The Iliad by Homer (pdf to ebook reader .TXT) 📖

that has been hit with an arrow--the stag has fled at full
speed so long as his blood was warm and his strength has lasted, but
when the arrow has overcome him, the savage jackals devour him in the
shady glades of the forest. Then heaven sends a fierce lion thither,
whereon the jackals fly in terror and the lion robs them of their
prey--even so did Trojans many and brave gather round crafty Ulysses,
but the hero stood at bay and kept them off with his spear. Ajax then
came up with his shield before him like a wall, and stood hard by,
whereon the Trojans fled in all directions. Menelaus took Ulysses by
the hand, and led him out of the press while his squire brought up his
chariot, but Ajax rushed furiously on the Trojans and killed Doryclus,
a bastard son of Priam; then he wounded Pandocus, Lysandrus, Pyrasus,
and Pylartes; as some swollen torrent comes rushing in full flood from
the mountains on to the plain, big with the rain of heaven--many a dry
oak and many a pine does it engulf, and much mud does it bring down and
cast into the sea--even so did brave Ajax chase the foe furiously over
the plain, slaying both men and horses.

Hector did not yet know what Ajax was doing, for he was fighting on the
extreme left of the battle by the banks of the river Scamander, where
the carnage was thickest and the war-cry loudest round Nestor and brave
Idomeneus. Among these Hector was making great slaughter with his spear
and furious driving, and was destroying the ranks that were opposed to
him; still the Achaeans would have given no ground, had not Alexandrus
husband of lovely Helen stayed the prowess of Machaon, shepherd of his
people, by wounding him in the right shoulder with a triple-barbed
arrow. The Achaeans were in great fear that as the fight had turned
against them the Trojans might take him prisoner, and Idomeneus said to
Nestor, "Nestor son of Neleus, honour to the Achaean name, mount your
chariot at once; take Machaon with you and drive your horses to the
ships as fast as you can. A physician is worth more than several other
men put together, for he can cut out arrows and spread healing herbs."

Nestor knight of Gerene did as Idomeneus had counselled; he at once
mounted his chariot, and Machaon son of the famed physician
Aesculapius, went with him. He lashed his horses and they flew onward
nothing loth towards the ships, as though of their own free will.

Then Cebriones seeing the Trojans in confusion said to Hector from his
place beside him, "Hector, here are we two fighting on the extreme wing
of the battle, while the other Trojans are in pell-mell rout, they and
their horses. Ajax son of Telamon is driving them before him; I know
him by the breadth of his shield: let us turn our chariot and horses
thither, where horse and foot are fighting most desperately, and where
the cry of battle is loudest."

With this he lashed his goodly steeds, and when they felt the whip they
drew the chariot full speed among the Achaeans and Trojans, over the
bodies and shields of those that had fallen: the axle was bespattered
with blood, and the rail round the car was covered with splashes both
from the horses' hoofs and from the tyres of the wheels. Hector tore
his way through and flung himself into the thick of the fight, and his
presence threw the Danaans into confusion, for his spear was not long
idle; nevertheless though he went among the ranks with sword and spear,
and throwing great stones, he avoided Ajax son of Telamon, for Jove
would have been angry with him if he had fought a better man than
himself.

Then father Jove from his high throne struck fear into the heart of
Ajax, so that he stood there dazed and threw his shield behind
him--looking fearfully at the throng of his foes as though he were some
wild beast, and turning hither and thither but crouching slowly
backwards. As peasants with their hounds chase a lion from their
stockyard, and watch by night to prevent his carrying off the pick of
their herd--he makes his greedy spring, but in vain, for the darts from
many a strong hand fall thick around him, with burning brands that
scare him for all his fury, and when morning comes he slinks foiled and
angry away--even so did Ajax, sorely against his will, retreat angrily
before the Trojans, fearing for the ships of the Achaeans. Or as some
lazy ass that has had many a cudgel broken about his back, when he into
a field begins eating the corn--boys beat him but he is too many for
them, and though they lay about with their sticks they cannot hurt him;
still when he has had his fill they at last drive him from the
field--even so did the Trojans and their allies pursue great Ajax, ever
smiting the middle of his shield with their darts. Now and again he
would turn and show fight, keeping back the battalions of the Trojans,
and then he would again retreat; but he prevented any of them from
making his way to the ships. Single-handed he stood midway between the
Trojans and Achaeans: the spears that sped from their hands stuck some
of them in his mighty shield, while many, though thirsting for his
blood, fell to the ground ere they could reach him to the wounding of
his fair flesh.

