And now as Dawn rose from her couch beside Tithonus, harbinger of light alike to
mortals and immortals, Jove sent fierce Discord with the ensign of war in her hands to
the ships of the Achaeans. She took her stand by the huge black hull of Ulysses' ship
which was middlemost of all, so that her voice might carry farthest on either side, on the
one hand towards the tents of Ajax son of Telamon, and on the other towards those of
Achilles- for these two heroes, well-assured of their own strength, had valorously
drawn up their ships at the two ends of the line. There she took her stand, and raised a
cry both loud and shrill that filled the Achaeans with courage, giving them heart to fight
resolutely and with all their might, so that they had rather stay there and do battle than
go home in their ships.
The son of Atreus shouted aloud and bade the Argives gird themselves for battle while
he put on his armour. First he girded his goodly greaves about his legs, making them fast
with ankle clasps of silver; and about his chest he set the breastplate which Cinyras had
once given him as a guest-gift. It had been noised abroad as far as Cyprus that the
Achaeans were about to sail for Troy, and therefore he gave it to the king. It had ten
courses of dark cyanus, twelve of gold, and ten of tin. There were serpents of cyanus
that reared themselves up towards the neck, three upon either side, like the rainbows
which the son of Saturn has set in heaven as a sign to mortal men. About his shoulders
he threw his sword, studded with bosses of gold; and the scabbard was of silver with a
chain of gold wherewith to hang it. He took moreover the richly-dight shield that
covered his body when he was in battle- fair to see, with ten circles of bronze running
all round see, wit it. On the body of the shield there were twenty bosses of white tin,
with another of dark cyanus in the middle: this last was made to show a Gorgon's head,
fierce and grim, with Rout and Panic on either side. The band for the arm to go through
was of silver, on which there was a writhing snake of cyanus with three heads that
sprang from a single neck, and went in and out among one another. On his head
Agamemnon set a helmet, with a peak before and behind, and four plumes of horse-hair
that nodded menacingly above it; then he grasped two redoubtable bronze-shod spears,
and the gleam of his armour shot from him as a flame into the firmament, while Juno and
Minerva thundered in honour of the king of rich Mycene.
Every man now left his horses in charge of his charioteer to hold them in readiness by
the trench, while he went into battle on foot clad in full armour, and a mighty uproar
rose on high into the dawning. The chiefs were armed and at the trench before the
horses got there, but these came up presently. The son of Saturn sent a portent of evil
sound about their host, and the dew fell red with blood, for he was about to send many
a brave man hurrying down to Hades.
The Trojans, on the other side upon the rising slope of the plain, were gathered round
great Hector, noble Polydamas, Aeneas who was honoured by the Trojans like an
immortal, and the three sons of Antenor, Polybus, Agenor, and young Acamas
beauteous as a god. Hector's round shield showed in the front rank, and as some
baneful star that shines for a moment through a rent in the clouds and is again hidden
beneath them; even so was Hector now seen in the front ranks and now again in the
hindermost, and his bronze armour gleamed like the lightning of aegis-bearing Jove.
And now as a band of reapers mow swathes of wheat or barley upon a rich man's land,
and the sheaves fall thick before them, even so did the Trojans and Achaeans fall upon
one another; they were in no mood for yielding but fought like wolves, and neither side
got the better of the other. Discord was glad as she beheld them, for she was the only
god that went among them; the others were not there, but stayed quietly each in his own
home among the dells and valleys of Olympus. All of them blamed the son of Saturn for
wanting to Live victory to the Trojans, but father Jove heeded them not: he held aloof
from all, and sat apart in his all-glorious majesty, looking down upon the city of the
Trojans, the ships of the Achaeans, the gleam of bronze, and alike upon the slayers and
on the slain.
Now so long as the day waxed and it was still morning, their darts rained thick on one
another and the people perished, but as the hour drew nigh when a woodman working
in some mountain forest will get his midday meal- for he has felled till his hands are
weary; he is tired out, and must now have food- then the Danaans with a cry that rang
through all their ranks, broke the battalions of the enemy. Agamemnon led them on, and
slew first Bienor, a leader of his people, and afterwards his comrade and charioteer
Oileus, who sprang from his chariot and was coming full towards him; but Agamemnon
struck him on the forehead with his spear; his bronze visor was of no avail against the
weapon, which pierced both bronze and bone, so that his brains were battered in and
he was killed in full fight.
