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

his wound to ease his pain. When, however, he
saw the Trojans swarming through the breach in the wall, while the
Achaeans were clamouring and struck with panic, he cried aloud, and
smote his two thighs with the flat of his hands. "Eurypylus," said he
in his dismay, "I know you want me badly, but I cannot stay with you
any longer, for there is hard fighting going on; a servant shall take
care of you now, for I must make all speed to Achilles, and induce him
to fight if I can; who knows but with heaven's help I may persuade him.
A man does well to listen to the advice of a friend."

When he had thus spoken he went his way. The Achaeans stood firm and
resisted the attack of the Trojans, yet though these were fewer in
number, they could not drive them back from the ships, neither could
the Trojans break the Achaean ranks and make their way in among the
tents and ships. As a carpenter's line gives a true edge to a piece of
ship's timber, in the hand of some skilled workman whom Minerva has
instructed in all kinds of useful arts--even so level was the issue of
the fight between the two sides, as they fought some round one and some
round another.

Hector made straight for Ajax, and the two fought fiercely about the
same ship. Hector could not force Ajax back and fire the ship, nor yet
could Ajax drive Hector from the spot to which heaven had brought him.

Then Ajax struck Caletor son of Clytius in the chest with a spear as he
was bringing fire towards the ship. He fell heavily to the ground and
the torch dropped from his hand. When Hector saw his cousin fallen in
front of the ship he shouted to the Trojans and Lycians saying,
"Trojans, Lycians, and Dardanians good in close fight, bate not a jot,
but rescue the son of Clytius lest the Achaeans strip him of his armour
now that he has fallen."

He then aimed a spear at Ajax, and missed him, but he hit Lycophron a
follower of Ajax, who came from Cythera, but was living with Ajax
inasmuch as he had killed a man among the Cythereans. Hector's spear
struck him on the head below the ear, and he fell headlong from the
ship's prow on to the ground with no life left in him. Ajax shook with
rage and said to his brother, "Teucer, my good fellow, our trusty
comrade the son of Mastor has fallen, he came to live with us from
Cythera and whom we honoured as much as our own parents. Hector has
just killed him; fetch your deadly arrows at once and the bow which
Phoebus Apollo gave you."

Teucer heard him and hastened towards him with his bow and quiver in
his hands. Forthwith he showered his arrows on the Trojans, and hit
Cleitus the son of Pisenor, comrade of Polydamas the noble son of
Panthous, with the reins in his hands as he was attending to his
horses; he was in the middle of the very thickest part of the fight,
doing good service to Hector and the Trojans, but evil had now come
upon him, and not one of those who were fain to do so could avert it,
for the arrow struck him on the back of the neck. He fell from his
chariot and his horses shook the empty car as they swerved aside. King
Polydamas saw what had happened, and was the first to come up to the
horses; he gave them in charge to Astynous son of Protiaon, and ordered
him to look on, and to keep the horses near at hand. He then went back
and took his place in the front ranks.

Teucer then aimed another arrow at Hector, and there would have been no
more fighting at the ships if he had hit him and killed him then and
there: Jove, however, who kept watch over Hector, had his eyes on
Teucer, and deprived him of his triumph, by breaking his bowstring for
him just as he was drawing it and about to take his aim; on this the
arrow went astray and the bow fell from his hands. Teucer shook with
anger and said to his brother, "Alas, see how heaven thwarts us in all
we do; it has broken my bowstring and snatched the bow from my hand,
though I strung it this selfsame morning that it might serve me for
many an arrow."

Ajax son of Telamon answered, "My good fellow, let your bow and your
arrows be, for Jove has made them useless in order to spite the
Danaans. Take your spear, lay your shield upon your shoulder, and both
fight the Trojans yourself and urge others to do so. They may be
successful for the moment but if we fight as we ought they will find it
a hard matter to take the ships."

Teucer then took his bow and put it by in his tent. He hung a shield
four hides thick about his shoulders, and on his comely head he set his
helmet well wrought with a crest of horse-hair that nodded menacingly
above it; he grasped his redoubtable bronze-shod spear, and forthwith
he was by the side of Ajax.

When Hector saw that Teucer's bow was of no more use to him, he shouted
out to the Trojans and Lycians, "Trojans, Lycians, and Dardanians good
in close fight, be men, my friends, and show your mettle here at the
ships, for I see the weapon of one of their chieftains made useless by
the hand of Jove. It is easy to see when Jove is helping people and
means to help them still further, or again when he is bringing them
down and will do nothing for them; he is now on our side, and is going
against the Argives. Therefore swarm round the ships and fight. If any
of you is struck by spear or sword and loses his life, let him die; he
dies with honour who dies fighting for his country; and he will leave
his wife and children safe behind him, with his house and allotment
unplundered if only the Achaeans can be driven back to their own land,
they and their ships."

