But while this was doing, King Agamemnon went throughout the host,
and if he saw anyone stirring himself to get ready for the battle he
praised him and gave him good encouragement; but whomsoever he saw
halting and lingering and slothful, him he blamed and rebuked whether
he were common man or chief. The last that he came to was Diomed, son
of Tydeus, with Sthenelus, son of Capaneus, standing by his side. And
Agamemnon spake, “How is this, son of Tydeus? Shrinkest thou from the
battle? This was not thy father’s wont. I never saw him indeed, but
I have heard that he was braver than all other men. Once he came to
Mycenæ with great Polynices to gather allies against Thebes. And the
men of Mycenæ would have sent them, only Zeus showed evil signs from
heaven and forbade them. Then the Greeks sent Tydeus on an embassy
to Thebes, where he found many of the sons of Cadmus feasting in the
palace of Eteocles; but Tydeus was not afraid, though he was but one
among many. He challenged them to contend with him in sport, and in
everything he prevailed. But the sons of Cadmus bare it ill, and
they laid an ambush for Tydeus as he went back, fifty men with two
leaders--Mæon and Lycophon. But Tydeus slew them all, leaving only
Mæon alive, that he might carry back the tidings to Thebes. Such was
thy father; but his son is worse in battle, but better, it may be, in
speech.”
Nothing said Diomed, for he reverenced the king; but Sthenelus cried
out, “Why speakest thou false, King Agamemnon, knowing the truth? We
are not worse but better than our fathers. Did not we take Thebes,
though we had fewer men than they, who indeed took it not?” But Diomed
frowned and said, “Be silent, friend. I blame not King Agamemnon that
he rouses the Greeks to battle. Great glory will it be to him if they
take the city, and great loss if they be worsted. But it is for us to
be valiant.”
So he passed through all the host. And the Greeks went forward to the
battle, as the waves that curl themselves and then dash upon the shore,
throwing high the foam. In order they went after their chiefs; you had
thought them dumb, so silent were they. But the Trojans were like a
flock of ewes which wait to be milked, and bleat hearing the voice of
their lambs, so confused a cry went out from their army, for there
were men of many tongues gathered together. And on either side the gods
urged them on, but chiefly Athené the Greeks, and Ares the sons of
Troy. Then, as two streams in flood meet in some chasm, so the armies
dashed together, shield on shield and spear on spear.
Antilochus, son of Nestor, was the first to slay a man of Troy,
Echepolus by name, smiting him through the helmet into the forehead.
Like a tower he fell, and Elphenor the Euban sought to drag him away
that he might strip him of his arms. But Agenor smote him with his
spear as he stooped, so baring his side to a wound. Dreadful was the
fight around his body. Like wolves the Trojans and the Greeks rushed
upon each other. And Ajax Telamon slew Simoisius (so they called him,
because he was born on the banks of Simoïs). He fell as a poplar falls,
and Antiphon, son of King Priam, aimed at Ajax, but, missing him, slew
Leucus, the valiant comrade of Ulysses. And Ulysses, in great anger,
stalked through the foremost fighters, brandishing his spear, and the
sons of Troy gave way, and when he hurled it he slew Democoön, a son of
Priam. Then Hector and the foremost ranks of Troy were borne backward,
till Apollo cried from the heights of Pergamos, “On, Trojans! The flesh
of these Greeks is not stone or iron, that ye cannot pierce it. Know,
too, that the mighty Achilles does not fight to-day.” But on the other
side Athené urged on the Greeks to battle. Then Peiros the Thracian
slew Diores, first striking him to the ground with a huge stone, and
then piercing him with his spear; and him in turn Thoas of Ætolia slew,
but could not spoil of his arms, so strongly did the men of Thrace
defend the body. Then Athené roused Diomed to battle, making a fire
shine from his helmet, bright as Orion shines in the vintage time.
First there met him two warriors, sons of Dares, priest of Hephæstus,
Phegeus and Idæus, the one fighting on foot and the other from his
chariot. First Phegeus threw his spear and missed his aim; but Diomed
missed not, smiting him through the breast. And Idæus, when he saw his
brother fall, fled, Hephæstus saving him, lest the old man should be
altogether bereaved. And each of the chiefs slew a foe; but there was
none like Diomed, who raged through the battle so furiously that you
could not tell with which host he was, whether with the Greeks or with
the sons of Troy. Then Pandarus aimed an arrow at him, and smote him
in the right shoulder as he was rushing forward, and cried aloud, “On,
great-hearted sons of Troy, the bravest of the Greeks is wounded! Soon,
methinks, will his strength fail him, unless Apollo has deceived me.”
