# The Iliad, Book 12: The Wall Breached

Ἰλιάς · Homer · The Patrocleia

The Trojans storm the Greek wall. Sarpedon tears down a section, and Hector breaks the gate with a stone.

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/iliad/12. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/iliad/12.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/iliad/<line id>.m4a.

**1** ὣς ὃ μὲν ἐν κλισίῃσι Μενοιτίου ἄλκιμος υἱὸς  
So within the shelters the valiant son of Menoetius
> The valiant son of Menoetius: Homer names Patroclus by his father rather than by his own name. The adjective ἄλκιμος marks him as valiant, even while this line finds him tending a wounded man away from the fighting.

**2** ἰᾶτʼ Εὐρύπυλον βεβλημένον· οἳ δὲ μάχοντο  
was healing wounded Eurypylus; but they fought on,

**3** Ἀργεῖοι καὶ Τρῶες ὁμιλαδόν· οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἔμελλε  
Argives and Trojans in a mass; nor was the trench

**4** τάφρος ἔτι σχήσειν Δαναῶν καὶ τεῖχος ὕπερθεν  
of the Danaans to hold them longer, nor the wall above it,

**5** εὐρύ, τὸ ποιήσαντο νεῶν ὕπερ, ἀμφὶ δὲ τάφρον  
the wide wall they had built to guard the ships, and around it dug

**6** ἤλασαν· οὐδὲ θεοῖσι δόσαν κλειτὰς ἑκατόμβας·  
a trench; but they gave no glorious hecatombs to the gods,

**7** ὄφρά σφιν νῆάς τε θοὰς καὶ ληΐδα πολλὴν  
so that within it their swift ships and all their rich spoil

**8** ἐντὸς ἔχον ῥύοιτο· θεῶν δʼ ἀέκητι τέτυκτο  
might lie protected. It had been built against the will of the immortal
> Built against the gods' will: τέτυκτο is a pluperfect middle-passive form: the wall stood there in the completed state of having been built. The phrase θεῶν ἀέκητι makes clear that this construction took place against the gods' will.

**9** ἀθανάτων· τὸ καὶ οὔ τι πολὺν χρόνον ἔμπεδον ἦεν.  
gods; and so it did not stand firm for long.

**10** ὄφρα μὲν Ἕκτωρ ζωὸς ἔην καὶ μήνιʼ Ἀχιλλεὺς  
As long as Hector lived and Achilles nursed his wrath,
> Achilles' continuing wrath: The verb μηνίω is built on μῆνις, the wrath announced in the poem's first word. Even with Achilles absent from battle, his continuing wrath helps define the span of time in which the Achaean wall remains standing.

**11** καὶ Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος ἀπόρθητος πόλις ἔπλεν,  
and the city of lord Priam remained unsacked,

**12** τόφρα δὲ καὶ μέγα τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν ἔμπεδον ἦεν.  
so long the great wall of the Achaeans also stood firm.

**13** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κατὰ μὲν Τρώων θάνον ὅσσοι ἄριστοι,  
But when all the best of the Trojans had died,

**14** πολλοὶ δʼ Ἀργείων οἳ μὲν δάμεν, οἳ δὲ λίποντο,  
and many Argives too, some slain and some left alive,

**15** πέρθετο δὲ Πριάμοιο πόλις δεκάτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ,  
and the city of Priam was sacked in the tenth year,

**16** Ἀργεῖοι δʼ ἐν νηυσὶ φίλην ἐς πατρίδʼ ἔβησαν,  
and the Argives sailed in their ships to their dear native land,

**17** δὴ τότε μητιόωντο Ποσειδάων καὶ Ἀπόλλων  
then at last Poseidon and Apollo took counsel
> The gods deliberate: μητιόωντο is imperfect middle: Poseidon and Apollo were forming a plan together. The ongoing tense opens the extended account of how they will erase the wall after the war.

**18** τεῖχος ἀμαλδῦναι ποταμῶν μένος εἰσαγαγόντες.  
to obliterate the wall by bringing against it the might of rivers,

**19** ὅσσοι ἀπʼ Ἰδαίων ὀρέων ἅλα δὲ προρέουσι,  
all that flow from the mountains of Ida down to the sea:

**20** Ῥῆσός θʼ Ἑπτάπορός τε Κάρησός τε Ῥοδίος τε  
Rhesus and Heptaporus, Caresus and Rhodius,

**21** Γρήνικός τε καὶ Αἴσηπος δῖός τε Σκάμανδρος  
Granicus and Aesepus, and godlike Scamander,

**22** καὶ Σιμόεις, ὅθι πολλὰ βοάγρια καὶ τρυφάλειαι  
and Simoeis, where many oxhide shields and helmets

**23** κάππεσον ἐν κονίῃσι καὶ ἡμιθέων γένος ἀνδρῶν·  
fell in the dust, and the race of demigod men.

**24** τῶν πάντων ὁμόσε στόματʼ ἔτραπε Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων,  
Phoebus Apollo turned the mouths of all these together,

**25** ἐννῆμαρ δʼ ἐς τεῖχος ἵει ῥόον· ὗε δʼ ἄρα Ζεὺς  
and for nine days drove their flood against the wall; and Zeus rained
> For nine days: ἐννῆμαρ compresses the number and the word for day into a single epic form, meaning for nine days. The sustained flood turns the gods' destruction of the wall into a deliberate work rather than one sudden blow.

**26** συνεχές, ὄφρά κε θᾶσσον ἁλίπλοα τείχεα θείη.  
without cease, to make the walls sea-washed all the sooner.

**27** αὐτὸς δʼ ἐννοσίγαιος ἔχων χείρεσσι τρίαιναν  
The Earth-shaker himself, holding his trident in his hands,
> The Earth-shaker: ἐννοσίγαιος is a standing title of Poseidon, the god who shakes the earth. Here the epithet suits the physical work exactly: with his trident he tears up and removes the wall's foundations.

**28** ἡγεῖτʼ, ἐκ δʼ ἄρα πάντα θεμείλια κύμασι πέμπε  
led the work, and sent all the foundations into the waves,

**29** φιτρῶν καὶ λάων, τὰ θέσαν μογέοντες Ἀχαιοί,  
the beams and stones the Achaeans had laid down with toil,

**30** λεῖα δʼ ἐποίησεν παρʼ ἀγάρροον Ἑλλήσποντον,  
and made all smooth beside the strong-flowing Hellespont;

**31** αὖτις δʼ ἠϊόνα μεγάλην ψαμάθοισι κάλυψε  
then covered the broad shore again with sand

**32** τεῖχος ἀμαλδύνας· ποταμοὺς δʼ ἔτρεψε νέεσθαι  
after obliterating the wall, and turned the rivers back

**33** κὰρ ῥόον, ᾗ περ πρόσθεν ἵεν καλλίρροον ὕδωρ.  
into the channels where their fair-flowing water had run before.

**34** ὣς ἄρʼ ἔμελλον ὄπισθε Ποσειδάων καὶ Ἀπόλλων  
So Poseidon and Apollo were to bring this about in time to come;

**35** θησέμεναι· τότε δʼ ἀμφὶ μάχη ἐνοπή τε δεδήει  
but then battle and war-cry blazed around

**36** τεῖχος ἐΰδμητον, κανάχιζε δὲ δούρατα πύργων  
the well-built wall, and the timbers of the towers clattered

**37** βαλλόμενʼ· Ἀργεῖοι δὲ Διὸς μάστιγι δαμέντες  
under blows. The Argives, beaten down by the scourge of Zeus,

**38** νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇσιν ἐελμένοι ἰσχανόωντο  
were penned beside the hollow ships and held there,

**39** Ἕκτορα δειδιότες, κρατερὸν μήστωρα φόβοιο·  
fearing Hector, mighty deviser of rout;
> Mighty deviser of rout: μήστωρ is a deviser or contriver, while φόβος in battle is rout, the panic that turns an army to flight. The epithet credits Hector not merely with strength but with creating collapse in enemy ranks.

**40** αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ ὡς τὸ πρόσθεν ἐμάρνατο ἶσος ἀέλλῃ·  
and as before, he fought equal to a storm.

**41** ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἂν ἔν τε κύνεσσι καὶ ἀνδράσι θηρευτῇσι  
As when among dogs and hunting men

**42** κάπριος ἠὲ λέων στρέφεται σθένεϊ βλεμεαίνων·  
a boar or lion wheels about, exulting in his strength,

**43** οἳ δέ τε πυργηδὸν σφέας αὐτοὺς ἀρτύναντες  
and they marshal themselves in ranks like a tower
> Like a tower: πυργηδόν is an adverb: the hunters arrange themselves tower-fashion. Their dense human formation anticipates the literal towers and wall around which the present battle is being fought.

