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

joy is in
thunder. "King Jove," he cried, "lord of Dodona, god of the Pelasgi,
who dwellest afar, you who hold wintry Dodona in your sway, where your
prophets the Selli dwell around you with their feet unwashed and their
couches made upon the ground--if you heard me when I prayed to you
aforetime, and did me honour while you sent disaster on the Achaeans,
vouchsafe me now the fulfilment of yet this further prayer. I shall
stay here where my ships are lying, but I shall send my comrade into
battle at the head of many Myrmidons. Grant, O all-seeing Jove, that
victory may go with him; put your courage into his heart that Hector
may learn whether my squire is man enough to fight alone, or whether
his might is only then so indomitable when I myself enter the turmoil
of war. Afterwards when he has chased the fight and the cry of battle
from the ships, grant that he may return unharmed, with his armour and
his comrades, fighters in close combat."

Thus did he pray, and all-counselling Jove heard his prayer. Part of it
he did indeed vouchsafe him--but not the whole. He granted that
Patroclus should thrust back war and battle from the ships, but refused
to let him come safely out of the fight.

When he had made his drink-offering and had thus prayed, Achilles went
inside his tent and put back the cup into his chest.

Then he again came out, for he still loved to look upon the fierce
fight that raged between the Trojans and Achaeans.

Meanwhile the armed band that was about Patroclus marched on till they
sprang high in hope upon the Trojans. They came swarming out like wasps
whose nests are by the roadside, and whom silly children love to tease,
whereon any one who happens to be passing may get stung--or again, if a
wayfarer going along the road vexes them by accident, every wasp will
come flying out in a fury to defend his little ones--even with such
rage and courage did the Myrmidons swarm from their ships, and their
cry of battle rose heavenwards. Patroclus called out to his men at the
top of his voice, "Myrmidons, followers of Achilles son of Peleus, be
men my friends, fight with might and with main, that we may win glory
for the son of Peleus, who is far the foremost man at the ships of the
Argives--he, and his close fighting followers. The son of Atreus King
Agamemnon will thus learn his folly in showing no respect to the
bravest of the Achaeans."

With these words he put heart and soul into them all, and they fell in
a body upon the Trojans. The ships rang again with the cry which the
Achaeans raised, and when the Trojans saw the brave son of Menoetius
and his squire all gleaming in their armour, they were daunted and
their battalions were thrown into confusion, for they thought the fleet
son of Peleus must now have put aside his anger, and have been
reconciled to Agamemnon; every one, therefore, looked round about to
see whither he might fly for safety.

Patroclus first aimed a spear into the middle of the press where men
were packed most closely, by the stern of the ship of Protesilaus. He
hit Pyraechmes who had led his Paeonian horsemen from the Amydon and
the broad waters of the river Axius; the spear struck him on the right
shoulder, and with a groan he fell backwards in the dust; on this his
men were thrown into confusion, for by killing their leader, who was
the finest soldier among them, Patroclus struck panic into them all. He
thus drove them from the ship and quenched the fire that was then
blazing--leaving the half-burnt ship to lie where it was. The Trojans
were now driven back with a shout that rent the skies, while the
Danaans poured after them from their ships, shouting also without
ceasing. As when Jove, gatherer of the thunder-cloud, spreads a dense
canopy on the top of some lofty mountain, and all the peaks, the
jutting headlands, and forest glades show out in the great light that
flashes from the bursting heavens, even so when the Danaans had now
driven back the fire from their ships, they took breath for a little
while; but the fury of the fight was not yet over, for the Trojans were
not driven back in utter rout, but still gave battle, and were ousted
from their ground only by sheer fighting.

The fight then became more scattered, and the chieftains killed one
another when and how they could. The valiant son of Menoetius first
drove his spear into the thigh of Areilycus just as he was turning
round; the point went clean through, and broke the bone so that he fell
forward. Meanwhile Menelaus struck Thoas in the chest, where it was
exposed near the rim of his shield, and he fell dead. The son of
Phyleus saw Amphiclus about to attack him, and ere he could do so took
aim at the upper part of his thigh, where the muscles are thicker than
in any other part; the spear tore through all the sinews of the leg,
and his eyes were closed in darkness. Of the sons of Nestor one,
Antilochus, speared Atymnius, driving the point of the spear through
his throat, and down he fell. Maris then sprang on Antilochus in
hand-to-hand fight to avenge his brother, and bestrode the body spear
in hand; but valiant Thrasymedes was too quick for him, and in a moment
had struck him in the shoulder ere he could deal his blow; his aim was
true, and the spear severed all the muscles at the root of his arm, and
tore them right down to the bone, so he fell heavily to the ground and
his eyes were closed in darkness. Thus did these two noble comrades of
Sarpedon go down to Erebus slain by the two sons of Nestor; they were
the warrior sons of Amisodorus, who had reared the invincible Chimaera,
to the bane of many. Ajax son of Oileus sprang on Cleobulus and took
him alive as he was entangled in the crush; but he killed him then and
there by a sword-blow on the neck. The sword reeked with his blood,
while dark death and the strong hand of fate gripped him and closed his
eyes.