But Diomed cared not for the arrow. Only he leapt down from the chariot
and spake to Sthenelus, his charioteer, “Come down and draw this arrow
from my shoulder.” Then Sthenelus drew it, and the blood spirted out
from the wound. And Diomed prayed to Athené, “O goddess, if ever thou
hast helped me, be with me now, and grant me to slay this boaster whose
arrow has wounded me!” So speaking, he rushed into the ranks of the
Trojans, slaying a man at every stroke. Æneas saw him, and thought how
he might stay him in his course. So he passed through the host till he
found Pandarus. “Pandarus,” he said, “where are thy bow and arrows? See
how this man deals death through the ranks. Send a shaft at him, first
making thy prayer to Zeus.”
Then Pandarus answered,--
“This man, methinks, is Diomed. The shield and the helmet and the
horses are his. And yet I know not whether he is not a god. Some god,
at least, stands by him and guards him. But now I sent an arrow at him
and smote him on the shoulder, right through the corselet, and thought
that I had slain him; but lo! I have harmed him not at all. And now
I know not what to do, for here I have no chariot. Eleven, indeed,
there are at home, in the house of my father Lycaon, and the old man
was earnest with me that I should bring one of them; but I would not,
fearing for my horses, lest they should not have provender enough. So
I came, trusting in my bow, and lo! it has failed me these two times.
Two of the chiefs I have hit, Menelaüs and Diomed, and from each have
seen the red blood flow, yet have I not harmed them. Surely, if ever I
return safe to my home, I will break this useless bow.”
“Nay,” said Æneas, “talk not thus. Climb into my chariot, and see what
horses we have in Troy. They will carry us safe to the city, even
should Diomed prevail against us. But take the rein and the whip, and I
will fight; or, if thou wilt, fight thou, and I will drive.”
“Nay,” said Pandarus, “let the horses have the driver whom they know.
It might lose us both, should we turn to flee, and they linger or start
aside, missing their master’s voice.”
So Pandarus mounted the chariot and they drove together against Diomed.
And Sthenelus saw them coming, and said to his comrades--“I see two
mighty warriors, Lycaon and Æneas. It would be well that we should go
back to our chariot.”
But Diomed frowned and said, “Talk not of going back. Thou wilt talk
in vain to me. As for my chariot, I care not for it. As I am will I
go against these men. Both shall not return safe, even if one should
escape. But do thou stay my chariot where it is, tying the reins to the
rail; and if I slay these men, mount the chariot of Æneas and drive
into the hosts of the Greeks. There are no horses under the sun such as
these, for they are of the breed which Zeus himself gave to King Tros.”
Meanwhile Pandarus and Æneas were coming near, and Pandarus cast his
spear. Right through the shield of Diomed it passed, and reached the
corselet, and Pandarus cried,--
“Thou art hit in the loin. This, methinks, will lay thee low.”
“Nay,” said Diomed, “thou hast missed and not hit at all.”
And as he spake he threw his spear. Through nose and teeth and tongue
it passed, and stood out below the chin. Headlong from the chariot he
fell, and his armor clashed about him. Straightway Æneas leapt off
with spear and shield to guard the body of his friend, and stood as a
lion stands over a carcase. But Diomed lifted a great stone, such as
two men of our day could scarcely carry, and cast it. It struck Æneas
on the hip, crushing the bone. The hero stooped on his knee, clutching
the ground with his hand, and darkness covered his eyes. That hour he
had perished, but his mother Aphrodité caught him in her white arms and
threw her veil about him. But even so Diomed was loath to let his foe
escape, and knowing that the goddess was not of those who mingle in the
battle, he rushed on her and wounded her on the wrist, and the blood
gushed out--such blood (they call it _ichor_) as flows in the veins of
the immortal gods, who eat not the meat and drink not the drink of men.
With a loud shriek she dropped her son, but Apollo caught him up and
covered him with a dark mist, lest perchance one of the Greeks should
spy him and slay him. And still Diomed pursued. Thrice he rushed on,
and thrice Apollo pushed back his shining shield; but the fourth time
the god cried to him,--
“Be wise, son of Tydeus, and give way, nor think to match the gods.”