Agamemnon stripped their shirts from off them and left them with their breasts all bare
to lie where they had fallen. He then went on to kill Isus and Antiphus two sons of
Priam, the one a , the other born in wedlock; they were in the same chariot- the
driving, while noble Antiphus fought beside him. Achilles had once taken both
of them prisoners in the glades of Ida, and had bound them with fresh withes as they
were shepherding, but he had taken a ransom for them; now, however, Agamemnon
son of Atreus smote Isus in the chest above the nipple with his spear, while he struck
Antiphus hard by the ear and threw him from his chariot. Forthwith he stripped their
goodly armour from off them and recognized them, for he had already seen them at
ships when Achilles brought them in from Ida. As a lion fastens on the fawns of a hind
and crushes them in his great jaws, robbing them of their tender life while he on his way
back to his lair- the hind can do nothing for them even though she be close by, for she is
in an agony of fear, and flies through the thick forest, sweating, and at her utmost speed
before the mighty monster- so, no man of the Trojans could help Isus and Antiphus, for
they were themselves flying panic before the Argives.
Then King Agamemnon took the two sons of Antimachus, Pisander and brave
Hippolochus. It was Antimachus who had been foremost in preventing Helen's being
restored to Menelaus, for he was largely bribed by Alexandrus; and now Agamemnon
took his two sons, both in the same chariot, trying to bring their horses to a stand- for
they had lost hold of the reins and the horses were mad with fear. The son of Atreus
sprang upon them like a lion, and the pair besought him from their chariot. "Take us
alive," they cried, "son of Atreus, and you shall receive a great ransom for us. Our father
Antimachus has great store of gold, bronze, and wrought iron, and from this he will
satisfy you with a very large ransom should he hear of our being alive at the ships of the
Achaeans."
With such piteous words and tears did they beseech the king, but they heard no pitiful
answer in return. "If," said Agamemnon, "you are sons of Antimachus, who once at a
council of Trojans proposed that Menelaus and Ulysses, who had come to you as
envoys, should be killed and not suffered to return, you shall now pay for the foul
iniquity of your father."
As he spoke he felled Pisander from his chariot to the earth, smiting him on the chest
with his spear, so that he lay face uppermost upon the ground. Hippolochus fled, but
him too did Agamemnon smite; he cut off his hands and his head- which he sent rolling
in among the crowd as though it were a ball. There he let them both lie, and wherever
the ranks were thickest thither he flew, while the other Achaeans followed. Foot
soldiers drove the foot soldiers of the foe in rout before them, and slew them; horsemen
did the like by horsemen, and the thundering tramp of the horses raised a cloud of dust
frim off the plain. King Agamemnon followed after, ever slaying them and cheering on
the Achaeans. As when some mighty forest is all ablaze- the eddying gusts whirl fire in
all directions till the thickets shrivel and are consumed before the blast of the flame-
even so fell the heads of the flying Trojans before Agamemnon son of Atreus, and many
a noble pair of steeds drew an empty chariot along the highways of war, for lack of
drivers who were lying on the plain, more useful now to vultures than to their wives.
Jove drew Hector away from the darts and dust, with the carnage and din of battle; but
the son of Atreus sped onwards, calling out lustily to the Danaans. They flew on by the
tomb of old Ilus, son of Dardanus, in the middle of the plain, and past the place of the
wild fig-tree making always for the city- the son of Atreus still shouting, and with hands
all bedrabbled in gore; but when they had reached the Scaean gates and the oak tree,
there they halted and waited for the others to come up. Meanwhile the Trojans kept on
flying over the middle of the plain like a herd cows maddened with fright when a lion has
attacked them in the dead of night- he springs on one of them, seizes her neck in the
grip of his strong teeth and then laps up her blood and gorges himself upon her entrails-
even so did King Agamemnon son of Atreus pursue the foe, ever slaughtering the
hindmost as they fled pell-mell before him. Many a man was flung headlong from his
chariot by the hand of the son of Atreus, for he wielded his spear with fury.
But when he was just about to reach the high wall and the city, the father of gods and
men came down from heaven and took his seat, thunderbolt in hand, upon the crest of
many-fountained Ida. He then told Iris of the golden wings to carry a message for him.
