is tent for he was still thirsting for battle nettoon spoke in the likeness and with the voice of though a son of andremen who ruled the eitolians and all pleuron and halkaldion and was honored among his people as though he were a god eidomanius said he log over to the cretins what has now become of the threats with which the sons of the akeans used to threaten the trojans and eidomanius chief among the cretins answered though as no one so far as i know is in fault for we can all fight none are held back neither by fear nor slackness but it seems to be the will of all maybe joe of the akeans should perish engorously here far from argos you though us have always been staunch and you keep others in heart if you see any fail in duty be not then remiss now but exhort all to do their utmost to this nettoon lord of the earthquake made answer eidomanius may he never return from troi but remain here for the dogs to batten upon who is this day willfully slack in fighting get your armor and go we must make haste all together for maybe of any use though we are only two even cowards gain courage from companionship and we too can hold our own with the bravest there with the god went back into the thick of the fight and eidomanius when he had reached his tent don disarmor grasps his two spares and sallied forth as the lightning which the son of saturn brandishes from bright olympus when he should show a sign to mortals and its gleam flashes far and wide even so did his armor gleam about him as he ran marionis his sturdy squire met him while he's still near his tent for he was going to fetch his spear and eidomanius said marionis fleet son of molest best of comrades why have you left the field are you wounded and is the point of the wet and hurting you or have you been sent to fetch me i want no fetching i had far rather fight than stay in my tent eidomanius answered marionis i come for a spear if i can find one in my tent i have broken the one i had and throwing it at the shield of deophobus and eidomanius captains the cretins answered you will find one spear or 20 if you please standing up again the end wall of my tent i have taken them from trojans who i'm killed for i am not one to keep my enemy at arm's length therefore i have spears boss shields helmets and burnish porcelains and marionis said i too in my tent and at my ship have spoils taken from the trojans but they are not at hand i have been at all times valorous and wherever there has been hard fighting it held my own among the foremost there may be those among the akans who do not know how i fight but you know it well enough yourself eidomanius answered i know you for a brave man you need not tell me if the best men at the ship for being chosen to go on an ambush and there's nothing like this for showing what a man is made of it comes out then who was cowardly and who brave the coward will change color at every touch in turn he is full of fears and keeps shifting his weight first on one end then on the other his heart beats fast as he thinks of death and one can hear the chattering of his teeth whereas the brave man will not change color nor be frightened i'm fighting himself in an ambush but is all the time longing to go into action if the best men were being chosen for such a service no one can make light of your courage nor feats of arms if you were struck by a dart or smitten in close combat it would not be from behind in your neck nor back but the weapon would hit you in the chest or belly as you were pressing forward to place in the front ranks but let us no longer stay here talking like children lest we be ill-spoken of go fetch your spear from the tent at once on this marionese pier of mars went to the tent and got himself a spear of bronze he then followed after itemenius big with great deeds of valor as when baneful mars sally's false to battle his son panicked so strong and dauntless goes with him to strike terror even into the heart of a hero the pair have gone from thrace to arm themselves among the aphiri or the brave phlegions but they will not listen to both the contending host and will give victory to one side or the other even so did marionese and itemenius captains of men go out the battle clad in their bronze armors marionese was first to speak son of duke leon said he where would you have us begin fighting on the right wing of the host in the center on the left wing where i take it the acaians will be the weakest itemenius answered there are others to defend the center the two ajaxes and tusser who is the finest arser of all the acaians and is good also in a hand-to-hand fight these will give hector son a premium enough to do fight as he may he will find it hard to vanquish their indomitable fury and to fire the ships unless the son of satan fling a firebrand upon them with his own hand great ajax son of teleman will yield to no man who is in mortal mode and eats the grain of series if bronze and great stones can overthrow him he would not yield even to achilles in a hand-to-hand fight and in fleeting as a foot there is none to beat him let us turn therefore towards the left wing that we may know forthwith whether we're to give glory to some other or heed to us marionese pure of fleet mars then led the way till they came to the part of the host which itemenius had named now when the trojan saw itemenius coming on like a flame of fire him and his squire clad in the richly wrought armor they shouted and made towards him all in a body and a furious hand-to-hand fight raged under the ship's turns fierce as the shrill winds that whistle upon a day when dust lies deep on the roads and the gusts raise it into a thick cloud even such was the fury of combat and might in main did they hack at each other with spear and swords throughout the host the field bristle with the long and deadly spears which they bore dazzling was the sheen of their gleaming helmets their fresh burnished breast plates and glittering shields as they joined battle with one another iron indeed must be as courage who could take pleasure in the sight of such a turmoil and look on it without being dismayed thus the two mighty sons of saturn devised evil for mortal heroes joe was minded to give victory to the trojans and the hectares so as to do honor to the fleet achilles nevertheless he did not mean to utterly overthrow the akeans host before ilias and only wanted to glorify thetis and her valiant son neptune on the other hand went about the archives to incite them having come up from the gray sea in secret for he was grieved at seeing them vanquished by the trojans and he was furiously angry with joe both were of the same race and country but joe was the elderborn in newmore therefore neptune feared to defend the archives openly but in the likeness of mandy kept on encouraging them throughout their host thus then did these two devise a not-of-war in battle that none could unloose or break and set both sides tugging at it to the failing of men's needs beneath them and now i de menius though his hair was already flecked with gray called loud on the danon's and spread panic among the trojans as he leaked in among them he slew athrionis from cabesius a sojourner who had but lately come to take part in the war he sought kassandra the fiercest 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 akeans willingly from troj 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 i de menius aimed a spear and hit him as he came striding on his carousel bronze did not protect him and the spear stuck in his belly so that he fell heavily to the ground then i de menius wanted over him saying athrionis 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 dardanius in return for his daughter we too will make you an offer we will give you the loveliest daughter of the son of atrius and we'll bring her from argos for you to marry if you will sack the goodly city of ileus and 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 wit this i de menius 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 squire drove so close behind him that he could feel their breath upon his shoulder he was longing to strike down on menius but ere he could do so i de menius smote him with a spear and a 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 timbers upon the mountain with wedded axes even thus did he lie in full length in front of his chariot and horses grinding his teeth and clutching at the bloodstained dust his charioteer was strict with panic and did not dare turn his horses around and escape thereupon at the locus have them in the middle of the body with a spear his caress of browns did not protect him and his spear stuck in his belly he fell gasping from his chariot and that the locus great nester's son drove his horses from the trojans to the acheans deofobus then came close up to i de menius to avenge asius and took aim at him with a spear but enemius was on the lookout and avoided it for he was covered by the round shield he's always bore a shield of oxide 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 head of deofobus for its truck hypsin or son of a passage shepherd of his people in the liver under the midriff and his limbs fell beneath him deofobus vaunted over him and cried with a loud voice saying of a truth asius has not fallen unevenged he will be glad even while passing into the house of eighties strong warden of the gate that i have sent someone to escort him thus did he vaunt and the our guides were stunned by his saying noble antilicus was more angry than anyone but grief did not make him forget his friend and comrade he ran up to him bestowed him and covered him with a shield then two of his staunch comrades missus de son of a kindness and aliastor stooped down and bore him away groaning heavily to the ships but i de menius ceased not his fury he kept on striving continually either to enshroud some toren in the darkness of death or himself to fall while warding off the evil day from the akeans then fell alcathias son of noba estes he was son-in-law to angkaesis having married his eldest daughter hippodamea who was the darling her father and mother and extolled 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 itaminias blinding his bright eye and binding his strong limbs and fetters so he can neither go back nor to one side but sit stock still like a pillar or lofty tree when itaminias 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 i de menius vaunted over him in crowd with a lied voice saying deophobus since you are in a mood to vaunt shall we cry quits now that we have killed three men to your one nasir stand and fight with me yourself that you may learn what manner of joe begotten man am i that have come hither joe first begot minos chief ruler in crete and minos in turn begot a son the noble decalion decalion 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 deophobus 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 anias whom he found standing in the rear for he had long been agreed with premium because in spite of his brave deeds he did not give him his due share of honor deophobus went up to him and said anias prince among 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 al-kathius who being husband to your sister brought you up when you were a child in his house and now ita minas has slain him with these words he moved the heart of anias and he went in pursuit of ita minas big with great peace of valor but ita minas was not to be the staunt that is 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 up upon his back his eyes flash fire and he wets his tusks in his eagerness to defend himself against hounds and men even so defamed idominious hold his ground and budge not at the coming of anias he cried aloud to his comrades looking talled out sclafus apharius the operas morones and at the locus all of them brave soldiers hither my friends he cried and leave me not single-handed i go in great fear by fleet anias who is coming against me and is a redoubtable dispenser of death battle moreover as he is in the flower of youths 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 shall soon bear away the prize of victory on this all of them is one man stood near him shield on shoulder anias on the other side called to his comrades looking towards the aphobos paris and the ajanor who were the legions of the trojans along with himself and the people followed them as sheep followed the ram when they go down to the drink after they had been feeding and the heart of the shepherd is glad even so was the heart of anias glad when he saw his people follow him then they fought furiously in close combat about the body of alcathus wielding the long spears and the bronze armors about their bodies rang fearfully as they took aim at one another in the press of the fight while the two heroes anias and itomanias peers of mars outvide everyone in their desire to hack each other with sword and speared anias took aim first but itomanias was on the lookout and avoided the spear so that it sped from anias's strong hand in vain and fell quivering in the ground itomanias meanwhile smoked only malice in the middle of his belly and broke the plate of his corselit whereupon his bowels came gushing out as he clutched the earth into palms of his hands as he fell sprawling in the dust item anias drew his spear out of his body but could not strip him of the rest of his armor for the reign 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 no longer 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 deophobus aimed to spear at him as he was retreating slowly from the field for his bitterness against him was a fierce as ever but again he missed him and hit a scalphus 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 deophobus tore the helmet from off his head but morona sprang upon him and struck him on the arm with the spear so that the visor helmet fell from his hand and came ringing down upon the ground therefore morione sprang upon him like a vulture drew a spear from his shoulder and fell back under the cover of his men then pilot days own brother of deophobus 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 with the chariot and their driver these took him towards the city groaning in in great pain with blood flowing from his arm the others still fought on and the battle cry rose to heaven without ceasing and he sprang on a furious son of calypter 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 him and death life's foe was shed around him and tillica's spider's chance flew forward towards thune and wounded him as he was turning round he laid open the vein that runs all the way up the back of the neck he cut this vein clean away through its whole course and thune fell in the dust face upwards stretching out his hands imploringly towards his comrades and tillica sprang upon him and stripped the armor from his shoulders glaring around him fearfully as he did so the trojans came about him on every side and struck his