The Iliad, Homer [big screen ebook reader .txt] 📗

Phyleus got close up to him
and drove a spear into the nape of his neck: it went under his tongue
all among his teeth, so he bit the cold bronze, and fell dead in the
dust.

And Eurypylus, son of Euaemon, killed Hypsenor, the son of noble
Dolopion, who had been made priest of the river Scamander, and was
honoured among the people as though he were a god. Eurypylus gave him
chase as he was flying before him, smote him with his sword upon the
arm, and lopped his strong hand from off it. The bloody hand fell to
the ground, and the shades of death, with fate that no man can
withstand, came over his eyes.

Thus furiously did the battle rage between them. As for the son of
Tydeus, you could not say whether he was more among the Achaeans or the
Trojans. He rushed across the plain like a winter torrent that has
burst its barrier in full flood; no dykes, no walls of fruitful
vineyards can embank it when it is swollen with rain from heaven, but
in a moment it comes tearing onward, and lays many a field waste that
many a strong man's hand has reclaimed--even so were the dense
phalanxes of the Trojans driven in rout by the son of Tydeus, and many
though they were, they dared not abide his onslaught.

Now when the son of Lycaon saw him scouring the plain and driving the
Trojans pell-mell before him, he aimed an arrow and hit the front part
of his cuirass near the shoulder: the arrow went right through the
metal and pierced the flesh, so that the cuirass was covered with
blood. On this the son of Lycaon shouted in triumph, "Knights Trojans,
come on; the bravest of the Achaeans is wounded, and he will not hold
out much longer if King Apollo was indeed with me when I sped from
Lycia hither."

Thus did he vaunt; but his arrow had not killed Diomed, who withdrew
and made for the chariot and horses of Sthenelus, the son of Capaneus.
"Dear son of Capaneus," said he, "come down from your chariot, and draw
the arrow out of my shoulder."

Sthenelus sprang from his chariot, and drew the arrow from the wound,
whereon the blood came spouting out through the hole that had been made
in his shirt. Then Diomed prayed, saying, "Hear me, daughter of
aegis-bearing Jove, unweariable, if ever you loved my father well and
stood by him in the thick of a fight, do the like now by me; grant me
to come within a spear's throw of that man and kill him. He has been
too quick for me and has wounded me; and now he is boasting that I
shall not see the light of the sun much longer."

Thus he prayed, and Pallas Minerva heard him; she made his limbs supple
and quickened his hands and his feet. Then she went up close to him and
said, "Fear not, Diomed, to do battle with the Trojans, for I have set
in your heart the spirit of your knightly father Tydeus. Moreover, I
have withdrawn the veil from your eyes, that you know gods and men
apart. If, then, any other god comes here and offers you battle, do not
fight him; but should Jove's daughter Venus come, strike her with your
spear and wound her."

When she had said this Minerva went away, and the son of Tydeus again
took his place among the foremost fighters, three times more fierce
even than he had been before. He was like a lion that some mountain
shepherd has wounded, but not killed, as he is springing over the wall
of a sheep-yard to attack the sheep. The shepherd has roused the brute
to fury but cannot defend his flock, so he takes shelter under cover of
the buildings, while the sheep, panic-stricken on being deserted, are
smothered in heaps one on top of the other, and the angry lion leaps
out over the sheep-yard wall. Even thus did Diomed go furiously about
among the Trojans.

He killed Astynous, and Hypeiron shepherd of his people, the one with a
thrust of his spear, which struck him above the nipple, the other with
a sword-cut on the collar-bone, that severed his shoulder from his neck
and back. He let both of them lie, and went in pursuit of Abas and
Polyidus, sons of the old reader of dreams Eurydamas: they never came
back for him to read them any more dreams, for mighty Diomed made an
end of them. He then gave chase to Xanthus and Thoon, the two sons of
Phaenops, both of them very dear to him, for he was now worn out with
age, and begat no more sons to inherit his possessions. But Diomed took
both their lives and left their father sorrowing bitterly, for he
nevermore saw them come home from battle alive, and his kinsmen divided
his wealth among themselves.

Then he came upon two sons of Priam, Echemmon and Chromius, as they
were both in one chariot. He sprang upon them as a lion fastens on the
neck of some cow or heifer when the herd is feeding in a coppice. For
all their vain struggles he flung them both from their chariot and
stripped the armour from their bodies. Then he gave their horses to his
comrades to take them back to the ships.

