The Iliad by Homer (ereader for textbooks .txt) 📕

/> for he was grieved at seeing them vanquished by the Trojans, and was
furiously angry with Jove. Both were of the same race and country, but
Jove was elder born and knew more, therefore Neptune feared to defend
the Argives openly, but in the likeness of man, he kept on encouraging
them throughout their host. Thus, then, did these two devise a knot of
war and battle, that none could unloose or break, and set both sides
tugging at it, to the failing of men's knees beneath them.

And now Idomeneus, though his hair was already flecked with grey,
called loud on the Danaans and spread panic among the Trojans as he
leaped in among them. He slew Othryoneus from Cabesus, a sojourner, who
had but lately come to take part in the war. He sought Cassandra, the
fairest of Priam's daughters, in marriage, but offered no gifts of
wooing, for he promised a great thing, to wit, that he would drive the
sons of the Achaeans willy nilly from Troy; old King Priam had given
his consent and promised her to him, whereon he fought on the strength
of the promises thus made to him. Idomeneus aimed a spear, and hit him
as he came striding on. His cuirass of bronze did not protect him, and
the spear stuck in his belly, so that he fell heavily to the ground.
Then Idomeneus vaunted over him saying, "Othryoneus, there is no one in
the world whom I shall admire more than I do you, if you indeed perform
what you have promised Priam son of Dardanus in return for his
daughter. We too will make you an offer; we will give you the loveliest
daughter of the son of Atreus, and will bring her from Argos for you to
marry, if you will sack the goodly city of Ilius in company with
ourselves; so come along with me, that we may make a covenant at the
ships about the marriage, and we will not be hard upon you about gifts
of wooing."

With this Idomeneus began dragging him by the foot through the thick of
the fight, but Asius came up to protect the body, on foot, in front of
his horses which his esquire drove so close behind him that he could
feel their breath upon his shoulder. He was longing to strike down
Idomeneus, but ere he could do so Idomeneus smote him with his spear in
the throat under the chin, and the bronze point went clean through it.
He fell as an oak, or poplar, or pine which shipwrights have felled for
ship's timber upon the mountains with whetted axes--even thus did he
lie full length in front of his chariot and horses, grinding his teeth
and clutching at the bloodstained dust. His charioteer was struck with
panic and did not dare turn his horses round and escape: thereupon
Antilochus hit him in the middle of his body with a spear; his cuirass
of bronze did not protect him, and the spear stuck in his belly. He
fell gasping from his chariot and Antilochus, great Nestor's son, drove
his horses from the Trojans to the Achaeans.

Deiphobus then came close up to Idomeneus to avenge Asius, and took aim
at him with a spear, but Idomeneus was on the look-out and avoided it,
for he was covered by the round shield he always bore--a shield of
oxhide and bronze with two arm-rods on the inside. He crouched under
cover of this, and the spear flew over him, but the shield rang out as
the spear grazed it, and the weapon sped not in vain from the strong
hand of Deiphobus, for it struck Hypsenor son of Hippasus, shepherd of
his people, in the liver under the midriff, and his limbs failed
beneath him. Deiphobus vaunted over him and cried with a loud voice
saying, "Of a truth Asius has not fallen unavenged; he will be glad
even while passing into the house of Hades, strong warden of the gate,
that I have sent some one to escort him."

Thus did he vaunt, and the Argives were stung by his saying. Noble
Antilochus was more angry than any one, but grief did not make him
forget his friend and comrade. He ran up to him, bestrode him, and
covered him with his shield; then two of his staunch comrades,
Mecisteus son of Echius, and Alastor, stooped down, and bore him away
groaning heavily to the ships. But Idomeneus ceased not his fury. He
kept on striving continually either to enshroud some Trojan in the
darkness of death, or himself to fall while warding off the evil day
from the Achaeans. Then fell Alcathous son of noble Aesyetes; he was
son-in-law to Anchises, having married his eldest daughter Hippodameia,
who was the darling of her father and mother, and excelled all her
generation in beauty, accomplishments, and understanding, wherefore the
bravest man in all Troy had taken her to wife--him did Neptune lay low
by the hand of Idomeneus, blinding his bright eyes and binding his
strong limbs in fetters so that he could neither go back nor to one
side, but stood stock still like pillar or lofty tree when Idomeneus
struck him with a spear in the middle of his chest. The coat of mail
that had hitherto protected his body was now broken, and rang harshly
as the spear tore through it. He fell heavily to the ground, and the
spear stuck in his heart, which still beat, and made the butt-end of
the spear quiver till dread Mars put an end to his life. Idomeneus
vaunted over him and cried with a loud voice saying, "Deiphobus, since
you are in a mood to vaunt, shall we cry quits now that we have killed
three men to your one? Nay, sir, stand in fight with me yourself, that
you may learn what manner of Jove-begotten man am I that have come
hither. Jove first begot Minos, chief ruler in Crete, and Minos in his
turn begot a son, noble Deucalion. Deucalion begot me to be a ruler
over many men in Crete, and my ships have now brought me hither, to be
the bane of yourself, your father, and the Trojans."

