by Homer
the spear-point, as it met the silver, was bent back like lead.
And seizing the spear in his hand, wide-ruling Agamemnon
drew it toward him like a lion in fury, then from the hand of the other
wrenched it, and with his sword struck him on the neck, and unstrung his limbs.240
And so falling there Iphidamas took his rest in brazen sleep,
poor wretch, far from his wedded wife, aiding his countrymen,
far from his lawful bride, and had known no delight from her; although he had given much for her;
he had given first a hundred cattle, and promised a thousand
goats and sheep alike, which in countless number roamed his pastures.
But before that time Agamemnon son of Atreus killed and stripped him,
and departed through the throng of Achaeans bearing his splendid armor.
Now when Koön, outstanding of men, saw him,
he the eldest born of Antenor, overwhelming grief
for his fallen brother shrouded his eyes;250
he took a stand on one side with his spear unobserved by shining Agamemnon,
and struck him down across the middle of his arm below the elbow,
and the point of the gleaming spear passed right through.
Then the lord of men Agamemnon shuddered,
but even so did not relinquish the battle and the fighting,
but gripping his spear of wind-strengthened wood, he rushed at Koön.
Koön was trying to drag his brother Iphidamas, born of the same father,
by the foot, and was calling to all the leading men;
and as he was dragging him through the battle throng, Agamemnon struck him
with his honed bronze-headed spear, under Koon’s bossed shield, and unstrung his limbs,260
and coming close, struck off his head on the body of his brother.
There the sons of Antenor at the hand of the kingly son of Atreus,
fulfilling their destiny, sank into the house of Hades.
But Agamemnon ranged around the ranks of other men
with his spear and sword and massive rocks for throwing,
while the blood welled still warm from his wound;
but when the wound began to dry, and the blood was stopped,
sharp pains entered the son of Atreus’ spirit.
As when a sharp arrow of pain strikes a woman in the agony of childbirth,
piercing pain, which the spirits attending birth-pain send,270
daughters of Hera, who hold the bitter pangs of birth,
so sharp pain entered the son of Atreus’ spirit.
He started up into his chariot, and to the charioteer gave orders
to drive to the hollow ships; for he felt heavy of heart.
But he cried out in a piercing voice so as to be heard by the Danaans:
“O friends, leaders and counselors of the Argives,
it is you now who must defend our seagoing ships
from disastrous battle, since all-devising Zeus has not allowed me
to war with Trojans the whole day long.”
So he spoke; and the charioteer lashed the beautiful-maned horses280
toward the hollow ships, and they two not unwilling flew on.
Their chests were covered with foam, and they were spattered with dust below,
as they bore the stricken king away from battle.
And as Hector saw Agamemnon departing,
he called to the Trojans and Lycians, shouting in a voice that carried far:
“Trojans and Lycians and Dardanian spearmen,
be men, my friends, and recollect your fierce courage.
Their best man has gone, and to me Zeus the son of Cronus has given
a great triumph. Come, drive your single-hoofed horses straight
for the strong Danaans, so that you may seize a victorious triumph.”290
So speaking he incited the strength and spirit of every man.
As when some hunter lets loose his gleaming-toothed dogs
upon a wild boar or lion,
so Hector the son of Priam, like to man-destroying Ares,
let loose the great-hearted Trojans upon the Achaeans.
And he himself, with high resolve, was moving among the front fighters,
and he fell upon the fray like a high storm wind,
which rushing downward churns the dark-faced ocean.
Then who was the first and who the last he killed,
Hector son of Priam, when Zeus granted him glory?300
Asaios was first, and Autonoös and Opites
and Dolops the son of Klytos and Opheltios and Agelaos
and Aisymnos and Oros and Hipponoös steadfast in battle.
He killed these Danaan leaders and then
turned on the masses, as when the West Wind drives shining clouds
that the South Wind carried, battering them in a towering storm,
and wave after swollen wave is rolled before it, and the foam
is scattered high by the blast of veering wind;
so the massed ranks of men were routed by Hector.
Then there would have been ruin and deeds without remedy,310
and the fleeing Achaeans would surely have fallen into their own ships,
had not Odysseus called out to Diomedes the son of Tydeus:
“Son of Tydeus, what has happened that we have forgotten our fierce courage?
But come here, old friend, and take your stand by me; for it will
be disgrace if Hector of the shimmering helm should take the ships.”
Then in turn powerful Diomedes addressed him:
“To be sure I will stand my ground and keep my spirits; but only for a little while
will we have profit of this, since Zeus who gathers the clouds
chooses to give victory to the Trojans, rather than to us.”
He spoke, and thrust Thymbraios from the chariot to the ground,320
striking with his spear down through the left breast; and Odysseus
killed Molion, the godlike henchmen of his lord.
