Koiranos, who had come with him from strong-founded Lyktos.
Now Idomeneus at the first had come on foot, leaving the oarswept
ships, and now would have given the Trojans a mighty triumph,
had not Koiranos swiftly come up with the fast-running horses;
615 came as light to the other and beat from him the day without pity,
but himself lost his life at the hands of manslaughtering Hektor,
who hit him under the jaw by the ear, and the spearshaft pushed out
his teeth by the roots from the base, and split the tongue through the middle.
He toppled from the chariot, with the reins on the ground scattered,
620 but Meriones leaning down caught these up in his own hands
from the surface of the plain, and called aloud to Idomeneus:
“Lash them now, until you can get back to our fast ships.
You see yourself there is no more strength left in the Achaians.”
So he spoke, and Idomeneus whipped the mane-floating horses
625 back to the hollow ships, with fear fallen upon his spirit.
Nor was it unseen by great-hearted Aias how Zeus shifted
the strength of the fighting toward the Trojans, nor by Menelaos.
First of the two to speak was huge Telamonian Aias:
“Shame on it! By now even one with a child’s innocence
630 could see how father Zeus himself is helping the Trojans.
The weapons of each of these take hold, no matter who throws them,
good fighter or bad, since Zeus is straightening all of them equally,
while ours fall to the ground and are utterly useless. Therefore
let us deliberate with ourselves upon the best counsel,
635 how at the same time to rescue the dead body, and also
win back ourselves, and bring joy to our beloved companions
who look our way and sorrow for us, and believe no longer
that the fury of manslaughtering Hektor, his hands irresistible,
can be held, but must be driven on to the black ships.
640 But there should be some companion who could carry the message
quickly to Peleus’ son, since I think he has not yet heard
the ghastly news, how his beloved companion has fallen.
Yet I cannot make out such a man among the Achaians,
since they are held in the mist alike, the men and their horses.
645 Father Zeus, draw free from the mist the sons of the Achaians,
make bright the air, and give sight back to our eyes; in shining
daylight destroy us, if to destroy us be now your pleasure.”
He spoke thus, and as he wept the father took pity upon him,
and forthwith scattered the mist and pushed the darkness back from them,
650 and the sun blazed out, and all the battle was plain before them.
Now Aias spoke to him of the great war cry, Menelaos:
“Look hard, illustrious Menelaos, if you can discover
Antilochos still living, the son of great-hearted Nestor,
and send him out to run with a message to wise Achilleus
655 how one who was far the dearest of his companions has fallen.”
He spoke, and Menelaos of the great war cry obeyed him,
and went on his way, as from a mid-fenced ground some lion
who has been harrying dogs and men, but his strength is worn out;
they will not let him tear out the fat of the oxen, watching
660 nightlong against him, and he in his hunger for meat closes in
but can get nothing of what he wants, for the raining javelins
thrown from the daring hands of the men beat ever against him,
and the flaming torches, and these he balks at for all of his fury,
and with the daylight goes away, disappointed of desire;
665 so Menelaos of the great war cry went from Patroklos
much unwilling, and was afraid for him, lest the Achaians
under pressure of fear might leave him as spoil for the enemy,
and had much to urge on Meriones and the Aiantes:
“Aiantes, O lords of the Argives, and you, Meriones,
670 now let each one of you remember unhappy Patroklos
who was gentle, and understood how to be kindly toward all men
while he lived. Now death and fate have closed in upon him.”
So spoke fair-haired Menelaos, and went away from them
peering about on all sides, like an eagle, who, as men say,
675 sees most sharply of all winged creatures under the heaven,
and lofty though he hover the cowering hare, the swift-footed,
escapes not his sight as he crouches in the shaggy bush, but the eagle
plunges suddenly to grab him and tear the life from him.
So now in you, Menelaos, illustrious, the eyes shining
680 circled everywhere your swarming hordes of companions,
if the man might see anywhere Nestor’s son, still living,
and saw soon where he was, at the left of the entire battle,
encouraging his companions and urging them into the fighting.
Menelaos the fair-haired stood beside him and spoke to him:
685 “Antilochos, turn this way, illustrious, and hear from me
the ghastly message of a thing I wish never had happened.
You can see for yourself, I think, already, from watching,
how the god is wheeling disaster against the Danaäns
and how the Trojans are winning. The best of the Achaians has fallen,
690 Patroklos, and a huge loss is inflicted upon the Danaäns.
Run then quickly to Achilleus, by the ships of the Achaians,
and tell him. He might in speed win back to his ship the dead body
which is naked. Hektor of the shining helm has taken his armor.”
So he spoke, and Antilochos hated his word as he listened.
