Book 20

So they armed themselves beside the curved ships,around you, son of Peleus, Achaeans insatiate of battle,and the Trojans again on the other side, on the rising ground of the plain.And Zeus commanded Themis to call the gods to assemblyfrom the crest of many-folded Olympus; and she, going everywhere,summoned them to come to the house of Zeus.Nor was any of the rivers absent, apart from Ocean,nor any of the nymphs who haunt the fair grovesand the springs of rivers and the grassy meadows.And coming into the house of Zeus the cloud-gatherer,they sat in the polished colonnades, which for father ZeusHephaestus had made with his cunning mind.Thus they were gathered in the house of Zeus; nor did the Earth-shakerfail to hear the goddess, but came from the sea among them,and sat in their midst, and asked the will of Zeus:"Why now, bright-thunderer, have you called the gods to assembly?Is it something about the Trojans and Achaeans you ponder?For theirs is the battle and war that are now kindled nearest."And answering him, Zeus the cloud-gatherer spoke:"You know, Earth-shaker, the will within my breast,for whose sake I gathered them; they concern me even as they perish.But indeed I will stay on the ridge of Olympus,sitting, where watching I shall delight my heart; but do you othersgo, until you come among the Trojans and Achaeans,and give help to both, as is the mind of each.For if Achilles alone fights against the Trojans,they will not hold out even a little against the swift-footed son of Peleus.And even before they trembled at him whenever they saw him;but now, when his heart is terribly angry for his companion,I fear he may even sack the wall beyond his fate."So spoke the son of Cronus, and roused relentless war.And the gods went to go to the battle, their hearts divided:Hera to the gathering of the ships, and Pallas Athena,and Poseidon the earth-holder, and the helper Hermes,who excels in shrewd counsels;and Hephaestus went with them, glorying in his strength,limping, and beneath him his thin shins moved swiftly.And to the Trojans went Ares of the flashing helmet, and with himPhoebus of the unshorn hair, and Artemis the arrow-pourer,and Leto and Xanthus and Aphrodite who loves smiles.As long as the gods were far from mortal men,so long did the Achaeans exult greatly, because Achilleshad appeared, and he had long rested from painful war;but a dread trembling crept under the limbs of each Trojanin their fear, when they saw the swift-footed son of Peleusshining in his armor, like Ares the bane of mortals.But when the Olympians came among the throng of men,up rose strong Strife, the rouser of hosts, and Athena shouted aloud,standing at one moment beside the dug trench outside the wall,at another crying loudly on the echoing headlands.And Ares shouted from the other side, like a black whirlwind,calling sharply to the Trojans from the topmost city,and sometimes running beside the Simoeis on Callicolone.So the blessed gods, urging on both armies,brought them together and broke out heavy strife between them;and terribly thundered the father of men and godsfrom above; and beneath, Poseidon shookthe boundless earth and the steep heads of the mountains.And all the feet of many-fountained Ida trembled,and its peaks, and the city of the Trojans and the ships of the Achaeans.And below, Aidoneus, lord of the dead, was afraid,and in his fear he leapt from his throne and cried out, lest above himPoseidon the earth-shaker break open the earth,and to mortals and immortals be revealedthose dreadful, mouldering halls, which even the gods abhor.So great a din arose as the gods came together in strife.For facing lord Poseidonstood Phoebus Apollo, holding his winged arrows,and facing Enyalius stood the bright-eyed goddess Athena;and against Hera stood golden-spindled, loud-cryingArtemis the arrow-pourer, sister of the Far-Shooter;and against Leto stood Hermes the helper, strong in speed;and against Hephaestus stood the great deep-swirling river,whom the gods call Xanthus, and men call Scamander.So the gods went against the gods; but Achilleslonged most of all to plunge into the throng against Hectorson of Priam; for his heart above all urged himto glut Ares, the stout-shielded warrior, with blood.And against Aeneas Apollo the rouser of hosts stirred him upto face the son of Peleus, and put noble strength in him;and in voice he likened himself to Lycaon, son of Priam;made like him, the son of Zeus, Apollo, spoke:"Aeneas, counselor of the Trojans, where are your boaststhat you promised to the kings of Troy while drinking wine,that you would fight face to face against Achilles son of Peleus?"And answering him, Aeneas said:"Son of Priam, why do you bid me do this against my will,to fight face to face with the high-hearted son of Peleus?Not now for the first time will I stand against swift-footed Achilles;no, already another time he put me to flight with his spearfrom Ida, when he came against our cattle,and sacked Lyrnessus and Pedasus; but me Zeussaved, who roused my strength and my swift knees.Truly I would have perished under the hands of Achilles and Athena,who went before him and made light for him and urged himto slay the Leleges and Trojans with his bronze spear.So it is not possible for a man to fight face to face with Achilles;for always at least one of the gods stands near, warding off ruin.And even apart from that, his missile flies straight, and does not stopbefore it has passed through a man's flesh. But if a godshould stretch the war's end out even, not very easilywould he win, even if he boasts he is all of bronze."And the lord, the son of Zeus, Apollo, answered him:"Hero, come now, pray also to the gods who live forever;for they say you too were born of Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus,while he is of a lesser god:for she is of Zeus, and he is of the old man of the sea.So drive your tireless bronze straight on, and let him not at allturn you aside with his wretched words and his war-cry."So speaking, he breathed great strength into the shepherd of the people,and he went through the front ranks, armed in blazing bronze.Nor did the son of Anchises escape white-armed Hera's notice,as he went against the son of Peleus through the throng of men;and she, gathering the gods together, spoke a word among them:"Take thought now, you two, Poseidon and Athena,in your own hearts, how these deeds shall be.Aeneas has gone, armed in blazing bronze,against the son of Peleus, and Phoebus Apollo has sent him on.But come, let us turn him back from hereat once; or else let one of us stand beside Achillesand give him great strength, and let him not be wanting at allin spirit, so that he may know the best of the