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

the closely serried battalions stayed him when he reached them, for
the sons of the Achaeans thrust at him with swords and spears pointed
at both ends, and drove him from them so that he staggered and gave
ground; thereon he shouted to the Trojans, "Trojans, Lycians, and
Dardanians, fighters in close combat, stand firm: the Achaeans have set
themselves as a wall against me, but they will not check me for long;
they will give ground before me if the mightiest of the gods, the
thundering spouse of Juno, has indeed inspired my onset."

With these words he put heart and soul into them all. Deiphobus son of
Priam went about among them intent on deeds of daring with his round
shield before him, under cover of which he strode quickly forward.
Meriones took aim at him with a spear, nor did he fail to hit the broad
orb of ox-hide; but he was far from piercing it for the spear broke in
two pieces long ere he could do so; moreover Deiphobus had seen it
coming and had held his shield well away from him. Meriones drew back
under cover of his comrades, angry alike at having failed to vanquish
Deiphobus, and having broken his spear. He turned therefore towards the
ships and tents to fetch a spear which he had left behind in his tent.

The others continued fighting, and the cry of battle rose up into the
heavens. Teucer son of Telamon was the first to kill his man, to wit,
the warrior Imbrius, son of Mentor, rich in horses. Until the Achaeans
came he had lived in Pedaeum, and had married Medesicaste, a bastard
daughter of Priam; but on the arrival of the Danaan fleet he had gone
back to Ilius, and was a great man among the Trojans, dwelling near
Priam himself, who gave him like honour with his own sons. The son of
Telamon now struck him under the ear with a spear which he then drew
back again, and Imbrius fell headlong as an ash-tree when it is felled
on the crest of some high mountain beacon, and its delicate green
foliage comes toppling down to the ground. Thus did he fall with his
bronze-dight armour ringing harshly round him, and Teucer sprang
forward with intent to strip him of his armour; but as he was doing so,
Hector took aim at him with a spear. Teucer saw the spear coming and
swerved aside, whereon it hit Amphimachus, son of Cteatus son of Actor,
in the chest as he was coming into battle, and his armour rang rattling
round him as he fell heavily to the ground. Hector sprang forward to
take Amphimachus's helmet from off his temples, and in a moment Ajax
threw a spear at him, but did not wound him, for he was encased all
over in his terrible armour; nevertheless the spear struck the boss of
his shield with such force as to drive him back from the two corpses,
which the Achaeans then drew off. Stichius and Menestheus, captains of
the Athenians, bore away Amphimachus to the host of the Achaeans, while
the two brave and impetuous Ajaxes did the like by Imbrius. As two
lions snatch a goat from the hounds that have it in their fangs, and
bear it through thick brushwood high above the ground in their jaws,
thus did the Ajaxes bear aloft the body of Imbrius, and strip it of its
armour. Then the son of Oileus severed the head from the neck in
revenge for the death of Amphimachus, and sent it whirling over the
crowd as though it had been a ball, till it fell in the dust at
Hector's feet.

Neptune was exceedingly angry that his grandson Amphimachus should have
fallen; he therefore went to the tents and ships of the Achaeans to
urge the Danaans still further, and to devise evil for the Trojans.
Idomeneus met him, as he was taking leave of a comrade, who had just
come to him from the fight, wounded in the knee. His fellow-soldiers
bore him off the field, and Idomeneus having given orders to the
physicians went on to his tent, for he was still thirsting for battle.
Neptune spoke in the likeness and with the voice of Thoas son of
Andraemon who ruled the Aetolians of all Pleuron and high Calydon, and
was honoured among his people as though he were a god. "Idomeneus,"
said he, "lawgiver to the Cretans, what has now become of the threats
with which the sons of the Achaeans used to threaten the Trojans?"

And Idomeneus chief among the Cretans answered, "Thoas, 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 almighty
Jove that the Achaeans should perish ingloriously here far from Argos:
you, Thoas, have been always 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 Neptune lord of the earthquake made answer, "Idomeneus, may he
never return from Troy, but remain here for dogs to batten upon, who is
this day wilfully slack in fighting. Get your armour and go, we must
make all haste together if we may be of any use, though we are only
two. Even cowards gain courage from companionship, and we two can hold
our own with the bravest."