695 He stayed for a long time without a word, speechless, and his eyes
filled with tears, the springing voice was held still within him,
yet even so he neglected not Menelaos’ order
but went on the run, handing his war gear to a blameless companion,
Laodokos, who had turned nearby his single-foot horses.
700 Now as his feet carried him, weeping, out of the battle,
with his message of evil for the son of Peleus, Achilleus,
so now, Menelaos, the spirit in you, illustrious,
wished not to defend his stricken companions, after Antilochos
was gone from them, and his loss wrought greatly upon the Pylians;
705 rather he sent Thrasymedes the brilliant over to help them,
while he himself went back again to the hero Patroklos
running, and took his place beside the Aiantes, and spoke to them:
“Now I have sent the man you spoke of back to the fast ships
on his way to swift-footed Achilleus, yet think not even
710 he can come now, for all his great anger with Hektor the brilliant.
There is no way he could fight bare of armor against the Trojans.
We by ourselves must deliberate upon the best counsel
how at the same time to rescue the dead body, and also
ourselves escape death and destiny from the clamoring Trojans.”
715 Then in turn huge Telamonian Aias answered him:
“All you have said, renowned Menelaos, is fair and orderly.
But come: you and Meriones stoop and shoulder the body
at once, and carry it out of the hard fighting. Behind you
we two shall fight off the Trojans and glorious Hektor,
720 we, who have the same name, the same spirit, and who in times past
have stood fast beside each other in the face of the bitter war god.”
He spoke, and the
y caught the body from the ground in their arms, lifting
him high with a great heave, and the Trojan people behind them
shouted aloud as they saw the Achaians lifting the dead man,
725 and made a rush against them like dogs, who sweep in rapidly
on a wounded wild boar, ahead of the young men who hunt him,
and for the moment race in raging to tear him to pieces
until in the confidence of his strength he turns on them, at bay,
and they give ground and scatter for fear one way and another;
730 so the Trojans until that time kept always in close chase
assembled, stabbing at them with swords and leaf-headed spears,
but every time the two Aiantes would swing round to face them
and stand fast, the color of their skin changed, and no longer
could any endure to sweep in further and fight for the body.
735 So these, straining, carried the dead man out of the battle
and back to the hollow ships, and the fight that was drawn fast between them
was wild as fire which, risen suddenly, storming a city
of men sets it ablaze, and houses diminish before it
in the high glare, and the force of the wind on it roars it to thunder;
740 so, as the Danaäns made their way back, the weariless roaring
of horses, chariots, and spearmen was ever upon them.
But they, as mules who have put the on-drive of strength upon them
drag down from the high ground along a steep stony trail either
a beam or some big timber for a ship, and the heart in them
745 wearies under the hard work and sweat of their urgent endeavor;
so these, straining, carried the dead man away, and behind them
the two Aiantes held them off, as a timbered rock ridge
holds off water, one that is placed to divide an entire plain,
which, though flood-currents of strong rivers drive sorely against it,
750 holds them off and beats back the waters of them all to be scattered
over the plain, and all the strength of their streams cannot break it;
so behind the Achaians the Aiantes held off forever
the Trojan attack. But these stayed close, and two beyond others,
Aineias, who was son of Anchises, and glorious Hektor.
755 But before these, as goes a cloud of daws or of starlings
screaming terror when they have seen coming forth against them
the hawk, whose coming is murder for the little birds, so now
before Aineias and Hektor the young Achaian warriors
went, screaming terror, all the delight of battle forgotten.
760 Many fine pieces of armor littered the ground on both sides
of the ditch, as the Danaäns fled. There was no check in the fighting.
BOOK EIGHTEEN
So these fought on in the likeness of blazing fire. Meanwhile,
Antilochos came, a swift-footed messenger, to Achilleus,
and found him sitting in front of the steep-horned ships, thinking
over in his heart of things which had now been accomplished.
5 Disturbed, Achilleus spoke to the spirit in his own great heart:
“Ah me, how is it that once again the flowing-haired Achaians
are driven out of the plain on their ships in fear and confusion?
May the gods not accomplish vile sorrows upon the heart in me
in the way my mother once made it clear to me, when she told me
10 how while I yet lived the bravest of all the Myrmidons
must leave the light of the sun beneath the hands of the Trojans.
Surely, then, the strong son of Menoitios has perished.
Unhappy! and yet I told him, once he had beaten the fierce fire
off, to come back to the ships, not fight in strength against Hektor.”
15 Now as he was pondering this in his heart and his spirit,
meanwhile the son of stately Nestor was drawing near him
and wept warm tears, and gave Achilleus his sorrowful message:
“Ah me, son of valiant Peleus; you must hear from me
the ghastly message of a thing I wish never had happened.
20 Patroklos has fallen, and now they are fighting over his body
which is naked. Hektor of the shining helm has taken his armor.”
He spoke, and the black cloud of sorrow closed on Achilleus.