"Go," said he, "fleet Iris, and speak thus to Hector- say that so long as he sees
Agamemnon heading his men and making havoc of the Trojan ranks, he is to keep aloof
and bid the others bear the brunt of the battle, but when Agamemnon is wounded either
by spear or arrow, and takes to his chariot, then will I vouchsafe him strength to slay till
he reach the ships and night falls at the going down of the sun."
Iris hearkened and obeyed. Down she went to strong Ilius from the crests of Ida, and
found Hector son of Priam standing by his chariot and horses. Then she said, "Hector
son of Priam, peer of gods in counsel, father Jove has sent me to bear you this
message- so long as you see Agamemnon heading his men and making havoc of the
Trojan ranks, you are to keep aloof and bid the others bear the brunt of the battle, but
when Agamemnon is wounded either by spear or arrow, and takes to his chariot, then
will Jove vouchsafe you strength to slay till you reach the ships, and till night falls at the
going down of the sun."
When she had thus spoken Iris left him, and Hector sprang full armed from his chariot
to the ground, brandishing his spear as he went about everywhere among the host,
cheering his men on to fight, and stirring the dread strife of battle. The Trojans then
wheeled round, and again met the Achaeans, while the Argives on their part
strengthened their battalions. The battle was now in array and they stood face to face
with one another, Agamemnon ever pressing forward in his eagerness to be ahead of all
others.
Tell me now ye Muses that dwell in the mansions of Olympus, who, whether of the
Trojans or of their allies, was first to face Agamemnon? It was Iphidamas son of
Antenor, a man both brave and of great stature, who was brought up in fertile Thrace
the mother of sheep. Cisses, his mother's father, brought him up in his own house when
he was a child- Cisses, father to fair Theano. When he reached manhood, Cisses would
have kept him there, and was for giving him his daughter in marriage, but as soon as he
had married he set out to fight the Achaeans with twelve ships that followed him: these
he had left at Percote and had come on by land to Ilius. He it was that naw met
Agamemnon son of Atreus. When they were close up with one another, the son of
Atreus missed his aim, and Iphidamas hit him on the girdle below the cuirass and then
flung himself upon him, trusting to his strength of arm; the girdle, however, was not
pierced, nor nearly so, for the point of the spear struck against the silver and was turned
aside as though it had been lead: King Agamemnon caught it from his hand, and drew it
towards him with the fury of a lion; he then drew his sword, and killed Iphidamas by
striking him on the neck. So there the poor fellow lay, sleeping a sleep as it were of
bronze, killed in the defence of his fellow-citizens, far from his wedded wife, of whom
he had had no joy though he had given much for her: he had given a hundred-head of
cattle down, and had promised later on to give a thousand sheep and goats mixed, from
the countless flocks of which he was possessed. Agamemnon son of Atreus then
despoiled him, and carried off his armour into the host of the Achaeans.
When noble Coon, Antenor's eldest son, saw this, sore indeed were his eyes at the
sight of his fallen brother. Unseen by Agamemnon he got beside him, spear in hand, and
wounded him in the middle of his arm below the elbow, the point of the spear going
right through the arm. Agamemnon was convulsed with pain, but still not even for this
did he leave off struggling and fighting, but grasped his spear that flew as fleet as the
wind, and sprang upon Coon who was trying to drag off the body of his brother- his
father's son- by the foot, and was crying for help to all the bravest of his comrades; but
Agamemnon struck him with a bronze-shod spear and killed him as he was dragging the
dead body through the press of men under cover of his shield: he then cut off his head,
standing over the body of Iphidamas. Thus did the sons of Antenor meet their fate at the
hands of the son of Atreus, and go down into the house of Hades.
As long as the blood still welled warm from his wound Agamemnon went about
attacking the ranks of the enemy with spear and sword and with great handfuls of stone,
but when the blood had ceased to flow and the wound grew dry, the pain became
great. As the sharp pangs which the Eilithuiae, goddesses of childbirth, daughters of
Juno and dispensers of cruel pain, send upon a woman when she is in labour- even so
sharp were the pangs of the son of Atreus. He sprang on to his chariot, and bade his
charioteer drive to the ships, for he was in great agony. With a loud clear voice he
shouted to the Danaans, "My friends, princes and counsellors of the Argives, defend the
ships yourselves, for Jove has not suffered me to fight the whole day through against the
Trojans."
