Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
lair whetting his white tusks- they attack him from every side and
can hear the gnashing of his jaws, but for all his fierceness they still
hold their ground- even so furiously did the Trojans attack Ulysses.
First he sprang spear in hand upon Deiopites and wounded him on
the shoulder with a downward blow; then he killed Thoon and
Ennomus. After these he struck Chersidamas in the loins under his
shield as he had just sprung down from his chariot; so he fell in the
dust and clutched the earth in the hollow of his hand. These he let
lie, and went on to wound Charops son of Hippasus own brother
to noble Socus. Socus, hero that he was, made all speed to help
him, and when he was close to Ulysses he said, “Far-famed
Ulysses, insatiable of craft and toil, this day you shall either boast
of having killed both the sons of Hippasus and stripped them of
their armour, or you shall fall before my spear.”
With these words he struck the shield of Ulysses. The spear went
through the shield and passed on through his richly wrought
cuirass, tearing the flesh from his side, but Pallas Minerva did not
suffer it to pierce the entrails of the hero. Ulysses knew that his
hour was not yet come, but he gave ground and said to Socus,
“Wretch, you shall now surely die. You have stayed me from
fighting further with the Trojans, but you shall now fall by my
spear, yielding glory to myself, and your soul to Hades of the
noble steeds.”
Socus had turned in flight, but as he did so, the spear struck him in
the back midway between the shoulders, and went right through
his chest. He fell heavily to the ground and Ulysses vaunted over
him saying, “O Socus, son of Hippasus tamer of horses, death has
been too quick for you and you have not escaped him: poor
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