by Homer
The earthshaker who encircles the world spoke and, touching (60) them with his staff, filled them both with resolution and energy and banished the heaviness from their legs and arms. Then, like a swift hawk, which leaves its position high up on a rocky precipice, poises, and swoops to chase some other bird across the plain, Poseidon the earthshaker disappeared from their sight. Of the two Ajaxes, it was swift Ajax, Oïleus’ son, who first knew him for a god. He immediately spoke to Ajax son of Telamon:
‘Ajax, it was one of the gods that live on Olympus who urged us just now to fight by the ships. He took the prophet’s form (70) but he was not Calchas, our prophet. His heels and the backs of his knees as he left us were proof enough for me – it’s not hard to recognize a god. Not only that, but I feel a change in my heart. I’m much more eager to do battle and fight. My feet and hands are itching to be at them.’
Ajax son of Telamon replied to him and said:
‘I feel the same: my mighty hands are itching on my spear; my spirit is roused; my feet are eager to be off. Single-handed, I’d (80) be happy to meet Hector son of Priam in all his implacable determination.’
While the two Ajaxes were talking together in this way, savouring the will to fight which the god had put into their hearts, Poseidon was stirring up the Greeks behind the lines, who were trying to recover their spirits beside their swift ships. They were not only weakened physically by complete exhaustion but also demoralized at the sight of the Trojans who had swarmed across the great wall in such numbers. When they looked at them, their eyes filled with tears and they saw no hope of salvation.
(90) But now, with the ease of a god, the earthshaker went in among the ranks and urged them on. Teucer was the first he visited and roused, with Leitus, the warrior Peneleos, Thoas, Deipyrus and finally Meriones and Antilochus, champions of the battle-cry. He urged them on and spoke winged words:
POSEIDON rallies other troops
’Greeks, shame on you, young warriors! You are the very men on whose bravery I had relied to save our ships. If you give up because the fight is so desperate, the day for our conquest by the Trojans (100) has indeed arrived. Well, well, what an astonishing sight, a fearful thing I never dreamt of seeing – the Trojans at our very ships! In the old days, they were like the cowardly does that trot through the woods in their weak and aimless way, food for jackals, panthers and wolves, with no will to fight in them. That’s how the Trojans used to behave, taking care never for a moment to stand up to any determined assault from us.
‘But now they have left their town far behind them and are fighting by the hollow ships, all through the incompetence of our leader and the slackness of the troops, who are so disgusted (110) with their leader that they would rather die beside their fast ships than defend them. Yet even if the whole blame does rest with Agamemnon son of Atreus for insulting swift-footed Achilles, we have no excuse whatever for giving up the struggle.
‘But brave men can recover: let’s be quick to put things right. For instance, it is not a pretty sight to see you, who are numbered among the best men in the army, slackening that fighting spirit of yours like this. I could forgive some feeble wretch for giving up the struggle. But you are different, and with you I quarrel (120) heartily. You weaklings, this slackness of yours will make a bad situation far worse. Think, each of you, of the shame of your conduct and how outraged others will be at it in a crisis like this when Hector, master of the battle-cry, has broken down the gate and the long bar and is fighting by the very ships!’
With these stirring words Poseidon who encircles the world rallied the Greeks. Strong ranks formed up under the two Ajaxes, such as would have made the War-god himself or Athene who drives on armies think twice. There stood the very pick of their best men awaiting godlike Hector and the Trojans, an (130) impenetrable hedge of spears and sloping shields, shield to shield, helmet to helmet, man to man. So close were the ranks that, when they moved their heads, their crested helmets with their shining plates touched and the spears overlapped as they brandished them in their sturdy hands. Their minds were fixed on facing the enemy and they were eager for the clash.
The Trojans advanced in a mass and Hector led them, sweeping forward like a boulder bounding down a rocky slope, when a river swollen by winter rain dislodges it over the edge of a plateau and washes away the little stones which hold the (140) misbegotten thing. Leaping high in the air, it hurtles down through echoing woods and then runs on unchecked till it reaches level ground, where it stops rolling, much against its will – so Hector threatened for a while to reach the sea with ease through the Greek camp and ships, killing as he went.