With this the charioteer turned his horses towards the ships, and they flew forward
nothing loth. Their chests were white with foam and their bellies with dust, as they drew
the wounded king out of the battle.
When Hector saw Agamemnon quit the field, he shouted to the Trojans and Lycians
saying, "Trojans, Lycians, and Dardanian warriors, be men, my friends, and acquit
yourselves in battle bravely; their best man has left them, and Jove has vouchsafed me a
great triumph; charge the foe with your chariots that. you may win still greater glory."
With these words he put heart and soul into them all, and as a huntsman hounds his
dogs on against a lion or wild boar, even so did Hector, peer of Mars, hound the proud
Trojans on against the Achaeans. Full of hope he plunged in among the foremost, and
fell on the fight like some fierce tempest that swoops down upon the sea, and lashes its
deep blue waters into fury.
What, then is the full tale of those whom Hector son of Priam killed in the hour of
triumph which Jove then vouchsafed him? First Asaeus, Autonous, and Opites; Dolops
son of Clytius, Opheltius and Agelaus; Aesymnus, Orus and Hipponous steadfast in
battle; these chieftains of the Achaeans did Hector slay, and then he fell upon the rank
and file. As when the west wind hustles the clouds of the white south and beats them
down with the fierceness of its fury- the waves of the sea roll high, and the spray is flung
aloft in the rage of the wandering wind- even so thick were the heads of them that fell
by the hand of Hector.
All had then been lost and no help for it, and the Achaeans would have fled pell-mell to
their ships, had not Ulysses cried out to Diomed, "Son of Tydeus, what has happened
to us that we thus forget our prowess? Come, my good fellow, stand by my side and
help me, we shall be shamed for ever if Hector takes the ships."
And Diomed answered, "Come what may, I will stand firm; but we shall have scant joy
of it, for Jove is minded to give victory to the Trojans rather than to us."
With these words he struck Thymbraeus from his chariot to the ground, smiting him in
the left breast with his spear, while Ulysses killed Molion who was his squire. These
they let lie, now that they had stopped their fighting; the two heroes then went on
playing havoc with the foe, like two wild boars that turn in fury and rend the hounds that
hunt them. Thus did they turn upon the Trojans and slay them, and the Achaeans were
thankful to have breathing time in their flight from Hector.
They then took two princes with their chariot, the two sons of Merops of Percote, who
excelled all others in the arts of divination. He had forbidden his sons to go to the war,
but they would not obey him, for fate lured them to their fall. Diomed son of Tydeus
slew them both and stripped them of their armour, while Ulysses killed Hippodamus
and Hypeirochus.
And now the son of Saturn as he looked down from Ida ordained that neither side
should have the advantage, and they kept on killing one another. The son of Tydeus
speared Agastrophus son of Paeon in the hip-joint with his spear. His chariot was not at
hand for him to fly with, so blindly confident had he been. His squire was in charge of it
at some distance and he was fighting on foot among the foremost until he lost his life.
Hector soon marked the havoc Diomed and Ulysses were making, and bore down
upon them with a loud cry, followed by the Trojan ranks; brave Diomed was dismayed
when he saw them, and said to Ulysses who was beside him, "Great Hector is bearing
down upon us and we shall be undone; let us stand firm and wait his onset."
He poised his spear as he spoke and hurled it, nor did he miss his mark. He had aimed
at Hector's head near the top of his helmet, but bronze was turned by bronze, and
Hector was untouched, for the spear was stayed by the visored helm made with three
plates of metal, which Phoebus Apollo had given him. Hector sprang back with a great
bound under cover of the ranks; he fell on his knees and propped himself with his
brawny hand leaning on the ground, for darkness had fallen on his eyes. The son of
Tydeus having thrown his spear dashed in among the foremost fighters, to the place
where he had seen it strike the ground; meanwhile Hector recovered himself and
springing back into his chariot mingled with the crowd, by which means he saved his
life. But Diomed made at him with his spear and said, "Dog, you have again got away
though death was close on your heels. Phoebus Apollo, to whom I ween you pray ere
you go into battle, has again saved you, nevertheless I will meet you and make and end
of you hereafter, if there is any god who will stand by me too and be my helper. For the
present I must pursue those I can lay hands on."
