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

be wounded and giving ground,
forced his way through the ranks, and when close up with him struck him
in the lower part of the belly with a spear, driving the bronze point
right through it, so that he fell heavily to the ground to the great
grief of the Achaeans. As when a lion has fought some fierce wild-boar
and worsted him--the two fight furiously upon the mountains over some
little fountain at which they would both drink, and the lion has beaten
the boar till he can hardly breathe--even so did Hector son of Priam
take the life of the brave son of Menoetius who had killed so many,
striking him from close at hand, and vaunting over him the while.
"Patroclus," said he, "you deemed that you should sack our city, rob
our Trojan women of their freedom, and carry them off in your ships to
your own country. Fool; Hector and his fleet horses were ever straining
their utmost to defend them. I am foremost of all the Trojan warriors
to stave the day of bondage from off them; as for you, vultures shall
devour you here. Poor wretch, Achilles with all his bravery availed you
nothing; and yet I ween when you left him he charged you straitly
saying, 'Come not back to the ships, knight Patroclus, till you have
rent the bloodstained shirt of murderous Hector about his body.' Thus I
ween did he charge you, and your fool's heart answered him 'yea' within
you."

Then, as the life ebbed out of you, you answered, O knight Patroclus:
"Hector, vaunt as you will, for Jove the son of Saturn and Apollo have
vouchsafed you victory; it is they who have vanquished me so easily,
and they who have stripped the armour from my shoulders; had twenty
such men as you attacked me, all of them would have fallen before my
spear. Fate and the son of Leto have overpowered me, and among mortal
men Euphorbus; you are yourself third only in the killing of me. I say
further, and lay my saying to your heart, you too shall live but for a
little season; death and the day of your doom are close upon you, and
they will lay you low by the hand of Achilles son of Aeacus."

When he had thus spoken his eyes were closed in death, his soul left
his body and flitted down to the house of Hades, mourning its sad fate
and bidding farewell to the youth and vigor of its manhood. Dead though
he was, Hector still spoke to him saying, "Patroclus, why should you
thus foretell my doom? Who knows but Achilles, son of lovely Thetis,
may be smitten by my spear and die before me?"

As he spoke he drew the bronze spear from the wound, planting his foot
upon the body, which he thrust off and let lie on its back. He then
went spear in hand after Automedon, squire of the fleet descendant of
Aeacus, for he longed to lay him low, but the immortal steeds which the
gods had given as a rich gift to Peleus bore him swiftly from the field.


BOOK XVII

The light around the body of Patroclus.

BRAVE Menelaus son of Atreus now came to know that Patroclus had
fallen, and made his way through the front ranks clad in full armour to
bestride him. As a cow stands lowing over her first calf, even so did
yellow-haired Menelaus bestride Patroclus. He held his round shield and
his spear in front of him, resolute to kill any who should dare face
him. But the son of Panthous had also noted the body, and came up to
Menelaus saying, "Menelaus, son of Atreus, draw back, leave the body,
and let the bloodstained spoils be. I was first of the Trojans and
their brave allies to drive my spear into Patroclus, let me, therefore,
have my full glory among the Trojans, or I will take aim and kill you."

To this Menelaus answered in great anger "By father Jove, boasting is
an ill thing. The pard is not more bold, nor the lion nor savage
wild-boar, which is fiercest and most dauntless of all creatures, than
are the proud sons of Panthous. Yet Hyperenor did not see out the days
of his youth when he made light of me and withstood me, deeming me the
meanest soldier among the Danaans. His own feet never bore him back to
gladden his wife and parents. Even so shall I make an end of you too,
if you withstand me; get you back into the crowd and do not face me, or
it shall be worse for you. Even a fool may be wise after the event."

Euphorbus would not listen, and said, "Now indeed, Menelaus, shall you
pay for the death of my brother over whom you vaunted, and whose wife
you widowed in her bridal chamber, while you brought grief unspeakable
on his parents. I shall comfort these poor people if I bring your head
and armour and place them in the hands of Panthous and noble Phrontis.
The time is come when this matter shall be fought out and settled, for
me or against me."