And Diomed gave way, fearing the wrath of the far-shooting bow. But
Apollo carried Æneas out of the battle, and laid him down in his own
temple in the citadel of Troy, and there Artemis and Latona healed
him of his wound. And all the while the Trojans and the Greeks were
fighting, as they thought, about his body, for Apollo had made a
likeness of the hero and thrown it down in their midst. Then Sarpedon
the Lycian spake to Hector with bitter words,--
“Where are thy boasts, Hector? Thou saidst that thou couldst guard thy
city, without thy people or thy allies, thou alone, with thy brothers
and thy brothers-in-law. But I cannot see even one of them. They go
and hide themselves, as dogs before a lion. It is we, your allies, who
maintain the battle. I have come from far to help thy people,--from
Lycia, where I left wife and child and wealth,--nor do I shrink from
the fight, but thou shouldst do thy part.”
And the words stung Hector to the heart. He leapt from his chariot and
went through the host, urging them to the battle. And on the other side
the Greeks strengthened themselves. But Ares brought back Æneas whole
from his wound, and gave him courage and might. Right glad were his
comrades to see him, nor did they ask him any question; scant leisure
was there for questions that day. Then were done many valiant deeds,
nor did any bear himself more bravely than Æneas. Two chieftains of
the Greeks he slew, Crethon and Orsilochus, who came from the banks of
Alpheüs. Sore vexed was Menelaüs to see them fall, and he rushed to
avenge them, Ares urging him on, for he hoped that Æneas would slay
him. But Antilochus, Nestor’s son, saw him go, and hasted to his side
that he might help him. So they went and slew Pylæmenes, King of the
Paphlagonians, and Medon, his charioteer. Then Hector rushed to the
front, and Ares was by his side. Diomed saw him, and the god also, for
his eyes were opened that day, and he fell back a space and cried,--
“O my friends! here Hector comes; nor he alone, but Ares is with him in
the shape of a mortal man. Let us give place, still keeping our faces
to the foe, for men must not fight with gods.”
Then drew near to each other Sarpedon the Lycian and Tlepolemus, the
son of Hercules, the one a son and the other a grandson of Zeus. First
Tlepolemus spake,--
“What art thou doing here, Sarpedon? Surely ’tis a false report that
thou art a son of Zeus. The sons of Zeus in the old days were better
men than thou art, such as my father Hercules, who came to this city
when Laomedon would not give him the horses which he had promised, and
brake down the walls and wasted the streets. No help, methinks, wilt
thou be to the sons of Troy, slain here by my hands.”
But Sarpedon answered, “He indeed spoiled Troy, for Laomedon did him
grievous wrong. But thou shalt not fare so, but rather meet with thy
death.”
Then they both hurled their spears, aiming truly, both of them. For
Sarpedon smote Tlepolemus in the neck, piercing it through so that he
fell dead, and Tlepolemus smote Sarpedon in the left thigh, driving the
spear close to the bone, but slaying him not, his father Zeus warding
off the doom of death. And his comrades carried him out of the battle,
sorely burdened with the spear, which no one had thought to take out of
the wound. And as he was borne along, Hector passed by, and Sarpedon
rejoiced to see him, and cried,--
“Son of Priam, suffer me not to become a prey to the Greeks; let me
at least die in your city, for Lycia I may see no more, nor wife, nor
child.”
But Hector heeded him not, so eager was he for the battle. So his
comrades carried him to the great beech-tree and laid him down, and
one of them drew the spear out of his thigh. When it was drawn out he
fainted, but the cool north wind blew and revived him, and he breathed
again.
But all the while Hector, with Ares at his side, dealt death and
destruction through the ranks of the Greeks. Heré and Athené saw him
where they sat on the top of Olympus, and were wroth. So they went to
Father Zeus and prayed that it might be lawful to them to stop him in
his fury. And Zeus said, “Be it as you will.” So they yoked the horses
to the chariot of Heré and passed down to earth, the horses flying at
every stride over so much space as a man sees who sits upon a cliff
and looks across the sea to where it meets the sky. They alighted on
the spot where the two rivers Simoïs and Scamander join their streams.