Now when Eurypylus the brave son of Euaemon saw that Ajax was being
overpowered by the rain of arrows, he went up to him and hurled his
spear. He struck Apisaon son of Phausius in the liver below the
midriff, and laid him low. Eurypylus sprang upon him, and stripped the
armour from his shoulders; but when Alexandrus saw him, he aimed an
arrow at him which struck him in the right thigh; the arrow broke, but
the point that was left in the wound dragged on the thigh; he drew
back, therefore, under cover of his comrades to save his life, shouting
as he did so to the Danaans, "My friends, princes and counsellors of
the Argives, rally to the defence of Ajax who is being overpowered, and
I doubt whether he will come out of the fight alive. Hither, then, to
the rescue of great Ajax son of Telamon."

Even so did he cry when he was wounded; thereon the others came near,
and gathered round him, holding their shields upwards from their
shoulders so as to give him cover. Ajax then made towards them, and
turned round to stand at bay as soon as he had reached his men.

Thus then did they fight as it were a flaming fire. Meanwhile the mares
of Neleus, all in a lather with sweat, were bearing Nestor out of the
fight, and with him Machaon shepherd of his people. Achilles saw and
took note, for he was standing on the stern of his ship watching the
hard stress and struggle of the fight. He called from the ship to his
comrade Patroclus, who heard him in the tent and came out looking like
Mars himself--here indeed was the beginning of the ill that presently
befell him. "Why," said he, "Achilles, do you call me? What do you want
with me?" And Achilles answered, "Noble son of Menoetius, man after my
own heart, I take it that I shall now have the Achaeans praying at my
knees, for they are in great straits; go, Patroclus, and ask Nestor who
it is that he is bearing away wounded from the field; from his back I
should say it was Machaon son of Aesculapius, but I could not see his
face for the horses went by me at full speed."

Patroclus did as his dear comrade had bidden him, and set off running
by the ships and tents of the Achaeans.

When Nestor and Machaon had reached the tents of the son of Neleus,
they dismounted, and an esquire, Eurymedon, took the horses from the
chariot. The pair then stood in the breeze by the seaside to dry the
sweat from their shirts, and when they had so done they came inside and
took their seats. Fair Hecamede, whom Nestor had had awarded to him
from Tenedos when Achilles took it, mixed them a mess; she was daughter
of wise Arsinous, and the Achaeans had given her to Nestor because he
excelled all of them in counsel. First she set for them a fair and
well-made table that had feet of cyanus; on it there was a vessel of
bronze and an onion to give relish to the drink, with honey and cakes
of barley-meal. There was also a cup of rare workmanship which the old
man had brought with him from home, studded with bosses of gold; it had
four handles, on each of which there were two golden doves feeding, and
it had two feet to stand on. Any one else would hardly have been able
to lift it from the table when it was full, but Nestor could do so
quite easily. In this the woman, as fair as a goddess, mixed them a
mess with Pramnian wine; she grated goat's milk cheese into it with a
bronze grater, threw in a handful of white barley-meal, and having thus
prepared the mess she bade them drink it. When they had done so and had
thus quenched their thirst, they fell talking with one another, and at
this moment Patroclus appeared at the door.

When the old man saw him he sprang from his seat, seized his hand, led
him into the tent, and bade him take his place among them; but
Patroclus stood where he was and said, "Noble sir, I may not stay, you
cannot persuade me to come in; he that sent me is not one to be trifled
with, and he bade me ask who the wounded man was whom you were bearing
away from the field. I can now see for myself that he is Machaon,
shepherd of his people. I must go back and tell Achilles. You, sir,
know what a terrible man he is, and how ready to blame even where no
blame should lie."

And Nestor answered, "Why should Achilles care to know how many of the
Achaeans may be wounded? He recks not of the dismay that reigns in our
host; our most valiant chieftains lie disabled, brave Diomed, son of
Tydeus, is wounded; so are Ulysses and Agamemnon; Eurypylus has been
hit with an arrow in the thigh, and I have just been bringing this man
from the field--he too wounded with an arrow. Nevertheless, Achilles,
so valiant though he be, cares not and knows no ruth. Will he wait till
the ships, do what we may, are in a blaze, and we perish one upon the
other? As for me, I have no strength nor stay in me any longer; would
that I were still young and strong as in the days when there was a
fight between us and the men of Elis about some cattle-raiding. I then
killed Itymoneus, the valiant son of Hypeirochus, a dweller in Elis, as
I was driving in the spoil; he was hit by a dart thrown by my hand
while fighting in the front rank in defence of his cows, so he fell and
the country people around him were in great fear. We drove off a vast
quantity of booty from the plain, fifty herds of cattle and as many
flocks of sheep; fifty droves also of pigs, and as many wide-spreading
flocks of goats. Of horses, moreover, we seized a hundred and fifty,
all of them mares, and