With these words he put heart and soul into them all. Ajax on the other
side exhorted his comrades saying, "Shame on you Argives, we are now
utterly undone, unless we can save ourselves by driving the enemy from
our ships. Do you think, if Hector takes them, that you will be able to
get home by land? Can you not hear him cheering on his whole host to
fire our fleet, and bidding them remember that they are not at a dance
but in battle? Our only course is to fight them with might and main; we
had better chance it, life or death, once for all, than fight long and
without issue hemmed in at our ships by worse men than ourselves."

With these words he put life and soul into them all. Hector then killed
Schedius son of Perimedes, leader of the Phoceans, and Ajax killed
Laodamas captain of foot soldiers and son to Antenor. Polydamas killed
Otus of Cyllene a comrade of the son of Phyleus and chief of the proud
Epeans. When Meges saw this he sprang upon him, but Polydamas crouched
down, and he missed him, for Apollo would not suffer the son of
Panthous to fall in battle; but the spear hit Croesmus in the middle of
his chest, whereon he fell heavily to the ground, and Meges stripped
him of his armour. At that moment the valiant soldier Dolops son of
Lampus sprang upon Lampus was son of Laomedon and noted for his valour,
while his son Dolops was versed in all the ways of war. He then struck
the middle of the son of Phyleus' shield with his spear, setting on him
at close quarters, but his good corslet made with plates of metal saved
him; Phyleus had brought it from Ephyra and the river Selleis, where
his host, King Euphetes, had given it him to wear in battle and protect
him. It now served to save the life of his son. Then Meges struck the
topmost crest of Dolops's bronze helmet with his spear and tore away
its plume of horse-hair, so that all newly dyed with scarlet as it was
it tumbled down into the dust. While he was still fighting and
confident of victory, Menelaus came up to help Meges, and got by the
side of Dolops unperceived; he then speared him in the shoulder, from
behind, and the point, driven so furiously, went through into his
chest, whereon he fell headlong. The two then made towards him to strip
him of his armour, but Hector called on all his brothers for help, and
he especially upbraided brave Melanippus son of Hiketaon, who erewhile
used to pasture his herds of cattle in Percote before the war broke
out; but when the ships of the Danaans came, he went back to Ilius,
where he was eminent among the Trojans, and lived near Priam who
treated him as one of his own sons. Hector now rebuked him and said,
"Why, Melanippus, are we thus remiss? do you take no note of the death
of your kinsman, and do you not see how they are trying to take
Dolops's armour? Follow me; there must be no fighting the Argives from
a distance now, but we must do so in close combat till either we kill
them or they take the high wall of Ilius and slay her people."

He led on as he spoke, and the hero Melanippus followed after.
Meanwhile Ajax son of Telamon was cheering on the Argives. "My
friends," he cried, "be men, and fear dishonour; quit yourselves in
battle so as to win respect from one another. Men who respect each
other's good opinion are less likely to be killed than those who do
not, but in flight there is neither gain nor glory."

Thus did he exhort men who were already bent upon driving back the
Trojans. They laid his words to heart and hedged the ships as with a
wall of bronze, while Jove urged on the Trojans. Menelaus of the loud
battle-cry urged Antilochus on. "Antilochus," said he, "you are young
and there is none of the Achaeans more fleet of foot or more valiant
than you are. See if you cannot spring upon some Trojan and kill him."

He hurried away when he had thus spurred Antilochus, who at once darted
out from the front ranks and aimed a spear, after looking carefully
round him. The Trojans fell back as he threw, and the dart did not
speed from his hand without effect, for it struck Melanippus the proud
son of Hiketaon in the breast by the nipple as he was coming forward,
and his armour rang rattling round him as he fell heavily to the
ground. Antilochus sprang upon him as a dog springs on a fawn which a
hunter has hit as it was breaking away from its covert, and killed it.
Even so, O Melanippus, did stalwart Antilochus spring upon you to strip
you of your armour; but noble Hector marked him, and came running up to
him through the thick of the battle. Antilochus, brave soldier though
he was, would not stay to face him, but fled like some savage creature
which knows it has done wrong, and flies, when it has killed a dog or a
man who is herding his cattle, before a body of men can be gathered to
attack it. Even so did the son of Nestor fly, and the Trojans and
Hector with a cry