Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
Now the son of Tydeus was in pursuit of the Cyprian goddess,
spear in hand, for he knew her to be feeble and not one of those
goddesses that can lord it among men in battle like Minerva or
Enyo the waster of cities, and when at last after a long chase he
caught her up, he flew at her and thrust his spear into the flesh of
her delicate hand. The point tore through the ambrosial robe which
the Graces had woven for her, and pierced the skin between her
wrist and the palm of her hand, so that the immortal blood, or
ichor, that flows in the veins of the blessed gods, came pouring
from the wound; for the gods do not eat bread nor drink wine,
hence they have no blood such as ours, and are immortal. Venus
screamed aloud, and let her son fall, but Phoebus Apollo caught
him in his arms, and hid him in a cloud of darkness, lest some
Danaan should drive a spear into his breast and kill him; and
Diomed shouted out as he left her, “Daughter of Jove, leave war
and battle alone, can you not be contented with beguiling silly
women? If you meddle with fighting you will get what will make
you shudder at the very name of war.”
The goddess went dazed and discomfited away, and Iris, fleet as
the wind, drew her from the throng, in pain and with her fair skin
all besmirched. She found fierce Mars waiting on the left of the
battle, with his spear and his two fleet steeds resting on a cloud;
whereon she fell on her knees before her brother and implored him
to let her have his horses. “Dear brother,” she cried, “save me, and
give me your horses to take me to Olympus where the gods dwell.
I am badly wounded by a mortal, the son of Tydeus, who would
now fight even with father Jove.”
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