Therewith the god went back into the thick of the fight, and Idomeneus
when he had reached his tent donned his armour, grasped his two spears,
and sallied forth. As the lightning which the son of Saturn brandishes
from bright Olympus when he would show a sign to mortals, and its gleam
flashes far and wide--even so did his armour gleam about him as he ran.
Meriones his sturdy squire met him while he was still near his tent
(for he was going to fetch his spear) and Idomeneus said:

"Meriones, fleet son of Molus, best of comrades, why have you left the
field? Are you wounded, and is the point of the weapon hurting you? or
have you been sent to fetch me? I want no fetching; I had far rather
fight than stay in my tent."

"Idomeneus," answered Meriones, "I come for a spear, if I can find one
in my tent; I have broken the one I had, in throwing it at the shield
of Deiphobus."

And Idomeneus captain of the Cretans answered, "You will find one
spear, or twenty if you so please, standing up against the end wall of
my tent. I have taken them from Trojans whom I have killed, for I am
not one to keep my enemy at arm's length; therefore I have spears,
bossed shields, helmets, and burnished corslets."

Then Meriones 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 have held my own
among the foremost. There may be those among the Achaeans who do not
know how I fight, but you know it well enough yourself."

Idomeneus answered, "I know you for a brave man: you need not tell me.
If the best men at the ships were being chosen to go on an ambush--and
there is nothing like this for showing what a man is made of; it comes
out then who is cowardly and who brave; the coward will change colour
at every touch and turn; he is full of fears, and keeps shifting his
weight first on one knee and 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 colour nor be frightened on
finding himself in ambush, but is all the time longing to go into
action--if the best men were being chosen for such a service, no one
could 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 a 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 Meriones, peer of Mars, went to the tent and got himself a
spear of bronze. He then followed after Idomeneus, big with great deeds
of valour. As when baneful Mars sallies forth to battle, and his son
Panic 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 Ephyri or the brave Phlegyans, but they will not listen to
both the contending hosts, and will give victory to one side or to the
other--even so did Meriones and Idomeneus, captains of men, go out to
battle clad in their bronze armour. Meriones was first to speak. "Son
of Deucalion," said he, "where would you have us begin fighting? On the
right wing of the host, in the centre, or on the left wing, where I
take it the Achaeans will be weakest?"

Idomeneus answered, "There are others to defend the centre--the two
Ajaxes and Teucer, who is the finest archer of all the Achaeans, and is
good also in a hand-to-hand fight. These will give Hector son of Priam
enough to do; fight as he may, he will find it hard to vanquish their
indomitable fury, and fire the ships, unless the son of Saturn fling a
firebrand upon them with his own hand. Great Ajax son of Telamon will
yield to no man who is in mortal mould and eats the grain of Ceres, if
bronze and great stones can overthrow him. He would not yield even to
Achilles in hand-to-hand fight, and in fleetness of foot there is none
to beat him; let us turn therefore towards the left wing, that we may
know forthwith whether we are to give glory to some other, or he to us."

Meriones, peer of fleet Mars, then led the way till they came to the
part of the host which Idomeneus had named.

Now when the Trojans saw Idomeneus coming on like a flame of fire, him
and his squire clad in their richly wrought armour, they shouted and
made towards him all in a body, and a furious hand-to-hand fight raged
under the ships' sterns. 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 the combat, and might and main
did they hack at each other with spear and sword throughout the host.
The field bristled with the long and deadly spears which they bore.
Dazzling was the sheen of their gleaming helmets, their fresh-burnished
breastplates, and glittering shields as they joined battle with one
another. Iron indeed must be his courage who could take pleasure in the
sight of such a turmoil, and look on it without being dismayed.

Thus did the two mighty sons of Saturn devise evil for mortal heroes.
Jove was minded to give victory to the Trojans and to Hector, so as to
do honour to fleet Achilles, nevertheless he did not mean to utterly
overthrow the Achaean host before Ilius, and only wanted to glorify
Thetis and her valiant son. Neptune on the other hand went about among
the Argives to incite them, having come up from the grey sea in secret,