As he spoke he began stripping the spoils from the son of Paeon, but Alexandrus
husband of lovely Helen aimed an arrow at him, leaning against a pillar of the monument
which men had raised to Ilus son of Dardanus, a ruler in days of old. Diomed had taken
the cuirass from off the breast of Agastrophus, his heavy helmet also, and the shield
from off his shoulders, when Paris drew his bow and let fly an arrow that sped not from
his hand in vain, but pierced the flat of Diomed's right foot, going right through it and
fixing itself in the ground. Thereon Paris with a hearty laugh sprang forward from his
hiding-place, and taunted him saying, "You are wounded- my arrow has not been shot
in vain; would that it had hit you in the belly and killed you, for thus the Trojans, who
fear you as goats fear a lion, would have had a truce from evil."
Diomed all undaunted answered, "Archer, you who without your bow are nothing,
slanderer and seducer, if you were to be tried in single combat fighting in full armour,
your bow and your arrows would serve you in little stead. Vain is your boast in that you
have scratched the sole of my foot. I care no more than if a girl or some silly boy had hit
me. A worthless coward can inflict but a light wound; when I wound a man though I but
graze his skin it is another matter, for my weapon will lay him low. His wife will tear her
cheeks for grief and his children will be fatherless: there will he rot, reddening the earth
with his blood, and vultures, not women, will gather round him."
Thus he spoke, but Ulysses came up and stood over him. Under this cover he sat down
to draw the arrow from his foot, and sharp was the pain he suffered as he did so. Then
he sprang on to his chariot and bade the charioteer drive him to the ships, for he was
sick at heart.
Ulysses was now alone; not one of the Argives stood by him, for they were all
panic-stricken. "Alas," said he to himself in his dismay, "what will become of me? It is ill
if I turn and fly before these odds, but it will be worse if I am left alone and taken
prisoner, for the son of Saturn has struck the rest of the Danaans with panic. But why
talk to myself in this way? Well do I know that though cowards quit the field, a hero,
whether he wound or be wounded, must stand firm and hold his own."
While he was thus in two minds, the ranks of the Trojans advanced and hemmed him in,
and bitterly did they come to me it. As hounds and lusty youths set upon a wild boar
that sallies from his lair whetting his white tusks- they attack him from every side and
can hear the gnashing of his jaws, but for all his fierceness they still hold their ground-
even so furiously did the Trojans attack Ulysses. First he sprang spear in hand upon
Deiopites and wounded him on the shoulder with a downward blow; then he killed
Thoon and Ennomus. After these he struck Chersidamas in the loins under his shield as
he had just sprung down from his chariot; so he fell in the dust and clutched the earth in
the hollow of his hand. These he let lie, and went on to wound Charops son of
Hippasus own brother to noble Socus. Socus, hero that he was, made all speed to help
him, and when he was close to Ulysses he said, "Far-famed Ulysses, insatiable of craft
and toil, this day you shall either boast of having killed both the sons of Hippasus and
stripped them of their armour, or you shall fall before my spear."
With these words he struck the shield of Ulysses. The spear went through the shield and
passed on through his richly wrought cuirass, tearing the flesh from his side, but Pallas
Minerva did not suffer it to pierce the entrails of the hero. Ulysses knew that his hour
was not yet come, but he gave ground and said to Socus, "Wretch, you shall now surely
die. You have stayed me from fighting further with the Trojans, but you shall now fall by
my spear, yielding glory to myself, and your soul to Hades of the noble steeds."
Socus had turned in flight, but as he did so, the spear struck him in the back midway
between the shoulders, and went right through his chest. He fell heavily to the ground
and Ulysses vaunted over him saying, "O Socus, son of Hippasus tamer of horses,
death has been too quick for you and you have not escaped him: poor wretch, not even
in death shall your father and mother close your eyes, but the ravening vultures shall
enshroud you with the flapping of their dark wings and devour you. Whereas even
though I fall the Achaeans will give me my due rites of burial."
So saying he drew Socus's heavy spear out of his flesh and from his shield, and the
blood welled forth when the spear was withdrawn so that he was much dismayed.