Thus did he speak, and Deiphobus was in two minds, whether to go back
and fetch some other Trojan to help him, or to take up the challenge
single-handed. In the end, he deemed it best to go and fetch Aeneas,
whom he found standing in the rear, for he had long been aggrieved with
Priam because in spite of his brave deeds he did not give him his due
share of honour. Deiphobus went up to him and said, "Aeneas, prince
among the Trojans, if you know any ties of kinship, help me now to
defend the body of your sister's husband; come with me to the rescue of
Alcathous, who being husband to your sister brought you up when you
were a child in his house, and now Idomeneus has slain him."

With these words he moved the heart of Aeneas, and he went in pursuit
of Idomeneus, big with great deeds of valour; but Idomeneus was not to
be thus daunted as though he were a mere child; he held his ground as a
wild boar at bay upon the mountains, who abides the coming of a great
crowd of men in some lonely place--the bristles stand upright on his
back, his eyes flash fire, and he whets his tusks in his eagerness to
defend himself against hounds and men--even so did famed Idomeneus hold
his ground and budge not at the coming of Aeneas. He cried aloud to his
comrades looking towards Ascalaphus, Aphareus, Deipyrus, Meriones, and
Antilochus, all of them brave soldiers--"Hither my friends," he cried,
"and leave me not single-handed--I go in great fear by fleet Aeneas,
who is coming against me, and is a redoubtable dispenser of death
battle. Moreover he is in the flower of youth when a man's strength is
greatest; if I was of the same age as he is and in my present mind,
either he or I should soon bear away the prize of victory."

On this, all of them as one man stood near him, shield on shoulder.
Aeneas on the other side called to his comrades, looking towards
Deiphobus, Paris, and Agenor, who were leaders of the Trojans along
with himself, and the people followed them as sheep follow the ram when
they go down to drink after they have been feeding, and the heart of
the shepherd is glad--even so was the heart of Aeneas gladdened when he
saw his people follow him.

Then they fought furiously in close combat about the body of Alcathous,
wielding their long spears; and the bronze armour about their bodies
rang fearfully as they took aim at one another in the press of the
fight, while the two heroes Aeneas and Idomeneus, peers of Mars,
outvied everyone in their desire to hack at each other with sword and
spear. Aeneas took aim first, but Idomeneus was on the lookout and
avoided the spear, so that it sped from Aeneas' strong hand in vain,
and fell quivering in the ground. Idomeneus meanwhile smote Oenomaus in
the middle of his belly, and broke the plate of his corslet, whereon
his bowels came gushing out and he clutched the earth in the palms of
his hands as he fell sprawling in the dust. Idomeneus drew his spear
out of the body, but could not strip him of the rest of his armour for
the rain of darts that were showered upon him: moreover his strength
was now beginning to fail him so that he could no longer charge, and
could neither spring forward to recover his own weapon nor swerve aside
to avoid one that was aimed at him; therefore, though he still defended
himself in hand-to-hand fight, his heavy feet could not bear him
swiftly out of the battle. Deiphobus aimed a spear at him as he was
retreating slowly from the field, for his bitterness against him was as
fierce as ever, but again he missed him, and hit Ascalaphus, the son of
Mars; the spear went through his shoulder, and he clutched the earth in
the palms of his hands as he fell sprawling in the dust.

Grim Mars of awful voice did not yet know that his son had fallen, for
he was sitting on the summits of Olympus under the golden clouds, by
command of Jove, where the other gods were also sitting, forbidden to
take part in the battle. Meanwhile men fought furiously about the body.
Deiphobus tore the helmet from off his head, but Meriones sprang upon
him, and struck him on the arm with a spear so that the visored helmet
fell from his hand and came ringing down upon the ground. Thereon
Meriones sprang upon him like a vulture, drew the spear from his
shoulder, and fell back under cover of his men. Then Polites, own
brother of Deiphobus passed his arms around his waist, and bore him
away from the battle till he got to his horses that were standing in
the rear of the fight with the chariot and their driver. These took him
towards the city groaning and in great pain, with the blood flowing
from his arm.

The others still fought on, and the battle-cry rose to heaven without
ceasing. Aeneas sprang on Aphareus son of Caletor, and struck him with
a spear in his throat which was turned towards him; his head fell on
one side, his helmet and shield came down along with him, and death,
life's foe, was shed around him. Antilochus spied his chance, flew
forward towards Thoon, and wounded him as he was turning round. He laid
open the vein that runs all the way up the back