**44** ἀντίον ἵστανται καὶ ἀκοντίζουσι θαμειὰς  
and stand against him, casting thick-falling

**45** αἰχμὰς ἐκ χειρῶν· τοῦ δʼ οὔ ποτε κυδάλιμον κῆρ  
spears from their hands; yet his glorious heart never

**46** ταρβεῖ οὐδὲ φοβεῖται, ἀγηνορίη δέ μιν ἔκτα·  
quails or fears, and his own high spirit kills him;

**47** ταρφέα τε στρέφεται στίχας ἀνδρῶν πειρητίζων·  
again and again he wheels and tries the ranks of men,

**48** ὅππῃ τʼ ἰθύσῃ τῇ εἴκουσι στίχες ἀνδρῶν·  
and wherever he charges, there the ranks of men give way;

**49** ὣς Ἕκτωρ ἀνʼ ὅμιλον ἰὼν ἐλλίσσεθʼ ἑταίρους  
so Hector, moving through the throng, pleaded with his companions

**50** τάφρον ἐποτρύνων διαβαινέμεν· οὐδέ οἱ ἵπποι  
and urged them to cross the trench; but his horses

**51** τόλμων ὠκύποδες, μάλα δὲ χρεμέτιζον ἐπʼ ἄκρῳ  
did not dare, swift-footed though they were, but neighed loudly as they stood

**52** χείλει ἐφεσταότες· ἀπὸ γὰρ δειδίσσετο τάφρος  
on its very lip, for the trench before them struck fear into them,

**53** εὐρεῖʼ, οὔτʼ ἄρʼ ὑπερθορέειν σχεδὸν οὔτε περῆσαι  
wide as it was, neither easy to leap across at close range nor to pass through.

**54** ῥηϊδίη· κρημνοὶ γὰρ ἐπηρεφέες περὶ πᾶσαν  
For overhanging banks stood all around it

**55** ἕστασαν ἀμφοτέρωθεν, ὕπερθεν δὲ σκολόπεσσιν  
on either side, and above it bristled with

**56** ὀξέσιν ἠρήρει, τοὺς ἵστασαν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν  
sharp stakes, which the sons of the Achaeans had planted

**57** πυκνοὺς καὶ μεγάλους δηΐων ἀνδρῶν ἀλεωρήν.  
close and tall as a defense against enemy men.

**58** ἔνθʼ οὔ κεν ῥέα ἵππος ἐΰτροχον ἅρμα τιταίνων  
No horse drawing a smooth-running chariot could easily
> A potential optative: The particle κεν with the optative ἐσβαίη presents what a horse could or could not do under these conditions. The construction makes the impossibility practical and immediate: no chariot team could readily enter this trench.

**59** ἐσβαίη, πεζοὶ δὲ μενοίνεον εἰ τελέουσι.  
enter there, but the foot soldiers were eager to see if they could accomplish it.

**60** δὴ τότε Πουλυδάμας θρασὺν Ἕκτορα εἶπε παραστάς·  
Then Polydamas stood beside bold Hector and said:

**61** Ἕκτορ τʼ ἠδʼ ἄλλοι Τρώων ἀγοὶ ἠδʼ ἐπικούρων  
"Hector, and you other leaders of the Trojans and their allies,

**62** ἀφραδέως διὰ τάφρον ἐλαύνομεν ὠκέας ἵππους·  
we are thoughtlessly driving our swift horses across the trench.

**63** ἣ δὲ μάλʼ ἀργαλέη περάαν· σκόλοπες γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ  
It is very hard to cross: sharp stakes stand

**64** ὀξέες ἑστᾶσιν, ποτὶ δʼ αὐτοὺς τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν,  
within it, and close beyond them is the wall of the Achaeans.

**65** ἔνθʼ οὔ πως ἔστιν καταβήμεναι οὐδὲ μάχεσθαι  
There is no way for charioteers to descend or fight

**66** ἱππεῦσι· στεῖνος γάρ, ὅθι τρώσεσθαι ὀΐω.  
there; the ground is narrow, and I think we will be wounded.

**67** εἰ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς πάγχυ κακὰ φρονέων ἀλαπάζει  
If, bent wholly on evil for them, he is crushing the Achaeans,

**68** Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης, Τρώεσσι δὲ ἵετʼ ἀρήγειν,  
Zeus who thunders on high, and longs to aid the Trojans,

**69** ἦ τʼ ἂν ἔγωγʼ ἐθέλοιμι καὶ αὐτίκα τοῦτο γενέσθαι,  
then I myself would wish this to happen here and now:

**70** νωνύμνους ἀπολέσθαι ἀπʼ Ἄργεος ἐνθάδʼ Ἀχαιούς·  
for the Achaeans to perish nameless here, far from Argos.
> To perish nameless: νωνύμνους means without a name, and therefore without the fame that keeps a warrior's name alive. Polydamas imagines not only Achaean death far from home but the erasure of their heroic memory.

**71** εἰ δέ χʼ ὑποστρέψωσι, παλίωξις δὲ γένηται  
But if they turn upon us and a counter-pursuit begins

**72** ἐκ νηῶν καὶ τάφρῳ ἐνιπλήξωμεν ὀρυκτῇ,  
from the ships, and we crash into the dug trench,

**73** οὐκέτʼ ἔπειτʼ ὀΐω οὐδʼ ἄγγελον ἀπονέεσθαι  
then I think not even a messenger will make his way back

**74** ἄψορρον προτὶ ἄστυ ἑλιχθέντων ὑπʼ Ἀχαιῶν.  
again toward the city, once the Achaeans wheel upon us.

**75** ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ ὡς ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω πειθώμεθα πάντες·  
Come, then, let all of us obey as I shall say:
> An inherited counsel formula: This entire Greek line recurs in earlier councils, and the English repeats the accepted wording exactly. The fixed invitation gives Polydamas' tactical proposal the familiar shape of formal heroic counsel.

**76** ἵππους μὲν θεράποντες ἐρυκόντων ἐπὶ τάφρῳ,  
let the attendants hold the horses here beside the trench,

**77** αὐτοὶ δὲ πρυλέες σὺν τεύχεσι θωρηχθέντες  
while we ourselves, foot fighters armed in our war gear,
> Fighting on foot: πρυλέες here denotes warriors fighting on foot in ordered ranks. Polydamas is not ordering a retreat: he is changing the assault from chariot warfare to a massed infantry advance.

**78** Ἕκτορι πάντες ἑπώμεθʼ ἀολλέες· αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ  
all follow Hector in one mass; and the Achaeans

**79** οὐ μενέουσʼ εἰ δή σφιν ὀλέθρου πείρατʼ ἐφῆπται.  
will not stand if the cords of destruction have been fastened upon them."

**80** ὣς φάτο Πουλυδάμας, ἅδε δʼ Ἕκτορι μῦθος ἀπήμων,  
So Polydamas spoke, and his harmless counsel pleased Hector,
> Harmless counsel: ἀπήμων means harmless or free from hurt. The adjective praises the counsel itself: Hector recognizes that Polydamas' plan avoids the danger posed by the trench.

**81** αὐτίκα δʼ ἐξ ὀχέων σὺν τεύχεσιν ἆλτο χαμᾶζε.  
and at once he leapt to the ground from his chariot in his armor.

**82** οὐδὲ μὲν ἄλλοι Τρῶες ἐφʼ ἵππων ἠγερέθοντο,  
Nor did the other Trojans remain gathered on their horses,

**83** ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ πάντες ὄρουσαν, ἐπεὶ ἴδον Ἕκτορα δῖον.  
but all sprang down when they saw godlike Hector.

**84** ἡνιόχῳ μὲν ἔπειτα ἑῷ ἐπέτελλεν ἕκαστος  
Then each man ordered his own charioteer

**85** ἵππους εὖ κατὰ κόσμον ἐρυκέμεν αὖθʼ ἐπὶ τάφρῳ·  
to hold the horses well and in due order there beside the trench.

**86** οἳ δὲ διαστάντες σφέας αὐτοὺς ἀρτύναντες  
They parted company, marshaled themselves,

**87** πένταχα κοσμηθέντες ἅμʼ ἡγεμόνεσσιν ἕποντο.  
and formed in five divisions, then followed their leaders.
> Arrayed fivefold: πένταχα means in five parts, while κοσμηθέντες describes being put into ordered array. The following catalogue names the commanders of each of these five infantry companies.