There they loosed the horses from the yoke, and then sped like doves
to where the bravest of the Greeks stood round King Diomed. There Heré
took the shape of Stentor with the lungs of bronze, whose voice was as
the voice of fifty men, and cried, “Shame, men of Greece! When Achilles
went to the battle, the men of Troy came not beyond the gates, but now
they fight far from the city, even by the ships.” But Athené went
to Diomed where he stood wiping away the blood from the wound where
Pandarus had struck him with the arrow. And she spake, “Surely the son
of Tydeus is little like to his sire. Small of stature was he, but a
keen fighter. But thou--whether it be weariness or fear that keeps thee
back I know not--canst scarcely be a true son of Tydeus.”
But Diomed answered, “Nay, great goddess, for I know thee who thou art,
daughter of Zeus, it is not weariness or fear that keeps me back. ’Tis
thy own command that I heed. Thou didst bid me fight with none other
of the immortal gods but only with Aphrodité, should she come to the
battle. Therefore I give place, for I see Ares lording it through the
ranks of war.”
“Heed not Ares; drive thy chariot at him, and smite him with the spear.
This very morning he promised that he would help the Greeks, and now he
hath changed his purpose.”
And as she spake she pushed Sthenelus, who drove the chariot, so that
he leapt out upon the ground, and she mounted herself and caught the
reins and lashed the horses. So the two went together, and they found
Ares where he had just slain Periphas the Ætolian. But Athené had
donned the helmet of Hades, which whosoever puts on straightway becomes
invisible, for she would not that Ares should see her who she was. The
god saw Diomed come near, and left Periphas, and cast his spear over
the yoke of the chariot, eager to slay the hero. But Athené caught the
spear in her hand, and turned it aside, so that it flew vainly through
the air. Then Diomed in turn thrust forward his spear, and Athené
leant upon it, so that it pierced the loin of Ares where his girdle
was clasped. And Ares shouted with the pain, loud as a host of men,
thousands nine or ten, shouts when it joins in battle. And the Greeks
and Trojans trembled as they heard. And Diomed saw the god go up to
Olympus as a thunder-cloud goes up when the wind of the south blows hot.
But when Ares had departed the Greeks prevailed again, slaying many of
the sons of Troy and of their allies. But at last Helenus, the wise
seer, spake to Hector and Æneas,--
“Cause the army to draw back to the walls, and go through the ranks and
give them such strength and courage as ye may. And do thou, Hector,
when thou hast so done, pass into the city, and bid thy mother go with
the daughters of Troy, and take the costliest robe that she hath,
and lay it on the knees of Athené in her temple, vowing therewith to
sacrifice twelve heifers, if perchance she may have pity upon us, and
keep this Diomed from our walls. Surely there is no Greek so strong as
he; we did not fear even Achilles’ self so much as we fear this man
to-day, so dreadful is he and fierce. Go, and we will make such stand
meanwhile as we can.”
Then Hector passed through the ranks, bidding them be of good heart,
and so departed to the city.
But when he was gone, Glaucus the Lycian and Diomed met in the space
between the two hosts. And Diomed said,--
“Who art thou that meetest me thus? for never have I seen thee before.
If thou art a man, know that luckless are the fathers whose sons meet
my spear. But if thou art a god, I will not fight with thee. It fares
ill with them that fight with gods.”
Then Glaucus answered, “Diomed, why askest thou of my race? The races
of men are as the leaves of the forest which the wind blows to the
earth, and lo! in the spring they shoot forth again. Yet, if thou
wouldst know it, hearken to my words. There is a city Ephyra in the
land of Argos, where Sisyphus dwelt, who was the craftiest of men;
and Sisyphus begat Glaucus, and Glaucus, Bellerophon. Now Bellerophon
was the fairest and most valiant of men. And Queen Antea accused him
falsely to her husband, King Prœtus. Whereupon the king sent him to his
father-in-law, who was king of Lycia, and gave him a tablet, whereon
were written letters of death, so that the king having read them should
cause him to be slain. So Bellerophon came to Lycia. And for nine days
the king feasted him, but on the tenth he asked for the tablet. And
when he had read it, he sought how he might slay him. For first he sent
him to subdue the Chimæra. Now the Chimæra was a marvellous thing,
having the forepart of a lion, and the body of a goat, and the tail of
a snake. And afterwards he sent him against the Solymi, who are the
fiercest warriors of all that dwell on the earth. And his third labor
was that he slew the Amazons. And as he was returning the king set
an ambush for him, yet harmed him not, for Bellerophon slew all the
men that lay in wait for him. Then the king knew him to be a good man
and of the race of the gods. Wherefore he kept him, and gave him his
daughter to wife, and with her the half of his kingdom; and the Lycians
gave him a fair domain of orchard and plough-land. Now Bellerophon had
three children--Laodamia, who bare Sarpedon to Zeus; and Isander, whom
Ares slew in battle against the Solymi; and Hippolochus, my father, who
sent me hither, bidding me ever bear myself bravely, nor shame the race
of my fathers.”