immortalslove him, and that those who up to now have warded warand battle from the Trojans are idle wind.We have all come down from Olympus to facethis battle, so that he suffer nothing among the Trojanstoday; but afterward he shall suffer whatever fatespun for him at his birth with the thread, when his mother bore him.But if Achilles does not learn this from the voice of a god,he will then be afraid, when some god comes against himin war; for gods are terrible to appear plainly."And answering her, Poseidon the earth-shaker said:"Hera, do not be angry beyond what is right; there is no need.I at least would not wish to bring us gods together in strife,the rest of us, since we are far stronger;no, let us go and sit downoff the path, on a lookout place, and let war be the care of men.But if Ares begins the battle, or Phoebus Apollo,or they hold Achilles back and do not let him fight,then at once a quarrel will rise for us right thereout of the fighting; and I think that, quickly separated,we shall go back to Olympus, to the gathering of the other gods,beaten down under their hands by necessity."So speaking, the dark-haired one led the wayto the wall heaped around godlike Heracles,the high wall, which the Trojans and Pallas Athenahad built for him, so that he might escape the sea-monster and shun it,whenever it drove him from the shore toward the plain.There Poseidon sat down, and the other gods,and they cast an unbreakable cloud about their shoulders;and the others sat down on the other side, on the brows of Callicolone,around you, Phoebus, and Ares the sacker of cities.So they sat on either side, devisingcounsel; and they shrank from beginning the cruel war,both sides, but Zeus, seated on high, gave command.And the whole plain was filled with them and shone with bronze,of men and horses; and the earth rang under their feetas they rushed together. And two men, far the best,came together in the midst of both armies, eager to fight,Aeneas son of Anchises and brilliant Achilles.And Aeneas came first, after threatening,nodding with his heavy helmet; and his furious shieldhe held before his chest, and shook his bronze spear.And the son of Peleus on the other side rose to face him like a lionof the mountain, whom men are eager to kill,gathering together, the whole people; and at first he goesscorning them, but when one of the young men swift in warstrikes him with a spear, he gathers himself and gapes, and about his teethfoam appears, and in his heart his brave spirit groans,and with his tail he lashes his flanks and both his hips,and urges himself on to fight,and glaring he rushes straight on in fury, to kill some manor himself to perish in the front of the throng:so fury and proud spirit urged Achillesto go against great-hearted Aeneas.And when they were near, coming at one another,brilliant swift-footed Achilles spoke to him first:"Aeneas, why have you stood so far forward out of the throng?Does your heart urge you to fight with me,hoping to rule over the horse-taming Trojanswith the honor of Priam? But even if you kill me,Priam will not for that put the prize in your hand;for he has sons, and he is steadfast and not foolish.Or have the Trojans cut out for you a plot beyond all others,fine, of orchard and plowland, for you to hold,if you kill me? But I think you will do that with difficulty.Already I say I have put you to flight with my spear before.Do you not remember when I drove you, alone with your cattle,down the mountains of Ida with my swift feet,in all haste? Then you did not turn back in flight.From there you fled away to Lyrnessus; but Isacked it, rushing on with Athena and father Zeus,and the captive women, stripping from them the day of freedom,I led away; but Zeus rescued you, and the other gods.But I do not think you will be rescued now, as in your heartyou imagine; I bid you draw backinto the crowd, and do not stand against me,before you suffer some evil; a fool knows it when it is done."And answering him, Aeneas spoke:"Son of Peleus, do not hope to frighten me with words like a child,since I myself know clearlyboth to speak mocking words and insults.We know each other's lineage, we know our parents,hearing words famous among mortal men;but you have not seen mine with your eyes, nor I yours.They say you are the offspring of blameless Peleus,and your mother is Thetis of the fair tresses, daughter of the sea;but I claim to be the son of great-hearted Anchises,and my mother is Aphrodite;of these two, one will today mourn a dear son;for I do not think that we two will part from battlesettled by childish words.But if you wish to learn these things too, so that you may know wellmy lineage, many men know it:Dardanus first was born of Zeus the cloud-gatherer,and he founded Dardania, since not yet had holy Iliosbeen built in the plain, the city of mortal men,but they still dwelt at the foot of many-fountained Ida.And Dardanus begot a son, King Erichthonius,who became the richest of mortal men;and of him three thousand horses grazed in the marsh,mares, glorying in their tender foals.And the North Wind loved them as they grazed,and likening himself to a dark-haired stallion, lay beside them;and they conceived and bore twelve foals.And when these skipped over the grain-giving earth,they ran on the topmost ears of corn and did not break them;but when they skipped over the broad back of the sea,they ran on the topmost crest of the gray salt sea.And Erichthonius begot Tros, lord of the Trojans;and of Tros three blameless sons were born,Ilus and Assaracus and godlike Ganymede,who became the fairest of mortal men;and the gods caught him up to pour wine for Zeus,for the sake of his beauty, so that he might be among the immortals.And Ilus begot a blameless son, Laomedon;and Laomedon begot Tithonus and Priamand Lampus and Clytius and Hicetaon, a branch of Ares;and Assaracus begot Capys, and he begot the son Anchises;and Anchises begot me, and Priam begot brilliant Hector.Of this lineage and blood I claim to be.But Zeus increases and diminishes men's valorjust as he wills; for he is the strongest of all.But come, let us no longer speak of these things like children,standing in the midst of the battle's strife.For both of us have insults to speak,many indeed, so that not even a hundred-benched ship could bear the load.Mortals' tongue is twisted, and in it are many words,of every kind, and the pasture of speech is wide this way and that.Whatever kind of word you say, of that kind then you may hear.But why must we two nurse quarrels and abuse,abusing one another face to face like womenwho, angry over heart-eating strife,abuse one another, going out into the middle of the street,many things true and untrue; for anger