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

you will be guided by us, not to stay your hand from fighting till
you have pent the Trojan host within the famed walls of Ilius--as many
of them as may escape. Then kill Hector and go back to the ships, for
we will vouchsafe you a triumph over him."

When they had so said they went back to the other immortals, but
Achilles strove onward over the plain, encouraged by the charge the
gods had laid upon him. All was now covered with the flood of waters,
and much goodly armour of the youths that had been slain was rifting
about, as also many corpses, but he forced his way against the stream,
speeding right onwards, nor could the broad waters stay him, for
Minerva had endowed him with great strength. Nevertheless Scamander did
not slacken in his pursuit, but was still more furious with the son of
Peleus. He lifted his waters into a high crest and cried aloud to
Simois saying, "Dear brother, let the two of us unite to save this man,
or he will sack the mighty city of King Priam, and the Trojans will not
hold out against him. Help me at once; fill your streams with water
from their sources, rouse all your torrents to a fury; raise your wave
on high, and let snags and stones come thundering down you that we may
make an end of this savage creature who is now lording it as though he
were a god. Nothing shall serve him longer, not strength nor
comeliness, nor his fine armour, which forsooth shall soon be lying low
in the deep waters covered over with mud. I will wrap him in sand, and
pour tons of shingle round him, so that the Achaeans shall not know how
to gather his bones for the silt in which I shall have hidden him, and
when they celebrate his funeral they need build no barrow."

On this he upraised his tumultuous flood high against Achilles,
seething as it was with foam and blood and the bodies of the dead. The
dark waters of the river stood upright and would have overwhelmed the
son of Peleus, but Juno, trembling lest Achilles should be swept away
in the mighty torrent, lifted her voice on high and called out to
Vulcan her son. "Crook-foot," she cried, "my child, be up and doing,
for I deem it is with you that Xanthus is fain to fight; help us at
once, kindle a fierce fire; I will then bring up the west and the white
south wind in a mighty hurricane from the sea, that shall bear the
flames against the heads and armour of the Trojans and consume them,
while you go along the banks of Xanthus burning his trees and wrapping
him round with fire. Let him not turn you back neither by fair words
nor foul, and slacken not till I shout and tell you. Then you may stay
your flames."

On this Vulcan kindled a fierce fire, which broke out first upon the
plain and burned the many dead whom Achilles had killed and whose
bodies were lying about in great numbers; by this means the plain was
dried and the flood stayed. As the north wind, blowing on an orchard
that has been sodden with autumn rain, soon dries it, and the heart of
the owner is glad--even so the whole plain was dried and the dead
bodies were consumed. Then he turned tongues of fire on to the river.
He burned the elms the willows and the tamarisks, the lotus also, with
the rushes and marshy herbage that grew abundantly by the banks of the
river. The eels and fishes that go darting about everywhere in the
water, these, too, were sorely harassed by the flames that cunning
Vulcan had kindled, and the river himself was scalded, so that he spoke
saying, "Vulcan, there is no god can hold his own against you. I cannot
fight you when you flare out your flames in this way; strive with me no
longer. Let Achilles drive the Trojans out of their city immediately.
What have I to do with quarrelling and helping people?"

He was boiling as he spoke, and all his waters were seething. As a
cauldron upon a large fire boils when it is melting the lard of some
fatted hog, and the lard keeps bubbling up all over when the dry
faggots blaze under it--even so were the goodly waters of Xanthus
heated with the fire till they were boiling. He could flow no longer
but stayed his stream, so afflicted was he by the blasts of fire which
cunning Vulcan had raised. Then he prayed to Juno and besought her
saying, "Juno, why should your son vex my stream with such especial
fury? I am not so much to blame as all the others are who have been
helping the Trojans. I will leave off, since you so desire it, and let
your son leave off also. Furthermore I swear never again will I do
anything to save the Trojans from destruction, not even when all Troy
is burning in the flames which the Achaeans will kindle."

As soon as Juno heard this she said to her son Vulcan, "Son Vulcan,
hold now your flames; we ought not to use such violence against a god
for the sake of mortals."

When she had thus spoken Vulcan quenched his flames, and the river went
back once more into his own fair bed.