Hector is halted
But when he ran into that solid block of men, he stopped short, hard against them; and the Greeks facing him lunged at him with their swords and curved spears and forced him to retreat. Shaken, Hector withdrew, but sent his voice ringing out to the whole Trojan army: (150) ’Stand by me, Trojans, Lycians, and you Dardanians that like your fighting hand to hand! The Greeks will not hold me up for long, packed together though they are like stones in a wall. They will give before my spear, if it is true I was brought here by the best of all gods, Hera’s loud-thundering husband!’
With these words he put fresh heart and courage into every man, and his brother Deiphobus fearlessly strode out among them, holding his rounded shield in front of him as he stepped carefully forward, advancing under its cover.
Meriones breaks his spear
(160) Meriones let fly at him with a glittering spear. And he did not miss his man: he hit his rounded oxhide shield. But the long shaft, far from passing through, broke off at the socket – Deiphobus had held the leather shield at arm’s length, being afraid of a spear from warlike Meriones. Meriones now retreated into his own contingent of warriors. He was enraged both at the loss of his broken spear and at missing a kill, and he went off at once to the Greek camp and ships to fetch the long spear that he had left in his hut.
But the rest fought on and the tumult of battle filled the air. (170) (Teucer kills Imbrius) Teucer son of Telamon was the first to kill his man, the spearman Imbrius, son of the horse-owner Mentor. He had lived at Pedaeum before the Greek expedition came and was married to Medesicaste, an illegitimate daughter of Priam’s. But when the Greeks arrived in their rolling ships, Imbrius returned to Ilium, distinguished himself among the Trojans and lived with Priam who treated him like one of his own children. Teucer stabbed this man below the ear with his long spear, which he then pulled out. Imbrius fell like (180) an ash-tree that has stood as a landmark on a high hill-top, until it is cut down by an axe and brings its delicate foliage to the ground. So Imbrius fell, and his ornate bronze equipment rang about him.
Hector kills Amphimachus
Teucer ran up, eager to get his armour off, and as he did so, Hector let fly at him with his glittering spear. But Teucer was on the lookout and managed by a hair’s breadth to avoid the weapon, which struck Amphi-machus’ chest as he rushed into the fray. He thudded to the ground, and his armour clattered about him.
As Hector dashed in to tear the close-fitting helmet from (190) great-hearted Amphimachus’ temples, Ajax aimed at him with his glittering spear. But no part of his body was exposed; he was completely protected by his intimidating bronze armour, and all Ajax hit was the boss of his shield. Yet the force of the blow was so great that Hector had to give ground and leave the two dead men to be recovered by the Greeks. Amphimachus was conveyed into their lines by Stichius and Menestheus, the Athenian leaders, while Ajax and Teucer, fired up with that fighting spirit of theirs, seized Imbrius’ body.
Like a couple of lions which have snatched a goat away from under the noses of the goatherd’s sharp-toothed dogs (200) and lift it clear of the ground as they carry it off in their jaws over the dense bushes, so the helmeted Ajax and Teucer held Imbrius aloft and stripped him of his armour. And in his fury at Amphimachus’ death, Ajax cut Imbrius’ head from his soft neck and with a swing sent it whirling like a ball through the
crowd to drop in the dust at Hector’s feet.
POSEIDON rallies Idomeneus
When Poseidon saw his grandson Amphimachus killed in the heat of the battle, he was bitterly angry and went along by the Greeks’ huts and ships to stir them up and make trouble for the Trojans. He met (210) Idomeneus the famous spearman. Idomeneus had been with a member of his own contingent who had just come out of the fight with a spear-wound in the back of his knee. This man had been carried in by his comrades, and Idomeneus, after instructing the healers, was going to his own hut, with every intention of returning to the fight, when the lord earthshaker accosted him. Poseidon imitated the voice of Thoas, Andrae-mon’s son, who ruled the Aetolians in Pleuron and mountainous Calydon and was honoured like a god by the people:
‘Idomeneus, adviser of the Cretans, what has become of all (220) the threats that the Greeks used to make against the Trojans?’