broad and gleaming shield but could not wound his body for neptune stood guard over the son of nester though the darts fell thickly around him he was never clear of the foe but was always in the thick of the fight his spear was never idle he poised and aimed it in every direction so eager was he to hit someone from a distance or to fight him hand to hand as he was thus aiming among the crowd he was seen by adonis son of asius who rushed toward him and struck him with a spear in the middle of his shield but neptune made his point without effect for he grudged him the life of antillicus one half therefore the spear stuck fast like a charred stake in the tullicus's shield while the other lay on the ground adamus then sought shelter on the cover of his mend but marionis followed after him and hit him with a spear midway between the private parts in the naval where a wound is particularly painful to wretched mortals there did marionis transfix him and he writhed convulsively about the spear of some bull whom mountain herdsmen have bound with ropes and wyes and are taking away perforce even so did he move convulsively for a while but not for very long till moronis came up and drew the spear out of his body and his eyes were veiled in darkness helenus then struck the a progress which a great thracian sword hitting him in the temple in close combat and tearing the helmet from his head the helmet fell to the ground and one of those who were fighting on the akean side took charge of it as it rolled at his feet but the eyes of the apyrus were closed in the darkness of death on this menelaus was grieved and made menacingly towards helenus brandishing his spear but helenus drew his bow and the two attacked one other at the same moment the one with a spear and the other with his bow and arrow the son of pream hit the breast place to menelaus's coarselet the hour glanced from it as black beans were pulse coming down onto a threshing floor from the broad winnowing shovel blown by shrill rins and shaken by the shovel even so did the arrow glance off and recoiled from the shield of menelaus who in his turn wounded the hand which was helenus carried his bow the spear went right through his hand and stuck in the bow itself so that to his life he retreated under cover of his men with his hand dragging by his side for the spear weighed it down till agen or drew it out and bound the hand carefully in a woollen sling which his esquire had with him high sander then made straight at menelaus his evil destiny luring him on to his doom for he was to fall and fight with you on menelaus when the two were hard by one another the spear of the son of atrius turned aside and he missed his aim high sander then struck the shield of brave menelaus but could not pierce it for the shield stayed the spear and broke the shaft nevertheless he was glad and made sure of victory forthwith however the son of atrius drew his sword and sprang upon him high sander then seized the bronze battle axe with his long and polished handle of alvoids that hung by his side under his shield and the two made it one another high sander struck the peak of menelaus's crested helmet just under the crest itself and menelaus hit by sander as he was coming towards him on forehead just at the rise of his nose the bones cracked and his two gory bedravelled eyes fell by his feet in the dust he fell backward to the ground and menelaus sent his heel upon him stripped him of his armor and vaunted over him saying even thus shall you Trojans leave the ships of the achaeans proud and insatiated a battle though you be nor shall you lack any of the disgrace and shame which you have heaped upon yourself cowardly she-wolves that you are you feared not the anger of dread jove avenger of violated hospitality who will one day destroy your city you stole my wedded wife and wickedly carried off much treasure when you were her guest and now you would fling fire upon our ships and kill our heroes a day will come when rage as you may you shall be stayed oh father joe view who they say are above all both gods and men in wisdom and from whom all things that fall us to proceed how can you thus favor the Trojans men so proud and overweening that they are never tired of fighting all things paul after a while sleep love sweet song and stately dance still these are the things of which a man would surely have as fill rather than a battle whereas it is a battle that the Trojans are insatiated so saying menelaius stripped the blood stained armor from the body of pysander and handed it over to his men then he again ranged himself among those who were in the front of the fight harpalion son of king palamanus then sprang upon him he had come to fight a troll along with his father but he did not go home again he struck the middle of menelaius his shield with a spear but could not pierce it and to save his life drew back under cover of his men looking around him on every side lest he should be wounded but marionis aimed a bronze tip arrow at him and as he was leaving the field and hit him on the right buttock the arrow pierced the bone through and through and penetrated the bladder so he sat down where he was and breathed his last in the arms of his comrades stretched like a worm upon the ground and watering the earth with blood that flowed from his wounds the brave pathologonians tended him with all to care they raised him into his chariot and bore him sadly off to the city of troj his father went also with him weeping bitterly but there was no ransom that could bring his dead son to life again paris was deeply grieved by the death of harpalion who was his host when he went among the pathologonians he aimed an arrow therefore in order to avenge him now there was a certain man named yukinor son of polyides the prophet a brave man and wealthy whose home was in carinth this yukinor had set sail for troi well-knowing that would be the death of him for his good old father polyides has often told him that he must either stay at home and die of a terrible disease or go with the acains and perish the hands of the trojans he chose therefore to avoid incurring the heavy fine the acains would have laid upon him and at the same time to escape the pain and suffering of disease paris now smote him on the jaw under his ear where on the life went out of him and he was enshrouded in the darkness of death thus then did they fight as it were a flaming fire but hector had not yet heard and did not know that the argives were making havoc of his men on the left wing of the battle where the acains ere long would have triumphed over them so vigorously did neptune cheer them on and help them he therefore held on at the point where he had first forced his way through the gates and the wall after breaking through the syriad ranks of danian warriors it was here that the ships of ajax and protosalius were drawn up on the seashore here the wall was at its lowest and to fight both of man and horse raged most fiercely the boetians and aonians with their long tunics the locrians the men of fithia and the famous force of the apeans could hardly stay hector as he rushed on towards the ships nor could they drive him from them for he was as a wall of fire the chosen men of the athenians were in the van led by monistius son of pedios with whom were the also fedreus stickyus and stalwart bias megis the son of phileus antheon and gracious command of the apeans while median and stance podarsis led the men of fithia of these medan was bastard son of oileus and brother of ajax but he lived in philaceae away from his own country for he had killed the brother of a stepmother opus the wife of oileus the other podarsis with the son of vifcalus son of flakus the two stood in the van of the theans then defended the ships along with the boetians ajax son of oileus never for a moment left the side of ajax son of telemon but as this two sworn oxen both strained their utmost at the plow which they are drawing in a fallow field and the sweat steams upward from about the roots of their horns nothing but the oak divides them as they break up the ground till they reach the end of the field even so did the two ajaxes stand shoulder to shoulder by one another many and brave comrades followed the son of telemon to relieve him of his shield when he was overcome with sweat and toil but the locreans did not follow so close after the son of oileus for they could not hold their own in a hand-to-hand fight they had no bronze helmets with plumes of horsehair neither had they the shields nor ashen spears but they had come to troi armed with bows and with slings of twisted wool from which they showered their missiles to break the ranks of the trojans the others therefore with their heavy armor bore the brunt of the fight with the trojans and with hector while the locreans shot from behind under their cover and thus the trojans began to lose heart for the arrows threw them into confusion the trojans would now have been driven in a sorry plight from the ship's intent back to windy ileus had not palidamious presently said to hector hector there is no persuading you to take advice because heaven has so richly endowed you with the arts of war you think that you must therefore sell others in counsel but you cannot thus claim preeminence in all things heaven has made one man an excellent soldier of another it has made a dancer or a singer and a player on the lyre while yet in another jove has implanted a wise understanding of which men reap fruit to the saving of many and he himself knows more about it than anyone therefore i will say what i think will be best the fight has hemmed you in is with a circle of fire and even now the trojans are within the wall some of them stand aloof and full armor while others are fighting scattered and outnumbered near the ships draw back therefore and call your chieftains around you that we may advise together whether to fall now upon the ships in the hope that heaven may outsafe us victory or to be the retreat while we can yet safely do so i greatly fear the acains will pay us their debt of yesterday and full for there is one abiding at their ships who has never weary a battle and who will not hold aloof much longer thus spoke polydamus in his words please hector well he sprang in full armor from his chariot and said polydamus gather the chieftains here i will go yonder into the fight but will return at once when i've given them their orders he then spied onward powering like a snowy mountain and with a loud cry flew through the ranks of the trojans and their allies when they heard his voice they all hastened to gather around polydamus the excellent son of pantheos but hector kept on among the foremost looking everywhere to find deofobus and princelinas adamus son of asias and asias son of hercticus living indeed and scavenous he can no longer find them for the last two are lying by the sterns of the acains ships slain by the archives while the others had also been stricken and wounded by them but upon the left wing of the dread battle he found alexander's husband of lovely helen cheering his men and urging them on the fight he went up to him and upgraded him paris said he evil-hearted paris fair to see but woman mad and false of tongue where are deofobus and king helanus where are adamus son of asias and asias son of hercticus where too is athrionius ileus has undone and will now surely fall alexander's answered hector why find fault when there is no one to find fault with i should hold a loop from battle on any day rather than this for my mother bore me with nothing of the coward about me from the moment when you said our men fighting about the ships that we have been staying here and doing battle with the danians our comrades about whom you asked me are dead deofobus and king helanus alone have left the field wounded both of them in the hand but the son of saturn saved them alive now therefore lead on where you would have us go and we will follow with right goodwill you shall not find us value in so far as our strength holds out but no man can do more than in him lies no matter how willing he may be with these words he satisfied his brother and the two went towards the part of the battle where the fight was thickest about sebreone's brave polydamus flacis or theus godlike polyphetes palmus ascanius and morris son of hippodion who had come from fertile ascania on the preceding day to relieve other troops then jove urged them on to fight they flew forth like the blasts and some fierce wind and strike earth in the van of a thunderstorm they debuff it to salt sea into an uproar many and mighty are the great waves that come crashing in one after the other upon the shore with their arching heads all crested with foam even so did rank behind rank of trojans the raiding gleaming armor followed their leaders onward the way was led by hector son of pream peer of murderous mars with his round shield before him his shield of ox hide covered with plates of bronze and his gleaming helmet upon his temples he kept stepping forward under cover of his shield in every direction making trial of the ranks to see if they would give way before him but he could not daunt the courage of the akeans ajax was the first to stride out and challenge him sir he cried draw near why do you think thus vainly to dismay the our guides we akeans are excellent soldiers but the scourge of joe has fallen heavily upon us your heart forsooth is set on destroying our ships but we too have hands that can keep you at bay and your own fair account shall be soon taken and sat by ourselves the time is near when you so pray joe and all the gods in your flight that your steeds may be swifter than the hawks or they raise the dust on a plane and bear you back to the city as he was thus speaking a bird flew by upon his right hand and the host of the akeans shouted for they took heart at the omen but hector answered ajax braggarton falls of ton would that i were sure of being son forevermore to ages bearing joe with queen juneau for my mother and of being held in like honor with minerva and apollo as i am that this day is big with the destruction of the akeans and you shall fall among them if you dare abide my spear it shall rend your fair body and bid your glut our hounds and birds of prey with your fat and your flesh as you fall by the ships of the akeans with these words he led the way and the others followed after with a war cry that rent the air while the host shouted behind them the archives on their part raised a shout likewise nor did they forget their prowess but stood firm against the onslaught of the trojan chieftains and the cry from both the host rose up to heaven and to the brightness of joe's presence end of book 13 recording by ml cohen www.mojo move 411.com Cleveland Ohio november 2007 book 14 of the iliad this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libra vox.org the iliad my homer translated by samuel butler book 14 agamemnon proposes that