by Homer
the immortal horses that the gods gave as glorious gifts to Peleus.
17.ILIÁDOS P
And the felling of Patroclus at the hands of the Trojans in the fighting
did not go unnoticed by warlike Menelaos,
and he set out through the frontline warriors armored in gleaming bronze,
and stood astride the body, as a mother cow lows
over her firstborn, knowing nothing before this of bearing young;
so fair-haired Menelaos stood over Patroclus;
he held before him his spear and the circle of his shield,
straining to kill any man who might come against him.
And Euphorbos son of Panthoös of the strong ash-spear
did not lose sight of blameless Patroclus as he felled him; but took a stand close by him,10
and called out to Menelaos beloved by Ares:
“Son of Atreus, Menelaos cherished by Zeus, leader of the people,
give way—leave the corpse, and let the bloodied spoils be,
for none of the Trojans or our illustrious allies
struck Patroclus with his spear before me in the ferocious combat;
therefore let me win outstanding glory among the Trojans,
lest I strike you, and strip you of the life you hold as sweet as honey.”
Then greatly troubled fair Menelaos answered:
“Father Zeus! It is no good thing to brag vaingloriously.
The pride of the leopard is not so great, nor of the lion,20
nor of the wild baneful boar—in whose breast the heart is mightiest
in vaunting of his strength
as the pride carried by the sons of Panthoös of the strong ash-spear!
And yet Panthoös’ son strong Hyperenor, breaker of horses,
had no enjoyment of his youth when he made light of me and stood up to me
and said that I was most shameful of warriors;
and I do not think he returned on his own feet
to delight his dear wife and doting parents.
And so I say I will undo your strength too, should you stand
against me. So I urge you to retreat back30
into your host, and not stand against me,
before you suffer some harm; even a fool learns after the event.”
So he spoke; but he did not persuade Euphorbos, who spoke in answer:
“Now, Menelaos cherished by Zeus, you will surely pay for
my brother, whom you killed, and boast of,
and made his wife a widow in the inmost part of her new bridal chamber,
and upon his parents laid accursed grief and lamentation.
Yet I might stop the lamentation of those unhappy wretches,
were I to carry your head and armor
and drop them into the hands of my father Panthoös and my mother shining Phrontis.40
Come! This trial will not be long untested
nor unfought, this trial of either prowess or of flight.”
So speaking Euphorbos stabbed the circle of Menelaos’ shield;
the bronze did not smash through, but the spear-point was bent back
in the mighty shield; then Menelaos son of Atreus rose up
with his bronze spear, having made prayer to Zeus the father;
and struck Euphorbos at the base of his throat as he was retreating backward,
and trusting in his strength of hand he leaned his weight into the blow;
the spear-point drove straight through the soft neck,
and Euphorbos fell with a thud, and his armor clashed upon him.50
His hair, like the hair of the Graces, was made wet with blood
his locks, which were pinched in like a wasp’s waist by clasps of silver and gold.
Like a flourishing young olive tree that a man nurtures
in a sequestered place, where abundant water soaks it,
conspicuous in beauty, and which the breath of winds from all directions
sets aquiver, and it is thick with white flowers,
and of a sudden the wind coming with a great storm-blast
uproots it from its hollow and lays it out upon the earth,
such was Euphorbos of the strong-ash spear, son of Panthoös,
who fell at the hand of Menelaos, son of Atreus, who began stripping his armor.60
As when a lion raised in the mountains, trusting his prowess,
snatches a cow from a grazing herd, choosing whichever is best—
her neck he shatters utterly taking her in his powerful teeth
first, then her blood and entrails he devours entirely;
and around him the dogs and men and herders
howl a great deal from a distance, but are not willing
to approach him, for great is the sickly fear that seizes them;
so the heart in the breast of no man dared
to come against glorious Menelaos.
Then would the son of Atreus easily have carried off the splendid armor70
of Panthoös’ son, had not Phoebus Apollos grudged him,
Apollo who stirred up Hector, swift Ares’ equal,
likening himself to a man, Mentes, leader of the Ciconians.
And speaking winged words Apollo addressed him:
“Hector, now do you run about chasing after what cannot be won,
the horses of brilliant Aeacides; they are difficult
for mortal men to control and drive,
for any other man than Achilles, whom an immortal mother bore.
And all the while Atreus’ warlike son, Menelaos,
standing guard over Patroclus, has slain the best of Trojans,80
Euphorbos son of Panthoös, and stopped him of his fierce courage.”
So speaking he set out again, a god among the fighting throng of men,
and dreadful grief covered Hector’s dark heart round.
And then when he glanced across the ranks, at once he saw
the one man taking away the illustrious armor, the other lying
upon the earth; and blood streaming from the wound that had been struck.