**88** οἳ μὲν ἅμʼ Ἕκτορʼ ἴσαν καὶ ἀμύμονι Πουλυδάμαντι,  
One company went with Hector and blameless Polydamas,

**89** οἳ πλεῖστοι καὶ ἄριστοι ἔσαν, μέμασαν δὲ μάλιστα  
the most numerous and best, and the most eager

**90** τεῖχος ῥηξάμενοι κοίλῃς ἐπὶ νηυσὶ μάχεσθαι.  
to break through the wall and fight beside the hollow ships.

**91** καί σφιν Κεβριόνης τρίτος εἵπετο· πὰρ δʼ ἄρʼ ὄχεσφιν  
Cebriones followed them as the third commander; but beside the chariot

**92** ἄλλον Κεβριόναο χερείονα κάλλιπεν Ἕκτωρ.  
Hector left another man, less capable than Cebriones.

**93** τῶν δʼ ἑτέρων Πάρις ἦρχε καὶ Ἀλκάθοος καὶ Ἀγήνωρ,  
The second company was led by Paris, Alcathous, and Agenor;

**94** τῶν δὲ τρίτων Ἕλενος καὶ Δηΐφοβος θεοειδὴς  
the third by Helenus and godlike Deiphobus,

**95** υἷε δύω Πριάμοιο· τρίτος δʼ ἦν Ἄσιος ἥρως  
two sons of Priam; and with them the hero Asius,

**96** Ἄσιος Ὑρτακίδης, ὃν Ἀρίσβηθεν φέρον ἵπποι  
Asius, son of Hyrtacus, whom from Arisbe his horses bore,

**97** αἴθωνες μεγάλοι ποταμοῦ ἄπο Σελλήεντος.  
fiery and great, from the river Selleis.
> A repeated catalogue line: This Greek line is identical to Iliad 2.839, where Asius and his horses first enter the Trojan catalogue. Its accepted English therefore returns unchanged here.

**98** τῶν δὲ τετάρτων ἦρχεν ἐῢς πάϊς Ἀγχίσαο  
The fourth company was led by the noble son of Anchises,

**99** Αἰνείας, ἅμα τῷ γε δύω Ἀντήνορος υἷε  
Aeneas, and with him the two sons of Antenor,

**100** Ἀρχέλοχός τʼ Ἀκάμας τε μάχης εὖ εἰδότε πάσης.  
Archelochus and Acamas, well versed in every kind of battle.

**101** Σαρπηδὼν δʼ ἡγήσατʼ ἀγακλειτῶν ἐπικούρων,  
Sarpedon led the glorious allies,
> The glorious allies: The ἐπίκουροι are Troy's allied contingents rather than Trojans proper. The epithet ἀγακλειτοί calls them glorious, maintaining the distinction between the allied host and Priam's own people.

**102** πρὸς δʼ ἕλετο Γλαῦκον καὶ ἀρήϊον Ἀστεροπαῖον·  
and chose beside him Glaucus and warlike Asteropaeus,

**103** οἳ γάρ οἱ εἴσαντο διακριδὸν εἶναι ἄριστοι  
for they seemed to him by far the best

**104** τῶν ἄλλων μετά γʼ αὐτόν· ὃ δʼ ἔπρεπε καὶ διὰ πάντων.  
of all the rest after himself; and he stood out even among them all.

**105** οἳ δʼ ἐπεὶ ἀλλήλους ἄραρον τυκτῇσι βόεσσι  
When they had fitted one another close with well-made oxhide shields,
> A wall of oxhide shields: The verb ἄραρον presents the warriors as fitted closely to one another, while βόες here are oxhides used metonymically for shields. The companies lock themselves into a dense infantry formation before advancing.

**106** βάν ῥʼ ἰθὺς Δαναῶν λελιημένοι, οὐδʼ ἔτʼ ἔφαντο  
they went straight at the Danaans, eager for battle, and no longer thought they would

**107** σχήσεσθʼ, ἀλλʼ ἐν νηυσὶ μελαίνῃσιν πεσέεσθαι.  
hold back, but will fall upon the black ships.

**108** ἔνθʼ ἄλλοι Τρῶες τηλεκλειτοί τʼ ἐπίκουροι  
Then the other Trojans and far-famed allies

**109** βουλῇ Πουλυδάμαντος ἀμωμήτοιο πίθοντο·  
obeyed the counsel of blameless Polydamas;
> Obeying takes the dative: The verb for obeying governs βουλῇ in the dative: the Trojans obey the counsel given by Polydamas. The case marks what they heed rather than a direct object in the accusative.

**110** ἀλλʼ οὐχ Ὑρτακίδης ἔθελʼ Ἄσιος ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν  
but Asius, son of Hyrtacus, marshal of men, would not
> Marshal of men: ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν is a recurring command-title, literally the leader of men. The fixed rendering, marshal of men, praises Asius as a battle leader just before his rash refusal of sound counsel.

**111** αὖθι λιπεῖν ἵππους τε καὶ ἡνίοχον θεράποντα,  
leave his horses there, nor his attendant charioteer,

**112** ἀλλὰ σὺν αὐτοῖσιν πέλασεν νήεσσι θοῇσι  
but with them he drew near the swift ships,

**113** νήπιος, οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἔμελλε κακὰς ὑπὸ κῆρας ἀλύξας  
fool; nor was he destined, once he escaped the evil fates,
> The narrator calls him a fool: νήπιος can mean childish or witless, but in Homer it often marks fatal blindness: a character acts without understanding what the audience has already been told. Asius rejects the safer plan just before the narrator foretells his death.

**114** ἵπποισιν καὶ ὄχεσφιν ἀγαλλόμενος παρὰ νηῶν  
exulting in his horses and chariot beside the ships,

**115** ἂψ ἀπονοστήσειν προτὶ Ἴλιον ἠνεμόεσσαν·  
to return again toward windy Ilion;
> A context-sensitive repeated line: This Greek line is identical to Iliad 8.499, but there it stands in first-person speech, while here it completes the narrator's statement that Asius was not destined to return. The English therefore preserves the repeated destination while changing the person to fit the governing syntax.

**116** πρόσθεν γάρ μιν μοῖρα δυσώνυμος ἀμφεκάλυψεν  
for before that, fate of ill name had closed around him,
> Fate of ill name: δυσώνυμος means ill-named or ominous in name. Joined to μοῖρα, it makes the fate surrounding Asius not merely death, but a doom whose very naming is grim.

**117** ἔγχεϊ Ἰδομενῆος ἀγαυοῦ Δευκαλίδαο.  
beneath the spear of glorious Idomeneus, son of Deucalion.

**118** εἴσατο γὰρ νηῶν ἐπʼ ἀριστερά, τῇ περ Ἀχαιοὶ  
He drove toward the left of the ships, by the way the Achaeans

**119** ἐκ πεδίου νίσοντο σὺν ἵπποισιν καὶ ὄχεσφι·  
returned from the plain with horses and chariots;

**120** τῇ ῥʼ ἵππους τε καὶ ἅρμα διήλασεν, οὐδὲ πύλῃσιν  
there he drove his horses and chariot through, and at the gates

**121** εὗρʼ ἐπικεκλιμένας σανίδας καὶ μακρὸν ὀχῆα,  
he found neither the doors shut fast nor the long bar drawn,
> Doors in a completed state: ἐπικεκλιμένας is a perfect middle-passive participle agreeing with the doors. The perfect presents the state that Asius does not find: the gates have not been shut fast against entry.

**122** ἀλλʼ ἀναπεπταμένας ἔχον ἀνέρες, εἴ τινʼ ἑταίρων  
but men held them spread open, in case they might save a companion

**123** ἐκ πολέμου φεύγοντα σαώσειαν μετὰ νῆας.  
fleeing from battle and bring him among the ships.

**124** τῇ ῥʼ ἰθὺς φρονέων ἵππους ἔχε, τοὶ δʼ ἅμʼ ἕποντο  
Straight there, with purpose fixed, he held his horses; his men followed

**125** ὀξέα κεκλήγοντες· ἔφαντο γὰρ οὐκ ἔτʼ Ἀχαιοὺς  
shouting sharply, for they cried, "The Achaeans will no longer

**126** σχήσεσθʼ, ἀλλʼ ἐν νηυσὶ μελαίνῃσιν πεσέεσθαι  
hold back, but will fall upon the black ships."

**127** νήπιοι, ἐν δὲ πύλῃσι δύʼ ἀνέρας εὗρον ἀρίστους  
Fools: within the gates they found two men, the best,

**128** υἷας ὑπερθύμους Λαπιθάων αἰχμητάων,  
high-hearted sons of the spear-fighting Lapiths:

**129** τὸν μὲν Πειριθόου υἷα κρατερὸν Πολυποίτην,  
one was mighty Polypoetes, son of Pirithous,

**130** τὸν δὲ Λεοντῆα βροτολοιγῷ ἶσον Ἄρηϊ.  
the other Leonteus, equal to Ares, bane of mortals.

**131** τὼ μὲν ἄρα προπάροιθε πυλάων ὑψηλάων  
The two stood there before the high gates

**132** ἕστασαν ὡς ὅτε τε δρύες οὔρεσιν ὑψικάρηνοι,  
like high-crested oaks upon the mountains,
> The defenders become oaks: ὡς ὅτε opens the comparison that runs through line 134. The two men are matched to mountain oaks not only for height, but for endurance rooted deep against years of weather.