the akeans should sail home and is rebuked by ulysses juno beguile's jupiter hector is wounded nestor was sitting over his wine but the cry of battle did not escape him and he said to the son of esculapius what noba macaen is the meaning of all this the shouts of men fighting by our ships grow stronger and stronger stay here therefore and sit over your wine while fair he came a day heats you a bath and washes the clotted blood from off you i will go at once for the lookout station and see what it is all about as he spoke he took up the shield of his son thersemides it was lying in his fit all gleaming with bronze for thersemides had taken his father's shield he grasped his redoubtable bronze shod spear and as soon as he was outside saw the disastrous route of the akean who now that their wall was overthrown were flying pelmel before the trojans as when there is a heavy swell up on the sea but the waves are done they keep their eyes on the watch for the quarter whence the fierce winds may spring upon them but they stay where they are and set neither this way nor that though some particular wind sweeps down from heaven to determine them even so did the old man ponder whether to make for the crowd of denians or go in search of agamemnon in the end he deemed it best to go to the son of atreus but meanwhile the hosts were fighting and killing one another and the hard bronze rattled on their bodies as they thrust at one another with their swords and spears the wounded kings the son of tedius ulysses and agamemnon son of atreus fell in with nester as they were coming up from their ships where theirs were drawn up some way from where the fighting was going on being on the shore itself in as much as they had been beat first while the wall had been built behind behind your most the stretch of the shore wide though it was did not afford room for all the ships and the host was cramped for space therefore they had placed the ships and rose one behind the other and had filled the whole opening of the bay between the two points that formed it the kings leaning on their spears were coming out to survey the fight being in great anxiety and when old nester met them they were filled with dismay then king agamemnon said to him nester son of nilius honor to the achian name why have you left the battle to come hither i fear that what dread hector said will come true when he vaunted among the trojans saying that he would not return to ilius till he had fired our ships and killed us this is what he said and now it is all coming true alas others of the achians like achilles are in such anger with me that they refuse to fight by the stewards of our ships then nester son of jereen answered it is indeed as you say it is all coming true at this moment and even joe who thunders from on high cannot prevent it fallen is the wall on which we relied as an impregnable bulwark both for us and our fleet the trojans are fighting stubbornly and without seizing at the ships look where you may you cannot see from what quarter the route of the achians is coming they're being killed in a confused mass and the battle cry ascends to heaven let us think if council could be of any use what we had better do but i do not advise our going into battle ourselves for a man cannot fight when he is wounded and king agamemnon answered nester if the trojans are indeed fighting to the rear of our ships and either the wall nor the trench has served us over which the danians spoiled so hard which they deemed would be an impregnable bulwark both for us and our fleet i see it must be the will of joe that the achian should perish and gloriously hear far from argus i knew when joe was willing to defend us and i know now that he is raising the trojans to light on like honor with the gods well us on the other hand he has bound hand and foot now therefore let us all do as i say let us bring down the ships that are on the beach and draw them into the water let us make them fast to their mooring stones a little way out against the fall of night if even by night the trojans will desist from fighting we may then draw down the rest of the fleet there's nothing wrong and flying ruined even by night it's better for a man that he should fly and be saved than be caught and killed the illicis looked fiercely at him and said son of atreus what are you talking about wretch you should have commanded some other invasor army and not been ruler over us to whom joe has a lot of the life of hard fighting from youths old age till we every one of us perish is it thus that you would quit the city of troj to win which we have suffered so much hardship hold your peace bless some other of the achaeans here you say what no man who knows how to give good counsel no king over so great a host as that of the archives should ever have let fall from his lips i despised your judgment utterly for what you've been saying would you then have us draw down our ships into the water while the battle is raging and thus play further into the hands of the conquering trojans it would be ruined the achaeans will not go on fighting when they see the ships being drawn into the water but will seize attacking and keep turning their eyes toward them your counsel therefore sir captain would be our destruction agamemnon to answered illicis your rebuke has stung me to the heart i am not however ordering the achaeans to draw the ships into the sea whether they will or no someone it may be older young can offer us better counsel which i shall rejoice to hear then said de almond such a one is at hand he is not far to seek if you will listen to me and not resent my speaking though i am younger than any of you i am by lineage son to a noble sire tedious who lies buried at thebes for portheus had three noble sons two of whom agrius and melis abode in pleuron and rocky caladon the third was the knight oenius my father's father and he was the most valiant of them all oenius remained in his own country but my father as joe the other gods ordained it migrated to argus he married into the family of atrostus and his house was one of great abundance for he had large estates of rich corn growing land with much orchard ground as well and he had many sheep moreover he excelled all the archives and the use of the spear you must yourselves have heard whether these things are true or no therefore when i say well despised not my words as though i were a coward or a vignable birth i say then let us go to the fight as we needs must wounded though we be when there we may keep out of the battle and beyond the range of the spears lest we get fresh wounds in addition to what we have already but we can spur on others who have been indulging their spleen and holding aloof from battle hitherto thus did he speak whereon they did even as he had said and set out king agamemnon leading the way meanwhile neptune had kept no blind lookout and came up to them in the semblance of an old man he took agamemnon's right hand in his own and said son of atreus i take it achilles is glad now that he sees the achaeans routed in slain for he is utterly without remorse may he come to a bad end and heaven can found him as for yourself the blessed gods are not yet so bitterly angry with you but that the princes and counselors in the trojan shall again raise the dust upon the plain and you shall see them flying for the ships intense toward their city with this he raised a mighty cry of battle and sped forward to the plane the voice that came from his deep chest was his that of nine or ten thousand men when they are shouting in the thick of a fight and it put fresh courage into the hearts of the achaeans to wage war and do battle without ceasing juno of the golden throne looked down as she stood upon a peak of olympus and her heart was gladdened at the sight of him who was at once her brother and brother-in-law hurrying hither and thither and then fighting then she turned her eyes to jove as he said on the topmost crests of many fount and idem and loathed him she said herself to think how she might hoodwink him and in the end she deemed that it would be best for her to go to aida and array herself in rich attire in the hope that jove might become enamored of her and wish to embrace her while he was thus engaged a sweet and careless sleep might be made to steal over his eyes and senses she went therefore to the room which her son vulcan had made her and the doors of which he had cuddly fastened by means of a secret key so that no other god could open them here she entered and closed the doors behind her she cleansed all the dirt from her fair body with ambrosia then she anointed herself with olive oil ambrosial very soft and scented specially for herself if it were so much as shaken in the bronze floored house of jove the scent pervaded the universe of heaven and earth with this she anointed her delicate skin and then she plaited the fair ambrosial locks that flowed in a stream of golden tresses from her immortal head she put on the wondrous robe which Minerva had worked for her with consummate art and it embroidered her with manifold devices she fastened it about her bosom with golden clasps as she girded herself with a girdle that had a hundred tassels that she fastened her earrings three brilliant pendants that cluelessened most beautifully through the pierced lobes of her ears and through a lovely new veil over her head she bound her sandals onto her feet and when she had arrayed herself perfectly to her satisfaction she left her room and called venus to come aside and speak to her my dear child said she will you do what i'm going to ask of you or will refuse me because you are angry at my being on the danian side while you are on the trojan jove's daughter venus answered juno august queen of goddesses daughter of mighty saturn say what you want and i will do it for you at once if i can and if it can be done at all then juno told a relying tale and said i want you to endow me with some of those fascinating charms the spells of which bring all things mortal and immortal to your feet i'm going to the world's end to visit oceanus from whom all we gods proceed and mother teethus they received me in their house took care of me and brought me up having taken me over from rhea when jove imprisoned great saturn into the depths that are under earth and sea i must go and see them that i may make peace between them they've been quarreling and are so angry that they have not slept with one another this long while if i can bring them around and restore them to one another's embraces they will be grateful to me and love me forever afterwards thereon laughter loving venus said i cannot and must not refuse you for you sleep in the arms of jove who is our king as she spoke she loosed from her bosom the curiously embroidered girdle into which all her charms have been wrought love desire and a sweet flattery which steals the judgment even of the most prudent she gave the girdle to juno and said take this girdle wherein all my charms reside and lay it in your bosom if you will wear it i promise you that your errand be it what it may will not be bootless when she heard this juno smiled and still smiling she laid the girdle in her bosom venus now went back into the house of jove while juno darted down from the summits of olympus she passed over pyrrhea and fair emethia and went on and on till she came to the snowy ranges of the thracian horsemen over whose topmost crest she spread without ever setting foot to the ground when she came to athos she went on over the waves of the sea till she reached limnos the city of city of noble thois there she met sleep own brother to death and caught him by the hand saying sleep you who lorded alike over mortals and immortals if you ever did me a service in times past you went for me now and i should be grateful to you ever after close joe's keen eyes for me and slumber while i hold in class in my embrace and i will give you a beautiful golden seat that can never fall to pieces my club-footed son vulcan can make it for you and he should give it a footstool for you to rest your fair feet upon when you were at table then sleep answered juno great queen of goddesses daughter of bodhi saturn i would lull any other of the gods to sleep without compunction not even accepting the waters of oceanus from whom all of them proceed but i dare not go near jove nor send him to sleep unless he bids me i have had one lesson already through doing which you asked me on the day when joe's mighty son hercules set sail from ilias after having sacked the city of the trochans and your bidding i suffused my sweet self over the mind of eegis bearing joe and laid him to rest meanwhile you hatched a plot against hercules and set the blast of the angry winds beating upon the sea so you took him to the godly city of cos away from all his friends joe was furious when he awoke and began hurling the gods about all over the house he was looking more particularly for myself and would have flung me down through space into the sea where i should never have been heard of anymore had not knight who cast both men and gods protected me i fled to her and joe's left off looking for me in spite of his being so angry great did not dare do anything to displease knight and now you are again asking me to do something on which i cannot venture and you know said sleep why do you take such notions as those into your head do you think joe will be as anxious to help the trochans as he was about his own son come i will marry you to the one of the youngest of the graces and she shall be your own as the thea whom you've always wanted to marry sleep was pleased when he heard this and answered then swear it to me by the dread waters of the river sticks lay one hand on the bounteous earth and the other on the sheen of the sea so that all the gods who dwell down below with Saturn may be our witnesses and see that you really do give me one of the youngest of the graces pacithia whom i've always wanted to marry juno did as he had said she swore and invoked all the gods of the netherworld were called titans to witness when she had completed her oath the two enshrouded themselves in a thick mist and sped lightly forward leaving limnos and embras behind them presently they reached many fountained ida mother of wild beasts and lectin where they left the sea to go on by land and the tops of the trees of the forest sound under the going of their feet here sleep halted and air jove caught sight of him he climbed a lofty pine tree the tallest that reared its head toward heaven on all ida he hid himself behind the branches and sat there in the semblance of the sweet singing bird that haunts the mountains and is called calcice by the gods the men call it simendus juno then went to gargaras the topmost peak of ida and jove driver of the clouds set eyes upon her as soon as he did so he became inflamed with the same passionate desire for her that he had felt when they had first enjoyed each