Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
course, and Thoon fell in the dust face upwards, stretching out his
hands imploringly towards his comrades. Antilochus sprang upon
him and stripped the armour from his shoulders, glaring round
him fearfully as he did so. The Trojans came about him on every
side and struck his broad and gleaming shield, but could not
wound his body, for Neptune stood guard over the son of Nestor,
though the darts fell thickly round him. He was never clear of the
foe, but was always in the thick of the fight; his spear was never
idle; he poised and aimed it in every direction, so eager was he to
hit some one from a distance or to fight him hand to hand.
As he was thus aiming among the crowd, he was seen by Adamas
son of Asius, who rushed towards him and struck him with a spear
in the middle of his shield, but Neptune made its point without
effect, for he grudged him the life of Antilochus. One half,
therefore, of the spear stuck fast like a charred stake in Antilochus’s
shield, while the other lay on the ground. Adamas then sought
shelter under cover of his men, but Meriones followed after and hit
him with a spear midway between the private parts and the navel,
where a wound is particualrly painful to wretched mortals. There
did Meriones transfix him, and he writhed convulsively about the
spear as some bull whom mountain herdsmen have bound with
ropes of withes and are taking away perforce. Even so did he move
convulsively for a while, but not for very long, till Meriones came
up and drew the spear out of his body, and his eyes were veiled in
darkness.
Helenus then struck Deipyrus with a great Thracian sword, hitting
him on the temple in close combat and tearing the helmet from his
head; the helmet fell to the ground, and one of those who were
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