by Homer
in battle where men win glory, who is by far a greater warrior than you.
But you now sit down, go to your band of companions,
the Achaeans will put forward another man as champion against him.
Even if he is fearless and even if he is insatiable for battle tumult,
I say that he will willingly kneel in rest, should he escape
from deadly war and grim battle.”
So speaking the warrior won over his brother’s heart,120
urging what was justified, and Menelaos obeyed. But when his
rejoicing henchmen took the armor from his shoulders,
Nestor stood and addressed the Argives:
“O look now, surely great trouble comes to the land of the Achaeans!
Surely the aged horseman Peleus would greatly lament,
the excellent counselor of the Myrmidons and their speaker,
who in days before, having questioned me in his house, greatly rejoiced
asking the birth and parentage of all the Argives.
If all these men, he now should hear, cowered before Hector,
he would raise his hands again and again to the immortals,130
to pray that his life-spirit leave his limbs to go down to the house of Hades.
Father Zeus, Athena and Apollo, if only
I were young, as when beside the swift-flowing river Keladon there fought
the gathered Pylians and the spear-fighting Arcadians
near the walls of Pheia, around the streams of Iardanos;
Ereuthalion stood as their champion, a man like to a god,
bearing on his shoulders the armor of lord Areïthoös,
godlike Areïthoös, he whom men and fair-belted women
called by the name Mace-Fighter,
because it was not with bows he used to fight, nor with the long spear,140
but with an iron mace he shattered battle lines.
Lykourgos slew him, by craft, not at all by strength,
in a narrow pass, where his mace did not ward off his destruction,
for all that it was iron; for Lykourgos got his blow in first,
and speared him through the middle, and he lay stretched face up upon the ground;
he stripped the armor that the brazen war god gave him,
which he himself then bore through the trial of war.
But when Lykourgos grew old within his halls,
he gave it to Ereuthalion his beloved henchman to wear;
and it was wearing his armor that Ereuthalion challenged all the best men.150
And they trembled greatly before him and were afraid, and no man dared,
but my much enduring spirit compelled me to fight
in reckless boldness; and in age I was the youngest of all;
and I—I did battle with him, and Athena granted my prayer.
And I killed him, the tallest and mightiest man;
a vast man who lay sprawled out from here to there.
Would that I were young as then, and my strength unfailing!
In short order would Hector of the shimmering helm find his fight!
But you men who are best of all Achaeans,
not even you with good heart seek to go against Hector.”160
Thus the old man reproached them, and nine men all stood up;
first by far to rise was the lord of men Agamemnon,
and after him the son of Tydeus rose, powerful Diomedes,
and after them the two Aiantes, wrapped in fierce courage,
and after them Idomeneus and the henchman of Idomeneus
Meriones, equal to the man-slaughtering war god Enyalios,
and after them Eurypylos, the splendid son of Euaimon,
and Thoas stood up, the son of Andraimon, and shining Odysseus;
since all these wished to fight with shining Hector.
These were the men the Gerenian horseman Nestor addressed:170
“Now shake the lots thoroughly to see who is chosen;
for that man will profit the strong-greaved Achaeans,
and he will profit his own spirit, if he escapes
from war’s destruction and dread battle.”
So he spoke, and each man marked his lot
and cast it into the helmet of Agamemnon son of Atreus.
And the army prayed, lifting their hands to the gods,
and thus would a man speak looking up to broad heaven:
“Father Zeus, grant that Ajax is chosen, or the son of Tydeus,
or he who is king of gold-rich Mycenae.”180
So they spoke, and Nestor, the Gerenian horseman, shook the lots;
and one leapt from the helmet, the one which the men themselves desired,
the lot of Ajax. A herald carrying it everywhere through the crowd,
displayed it, left to right, to all the best of the Achaeans;
but they not recognizing it, disavowed it, each man in turn.
But when at length, carrying it all about the crowd, he came to that man,
the man who had marked the lot and cast it in the helmet—glorious Ajax—
Ajax held out his hand, and the herald, standing close, dropped it in,
and Ajax recognized the lot, seeing the mark upon it, and rejoiced in his heart.
He flung it to the ground by his feet and spoke:190
“O friends, surely this lot is mine; myself, I am glad
in my heart, since I think that I will vanquish shining Hector.
But come, while I put on my war armor
do you pray to Zeus the son of lord Cronus,
in silence among yourselves, so that the Trojans may not know.
Or even openly, since in truth we fear no man.
For no one, for all his will, shall drive me away against my will by force,
nor by any skill—since that I lack knowledge in this respect
I do not think likely, born and raised as I was in Salamis.”
So he spoke; and the men prayed to Zeus the son of lord Cronus,200
and thus a man would speak looking up to broad heaven:
“Father Zeus, ruling from Mount Ida, most glorious, most mighty,
grant victory to Ajax and grant that he win a splendid triumph.