other's embraces and slept with one another without their dear parents knowing anything about it he went up to her and said what do you want that you've come hither from olympus and that too with neither chariot nor horses to convey you then juno told him a lying tale and said i'm going to the world's end visit oceanus remove all we gods proceed and mother teethis they received me into their house took care of me and brought me up i must go and see them that i may make peace between them they've been quarreling and are so angry that they have not slept with one another this long time the horses that will take me over land and sea are stationed on the lower most spurs of many fountain dida and i've come here from olympus on purpose to consult you i was afraid that you might be angry with me later on if i went to the house of oceanus without letting you know and joe said juno you can choose some other time for paying your visit to oceanus for the present let us devote ourselves to love and to the enjoyment of one another never yet have i been so overpowered by passion neither for goddess nor mortal woman as i am at this moment for yourself not even when i was in love with a wife of xion who bore me perithas peer of gods and council nor yet with danae the daintily angled daughter of a creus who bore me the famed hero persius then there was the daughter of phoenix who bore me minos and redamanthus uh there was simile and alchmina and thebes by whom i begot my lionhearted son irkulis while simile became mother to bakas the comforter of mankind there was queen saris again a lovely leto and yourself but with none of these was i ever so much enamored as i now am with you juno again answered him with a lying tale most dread son of saturn she explained what are you talking about would you have us enjoy one another here on the top of mount aida where everything can be seen what if one of the ever living god should see us sleeping together until the others it would be such a scandal that when i had risen from your embraces i can never show myself inside your house again but if you are so minded there is a room which your son vulcan has made me and he has given it good strong doors if you would so have it let us go thither and lie down and joe answered juno you need not be afraid that either god or man will see you for i will enshroud both of us in such a dense golden cloud that the very sun for all his bright piercing beams shall not see through it with this the son of saturn caught his wife in his embrace where on the earth sprouted them a cushion of young grass with dubus vangle glotus procus and hyacinth so soft and thick that raised them well above the ground here they laid themselves down and overhead they were covered by a fair cloud of gold for which there felt glittering dew drops thus then the desire of all things were posed peacefully on the crest of ida overcome it once by sleep and love and he held his spouse in his arms meanwhile sleep made off to the ships of the achaeans to tell earth encircling neptune lord of the earthquake when he had found him he said now neptune you can help the danians with the will and give them victory though it would be only for a short time while joe was still sleeping i have sent him into a sweet slumber and juno has beguiled him into going to bed with her sleep now departed and went his ways to and fro among mankind leaving neptune more eager than ever to help the danians he darted forward among the first ranks and shouted saying our guys should we let hector's son of priam have the triumph taken our ships and covering himself with glory this is what he says that he shall now do saying that achilles is still in dungeon into ships we shall get on very well without him if we keep each other in heart and stand by one another now therefore let us all do as i say let us each take the best and largest shield we can lay hold of put on our helmets and sally forth with our longest spears in our hands i will lead you on and hector son of priam rage as he may will not dare to hold out against us if any good staunch soldier has only a small shield let him hand it over to a worst man and take a larger one for himself thus did he speak and they did even as he had said the son of tedious ulysses and agamemnon wounded though they were set the others in array and went about everywhere affecting the exchanges of armor the most valiant took the best armor and gave the worst to the worst man when they had dawned their bronze armor they marched on with neptune to their head in his strong hand he grasped his terrible sword keen of edge and flashing like lightning woe to him who comes across it in the day of battle all men quake for fear and keep away from it hector on the other side set the trojans in array there on neptune and hector waged fierce war on one another hector on the trojan and neptune on the archive side mighty was the uproar as the two forces meet the sea came rolling in toward the ships and tents of the achaeans the waves do not thunder on the shore more loudly when driven before the last of boreas nor the flames of a fat forest fire roar more fiercely when his well alight upon the mountains nor does the wind bellow with rudor music as it tears on through the tops of when it is blowing its hardest than the terrible shout which the trojans and achaeans raised as they sprang upon one another hector first aimed his spear at ajax who was turned full towards him nor did he miss his aim the spears struck him where two bands passed over his chest the band of his shield and that of his silver studded sword and these protected his body hector was angry that his spear should have been hurled in vain and withdrew under cover of his men as he was thus retreating ajax son of telemon struck him with a stone of which there were many lying about under the men's feet as they fought brought there to give support to the ship's sides as they lay on the shore ajax caught up one of them and struck hector above the rim of his shield close to his neck the blow made him spin round like a top and reel in all directions as an oak falls headlong went up rooted by the lightning flash of father jove and there's a terrible smell of brimstone no man can help being dismayed if he's standing near it for a thunderbolt is a very awful thing even so did hector fall to earth and bite the dust his spear fell from his hand but his shield and helmet were made fast about his body and his bronze armor rang about it the sons of the achaeans came running with a loud cry towards him hoping to drag him away and they showered their darts on the trojans but none of them could wound him before he was surrounded and covered by the princes holly domos enius agenor sarpedan captain of the lichens and noble glocus of the others too there was not one who was unmindful of him and they held the round shields over him to cover him his comrades then lifted him off the ground and bore him away from the battle through the place where his forces stood waiting for him at the rear of the fight with the driver and the chariot these then took him towards the city groaning and in great pain when they reached the forward of the fair stream of xanthus he got enough immortal jove they took him from office chariot and laid him down on the ground they poured water over him and as they did so he breathed again and opened his eyes then kneeling on his knees he vomited blood but soon fell back onto the ground and his eyes were again closed in darkness but he was still stunned by the blow when the archives saw hector leaving the field they took heart and set up on the trojans yet more furiously ajax fleet son of oelius began by springing on satanus son of enobs and wounding him with his spear a fair naïve nymph had borne him to enobs as he was hurting cattle by the banks of the river satanus the son of oelius came up to him and struck him in the flanks that he fell in a fierce fight between trojans and danians ranged round the body holly domus son of panthus drew near to avenge him and wounded prothenior son of a relicus on the right shoulder the terrible spear went right through his shoulder and he clutched the earth as he fell in the dust holly domus vaunted loudly over him saying again i take it that the spear is not sped in vain from the strong hand of the son of panthus an argive has caught it in his body and it was serving for a staff as he goes down into the house of hades the argives were maddened by this posting ajax son of telemon was more angry than any but the man had fallen close beside him so he aimed at polydomas as he was retreating but polydomas saved himself by swerving aside and the spears struck archilocus son of antonore for heaven counseled his destruction it struck him where the head springs from the neck of the top joined at the spine and severed both the tendons at the back of the head his head mouth and nostrils reached the ground long before his legs and knees could do so an ajax shouted to polydomas saying thank polydomas and tell me truly whether this man is not as well worth killing as prothenor was he seems rich and a rich family a brother it may be or son of the night antonore where he's very like him but he knew well who it was and the trojans were greatly angry a camus then mistrode his brother's body and wounded from makas the bwaschen with his spear for he was trying to drag his brother's body away a camus vaunted loudly over him saying our guy archers braggarts that you are toil and suffering shall not be for us only but some of you too shall fall here as well as ourselves see how promocus now sleeps vanquished by my spear payment for my brother's blood has not been long delayed a man therefore may well be thankful if he leaves a kinsman in his house behind him to avenge his fall his taunts infuriated the archives and penelios was more enraged than any of them he sprang toward a commas but a commas did not stand his ground and he killed ilionius son of the rich flockmaster for us the mercury had favored and endowed with greater wealth than any other of the trojans ilionius was his only son and penelios now wounded him in the eye under his eyebrows tearing the eyeball from its socket the spear went right through the eye into the nape of the neck and he fell stretching out both hands before him penelios then drew his sword and smote him on the neck so that both head and helmet came tumbling down to the ground with the spear still sticking in the eye he then held up the head as though it had been a poppy head and showed it to the trojans vaunting over them as he did so trojans he cried bit the father and mother of noble ilionius make moan for him in their house for the wife also promocus son of a legion or will never be gladdened by the coming of her dear husband when we are guys return with our ships from troj as he spoke fear fell upon them and every man looked round about to see whether he might fly for safety tell me now home uses the dwell on olympus who was the first of the archives to bear away bloodstained spoils after neptune lord of the earthquake had turned the fortune of war a jack's son of telemon was first to win herteus son of gyratius captain of the staunch missions antelokas killed fail seas and murmurus while marionese sleumorys and hypotion the usur also killed brothoan and piratites the son of atreus then wounded typerinor shepherded his people in the flank and the bronze point made his entrails gush out as it tore in among them on this his life came hurrying out of him at the place where he had been wounded and his eyes were closed to darkness a jack's son of oelius killed more than any other for there was no man so flea to see to pursue flying foes when joe if it spread panic among them end of book 14 recording by kelly dordy of plaino texas september 15th 2007 this is a liber vox recording all liber vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liber vox.org the iliad by homer translated by samuel butler book 15 recording by kevin laverne jove awakes tells apollo to heal hector and the trojans again become victorious but when their flight had taken them past the trench and the set stakes and many had fallen by the hands of the denons the trojans made a halt on reaching their chariots routed and pale with fear joe now woke on the crests of ida where he was lying with golden throned juno by his side and starting to his feet he saw the trojans and the akeans the one thrown into confusion and the others driving them pal mel before them with king neptune in their midst he saw hector lying on the ground with his comrades gathered round him gasping for breath wandering in mind and vomiting blood for it was not the feeblest of the akeans who struck him the sire of gods and men had pity on him and looked fiercely on juno i see juno said he you mischief making trickster that you're coming has stayed hector from fighting and has caused the route of his host i am in half a mind to thrash you in which case you will be the first to reap the fruits of your scurvy navery do you not remember how once upon a time i had you hanged i fastened two anvils onto your feet and bound your hands in a chain of gold which none might break and you hung in mid air among the clouds all the gods and olympus were in a fury but they could not reach you to set you free when i caught any one of them i gripped him and hurled him from the heavenly threshold till he came fainting down to earth yet even this did not relieve my mind from the incessant anxiety which i felt about noble hercules whom you and boreus had spitefully conveyed beyond the sea to cause after suborning the tempests but i rescued him and notwithstanding all his mighty labours i brought him back again to argos i would remind you of this that you may learn to leave off being so deceitful and discover how much you are likely to gain by the embraces out of which you have come here to trick me juno trembled as he spoke and said may heaven above and earth below be my witnesses with the waters of the river sticks and this is the most solemn oath that a blessed god can take may i swear also by your own almighty head and by our bridal bed things over which i could never possibly perjure myself that neptune is not punishing hector and the trojans and helping the akeans through any doing of mine it is all of his own mere motion because he was sorry to see the akeans hard-pressed at their ships if i were advising him i should tell him to do as you bit him the sire of gods and men smiled and answered if you juno were always to support me when we sit in council of the gods neptune like it or no would soon come round to your and my way of thinking if then you are speaking the truth and mean what you say go among the rank and file of the gods and tell iris and apollo lord of the bow that i want them iris that she may go to the akean host and tell neptune to leave off fighting and go home and apollo that he may send hector again into battle and give