Idomeneus the Cretan leader replied:
‘Thoas, as far as I can see no individuals are to blame. We all know how to fight. Nobody is paralysed with fear or has run away from this horrible battle in panic. This is how almighty Zeus must want it to be – the Greeks destroyed here, far from Greece, with no trace left. But you, Thoas, never waver in battle and are good at inspiring others when you see them giving up. (230) So don’t slacken now. Give every man their orders.’
Poseidon the earthshaker replied:
‘Idomeneus, may the man who does not fight his best today never come home from Troy but stay here to delight the dogs! Come, take your arms and follow me. We must get on with this business together, if the pair of us are going to be of any use. Even the poorest fighters turn into brave men when they stand side by side; and you and I know how to take on the very best.’
With these words the god went back again into the turmoil, (240) and Idomeneus made his way to his well-built hut, put on his splendid armour, seized a couple of spears and came out looking like the lightning that Zeus takes in his hand and discharges from glittering Olympus to flash into the distant sky as a sign for mankind. That was how the bronze gleamed on Idomeneus’ chest as he ran.
He had hardly left his hut when he was met by Meriones his brave attendant, who had come to fetch a bronze spear. Powerful Idomeneus said:
‘Dearest comrade-in-arms, son of my brother Molus, swift- (250) footed Meriones, why have you left the battlefield to come here? Are you hit and in pain from a weapon? Or have you come with some message for me? I have no desire to sit in my hut myself, but am eager for the fight.’
Sensible Meriones replied:
‘Idomeneus, adviser of the bronze-armoured Cretans, I’ve come for a spear, hoping to find one left in your hut. I broke the one I had when I hit the shield of proud Deiphobus.’
Idomeneus the Cretan leader replied:
(260) (Bravery discussed) ‘If it’s a spear you want, you will find one, or twenty, leaning against the white-plastered wall by the entrance to my hut. They are Trojan spears: I take them from the men I kill. I don’t believe in fighting the enemy at a distance. Hence my collection of spears and bossed shields, helmets and glittering body-armour.’
Sensible Meriones replied:
‘I too have plenty of Trojan weapons in my hut and my black ship, but not where I can pick them up at once. And I don’t (270) consider my courage has deserted me either. Whenever battle is joined where men win glory, I take my place in the front line. You are the last of the bronze-armoured Greeks I should have expected to be blind to my ability – you’ve seen it for yourself.’
Idomeneus the Cretan leader replied:
‘No need for you to dwell on that. I know how brave you are and how you would prove it if we were all being gathered by the ships for an ambush. There’s nothing like an ambush for bringing a man’s worth to light and picking out the wretches from the brave. The wretch changes colour all the time, peering (280) about him this way and that; he can’t sit still for nervousness, but fidgets about, shifting from one foot to the other; his heart thumps in his chest as he conjures up death’s demons and his teeth chatter. But the brave man never changes colour at all and is not unduly afraid from the moment he settles down in ambush with the rest; all he prays for is to come to grips with the enemy as soon as possible.
‘At such a time no one would find fault with your determination and tenacity. If you were hit in action by an arrow or spear, it would not be behind, on your neck or back, that it (290) would fall; it would seek out your chest or belly as you rushed forward into the intimacy of battle in the front line.
‘But we mustn’t stay here and chatter like little boys, or people may become resentful. Go into my hut and get yourself a spear.’
So he spoke, and Meriones equal of swift Ares snatched up a bronze spear from inside the hut and went after Idomeneus, fully intent on battle. The two were like murderous Ares and (300) his son, fierce and indomitable Rout, before whom the most resolute warrior turns tail, setting out for the wars: they march from Thrace to join the Ephyri or the great-hearted Phlegyans, to bring victory to one side and turn a deaf ear to the prayers of the other – so Meriones and Idomeneus, leaders of men, set out for the battle, bronze armour glittering.