This Diomed was right glad to hear, and cried, “Nay, but thou art a
friend by inheritance. For in former times Œneus, my grandfather,
feasted Bellerophon for twenty days, and gave him a belt broidered with
purple, and Bellerophon gave him a great cup with two mouths, which
indeed I left behind me when I came hither. And now let us two make
agreement that we fight not with each other, for there are Trojans
enough whom I may slay, and there are Greeks enough for thee. And let
us also exchange our armor, that these men may know us to be friends by
inheritance.”
So they leapt down from their chariots and exchanged their armor. And
Zeus took away all wise counsel from the heart of Glaucus, so that he
gave golden armor for armor of bronze, the worth of a hundred oxen for
the worth of nine.
Hector came into the city by the Scæan gates, and as he went wives and
mothers crowded about him, asking how it had fared with their husbands
and sons. But he said nought, save to bid them pray; and indeed there
was sore news for many if he had told that which he knew. Then he came
to the palace of King Priam, and there he saw Hecuba, his mother, and
with her Laodicé, fairest of her daughters. She caught him by the hand
and said,--
“Why hast thou come from the battle, my son? Do the Greeks press thee
hard, and art thou minded to pray to Father Zeus from the citadel? Let
me bring thee honey-sweet wine, that thou mayest pour out before him,
aye, and that thou mayest drink thyself, and gladden thy heart.”
But Hector said, “Give me not wine, my mother, lest thou weaken my
knees and make me forget my courage. Nor must I pour out an offering
with Zeus thus, with unwashed hands. But do thou gather the mothers of
Troy together, and go to the temple of Athené, and take a robe, the
one that is the most precious and beautiful in thy stores, and lay it
on the knees of the goddess, and pray her to keep this dreadful Diomed
from the walls of Troy; and forget not to vow therewith twelve heifers
as a sacrifice. As for me, I will go and seek Paris, if perchance he
will come with me to the war. Would that the earth might open and
swallow him up, for of a truth he is a curse to King Priam and to Troy.”
So Queen Hecuba and the mothers of Troy did as Hector had bidden them.
But when they laid the robe on the knees of the goddess she would not
hear them.
And Hector went to the house of Paris, where it stood on the citadel,
near to his own dwelling and the dwelling of Priam. He found him busy
with his arms, and the fair Helen sat near him and gave their tasks to
her maidens.
But Hector spake: “Be not wroth, my brother. The people perish about
the wall, and the war burns hot round the city, and all for thy sake.
Rouse thee, lest it be consumed.”
And Paris answered, “Brother, thou hast spoken well. It was not in
wrath that I sat here. I was vexed at my sore defeat. But now my wife
has urged me to join the battle, and truly it is well, for victory
comes now to one and now to another. Wait thou, then, till I don my
arms, or if thou wouldst depart, I will overtake thee.”
So Hector departed and went to his own home, seeking his wife
Andromaché, but found her not, for she was on a tower of the wall with
her child and her child’s nurse, weeping sore for fear. And Hector
spake to the maids,--
“Tell me, whither went the white-armed Andromaché; to see some
sister-in-law, or to the temple of Athené with the mothers of Troy?”
“Nay,” said an aged woman, keeper of the house. “She went to one of
the towers of the wall, for she had heard that the Greeks were pressing
our people hard. She hasted like as she were mad, and the nurse carried
the child.”
So Hector ran through the city to the Scæan gates, and there Andromaché
spied him, and hasted to meet him--Andromaché, daughter of King Eëtion,
of Thebé-under-Placus. And with her was the nurse, bearing the young
child on her bosom--Hector’s only child, beautiful, headed as a star.