When the Trojans saw that Ulysses was bleeding they raised a great shout and came on
in a body towards him; he therefore gave ground, and called his comrades to come and
help him. Thrice did he cry as loudly as man can cry, and thrice did brave Menelaus
hear him; he turned, therefore, to Ajax who was close beside him and said, "Ajax,
noble son of Telamon, captain of your people, the cry of Ulysses rings in my ears, as
though the Trojans had cut him off and were worsting him while he is single-handed. Let
us make our way through the throng; it will be well that we defend him; I fear he may
come to harm for all his valour if he be left without support, and the Danaans would
miss him sorely."
He led the way and mighty Ajax went with him. The Trojans had gathered round
Ulysses like ravenous mountain jackals round the carcase of some homed stag 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 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 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 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 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 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 many had foals running
with them. All these did we drive by night to Pylus the city of Neleus, taking them within
the city; and the heart of Neleus was glad in that I had taken so much, though it was the
first time I had ever been in the field. At daybreak the heralds went round crying that all
in Elis to whom there was a debt owing should come; and the leading Pylians assembled
to divide the spoils. There were many to whom the Epeans owed chattels, for we men
of Pylus were few and had been oppressed with wrong; in former years Hercules had
come, and had laid his hand heavy upon us, so that all our best men had perished.
Neleus had had twelve sons, but I alone was left; the others had all been killed. The
Epeans presuming upon all this had looked down upon us and had done us much evil.
My father chose a herd of cattle and a great flock of sheep- three hundred in all- and he
took their shepherds with him, for there was a great debt due to him in Elis, to wit four
horses, winners of prizes. They and their chariots with them had gone to the games and
were to run for a tripod, but King Augeas took them, and sent back their driver grieving
for the loss of his horses. Neleus was angered by what he had both said and done, and
took great value in return, but he divided the rest, that no man might have less than his
full share.
"Thus did we order all things, and offer sacrifices to the gods throughout the city; but
three days afterwards the Epeans came in a body, many in number, they and their
chariots, in full array, and with them the two Moliones in their armour, though they were
still lads and unused to fighting. Now there is a certain town, Thryoessa, perched upon
a rock on the river Alpheus, the border city Pylus; this they would destroy, and pitched
their camp about it, but when they had crossed their whole plain, Minerva darted down
by night from Olympus and bade us set ourselves in array; and she found willing soldiers
in Pylos, for the men meant fighting. Neleus would not let me arm, and hid my horses,
for he said that as yet I could know nothing about war; nevertheless Minerva so
ordered the fight that, all on foot as I was, I fought among our mounted forces and vied
with the foremost of them. There is a river Minyeius that falls into the sea near Arene,
and there they that were mounted (and I with them) waited till morning, when the
companies of foot soldiers came up with us in force. Thence in full panoply and
equipment we came towards noon to the sacred waters of the Alpheus, and there we
offered victims to almighty Jove, with a bull to Alpheus, another to Neptune, and a
herd-heifer to Minerva. After this we took supper in our companies, and laid us down
to rest each in his armour by the river.
"The Epeans were beleaguering the city and were determined to take it, but ere this
might be there was a desperate fight in store for them. When the sun's rays began to fall
upon the earth we joined battle, praying to Jove and to Minerva, and when the fight had
begun, I was the first to kill my man and take his horses- to wit the warrior Mulius. He
was son-in-law to Augeas, having married his eldest daughter, golden-haired Agamede,
who knew the virtues of every herb which grows upon the face of the earth. I speared
him as he was coming towards me, and when he fell headlong in the dust, I sprang upon
his chariot and took my place in the front ranks. The Epeans fled in all directions when
they saw the captain of their horsemen (the best man they had) laid low, and I swept
down on them like a whirlwind, taking fifty chariots- and in each of them two men bit
the dust, slain by my spear. I should have even killed the two Moliones sons of Actor,
unless their real father, Neptune lord of the earthquake, had hidden them in a thick mist
and borne them out of the fight. Thereon Jove vouchsafed the Pylians a great victory,
for we chased them far over the plain, killing the men and bringing in their armour, till we
had brought our horses to Buprasium rich in wheat and to the Olenian rock, with the hill
that is called Alision, at which point Minerva turned the people back. There I slew the
last man and left him; then the Achaeans drove their horses back from Buprasium to
Pylos and gave thanks to Jove among the gods, and among mortal men to Nestor.