And Hector set out through the frontline warriors armored in gleaming bronze,
crying a piercing cry, like to the inextinguishable flame of
Hephaestus. And the son of Atreus marked his sharp crying,
and troubled he took counsel with his own great-hearted spirit:90
“O me, if I should abandon the splendid armor
and Patroclus, who lies here dead for the sake of my honor,
I fear that should one of the Danaans see me he would reproach me.
But if I should battle on my own with Hector and with the Trojans
out of shame, I fear they would in their multitude surround me, who am but one.
Hector of the shimmering helm leads all the Trojans to this spot.
But why does my heart debate these things?
When a man seeks to go to battle against the will of a god
with a man whom some god honors, swift and great will disaster’s wave roll upon him.
Therefore no Danaan would reproach me, who might see me100
retreating before Hector, since Hector fights with help from god.
If only I could somewhere hear word of Ajax of the great war-cry,
we two returning could recollect our fighting spirit,
and against even divine power we might somehow drag away the body
for Peleus’ son Achilles; this would be least of evils.”
While he churned these things through his heart and mind,
all the while the ranks of Trojans came on, Hector at the lead.
Then Menelaos withdrew back, and left the body,
turning always around, like a thick-maned lion
that dogs and men pursue away from a farmstead110
with spears and shouting, and the brave heart in his breast
is chilled, and he goes unwillingly from the fold;
so away from Patroclus fair
Menelaos went,
then wheeling about he took his stand when he reached the band of his companions,
glancing around for great Ajax, the son of Telamon;
and he soon saw him on the left wing of all the fighting
encouraging his companions and stirring them on to battle,
for Phoebus Apollo had cast unearthly fear in them.
Straightway he went on the run, and coming up to him spoke out:
“Ajax, come, old friend, let us rush to Patroclus,120
who has died, and see if we can carry his body at least to Achilles,
naked as it is; for Hector of the shimmering helm has his armor.”
So he spoke; and stirred the spirit of brilliant Ajax,
and he set out through the front ranks, together with fair Menelaos.
And when Hector had taken the illustrious armor,
he begun to drag at Patroclus, so as to cut his head from his shoulders with his sharp bronze sword,
after hauling the corpse away, to give it to the Trojan dogs;
but Ajax drew near, bearing his shield like a tower,
and Hector, turning back, withdrew into the throng of his companions,
and sprang up into his chariot; and he gave the splendid armor130
to the Trojans to carry to the city, to be his own great glory.
And Ajax, putting his broad shield as covering about the son of Menoetius,
took his stand, as a lion stands over its young,
a lion that hunting men encounter as it leads its little ones
in the woods; and the lion is confident in his strength,
and draws down all folds of his forehead to veil his scowling eyes;
so Ajax stood astride the warrior Patroclus,
and on the other side Menelaos the son of Atreus, beloved by Ares,
took his stand, and great was the grief swelling in his breast.
Then Glaukos the son of Hippolochos, leader of the Lycian men,140
looking at Hector from beneath his brows rebuked him with harsh words:
“Hector, best in beauty, so it turns out you fall far short in battle;
rumor has you excellent for this—for being a runner.
Take thought now for how you might save your home and city
on your own, with the people who live in Ilion;
for there is no Lycian who will go to battle with the Danaans
for the sake of your town, since it seems there is no thanks
for doing battle against enemy men without respite, forever.
How would you save some lesser man from among the throng of battle,
you of iron heart? Since Sarpedon, your guest friend and your comrade,150
you left as prey for Argives, a thing to scavenge,
he who was of great service to you and to your city,
when he was living; but now you have not courage to ward off the dogs from him.
Now, therefore, if any of the Lycian men obeys me
we will go home, and Troy’s sheer destruction will be certain.
For if the Trojans now had any spirit of great confidence,
something unshakable, such as enters men who on behalf of their fatherland
inflict the toil of war and battle on their enemies,
we would soon drag Patroclus inside the walls of Ilion.
If he arrived at the great city of lord Priam160
dead, when we dragged him from the heat of battle,
then would the Argives quickly ransom the splendid armor
of Sarpedon, and we would bring him into Ilion;
for so great is the man whose henchman has been killed, best by far
of the Argives by the ships, as are his close-fighting comrades.
But you, you did not dare to stand against
great-hearted Ajax, looking him in the eyes amid the war cries of your enemies,
nor fight him face-to-face, because he is your better.”
Then looking at him from under his brows Hector of the shimmering helm addressed him:
“Glaukos, why, being the man you are, do you speak so brazenly?170
Old friend—and yet I used to think that with regard to wits you were above the others,
all those who dwell in Lycia of the rich soil;
but now I utterly scorn your judgment, what a thing you have said—
you who say that I do not stand up to monstrous Ajax.