**133** αἵ τʼ ἄνεμον μίμνουσι καὶ ὑετὸν ἤματα πάντα  
which withstand wind and rain through all their days,

**134** ῥίζῃσιν μεγάλῃσι διηνεκέεσσʼ ἀραρυῖαι·  
firmly bound by their great, far-reaching roots;

**135** ὣς ἄρα τὼ χείρεσσι πεποιθότες ἠδὲ βίηφι  
so those two, trusting in their hands and strength,

**136** μίμνον ἐπερχόμενον μέγαν Ἄσιον οὐδὲ φέβοντο.  
awaited great Asius as he came and did not flee.

**137** οἳ δʼ ἰθὺς πρὸς τεῖχος ἐΰδμητον βόας αὔας  
His men went straight toward the well-built wall, holding dry oxhides
> Dry oxhides overhead: βόας αὔας are dried oxhides, used here as a compact way of naming the hide shields raised overhead. The material remains visible in the Greek rather than disappearing into the generic word armor.

**138** ὑψόσʼ ἀνασχόμενοι ἔκιον μεγάλῳ ἀλαλητῷ  
high above them, advancing with a great battle cry

**139** Ἄσιον ἀμφὶ ἄνακτα καὶ Ἰαμενὸν καὶ Ὀρέστην  
around lord Asius, Iamenus, and Orestes,

**140** Ἀσιάδην τʼ Ἀδάμαντα Θόωνά τε Οἰνόμαόν τε.  
Adamas son of Asius, Thoon, and Oenomaus.

**141** οἳ δʼ ἤτοι εἷος μὲν ἐϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιοὺς  
The two, while they still remained inside, were rousing the well-greaved Achaeans

**142** ὄρνυον ἔνδον ἐόντες ἀμύνεσθαι περὶ νηῶν·  
to defend the ships;

**143** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τεῖχος ἐπεσσυμένους ἐνόησαν  
but when they saw the Trojans rushing upon the wall

**144** Τρῶας, ἀτὰρ Δαναῶν γένετο ἰαχή τε φόβος τε,  
and a cry and rout arose among the Danaans,

**145** ἐκ δὲ τὼ ἀΐξαντε πυλάων πρόσθε μαχέσθην  
the two darted out and fought before the gates,
> The two fight as a pair: μαχέσθην is a third-person dual verb: Greek marks Polypoetes and Leonteus as an exact pair. The dual continues through the comparison, where the two defenders become two boars acting together.

**146** ἀγροτέροισι σύεσσιν ἐοικότε, τώ τʼ ἐν ὄρεσσιν  
like wild boars upon the mountains, which

**147** ἀνδρῶν ἠδὲ κυνῶν δέχαται κολοσυρτὸν ἰόντα,  
meet the oncoming tumult of men and dogs,

**148** δοχμώ τʼ ἀΐσσοντε περὶ σφίσιν ἄγνυτον ὕλην  
charging sidewise and breaking the wood around them,

**149** πρυμνὴν ἐκτάμνοντες, ὑπαὶ δέ τε κόμπος ὀδόντων  
cutting it down at the roots, while beneath rises the clatter of tusks,

**150** γίγνεται εἰς ὅ κέ τίς τε βαλὼν ἐκ θυμὸν ἕληται·  
until someone strikes and takes the life from one;
> Taking the life out: The idiom joins ἐκ, out, with taking θυμός, the life-spirit. The blow does not merely defeat the boar: it takes the force of life out of the body.

**151** ὣς τῶν κόμπει χαλκὸς ἐπὶ στήθεσσι φαεινὸς  
so the bright bronze clattered upon their chests

**152** ἄντην βαλλομένων· μάλα γὰρ κρατερῶς ἐμάχοντο  
as they were struck head-on; for they fought with all their strength,

**153** λαοῖσιν καθύπερθε πεποιθότες ἠδὲ βίηφιν.  
trusting the men above them and their own force.

**154** οἳ δʼ ἄρα χερμαδίοισιν ἐϋδμήτων ἀπὸ πύργων  
Those men hurled stones down from the well-built towers,

**155** βάλλον ἀμυνόμενοι σφῶν τʼ αὐτῶν καὶ κλισιάων  
defending themselves, their huts,

**156** νηῶν τʼ ὠκυπόρων· νιφάδες δʼ ὡς πῖπτον ἔραζε,  
and the swift-running ships; the stones fell to earth like snowflakes

**157** ἅς τʼ ἄνεμος ζαὴς νέφεα σκιόεντα δονήσας  
that a raging wind, shaking the shadowed clouds,

**158** ταρφειὰς κατέχευεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ·  
pours thick upon the all-nurturing earth;

**159** ὣς τῶν ἐκ χειρῶν βέλεα ῥέον ἠμὲν Ἀχαιῶν  
so missiles streamed from the hands of the Achaeans

**160** ἠδὲ καὶ ἐκ Τρώων· κόρυθες δʼ ἀμφʼ αὖον ἀΰτευν  
and from the Trojans as well; helmets rang hollow around them

**161** βαλλομένων μυλάκεσσι καὶ ἀσπίδες ὀμφαλόεσσαι.  
under the pounding millstones, and bossed shields rang.

**162** δή ῥα τότʼ ᾤμωξεν καὶ ὣ πεπλήγετο μηρὼ  
Then Asius groaned aloud and struck both thighs,

**163** Ἄσιος Ὑρτακίδης, καὶ ἀλαστήσας ἔπος ηὔδα·  
Asius, son of Hyrtacus, and in fury spoke:

**164** Ζεῦ πάτερ ἦ ῥά νυ καὶ σὺ φιλοψευδὴς ἐτέτυξο  
"Father Zeus, now truly even you have proved a lover of lies,
> A lover of lies: φιλοψευδής is a sharp compound: φίλος supplies the idea of loving or being fond of something, and ψεῦδος supplies falsehood. Asius turns his failed expectation into the reckless charge that Zeus himself loves lies.

**165** πάγχυ μάλʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγʼ ἐφάμην ἥρωας Ἀχαιοὺς  
utterly so; for I never thought the Achaean heroes

**166** σχήσειν ἡμέτερόν γε μένος καὶ χεῖρας ἀάπτους.  
would withstand our force and irresistible hands.
> Irresistible hands: ἄαπτος means not to be laid hold of or withstood. The recurring formula χεῖρας ἀάπτους is therefore held to the established rendering irresistible hands, naming overwhelming physical force.

**167** οἳ δʼ, ὥς τε σφῆκες μέσον αἰόλοι ἠὲ μέλισσαι  
Yet like quick-waisted wasps or bees

**168** οἰκία ποιήσωνται ὁδῷ ἔπι παιπαλοέσσῃ,  
that make their homes beside a rugged road

**169** οὐδʼ ἀπολείπουσιν κοῖλον δόμον, ἀλλὰ μένοντες  
and do not abandon their hollow house, but remain

**170** ἄνδρας θηρητῆρας ἀμύνονται περὶ τέκνων,  
to defend their young against hunting men,

**171** ὣς οἵ γʼ οὐκ ἐθέλουσι πυλάων καὶ δύʼ ἐόντε  
so these two, though only two, will not draw back from the gates
> Though they are only two: ἐόντε is a dual participle, agreeing with the numeral two. Asius stresses the humiliating imbalance: an entire assault is checked by one precisely marked pair of defenders.

