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

will yet lap my blood and then lie all
distraught at my doors. When a young man falls by the sword in battle,
he may lie where he is and there is nothing unseemly; let what will be
seen, all is honourable in death, but when an old man is slain there is
nothing in this world more pitiable than that dogs should defile his
grey hair and beard and all that men hide for shame."

The old man tore his grey hair as he spoke, but he moved not the heart
of Hector. His mother hard by wept and moaned aloud as she bared her
bosom and pointed to the breast which had suckled him. "Hector," she
cried, weeping bitterly the while, "Hector, my son, spurn not this
breast, but have pity upon me too: if I have ever given you comfort
from my own bosom, think on it now, dear son, and come within the wall
to protect us from this man; stand not without to meet him. Should the
wretch kill you, neither I nor your richly dowered wife shall ever
weep, dear offshoot of myself, over the bed on which you lie, for dogs
will devour you at the ships of the Achaeans."

Thus did the two with many tears implore their son, but they moved not
the heart of Hector, and he stood his ground awaiting huge Achilles as
he drew nearer towards him. As a serpent in its den upon the mountains,
full fed with deadly poisons, waits for the approach of man--he is
filled with fury and his eyes glare terribly as he goes writhing round
his den--even so Hector leaned his shield against a tower that jutted
out from the wall and stood where he was, undaunted.

"Alas," said he to himself in the heaviness of his heart, "if I go
within the gates, Polydamas will be the first to heap reproach upon me,
for it was he that urged me to lead the Trojans back to the city on
that awful night when Achilles again came forth against us. I would not
listen, but it would have been indeed better if I had done so. Now that
my folly has destroyed the host, I dare not look Trojan men and Trojan
women in the face, lest a worse man should say, 'Hector has ruined us
by his self-confidence.' Surely it would be better for me to return
after having fought Achilles and slain him, or to die gloriously here
before the city. What, again, if I were to lay down my shield and
helmet, lean my spear against the wall and go straight up to noble
Achilles? What if I were to promise to give up Helen, who was the
fountainhead of all this war, and all the treasure that Alexandrus
brought with him in his ships to Troy, aye, and to let the Achaeans
divide the half of everything that the city contains among themselves?
I might make the Trojans, by the mouths of their princes, take a solemn
oath that they would hide nothing, but would divide into two shares all
that is within the city--but why argue with myself in this way? Were I
to go up to him he would show me no kind of mercy; he would kill me
then and there as easily as though I were a woman, when I had off my
armour. There is no parleying with him from some rock or oak tree as
young men and maidens prattle with one another. Better fight him at
once, and learn to which of us Jove will vouchsafe victory."

Thus did he stand and ponder, but Achilles came up to him as it were
Mars himself, plumed lord of battle. From his right shoulder he
brandished his terrible spear of Pelian ash, and the bronze gleamed
around him like flashing fire or the rays of the rising sun. Fear fell
upon Hector as he beheld him, and he dared not stay longer where he was
but fled in dismay from before the gates, while Achilles darted after
him at his utmost speed. As a mountain falcon, swiftest of all birds,
swoops down upon some cowering dove--the dove flies before him but the
falcon with a shrill scream follows close after, resolved to have
her--even so did Achilles make straight for Hector with all his might,
while Hector fled under the Trojan wall as fast as his limbs could take
him.

On they flew along the waggon-road that ran hard by under the wall,
past the lookout station, and past the weather-beaten wild fig-tree,
till they came to two fair springs which feed the river Scamander. One
of these two springs is warm, and steam rises from it as smoke from a
burning fire, but the other even in summer is as cold as hail or snow,
or the ice that forms on water. Here, hard by the springs, are the
goodly washing-troughs of stone, where in the time of peace before the
coming of the Achaeans the wives and fair daughters of the Trojans used
to wash their clothes. Past these did they fly, the one in front and
the other giving chase behind him: good was the man that fled, but
better far was he that followed after, and swiftly indeed did they run,
for the prize was no mere beast for sacrifice or bullock's hide, as it
might be for a common foot-race, but they ran for the life of Hector.
As horses in a chariot race speed round the turning-posts when they are
running for some great prize--a tripod or woman--at the games in honour
of some dead hero, so did these two run full speed three times round
the city of Priam. All the gods watched them, and the sire of gods and
men was the first to speak.

