The Iliad of Homer
Page 44
in a circle; as a great oak goes down root-torn under
415 Zeus father’s stroke, and a horrible smell of sulfur uprises
from it, and there is no courage left in a man who stands by
and looks on, for the thunderstroke of great Zeus is a hard thing;
so Hektor in all his strength dropped suddenly in the dust, let
fall the spear from his hand, and his shield was beaten upon him,
420 and the helm, and his armor elaborate with bronze clashed over him.
Screaming aloud the sons of the Achaians ran forward
in hope to drag him away, and threw their volleying javelins
against him, yet no man could stab or cast at the shepherd
of the people; sooner the Trojans’ bravest gathered about him,
425 Aineias, and Poulydamas, and brilliant Agenor,
Sarpedon, lord of the Lykians, and Glaukos the blameless;
and of the rest no man was heedless of him, but rather
sloped the strong circles of their shields over him, while his companions
caught him in their arms out of the fighting and reached his fast-footed
430 horses, where they stood to the rear of the fighting and the battle
holding their charioteer and the elaborate chariot,
and these carried him, groaning heavily, back toward the city.
But when they came to the crossing place of the fair-running river,
of whirling Xanthos, whose father was Zeus the immortal,
435 they moved him from behind his horses to the ground, and splashed
water over him. He got his wind again, and his eyes cleared,
and he got up to lean on one knee and vomit a dark clot
of blood, then lay back on the ground again, while over both eyes
dark night misted. His strength was still broken by the stone’s stroke.
440 But the Argives, when they saw Hektor withdrawing from them,
remembered once again their warcraft and turned on the Trojans.
There far before them all swift Aias son of Oïleus
made an outrush, and stabbed with the sharp spear Satnios,
Enops’ son, whom the perfect naiad nymph had borne once
445 to Enops, as he tended his herds by Satnioeis river.
The spear-famed son of Oïleus, coming close to this man,
stabbed him in the flank so that he knocked him backward, and over him
Trojans and Danaäns closed together in strong encounter.
Poulydamas of the shaken spear came up to stand by him,
450 Panthoös’ son, and struck in the right shoulder Prothoënor
son of Areïlykos, and the powerful spear was driven
through the shoulder, and he dropping in the dust clawed the ground in his fingers.
Poulydamas vaunted terribly over him, calling in a great voice:
“I think this javelin leaping from the heavy hand of Panthoös’
455 high-hearted son was not thrown away in a vain cast. Rather
some Argive caught it in his skin. I think he has got it
for a stick to lean on as he trudges down into Death’s house.”
He spoke, and sorrow came over the Argives at his vaunting,
and beyond others he stirred the anger in wise Telamonian
460 Aias, for the man had fallen closest to him, and at once
he made a cast with the shining spear at returning Poulydamas.
But Poulydamas himself avoided the dark death
with a quick spring to one side, and Archelochos son of Antenor
caught the spear, since the immortal gods had doomed his destruction.
465 He hit him at the joining place of head and neck, at the last
vertebra, and cut through both of the tendons, so that
the man’s head and mouth and nose hit the ground far sooner
than did the front of his legs and knees as he fell. And Aias
spoke aloud in answer to unfaulted Poulydamas:
470 “Think over this, Poulydamas, and answer me truly.
Is not this man’s death against Prothoënor’s a worthwhile
exchange? I think he is no mean man, nor born of mean fathers,
but is some brother of Antenor, breaker of horses,
or his son; since he is close in blood by the look of him.”
475 He spoke, knowing well what he said, and sorrow fastened on the Trojans.
There Akamas, bestriding his brother, stabbed the Boiotian
Promachos with the spear as he tried to drag off the body.
Akamas vaunted terribly over him, calling in a great voice:
“You Argives, arrow-fighters, insatiate of menace. I think
480 we shall not be the only ones to be given hard work
and sorrow, but you too must sometimes die, as this man did.
Think how Promachos sleeps among you, beaten down under
my spear, so that punishment for my brother may not go
long unpaid. Therefore a man prays he will leave behind him
485 one close to him in his halls to avenge his downfall in battle.”
He spoke, and sorrow came over the Argives at his vaunting,
and beyond others he stirred the anger in wise Peneleos.
He charged Akamas, who would not stand up against the onset
of lord Peneleos. He then stabbed with the spear Ilioneus
490 the son of Phorbas the rich in sheepflocks, whom beyond all men
of the Trojans Hermes loved, and gave him possessions.
Ilioneus was the only child his mother had borne him.