commands even that.But you will not turn me from my valor with words, when I am eager,before we fight face to face with bronze; but come, let us quicklytaste one another with bronze spears."He spoke, and hurled his mighty spear at the dreadshield, the terrible one; and the shield rang loudly around the spear's point.And the son of Peleus held the shield off from him with his stout hand,in fear; for he thought the long-shadowed spearwould easily pass through — the spear of great-hearted Aeneas —fool, and he did not know in his heart and spirithow not easy it is for the glorious gifts of the godsto be beaten down by mortal men, or to give way.Nor then did the mighty spear of wise Aeneasbreak the shield; for the gold checked it, the gift of the god;but it drove through two folds, and still threeremained, since the crippled god had beaten out five folds,two of bronze, two of tin within,and one of gold, and in it the ash spear was stopped.Then Achilles in turn sent forth his long-shadowed spear,and struck the shield of Aeneas, even on every side,under the first rim, where the bronze ran thinnest,and thinnest lay the ox-hide; and through itthe Pelian ash spear leapt, and the shield crashed beneath it.And Aeneas crouched and held the shield up from himself,in fear; and the spear flew over his back and in the earthstood, eager, and it had passed through both circlesof the shield that covers a man; and he, dodging the long spear,stood, and measureless grief poured over his eyes,in fear because the weapon had stuck fast near him. But Achillesrushed furiously at him, drawing his sharp sword,crying terribly; and Aeneas caught up a stone in his hand,a great work, which two men could not lift,such men as mortals are now; but he brandished it easily, alone.There Aeneas would have struck him as he rushed in with the stone,on the helmet or the shield, which would have warded off miserable destruction,and the son of Peleus would have taken his life at close quarters with the sword,if Poseidon the earth-shaker had not quickly noticed;and at once he spoke a word among the immortal gods:"Ah me, this is grief to me, for great-hearted Aeneas,who will soon, beaten by the son of Peleus, go down to Hades,persuaded by the words of the Far-Shooter Apollo,fool, and that will not save him from miserable destruction.But why should this man, who is blameless, suffer griefto no purpose for the sorrows of others, and always givegifts that please the gods who hold the broad heaven?But come, let us lead him out from under death,lest somehow the son of Cronus be angered, if Achilleskills this man; and it is fated for him to escape,so that the race of Dardanus may not perish seedless and unseen,Dardanus, whom the son of Cronus loved beyond all his childrenborn of him and of mortal women.For already the son of Cronus has come to hate the line of Priam;but now the strength of Aeneas shall rule over the Trojans,and the children of his children, who shall be born hereafter."And answering him, ox-eyed lady Hera said:"Earth-shaker, consider it yourself in your own mind,whether you will rescue Aeneas or leave himto be beaten by Achilles son of Peleus, noble man though he is.For indeed we two have sworn many oathsamong all the immortals, I and Pallas Athena,never to ward off the evil day from the Trojans,not even when Troy all burns with ravening fireand the warlike sons of the Achaeans set it burning."And when Poseidon the earth-shaker heard this,he went into the battle and the turmoil of spears,and came where Aeneas was, and where glorious Achilles was.At once then he poured a mist over the eyesof Achilles son of Peleus; and hedrew the bronze-tipped ash spear out of the shield of great-hearted Aeneas;and he laid it before the feet of Achilles,and drove Aeneas up from the ground, lifting him high.And over many ranks of heroes, and many of horses,Aeneas leapt, springing from the god's hand,and came to the edge of the swift-surging war,where the Caucones were arming themselves for battle.And Poseidon the earth-shaker came very near him,and speaking, addressed him with winged words:"Aeneas, what god bids you, in this madness,to fight against the high-hearted son of Peleus,who is both stronger than you and dearer to the immortals?But draw back whenever you meet him,lest you come to the house of Hades beyond your fate.But when Achilles has met death and doom,then take courage and fight among the front ranks;for no other of the Achaeans will slay you."So speaking, he left him there, when he had made all clear.And at once he scattered the wondrous mist from Achilles' eyes;and he saw out greatly with his eyes,and troubled in heart, he spoke to his own great-hearted spirit:"Ah me, what a great wonder is this that I see with my eyes!This spear lies on the ground, but I see no man,to whom I hurled it, eager to kill him.Truly Aeneas was dear to the immortal gods;yet I thought he boasted idly, to no purpose.Let him go; his heart will not be eagerany more to make trial of me, since now he has gladly escaped death.But come, let me urge on the Danaans who love war,and make trial of the rest of the Trojans, going against them."He spoke, and leapt upon the ranks, and called to every man:"No longer now, splendid Achaeans, stand far off from the Trojans,but come, let man go against man, and let him be eager to fight.Hard it is for me, strong though I am,to handle so many men and fight them all;not even Ares, who is an immortal god, not even Athena,could handle the front of such a battle and toil through it.But as far as I am able with my hands and feetand my strength, I say I will not give way at all, not a little,but I go straight through the ranks, and I think no oneof the Trojans will rejoice, whoever comes near my spear."So he spoke, urging them on; and to the Trojans glorious Hectorshouted in command, and said he would go against Achilles:"High-hearted Trojans, do not fear the son of Peleus.Even I could fight with words against the immortals,but with the spear it is hard, for they are far stronger.Nor will Achilles fulfill all his words,but some he will fulfill, and some he cuts short midway.I will go against him, even if his hands are like fire,even if his hands are like fire, and his fury like blazing iron."So he spoke, urging them on, and the Trojans raised their spearsagainst him; and their fury was mingled together, and the war-cry rose.And then Phoebus Apollo stood beside Hector and said:"Hector, do not fight at all any longer in the front against Achilles,but wait in the crowd, in the din of battle,lest he strike you with a throw or hit you close at hand with the sword."So he spoke, and Hector shrank back into the throng of menin fear, when he heard