"Alas," said he, "my eyes behold a man who is dear to me being pursued
round the walls of Troy; my heart is full of pity for Hector, who has
burned the thigh-bones of many a heifer in my honour, one while on the
crests of many-valleyed Ida, and again on the citadel of Troy; and now
I see noble Achilles in full pursuit of him round the city of Priam.
What say you? Consider among yourselves and decide whether we shall now
save him or let him fall, valiant though he be, before Achilles, son of
Peleus."

Then Minerva said, "Father, wielder of the lightning, lord of cloud and
storm, what mean you? Would you pluck this mortal whose doom has long
been decreed out of the jaws of death? Do as you will, but we others
shall not be of a mind with you."

And Jove answered, "My child, Trito-born, take heart. I did not speak
in full earnest, and I will let you have your way. Do without let or
hindrance as you are minded."

Thus did he urge Minerva who was already eager, and down she darted
from the topmost summits of Olympus.

Achilles was still in full pursuit of Hector, as a hound chasing a fawn
which he has started from its covert on the mountains, and hunts
through glade and thicket. The fawn may try to elude him by crouching
under cover of a bush, but he will scent her out and follow her up
until he gets her--even so there was no escape for Hector from the
fleet son of Peleus. Whenever he made a set to get near the Dardanian
gates and under the walls, that his people might help him by showering
down weapons from above, Achilles would gain on him and head him back
towards the plain, keeping himself always on the city side. As a man in
a dream who fails to lay hands upon another whom he is pursuing--the
one cannot escape nor the other overtake--even so neither could
Achilles come up with Hector, nor Hector break away from Achilles;
nevertheless he might even yet have escaped death had not the time come
when Apollo, who thus far had sustained his strength and nerved his
running, was now no longer to stay by him. Achilles made signs to the
Achaean host, and shook his head to show that no man was to aim a dart
at Hector, lest another might win the glory of having hit him and he
might himself come in second. Then, at last, as they were nearing the
fountains for the fourth time, the father of all balanced his golden
scales and placed a doom in each of them, one for Achilles and the
other for Hector. As he held the scales by the middle, the doom of
Hector fell down deep into the house of Hades--and then Phoebus Apollo
left him. Thereon Minerva went close up to the son of Peleus and said,
"Noble Achilles, favoured of heaven, we two shall surely take back to
the ships a triumph for the Achaeans by slaying Hector, for all his
lust of battle. Do what Apollo may as he lies grovelling before his
father, aegis-bearing Jove, Hector cannot escape us longer. Stay here
and take breath, while I go up to him and persuade him to make a stand
and fight you."

Thus spoke Minerva. Achilles obeyed her gladly, and stood still,
leaning on his bronze-pointed ashen spear, while Minerva left him and
went after Hector in the form and with the voice of Deiphobus. She came
close up to him and said, "Dear brother, I see you are hard pressed by
Achilles who is chasing you at full speed round the city of Priam, let
us await his onset and stand on our defence."

And Hector answered, "Deiphobus, you have always been dearest to me of
all my brothers, children of Hecuba and Priam, but henceforth I shall
rate you yet more highly, inasmuch as you have ventured outside the
wall for my sake when all the others remain inside."

Then Minerva said, "Dear brother, my father and mother went down on
their knees and implored me, as did all my comrades, to remain inside,
so great a fear has fallen upon them all; but I was in an agony of
grief when I beheld you; now, therefore, let us two make a stand and
fight, and let there be no keeping our spears in reserve, that we may
learn whether Achilles shall kill us and bear off our spoils to the
ships, or whether he shall fall before you."

Thus did Minerva inveigle him by her cunning, and when the two were now
close to one another great Hector was first to speak. "I will-no longer
fly you, son of Peleus," said he, "as I have been doing hitherto. Three
times have I fled round the mighty city of Priam, without daring to
withstand you, but now, let me either slay or be slain, for I am in the
mind to face you. Let us, then, give pledges to one another by our
gods, who are the fittest witnesses and guardians of all covenants; let
it be agreed between us that if Jove vouchsafes me the longer stay and
I take your life, I am not to treat your dead body in any unseemly
fashion, but when I have stripped you of your armour, I am to give up
your body to the Achaeans. And do you likewise."

Achilles glared at him and answered, "Fool, prate not to me about
covenants. There can be no covenants between men and lions, wolves and
lambs can never be of one mind, but hate each other out and out all
through. Therefore there can be no understanding between you and me,
nor may there be any covenants between us, till one or other shall fall
and glut grim Mars with his life's blood. Put forth all your strength;
you have need