"Such was I among my peers, as surely as ever was, but Achilles is for keeping all his
valour for himself; bitterly will he rue it hereafter when the host is being cut to pieces.
My good friend, did not Menoetius charge you thus, on the day when he sent you from
Phthia to Agamemnon? Ulysses and I were in the house, inside, and heard all that he
said to you; for we came to the fair house of Peleus while beating up recruits throughout
all Achaea, and when we got there we found Menoetius and yourself, and Achilles with
you. The old knight Peleus was in the outer court, roasting the fat thigh-bones of a heifer
to Jove the lord of thunder; and he held a gold chalice in his hand from which he poured
drink-offerings of wine over the burning sacrifice. You two were busy cutting up the
heifer, and at that moment we stood at the gates, whereon Achilles sprang to his feet,
led us by the hand into the house, placed us at table, and set before us such hospitable
entertainment as guests expect. When we had satisfied ourselves with meat and drink, I
said my say and urged both of you to join us. You were ready enough to do so, and the
two old men charged you much and straitly. Old Peleus bade his son Achilles fight ever
among the foremost and outvie his peers, while Menoetius the son of Actor spoke thus
to you: 'My son,' said he, 'Achilles is of nobler birth than you are, but you are older than
he, though he is far the better man of the two. Counsel him wisely, guide him in the right
way, and he will follow you to his own profit.' Thus did your father charge you, but you
have forgotten; nevertheless, even now, say all this to Achilles if he will listen to you.
Who knows but with heaven's help you may talk him over, for it is good to take a
friend's advice. If, however, he is fearful about some oracle, or if his mother has told
him something from Jove, then let him send you, and let the rest of the Myrmidons
follow with you, if perchance you may bring light and saving to the Danaans. And let
him send you into battle clad in his own armour, that the Trojans may mistake you for
him and leave off fighting; the sons of the Achaeans may thus have time to get their
breath, for they are hard pressed and there is little breathing time in battle. You, who
are fresh, might easily drive a tired enemy back to his walls and away from the tents and
ships."
With these words he moved the heart of Patroclus, who set off running by the line of the
ships to Achilles, descendant of Aeacus. When he had got as far as the ships of
Ulysses, where was their place of assembly and court of justice, with their altars
dedicated to the gods, Eurypylus son of Euaemon met him, wounded in the thigh with
an arrow, and limping out of the fight. Sweat rained from his head and shoulders, and
black blood welled from his cruel wound, but his mind did not wander. The son of
Menoetius when he saw him had compassion upon him and spoke piteously saying, "O
unhappy princes and counsellors of the Danaans, are you then doomed to feed the
hounds of Troy with your fat, far from your friends and your native land? say, noble
Eurypylus, will the Achaeans be able to hold great Hector in check, or will they fall now
before his spear?"
Wounded Eurypylus made answer, "Noble Patroclus, there is no hope left for the
Achaeans but they will perish at their ships. All they that were princes among us are
lying struck down and wounded at the hands of the Trojans, who are waxing stronger
and stronger. But save me and take me to your ship; cut out the arrow from my thigh;
wash the black blood from off it with warm water, and lay upon it those gracious herbs
which, so they say, have been shown you by Achilles, who was himself shown them by
Chiron, most righteous of all the centaurs. For of the physicians Podalirius and
Machaon, I hear that the one is lying wounded in his tent and is himself in need of
healing, while the other is fighting the Trojans upon the plain."
"Hero Eurypylus," replied the brave son of Menoetius, "how may these things be? What
can I do? I am on my way to bear a message to noble Achilles from Nestor of Gerene,
bulwark of the Achaeans, but even so I will not be unmindful your distress."
With this he clasped him round the middle and led him into the tent, and a servant, when
he saw him, spread bullock-skins on the ground for him to lie on. He laid him at full
length and cut out the sharp arrow from his thigh; he washed the black blood from the
wound with warm water; he then crushed a bitter herb, rubbing it between his hands,
and spread it upon the wound; this was a virtuous herb which killed all pain; so the
wound presently dried and the blood left off flowing.