**172** χάσσασθαι πρίν γʼ ἠὲ κατακτάμεν ἠὲ ἁλῶναι.  
until they kill or are taken."

**173** ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδὲ Διὸς πεῖθε φρένα ταῦτʼ ἀγορεύων·  
So he spoke, but saying this did not persuade the mind of Zeus;

**174** Ἕκτορι γάρ οἱ θυμὸς ἐβούλετο κῦδος ὀρέξαι.  
for the heart of Zeus wished to grant glory to Hector.

**175** ἄλλοι δʼ ἀμφʼ ἄλλῃσι μάχην ἐμάχοντο πύλῃσιν·  
Others fought their battle around the other gates;

**176** ἀργαλέον δέ με ταῦτα θεὸν ὣς πάντʼ ἀγορεῦσαι·  
hard would it be for me to tell all these things like a god,

**177** πάντῃ γὰρ περὶ τεῖχος ὀρώρει θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ  
for everywhere around the stone wall a wondrous blaze had risen;

**178** λάϊνον· Ἀργεῖοι δὲ καὶ ἀχνύμενοί περ ἀνάγκῃ  
and the Argives, though grieving, were forced

**179** νηῶν ἠμύνοντο· θεοὶ δʼ ἀκαχήατο θυμὸν  
to defend the ships; and the gods were grieved at heart,

**180** πάντες ὅσοι Δαναοῖσι μάχης ἐπιτάρροθοι ἦσαν.  
all those who stood beside the Danaans in battle.

**181** σὺν δʼ ἔβαλον Λαπίθαι πόλεμον καὶ δηϊοτῆτα.  
Then the Lapiths joined battle and deadly strife.

**182** ἔνθʼ αὖ Πειριθόου υἱὸς κρατερὸς Πολυποίτης  
There mighty Polypoetes, son of Pirithous,

**183** δουρὶ βάλεν Δάμασον κυνέης διὰ χαλκοπαρῄου·  
struck Damasus with his spear through the bronze-cheeked helmet;

**184** οὐδʼ ἄρα χαλκείη κόρυς ἔσχεθεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ πρὸ  
the bronze helmet did not stop it, but straight through

**185** αἰχμὴ χαλκείη ῥῆξʼ ὀστέον, ἐγκέφαλος δὲ  
the bronze point broke the bone, and all the brain

**186** ἔνδον ἅπας πεπάλακτο· δάμασσε δέ μιν μεμαῶτα·  
within was spattered; and he brought him down as he charged.

**187** αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα Πύλωνα καὶ Ὄρμενον ἐξενάριξεν.  
Then he slew and stripped Pylon and Ormenus.
> Killed and stripped: ἐξεναρίζω compresses two acts of battle into one verb: killing an enemy and stripping his armor. The English keeps both parts rather than reducing the action to a generic defeat.

**188** υἱὸν δʼ Ἀντιμάχοιο Λεοντεὺς ὄζος Ἄρηος  
Then Leonteus, scion of Ares, struck the son of Antimachus—

**189** Ἱππόμαχον βάλε δουρὶ κατὰ ζωστῆρα τυχήσας.  
Hippomachus—with his spear, hitting him at the belt.

**190** αὖτις δʼ ἐκ κολεοῖο ἐρυσσάμενος ξίφος ὀξὺ  
Again he drew his sharp sword from its sheath,

**191** Ἀντιφάτην μὲν πρῶτον ἐπαΐξας διʼ ὁμίλου  
then springing through the throng first at Antiphates,

**192** πλῆξʼ αὐτοσχεδίην· ὃ δʼ ἄρʼ ὕπτιος οὔδει ἐρείσθη·  
struck him hand to hand; he fell backward on the ground.

**193** αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα Μένωνα καὶ Ἰαμενὸν καὶ Ὀρέστην  
Then Menon and Iamenus and Orestes

**194** πάντας ἐπασσυτέρους πέλασε χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ.  
all one after another he laid upon the all-nurturing earth.
> A locked kill-line: This whole Greek line already appears at Iliad 8.277, and its English is repeated exactly here. The stately formula closes the rapid sequence of kills by Leonteus by laying all three men upon the earth in a single line.

**195** ὄφρʼ οἳ τοὺς ἐνάριζον ἀπʼ ἔντεα μαρμαίροντα,  
While they were stripping the gleaming armor from those men,

**196** τόφρʼ οἳ Πουλυδάμαντι καὶ Ἕκτορι κοῦροι ἕποντο,  
the youths who followed Polydamas and Hector

**197** οἳ πλεῖστοι καὶ ἄριστοι ἔσαν, μέμασαν δὲ μάλιστα  
the most numerous and best, and the most eager
> The foremost company returns: This Greek line is identical to line 89, where the narrator first describes Hector and Polydamas' company. The accepted English therefore returns unchanged as the same men reach the trench.

**198** τεῖχός τε ῥήξειν καὶ ἐνιπρήσειν πυρὶ νῆας,  
to break the wall and burn the ships with fire,

**199** οἵ ῥʼ ἔτι μερμήριζον ἐφεσταότες παρὰ τάφρῳ.  
were still pondering as they stood beside the trench.

**200** ὄρνις γάρ σφιν ἐπῆλθε περησέμεναι μεμαῶσιν  
For a bird had come upon them as they pressed on to cross:

**201** αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης ἐπʼ ἀριστερὰ λαὸν ἐέργων  
a high-flying eagle, keeping the host upon its left,

**202** φοινήεντα δράκοντα φέρων ὀνύχεσσι πέλωρον  
carrying in its talons a monstrous blood-red snake,

**203** ζωὸν ἔτʼ ἀσπαίροντα, καὶ οὔ πω λήθετο χάρμης,  
still alive and writhing; nor had it yet forgotten battle,
> It had not forgotten battle: The snake remains an active fighter even while trapped in the eagle's claws. The phrase makes its resistance deliberate: it has not forgotten the work of battle.

**204** κόψε γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔχοντα κατὰ στῆθος παρὰ δειρὴν  
for it bent backward and struck its captor on the breast beside the neck.

**205** ἰδνωθεὶς ὀπίσω· ὃ δʼ ἀπὸ ἕθεν ἧκε χαμᾶζε  
The eagle let it fall away from itself to the ground,

**206** ἀλγήσας ὀδύνῃσι, μέσῳ δʼ ἐνὶ κάββαλʼ ὁμίλῳ,  
tormented by pain, and dropped it in the midst of the throng,

**207** αὐτὸς δὲ κλάγξας πέτετο πνοιῇς ἀνέμοιο.  
then flew away with a cry upon the blasts of wind.

**208** Τρῶες δʼ ἐρρίγησαν ὅπως ἴδον αἰόλον ὄφιν  
The Trojans shuddered when they saw the glinting snake
> The glinting snake: αἰόλος can suggest flashing, glinting, or shifting color. Here it catches the snake's quick, bright movement as it lies alive among the Trojans, rather than making it merely decorative or patterned.

**209** κείμενον ἐν μέσσοισι Διὸς τέρας αἰγιόχοιο.  
lying in their midst, a portent of aegis-bearing Zeus.

**210** δὴ τότε Πουλυδάμας θρασὺν Ἕκτορα εἶπε παραστάς·  
Then Polydamas stood beside bold Hector and said:
> Polydamas stands beside Hector again: This whole Greek line is identical to line 60, where Polydamas first advises Hector at the trench. Its English is repeated exactly, making the second warning formally recall the first.

**211** Ἕκτορ ἀεὶ μέν πώς μοι ἐπιπλήσσεις ἀγορῇσιν  
"Hector, somehow you always rebuke me in the assemblies

**212** ἐσθλὰ φραζομένῳ, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ μὲν οὐδὲ ἔοικε  
when I devise good counsel, since it is indeed not fitting

**213** δῆμον ἐόντα παρὲξ ἀγορευέμεν, οὔτʼ ἐνὶ βουλῇ  
for one of the people to speak against you, whether in council

**214** οὔτέ ποτʼ ἐν πολέμῳ, σὸν δὲ κράτος αἰὲν ἀέξειν·  
or ever in war, but always to increase your power.

**215** νῦν αὖτʼ ἐξερέω ὥς μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι ἄριστα.  
Yet now again I will say what seems to me to be best:

**216** μὴ ἴομεν Δαναοῖσι μαχησόμενοι περὶ νηῶν.  
let us not go to fight the Danaans beside their ships.

**217** ὧδε γὰρ ἐκτελέεσθαι ὀΐομαι, εἰ ἐτεόν γε  
For this is how I think it will be fulfilled, if truly

**218** Τρωσὶν ὅδʼ ὄρνις ἦλθε περησέμεναι μεμαῶσιν  
this bird came upon the Trojans as they pressed on to cross:

**219** αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης ἐπʼ ἀριστερὰ λαὸν ἐέργων  
a high-flying eagle, keeping the host upon its left,
> Polydamas repeats the sign: The Greek is identical to line 201, and Polydamas repeats the narrator's description word for word. The English is therefore identical too, preserving the formal force of his interpretation.

