The Iliad of Homer

by Richmond Lattimore

  140 off, but hides in the steading, and the frightened sheep are forsaken,

  and these are piled pell-mell on each other in heaps, while the lion

  raging still leaps out again over the fence of the deep yard;

  such was the rage of strong Diomedes as he closed with the Trojans.

  Next he killed Astynoös and Hypeiron, shepherd of the people,

  145 striking one with the bronze-heeled spear above the nipple,

  and cutting the other beside the shoulder through the collar-bone

  with the great sword, so that neck and back were hewn free of the shoulder.

  He left these men, and went on after Polyidos and Abas,

  sons of the aged dream-interpreter, Eurydamas;

  150 yet for these two as they went forth the old man did not answer

  their dreams, but Diomedes the powerful slew them. Now he

  went after the two sons of Phainops, Xanthos and Thoön,

  full grown both, but Phainops was stricken in sorrowful old age

  nor could breed another son to leave among his possessions.

  155 There he killed these two and took away the dear life from them

  both, leaving to their father lamentation and sorrowful

  affliction, since he was not to welcome them home from the fighting

  alive still; and remoter kinsmen shared his possessions.

  Next he killed two children of Dardanian Priam

  160 who were in a single chariot, Echemmon and Chromios.

  As among cattle a lion leaps on the neck of an ox or

  heifer, that grazes among the wooded places, and breaks it,

  so the son of Tydeus hurled both from their horses

  hatefully, in spite of their struggles, then stripped their armor

  165 and gave the horses to his company to drive to their vessels.

  Now as Aineias saw him wrecking the ranks of warriors

  he went on his way through the fighting and the spears’ confusion

  looking to see if he could find Pandaros the godlike;

  and he came upon the strong and blameless son of Lykaon.

  170 He stood before him face to face and spoke a word to him:

  “Pandaros, where now are your bow and your feathered arrows;

  where your fame, in which no man here dare contend with you

  nor can any man in Lykia claim he is better?

  Come then, hold up your hands to Zeus, and let go an arrow

  175 at this strong man, whoever he be, who does so much evil

  to the Trojans, since many and great are those whose knees he has broken.

  Unless this be some god who in wrath with the Trojans for offerings

  failed afflicts them. The wrath of a god is hard to deal with.”

  Then in answer the shining son of Lykaon spoke to him:

  180 “Aineias, charged with the counsels of the bronze-armored Trojans,

  I liken him in all ways to the valiant son of Tydeus,

  going by his shield and the hollow eyes of his helmet

  and by the look of his horses; but it may be a god, I am not sure;

  and if this is a man, as I think, and the valiant son

  185 of Tydeus, yet not without god does he rage so, but some one

  of the immortals, mantling in mist his shoulders, stands close beside him

  who turned my flying arrow as it struck, elsewhere, away from him.

  For I have shot my shaft already, and hit him in the shoulder,

  the right one, hard driven through the hollow of his corselet,

  190 and I said to myself I had hurled him down to meet Aïdoneus,

  yet still I have not beaten him; now this is some god who is angered.

  But I have no horses nor chariot I could mount in, and yet

  somewhere in the great house of Lykaon are eleven chariots,

  beauties, all new made, just finished, and over them blankets

  195 lie spread, and beside each chariot one brace of horses

  stand there, champing their white barley and oats. But Lykaon

  the aged spearman spoke to me over and over, as I was

  on my way from the house well compacted, advising me;

  he told me to take my horses and chariots, and riding

  200 there to be lord among the Trojans in the strong encounters.

  I did not let him persuade me, and that would have been far better,

  sparing my horses, who had grown accustomed to eating all

  they wished, from going hungry where the men were penned in a small place.

  So I left them and made my way on foot to Ilion

  205 trusting my bow, a thing that was to profit me nothing.

  For now I have drawn it against two of their best men, Tydeus’

  son, and the son of Atreus, and both of these I hit

  and drew visible blood, yet only wakened their anger.

  So it was in bad luck that I took from its peg the curved bow

  210 on that day when I carried it to lovely Ilion

  at the head of my Trojans, bringing delight to brilliant Hektor.

  Now if ever I win home again and lay eyes once more

  on my country, and my wife, and the great house with the high roof,

  let some stranger straightway cut my head from my shoulders

  215 if I do not break this bow in my hands and throw it in the shining

  fire, since as a wind and nothing I have taken it with me.”

  Then in turn Aineias, lord of the Trojans, answered him:

  “Speak no more this way; there will be no time for changing

  before you and I must face this man with horses and chariot

  220 and strength against strength fight it out with our weapons. Therefore

  mount rather into my chariot, so that you may see

  what the Trojan horses are like, how they understand their

  plain, and how to traverse it in rapid pursuit and withdrawal.

  These two will bring us safe to the city again, if once more

  225 Zeus grants glory to Diomedes the son of Tydeus.

  Come then, taking into your hands the goad and the glittering

  reins, while I dismount from my chariot and carry the fighting;

  or else yourself encounter this man, while I handle the horses.”

