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Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

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<strong>Homer</strong>’s <strong>Iliad</strong><br />

as he is and in my present mind, either he or I should soon bear<br />

away the prize of victory<br />

On this, all of them as one man stood near him, shield on shoulder.<br />

Aeneas on the other side called to his comrades, looking towards<br />

Deiphobus, Paris, and Agenor, who were leaders of the Trojans<br />

along with himself, and the people followed them as sheep follow<br />

the ram when they go down to drink after they have been feeding,<br />

and the heart of the shepherd is glad- even so was the heart of<br />

Aeneas gladdened when he saw his people follow him.<br />

Then they fought furiously in close combat about the body of<br />

Alcathous, wielding their long spears; and the bronze armour<br />

about their bodies rang fearfully as they took aim at one another in<br />

the press of the fight, while the two heroes Aeneas and Idomeneus,<br />

peers of Mars, outxied every one in their desire to hack at each<br />

other with sword and spear. Aeneas took aim first, but Idomeneus<br />

was on the lookout and avoided the spear, so that it sped from<br />

Aeneas’ strong hand in vain, and fell quivering in the ground.<br />

Idomeneus meanwhile smote Oenomaus in the middle of his belly,<br />

and broke the plate of his corslet, whereon his bowels came<br />

gushing out and he clutched the earth in the palms of his hands as<br />

he fell sprawling in the dust. Idomeneus drew his spear out of the<br />

body, but could not strip him of the rest of his armour for the rain<br />

of darts that were showered upon him: moreover his strength was<br />

now beginning to fail him so that he could no longer charge, and<br />

could neither spring forward to recover his own weapon nor<br />

swerve aside to avoid one that was aimed at him; therefore, though<br />

he still defended himself in hand-to-hand fight, his heavy feet<br />

could not bear him swiftly out of the battle. Deiphobus aimed a<br />

252

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