Peneleos and Lycon now met in close fight, for they had missed each
other with their spears. They had both thrown without effect, so now
they drew their swords. Lycon struck the plumed crest of Peneleos'
helmet but his sword broke at the hilt, while Peneleos smote Lycon on
the neck under the ear. The blade sank so deep that the head was held
on by nothing but the skin, and there was no more life left in him.
Meriones gave chase to Acamas on foot and caught him up just as he was
about to mount his chariot; he drove a spear through his right shoulder
so that he fell headlong from the car, and his eyes were closed in
darkness. Idomeneus speared Erymas in the mouth; the bronze point of
the spear went clean through it beneath the brain, crashing in among
the white bones and smashing them up. His teeth were all of them
knocked out and the blood came gushing in a stream from both his eyes;
it also came gurgling up from his mouth and nostrils, and the darkness
of death enfolded him round about.

Thus did these chieftains of the Danaans each of them kill his man. As
ravening wolves seize on kids or lambs, fastening on them when they are
alone on the hillsides and have strayed from the main flock through the
carelessness of the shepherd--and when the wolves see this they pounce
upon them at once because they cannot defend themselves--even so did
the Danaans now fall on the Trojans, who fled with ill-omened cries in
their panic and had no more fight left in them.

Meanwhile great Ajax kept on trying to drive a spear into Hector, but
Hector was so skilful that he held his broad shoulders well under cover
of his ox-hide shield, ever on the look-out for the whizzing of the
arrows and the heavy thud of the spears. He well knew that the fortunes
of the day had changed, but still stood his ground and tried to protect
his comrades.

As when a cloud goes up into heaven from Olympus, rising out of a clear
sky when Jove is brewing a gale--even with such panic stricken rout did
the Trojans now fly, and there was no order in their going. Hector's
fleet horses bore him and his armour out of the fight, and he left the
Trojan host penned in by the deep trench against their will. Many a
yoke of horses snapped the pole of their chariots in the trench and
left their master's car behind them. Patroclus gave chase, calling
impetuously on the Danaans and full of fury against the Trojans, who,
being now no longer in a body, filled all the ways with their cries of
panic and rout; the air was darkened with the clouds of dust they
raised, and the horses strained every nerve in their flight from the
tents and ships towards the city.

Patroclus kept on heading his horses wherever he saw most men flying in
confusion, cheering on his men the while. Chariots were being smashed
in all directions, and many a man came tumbling down from his own car
to fall beneath the wheels of that of Patroclus, whose immortal steeds,
given by the gods to Peleus, sprang over the trench at a bound as they
sped onward. He was intent on trying to get near Hector, for he had set
his heart on spearing him, but Hector's horses were now hurrying him
away. As the whole dark earth bows before some tempest on an autumn day
when Jove rains his hardest to punish men for giving crooked judgement
in their courts, and driving justice therefrom without heed to the
decrees of heaven--all the rivers run full and the torrents tear many a
new channel as they roar headlong from the mountains to the dark sea,
and it fares ill with the works of men--even such was the stress and
strain of the Trojan horses in their flight.

Patroclus now cut off the battalions that were nearest to him and drove
them back to the ships. They were doing their best to reach the city,
but he would not let them, and bore down on them between the river and
the ships and wall. Many a fallen comrade did he then avenge. First he
hit Pronous with a spear on the chest where it was exposed near the rim
of his shield, and he fell heavily to the ground. Next he sprang on
Thestor son of Enops, who was sitting all huddled up in his chariot,
for he had lost his head and the reins had been torn out of his hands.
Patroclus went up to him and drove a spear into his right jaw; he thus
hooked him by the teeth and the spear pulled him over the rim of his
car, as one who sits at the end of some jutting rock and draws a strong
fish out of the sea with a hook and a line--even so with his spear did
he pull Thestor all gaping from his chariot; he then threw him down on
his face and he died while falling. On this, as Erylaus was on coming
to attack him, he struck him full on the head with a stone, and his
brains were all battered inside his helmet, whereon he fell headlong to
the ground and the pangs