Then they left them where they were, since they had stopped their fighting;
and setting out the two made havoc through the battle throng, as when two boars,
fall on hunting dogs, in their high confidence.
So rousing themselves again they slew the Trojans; and the Achaeans
gratefully caught their breath, after taking flight from Hector.
Then they seized a chariot and slew two of the best men in the country,
the two sons of Merops from Percote, who beyond all men
was skilled in divination, and kept trying to dissuade his sons330
from going to man-destroying war; but they did not
heed him; for the spirits of dark death were leading them on.
After depriving them of life and spirit, Diomedes the spear-famed
son of Tydeus deprived them of their splendid armor;
and Odysseus killed Hippodamos and Hypeirochos.
Then the son of Cronus drew the lines of battle tight and equal
looking down from Ida; and the men kept killing one another.
And the son of Tydeus with his spear wounded Agastrophos,
the warrior son of Paion, through the hip joint; his horses were not
at hand for his escape; great was his recklessness of spirit,340
for his attendant was holding the horses a distance away, while he on foot
kept running through the front lines, until he lost his life.
And Hector marked them through the lines of battle, and sprang
for them
crying aloud; and ranks of Trojans followed with him.
And seeing him Diomedes of the war cry shuddered,
and straightway he called to Odysseus who was nearby:
“This curse comes rolling for us both, Hector the mighty;
come, let us stand our ground and defend ourselves as we await
him.”
He spoke, and weighing his long-shadowed spear, he let it fly
and hit—he did not miss—aiming at Hector’s head,350
the top of his helmet; but bronze was beaten back by bronze,
nor did it reach Hector’s fair skin; for the helmet
triple-layered and hollow-eyed, checked it, the helmet that Phoebus Apollo gave him.
And Hector at once retired a great distance and joined his company,
and fell on his knees and remained there and leaned with his massive hand
upon the earth; and around his eyes the black night closed.
And while the son of Tydeus made his way after his thrown spear
a very long way from the front fighters, where it had sped down upon the earth,
then Hector caught his breath, and springing back into his chariot
drove off into the army, and eluded the dark spirits of death.360
And rushing at him with his spear powerful Diomedes spoke:
“You escaped death once again now, dog; yet very close it was the evil
came to you; now once more Phoebus Apollo saved you,
to whom no doubt you make prayer when you approach the thud of spears.
Meeting again, I will surely finish you,
if one of the gods should be ally to me too.
Now I will go after the other Trojans, whomever I catch.”
He spoke and proceeded to strip the body of Paion famed for his spear;
but Alexandros, husband of Helen of the lovely hair,
drew his bow upon the son of Tydeus, shepherd of the people,370
leaning against a column on the tomb that men had built
for Ilos, son of Dardanos, elder of his people long ago.
Diomedes was removing the gleaming breastplate of strong Agastrophos
from his chest, and the shield from his shoulders,
and his weighty helmet; and Alexandros, raising his bow by the grip,
let fly, nor did the shaft escape his hands in vain,
but struck the flat of Diomedes’ right foot; and passing clean through the arrow
fixed in the ground; and laughing heartily Alexandros
sprang from his hiding place and shouted, exulting:
“You have been struck, my arrow did not escape my hand in vain; would that380
it had snatched away your life, striking deep into the hollow of your flank.
So would the Trojans have caught their breath from suffering,
who shudder at you as bleating goats shudder at a lion.”
Then without fear did powerful Diomedes address him:
“Loud-mouthed archer, splendid in your crown of curls, ogler of girls,
if you made trial of me with real weapons,
your bow and arrow flurries would be of no use to you.
Now having scratched the flat of my foot you boast like this!
I care as little as if a woman struck me, or a foolish child.
For this is the dull shaft of a cowardly man, a nonentity.390
Very differently, even if it grazes only a little,
does a spear prove its edge in my hands, and quickly lays a man lifeless.
His wife’s cheeks are torn in mourning,
his children are without father; and he reddening the earth with his blood
rots, and more birds than women swarm about him.”
So Diomedes spoke, and coming from close by spear-famed Odysseus
took his stand before him; then sitting down behind him Diomedes dragged the sharp arrow
from his foot; and a hard pang of pain passed through his skin.
He started up into his chariot, and to the charioteer gave orders
to drive to the hollow ships; for he felt heavy of heart.400
And spear-famed Odysseus was left on his own, nor did any one
of the Argives stay with him, since fear had seized them all.
Then troubled he spoke to his own great-spirited heart:
“Ah me, what will become of me? Great is the evil if I should take flight
in fear of this outnumbering; but more dreaded is this, if I should be caught
on my own; the son of Cronus has put to flight the other Danaans.
But why does my heart debate these things?
For I know that cowards shrink from war,
and he who would be best in battle, he must
strongly stand his ground, whether he is killed, or kills another.”410
While he churned these things through his heart and mind,
all the while the ranks of shield-bearing Trojans drew near,
and penned him in their midst, bringing on themselves great calamity.