the voice of the god speaking.But Achilles leapt among the Trojans, clothed in strength in his heart,crying terribly, and first he took Iphition,noble son of Otrynteus, leader of many hosts,whom a naiad nymph bore to Otrynteus the sacker of cities,beneath snowy Tmolus, in the rich land of Hyde;and rushing straight at him, brilliant Achilles struck him with his spearin the middle of the head; and it was all split in two,and he fell with a thud; and brilliant Achilles exulted over him:"You lie there, son of Otrynteus, most dreadful of all men;here is your death, and your birth is by the lakeGygaea, where your father's estate lies,on fish-filled Hyllus and the whirling Hermus."So he spoke in triumph, and darkness covered his eyes.And the horses of the Achaeans tore him apart with their wheel-rimsin the first rank of battle; and at him Demoleon,noble warden of battle, son of Antenor,he stabbed in the temple, through the bronze-cheeked helmet.Nor did the bronze helmet hold, but through itthe spear-point rushed and broke the bone, and the braininside was all spattered; and he subdued him in his eagerness.And Hippodamas, as he sprang down from his horsesand fled before him, he wounded in the back with his spear.And he gasped out his life and bellowed, as when a bullbellows as it is dragged around the lord of Heliceby young men dragging it; and the earth-shaker rejoices in them;so that man, bellowing, left his bones, his proud spirit gone.But he went with his spear after godlike Polydorus,son of Priam. His father would not let him fight,because he was the youngest of his sons in birth,and he was dearest to him, and he beat them all in running;and then, in childish pride, showing off the excellence of his feet,he rushed through the front ranks, until he lost his dear life.Him brilliant swift-footed Achilles struck with a spear in the middleof the back as he darted past, where the golden claspsof the belt held, and the doubled breastplate met;and straight through beside the navel went the spear point,and he fell on his knees with a groan, and a cloud wrapped himdark, and he clutched his entrails to himself with his hands as he sank.And Hector, when he noticed his brother Polydorusholding his entrails in his hands, sinking to the ground,a mist poured over his eyes; and he could no longer endureto range far off, but came against Achilles,shaking his sharp spear, like a flame; and Achilles,when he saw him, sprang up, and exulting spoke a word:"Near is the man who has most wounded my heart,who killed my honored companion; no longershall we two shrink from each other along the bridges of war."He spoke, and looking darkly, he addressed brilliant Hector:"Come nearer, so that you may reach the end of death the sooner."And answering him, Hector of the flashing helmet, unafraid, said:"Son of Peleus, do not hope to frighten me with words like a child,since I myself know clearlyboth to speak mocking words and insults.I know that you are noble, and I am far worse than you.But these things lie on the knees of the gods,whether I, being worse, may take your lifeby striking you with my spear, since my weapon too is sharp."He spoke, and swinging it, he sent his spear; and Athenaturned it back with a breath against glorious Achilles,blowing very gently; and it came back to brilliant Hector,and fell before his feet. But Achillesrushed furiously at him, eager to kill him,crying terribly; but Apollo snatched him awayvery easily, as a god can, and covered him in thick mist.Three times then brilliant swift-footed Achilles rushed at himwith his bronze spear, and three times he struck the deep mist.But when for the fourth time he rushed at him like a god,crying out dreadfully, he addressed him with winged words:"You dog, now again you have escaped death; surely evilcame near to you; but now again Phoebus Apollo has rescued you,to whom you are likely to pray as you go into the clash of spears.Surely I will finish you too, when I meet you later,if some god is a helper to me also.But now I will go at the others, whoever I can catch."So speaking, he stabbed Dryops in the middle of the neck with his spear;and he fell before his feet; and he left him there,and Demuchus, son of Philetor, tall and strong,striking his knee with his spear he checked him. Thenstabbing him with his great sword he took away his life;and then Laogonus and Dardanus, sons of Bias,rushing at both, he thrust from their chariot to the ground,striking one with his spear, and hitting the other close at hand with his sword.And Tros, son of Alastor — he came to his knees,to see if he would spare him, taking him, and let him go alive,and not kill him, pitying one of his own age,fool, and he did not know that he was not to be persuaded;for he was not a man of sweet temper or gentle heart,but very furious; and Tros clutched his knees with his hands,eager to beg him, and he stabbed his liver with his sword;and the liver slipped out, and black blood filledhis bosom; and darkness covered his eyesas he lost his life. And he stabbed Mulius, standing beside him,with his spear in the ear; and straight through came outthe bronze point at the other ear. And Echeclus, son of Agenor,he struck in the middle of the head with his hilted sword,and the whole sword was warmed with blood; and over his eyespurple death and mighty fate took hold.And then Deucalion, where the tendons hold the armat the elbow, there he pierced him through his dear armwith the bronze point; and he waited for him, his hand heavy,looking death in the face; and he struck his neck with his swordand flung his head far off with the helmet itself; and the marrowsprang out of the spine, and he lay stretched on the ground.And he went on after the blameless son of Peireus,Rigmos, who had come from fertile Thrace;him he struck in the middle with his spear, and the bronze stuck in his belly,and he fell from his chariot; and Areithous, his attendant,as he turned the horses back, in the back with his sharp spearhe pierced, and thrust him from the chariot; and his horses were thrown into disorder.And as a wondrous fire rages in the deep glensof a parched mountain, and the deep forest burns,and the wind, driving it everywhere, rolls the flame along,so he raged everywhere with his spear, like a god,following the men he killed; and the black earth flowed with blood.And as when a man yokes broad-browed bullsto tread white barley on a well-built threshing floor,and quickly it becomes fine under the feet of the bellowing oxen,so under great-hearted Achilles the solid-hoofed horsestrampled corpses and shields together; and with blood the axlebeneath was all spattered, and the rims about the chariot,which the drops from the horses' hooves kept striking,and from the wheels; but he pressed on to win glory,the son of Peleus, and his irresistible hands were stained with gore.