I dread neither combat nor the thunder of horses;
but the mind of Zeus who wields the aegis is ever mightier;
Zeus who puts even a brave man to flight and takes away his victory
easily, but at another time urges him on to battle.
But come here, old man, stand by me and watch my work of war—
either I will be a coward the whole day long, as you declare,180
or I will put a stop to some Danaan, for all his high desire for deeds of prowess,
from defending dead Patroclus.”
So speaking he called to the Trojans, shouting loud:
“Trojans and Lycians and Dardanians who fight at close quarters,
be men, my friends, and recollect your fierce courage,
while I put on the armor of noble Achilles,
the splendid armor, which I stripped after slaying strong Patroclus.”
Having spoken so, Hector of the shimmering helm then departed
from the deadly battle; and running, overtook his comrades
quickly, at no great distance, catching them with his swiftness of feet190
as they carried to the city the famous armor of the son of Peleus.
And standing apart from the sorrowful fighting he exchanged his armor;
and his own he gave to be carried to sacred Ilion
by the war-loving Trojans, and he put on the immortal armor
of Peleus’ son Achilles, which the heavenly gods
gave to his beloved father, and he then gave it to his son
when he grew old; but the son would not grow old in the armor of his father.
And as from afar Zeus who gathers the clouds saw him
arrayed in the armor of the godlike son of Peleus,
shaking his head he addressed his own heart:200
“Ah, poor wretch, death troubles your heart not at all,
death which is now close by you; you are putting on the immortal armor
of a noble man, before whom all others tremble.
His companion you have slain was both strong and gentle,
and you were not right to take the armor from his head and shoulders.
But yet I will hand you now great victory,
compensation for this—that Andromache will not receive
you safe-returned from fighting, nor the famous armor of the son of Peleus.”
He spoke, and the son of Cronus nodded with his blue-black brows;
he fitted the armor upon Hector’s body, and the terrible battle spirit210
of Ares entered him, and Hector’s limbs were filled inside
with strength and courage. And he went toward his illustrious allies
crying aloud, and appeared to them all
made bright by the armor of the great-hearted son of Peleus.
And going among them he stirred the spirit of each with his words,
Mesthles and Glaukos and Medon and Thersilochos,
Asteropaios and Deisenor and Hippothoös and
Phorkys and Chromios and Ennomos the auger of birds:218
“Hear me, you myriad tribes of allies who dwell around us.220
It was not to solicit and seek mere numbers
I gathered each of you here from your cities,
but so that with willing heart you might save for me
Troy’s wives and children from warmongering Achaeans;
with these things in mind I wear down my own people with demands
for food and gifts, to raise the courage of each of you.
Therefore let each man
now turn to face straight forward, either to perish
or survive; for this is the communion of war.
Whoever should drag Patroclus, dead as he is,
among the horse-breaking Trojans, the man to whom Ajax yields,230
to him I shall give over half the spoils, and half I myself
shall have; and his glory shall be as great as even mine.”
So he spoke, and they set out in full force straight for the Danaans,
with uplifted spears; and greatly did their hearts hope
to drag the corpse from the grip of Telamonian Ajax,
the fools; for over it Ajax would rob the life of many.
And then Ajax spoke to Menelaos of the war cry:
“Old man, Menelaos cherished by Zeus, I no longer think we two
ourselves will return home from this battle.
I do not so much fear for the body of Patroclus,240
which will soon glut the dogs and birds of Troy,
as I fear for my own head, lest something befall me,
and for yours, since this cloud of war smothers all things round,
this Hector, and sheer destruction comes once more upon us.
But come, call the best of the Danaans, perhaps someone may hear.”
So he spoke; nor did Menelaos of the war cry disobey,
and he cried out in a piercing voice so as to be heard by the Danaans:
“O friends, leaders and counselors of the Danaans,
who in the house of the sons of Atreus, Agamemnon and Menelaos,
drink the public’s wine, and who each commands250
his people, whose honor and glory is granted from Zeus—
hard it is for me to distinguish each
of the leaders, so great the strife of war has blazed—
but let each man of his own will set out, let each be angered in his heart
that Patroclus become a thing of play for the dogs of Troy.”
So he spoke; and swift Ajax son of Oïleus was sharp to hear,
and came first to join him, running through the fighting throng;
and after him came Idomeneus and Idomeneus’ henchman
Meriones, equal to the man-slaughtering war god Enyalios;
but who, from his own wits, could name the others,260
all those who coming after stirred the Achaeans’ fighting?
And the Trojans surged forward in a throng; and Hector gave lead.
As when at the outpouring of a river rain-filled from Zeus above,
a great sea swell roars against the running current, and the capes
boom around as the surf splatters seaward,
so then did the Trojans advance with a roar; and the Achaeans,