In both hands he caught up the grimy dust, and poured it
over his head and face, and fouled his handsome countenance,
25 and the black ashes were scattered over his immortal tunic.
And he himself, mightily in his might, in the dust lay
at length, and took and tore at his hair with his hands, and defiled it.
And the handmaidens Achilleus and Patroklos had taken
captive, stricken at heart cried out aloud, and came running
30 out of doors about valiant Achilleus, and all of them
beat their breastswith their hands, and the limbs went slack in each of them.
On the other side Antilochos mourned with him, letting the tears fall,
and held the hands of Achilleus as he grieved in his proud heart,
fearing Achilleus might cut his throat with the iron. He cried out
35 terribly, aloud, and the lady his mother heard him
as she sat in the depths of the sea at the side of her aged father,
and she cried shrill in turn, and the goddesses gathered about her,
all who along the depth of the sea were daughters of Nereus.
For Glauke was there, Kymodokē and Thaleia,
40 Nesaie and Speio and Thoë, and ox-eyed Halia;
Kymothoë was there, Aktaia and Limnoreia,
Melitē and Iaira, Amphithoë and Agauë,
Doto and Proto, Dynamenē and Pherousa,
Dexamenē and Amphinomē and Kallianeira;
45 Doris and Panopē and glorious Galateia,
Nemertes and Apseudes and Kallianassa;
Klymenē was there, Ianeira and Ianassa,
Maira and Oreithyia and lovely-haired Amatheia,
and the rest who along the depth of the sea were daughters of Nereus.
50 The silvery cave was filled with these, and together all of them
beat their breasts, and among them Thetis led out the threnody:
“Hear me, Nereïds, my sisters; so you may all know
well all the sorrows that are in my heart, when you hear of them from me.
Ah me, my sorrow, the bitterness in this best of child-bearing,
55 since I gave birth to a son who was without fault and powerful,
conspicuous among heroes; and he shot up like a young tree,
and I nurtured him, like a tree grown in the pride of the orchard.
I sent him away with the curved ships into the land of Ilion
to fight with the Trojans; but I shall never again receive him
60 won home again to his country and into the house of Peleus.
Yet while I see him live and he looks on the sunlight, he has
sorrows, and though I go to him I can do nothing to help him.
Yet I shall go, to look on my dear son, and to listen
to the sorrow that has come to him as he stays back from the fighting.”
65 So she spoke, and left the cave, and the others together
went with her in tears, and about them the wave of the water
was broken. Now these, when they came to the generous Troad,
followed each other out on the seashore, where close together
the ships of the Myrmidons were hauled up about swift Achilleus.
70 There as he sighed heavily the lady his mother stood by him
and cried out shrill and aloud, and took her son’s head in her arms, then
sorrowing for him she spoke to him in winged w
ords: “Why then,
child, do you lament? What sorrow has come to your heart now?
Speak out, do not hide it. These things are brought to accomplishment
75 through Zeus: in the way that you lifted your hands and prayed for,
that all the sons of the Achaians be pinned on their grounded vessels
by reason of your loss, and suffer things that are shameful.”
Then sighing heavily Achilleus of the swift feet answered her:
“My mother, all these things the Olympian brought to accomplishment.
80 But what pleasure is this to me, since my dear companion has perished,
Patroklos, whom I loved beyond all other companions,
as well as my own life. I have lost him, and Hektor, who killed him,
has stripped away that gigantic armor, a wonder to look on
and splendid, which the gods gave Peleus, a glorious present,
85 on that day they drove you to the marriage bed of a mortal.
I wish you had gone on living then with the other goddesses
of the sea, and that Peleus had married some mortal woman.
As it is, there must be on your heart a numberless sorrow
for your son’s death, since you can never again receive him
90 won home again to his country; since the spirit within does not drive me
to go on living and be among men, except on condition
that Hektor first be beaten down under my spear, lose his life
and pay the price for stripping Patroklos, the son of Menoitios.”
Then in turn Thetis spoke to him, letting the tears fall:
95 “Then I must lose you soon, my child, by what you are saying,
since it is decreed your death must come soon after Hektor’s.”
Then deeply disturbed Achilleus of the swift feet answered her:
“I must die soon, then; since I was not to stand by my companion
when he was killed. And now, far away from the land of his fathers,
100 he has perished, and lacked my fighting strength to defend him.
Now, since I am not going back to the beloved land of my fathers,
since I was no light of safety to Patroklos, nor to my other
companions, who in their numbers went down before glorious Hektor,
but sit here beside my ships, a useless weight on the good land,
105 I, who am such as no other of the bronze-armored Achaians
in battle, though there are others also better in council—-why,
I wish that strife would vanish away from among gods and mortals,
The Iliad of Homer Page 53