So they armed themselves by the curving ships,because of you, son of Peleus — Greeks who never got enough of fighting —and the Trojans on the other side, on the high ground of the plain.Zeus told Themis to call the gods to a meetingfrom the top of Olympus with its many folds; and she went everywhereand told them to come to Zeus's house.Not one of the rivers stayed away, except Ocean,and none of the nymphs who live in the beautiful grovesand the springs of rivers and the grassy meadows.When they came to the house of Zeus who gathers the clouds,they sat in the polished colonnades, which for father ZeusHephaestus had built with his clever mind.So they gathered inside Zeus's house; and the Earth-shakerdid not ignore the goddess, but came from the sea among them,and sat down in the middle, and asked what Zeus planned:"Why now, god of the bright lightning, have you called the gods to a meeting?Are you worrying about something to do with the Trojans and the Greeks?Their battle and war are burning closest right now."Zeus who gathers the clouds answered him:"Earth-shaker, you know what I intend in my heart,and why I gathered them; they matter to me even while they die.But I will stay here on the ridge of Olympus,sitting, and I will enjoy the sight; but you othersgo, until you reach the Trojans and the Greeks,and help both sides, however each of you wants to.For if Achilles fights the Trojans alone,they will not hold out even a moment against the swift-footed son of Peleus.Even before, they used to tremble whenever they saw him;but now, when he is terribly angry in his heart for his friend,I am afraid he may even tear down the wall before its fated time."So spoke the son of Cronus, and stirred up war that would not stop.The gods went off to the war with their hearts divided:Hera to the crowd of ships, and Pallas Athena,and Poseidon who holds the earth, and the helpfulHermes, who is the best at clever thinking;and Hephaestus went with them, proud of his strength,limping, and his thin legs moved quickly under him.To the Trojans went Ares of the flashing helmet, and with himApollo of the unshorn hair, and Artemis the archer,and Leto and Xanthus and Aphrodite who loves smiles.As long as the gods were away from mortal men,the Greeks were boasting loudly, because Achilleshad shown up, and he had rested a long time from painful war;but a terrible trembling crept into every Trojan's limbs,they were so afraid when they saw the swift-footed son of Peleusshining in his armor, like Ares who destroys men.But when the Olympian gods came among the crowd of men,Strife rose up strong, the driver of armies, and Athena shouted,standing sometimes by the dug trench outside the wall,and sometimes yelling far and wide on the echoing headlands.Ares shouted from the other side, like a black storm,calling sharply to the Trojans from the highest part of the city,and sometimes running by the Simoeis on Callicolone hill.So the blessed gods urged both armies onand threw them together, and broke out heavy fighting between them;and terribly the father of men and gods thunderedfrom above; and below, Poseidon shookthe endless earth and the steep tops of the mountains.All the feet of Mount Ida with its many springs shook,and its peaks, and the Trojans' city and the Greeks' ships.And down below, Aidoneus, lord of the dead, was afraid,and in his fear he jumped off his throne and cried out, in casePoseidon the earth-shaker broke the earth open above him,and the grim, moldy homes of the dead were shownto mortals and gods alike — places even the gods hate.So huge a crash rose up as the gods came together in conflict.Facing lord Poseidonstood Phoebus Apollo with his winged arrows,and facing Enyalius stood the bright-eyed goddess Athena;against Hera stood golden-spindled, loud-shoutingArtemis the archer, sister of Apollo;against Leto stood the helpful Hermes;against Hephaestus stood the great river with its deep whirlpools,which the gods call Xanthus and men call Scamander.So the gods went against the gods; but Achilleswanted most of all to charge into the crowd against Hector,Priam's son; because his heart above all pushed himto fill Ares, the stubborn warrior, with blood.But Apollo, the driver of armies, sent Aeneas straight at himto face the son of Peleus, and put good strength in him;and he made his voice just like Lycaon, Priam's son;looking like him, Zeus's son Apollo spoke:"Aeneas, you give the Trojans advice — where are all those threatsyou promised the Trojan kings while you were drinking wine,that you would fight Achilles son of Peleus face to face?"Aeneas answered him:"Son of Priam, why tell me to do this against my will,to fight the proud-hearted son of Peleus face to face?This is not the first time I will stand against swift-footed Achilles;no, he has already chased me off with his spear before,down from Ida, when he came after our cattle,and he sacked Lyrnessus and Pedasus; but Zeuspulled me out, and woke up my strength and my quick knees.I would have died under the hands of Achilles and Athena,who went ahead of him and made him a clear path and told himto kill the Leleges and Trojans with his bronze spear.So a man can't fight Achilles face to face;there's always at least one god standing by him, fending off disaster.And anyway, his spear flies straight and doesn't stopuntil it has gone through a man's flesh. But if a godmade the end of the fight even, he would not easilywin, even if he boasts he is made of bronze all over."And the lord, Zeus's son Apollo, answered him:"Hero, come on, pray to the gods who live forever too;they say you were born of Aphrodite, Zeus's daughter,while he comes from a lesser god:she is a child of Zeus, he is from the old man of the sea.So drive your tireless bronze straight at him, and don't let himturn you aside at all with his miserable words and his yelling."With that he breathed great strength into the shepherd of the people,and Aeneas went through the front ranks, armed in blazing bronze.And white-armed Hera did not miss the son of Anchisesas he went against the son of Peleus through the crowd of men;and she gathered the gods and spoke to them:"Think it over, you two, Poseidon and Athena,in your own hearts, how this is going to go.There goes Aeneas, armed in blazing bronze,against the son of Peleus, and Phoebus Apollo sent him.Come on, let's turn him back from thereright now; or else let one of us stand by Achillesand give him great strength, and let him not run short at allin spirit, so he learns that the best of the immortalslove him, and that the ones who until now