But if you love also Hector and have care for him,
give equal strength and equal glory to both.”
Thus they spoke. And Ajax armed himself with gleaming bronze.
But when he had sheathed his body in all his armor,
then he moved swiftly, and set forth like gigantic Ares,
who goes to war among men whom the son of Cronus
has pit together to do battle in heart-devouring strife.210
So did Ajax then start up, gigantic, bulwark of the Achaeans,
his face savage with its smile, he went with his feet beneath him,
taking long strides, shaking his long-shadowed spear.
And looking on him the Argives rejoiced greatly,
while dreadful trembling seized the limbs of the Trojans, every man;
And the heart in Hector’s own breast beat hard;
but still he did not have means to flee, nor to duck
back into the throng of men, since it was by will to fight he made the challenge.
Ajax drew near, bearing his shield like a tower,
bronze, of seven layers of oxhide, which had been made for him with toil by Tychios,220
best by far of leather workers, dwelling in his house in Hyle,
and who made for him the glistening shield of seven layers of hide
from well-fed bulls, and onto these he hammered an eighth of bronze.
Bearing this before his chest Telamonian Ajax
took his stand hard by Hector, and in a threatening voice addressed him:
“Hector, now will you know well, alone in single combat,
what kind of men are preeminent among the Danaans,
even besides Achilles the lionhearted, who shatters men.
He in his curved seagoing ships
sits idle, consumed with wrath for Agamemnon shepherd of the people,230
but we are such men as will fight against you,
and we are many. Come, make a start of battle and of fighting.”
Then answered him in turn great Hector of the shimmering helm:
“Ajax, son of Telamon born of Zeus, leader of the people,
do not make trial of me as if of some feeble boy
or woman, or one ignorant of deeds of war.
For I well know of battles and the killing of men;
I know how to wield to the right, to wield to the left my shield
of tanned hide, which is my strong shield in fighting.
I know how to charge at the tumult of swift horses,240
I know how in close fighting to dance for the deadly god of war.
But being the man you are I do not wish to strike you
in stealth, eyeing my chance, but rather openly, and take my chance.”
He spoke, and balancing the long-shadowed spear he hurled it,
and struck the dread shield of Ajax, of seven layers of hide,
on the outermost bronze, which was the eighth layer upon it.
Tearing through six layers the weariless bronze passed,
and stopped in the seventh hide. And next in turn
Zeus-descended Ajax hurled his long-shadowed spear,
and struck the circle of the son of Priam’s shield.250
The heavy spear ran through the gleaming shield,
and was forced through his elaborate breastplate;
straight through Hector’s tunic beside his ribs
the spear cut; but he bent aside and evaded dark death.
Then wrenching out the long-shadowed spears with their hands, they both together
fell on each other like lions who eat flesh,
or wild boars, whose strength does not flag.
And the son of Priam stabbed with his spear the middle of Ajax’s shield,
but the bronze did not penetrate, and its point bent back;
and Ajax springing forward thrust at Hector’s shield, and right through260
went the spear, and beat back Hector as he raged,
and grazed his neck as it came, and dark blood gushed forth.
Even so Hector of the shimmering helm did not relinquish battle,
and drawing back, he seized a stone in his massive hand
that lay on the plain, dark and jagged and huge.
With this he struck the dread, seven-layered hide shield of Ajax
on the boss in the middle, and the bronze rang out all around.
Then in turn lifting a far greater stone Ajax
hurled it, whirling about, so as to heave it hard;
he smashed Hector’s shield inward, striking it with a rock like a millstone,270
and broke the strength of Hector’s very knees; and he was laid out on his back
pressed by the shield; but straightway Apollo righted him,
and surely now with swords they would have been stabbing at close quarters,
had not the heralds, messengers of Zeus and men,
come up, one from the Trojans, the other from the bronze-clad Achaeans,
Talthybios and Idaios, both men of sound sense.
They held their staffs between both men, and
the herald Idaios, skilled in sound counsels, spoke:
“Fight no longer, my sons, nor do battle.
For Zeus who gathers the clouds loves you both,280
and you are both good spearmen; this we all surely know;
but night comes on already; and it is good to yield to night.”
Then answering him spoke Telamonian Ajax:
“Idaios, bid Hector declare these things;
for he it was who by his will to fight challenged all the best men.
Let him take the lead; and I heartily will yield to what this one decides.”
In reply, great Hector of the shimmering helm spoke to him:
“Ajax, since god gave you stature and strength
and good understanding, and with the spear you are most outstanding of Achaean men,
let us now stop the battle and fighting290
for today; later we shall fight again, until the power above
parts us, and grants victory to one side or the other.