**220** φοινήεντα δράκοντα φέρων ὀνύχεσσι πέλωρον  
carrying in its talons a monstrous blood-red snake,

**221** ζωόν· ἄφαρ δʼ ἀφέηκε πάρος φίλα οἰκίʼ ἱκέσθαι,  
alive; but at once it let the snake go before reaching its dear home,

**222** οὐδʼ ἐτέλεσσε φέρων δόμεναι τεκέεσσιν ἑοῖσιν.  
nor did it bring its burden home and give it to its young.

**223** ὣς ἡμεῖς, εἴ πέρ τε πύλας καὶ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν  
So too with us: even if we break the Achaeans' gates and wall

**224** ῥηξόμεθα σθένεϊ μεγάλῳ, εἴξωσι δʼ Ἀχαιοί,  
with our great strength, and the Achaeans yield,

**225** οὐ κόσμῳ παρὰ ναῦφιν ἐλευσόμεθʼ αὐτὰ κέλευθα·  
we will not return from the ships in good order by the same paths.

**226** πολλοὺς γὰρ Τρώων καταλείψομεν, οὕς κεν Ἀχαιοὶ  
For we will leave many Trojans behind, whom the Achaeans

**227** χαλκῷ δῃώσωσιν ἀμυνόμενοι περὶ νηῶν.  
will cut down with bronze as they defend their ships.

**228** ὧδέ χʼ ὑποκρίναιτο θεοπρόπος, ὃς σάφα θυμῷ  
So would a seer interpret it, one who knew clearly in his heart
> The interpreter of signs: A θεοπρόπος is one who declares or interprets what comes from a god. Polydamas frames his reading as the judgment a skilled interpreter of divine signs would give, not merely as a private fear.

**229** εἰδείη τεράων καί οἱ πειθοίατο λαοί.  
the meaning of portents, and whom the people obeyed."

**230** τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ·  
Then, glaring at him from under his brows, Hector of the flashing helm spoke:
> Hector's angry reply: The hupodra formula marks an angry retort: Hector glares from under his brows before speaking. Both that speech-introduction wording and κορυθαίολος, Hector of the flashing helm, retain their established forms here.

**231** Πουλυδάμα, σὺ μὲν οὐκ ἔτʼ ἐμοὶ φίλα ταῦτʼ ἀγορεύεις·  
"Polydamas, what you say no longer pleases me.

**232** οἶσθα καὶ ἄλλον μῦθον ἀμείνονα τοῦδε νοῆσαι.  
you know how to devise another speech better than this.
> An inherited rebuke: Lines 232–234 repeat Iliad 7.358–360, where Hector dismisses a proposal in the same words. The accepted three-line English is preserved exactly here.

**233** εἰ δʼ ἐτεὸν δὴ τοῦτον ἀπὸ σπουδῆς ἀγορεύεις,  
But if you truly speak this in sober earnest,

**234** ἐξ ἄρα δή τοι ἔπειτα θεοὶ φρένας ὤλεσαν αὐτοί,  
then the gods themselves have destroyed your wits.

**235** ὃς κέλεαι Ζηνὸς μὲν ἐριγδούποιο λαθέσθαι  
You bid me forget the counsels of loud-thundering Zeus,

**236** βουλέων, ἅς τέ μοι αὐτὸς ὑπέσχετο καὶ κατένευσε·  
which he himself promised me and confirmed with a nod.

**237** τύνη δʼ οἰωνοῖσι τανυπτερύγεσσι κελεύεις  
Yet you command me to obey long-winged birds,

**238** πείθεσθαι, τῶν οὔ τι μετατρέπομʼ οὐδʼ ἀλεγίζω  
which I neither regard nor care about,

**239** εἴτʼ ἐπὶ δεξίʼ ἴωσι πρὸς ἠῶ τʼ ἠέλιόν τε,  
whether they fly to the right, toward dawn and the sun,

**240** εἴτʼ ἐπʼ ἀριστερὰ τοί γε ποτὶ ζόφον ἠερόεντα.  
or to the left, toward the misty darkness.

**241** ἡμεῖς δὲ μεγάλοιο Διὸς πειθώμεθα βουλῇ,  
Let us obey the counsel of great Zeus,

**242** ὃς πᾶσι θνητοῖσι καὶ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀνάσσει.  
who rules over all mortals and immortals.

**243** εἷς οἰωνὸς ἄριστος ἀμύνεσθαι περὶ πάτρης.  
One omen is best: to fight for one's country.

**244** τίπτε σὺ δείδοικας πόλεμον καὶ δηϊοτῆτα;  
Why do you fear war and battle?

**245** εἴ περ γάρ τʼ ἄλλοι γε περὶ κτεινώμεθα πάντες  
Even if all the rest of us are killed

**246** νηυσὶν ἐπʼ Ἀργείων, σοὶ δʼ οὐ δέος ἔστʼ ἀπολέσθαι·  
beside the Argives' ships, there is no fear that you will perish,

**247** οὐ γάρ τοι κραδίη μενεδήϊος οὐδὲ μαχήμων.  
for your heart is neither steadfast nor warlike.

**248** εἰ δὲ σὺ δηϊοτῆτος ἀφέξεαι, ἠέ τινʼ ἄλλον  
But if you hold back from battle, or coax some other man

**249** παρφάμενος ἐπέεσσιν ἀποτρέψεις πολέμοιο,  
with your words and turn him away from war,

**250** αὐτίκʼ ἐμῷ ὑπὸ δουρὶ τυπεὶς ἀπὸ θυμὸν ὀλέσσεις.  
at once, struck beneath my spear, you will lose your life."
> Losing the life-spirit: θυμός is the living spirit within a person. Hector's threat says literally that Polydamas will lose that spirit away from himself when the spear strikes.

**251** ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἡγήσατο, τοὶ δʼ ἅμʼ ἕποντο  
So he spoke and led the way, and they followed with him

**252** ἠχῇ θεσπεσίῃ· ἐπὶ δὲ Ζεὺς τερπικέραυνος  
in a wondrous din; and Zeus, who delights in thunder,

**253** ὦρσεν ἀπʼ Ἰδαίων ὀρέων ἀνέμοιο θύελλαν,  
roused from the mountains of Ida a storm of wind

**254** ἥ ῥʼ ἰθὺς νηῶν κονίην φέρεν· αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιῶν  
that bore the dust straight toward the ships; but the Achaeans' minds

**255** θέλγε νόον, Τρωσὶν δὲ καὶ Ἕκτορι κῦδος ὄπαζε.  
he clouded, and granted glory to the Trojans and Hector.
> Clouding judgment: θέλγω can enchant, beguile, or numb. Zeus does not merely hide the field with dust: he works upon the Achaeans' νόος, their power of thought and judgment, while giving glory to Hector and the Trojans.

**256** τοῦ περ δὴ τεράεσσι πεποιθότες ἠδὲ βίηφι  
Trusting in his portents and in their own force,

**257** ῥήγνυσθαι μέγα τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν πειρήτιζον.  
they tried to break through the great wall of the Achaeans.

**258** κρόσσας μὲν πύργων ἔρυον, καὶ ἔρειπον ἐπάλξεις,  
They tore down the tower-copings and battered the battlements,

**259** στήλας τε προβλῆτας ἐμόχλεον, ἃς ἄρʼ Ἀχαιοὶ  
and levered at the projecting posts that the Achaeans
> Projecting support posts: The προβλῆτες are posts set out in front of the towers as structural supports. The Trojans attack the wall's framework itself, prying these forward-set timbers loose before trying to open a breach.

**260** πρώτας ἐν γαίῃ θέσαν ἔμμεναι ἔχματα πύργων.  
had first set in the earth to be supports for the towers.

**261** τὰς οἵ γʼ αὐέρυον, ἔλποντο δὲ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν  
These they were dragging out, and they hoped to break

**262** ῥήξειν· οὐδέ νύ πω Δαναοὶ χάζοντο κελεύθου,  
the Achaeans' wall; but not even yet did the Danaans yield the way.

**263** ἀλλʼ οἵ γε ῥινοῖσι βοῶν φράξαντες ἐπάλξεις  
Instead they fenced the battlements with oxhide shields

**264** βάλλον ἀπʼ αὐτάων δηΐους ὑπὸ τεῖχος ἰόντας.  
and from the battlements pelted enemies coming beneath the wall.

**265** ἀμφοτέρω δʼ Αἴαντε κελευτιόωντʼ ἐπὶ πύργων  
The two Ajaxes, shouting commands from the towers,
> The two Ajaxes as a pair: ἀμφοτέρω and Αἴαντε are dual forms, and the verb also presents the two heroes acting together. Greek marks them as a coordinated pair as they range along the defenses.