him fresh strength he will thus forget his present sufferings and drive the akeans back in confusion till they fall among the ships of achilles son of pelius achilles will then send his comrade patriclus into battle and hector will kill him in front of ileus after he has slain many warriors and among them my own noble son sarpedon achilles will kill hector to avenge patriclus and from that time i will bring it about that the akeans shall persistently drive the trojans back till they fulfill the councils of manurva and take ileus but i will not stay my anger nor permit any god to help the denons till i have accomplished the desire of the son of pelius according to the promise i made by bowing my head on the day when thetis touched my knees and besought me to give him honor juno heated his words and went from the heights of aida to great olympus swift as the thought of one whose fancy carries him over vast continents and he says to himself now i will be here or there and he would have all manner of things even so swiftly did juno wing her way till she came up to high olympus and went in among the gods who were gathered in the house of joe when they saw her they all of them came up to her and held out their cups to her by way of greeting she let the others be but took the cup offered her by lovely themus who was first to come running up to her juno said she why are you here and you seem troubled has your husband the son of saturn been frightening you and juno answered themus do not ask me about it you know what a proud and cruel disposition my husband has lead the gods to table where you and all the immortals can hear the wicked designs which he has avowed many a one mortal and immortal will be angered by them however peaceably he may be feasting now on this juno sat down and the gods were troubled throughout the house of joe laughter sat on her lips on her brow was furrowed with care and she spoke up in a rage fools that we are she cried to be thus madly angry with joe we keep on wanting to go up to him and stay him by force or by persuasion but he sits aloof and cares for nobody for he knows that he is much stronger than any other of the immortals make the best therefore of whatever ills he may choose to send each one of you mars i take it has had a taste of them already for his son a scallophus has fallen in battle the man whom of all others he loved most dearly and whose father he owns himself to be when he heard this mars smoked his two sturdy thighs with the flat of his hands and said in anger do not blame me you gods that dwell in heaven if i go to the ships of the akeans and avenge the death of my son even though it end in my being struck by joe's lightning and lying in blood and dust among the corpses and as he spoke he gave orders to yoke his horses panic and rout while he put on his armor on this joe would have been roused to still more fierce and implacable enmity against the other immortals had not minerva alarmed for the safety of the gods sprung from her seat and hurried outside she tore the helmet from his head and the shield from his shoulders and she took the bronze spear from his strong hand and set it on one side then she said to mars madman you are undone you have ears that hear not or you have lost all judgment and understanding have you not heard what juno has said on coming straight from the presence of olympian joe's do you wish to go through all kinds of suffering before you are brought back sick and sorry to olympus after having caused infinite mischief to all us others joe's would instantly leave the trojans and acayans to themselves he would come to olympus and punish us and would grip us up one after another guilty or not guilty therefore lay aside your anger for the death of your son better men than he have either been killed already or will fall here after and one cannot protect everyone's whole family with these words she took mars back to his seat meanwhile juno called apollo outside with iris the messenger of the gods joe she said to them desires you to go to him at once on mount ida when you have seen him you are to do as he may then bid you there on juno left them and resumed her seat inside while iris and apollo made all haste on their way when they reached many fountain ida mother of wild beasts they found joe seated on top most gargurus with a fragrant cloud encircling his head as with a diadem they stood before his presence and he was pleased with them for having been so quick in obeying the orders his life had given them he spoke to iris first go said he fleet iris tell king neptune what i now bid you and tell him true bid him leave off fighting and either join the company of the gods or go down into the sea if he takes no heed and disobeys me let him consider well whether he is strong enough to hold his own against me if i attack him i am older and much stronger than he is yet he is not afraid to set himself up as on a level with myself of whom all the other gods stand in all iris fleet as the wind obeyed him and as the cold hail or snowflakes that fly from out the clouds before the blast of boreus even so did she wing her way she came close up to the great shaker of the earth then she said i have come oh dark haired king that holds the world in his embrace to bring you a message from jove he did you leave off fighting and either join the company of the gods or go down into the sea if however you take no heed and disobey him he says he will come down here and fight you he would have you keep out of his reach for he is older and much stronger than you are and yet you are not afraid to set yourself up as on a level with himself of whom all the other gods stand in awe neptune was very angry and said great heavens strong as jove may be he has said more than he can do if he has threatened violence against me who am of like honor with himself we were three brothers whom ria bore to saturn jove myself and hades who rules the world below heaven and earth were divided into three parts and each of us was to have an equal share when we cast lots it fell to me to have my dwelling in the sea forever more hades took the darkness of the realms under the earth while air and sky and clouds were the portion that fell to jove but earth and great olympus are the common property of all therefore i will not walk as jove would have me for all his strength let him keep to his own third share and be contented without threatening to lay hands upon me as though i were nobody let him keep his bragging talk for his own sons and daughters who must perforce obey him iris fleet as the wind then answered am i really neptune to take this daring and unyielding message to joe or will you reconsider your answer sensible people are open to argument and you know that the aranese always range themselves on the side of the older person neptune answered goddess iris your words have been spoken in season it is well when a messenger shows so much discretion nevertheless it cuts me to the very heart that anyone should rebuke so angrily another who is his own peer and of like empire with himself now however i will give way in spite of my displeasure furthermore let me tell you and i mean what i say if contrary to the desire of myself manoeuvre driver of the spoil juno mercury and king vulcan joe spares steep ileus and will not let the akeans have the great triumph of sacking it let him understand that he will incur our implacable resentment neptune now left the field to go down under the sea and sorely did the akeans miss him then joe said to apollo go dear febus to hector for neptune who holds the earth in his embrace has now gone down under the sea to avoid the severity of my displeasure had he not done so those gods who are below with saturn would have come to hear of the fight between us it is better for both of us that he should have curbed his anger and kept out of my reach for i should have much trouble with him take then your tassled aegis and shake it furiously so as to set the akean heroes in a panic take more over brave hector oh far darter into your own care and rouse him to deeds of daring till the akeans are sent flying back to their ships and to the helispont from that point i will think it well over how the akeans may have a respite from their troubles apollo obeyed his father's saying and left the crests of aida flying like a falcon bane of doves and swiftest of all birds he found hector no longer lying upon the ground but sitting up for he had just come to himself again he knew those who were about him and the sweat and hard breathing had left him from the moment when the will of aegis bearing joe had revived him apollo stood beside him and said hector son of pream why are you so faint and why are you here away from the others has any mishap befallen you hector in a weak voice answered and which kind sir of the gods are you who now ask me thus do you not know that ajax struck me on the chest with a stone as i was killing his comrades at the ships of the akeans and compelled me to leave off fighting i made sure that this very day i should breathe my last and go down into the house of hades then king apollo said to him take heart the son of saturn has sent you a mighty helper from aida to stand by you and defend you even me the bus apollo of the golden sword who have been guardian hit or two not only of yourself but of your city now therefore order your horsemen to drive their chariots to the ships in great multitudes i will go before your horses to smooth the way for them and we'll turn the akeans in flight as he spoke he infused great strength into the shepherd of his people and as a horse stable and full fed breaks loose and gallops gloriously over the plane to the place where he is want to take his bath in the river he tosses his head and his main streams over his shoulders has in all the pride of his strength he flies full speed to the pastors where the mayors are feeding even so hector when he heard what the god said urged his horsemen on and sped forward as fast as his limbs could take him as country peasants set their hounds on to a honed stag or wild goat he has taken shelter under rock or thicket and they cannot find him but low a bearded lion whom their shouts have roused stands in their path and they are in no further humor for the chase even so the akeans were still charging on in a body using their swords and spears pointed at both ends but when they saw a hector going about among his men they were afraid and their hearts fell down into their feet then spoke though as son of andraemon leader of the aetolians a man who could throw a good throw and who was staunch also in close fight while few could surpass him in debate when opinions were divided he then with all sincerity and goodwill addressed them thus what in heaven's name do i see now is it not hector come to life again everyone made sure he had been killed by ajax son of telomon but it seems that one of the gods has again rescued him he has killed many of us denoms already and i take it will yet do so for the hand of joe must be with him or he would never dare show himself so masterful in the forefront of the battle now therefore let us all do as i say let us order the main body of our forces to fall back upon the ships but let those of us who profess to be the flower of the army stand firm and see whether we cannot hold hector back at the point of our spears as soon as he comes near us i conceive that he will then think better of it before he tries to charge into the press of the denons thus did he speak and they did even as he said those who were about ajax and king idomenius the followers moreover of telser marionese and megis pier of mars called all their best men about them and sustained the fight against hector and the trojans but the main body fell back upon the ships of the akhanians the trojans pressed forward in a dense body with hector striding on at their head before him went febus apollo shrouded in cloud about his shoulders he bore aloft the terrible eegis with its shaggy fringe which vulcan the smith had given joe to strike terror into the hearts of men with this in his hand he led on the trojans the archives held together and stood the ground the cry of battle rose high from either side and the arrows flew from the bow strings many a spear sped from strong hands and fastened in the bodies of many a valiant warrior while others fell to earth midway before they could taste of a man's fair flesh and glut themselves with blood so long as febus apollo held his eegis quietly and without shaking it the weapons on either side took effect and the people fell but when he shook it straight in the face of the denons and raised his mighty battle cry their hearts fainted within them and they forgot their former prowess as when two wild beasts spring in the dead of night on a herd of cattle or a large flock of sheep when the herdsman is not there even so were the denons struck helpless for apollo filled them with panic and gave victory to hector and the trojans the fight then became more scattered and they killed one another where they best could hector killed stickyus and archicelias the one leader of the boyotians and the other friend and comrade of menestheus anias killed meadon and yasus the first was bastard son to oilius and brother to ajax but he lived in philace away from his own country for he had killed a man a kinsman of his stepmother aereopus whom oilius had married yasus had become a leader of the aphenians and was son of svelis the son of bukuloth polytamus killed mechistius and polities echius in the front of the battle while agonore flew clonius harris struck deokas from behind in the lower part of the shoulder as he was flying among the foremost and the point of the spear went clean through him while they were spoiling these heroes of their armor the acheans were flying pel mal to the trench and the set stakes and were forced back within their wall hector then cried out to the trojans forward to the ships and let the spoils be if i see any man keeping back on the other side of the wall away from the ships i will have him killed his kinsmen and kinswomen shall not give him his dues of fire but dog shall tear him in pieces in front of our city as he spoke he laid his whip about his horse's shoulders and called to the trojans throughout the ranks the trojans shouted with a cry that rent the air and kept the horse's neck and neck with his own thebus apollo went before and kicked down the banks of the deep trench into its middle so as to make a great broad bridge as broad as the throw of a spear when a man is trying his strength the trojan battalions poured over the bridge and apollo with his redotable aegis led the way he kicked down the wall of the acheans as easily as a child who playing on the seashore has built a house of sand and then kicks it down again and destroys it even so did you oh apollo shed toil and trouble upon the archives filling them with panic and confusion thus