Night comes on already; and it is good to yield to night,
and so you will make happy all the Achaeans by their ships
and most of all your own people and companions who are with you,
and I through the great city of lord Priam
will make happy the Trojans and Trojan women with their trailing robes,
who giving thanks on my account will enter the sacred place of assembly.
Come, let us give to each other illustrious gifts, both of us,
so that someone might speak in this way, Achaean and Trojan:300
‘The two fought in heart-devouring strife,
but then parted united in friendship.’”
So speaking, he gave over his silver-studded sword,
bringing with it the sheath and well-cut baldric;
and Ajax gave his war-belt bright with crimson.
Both separating, Ajax went among the Achaean people,
and Hector made his way to the company of Trojans; and they rejoiced,
when they saw him alive and unharmed as he came toward them,
escaping Ajax’s might and his invincible hands,
and they led him to the city, having despaired of his safety;310
in turn, for their part the strong-greaved Achaeans led Ajax,
he rejoicing in victory, to godlike Agamemnon.
And when they were all in the shelters of the son of Atreus,
the lord of men Agamemnon sacrificed an ox for them,
a male, five years of age, to the almighty son of Cronus;
they flayed it and dressed it properly
and skillfully sliced the flesh and pierced it on spits
and roasted it with care, and then drew off all the pieces.
And when they had ceased their work and prepared their meal,
they feasted, nor did any man’s appetite lack his due portion;320
and Ajax was honored with a gift of the whole unbroken chine
by the warrior son of Atreus, wide-ruling Agamemnon.
And when they had put away desire for eating and drinking,
the old man taking the lead began to weave his plan to them,
Nestor, whose counsel in time past had proved best,
and he in his wisdom spoke and addressed them:
“Son of Atreus and you others who are chiefs of all Achaeans,
so many long-haired Achaeans have died,
whose dark blood around the fair-flowing waters of Scamander
the sharp point of war has now scattered, and whose souls have gone down to the house of death;330
therefore, at dawn you must halt the war of the Achaeans,
and assembling them, let us cart the dead here
with oxen and mules; then let us burn them
at safe distance from the ships, so that each man carries bones
home for someone’s sons, whenever we return to our fatherland.
And let us make one common mound around the pyre, bringing
the material from the plain; and let us swiftly build against it
high ramparts, defense for the ships and for ourselves.
And in them let us build gates, close-fitting,
so there can be a road through them for driving horses.340
And outside, let us dig a deep ditch nearby,
which encircling round us could hold back horse and people,
so that the host of noble Trojans never crush us.”
So he spoke; and all the kings approved him.
And there was in turn an assembly of the Trojans on the heights
of Ilion,
a fear
ful one, stirred to panic, at Priam’s doors,
and to the Trojans Antenor, wise in understanding, began to speak:
“Hear me, Trojans and Dardanians and allies,
while I speak those things the spirit in my breast urges.
Come now, let us give Argive Helen and the possessions with her350
to the sons of Atreus to lead away. We fight now
having rendered false our sacred oaths; therefore nothing good for us
I think will be accomplished, unless we do this.”
So speaking in this way, he then sat down; and there stood among them
godlike Alexandros, husband of Helen of the lovely hair,
who answering him spoke swift flying words:
“Antenor, these things you declare are no longer pleasing to me.
You know how to think up some other speech better than this.
But if you now make this declaration truly, in earnest,
then the gods themselves have utterly deprived you of your wits.360
But I will speak out among the Trojans, breaker of horses.
And outright I say no; I will not give back the woman,
but her possessions, as many as I took out of Argos to our house,
all these I am willing to give, and to add yet others from my own house store.”
So speaking in this way, he then sat down; and there stood among them
Dardanian Priam, equal to the gods as counselor,
he in his wisdom spoke and addressed them:
“Hear me, Trojans and Dardanians, and allies,
while I speak those things the spirit in my breast urges.
Now all of you take your evening meal throughout the city, as before,370
but be mindful of your watch and stand alert, each of you,
and at dawn let Idaios go to the hollow ships
to declare to the sons of Atreus, to Agamemon and Menelaos,
the word of Alexandros, on whose account the strife arose.
And also to make this sound proposal; if they would be willing
to halt this hard and painful war, until the time we can cremate
our dead; later we shall fight again, until the time when the power above
parts us, and grants victory to one side or the other.”
So he spoke; and they listened closely to him and obeyed.
Then through the host they took their evening meal at their posts.380
And at dawn Idaios went to the hollow ships;
he found the Danaans, Ares’ henchmen, in assembly
by the stern of Agamemnon’s ship. And standing in their
midst, the herald with raised voice spoke out:
“Son of Atreus and you others who are chiefs of all Achaeans,