  Then in answer the shining son of Lykaon spoke to him:“

  230 Keep yourself, Aineias, the reins and your horses. These will

  carry better the curved chariot under the driver

  they know best, if we must give way before the son of Tydeus;

  for fear they might go wild with terror and not be willing

  to carry us out of the fighting, as they listen and long for your voice,

  235 for fear the son of high-hearted Tydeus charging upon us

  might kill us both and drive away the single-foot horses.

  Rather drive yourself your own horses and your own chariot

  while with my sharp spear I encounter this man as he comes on.”

  They spoke so, and mounting the wrought chariot held

  240 their fast-running horses against the son of Tydeus, in fury.

  And Sthenelos the shining son of Kapaneus seeing them

  swiftly uttered his winged words to the son of Tydeus:

  “Son of Tydeus, you who delight my heart, Diomedes,

  look, I see two mighty men furious to fight with you.

  245 Their strength is enormous, one of them well skilled in the bow’s work,

  Pandaros, who claims his right as son of Lykaon,

  and the other Aineias, who claims he was born as son to

  Anchises the blameless, but his mother was Aphrodite.

  Come then, let us give way with our horses; no longer storm on

  250 so far among the champions, for fear you destroy your heart’s life.”

  Then looking at him darkly strong Diomedes spoke to him:

  “Argue me not towa
rd flight, since I have no thought of obeying you.

  No, for it would be ignoble for me to shrink back in the fighting

  or to lurk aside, since my fighting strength stays steady forever.

  255 I shrink indeed from mounting behind the horses, but as I am

  now, I will face these. Pallas Athene will not let me run from them.

  These two men, their fast-running horses shall never carry them

  both back away from us, even though one man may escape us.

  And put away in your thoughts this other thing I tell you.

  260 If Athene of the many counsels should grant me the glory

  to kill both, then do you check here these fast-running horses,

  ours, tethering them with the reins tied to the chariot’s rail and thereafter

  remember to make a dash against the horses of Aineias,

  and drive them away from the Trojans among the strong-greaved Achaians.

  265 These are of that strain which Zeus of the wide brows granted

  once to Tros, recompense for his son Ganymedes, and therefore

  are the finest of all horses beneath the sun and the daybreak;

  and the lord of men Anchises stole horses from this breed,

  without the knowledge of Laomedon putting mares under them.

  270 From these there was bred for him a string of six in his great house.

  Four of these, keeping them himself, he raised at his mangers,

  but these two he gave to Aineias, two horses urgent of terror.

  If we might only take these we should win ourselves excellent glory.”

  Now as these were speaking things like this to each other,

  275 the two came fast upon them driving their swift-running horses.

  First to Diomedes called out the shining son of Lykaon:

  “Valiant and strong-spirited, O son of proud Tydeus,

  you were not beaten then by the bitter arrow, my swift shot.

  Now I will try with the throwing-spear to see if I can hit you.”

  280 So he spoke, and balanced the spear far-shadowed, and threw it,

  and struck the son of Tydeus in the shield, and the flying

  bronze spearhead was driven clean through and into the corselet,

  and the shining son of Lykaon cried aloud in a great voice:

  “Now are you struck clean through the middle, and I think that you will not

  285 hold up for much longer; you have given me great claim to glory.”

  Then strong Diomedes answered, not frightened before him:

  “You did not hit me, you missed, but I do not think that you two

  will go free until one or the other of you has fallen

  to glut with his blood Ares the god who fights under the shield’s guard.”

  290 He spoke, and threw; and Pallas Athene guided the weapon

  to the nose next to the eye, and it cut on through the white teeth

  and the bronze weariless shore all the way through the tongue’s base

  so that the spearhead came out underneath the jawbone.

  He dropped then from the chariot and his armor clattered upon him,

  295 dazzling armor and shining, while those fast-running horses

  shied away, and there his life and his strength were scattered.

  But Aineias sprang to the ground with shield and with long spear,

  for fear that somehow the Achaians might haul off the body,

  and like a lion in the pride of his strength stood over him

  300 holding before him the perfect circle of his shield and the spear

  and raging to cut down any man who might come to face him,

  crying a terrible cry. But Tydeus’ son in his hand caught

  up a stone, a huge thing which no two men could carry

  such as men are now, but by himself he lightly hefted it.

  305 He threw, and caught Aineias in the hip, in the place where the hip-bone

  turns inside the thigh, the place men call the cup-socket.

  It smashed the cup-socket and broke the tendons both sides of it,

  and the rugged stone tore the skin backward, so that the fighter

  dropping to one knee stayed leaning on the ground with his heavy

  310 hand, and a covering of black night came over both eyes.