then were the acheans hemmed in at their ships calling out to one another and raising their hands with loud cries every man to heaven nester of gurini tower of strength to the acheans lifted up his hands to the starry firmament of heaven and prayed more fervently than any of them father jove said he if ever any one in wheat growing argos burned you fat thigh bones of sheep or heifer and prayed that he might return safely home whereon you bowed your head to him in ascent bear it in mind now and suffer not the trojans to triumph thus over the acheans all counseling jove thundered loudly in answer to the prayer of the aged son of nalias when they heard jove thunder they flung themselves yet more fiercely on the acheans as a wave breaking over the bulwarks of a ship when the sea runs high before a gale for it is the force of the winds that makes the waves so great even so did the trojans spring over the wall with a shout and drive their chariots onwards the two sides fought with their double pointed spears and hand to hand encounter the trojans from the chariots and the acheans climbing up into their ships and wielding the long pikes that were lying on the decks ready for use in a sea fight jointed and shod with bronze now patrickless so long as the acheans and trojans were fighting about the wall but were not yet within it and at the ships remained sitting in the tent of good euripolis entertaining him with his conversation and spreading herbs over his wound to ease his pain when however he saw the trojans swarming through the breach in the wall while the acheans were clamoring and struck with panic he cried aloud and smote his two thighs with the flat of his hands euripolis he said in his dismay i know you want me badly but i cannot stay with you any longer for there is hard fighting going on a servant shall take care of you now for i must make all speed to achilles and induce him to fight if i can who knows but with heaven's help i may persuade him a man does well to listen to the advice of a friend when he had thus spoken he went his way the acheans stood firm and resisted the attack of the trojans yet though these were fewer in number they could not drive them back from the ships neither could the trojans break the achean ranks and make their way in among the tents and ships as a carpenter's line gives a true edge to a piece of ships timber in the hand of some skilled workman whom enerva has instructed in all kinds of useful arts even so level was the issue of the fight between the two sides as they fought some round one and some round another hector made straight for ajax and the two felt fiercely about the same ship hector could not force ajax back and fire the ship nor yet could ajax drive hector from the spot to which heaven had brought him then ajax struck calator son of qaitius in the chest with a spear as he was bringing fire towards the ship he fell heavily to the ground and the torch dropped from his hand when hector saw his cousin fallen in front of the ship he shouted to the trojans and lyceans saying trojans lyceans and dardanians good in close fight bait not a jot but rescue the son of qaitius lest the acheans strip him of his armor now that he is fallen he then aimed a spear at ajax and missed him but he hit lacophron a follower of ajax who came from tithera but was living with ajax in as much as he had killed a man among the kitharians hectors spear struck him on the head below the ear and he fell headlong from the ship's prowl on to the ground with no life left in him ajax shook with rage and said to his brother tell sir my good fellow our trusty comrade the son of mastor had fallen he came to live with us from kithera and whom we honored as much as our own parents hector has just killed him that's your deadly arrows at once and the bow with which phoenix apollo gave you tell sir heard him and hastened towards him with his bow and quiver in his hands forthwith he showered his arrows on the trojans and hit claitus the son of pysenor comrade of polygamous the noble son of penthouse with the reins in his hands as he was attending to his horses he was in the middle of the very thickest part of the fight doing good service to hector and the trojans but evil had now come upon him and not one of those who were fain to do so could avert it for the arrow struck him on the back of the neck he fell from his chariot and his horses shook the empty car as they swerved aside king polygamous saw what had happened and was the first to come upon the horses he gave them in charge to astanus son of proteion and ordered him to look on and to keep the horses near at hand he then went back and took his place in the front ranks tell sir then aimed another arrow at hector and there would have been no more fighting at the ships if he had hit him and killed him then and there jove however who kept watch over hector had his eyes on tell sir and deprived him of his triumph by breaking his posturing for him just as he was drawing it and about to take his aim on this the arrow went astray and the bow fell from his hands tell sir shook with anger and said to his brother alas see how heaven thwarts us in all we do it has broken my bowstring and satch the bow from my hand though i strung it the self same morning that it might serve me for many an arrow ajax son of telemon answered my good fellow let your bow and your arrows be for jove has made them useless in order to spite the denons take your spear lay your shield upon your shoulder and both fight the trojans yourself and urge others to do so they may be successful for the moment but if we fight as we ought they will find it a hard matter to take the ships tell sir then took his bow and put it by in his tent he hung a shield at four hides thick about his shoulders and on his cumbly head he set his helmet well wrought with a crest of horsehair that not admittedly above it he grasped his redoubtable bronze shod spear and forthwith he was by the side of ajax when hector saw that tell sir's bow was of no more use to him he shouted out to the trojans and lysians trojans lysians and dardanians good and close fight be men my friends and show your metal here at the ships for i see the weapon of one of their chieftains made useless by the hand of jove it is easy to see when jove is helping people and means to help them still further or again when he is bringing them down and will do nothing for them he is now on our side and is going against the argives therefore swarm around the ships and fight if any of you is struck by spear or sword and loses his life let him die he dies with honor who dies fighting for his country and he will leave his wife and children safe behind him with his house and allotment unplundered if only the akeans can be driven back to their own land they and their ships with these words he put heart and soul into them all ajax on the other side exhorted his comrades saying shame on you argives we are now utterly undone unless we can save ourselves by driving the enemy from our ships do you think if hector takes them that you will be able to get home by land can you not hear him cheering on his whole host to fire our fleet and bidding them remember that they are not at a dance but in battle our only course is to fight them with might and main we had better chance at life or death once for all then fight long and without issue him in at our ships by worse men than ourselves with these words he put life and soul into them all hector then killed skidious son of pyramides leader of the focians and ajax killed leotimus captain of foot soldiers and son to antinor polytamus killed otis of selene a comrade of the son of phileus and chief of the proud epians when megis saw this he sprang upon him but polytamus crouched down and he missed him for apollo would not suffer the son of penthouse to fall in battle but the spear hit croesmus in the middle of his chest whereon he fell heavily to the ground and megis stripped him of his armor at that moment the valiant soldier dollops son of lampus sprang upon lampus was son of leomidon and for his valor while his son dollops was versed in all the ways of war he then struck the middle of the son of phileus's shield with his spear setting on him at close quarters but his good corset made with plates of metal saved him phileus had brought it from effera and the river sileus whereas host king euphates had given it him to wear in battle and protect him it now served to save the life of his son then megis struck the topmost crest of dollops's bronze helmet with his spear and tore away its plume of horsehair so that all newly died with scarlet as it was it tumbled down into the dust while he was still fighting and confident of victory menelaus came up to help megis and got by the side of dollops unperceived he then speared him in the shoulder from behind and the point driven so furiously went through into his chest whereon he fell headlong the two then made towards him to strip him of his armor that hector called on all his brothers for help and he especially up braided brave melanopus son of hikiteon who erewell used to pastor his herds of cattle and percoat before the war broke out but when the ships of the denons came he went back to ileus where he was eminent among the trojans and lived near pream who treated him as one of his own sons hector now rebuked him and said why melanopus are you we thus remiss do you take no note of the death of your kinsmen and do you not see how they are trying to take dollops's armor follow me there must be no fighting the argives from a distance now but we must do so in close combat till either we kill them or they take the high wall of ileus and slay her people he land on as he spoke and the hero melanopus followed after meanwhile ajax son of telemon was cheering on the argives my friends he cried be men and feared dishonor quit yourselves in battle so as to win respect from one another men who respect each other's good opinion are less likely to be killed than those who do not but in flight there is neither gain nor glory thus did he exhort men who are already bent upon driving back the trojans they laid his words to heart and hedged the ships as with a wall of bronze while jove urged on the trojans middle aus of the loud battle cry urged and to locus on and to locus said he you are young and there is none of the akeans more fleet afoot or more valiant than you are see if you can't spring upon some trojan and kill him he hurried away when he had thus spurred antelocus who at once darted out from the front ranks and aimed a spear after looking carefully around him the trojans fell back as he threw and the dart did not speed from his hand without effect for it struck melanopause the proud son of hikatean in the breast by the nipple as he was coming forward and his armor rang rattling around him as he fell heavily to the ground antelocus sprang upon him as a dog springs on a phone which hunter has hit as it was breaking away from its covert and killed it even so oh melanopause did stalwart antelocus spring upon you to strip you of your armor but noble hector marked him and came running up to him through the thick of the battle antelocus brave soldier though he was would not stay to face him but fled like some savage creature which knows it has done wrong and flies when it has killed a dog or a man who is hurting his cattle before a body of men can be gathered to attack it even so did the son of nester fly and the trojans and hector was a cry that rent the air showered their weapons after him nor did he turn round and stay his flight till he had reached his comrades the trojans fierce as lions were still rushing on towards the ships in fulfillment of the behests of joe who kept spurring them on to new deeds of daring while he deadened the courage of the archives and defeated them by encouraging the trojans for he meant giving glory to hector son of pream and letting him throw fire upon the ships till he had fulfilled the unrighteous prayer that sieges had made him joe therefore bided his time till he should see the glare of a blazing ship from that hour he was about so to order that the trojans should be driven back from the ships and to vouch safe glory to the akeans with this purpose he inspired hector son of pream who was cagey enough already to assail the ships his fury was as that of mars or as when a fire is raging in the glades of some dense forest upon the mountains he foamed at the mouth his eyes glared under his terrible eyebrows and his helmet quivered on his temples by reason of the fury with which he thought joe from heaven was with him and though he was but one against many vouch saved him his victory and glory for he was doomed to an early death and already palace minerva was hurrying on the hour of his destruction at the hands of the son of palius now however he was trying to break the ranks of the enemy wherever he could see them thickest and in the goodliest armor but do what he might he could not break through them for they stood as a tower four square or as some high cliff rising from the gray sea that braids the anger of the gale and of the waves that thunder up against it he fell upon them like flames of fire from every quarter as when a wave raised mountain high by wind and storm breaks over a ship and covers it deep in foam the fierce winds roller against the mast the hearts of the sailors fail them for fear and they are saved but by a very little from destruction even so were the hearts of the achaeans fainting within them or as a savage lion attacking a herd of cows while they are feeding by thousands in the low lying meadows by some wide watered shore the herdsman is at his wit's end how to protect his herd and keeps going about now in the van and now in the rear of his cattle while the lion springs into the thick of them and fastens on a cow so that they all tremble for fear even so where the achaeans utterly panic stricken by hector and father jove nevertheless hector only killed perifities of mycenae he was son of coprius who was want to take the orders of king urus theus to mighty hercules but the son was a far better man than the father in every way he was fleet afoot a valiant warrior and an understanding ranked among the foremost men of mycenae he it was who then afforded hector a triumph for as he was turning back he stumbled against the rim of his shield which reached his feet and served to keep the javelins off him he tripped against this and fell face upward his helmet ringing loudly about his head as he did so hector saw him fall and ran up to him he then thrust a spear into his chest and kill him close to his own comrades these for all their sorrow could not help him for they were themselves terribly afraid of hector they had now reached the ships and the prowls of those that had been drawn up first were on every side of them but the progences came pouring after them the argives were driven back from the first row of ships but