Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
war, for lack of drivers who were lying on the plain, more useful
now to vultures than to their wives.
Jove drew Hector away from the darts and dust, with the carnage
and din of battle; but the son of Atreus sped onwards, calling out
lustily to the Danaans. They flew on by the tomb of old Ilus, son of
Dardanus, in the middle of the plain, and past the place of the wild
fig-tree making always for the city- the son of Atreus still shouting,
and with hands all bedrabbled in gore; but when they had reached
the Scaean gates and the oak tree, there they halted and waited for
the others to come up. Meanwhile the Trojans kept on flying over
the middle of the plain like a herd cows maddened with fright
when a lion has attacked them in the dead of night- he springs on
one of them, seizes her neck in the grip of his strong teeth and then
laps up her blood and gorges himself upon her entrails- even so
did King Agamemnon son of Atreus pursue the foe, ever
slaughtering the hindmost as they fled pell-mell before him. Many
a man was flung headlong from his chariot by the hand of the son
of Atreus, for he wielded his spear with fury.
But when he was just about to reach the high wall and the city, the
father of gods and men came down from heaven and took his seat,
thunderbolt in hand, upon the crest of many-fountained Ida. He
then told Iris of the golden wings to carry a message for him. “Go,”
said he, “fleet Iris, and speak thus to Hector- say that so long as he
sees Agamemnon heading his men and making havoc of the Trojan
ranks, he is to keep aloof and bid the others bear the brunt of the
battle, but when Agamemnon is wounded either by spear or arrow,
and takes to his chariot, then will I vouchsafe him strength to slay
till he reach the ships and night falls at the going down of the sun.”
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