Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
the river in panic when they saw their leader slain by the hands of
the son of Peleus. Therein he slew Thersilochus, Mydon,
Astypylus, Mnesus, Thrasius, Oeneus, and Ophelestes, and he
would have slain yet others, had not the river in anger taken
human form, and spoken to him from out the deep waters saying,
“Achilles, if you excel all in strength, so do you also in wickedness,
for the gods are ever with you to protect you: if, then, the son of
Saturn has vouchsafed it to you to destroy all the Trojans, at any
rate drive them out of my stream, and do your grim work on land.
My fair waters are now filled with corpses, nor can I find any
channel by which I may pour myself into the sea for I am choked
with dead, and yet you go on mercilessly slaying. I am in despair,
therefore, O captain of your host, trouble me no further.”
Achilles answered, “So be it, Scamander, Jove-descended; but I will
never cease dealing out death among the Trojans, till I have pent
them up in their city, and made trial of Hector face to face, that I
may learn whether he is to vanquish me, or I him.”
As he spoke he set upon the Trojans with a fury like that of the
gods. But the river said to Apollo, “Surely, son of Jove, lord of the
silver bow, you are not obeying the commands of Jove who
charged you straitly that you should stand by the Trojans and
defend them, till twilight fades, and darkness is over an the earth.”
Meanwhile Achilles sprang from the bank into mid-stream,
whereon the river raised a high wave and attacked him. He swelled
his stream into a torrent, and swept away the many dead whom
Achilles had slain and left within his waters. These he cast out on
to the land, bellowing like a bull the while, but the living he saved
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