Xanthus was now beaten, so these two left off fighting, for Juno stayed
them though she was still angry; but a furious quarrel broke out among
the other gods, for they were of divided counsels. They fell on one
another with a mighty uproar--earth groaned, and the spacious firmament
rang out as with a blare of trumpets. Jove heard as he was sitting on
Olympus, and laughed for joy when he saw the gods coming to blows among
themselves. They were not long about beginning, and Mars piercer of
shields opened the battle. Sword in hand he sprang at once upon Minerva
and reviled her. "Why, vixen," said he, "have you again set the gods by
the ears in the pride and haughtiness of your heart? Have you forgotten
how you set Diomed son of Tydeus on to wound me, and yourself took
visible spear and drove it into me to the hurt of my fair body? You
shall now suffer for what you then did to me."

As he spoke he struck her on the terrible tasselled aegis--so terrible
that not even can Jove's lightning pierce it. Here did murderous Mars
strike her with his great spear. She drew back and with her strong hand
seized a stone that was lying on the plain--great and rugged and
black--which men of old had set for the boundary of a field. With this
she struck Mars on the neck, and brought him down. Nine roods did he
cover in his fall, and his hair was all soiled in the dust, while his
armour rang rattling round him. But Minerva laughed and vaunted over
him saying, "Idiot, have you not learned how far stronger I am than
you, but you must still match yourself against me? Thus do your
mother's curses now roost upon you, for she is angry and would do you
mischief because you have deserted the Achaeans and are helping the
Trojans."

She then turned her two piercing eyes elsewhere, whereon Jove's
daughter Venus took Mars by the hand and led him away groaning all the
time, for it was only with great difficulty that he had come to himself
again. When Queen Juno saw her, she said to Minerva, "Look, daughter of
aegis-bearing Jove, unweariable, that vixen Venus is again taking Mars
through the crowd out of the battle; go after her at once."

Thus she spoke. Minerva sped after Venus with a will, and made at her,
striking her on the bosom with her strong hand so that she fell
fainting to the ground, and there they both lay stretched at full
length. Then Minerva vaunted over her saying, "May all who help the
Trojans against the Argives prove just as redoubtable and stalwart as
Venus did when she came across me while she was helping Mars. Had this
been so, we should long since have ended the war by sacking the strong
city of Ilius."

Juno smiled as she listened. Meanwhile King Neptune turned to Apollo
saying, "Phoebus, why should we keep each other at arm's length? it is
not well, now that the others have begun fighting; it will be
disgraceful to us if we return to Jove's bronze-floored mansion on
Olympus without having fought each other; therefore come on, you are
the younger of the two, and I ought not to attack you, for I am older
and have had more experience. Idiot, you have no sense, and forget how
we two alone of all the gods fared hardly round about Ilius when we
came from Jove's house and worked for Laomedon a whole year at a stated
wage and he gave us his orders. I built the Trojans the wall about
their city, so wide and fair that it might be impregnable, while you,
Phoebus, herded cattle for him in the dales of many valleyed Ida. When,
however, the glad hours brought round the time of payment, mighty
Laomedon robbed us of all our hire and sent us off with nothing but
abuse. He threatened to bind us hand and foot and sell us over into
some distant island. He tried, moreover, to cut off the ears of both of
us, so we went away in a rage, furious about the payment he had
promised us, and yet withheld; in spite of all this, you are now
showing favour to his people, and will not join us in compassing the
utter ruin of the proud Trojans with their wives and children."

And King Apollo answered, "Lord of the earthquake, you would have no
respect for me if I were to fight you about a pack of miserable
mortals, who come out like leaves in summer and eat the fruit of the
field, and presently fall lifeless to the ground. Let us stay this
fighting at once and let them settle it among themselves."

He turned away as he spoke, for he would lay no hand on the brother of
his own father. But his sister the huntress Diana, patroness of wild
beasts, was very angry with him and said, "So you would fly,
Far-Darter, and hand victory over to Neptune with a cheap vaunt to
boot. Baby, why keep your bow thus idle? Never let me again hear you
bragging in my father's house, as you have often done in the presence
of the immortals, that you would stand up and fight with Neptune."

Apollo made her no answer, but Jove's august queen was angry and
upbraided her bitterly. "Bold vixen," she cried, "how dare you cross me
thus? For all your bow you will find it hard to hold your own against
me. Jove made you as a lion among women, and lets you kill them
whenever you choose. You will find it better to chase wild beasts and
deer upon the mountains than to fight those who are stronger than you
are. If you would try war, do so, and find out by pitting yourself
against me, how far stronger I am than you are."

She caught both Diana's wrists with her left hand as she spoke, and
with her right she took the bow from her shoulders, and laughed as she
beat her with it about the ears while Diana wriggled and writhed under
her blows. Her swift arrows were shed upon the ground, and she fled
weeping from under Juno's hand as