His father called him Scamandrius, after the river, but the sons of
Troy called him Astyanax, the “City-King,” because it was his father
who saved the city. Silently he smiled when he saw the child, but
Andromaché clasped his hand and wept, and said,--
“O Hector, thy courage will bring thee to death. Thou hast no pity on
thy wife and child, but sparest not thyself, and all the Greeks will
rush on thee and slay thee. It were better for me, losing thee, to die;
for I have no comfort but thee. My father is dead, for Achilles slew
him in Thebé--slew him but spoiled him not, so much he reverenced him.
With his arms he burnt him, and the mountain-nymphs planted poplars
about his grave. Seven brethren I had, and lo! they all fell in one day
by the hand of the great Achilles. And my mother, she is dead, for when
she had been ransomed, Artemis smote her with an arrow in her father’s
house. But thou art father to me, and mother and brother and husband
also. Have pity, then, and stay here upon the wall, lest thou leave me
a widow and thy child an orphan. And set the people here in array by
this fig-tree, where the city is easiest to be taken; for there come
the bravest of the Greeks, Ajax the Greater, and Ajax the Less, and
Idomeneus, and the two sons of Atreus, and the son of Tydeus.”
But Hector said, “Nay, let these things be my care. I would not that
any son or daughter of Troy should see me skulking from the war. And
my own heart loathes the thought, and bids me fight in the front. Well
I know, indeed, that Priam, and the people of Priam, and holy Troy,
will perish. Yet it is not for Troy, or for the people, or even for my
father or my mother that I care so much, as for thee in the day when
some Greek shall carry thee away captive, and thou shalt ply the loom
or carry the pitcher in the land of Greece. And some one shall say when
he sees thee, ‘This was Hector’s wife, who was the bravest of the sons
of Troy.’ May the earth cover me before that day!”
Then Hector stretched out his arms to his child. But the child drew
back into the bosom of his nurse with a loud cry, fearing the shining
bronze and the horse-hair plume which nodded awfully from his helmet
top. Then father and mother laughed aloud. And Hector took the helmet
from his head and laid it on the ground, and caught his child in his
hands, and kissed him and dandled him, praying aloud to Father Zeus and
all the gods.
“Grant, Father Zeus and all ye gods, that this child may be as I am,
great among the sons of Troy; and may they say some day, when they see
him carrying home the bloody spoils from the war, ‘A better man than
his father, this,’ and his mother shall be glad at heart.”
Then he gave the child to his mother, and she clasped him to her breast
and smiled a tearful smile. And her husband had pity on her, and
stroked her with his hand, and spake,--
“Be not troubled over much. No man shall slay me against the ordering
of fate; but as for fate, that, I trow, no man may escape, be he coward
or brave. But go, ply thy tasks, the shuttle and the loom, and give
their tasks to thy maidens, and let men take thought for the battle.”
Then Hector took up his helmet from the ground, and Andromaché went
her way to her home, oft turning back her eyes. And when she was come,
she and all her maidens wailed for the living Hector as though he were
dead, for she thought that she should never see him any more returning
safe from the battle.
And as Hector went his way, Paris came running, clad in shining arms,
like to some proud steed which has been fed high in his stall, and now
scours the plain with head aloft and mane streaming over his shoulders.
And he spake to Hector,--
“I have kept thee, I fear, when thou wast in haste, nor came at thy
bidding.”
But Hector answered, “No man can blame thy courage, only thou wilfully
heldest back from the battle. Therefore do the sons of Troy speak shame
of thee. But now let us go to the war.”
So they went together out of the gates, and fell upon the hosts of the
Greeks and slew many chiefs of fame, and Glaucus the Lycian went with
them.
Now when Athené saw that the Greeks were perishing by the hand of
Hector and his companions, it grieved her sore. So she came down from
the heights of Olympus, if haply she might help them. And Apollo met
her and said,--
“Art thou come, Athené, to help the Greeks whom thou lovest? Well, let
us stay the battle for this day; hereafter they shall fight till the
doom of Troy be accomplished.”
But Athené answered, “How shall we stay it?”
And Apollo said, “We will set on Hector to challenge the bravest of
the Greeks to fight with him, man to man.”
So they two put the matter into the mind of Helenus the seer. Then
Helenus went near to Hector:--
“Listen to me, for I am thy brother. Cause the rest of the sons of Troy
and of the Greeks to sit down, and do thou challenge the bravest of the
Greeks to fight with thee, man to man. And be sure thou shalt not fall
in the battle, for the will of the immortal gods is so.”