they made a stand by their tents without being broken up and scattered shame and fear restrained them they kept shouting incessantly to one another and nester of garini tower of strength to the akeans was loudest and imploring every man by his parents and beseeching him to stand firm be men my friends he cried and respect one another's good opinion think all of you on your children your wives your property and your parents whether these be alive or dead on their behalf though they are not here i implore you to stand firm and not to turn in flight with these words he put heart and soul into them all manurva lifted the thick veil of darkness from their eyes and much light fell upon them alike on the side of the ships and on that where the fight was raging they could see hector and all his men both those in the rear who were taking no part in the battle and those who were fighting by the ships ajax could not bring himself to retreat along with the rest but strode from deck to deck with a great sea pike in his hands 12 cubits long and joined with rings as a man skilled in feats of horsemanship couples four horses together and comes tearing full speed along the public way from the country into some large town many both men and women marvel as they see him for he keeps all the time changing his horse spring from one to another without ever missing his feet while the horses are at a gallop even so did ajax go striding from one ship's deck to another and his voice went up into the heavens he kept on shouting his orders to the denons and exhorting them to defend their ships and tents neither did hector remain within the main body of the trojan warriors but as a done eagle swoops down upon a flock of wildfowl feeding near a river geese it may be or cranes or long-necked swans even so did hector made straight for a dark proud ship rushing right towards it for jove with his mighty hand impelled him forward and roused his people to follow him and now the battle again raged furiously at the ships you would have thought the men were coming on fresh and unwirried so fiercely did they fight and this was the mind in which they were the akeans did not believe they should escape destruction but thought themselves doomed while there was not a trojan but his heart beat high with the hope of firing the ships and putting the akean heroes to the sword thus were the two sides minded then hector seized the stern of the good ship that had brought proteselaus to trey but never bore him back to his native land round this ship they raged a close hand-to-hand fight between the denons and the trojans they did not fight at a distance with bows and javelins but with one mind hacked at another in close combat with their mighty swords and spears pointed at both ends they fought more over with keen battle axes and with hatchets many a good stop blade hilted and scabbarded with iron fell from hand or shoulder as they fought and the earth ran red with blood hector when he had seized the ship would not lose his hold but held on to its curved stern and shouted to the trojans bring fire and raise the battle cry all of you with a single voice now has jove vouch saved us a day that will pay us for all the rest this day we shall take the ships which came hither against heaven's will and which have caused us such infinite suffering through the cowardice of our counselors who when i would have done battle at the ships held me back and forbade the host to follow me if jove did then indeed warp our judgments himself now commands me and cheers me on as he spoke thus the trojans sprang yet more fiercely on the akeans and ajax no longer held his ground for he was overcome by the darts that were flung at him and made sure that he was doomed therefore he left the raised deck at the stern and stepped back on to the seven foot bench of the oarsmen here he stood on the lookout and with his spear held back trojan whom he saw bringing fire to the ships all the time he kept on shouting at the top of his voice and exhorting the denons my friends he cried denon heroes servants of mars beam in my friends and fight with might and with main can we hope to find helpers hereafter or a wall to shield us more surely than the one we have there is no strong city within reach once we may draw fresh forces to turn the scales in our favor we are on the plane of the armed trojans with the sea behind us and far from our own country our salvation therefore is in the might of our hands and in hard fighting as he spoke he wielded his spear with still greater fury and when any trojan made towards the ships with fire at hector's bidding he would be on the lookout for him and drive at him with his long spear twelve men did he thus kill and hand to hand fight before the ships end of book 15 book 16 of the iliad this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libra vox.org the iliad by homer translated by samuel butler book 16 recorded by brad powers fire being now thrown on the ship of protesolaus patroclus fights in the armor of achilles he drives the trojans back but is in the end killed by euphorbis and hector thus did they fight about the ship of protesolaus then patroclus drew near to achilles with tears welling from his eyes as from some spring whose crystal stream falls over the ledges of a high precipice when achilles saw him thus weeping he was sorry for him and said why patroclus do you stand there weeping like some silly child that comes running to her mother and begs to be taken up and carried she catches hold of her mother's dress to stay her though she is in a hurry and looks tearfully up until her mother carries her even such tears patroclus are you now shedding have you anything to say to the mermidans or to myself or have you had news from fthaya which you alone know they tell me munisha son of actor is still alive is also a peelyu son of iacus among the mermidans men whose loss we too should bitterly deplore or are you grieving about the archives and the way in which they are being killed to the ships through their own high-handed doings do not hide anything from me but tell me that both of us may know about it then oh night patroclus with a deep sigh you answered achilles son of peelyus foremost champion of the achaeans do not be angry but i weep for the disaster that has now befallen the archives all those who have been their champions so far are lying at the ships wounded by sword or spear brave diamid son of tidius has been hit with a spear while famed ulysses and agamemnon have received sword wounds euripolis again has been struck with an arrow in the thigh skilled apothecaries are attending to these heroes and healing them of their wounds are you still oh achilles so inexorable may it never be my lot to nurse such a passion as you have done to the banning of your own good name who in future story will speak well of you unless you now save the our guys from ruin you know no pity night peelyus was not your father nor thetus your mother but the gray sea bore you and the sheer cliffs begot you so cruel and remorseless are you if however you're kept back through knowledge of some oracle or if your mother thetus has told you something from the mouth of joe at least send me in the myrmidons with me if i may bring deliverance to the denayans let me moreover wear your armor the trojans may thus mistake me for you and quit the field so that the hard-pressed sons of the achaeans may have breathing time which while they are fighting may hardly be we who are fresh might soon drive tired men back from our ships and tense to their own city he knew not what he was asking nor that he was suing for his own destruction achilles was deeply moved and answered what noble patroclus are you saying i know no prophesies which i am heeding nor has my mother told me anything from the mouth of joe but i'm cut to the very heart that one of my own rank should dare to rob me because he is more powerful than i am this after all that i've gone through is more than i can endure the girl whom the sons of the achaeans chose for me whom i won is the fruit of my spear on having sacked a city her has king agamebnon taken for me as though i were some common vagrant still let bygones be bygones no man may keep his anger forever i said i would not relent till battle and the cry of war had reached my own ships nevertheless now gird my armor about your shoulders and lead the myrmidons to battle for the dark cloud of trojans has burst furiously over our fleet the our guys are driven back onto the beach cooped within a narrow space and the whole people of troys taken heart to sally out against them because they see not the visor of my helmet gleaming near them had they seen this there would not have been a creek nor grip that had not been filled with their dead as they fled back again and so it would have been if only king agamebnon had dealt fairly by me as it is the trojans have beset our host diamid son of tidius no longer wields his spear to defend the denaians neither have i heard the voice of the son of atrus coming from his hated head whereas that of murderous hector rings in my ears as he gives orders to the trojans who triumph over the achaeans and fill the whole plane with the cry of battle but even so potroclus fall upon them and save the fleet lest the trojans fire it and prevent us from being able to return do however as i now bid you that you may win me great honor from all the denaians and that they may restore the girl to me again and give me rich gifts into the bargain when you have driven the trojans from the ships come back again though junos thundering husband should put triumph within your reach do not fight the trojans further in my absence or you will rob me of the glory that should be mine and do not for lust a battle go on killing the trojans nor lead the achaeans on the ileus lest one of the ever living gods from olympus attack you for febus apollo loves them well return when you have freed the ship from peril and let others wage war upon the plane would by father joe minerva and apollo that not a single man of all the trojans might be left alive nor yet of the argives but that we too might be alone left to tear aside the mantle that veils the brow of troi thus did they converse but ajax could no longer hold his ground for the shower of darts that rained upon him the will of joe and the javelins of the trojans were too much for him the helmet that gleamed about his temples reigning with the continuous clatter of the missiles that kept pouring onto it and onto the cheek pieces that protected his face moreover his left shoulder was tired with having held his shield so long yet for all this let fly at him as they would they could not make him give ground he could hardly draw his breath the sweat rained from every pore of his body he had not a moment's respite and on all sides he was beset by danger upon danger and now tell me oh muses that hold your mansions on olympus how fire was thrown upon the ships of the achaeans hector came close up and let drive with his great sword at the ashen spear of ajax he cut it clean in two just behind where the point was fastened onto the shaft of the spear ajax therefore had now nothing but a headless spear while the bronze point flew some way off and came ringing down onto the ground ajax knew the hand of heaven in this and was dismayed at seeing that joe had now left him utterly defenseless and was willing victory for the trojans therefore he drew back and the trojans flung fire upon the ship which was at once wrapped in flame the fire was now flaring about the ship's stern whereon achilles smote his two thighs and said to patroclus up noble knight for i see the glare of hostile fire at your fleet up lest they destroy our ships and there be no way by which we may retreat gird on your armor at once while i call our people together as he spoke patroclus put on his armor first he grieved his legs with grieves of good make and fitted with ankle clasps of silver after this he dawned the crerasse of the son of iacus richly inlaid and studded he hung his silver studded sword of bronze about his shoulders and then his mighty shield on his comely head he set his helmet well wrought with a crest of horsehair than not admenacingly above it he grasped two redoubtable spears that suited his hands but he did not take the spear of noble achilles so stout and strong for none other of the achaeans could wield it though achilles could do so easily this was the ashen spear from apelion which kairon had cut upon a mountaintop and had given to pelius wherewith to deal out death among heroes he bade atomodon yoke his horses with all speed for he was the man whom he held in honor next after achilles and on whose support in battle he could rely most firmly atomodon therefore yoked the fleet horses xanthus and belius steeds that could fly like the wind these were they whom the harpy podarji bore to the west wind as she was grazing in a meadow by the waters of the river oceanas in the side traces he set the noble horse pedicis whom achilles had brought away with him when he sacked the city of iedion and who mortal steed though he was could take his place along with those that were immortal meanwhile achilles went about everywhere among the tents and bade his mermidons put on their armor even his fierce ravening wolves that are feasting upon a honed stag which they have killed upon the mountains and their jaws are red with blood they go in a pack to lap water from the clear spring with their long thin tongues and they reek of blood and slaughter they know not what fear is for it is hunger drives them even so did the leaders and counselors of the mermidons gather around the good squire of the fleet descendant of iacus and among them stood achilles himself cheering on both men and horses fifty ships had noble achilles brought the troi and in each there was a crew of fifty oresmen over these he set five captains whom he could trust while he was himself commander over them all menestheus of the gleaming coarselet son to the river spurcius that streams from heaven was captain of the first company fair polydora daughter of pilius bore him to ever flowing spurcius a woman mated with a god but he was called son of borus son of periaries with whom his mother was living as his wedded wife and who gave great wealth to gain her the second company was led by noble eudorus son to an unwedded woman holly meal daughter of filus the graceful dancer bore him the mighty slayer of argos was enamored of her as he saw her among the singing women at a dance held in honor of diana the rushing huntress of the golden arrows he therefore mercury giver of all good went with her into an upper chamber and lay with her in secret whereon she bore him a noble son eudorus singularly fleet of foot and in fight valiant when illithuya goddess of the pains of childbirth brought him to the light of day and he saw the face of the son mighty ecchelis son of actor took the mother