The Iliads of Homer Translated according to the Greek · Homer
ANOTHER ARGUMENT
Amongst the high munition heap, a mighty marble stone Lay highest, near the pinnacle, a stone of such a paise That one of this time’s strongest men with both hands could not raise, Yet this did Ajax rouse and throw, and all in sherds did drive Epicles’ four-topp’d casque and skull; who (as ye see one dive In some deep river) left his height; life left his bones withal. Teucer shot Glaucus, rushing up yet higher on the wall, Where naked he discern’d his arm, and made him steal retreat From that hot service, lest some Greek, with an insulting threat, Beholding it, might fright the rest. Sarpedon much was griev’d At Glaucus parting, yet fought on, and his great heart reliev’d A little with Alcmaon’s blood, surnam’d Thestorides, Whose life he hurl’d out with his lance; which following through the prease He drew from him. Down from the tow’r Alcmaon dead it strook; His fair arms ringing out his death. Then fierce Sarpedon took In his strong hand the battlement, and down he tore it quite, The wall stripp’d naked, and broad way for entry and full fight He made the many.
Against him Ajax and Teucer made; Teucer the rich belt on his breast did with a shaft invade; But Jupiter averted death, who would not see his son Die at the tails of th’ Achive ships. Ajax did fetch his run, And, with his lance, strook through the targe of that brave Lycian king; Yet kept he it from further pass, nor did it anything Dismay his mind, although his men stood off from that high way His valour made them, which he kept, and hop’d that stormy day Should ever make his glory clear. His men’s fault thus he blam’d: “O Lycians, why are your hot spirits so quickly disinflam’d? Suppose me ablest of you all, ’tis hard for me alone To ruin such a wall as this, and make confusion Way to their navy. Lend your hands. What many can dispatch, One cannot think. The noble work of many hath no match.”
The wise king’s just rebuke did strike a rev’rence to his will Through all his soldiers; all stood in, and ’gainst all th’ Achives still Made strong their squadrons, insomuch, that to the adverse side, The work show’d mighty, and the wall, when ’twas within descried, No easy service; yet the Greeks could neither free their wall Of these brave Lycians, that held firm the place they first did scale; Nor could the Lycians from their fort the sturdy Grecians drive, Nor reach their fleet. But as two men about the limits strive Of land that toucheth in a field, their measures in their hands, They mete their parts out curiously, and either stiffly stands That so far is his right in law, both hugely set on fire About a passing-little ground; so, greedily aspire Both these foes to their sev’ral ends, and all exhaust their most About the very battlements (for yet no more was lost ).[4] With sword and fire they vex’d for them their targes hugely round, With ox-hides lin’d, and bucklers light; and many a ghastly wound The stern steel gave for that one prise; whereof though some receiv’d Their portions on their naked backs, yet others were bereav’d Of brave lives, face-turn’d, through their shields; tow’rs, bulwarks, ev’rywhere Were freckled with the blood of men.
Nor yet the Greeks did bear Base back-turn’d faces; nor their foes would therefore be out-fac’d. But as a spinster poor and just, ye sometimes see, straight-lac’d About the weighing of her web, who, careful, having charge For which she would provide some means, is loth to be too large In giving or in taking weight, but ever with her hand Is doing with the weights and wool, till both in just paise stand;[5] So ev’nly stood it with these foes, till Jove to Hector gave The turning of the scales; who first against the rampire drave, And spake so loud that all might hear: “O stand not at the pale, Brave Trojan friends, but mend your hands; up, and break through the wall, And make a bonfire of their fleet.” All heard, and all in heaps Got scaling-ladders, and aloft.
In mean space, Hector leaps Upon the port, from whose out-part he tore a massy stone, Thick downwards, upward edg’d; it was so huge an one That two vast yeomen of most strength, such as these times beget,[6] Could not from earth lift to a cart, yet he did brandish it Alone, Saturnius made it light; and swinging it as nought, He came before the planky gates, that all for strength were wrought, And kept the port; two-fold they were, and with two rafters barr’d, High, and strong-lock’d; he rais’d the stone, bent to the hurl so hard, And made it with so main a strength, that all the gates did crack, The rafters left them, and the folds one from another brake, The hinges piecemeal flew, and through the fervent little rock Thunder’d a passage; with his weight th’ inwall his breast did knock, And in rush’d Hector, fierce and grim as any stormy night; His brass arms round about his breast reflected terrible light; Each arm held-up held each a dart; his presence call’d up all The dreadful spirits his being held, that to the threaten’d wall None but the Gods might check his way; his eyes were furnaces; And thus he look’d back, call’d in all. All fir’d their courages, And in they flow’d. The Grecians fled, their fleet now and their freight Ask’d all their rescue. Greece went down; Tumult was at his height.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.