Then Hector greatly rejoiced, and passed to the front of the army,
holding his spear by the middle, and kept back the sons of Troy; and
King Agamemnon did likewise with his own people. Then Hector spake:--
“Hear me, sons of Troy, and ye men of Greece. The covenant that we made
one with another hath been broken, for Zeus would have it so, purposing
evil to both, till either you shall take our high-walled city, or we
shall conquer you by your ships. But let one of you who call yourselves
champions of the Greeks come forth and fight with me, man to man. And
let it be so that if he vanquish me he shall spoil me of my arms but
give my body to my people, that they may burn it with fire; and if I
vanquish him, I will spoil him of his arms but give his body to the
Greeks, that they may bury him and raise a great mound above him by the
broad salt river of Hellespont. And so men of after days shall see it,
sailing by, and say, ‘This is the tomb of the bravest of the Greeks,
whom Hector slew.’ So shall my name live for ever.”
But all the Greeks kept silence, fearing to meet him in battle, but
shamed to hold back. Then at last Menelaüs leapt forward and spake:--
“Surely now ye are women and not men. Foul shame it were should there
be no man to stand up against this Hector. Lo! I will fight with him
my own self, for the issues of battle are with the immortal gods.”
So he spake in his rage rashly, courting death, for Hector was much
stronger than he. Then King Agamemnon answered:--
“Nay, but this is folly, my brother. Seek not in thy anger to fight
with one that is stronger than thou; for as for this Hector, even
Achilles was loath to meet him. Sit thou down among thy comrades, and
the Greeks will find some champion who shall fight with him.”
And Menelaüs hearkened to his brother’s words, and sat down. Then
Nestor rose in the midst and spake:--
“Woe is me to-day for Greece! How would the old Peleus grieve to hear
such a tale! Well I remember how he rejoiced when I told him of the
house and lineage of all the chieftains of the Greeks, and now he would
hear that they cower before Hector, and are sore afraid when he calls
them to the battle. Surely he would pray this day that he might die!
Oh that I were such as I was in the old days, when the men of Pylos
fought with the Arcadians by the stream of Iardanus! Now the leader of
the Arcadians was Ereuthalion, and he wore the arms of Areïthous, whom
men called ‘Areïthous of the club,’ because he fought not with bow or
spear, but with a club of iron. Him Lycurgus slew, not by might but by
craft, taking him in a narrow place where his club of iron availed him
not, and smiting him with his spear. He slew him, and took his arms.
And when Lycurgus grew old he gave the arms to Ereuthalion to wear. So
Ereuthalion wore them, and challenged the men of Pylos to fight with
him. But they feared him. Only I, who was the youngest of all, stood
forth, and Athené gave me glory that day, for I slew him, though he was
the strongest and tallest among the sons of men. Would that I were
such to-day! Right soon would I meet this mighty Hector.”
Then rose up nine chiefs of fame. First of all, King Agamemnon, lord
of many nations, and next to him Diomed, son of Tydeus, and Ajax the
Greater and Ajax the Less, and then Idomeneus and Meriones, who was his
companion in arms, and Eurypylus, and Thoas, son of Andræmon, and the
wise Ulysses.
Then Nestor said, “Let us cast lots who shall do battle with the mighty
Hector.”
So they threw the lots into the helmet of King Agamemnon, a lot for
each. And the people prayed, “Grant, ye gods, that the lot of Ajax
the Greater may leap forth, or the lot of Diomed, or the lot of King
Agamemnon.” Then Nestor shook the lots in the helmet, and the one which
they most wished leapt forth. For the herald took it through the ranks
and showed it to the chiefs, but none knew it for his own till he came
to where Ajax the Greater stood among his comrades. But Ajax had marked
it with his mark, and put forth his hand for it, and claimed it, right
glad at heart. On the ground by his feet he threw it, and said,--
“Mine is the lot, my friends, and right glad I am, for I think that I
shall prevail over the mighty Hector. But come, let me don my arms; and
pray ye to Zeus, but silently, lest the Trojans hear, or aloud, if ye
will, for no fear have we. Not by force or craft shall any one vanquish
me, for not such are the men that Salamis breeds.”