Meriones spoke his mind first:
‘Idomeneus son of Deucalion, at what point do you want to enter the fight? On our right, in the centre, or on the left? It’s (310) there, I imagine, the Greek defence is most likely to break down.’
Idomeneus the Cretan leader replied:
‘There are others to look after the ships in the centre. The two Ajaxes are there, and so is Teucer, the best archer we have and a good man too in a standing fight. Hector is fired up for battle, but they’ll give him his fill of fighting, however formidable he is. Indeed, for all his desire to fight, he won’t find it easy to overcome their determination and invincible tenacity, as he must before he sets the swift ships on fire – unless Zeus himself (320) helps and hurls a flaming brand among them. Great Ajax son of Telamon will never yield to any mortal man who eats the bread of mother earth and can be cut by bronze or brought down by a great boulder. Ajax would not give way even to Achilles breaker of the battle-line – or at any rate not in a standing fight, though neither he nor anyone else can run like Achilles. So let’s make for the left here; and we’ll soon find out whether we are going to yield victory to some other man, or he to us.’
So he spoke, and Meriones led off in the direction indicated by Idomeneus and they reached the front.
POSEIDON vs. ZEUS
(330) When the Trojans saw Idomeneus come up like a fire in his courage and his attendant with him, both in their ornate arms, they called to each other across the ranks to attack him in a body, and mass battle was engaged by the sterns of the ships. As, on a day when the dust lies thick on the roadways, currents of air driven by howling winds raise a great, confused dust-cloud, so the front lines massed, and in the chaos every man longed to kill his opponent (340) with his sharp bronze spear. The battlefield of death bristled with the long flesh-cutting spears they wielded, and the eye was dazzled by the glint of bronze from the shimmering helmets, newly polished body-armour and gleaming shields as the two armies came together. None but the most stony-hearted man would have enjoyed the sight and not recoiled.
So the mighty sons of Cronus, Poseidon and Zeus, took different sides and brought terrible sufferings on the warriors. Zeus had in mind a victory for the Trojans and Hector, with a view to honouring swift-footed Achilles. But he did not mean the Greek army to be utterly destroyed in front of Ilium: he was (350) honouring Thetis and her strong-willed son. Poseidon, on the other hand, had emerged stealthily from the grey sea to join the Greeks and inspire them. It distressed him to see them being beaten by the Trojans and he was furious with Zeus. Yet the two gods’ descent and parentage were the same, though Zeus was the older and the wiser. For this reason Poseidon was careful not to help the Greeks openly. He took the form of a man and in that disguise kept moving about the army, urging the troops on.
S
o the gods pulled alternately on the rope of this violent and (360) evenly balanced battle, to make it taut over the two sides. The rope was indestructible and no one could break it; but it broke many men.
Idomeneus kills Othryoneus and Asius
Idomeneus, though he was no longer a young man, flung himself into the fight with a shout to his troops. He struck panic into the Trojans by killing Othryoneus, an ally who had joined them from Cabesus. Drawn by news of the war, this man was a newcomer to Troy who had asked Priam for the hand of Cassandra, the most beautiful of his daughters. Instead of giving him gifts for his bride, he had promised to do great things and drive the Greeks from his shores, whether they liked it or not. Old Priam, accepting the offer, had promised him his daughter’s hand; and it was on this understanding that Othryoneus took part in the fighting.
(370) But now Idomeneus let fly at him with a glittering spear and caught him as he swaggered about. The bronze body-armour he was wearing did not serve him well: the spear struck him in the middle of his belly, and he thudded to the ground. Idomeneus triumphed over him and said:
‘Othryoneus, I congratulate you on your betrothal to Priam’s daughter – subject, of course, to your part of the contract being duly fulfilled. We too could do business with you on the same lines. We will send over to Greece for the loveliest of Agamemnon’s daughters and make her your bride, if you will (380) help us sack the prosperous citadel of Ilium. Step this way with me to our seafaring ships, where we can come to terms about your marriage. You will find our price for brides is not exorbitant.’