As when around a wild boar the dogs and sturdy youths
circle, and the boar comes out of his deep thicket
honing his white tusks to sharpness between his supple jaws,
and they dart about him, and at that there comes a grinding of his teeth,
and they must await his coming, dread though he be,
so all around Odysseus beloved by Zeus rushed
the Trojans. And the first man he struck was blameless Deïopites,420
above the shoulder, lunging with his sharp spear,
and then he killed Thoön and Ennomos;
and then Chersidamas as he was leaping from his chariot
he pierced with his spear in the navel beneath his bossed shield;
and he, falling in the dust, clutched the earth with his clenched hand.
These he left, and he then struck Charops the son of Hippasos with his spear,
the full brother of well-born Sokos.
And Sokos, a man like a god, went to protect him,
and coming up he took his stand hard by Odysseus and spoke a word to him:
“Hail illustrious Odysseus, insatiable in cunning and in the toil of war,430
this day either you will vaunt over two sons of Hippasos,
having killed two such men and stripped their armor—
or struck down under my spear you will lose your own life.”
So speaking he thrust at the circle of Odysseus’ shield;
and through the shield’s bright surface went the heavy spear,
and through his elaborate breastplate it forced its way,
and severed all the skin from his ribs; yet
Pallas Athena did not allow it to reach the man’s entrails.
And Odysseus knew that the weapon had not reached a mortal spot,
and drawing back he spoke his word to Sokos:440
“Poor wretch, surely now sheer destruction draws upon you.
Indeed, you have stopped me doing battle with the Trojans,
but I say to you here that slaughter and dark death
will come this day and broken by my spear
you will give glory to me, and your soul to Hades of famed horses.”
He spoke, and the other having turned back was in the act of taking flight,
when Odysseus fixed his spear in his back as he was turning,
between the shoulders, and drove it through his chest,
and he fell with a thud. And godlike Odysseus vaunted:
“O Sokos, son of Hippasos, skilled breaker of horses,450
death’s end has found you first, and you have not escaped.
Poor wretch, nor will your father and lady mother
close the lids of your eyes in death, but the birds,
eaters of raw flesh, will tear at you, beating about you their frenzy of wings;
but when I die, the shining Achaeans will honor me with funeral rites.”
So speaking he pulled the heavy spear of skilled Sokos
out of his own flesh and out of his bossed shield;
and when it was drawn his blood spurted up, and he was sick at heart.
And when the great-hearted Trojans saw Odysseus’ blood,
cheering along the throng of battle they all ran for him;460
and backw
ard he withdrew, and shouted to his comrades.
Three times he shouted to them, in as loud a voice as a man’s head could hold,
and three times Menelaos beloved by Ares heard his shouting,
and straightway he spoke to Ajax who was close by him:
“Zeus-descended son of Telamon, Ajax, leader of the people,
the voice of steadfast Odysseus reaches all around me,
a voice as if the Trojans do him violence, having cut him off
on his own in the mighty combat.
Come, let us go through the throng; for it is better to defend him.
I fear lest he suffer some harm left alone among the Trojans,470
good soldier as he is, and become a great cause of regret to the Danaans.”
So speaking he led on, and Ajax followed with him, a man like a god.
Then they found Odysseus beloved by Zeus; and round about him
the Trojans pressed, like bloodstained jackals in the mountains
about a wounded stag that a man has struck
with an arrow from his bowstring; he escapes the man fleeing
with the swiftness of his feet while the blood flows warm and his knees are light,
but when at last the sharp arrow has broken him,
the jackals, eaters of raw meat, there in the mountains devour him
in the shadows of a glade; and to this place some god leads a lion,480
ravening; and the jackals scatter, and the lion it is who devours it;
so around skilled Odysseus of the many wiles
the Trojans pressed in their multitude and strength, but the warrior,
lunging with his spear, warded off the pitiless day of death;
and Ajax drew near bearing his shield like a tower,
and took his stand beside him; and the Trojans scattered, every man in every direction.
And Menelaos the warlike led Odysseus from the throng,
taking his hand, while his henchman drove the horses near;
and Ajax, springing upon the Trojans, killed Doryklos,
a bastard son of Priam, and then struck Pandokos,490
and struck Lysandros and Pyrasos and Pylartes.
As when a river in flood descends to the plain,
winter-flowing down the mountains, driven hard by the rain from Zeus,
and draws into itself and carries along dry oaks in multitude, pines
in multitude, and hurls the mass of flotsam into the salt sea,
so glorious Ajax swept the plain, wreaking havoc,
slaying men and horses. Hector did not
know, since he fought on the far left of the battle,
by the banks of the Scamander river, where in greatest numbers