have kept warand fighting away from the Trojans are worthless wind.We have all come down from Olympus to facethis battle, so that he doesn't suffer anything from the Trojanstoday; but afterward he will suffer whatever fatespun for him with the thread when his mother gave birth to him.But if Achilles doesn't hear this from a god's mouth,then he will be afraid, when some god comes against himin battle; gods are scary when they show up in plain sight."Poseidon the earth-shaker answered her:"Hera, don't get angry out of turn; there's no reason to.I for one would not want to bring us gods into a fightwith each other, since we are much stronger.No, let's go and sit downoff the road, on a lookout spot, and let the men worry about the war.But if Ares starts the fighting, or Phoebus Apollo,or they hold Achilles back and won't let him fight,then right away a quarrel will start for us, right thereout of the battle; and I think we will quickly be separatedand go back to Olympus, to the gathering of the other gods,beaten down by their hands, forced to it."With that, the dark-haired god led the wayto the wall that was heaped up for godlike Heracles,the high wall that the Trojans and Pallas Athenahad built for him, so he could run away from the sea monster and hide,whenever it chased him from the shore onto the plain.There Poseidon sat down, and the other gods too,and they wrapped an unbreakable cloud around their shoulders;and the others sat on the other side, on the brow of Callicolone,around you, Phoebus, and Ares who sacks cities.So they sat on both sides, working outtheir plans; and both sides shrank from starting the painful war,but Zeus sat high up and gave the order.The whole plain was filled with them and shone with bronzeof men and horses; and the ground rattled under their feetas they rushed together. And two men, by far the best,came together in the middle of both armies, eager to fight:Aeneas, son of Anchises, and shining Achilles.Aeneas came first, making his threats,nodding with his heavy helmet; and his furious shieldhe held in front of his chest, and he shook his bronze spear.On the other side the son of Peleus rose up to face him like a lionof the mountains, that men are eager to kill,gathering together, a whole village; and at first the lion goes alongnot caring about them, but when one of the young men quick in battlehits him with a spear, he curls up and opens his jaws, and foam comesaround his teeth, and inside his heart his brave spirit groans,and with his tail he whips his flanks and both his hips,and he urges himself on to fight,and with a glare he rushes straight ahead in fury, to kill some manor to die himself in the front of the crowd:so fury and a proud spirit pushed Achillesto go against great-hearted Aeneas.And when they were close, coming at each other,shining swift-footed Achilles spoke first:"Aeneas, why have you come so far out in front of the crowd?Does your heart push you to fight me,hoping to rule the horse-breaking Trojanswith Priam's honor? But even if you kill me,Priam won't put that prize in your hand;he has sons of his own, and he is steady and not foolish.Or have the Trojans marked out a special plot of land for you,a fine one, of orchard and farmland, for you to hold,if you kill me? But I think you'll do that only with trouble.I say I have already chased you off with my spear before now.Don't you remember when I drove you alone away from your cattledown the mountains of Ida with my fast feet,in a hurry? Back then you did not turn around to run.From there you escaped to Lyrnessus; but Irushed in with Athena and father Zeus and sacked it,and the captured women, taking away their free days,I led off; but Zeus saved you, and the other gods too.But I don't think you will be saved now, however much in your heartyou imagine it; I'm telling you to get backinto the crowd, and don't stand against me,before you get hurt; a fool only learns after the damage is done."Aeneas answered him:"Son of Peleus, don't expect to scare me with words like a child,since I myself know perfectly wellhow to speak mocking words and insults.We know each other's family, we know our parents,from words that are famous among mortal men;but you have never seen mine with your eyes, and I have never seen yours.They say you are the son of blameless Peleus,and your mother is Thetis of the beautiful hair, who lives in the sea;but I claim to be the son of great-hearted Anchises,and my mother is Aphrodite;today one of those two will cry for a dear son;for I don't think we two will leave this fightsettled by childish words.But if you want to learn this too, so you know for suremy family line — many men know it:Dardanus was the first, born of Zeus who gathers the clouds,and he founded Dardania, since holy Troy was not yetbuilt in the plain, a city of speaking men,but they still lived at the foot of Mount Ida with its many springs.Dardanus had a son, King Erichthonius,who became the richest of mortal men;he had three thousand horses grazing in the marsh,mares, delighted with their soft young foals.The North Wind fell in love with them as they grazed,and making himself look like a dark-haired horse, he lay with them;and they got pregnant and gave birth to twelve foals.When those foals galloped over the grain-giving earth,they ran on the topmost tips of the wheat and never broke them;and when they galloped over the broad back of the sea,they ran on the very top of the gray salt waves.Erichthonius had a son, Tros, king of the Trojans;and Tros had three blameless sons,Ilus, Assaracus, and godlike Ganymede,who became the most beautiful of mortal men;the gods snatched him up to pour wine for Zeus,because of his beauty, so that he could live among the immortals.Ilus had a blameless son, Laomedon;and Laomedon had Tithonus and Priamand Lampus and Clytius and Hicetaon, a branch of Ares;Assaracus had Capys, and Capys had the son Anchises;Anchises had me, and Priam had shining Hector.I claim to come from that family and blood.But Zeus increases men's strength and makes it shrink,however he wants; for he is the strongest of all.Come on, let's stop talking about this like children,standing in the middle of the battle's crush.Both of us could throw insults around,lots of them, so many that a hundred-benched ship couldn't carry the load.People's tongues are twisted, and there are many words in them,all different kinds, and there's a wide pasture of talk everywhere.Whatever kind of word you speak, that's the kind you may hear back.But what need do we two have of quarrels and insults,insulting each other to our faces like womenwho, angry over a quarrel that eats at the heart,shout at each other, going out into the middle of the street,lots