So he armed himself and moved forwards, dreadful as Ares, smiling with
grim face. With mighty strides he came, brandishing his long-shafted
spear. And all the Greeks were glad to behold him, but the knees of the
Trojans were loosened with fear, and great Hector’s heart beat fast;
but he trembled not, nor gave place, seeing that he had himself called
him to battle. So Ajax came near, holding before the great shield,
like a wall, which Tychius, best of craftsmen, had made for him. Seven
folds of bull’s hide it had, and an eighth of bronze. Threateningly he
spake:--
“Now shalt thou know, Hector, what manner of men there are yet among
our chiefs, though Achilles the lion-hearted is far away, sitting idly
in his tent, in great wrath with King Agamemnon. Do thou, then, begin
the battle.”
“Speak not to me, Zeus-descended Ajax,” said Hector, “as though I were
a woman or a child, knowing nothing of war. Well I know all the arts of
battle, to ply my shield this way and that, to guide my car through the
tumult of steeds, and to stand fighting hand to hand. But I would not
smite so stout a foe by stealth, but openly, if it so befall.”
And as he spake he hurled his long shafted spear, and smote the great
shield on the rim of the eighth fold, that was of bronze. Through six
folds it passed, but in the seventh it was stayed. Then Ajax hurled his
spear, striking Hector’s shield. Through shield it passed and corselet,
and cut the tunic close against the loin; but Hector shrank away and
escaped the doom of death. Then, each with a fresh spear, they rushed
together like lions or wild boars of the wood. First Hector smote the
middle of the shield of Ajax, but pierced it not, for the spear-point
was bent back; then Ajax, with a great bound, drove his spear at
Hector’s shield and pierced it, forcing him back, and grazing his neck
so that the black blood welled out. Yet did not Hector cease from the
combat. A great stone and rough he caught up from the ground, and
hurled it at the boss of the seven-fold shield. Loud rang the bronze,
but the shield brake not. Then Ajax took a stone heavier by far, and
threw it with all his might. It brake the shield of Hector, and bore
him backwards, so that he fell at length with his shield above him. But
Apollo raised him up. Then did both draw their swords; but ere they
could join in close battle came the heralds, and held their sceptres
between them, and Idæus, the herald of Troy, spake:--
“Fight no more, my sons; Zeus loves you both, and ye are both mighty
warriors. That we all know right well. But now the night bids you
cease, and it is well to heed its bidding.”
Then said Ajax, “Nay, Idæus, but it is for Hector to speak, for he
called the bravest of the Greeks to battle. And as he wills it, so will
I.”
And Hector said, “O Ajax, the gods have given thee stature and strength
and skill, nor is there any better warrior among the Greeks. Let us
cease then from the battle; we may yet meet again, till the gods give
the victory to me or thee. And now let us give gifts the one to the
other, so that Trojans and Greeks may say--Hector and Ajax met in
fierce fight and parted in friendship.”
So Hector gave to Ajax a silver-studded sword with the scabbard and the
sword-belt, and Ajax gave to Hector a buckler splendid with purple.
So they parted. Right glad were the sons of Troy when they saw Hector
returning safe. Glad also were the Greeks, as they led Ajax rejoicing
in his victory to King Agamemnon. Whereupon the king called the chiefs
to banquet together, and bade slay an ox of five years old, and Ajax
he honored most of all, giving him the chine. And when the feast was
ended, Nestor said,--
“It were well that we should cease awhile from war and burn the dead,
for many, in truth, are fallen. And we will build a great wall, and
dig a trench about it, and we will make gates, wide that a chariot may
pass through, so that our ships may be safe, if the sons of Troy should
press us hard.”
But the next morning came a herald from Troy to the chiefs, as they sat
in council by the ship of King Agamemnon, and said,--
“This is the word of Priam and the men of Troy: Paris will give back
all the treasures of the fair Helen, and many more besides; but the
fair Helen herself he will not give. But if this please you not, grant
us a truce that we may bury our dead.”
Then Diomed spake, “Nay, we will not take the fair Helen’s self, for a
man may know, even though he be a fool, that the doom of Troy is come.”
And King Agamemnon said, “Herald, thou hast heard the word of the
Greeks, but as for the truce, be it as you will.”
So the next day they burnt their dead, and the Greeks made a wall with
gates and dug a trench about it. And when it was finished, even at
sunset, they made ready a meal, and lo! there came ships from Lemnos
bringing wine, and Greeks bought thereof, some with bronze, and some
with iron, and some with shields of ox hide. All night they feasted
right joyously. The sons of Troy also feasted in their city. But the
dreadful thunder rolled through the night, for Zeus was counselling
evil against them.