to wife and gave great wealth to gain her but her father filus brought the child up and took care of him doting his fondly upon him as though he were his own son the third company was led by pysander son of memelus the finest spearman among all the mermidans next to achilles own comrade patroclus the old knight phoenix was captain of the fourth company and alchimadon noble son of lairsius of the fifth when achilles had chosen his men and had stationed them all with their captains he charged them straightly saying mermidans remember your threats against the trojans while you were at the ships in the time of my anger and you were all complaining of me cruel son of pilius you would say your mother must have suckled you on gall so ruthless are you you keep us here at the ships against our will if you are so relentless it were better we went home over the sea often have you gathered and thus chided with me the hours now come for those high feats of arms that you have so long been pining for therefore keep high hearts each one of you to do battle with the trojans with these words he put heart and soul into them all and they serried their companies yet more closely when they heard their king as the stones which a builder sets in the wall of some high house which is to give shelter from the winds even so closely where the helmets and boss shield set against one another shield pressed on shield helm on helm and man on man so close were they that the horsehair of plumes on the gleaming ridges of their helmets touched each other as they bent their heads in front of them all two men put on their armor a trockless and automaton two men with but one mind to lead the mermidans then achilles went inside his tent and opened the lid of the strong chest which silver-footed thetus had given him to take on board ship and which he had filled with shirts cloaks to keep out the cold and good thick rugs in this chest he had a cup of rare workmanship from which no man but himself might drink nor would he make offering from it to any other god save only to father jove he took the cup from the chest and cleansed it with sulfur this done he rinsed it in clean water and after he had washed his hands he drew wine then he stood in the middle of the court and prayed looking towards heaven and making his drink offering of wine nor was he unseen of jove whose joy is in thunder king jove he cried lord of dodona god of the pulaski who dwellest afar you who hold wintery dodona in your sway where your prophets the selly dwell around you with their feet unwashed and their couches made upon the ground if you heard me when i prayed to you a four time and did me honor while you sent disaster on the achaeans vouchsave me now the fulfillment 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 mermidans grant oh all seen jove the 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 armor and his comrades fighters in close combat thus did he pray and all counseling jove heard his prayer part of it he did indeed vouchsave him but not the whole he granted that patrocles should thrust back war in 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 the achaeans meanwhile the armed band that was about patrocles 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 where on anyone 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 mermidans swarm from their ships and their cry of battle rose heavenwards a trochless called out to his men at the top of his voice mermidans followers of achilles son appealus be men my friends fight with might and with main that we may win glory for the son appealus who is far the foremost man at the ships of the argives he and his close fighting followers the son of atrus 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 manesius and a squire all gleaming in their armor they were daunted and their battalions were thrown into confusion for they thought the fleet son appealus must now put aside his anger and have been reconciled to agamemnon everyone therefore looked round about to see whether he might fly for safety the trochless first aimed a spear into the middle of the press where men were packed most closely by the stern of the ship of protesoleus he hit perikmes who had led his peonian horsemen from the amadon and the broad waters of the river axeus 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 the trochless 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 daenians poured after them from their ships shouting also without ceasing as when jove gatherer of the thundercloud 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 daenians 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 route but still gave battle and were ousted from the 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 munitius first drove his spear into the fire of a relicus 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 phylius saw amplicus 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 antilicus speared and timnius driving the point of the spear through his throat and down he fell marus then spraying on antilicus in hand to hand fight to avenge his brother and bestowed the body spear in hand but valiant thrasymides was too quick for him and in a moment had struck him in the shoulder if 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 sarpedan go down to arabus slain by the two sons of nestor they were the warrior sons of emissiderus who had reared the invincible chimera to the bane of mini ajax son of olius spraying on cliobulus 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 henelaus and lycan 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 lycan struck the plumed crest of henelaus helmet but his sword broke at the hilt while henelaus smote lycan 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 maryanese gave chase to achemis 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 i domain use speared aromas 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 and folded him round about thus to these chieftains of the denayans each of them kill his man as ravening wolves seize on kids or lambs fastening on them when they are alone on the hill sides 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 denayans now fall on the trojans who fled with ill omen 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 skillful that he held his broad shoulders well under cover of his oxide shield ever on the lookout 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 route did the trojans now fly and there was no order in their going hector's fleet horses bore him in his armor 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 but chakras gave chase calling impetuously on the denayans and full of fury against the trojans who being now no longer in the body filled all the waves 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 pilius spraying 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 joe rains his hardest to punch men for giving crooked judgment in their courts and arriving justice there for him 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 prano us 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 cester son of enops who was sitting all huddled up in his chariot for he had lost his head and the rains 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 jetting rock and draws a strong fish out of the sea with a hook and a line even so with his spear did he pull fester all gaping from his chariot he then threw him down on his face and he died while falling on this as arolius was on to attack him he struck him full on the head with the stone and his brains were all battered inside his helmet whereon he fell headlong to the ground and the pangs of death took hold upon him then he laid low one after the other aromas and fodder us he paltese tlepolymus ichthyus son of damas torre pyrus iphius eupus and polymelis son of argeus now when sarpedon saw his comrades men who were ungirdled tunics being overcome by patroclus son of munitius he rebuked the lycean saying shame on you where are you flying to show your metal i will myself meet this man and fight and learn who it is that is so masterful he has done us much hurt and has stretched many a brave man upon the ground he sprang from his chariot as he spoke and patroclus when he saw this leaped onto the ground also the two then rushed at one another with loud cries like eagle-beaked crook taland vultures that scream and tear at one another in some high mountain fastness the son of scheming saturn looked down upon them in pity and said to juno who was his wife and sister alas that it should be the lot of sarpedon whom i love so dearly to perish by the hand of patroclus i am in two minds whether to catch him up out of the fight and set him down safe and sound in the fertile land of lycea or to let him now fall by the hand of the son of munitius and juno answered most dread son of saturn what is this that you are saying would you snatch a mortal man whose doom has long been faded out of the jaws of death do as you will but we shall not all of us be of your mind i say further and lay my saying to your heart that if you send sarpedon safely to his own home some other of the gods will be also wanting to escort his son out of battle for there are many sons of gods fighting around the city of troi and you will make everyone jealous if however you are fond of him and pity him let him indeed fall by the hand of patroclus but as soon as the life has gone out of him send death and sweet sleep to bear him off the field and take him to the broad lands of lycea where his brothers and his kinsmen will bury him with mound and pillar and do honor to the dead the sire of gods and men assented but he shed a rain of blood upon the earth in honor of his son whom patroclus was about to kill on the rich plain of troi far from his home when they were now come close to one another patroclus struck thrasidimas the brave squire of sarpedon in the lower part of the belly and killed him sarpedon then aimed a spear at patroclus and missed him but he struck the horse pedicis in the right shoulder and it screamed aloud as it lay groaning in the dust until the life went out of it the other two horses began to plunge the pole of the chariot cracked and they got entangled in the rains through the fall of the horse that was yoked along with them but a tomodan knew what to do without the loss of a moment he drew the keen blade that hung by his sturdy thigh and cut the third horse adrift whereon the other two righted themselves and pulling hard at the reins again went together into battle sarpedon now took a second aim at patroclus and again missed him the point of the spear passed over his left shoulder without hitting him patroclus then aimed in his turn and the spear sped not from his hand in vain for he hit sarpedon just where the midriff surrounds the ever-beating heart he fell like some oak or silver poplar or tall pine to which woodman have laid their axes upon the mountains to make timber for shipbuilding even so did he lie stretched at full length in front of his chariot and horses moaning and clutching at the bloodstained dust as when a lion springs with a bound upon a herd of cattle and fastens on a great black bull which dies bellowing in its clutches even so did the leader of the lycean warriors struggle in death as he fell by the hand of patroclus he called on his trusty comrade and said leicus my brother hero among heroes put forth all your strength fight with might and main now if ever quit yourself like a valiant soldier first go about among the lycean captains and bid them fight for sarpedon then yourself also do battle to save my armor from being taken my name will haunt you henceforth and forever if the achaeans rob me of my armor now that i've fallen at their ships do your very utmost and call all my people together death closed his eyes as he spoke patroclus planted his heel on his breast and drew the spear from his body where on his senses came out along with it and he drew out both spear point and sarpedon's soul at the same time hard by the myrmidons held his snorting steeds who were wild with panic at finding themselves deserted by their lords leicus was overcome with grief when he heard what sarpedon said for he could not help him he had to support his arm with his other hand being in great pain through the wound which tucer's arrow had given him when tucer was defending the wall as he leicus was assailing it therefore he prayed to far darting apollo saying hear me oh king from your seat maybe in the rich land of lycea or maybe in troy for in all places you can hear the prayer of one who is in distress as i now am i have a grievous wound my hand is aching with pain there is no staunching the blood and my whole arm drags by reason of my hurt so that i cannot grasp my sword nor go among my foes and fight them thou our prince joe's son sarpedon is slain joe defended not his son do you therefore oh king heal me of my wound ease my pain and grant me strength both to cheer on the lyceans and to fight along with them around the body of him who has fallen thus did he pray and apollo heard his prayer he eased his pain staunched the black blood from the wound and gave him new strength leicus perceived this and was thankful that the mighty god had answered his prayer forthwith therefore he went among the lycean captains and bade them come to fight about the body of sarpedon from these he strode on among the trojans to poletimus son of pantheos and aginor he then went on in search of enius and hector and when he had found them he said hector you have utterly forgotten your allies who languish here for your sake far from friends and home while you do nothing to support them sarpedon leader of the lycean warriors has fallen he who was at once the right and might of lycea mars has laid him low by the spear of patroclus stand by him my friends and suffer not the mermidans to strip him of his armor nor to treat his body with contumuli and revenge for all the denayans whom we have speared at the ships as he spoke the trojans were plunged in extreme and ungovernable grief for sarpedon alien though he was had been one of the mainstays of their city both is having much people with him and himself the foremost among them all led by hector who was infuriated by the fall of sarpedon they made instantly for the denayans with all their might while the undaunted spirit of patroclus son of manesius cheered on the achaeans first he spoke to the two ajaxes men who needed no bidding ajaxes said he may it now please you to show yourselves the men who have always been or even better sarpedon has fallen he who was first to overleap the wall of the achaeans let us take the body and outrage it let us strip the armor from his shoulders and kill his comrades if they try to rescue his body he spoke to men who of themselves were full eager both sides therefore the trojans and lyceans on the one hand and the mermidans and achaeans on the other stre