When Aeneas saw him thus making havoc among the ranks, he went through
the fight amid the rain of spears to see if he could find Pandarus.
When he had found the brave son of Lycaon he said, "Pandarus, where is
now your bow, your winged arrows, and your renown as an archer, in
respect of which no man here can rival you nor is there any in Lycia
that can beat you? Lift then your hands to Jove and send an arrow at
this fellow who is going so masterfully about, and has done such deadly
work among the Trojans. He has killed many a brave man--unless indeed
he is some god who is angry with the Trojans about their sacrifices,
and and has set his hand against them in his displeasure."

And the son of Lycaon answered, "Aeneas, I take him for none other than
the son of Tydeus. I know him by his shield, the visor of his helmet,
and by his horses. It is possible that he may be a god, but if he is
the man I say he is, he is not making all this havoc without heaven's
help, but has some god by his side who is shrouded in a cloud of
darkness, and who turned my arrow aside when it had hit him. I have
taken aim at him already and hit him on the right shoulder; my arrow
went through the breastpiece of his cuirass; and I made sure I should
send him hurrying to the world below, but it seems that I have not
killed him. There must be a god who is angry with me. Moreover I have
neither horse nor chariot. In my father's stables there are eleven
excellent chariots, fresh from the builder, quite new, with cloths
spread over them; and by each of them there stand a pair of horses,
champing barley and rye; my old father Lycaon urged me again and again
when I was at home and on the point of starting, to take chariots and
horses with me that I might lead the Trojans in battle, but I would not
listen to him; it would have been much better if I had done so, but I
was thinking about the horses, which had been used to eat their fill,
and I was afraid that in such a great gathering of men they might be
ill-fed, so I left them at home and came on foot to Ilius armed only
with my bow and arrows. These it seems, are of no use, for I have
already hit two chieftains, the sons of Atreus and of Tydeus, and
though I drew blood surely enough, I have only made them still more
furious. I did ill to take my bow down from its peg on the day I led my
band of Trojans to Ilius in Hector's service, and if ever I get home
again to set eyes on my native place, my wife, and the greatness of my
house, may some one cut my head off then and there if I do not break
the bow and set it on a hot fire--such pranks as it plays me."

Aeneas answered, "Say no more. Things will not mend till we two go
against this man with chariot and horses and bring him to a trial of
arms. Mount my chariot, and note how cleverly the horses of Tros can
speed hither and thither over the plain in pursuit or flight. If Jove
again vouchsafes glory to the son of Tydeus they will carry us safely
back to the city. Take hold, then, of the whip and reins while I stand
upon the car to fight, or else do you wait this man's onset while I
look after the horses."

"Aeneas," replied the son of Lycaon, "take the reins and drive; if we
have to fly before the son of Tydeus the horses will go better for
their own driver. If they miss the sound of your voice when they expect
it they may be frightened, and refuse to take us out of the fight. The
son of Tydeus will then kill both of us and take the horses. Therefore
drive them yourself and I will be ready for him with my spear."

They then mounted the chariot and drove full-speed towards the son of
Tydeus. Sthenelus, son of Capaneus, saw them coming and said to Diomed,
"Diomed, son of Tydeus, man after my own heart, I see two heroes
speeding towards you, both of them men of might the one a skilful
archer, Pandarus son of Lycaon, the other, Aeneas, whose sire is
Anchises, while his mother is Venus. Mount the chariot and let us
retreat. Do not, I pray you, press so furiously forward, or you may get
killed."

Diomed looked angrily at him and answered: "Talk not of flight, for I
shall not listen to you: I am of a race that knows neither flight nor
fear, and my limbs are as yet unwearied. I am in no mind to mount, but
will go against them even as I am; Pallas Minerva bids me be afraid of
no man, and even though one of them escape, their steeds shall not take
both back again. I say further, and lay my saying to your heart--if
Minerva sees fit to vouchsafe me the glory of killing both, stay your
horses here and make the reins fast to the rim of the chariot; then be
sure you spring Aeneas' horses and drive them from the Trojan to the
Achaean ranks. They are of the stock that great Jove gave to Tros in
payment for his son Ganymede, and are the finest that live and move
under the sun. King Anchises stole the blood by putting his mares to
them without Laomedon's knowledge, and they bore him six foals. Four
are still in his stables, but he gave the other two to Aeneas. We shall
win great glory if we can take them."

Thus did they converse, but the other two had now driven close up to
them, and the son of Lycaon spoke first. "Great and mighty son," said
he, "of noble Tydeus, my arrow failed to lay you low, so I will now try
with my spear."

He poised his spear as he spoke and hurled it from him. It struck the
shield of the son