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Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

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

hand and driven <strong>by</strong> mortal man, save only <strong>by</strong> Achilles, who is son<br />

to an immortal mother. Meanwhile Menelaus son of Atreus has<br />

bestridden the body of Patroclus and killed the noblest of the<br />

Trojans, Euphorbus son of Panthous, so that he can fight no more.”<br />

The god then went back into the toil and turmoil, but the soul of<br />

Hector was darkened with a cloud of grief; he looked along the<br />

ranks and saw Euphorbus lying on the ground with the blood still<br />

flowing from his wound, and Menelaus stripping him of his<br />

armour. On this he made his way to the front like a flame of fire,<br />

clad in his gleaming armour, and crying with a loud voice. When<br />

the son of Atreus heard him, he said to himself in his dismay,<br />

“Alas! what shall I do? I may not let the Trojans take the armour of<br />

Patroclus who has fallen fighting on my behalf, lest some Danaan<br />

who sees me should cry shame upon me. Still if for my honour’s<br />

sake I fight Hector and the Trojans single-handed, they will prove<br />

too many for me, for Hector is bringing them up in force. Why,<br />

however, should I thus hesitate? When a man fights in despite of<br />

heaven with one whom a god befriends, he will soon rue it. Let no<br />

Danaan think ill of me if I give place to Hector, for the hand of<br />

heaven is with him. Yet, if I could find Ajax, the two of us would<br />

fight Hector and heaven too, if we might only save the body of<br />

Patroclus for Achilles son of Peleus. This, of many evils would be<br />

the least.”<br />

While he was thus in two minds, the Trojans came up to him with<br />

Hector at their head; he therefore drew back and left the body,<br />

turning about like some bearded lion who is being chased <strong>by</strong> dogs<br />

and men from a stockyard with spears and hue and cry, whereon he<br />

is daunted and slinks sulkily off- even so did Menelaus son of<br />

335

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