**266** πάντοσε φοιτήτην μένος ὀτρύνοντες Ἀχαιῶν.  
ranged everywhere, stirring the Achaeans' strength.

**267** ἄλλον μειλιχίοις, ἄλλον στερεοῖς ἐπέεσσι  
One man they urged with gentle words, another with stern ones,

**268** νείκεον, ὅν τινα πάγχυ μάχης μεθιέντα ἴδοιεν·  
rebuking anyone they saw wholly slackening from battle:

**269** ὦ φίλοι Ἀργείων ὅς τʼ ἔξοχος ὅς τε μεσήεις  
"Friends among the Argives, whether foremost, middling,

**270** ὅς τε χερειότερος, ἐπεὶ οὔ πω πάντες ὁμοῖοι  
or lesser, since men are never all equal

**271** ἀνέρες ἐν πολέμῳ, νῦν ἔπλετο ἔργον ἅπασι·  
in war, now there is work for everyone—

**272** καὶ δʼ αὐτοὶ τόδε που γιγνώσκετε. μή τις ὀπίσσω  
and surely you yourselves know this. Let no man turn

**273** τετράφθω ποτὶ νῆας ὁμοκλητῆρος ἀκούσας,  
back toward the ships when he hears the enemy's shout,

**274** ἀλλὰ πρόσω ἵεσθε καὶ ἀλλήλοισι κέλεσθε,  
but press forward and urge one another on,

**275** αἴ κε Ζεὺς δώῃσιν Ὀλύμπιος ἀστεροπητὴς  
in hope that Olympian Zeus, lord of the lightning, may grant us
> A hope for what Zeus may grant: αἴ κε with the aorist subjunctive δώῃσιν presents a hoped-for possibility: if Zeus should grant it. The Ajaxes rally the men without claiming that victory has already been promised to them.

**276** νεῖκος ἀπωσαμένους δηΐους προτὶ ἄστυ δίεσθαι.  
to drive back the strife and chase our enemies toward the city."

**277** ὣς τώ γε προβοῶντε μάχην ὄτρυνον Ἀχαιῶν.  
So the two, shouting before them, stirred the Achaeans to battle.

**278** τῶν δʼ, ὥς τε νιφάδες χιόνος πίπτωσι θαμειαὶ  
And as snowflakes fall thick
> Stones become winter snow: ὥς τε opens the long comparison that runs through line 287. The snow's breadth and density prepare the return to the stones flying thick from both armies, not a change in the battle's weather.

**279** ἤματι χειμερίῳ, ὅτε τʼ ὤρετο μητίετα Ζεὺς  
on a winter day, when Zeus the counselor is moved

**280** νιφέμεν ἀνθρώποισι πιφαυσκόμενος τὰ ἃ κῆλα·  
to snow upon mankind, displaying his shafts:
> Snow as the shafts of Zeus: κῆλα are the missiles or shafts of a god. By making the snow display Zeus's own shafts, the simile gives the quiet weather a martial image before returning to the battle's stones.

**281** κοιμήσας δʼ ἀνέμους χέει ἔμπεδον, ὄφρα καλύψῃ  
he lulls the winds and pours it steadily, until it covers

**282** ὑψηλῶν ὀρέων κορυφὰς καὶ πρώονας ἄκρους  
the peaks of the high mountains and the utmost headlands,

**283** καὶ πεδία λωτοῦντα καὶ ἀνδρῶν πίονα ἔργα,  
the lotus-flowering meadows and men's rich tilled fields,
> Lotus-flowering meadows: λωτοῦντα describes plains or meadows blooming with lotus, a low-growing fodder plant in Homeric landscape. The line moves from wild high ground to fertile human land as the snow covers everything.

**284** καί τʼ ἐφʼ ἁλὸς πολιῆς κέχυται λιμέσιν τε καὶ ἀκταῖς,  
and spreads upon the gray sea over harbors and shores,

**285** κῦμα δέ μιν προσπλάζον ἐρύκεται· ἄλλά τε πάντα  
though the lapping wave checks it; but all else

**286** εἴλυται καθύπερθʼ, ὅτʼ ἐπιβρίσῃ Διὸς ὄμβρος·  
is wrapped from above when the storm of Zeus weighs down—

**287** ὣς τῶν ἀμφοτέρωσε λίθοι πωτῶντο θαμειαί,  
so thick the stones flew from both sides,

**288** αἱ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐς Τρῶας, αἱ δʼ ἐκ Τρώων ἐς Ἀχαιούς,  
some toward the Trojans, others from the Trojans toward the Achaeans,

**289** βαλλομένων· τὸ δὲ τεῖχος ὕπερ πᾶν δοῦπος ὀρώρει.  
as they hurled; and over the whole wall a din arose.

**290** οὐδʼ ἄν πω τότε γε Τρῶες καὶ φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ  
Nor even then would the Trojans and glorious Hector

**291** τείχεος ἐρρήξαντο πύλας καὶ μακρὸν ὀχῆα,  
have broken the gates of the wall and the long bar,

**292** εἰ μὴ ἄρʼ υἱὸν ἑὸν Σαρπηδόνα μητίετα Ζεὺς  
had Zeus the counselor not roused his own son Sarpedon

**293** ὦρσεν ἐπʼ Ἀργείοισι λέονθʼ ὣς βουσὶν ἕλιξιν.  
against the Argives, like a lion against curved-horned cattle.

**294** αὐτίκα δʼ ἀσπίδα μὲν πρόσθʼ ἔσχετο πάντοσʼ ἐΐσην  
At once he held before him his shield, perfectly round,
> Equal on every side: The shield is ἐΐση in every direction: evenly formed and fully round. Homer begins with its shape, then moves through bronze, hides, and gold to build it layer by layer.

**295** καλὴν χαλκείην ἐξήλατον, ἣν ἄρα χαλκεὺς  
beautiful, hammered bronze, which a bronzesmith

**296** ἤλασεν, ἔντοσθεν δὲ βοείας ῥάψε θαμειὰς  
had beaten out, then stitched many oxhides within it

**297** χρυσείῃς ῥάβδοισι διηνεκέσιν περὶ κύκλον.  
with rods of gold running unbroken around the rim.

**298** τὴν ἄρʼ ὅ γε πρόσθε σχόμενος δύο δοῦρε τινάσσων  
Holding it before him and brandishing two spears,

**299** βῆ ῥʼ ἴμεν ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος, ὅς τʼ ἐπιδευὴς  
he strode on like a mountain-bred lion, long deprived
> The assault as a lion simile: ὥς introduces an extended comparison that runs through line 306. Sarpedon does not merely look leonine: the lion's hunger, risk, and refusal to leave untested map the whole motion of his attack.

**300** δηρὸν ἔῃ κρειῶν, κέλεται δέ ἑ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ  
of meat, whose proud heart drives him

**301** μήλων πειρήσοντα καὶ ἐς πυκινὸν δόμον ἐλθεῖν·  
to test the sheep and enter even a close-built fold.

**302** εἴ περ γάρ χʼ εὕρῃσι παρʼ αὐτόφι βώτορας ἄνδρας  
Though he finds the herdsmen there beside the flock,

**303** σὺν κυσὶ καὶ δούρεσσι φυλάσσοντας περὶ μῆλα,  
with dogs and spears keeping watch around the sheep,

**304** οὔ ῥά τʼ ἀπείρητος μέμονε σταθμοῖο δίεσθαι,  
he has no mind to be driven from the fold untried:

**305** ἀλλʼ ὅ γʼ ἄρʼ ἢ ἥρπαξε μετάλμενος, ἠὲ καὶ αὐτὸς  
he either leaps among them and seizes one, or is himself

**306** ἔβλητʼ ἐν πρώτοισι θοῆς ἀπὸ χειρὸς ἄκοντι·  
struck among the foremost by a javelin from a swift hand.

**307** ὥς ῥα τότʼ ἀντίθεον Σαρπηδόνα θυμὸς ἀνῆκε  
So then his heart urged godlike Sarpedon

**308** τεῖχος ἐπαΐξαι διά τε ῥήξασθαι ἐπάλξεις.  
to charge the wall and break through the battlements.

**309** αὐτίκα δὲ Γλαῦκον προσέφη παῖδʼ Ἱππολόχοιο·  
At once he spoke to Glaucus, son of Hippolochus:

**310** Γλαῦκε τί ἢ δὴ νῶϊ τετιμήμεσθα μάλιστα  
"Glaucus, why are we two honored above all others
> We two: νῶϊ is the first-person dual pronoun; the verb τετιμήμεσθα uses the first-person plural form because Greek has no distinct first-person dual verb ending. Sarpedon frames the privileges and obligations as belonging precisely to himself and Glaucus together.

