He fell with a thud, and darkness covered his eyes.And Antilochus sprang on him like a dog, which springs on a wounded fawnthat has leapt up from its bed,which a hunter has happened to hit and has loosened its limbs;so on you, Melanippus, sprang Antilochus, staunch in battle,to strip your armour; but he did not escape shining Hector,who came running against him through the battle.And Antilochus did not stand his ground, swift fighter though he was,but he fled, like a wild beast that has done a bad thing,which, having killed a dog or a herdsman around the cattle,flees before the crowd of men can gather;so the son of Nestor fled, and the Trojans and Hectorwith a tremendous din poured on their groaning weapons;and he turned and stood, when he reached the crowd of his companions.And the Trojans, like raw-flesh-eating lions,rushed at the ships, and were fulfilling the commands of Zeus,who kept rousing great strength in them, and bewitched the spiritof the Argives and took away their glory, while he spurred the others on.For his heart wanted to give glory to Hector,the son of Priam, so that he might throw on the curved ships firethat never tires, blazing, and might fulfil Thetis' monstrous prayer;for Zeus the counsellor was eagerto see with his eyes the blaze of a burning ship.For from that time he was going to make a counter-attack from the shipsof the Trojans, and to give glory to the Danaans.With this in mind he roused against the hollow shipsHector, son of Priam, though he was already very eager himself.He raged as when Ares of the spear, or destroying fire,rages on the mountains in the thickets of a deep wood;foam formed around his mouth, and his two eyesblazed under his grim brows, and around his temples the helmetshook terribly as Hector fought;for Zeus himself from the upper air was his defender,Zeus, who honoured and glorified him, alone among more men;for his life was going to be short;for already Pallas Athena was rousing his fated day against him,under the strength of the son of Peleus.And he wanted to break the ranks of men, testing them,where he saw the biggest crowd and the best armour;yet even so he could not break them, much as he raged;for they stood fitted together like a tower, like a rocksheer and great, standing near the grey sea,which endures the swift paths of the shrill winds,and the swollen waves that roar against it:so the Danaans stood firm against the Trojans and did not flee.But he, blazing with fire on every side, leapt into the crowd,and fell on them as when a wave falls on a swift ship,violent, reared up under the clouds by the wind; and the whole shipis hidden by the spray, and the terrible blast of the windthunders in the sail, and the sailors tremble in their heartswith fear; for they are carried but a little way from death:so the spirit in the breasts of the Achaeans was torn.But he, as when a lion of destructive mind comes at cattlethat graze in the meadow of a great marsh,countless, and among them a herdsman not yet knowing clearlyhow to fight the beast over the killing of a crumple-horned ox;indeed he always walks with the first and the last of the cattle,but the lion, springing into the middle,devours an ox, and they all flee: so then the Achaeansfled in a wondrous panic before Hector and father Zeus,all of them; and he alone killed Periphetes of Mycenae,the dear son of Copreus, who used to go on errandsfor lord Eurystheus, for the strength of Heracles.From a far worse father was born a better son,in every kind of excellence, both of foot and of battle,and in mind he was among the first of the Mycenaeans;and he then gave Hector surpassing glory.For he turned and jumped back onto the rim of his shield,which he himself used to carry, a fence from spears down to his feet;stumbling on it he fell on his back, and around him the helmetrang terribly around his temples as he fell.And Hector noticed it sharply, and running he stood beside him,and fixed his spear in his chest, and killed him among his dear companionsclose by; and they could not, though grieving for their companion,help him; for they greatly feared shining Hector.They were driven back to the ships, and the foremost shipsthat had been drawn up first hemmed them in; and the Trojans poured on.And the Argives gave ground from the ships, by necessity,from the front ones, and stayed there beside the hutsin a group, and did not scatter through the camp; for shame held them back,and fear; for they kept calling to one another without stopping.And Nestor above all, the Gerenian horseman of the Achaeans,begged, imploring each man by his parents:Friends, be men, and put shame in your heartsbefore other men, and let each of you rememberhis children and his wife, his property and his parents,both those for whom they are still alive and those for whom they have died;for their sake, though they are not here, I beg youto stand strongly, and do not turn to flight.So speaking he roused the strength and spirit of each man.And Athena drove a misty cloud from their eyes,a wondrous one; and much light came to them from both sides,both toward the ships and toward the close-fighting war.And they noticed Hector good at the war-cry, and his companions,both those who stood back behind and were not fighting,and those who were fighting their battle beside the swift ships.Nor did it any longer please great-hearted Ajax in his heartto stand where the other sons of the Achaeans stood back;but he went along the decks of the ships with long strides,and wielded in his hands a great ship-fighting pike,joined with bolts, twenty-two cubits long.As when a man well skilled at riding horses,who, after picking out four horses from many,drives them from the plain and speeds toward the great cityalong the crowded road; and many men and womenstare at him; and he steadily and safely, alwaysleaping, goes from one to another, and they fly along:so Ajax over the many decks of the swift shipswent with long strides, and his voice reached the upper air,and always shouting terribly he called to the Danaansto defend the ships and the huts. Nor did Hectorhold back in the crowd of the thick-armoured Trojans;but as among winged birds a tawny eagleswoops on a flock feeding beside a river,of geese or cranes or long-necked swans,so Hector rushed straight at a dark-prowed ship,springing against it; and Zeus pushed him on from behindwith his very great hand, and roused the army along with him.And again a sharp battle arose beside the ships;you would say they were meeting one another in war unweariedand untiring, so eagerly did they fight.And this was the mind of those fighting: the Achaeanssaid they would not flee out of danger, but would die;and in the breasts of each of the Trojans the heart hopedto burn the ships and kill the Achaean heroes.With these thoughts they stood against one another;and Hector grabbed the stern of a sea-going ship,a fine one, swift on the sea, which had brought Protesilausto Troy, and did not carry him back to his native land.It was around this ship that the Achaeans and the Trojanskept killing one another at close range; and they no longerwaited apart for the swift arrows or the spears,but standing close together with one spiritthey fought with sharp axes and hatchetsand great swords and two-edged spears.And many fine swords, dark-bound, with hilts,some fell from their hands to the ground, and others from the shouldersof men fighting; and the black earth flowed with blood.And Hector, once he had grabbed it from the stern, did not let go,holding the stern-post in his hands, and he called to the Trojans:Bring fire, and all together raise the battle-cry;now Zeus has given us a day worthy of all our hopes,to take the ships, which came here against the will of the godsand made many troubles for us, through the cowardice of the elders,who, though I wanted to fight at the sterns of the ships,kept holding me back and restraining the army;but if the far-thundering Zeus then bluntedour minds, now he himself urges and commands.So he spoke, and they sprang even more at the Argives.And Ajax no longer held his ground; for he was overpowered by weapons;but he gave ground a little, thinking he would die,onto the seven-foot bench, and left the decks of the trim ship.There he stood on guard, and with his spear alwayskept the Trojans away from the ships, whoever brought the tireless fire;and always shouting terribly he called to the Danaans:Dear friends, heroes, Danaans, servants of Ares,be men, my friends, and remember your furious courage.Do we think there are any helpers behind us,or any better wall, which might ward destruction off men?There is no city near fitted with towers,to which we might turn and defend ourselves with a people that could help;but in the plain of the thick-armoured Trojanswe sit leaning on the sea, far from our native land;so our light is in our hands, not in the gentleness of war.So he spoke, and raging he wielded his sharp spear.And whichever of the Trojans rushed at the hollow shipswith blazing fire, to please the urging Hector,him Ajax would wound, waiting with his long spear;and he wounded twelve men in front of the ships at close range.