  Now in this place Aineias lord of men might have perished

  had not Aphrodite, Zeus’ daughter, been quick to perceive him,

  his mother, who had borne him to Anchises the ox-herd;

  and about her beloved son came streaming her white arms,

  315 and with her white robe thrown in a fold in front she shielded him,

  this keeping off the thrown weapons lest some fast-mounted Danaän

  strike the bronze spear through his chest and strip the life from him.

  She then carried her beloved son out of the fighting.

  Nor did Sthenelos son of Kapaneus forget the commandments

  320 that Diomedes of the great war cry had laid upon him,

  but he held where they were their own single-foot horses

  with their reins tied to the chariot rail, apart from the confusion,

  and making a dash for the fluttering-maned horses of Aineias

  drove them away from the Trojans among the strong-greaved Achaians,

  325 and gave them to Deïpylos, his close friend, whom beyond all

  others of his own age he prized, for their hearts were intimate,

  to drive away to the hollow ships; meanwhile the warrior

  mounted behind his own horses and caught up the shining

  reins, and held the strong-footed team toward the son of Tydeus

  330 headlong; and he swung the pitiless bronze at the lady of Kypros,

  knowing her for a god without warcraft, not of those who,

  goddesses, range in order the ranks of men in the fighting,

  not Athene and not Enyo, sacker of cities.

  Now as, following her through the thick crowd, he caught her,

  335 lunging in his charge far forward the son of high-hearted

  Tydeus made a thrust against the soft hand with the bronze spear,

  and the spear tore the skin driven clean on through the immortal

  robe that the very Graces had woven for her carefully,

  over the palm’s base; and blood immortal flowed from the goddess,

  340 ichor, that which runs in the veins of the blessed divinities;

  since these eat no food, nor do they drink of the shining

  wine, and therefore they have no blood and are called immortal.

  She gave a great shriek and let fall her son she was carrying,

  but Phoibos Apollo caught him up and away in his own hands,

  345 in a dark mist, for fear that some fast-mounted Danaän

  might strike the bronze spear through his chest and strip the life from him.

  But Diomedes of the great war cry shouted after her:

  “Give way, daughter of Zeus, from the fighting and the terror. It is

  not then enough that you lead astray women without warcraft?

  350 Yet, if still you must haunt the fighting, I think that now you

  will shiver even when you hear some other talking of battles.”

  So he spoke, and the goddess departed in pain, hurt badly,

  and Iris wind-footed took her by the hand and led her away

  from the battle, her lovely skin blood-darkened, wounded and suffering.

  355 There to the left of the fighting she found Ares the violent

  sitting, his spear leaned into the mist, and his swift horses.

  Dropping on one knee before her beloved brother

  in deep supplication she asked for his gold-bridled horses:

  “Beloved brother, rescue me and give me your horses

  360 so I may come to Olympos where is the place of the immortals.

  I am in too much pain from the wound of a mortal’s spear-st
roke,

  Tydeus’ son’s, who would fight now even against Zeus father.”

  So she spoke, and Ares gave her the gold-bridled horses,

  and, still grieved in the inward heart, she mounted the chariot

  365 and beside her entering Iris gathered the reins up

  and whipped them into a run, and they winged their way unreluctant.

  Now as they came to sheer Olympos, the place of the immortals,

  there swift Iris the wind-footed reined in her horses

  and slipped them from the yoke and threw fodder immortal before them,

  370 and now bright Aphrodite fell at the knees of her mother,

  Dione, who gathered her daughter into the arms’ fold

  and stroked her with her hand and called her by name and spoke to her:

  “Who now of the Uranian gods, dear child, has done such

  things to you, rashly, as if you were caught doing something wicked?”

  375 Aphrodite the sweetly laughing spoke then and answered her:

  “Tydeus’ son Diomedes, the too high-hearted, stabbed me

  as I was carrying my own beloved son out of the fighting,

  Aineias, who beyond all else in the world is dear to me;

  so now this is no horrible war of Achaians and Trojans,

  380 but the Danaäns are beginning to fight even with the immortals.”

  Then Dione the shining among divinities answered her:

  “Have patience, my child, and endure it, though you be saddened.

  For many of us who have our homes on Olympos endure things

  from men, when ourselves we inflict hard pain on each other.

  385 Ares had to endure it when strong Ephialtes and Otos,

  sons of Aloeus, chained him in bonds that were too strong for him,

  and three months and ten he lay chained in the brazen cauldron;

  and now might Ares, insatiable of fighting, have perished,

  had not Eëriboia, their stepmother, the surpassingly lovely,

  390 brought word to Hermes, who stole Ares away out of it

  as he was growing faint and the hard bondage was breaking him.

  Hera had to endure it when the strong son of Amphitryon

  struck her beside the right breast with a tri-barbed arrow,

  so that the pain he gave her could not be quieted. Hades

  395 the gigantic had to endure with the rest the flying arrow

  when this self-same man, the son of Zeus of the aegis,

  struck him among the dead men at Pylos, and gave him to agony;

  but he went up to the house of Zeus and to tall Olympos