This man Peneleos caught underneath the brow, at the bases
of the eye, and pushed the eyeball out, and the spear went clean through
495 the eye-socket and tendon of the neck, so that he went down
backward, reaching out both hands, but Peneleos drawing
his sharp sword hewed at the neck in the middle, and so dashed downward
the head, with helm upon it, while still on the point of the big spear
the eyeball stuck. He, lifting it high like the head of a poppy,
500 displayed it to the Trojans and spoke vaunting over it:
“Trojans, tell haughty Ilioneus’ beloved father
and mother, from me, that they can weep for him in their halls, since
neither shall the wife of Promachos, Alegenor’s
son, take pride of delight in her dear lord’s coming, on that day
505 when we sons of the Achaians come home from Troy in our vessels.”
So he spoke, and the shivers came over the limbs of all of them,
and each man looked about him for a way to escape the sheer death.
Tell me now, you Muses who have your homes on Olympos,
who was first of the Achaians to win the bloody despoilment
510 of men, when the glorious shaker of the earth bent the way of the battle?
First Telamonian Aias cut down Hyrtios, he who
was son to Gyrtios, and lord over the strong-hearted Mysians.
Antilochos slaughtered Phalkes and Mermeros. Morys
and Hippotion were killed by Meriones. Teukros cut down
515 Periphetes and Prothoön. Next the son of Atreus,
Menelaos, stabbed Hyperenor, shepherd of the people,
in the flank, so the bronze head let gush out the entrails
through the torn side. His life came out through the wound of the spear-stab
in beating haste, and a mist of darkness closed over both eyes.
520 But Aias the fast-footed son of Oïleus caught and killed most,
since there was none like him in the speed of his feet to go after
men who ran, once Zeus had driven the terror upon them.
BOOK FIFTEEN
But after they had crossed back over the ditch and the sharp stakes
in flight, and many had gone down under the hands of the Dana
äns,
they checked about once more and stood their ground by the chariots,
green for fear and terrified. But now Zeus wakened
5 by Hera of the gold throne on the high places of Ida,
and stood suddenly upright, and saw the Achaians and Trojans,
these driven to flight, the others harrying them in confusion,
these last Argives, and saw among them the lord Poseidon.
He saw Hektor lying in the plain, his companions sitting
10 around him, he dazed at the heart and breathing painfully,
vomiting blood, since not the weakest Achaian had hit him.
Then the father of gods and men seeing Hektor pitied him
and looked scowling terribly at Hera, and spoke a word to her:
“Hopeless one, it was your evil design, your treachery, Hera,
15 that stayed brilliant Hektor from battle, terrified his people.
I do not know, perhaps for this contrivance of evil
and pain you will win first reward when I lash you with whip strokes.
Do you not remember that time you hung from high and on your feet
I slung two anvils, and about your hands drove a golden
20 chain, unbreakable. You among the clouds and the bright sky
hung, nor could the gods about tall Olympos endure it
and stood about, but could not set you free. If I caught one
I would seize and throw him from the threshold, until he landed
stunned on the earth, yet even so the weariless agony
25 for Herakles the godlike would not let go my spirit.
You with the north wind’s aid winning over the stormwinds drove him
on across the desolate sea in evil intention
and then on these swept him away to Kos, the strong-founded.
I myself rescued him there and brought him back once more
30 to horse-pasturing Argos, when he had been through much hardship.
I will remind you of all this, so you will give up
your deceptions, see if your lovemaking in bed will help you,
that way you lay with me apart from the gods, and deceived me.”
He spoke, and the lady the ox-eyed goddess Hera was frightened
35 and she spoke to him and addressed him in winged words: “Now let
Earth be my witness in this, and the wide heaven above us,
and the dripping water of the Styx, which oath is the biggest
and most formidable oath among the blessed immortals.
The sanctity of your head be witness, and the bed of marriage
40 between us: a thing by which I at least could never swear vainly.
It is not through my will that the shaker of the earth Poseidon
afflicts the Trojans and Hektor and gives aid to the others,
but it is his own passion that urges him to it and drives him.
He saw the Achaians hard pressed beside their ships, and pitied them.
45 No, but I myself also would give him counsel
to go with you, O dark clouded, that way that you lead us.”
She spoke, and now the father of gods and men smiled on her
and spoke again in answer to her, and addressed her in winged words:
“If even you, lady Hera of the ox eyes, hereafter
50 were to take your place among the immortals thinking as I do,
then Poseidon, hard though he may wish it otherwise,
must at once turn his mind so it follows your heart, and my heart.
If now all this that you say is real, and you speak truthfully,
go now among the generations of the gods, and summon
55 Iris to come here to me, and Apollo the glorious archer,
so that Iris may go among the bronze-armored people
of the Achaians, and give a message to lord Poseidon
to leave the fighting and come back to the home that is his. Also
let Phoibos Apollo stir Hektor back into battle,
60 breathe strength into him once more, and make him forget the agonies
that now are wearing out his senses. Let him drive strengthless
panic into the Achaians, and turn them back once more;
let them be driven in flight and tumble back on the benched ships
of Achilleus, Peleus’ son. And he shall rouse up Patroklos
65 his companion. And glorious Hektor shall cut down Patroklos
with the spear before Ilion, after he has killed many others
of the young men, and among them my own son, shining Sarpedon.