As he spoke he struck Menelaus full on the shield, but the spear did
not go through, for the shield turned its point. Menelaus then took
aim, praying to father Jove as he did so; Euphorbus was drawing back,
and Menelaus struck him about the roots of his throat, leaning his
whole weight on the spear, so as to drive it home. The point went clean
through his neck, and his armour rang rattling round him as he fell
heavily to the ground. His hair which was like that of the Graces, and
his locks so deftly bound in bands of silver and gold, were all
bedrabbled with blood. As one who has grown a fine young olive tree in
a clear space where there is abundance of water--the plant is full of
promise, and though the winds beat upon it from every quarter it puts
forth its white blossoms till the blasts of some fierce hurricane sweep
down upon it and level it with the ground--even so did Menelaus strip
the fair youth Euphorbus of his armour after he had slain him. Or as
some fierce lion upon the mountains in the pride of his strength
fastens on the finest heifer in a herd as it is feeding--first he
breaks her neck with his strong jaws, and then gorges on her blood and
entrails; dogs and shepherds raise a hue and cry against him, but they
stand aloof and will not come close to him, for they are pale with
fear--even so no one had the courage to face valiant Menelaus. The son
of Atreus would have then carried off the armour of the son of Panthous
with ease, had not Phoebus Apollo been angry, and in the guise of
Mentes chief of the Cicons incited Hector to attack him. "Hector," said
he, "you are now going after the horses of the noble son of Aeacus, but
you will not take them; they cannot be kept in hand and driven by
mortal man, save only by Achilles, who is son to an immortal mother.
Meanwhile Menelaus son of Atreus has bestridden the body of Patroclus
and killed the noblest of the Trojans, Euphorbus son of Panthous, so
that he can fight no more."

The god then went back into the toil and turmoil, but the soul of
Hector was darkened with a cloud of grief; he looked along the ranks
and saw Euphorbus lying on the ground with the blood still flowing from
his wound, and Menelaus stripping him of his armour. On this he made
his way to the front like a flame of fire, clad in his gleaming armour,
and crying with a loud voice. When the son of Atreus heard him, he said
to himself in his dismay, "Alas! what shall I do? I may not let the
Trojans take the armour of Patroclus who has fallen fighting on my
behalf, lest some Danaan who sees me should cry shame upon me. Still if
for my honour's sake I fight Hector and the Trojans single-handed, they
will prove too many for me, for Hector is bringing them up in force.
Why, however, should I thus hesitate? When a man fights in despite of
heaven with one whom a god befriends, he will soon rue it. Let no
Danaan think ill of me if I give place to Hector, for the hand of
heaven is with him. Yet, if I could find Ajax, the two of us would
fight Hector and heaven too, if we might only save the body of
Patroclus for Achilles son of Peleus. This, of many evils would be the
least."

While he was thus in two minds, the Trojans came up to him with Hector
at their head; he therefore drew back and left the body, turning about
like some bearded lion who is being chased by dogs and men from a
stockyard with spears and hue and cry, whereon he is daunted and slinks
sulkily off--even so did Menelaus son of Atreus turn and leave the body
of Patroclus. When among the body of his men, he looked around for
mighty Ajax son of Telamon, and presently saw him on the extreme left
of the fight, cheering on his men and exhorting them to keep on
fighting, for Phoebus Apollo had spread a great panic among them. He
ran up to him and said, "Ajax, my good friend, come with me at once to
dead Patroclus, if so be that we may take the body to Achilles--as for
his armour, Hector already has it."

These words stirred the heart of Ajax, and he made his way among the
front ranks, Menelaus going with him. Hector had stripped Patroclus of
his armour, and was dragging him away to cut off his head and take the
body to fling before the dogs of Troy. But Ajax came up with his shield
like wall before him, on which Hector withdrew under shelter of his
men, and sprang on to his chariot, giving the armour over to the
Trojans to take to the city, as a great trophy for himself; Ajax,
therefore, covered the body of Patroclus with his broad shield and
bestrode him; as a lion stands over his whelps if hunters have come
upon him in a forest when he is with his little ones--in the pride and
fierceness of his strength he draws his knit brows down till they cover
his eyes--even so did Ajax bestride the body of Patroclus, and by his
side stood Menelaus son of Atreus, nursing great sorrow in his heart.

Then Glaucus son of Hippolochus looked fiercely at Hector and rebuked
him sternly. "Hector," said he, "you make a brave show, but in fight
you are sadly wanting. A runaway like yourself has no claim to so great
a reputation. Think how you may now save your town and citadel by the
hands of your own people born in Ilius; for you will get no Lycians to
fight for you, seeing what thanks they have had for their incessant
hardships. Are you likely, sir, to do anything to help a man of less
note, after leaving Sarpedon, who was at once your guest and comrade in
arms, to be the spoil and prey of the Danaans? So long as he lived he
did good service both to your city and yourself; yet you had no stomach
to save his body from the dogs. If the Lycians will listen to me, they
will go home and leave Troy to its fate. If the Trojans had any of that
daring fearless spirit which lays hold of men who