of things, both true and untrue; anger makes you do that too.But you won't turn me away from my courage with words when I am ready,not before we fight face to face with bronze; come on, let's quicklyget a taste of each other with our bronze spears."He spoke, and threw his huge spear at the terribledread shield; and the shield boomed loud around the spear's point.The son of Peleus held the shield away from himself with his thick hand,afraid; he thought the long-shadowed spearwould easily go through — the spear of great-hearted Aeneas —fool that he was, and he did not think in his heart and mindhow hard it is for the glorious gifts of the godsto be beaten by mortal men or give way.Nor did the huge spear of wise Aeneas thenbreak the shield; the gold stopped it, the gift of the god;but it drove through two layers, and there were still threeleft, since the crippled god had beaten out five layers,two of bronze, two of tin inside,and one of gold, and in that one the ash spear was stopped.Then Achilles threw his own long-shadowed spear,and hit the shield of Aeneas, which was even all around,under the first rim, where the bronze ran thinnest,and the ox-hide lay thinnest; and right through itthe Pelian ash spear jumped, and the shield cracked under it.Aeneas crouched down and held the shield up away from himself,afraid; and the spear flew over his back and stoodin the ground, eager to kill, and it had gone through both circlesof the shield that covers a man; and he, dodging the long spear,stood there, and endless grief poured over his eyes,afraid because the weapon had stuck in the ground near him. But Achillesrushed at him furiously, pulling out his sharp sword,yelling terribly; and Aeneas grabbed a stone in his hand,a huge thing, which two men could not lift,the kind of men alive today; but he swung it easily all by himself.Right then Aeneas would have hit him with the stone as he rushed in,on the helmet or the shield, which would have saved him from miserable death,and the son of Peleus would have taken his life up close with the sword,if Poseidon the earth-shaker had not noticed quickly;and right away he spoke to the immortal gods:"Oh no, this hurts me, for great-hearted Aeneas,who will soon, beaten by the son of Peleus, go down to Hades,talked into it by the words of Apollo who strikes from afar,the fool, and Apollo will not save him from miserable death.But why should this man, who has done nothing wrong, suffer painfor nothing because of other people's troubles, when he always givesgifts that please the gods who hold the wide heaven?Come on, let's lead him out from under death,in case the son of Cronus gets angry if Achilleskills this man; and it is fated for him to escape,so that the family of Dardanus does not die out, with no children and forgotten,Dardanus, whom the son of Cronus loved more than all his childrenborn of him and mortal women.Already the son of Cronus has come to hate Priam's family;but now the strength of Aeneas will rule the Trojans,and his children's children, who will be born later."Ox-eyed lady Hera answered him:"Earth-shaker, think it over yourself in your own mind,whether you will rescue Aeneas or leave himto be beaten by Achilles son of Peleus, good man that he is.We two have sworn many oathsamong all the immortals, I and Pallas Athena,never to fend off the evil day from the Trojans,not even when all of Troy burns with hungry fireand the warlike sons of the Greeks set it burning."When Poseidon the earth-shaker heard that,he went into the battle and the turmoil of spears,and came to where Aeneas was, and where famous Achilles was.Right away he poured a mist over the eyesof Achilles son of Peleus; and hepulled the bronze-tipped ash spear out of great-hearted Aeneas's shield;and he laid it in front of Achilles' feet,and drove Aeneas up off the ground, lifting him high.And over many ranks of heroes, and many ranks of horses,Aeneas jumped, springing from the god's hand,and came to the edge of the fast-moving war,where the Caucones were arming for battle.Poseidon the earth-shaker came very close to him,and speaking, he said these winged words to him:"Aeneas, what god tells you, in this madness,to fight the proud-hearted son of Peleus,who is both stronger than you and dearer to the immortals?Draw back whenever you meet him,in case you come to the house of Hades beyond your fate.But once Achilles has met death and doom,then take courage and fight in the front ranks;no other Greek will kill you."With that he left him there, when he had explained everything.Right away he scattered the amazing mist from Achilles' eyes;and Achilles could see far with his eyes,and upset, he spoke to his own great-hearted spirit:"Oh no, what a huge wonder this is that I see with my eyes!This spear lies on the ground, but I don't see the manI threw it at, wanting to kill him.So Aeneas really was dear to the immortal gods;I thought he was just bragging for nothing.Let him go; his heart won't wantto test me again, since now he has gladly escaped death.Come on, let me call on the Greeks who love fighting,and test the rest of the Trojans, going at them."He spoke, and jumped onto the ranks, and shouted to every man:"No more now, glorious Greeks, stand far from the Trojans,come on, let man go against man, and be eager to fight.It's hard for me, strong as I am,to handle so many men and fight them all;not even Ares, an immortal god, not even Athena,could handle the front of a battle this big and work through it.But as much as I can with my hands and feetand my strength, I say I won't let up at all, not a little bit,but I go straight through the ranks, and I don't think anyTrojan will be happy, whoever comes near my spear."So he spoke, urging them on; and to the Trojans glorious Hectorshouted out loud, and said he would go against Achilles:"Proud-hearted Trojans, don't be afraid of the son of Peleus.I could fight with words against the immortal gods,but with a spear it's hard, since they are much stronger.Achilles won't finish everything he says either,but some things he'll finish, and some he cuts off halfway.I will go against him even if his hands are like fire,even if his hands are like fire, and his anger like burning iron."So he spoke, urging them on, and the Trojans raised their spearsagainst him; and their fury mixed together, and the war cry went up.And then Phoebus Apollo stood by Hector and said:"Hector, don't fight Achilles in the front at all anymore,but wait in the crowd, in the noise of battle,in case he hits you from far off or strikes you close up with his sword."So he spoke, and Hector slipped back into the crowd of menin fear, when he heard the god's voice speaking.But Achilles jumped in among the