In anger for him brilliant Achilleus shall then kill Hektor.
And from then on I would make the fighting surge back from the vessels
70 always and continuously, until the Achaians
capture headlong Ilion through the designs of Athene.
Before this I am not stopping my anger, and I will not let
any other of the immortals stand there by the Danaäns
until the thing asked by the son of Peleus has been accomplished
75 as I undertook at the first and bent my head in assent to it
on that day when embracing my knees immortal Thetis
supplicated honor for Achilleus, sacker of cities.”
He spoke, and the goddess of the white arms Hera did not disobey him
but went back to tall Olympos from the mountains of Ida.
80 As the thought flashes in the mind of a man who, traversing
much territory, thinks of things in the mind’s awareness,
“I wish I were this place, or this,” and imagines many things;
so rapidly in her eagerness winged Hera, a goddess.
She came to sheer Olympos and entered among the assembled
85 immortal gods in the house of Zeus, and they seeing her
rose all to swarm about her and lifted their cups in greeting.
But Hera passed by the others and accepted a cup from Themis
of the fair cheeks, since she had first come running to greet her
and had spoken to her and addressed her in winged words: “Hera,
90 why have you come? You seem like one who has been terrified.
I know, it was the son of Kronos, your husband, frightened you.”
In turn the goddess Hera of the white arms answered her:
“Ask me nothing of this, divine Themis. You yourself
know what his spirit is, how it is stubborn and arrogant.
95 Preside still over the gods in their house, the feast’s fair division.
Yet so much may you hear, and with you all the immortals,
how Zeus discloses evil actions, and I do not think
the heart of all will be pleasured alike, neither among mortals
nor gods either, although one now still feasts at his pleasure.”
100 The lady Hera spoke so and sat down, and the gods
about the house of Zeus were troubled. Hera was smiling
with her lips, but above the dark brows her forehead
was not at peace. She spoke before them all in vexation:
“Fools, we who try to work against Zeus, thoughtlessly.
105 Still we are thinking in our anger to go near, and stop him
by argument or force. He sits apart and cares nothing
nor thinks of us, and says that among the other immortals
he is pre-eminently the greatest in power and strength. Therefore
each of you must take whatever evil he sends you.
110 Since I think already a sorrow has been wrought against Ares.
His son has been killed in the fighting, dearest of all men
to him, Askalaphos, whom stark Ares calls his own son.”
So she spoke. Then Ares struck against both his big thighs
with the flats of his hands, and spoke a word of anger and sorrow:
115 “Now, you who have your homes on Olympos, you must not blame me
&nb
sp; for going among the ships of the Achaians, and avenging my son’s
slaughter, even though it be my fate to be struck by Zeus’
thunderbolt, and sprawl in the blood and dust by the dead men.”
So he spoke, and ordered Fear and Terror to harness
120 his horses, and himself got into his shining armor.
And there might have been wrought another anger, and bitterness
from Zeus, still greater, more wearisome among the immortals,
had not Athene, in her fear for the sake of all gods,
sprung up and out through the forecourt, left her chair where she was sitting,
125 and taken the helmet off from his head, the shield from his shoulders,
and snatched out of his heavy hand the bronze spear, and fixed it
apart, and then in speech reasoned with violent Ares:
“Madman, mazed of your wits, this is ruin! Your ears can listen
still to reality, but your mind is gone and your discipline.
130 Do you not hear what the goddess Hera of the white arms tells us,
and she coming back even now from Zeus of Olympos?
Do you wish, after running the course of many misfortunes
yourself, still to come back to Olympos under compulsion
though reluctant, and plant seed of great sorrow among the rest of us?
135 Since he will at once leave the Achaians and the high-hearted
Trojans, and come back to batter us on Olympos
and will catch up as they come the guilty one and the guiltless.
Therefore I ask of you to give up your anger for your son.
By now some other, better of his strength and hands than your son was,
140 has been killed, or will soon be killed; and it is a hard thing
to rescue all the generation and seed of all mortals.”
So she spoke, and seated on a chair violent Ares.
But Hera called to come with her outside the house Apollo
and Iris, who is messenger among the immortal
145 gods, and spoke to them and addressed them in winged words: “Zeus wishes
both of you to go to him with all speed, at Ida;
but when you have come there and looked upon Zeus’ countenance,
then you must do whatever he urges you, and his orders.”
So the lady Hera spoke, and once more returning
150 sat on her throne. They in a flash of speed winged their way onward.
They came to Ida with all her springs, the mother of wild beasts,
and found the wide-browed son of Kronos on the height of Gargaron,
sitting still, and fragrant cloud gathered in a circle about him.