Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
He poised his spear as he spoke, and hurled it from him. It struck
the sevenfold shield in its outermost layer- the eighth, which was
of bronze- and went through six of the layers but in the seventh
hide it stayed. Then Ajax threw in his turn, and struck the round
shield of the son of Priam. The terrible spear went through his
gleaming shield, and pressed onward through his cuirass of
cunning workmanship; it pierced the shirt against his side, but he
swerved and thus saved his life. They then each of them drew out
the spear from his shield, and fell on one another like savage lions
or wild boars of great strength and endurance: the son of Priam
struck the middle of Ajax’s shield, but the bronze did not break,
and the point of his dart was turned. Ajax then sprang forward and
pierced the shield of Hector; the spear went through it and
staggered him as he was springing forward to attack; it gashed his
neck and the blood came pouring from the wound, but even so
Hector did not cease fighting; he gave ground, and with his brawny
hand seized a stone, rugged and huge, that was lying upon the
plain; with this he struck the shield of Ajax on the boss that was in
its middle, so that the bronze rang again. But Ajax in turn caught
up a far larger stone, swung it aloft, and hurled it with prodigious
force. This millstone of a rock broke Hector’s shield inwards and
threw him down on his back with the shield crushing him under it,
but Apollo raised him at once. Thereon they would have hacked at
one another in close combat with their swords, had not heralds,
messengers of gods and men, come forward, one from the Trojans
and the other from the Achaeans- Talthybius and Idaeus both of
them honourable men; these parted them with their staves, and the
good herald Idaeus said, “My sons, fight no longer, you are both of
you valiant, and both are dear to Jove; we know this; but night is
now falling, and the behests of night may not be well gainsaid.”
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