Trojans, dressed in courage in his heart,yelling terribly, and first he killed Iphition,the noble son of Otrynteus, a leader of many men,whom a water nymph bore to Otrynteus, the sacker of cities,under snowy Tmolus, in the rich land of Hyde;rushing straight at him, shining Achilles hit him with his spearin the middle of the head; and it split right in two,and he fell with a crash; and shining Achilles boasted over him:"You lie there, son of Otrynteus, the most frightening of all men;here is your death, and your birthplace is by the lakeGygaea, where your father's land is,on fish-filled Hyllus and the whirling Hermus."So he spoke in triumph, and darkness covered his eyes.The horses of the Greeks cut him apart with their wheel-rimsin the first rank of battle; then at Demoleon,the noble defender, son of Antenor,he stabbed at the temple, through the bronze-cheeked helmet.The bronze helmet did not stop it, but right throughthe spear point rushed and broke the bone, and the brainsinside were all smashed; and he finished him off as he came on.And Hippodamas, as he jumped down from his horsesand ran away from him, he wounded in the back with his spear.And he gasped out his life and bellowed, like when a bullbellows as it is dragged around the lord of Heliceby young men dragging it; and the earth-shaker is happy with them;so that man bellowed and his bones were left behind, his proud spirit gone.Then he went with his spear after godlike Polydorus,Priam's son. His father did not let him fight,because he was the youngest of his sons,and he was the dearest to him, and he beat them all in running;and then, in childish pride, showing off how fast he was,he charged through the front ranks, until he lost his dear life.Shining swift-footed Achilles hit him with a spear in the middleof his back as he darted past, where the golden claspsof the belt held it, and the two-layer breastplate met;the spear point went straight through beside his navel,and he fell to his knees with a groan, and a dark cloudcovered him, and he pulled his guts to himself with his hands as he sank.When Hector noticed his brother Polydorusholding his guts in his hands, sinking to the ground,a mist poured over his eyes; he could not bearto stay far away any longer, but he came against Achilles,shaking his sharp spear, like a flame; and Achilles,when he saw him, jumped up, and boasting, spoke a word:"Here comes the man who has hurt my heart most of all,who killed my honored friend; we two won'tkeep dodging each other along the bridges of war."He spoke, and glaring darkly, he spoke to shining Hector:"Come closer, so you reach the end of death faster."And Hector of the flashing helmet answered him, unafraid:"Son of Peleus, don't expect to scare me with words like a child,since I myself know perfectly wellhow to speak mocking words and insults.I know that you are good, and I am much worse than you.But these things lie in the hands of the gods,whether I, worse as I am, take your lifeby hitting you with my spear, since my weapon is sharp too."He spoke, and swinging it back, he threw his spear, and Athenaturned it back with a breath against glorious Achilles,blowing very gently; and it came back to shining Hector,and fell in front of his feet. But Achillesrushed at him furiously, wanting to kill him,yelling terribly; but Apollo snatched him awayvery easily, the way a god can, and covered him in thick mist.Three times shining swift-footed Achilles rushed at himwith his bronze spear, and three times he hit the thick mist.But when he rushed at him the fourth time like a demon,yelling terribly, he said these winged words to him:"You dog, you've escaped death again; evil cameclose to you; but Apollo rescued you again,and you'll probably pray to him as you go into the clash of spears.I will definitely finish you off too, when I meet you later,if some god is my helper too.But for now I'll go at the others, whoever I can catch."With that he stabbed Dryops in the middle of the neck with his spear;he fell in front of his feet; and he left him there,and Demuchus, son of Philetor, tall and big,he hit him in the knee with his spear and stopped him. Then,stabbing him with his big sword, he took his life;then Laogonus and Dardanus, the two sons of Bias,he rushed at both of them and knocked them down from their chariot,hitting one with his spear, and striking the other close up with his sword.And Tros, son of Alastor — he came at his knees,to see if he would spare him, grab him, and let him go alive,and not kill him, taking pity on someone his own age,the fool, and he didn't know that he would not be persuaded;Tros was not a sweet-tempered or gentle-hearted man,but very furious; and Tros grabbed his knees with his hands,trying to beg him, and he stabbed his liver with his sword;the liver slid out, and black blood filledhis chest; and darkness covered his eyesas he lost his life. And he stabbed Mulius, standing beside him,with his spear in the ear; and straight out through the other earcame the bronze point. Then Echeclus, son of Agenor,he hit in the middle of the head with his sword with the hilt,and the whole sword got warm with blood; and over his eyescame dark death and powerful fate.Then Deucalion, where the tendons hold the armat the elbow, there he pierced his dear armwith the bronze point; and he stood waiting for him, his hand heavy,staring death in the face; and he struck his neck with his swordand threw his head far off with the helmet still on it; and the marrowjumped out of his spine, and he lay stretched on the ground.Then he went after the blameless son of Peireus,Rigmos, who had come from fertile Thrace;he hit him in the middle with his spear, and the bronze stuck in his belly,and he fell from his chariot; and Areithous, his chariot driver,as he turned the horses back, he stabbed in the back with his sharp spear,and knocked him off the chariot; and his horses got all confused.Like when a blazing fire rages in the deep valleysof a dry mountain, and the thick forest burns,and the wind drives it everywhere and rolls the flame along,so Achilles raged everywhere with his spear, like a demon,going after the men he killed; and the black earth ran with blood.Like when a man yokes broad-faced bullsto trample white barley on a well-built threshing floor,and it turns fine quickly under the feet of the bellowing oxen,so under great-hearted Achilles the solid-hoofed horsestrampled corpses and shields together; and with blood the axleunderneath was all splattered, and the rims around the chariot,which the spatters from the horses' hooves kept hitting,and from the wheels; and he pressed on to win glory,the son of Peleus, and his unstoppable hands were stained with gore.