**311** ἕδρῃ τε κρέασίν τε ἰδὲ πλείοις δεπάεσσιν  
with seats and meat and brimming cups

**312** ἐν Λυκίῃ, πάντες δὲ θεοὺς ὣς εἰσορόωσι,  
in Lycia, while all look upon us as gods?

**313** καὶ τέμενος νεμόμεσθα μέγα Ξάνθοιο παρʼ ὄχθας  
And we possess a great estate beside the banks of Xanthus,

**314** καλὸν φυταλιῆς καὶ ἀρούρης πυροφόροιο;  
fine with orchard ground and wheat-bearing fields.

**315** τὼ νῦν χρὴ Λυκίοισι μέτα πρώτοισιν ἐόντας  
Therefore now we must take our place among the foremost Lycians,

**316** ἑστάμεν ἠδὲ μάχης καυστείρης ἀντιβολῆσαι,  
to stand our ground and meet the burning heat of battle;
> The burning heat of battle: This Greek line repeats Iliad 4.342 exactly, but its person comes from the surrounding syntax: there Agamemnon addresses two men as 'you,' while here Sarpedon's first-person dual means 'we.' καυστειρή makes battle a searing heat that the leaders must stand and meet rather than command from safety.

**317** ὄφρά τις ὧδʼ εἴπῃ Λυκίων πύκα θωρηκτάων·  
so that one of the closely armored Lycians may say:

**318** οὐ μὰν ἀκλεέες Λυκίην κάτα κοιρανέουσιν  
'No inglorious men are these kings who rule in Lycia:

**319** ἡμέτεροι βασιλῆες, ἔδουσί τε πίονα μῆλα  
they eat fat sheep

**320** οἶνόν τʼ ἔξαιτον μελιηδέα· ἀλλʼ ἄρα καὶ ἲς  
and drink choice, honey-sweet wine; but their strength too

**321** ἐσθλή, ἐπεὶ Λυκίοισι μέτα πρώτοισι μάχονται.  
is noble, since they fight among the foremost Lycians.'

**322** ὦ πέπον εἰ μὲν γὰρ πόλεμον περὶ τόνδε φυγόντε  
Dear friend, if by escaping this war we two
> Escaping as a pair: φυγόντε is an aorist dual participle: Sarpedon imagines himself and Glaucus together escaping this particular war. The unreal condition opens here and reaches its consequence in lines 324–325.

**323** αἰεὶ δὴ μέλλοιμεν ἀγήρω τʼ ἀθανάτω τε  
were thereafter to live forever, ageless and immortal,

**324** ἔσσεσθʼ, οὔτέ κεν αὐτὸς ἐνὶ πρώτοισι μαχοίμην  
neither would I myself fight among the foremost

**325** οὔτέ κε σὲ στέλλοιμι μάχην ἐς κυδιάνειραν·  
nor would I send you into the battle that brings men glory.

**326** νῦν δʼ ἔμπης γὰρ κῆρες ἐφεστᾶσιν θανάτοιο  
But now, for all that, countless death-dooms stand over us,
> Death-dooms standing near: κῆρες are the many possible death-fates that stand over every mortal. Sarpedon's answer to certain death is not hope of escape but the pursuit of glory while action remains possible.

**327** μυρίαι, ἃς οὐκ ἔστι φυγεῖν βροτὸν οὐδʼ ὑπαλύξαι,  
which no mortal can flee or escape.

**328** ἴομεν ἠέ τῳ εὖχος ὀρέξομεν ἠέ τις ἡμῖν.  
Let us go: either we shall give glory to another, or another to us."

**329** ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδὲ Γλαῦκος ἀπετράπετʼ οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε·  
So he spoke, and Glaucus neither turned away nor disobeyed;

**330** τὼ δʼ ἰθὺς βήτην Λυκίων μέγα ἔθνος ἄγοντε.  
the two went straight on, leading the great host of Lycians.

**331** τοὺς δὲ ἰδὼν ῥίγησʼ υἱὸς Πετεῶο Μενεσθεύς·  
Seeing them, Menestheus, son of Peteos, shuddered,

**332** τοῦ γὰρ δὴ πρὸς πύργον ἴσαν κακότητα φέροντες.  
for toward his tower they came, bringing ruin.

**333** πάπτηνεν δʼ ἀνὰ πύργον Ἀχαιῶν εἴ τινʼ ἴδοιτο  
He scanned along the Achaeans' wall, hoping to see

**334** ἡγεμόνων, ὅς τίς οἱ ἀρὴν ἑτάροισιν ἀμύναι·  
some leader who might ward destruction from his comrades.

**335** ἐς δʼ ἐνόησʼ Αἴαντε δύω πολέμου ἀκορήτω  
He saw the two Ajaxes, insatiate for war,
> The two Ajaxes: Αἴαντε is the dual form of Ajax, reinforced by δύω, 'two.' Homer treats Telamonian Ajax and Oilean Ajax as a pair here before the message separates their duties.

**336** ἑσταότας, Τεῦκρόν τε νέον κλισίηθεν ἰόντα  
standing there, and Teucer newly come from his shelter

**337** ἐγγύθεν· ἀλλʼ οὔ πώς οἱ ἔην βώσαντι γεγωνεῖν·  
close by; but no shout of his could make itself heard,

**338** τόσσος γὰρ κτύπος ἦεν, ἀϋτὴ δʼ οὐρανὸν ἷκε,  
so great was the din, and the battle-cry reached heaven

**339** βαλλομένων σακέων τε καὶ ἱπποκόμων τρυφαλειῶν  
as shields and horsehair-crested helmets were struck,

**340** καὶ πυλέων· πᾶσαι γὰρ ἐπώχατο, τοὶ δὲ κατʼ αὐτὰς  
and gates as well; for all were shut fast, and the Trojans

**341** ἱστάμενοι πειρῶντο βίῃ ῥήξαντες ἐσελθεῖν.  
stood before them, trying to break them by force and enter.

**342** αἶψα δʼ ἐπʼ Αἴαντα προΐει κήρυκα Θοώτην·  
At once he sent the herald Thotes to Ajax:

**343** ἔρχεο δῖε Θοῶτα, θέων Αἴαντα κάλεσσον,  
"Go, godlike Thotes, run and call Ajax —

**344** ἀμφοτέρω μὲν μᾶλλον· ὃ γάρ κʼ ὄχʼ ἄριστον ἁπάντων  
both of them if possible; for that would be best of all.

**345** εἴη, ἐπεὶ τάχα τῇδε τετεύξεται αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος.  
For soon here sheer destruction will be wrought.

**346** ὧδε γὰρ ἔβρισαν Λυκίων ἀγοί, οἳ τὸ πάρος περ  
So heavily press the Lycian leaders, who before now

**347** ζαχρηεῖς τελέθουσι κατὰ κρατερὰς ὑσμίνας.  
have always proved fierce in mighty battles.

**348** εἰ δέ σφιν καὶ κεῖθι πόνος καὶ νεῖκος ὄρωρεν,  
But if toil and strife have risen for them there as well,

**349** ἀλλά περ οἶος ἴτω Τελαμώνιος ἄλκιμος Αἴας,  
then at least let mighty Telamonian Ajax come alone,

**350** καί οἱ Τεῦκρος ἅμα σπέσθω τόξων ἐῢ εἰδώς.  
and let Teucer, skilled with the bow, follow with him."

**351** ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἄρα οἱ κῆρυξ ἀπίθησεν ἀκούσας,  
So he spoke, and the herald did not disobey him when he heard,
> An inherited messenger formula: The Greek line repeats Iliad 4.198 exactly, and its accepted English is inherited without change. The formula moves the message from command to action in a single beat.

**352** βῆ δὲ θέειν παρὰ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων,  
and ran beside the wall of the bronze-clad Achaeans.

**353** στῆ δὲ παρʼ Αἰάντεσσι κιών, εἶθαρ δὲ προσηύδα·  
He came and stood beside the Ajaxes, then addressed them at once:

**354** Αἴαντʼ Ἀργείων ἡγήτορε χαλκοχιτώνων  
"You two Ajaxes, leaders of the bronze-clad Argives —
> The Ajaxes addressed together: This line inherits the punctuation-normalized formula of Iliad 4.285. The dual form ἡγήτορε addresses both Ajaxes as leaders, while bronze-clad keeps the established rendering of χαλκοχίτωνες.

**355** ἠνώγει Πετεῶο διοτρεφέος φίλος υἱὸς  
the dear son of Zeus-nurtured Peteos bids you
> Whom Zeus nurtured: The genitives Πετεῶο διοτρεφέος belong together: it is Peteos who is Zeus-nurtured. φίλος υἱός, 'dear son,' names Menestheus in relation to that father.

**356** κεῖσʼ ἴμεν, ὄφρα πόνοιο μίνυνθά περ ἀντιάσητον  
go there, to face the struggle for a little while —

**357** ἀμφοτέρω μὲν μᾶλλον· ὃ γάρ κʼ ὄχʼ ἄριστον ἁπάντων  
both of them if possible; for that would be best of all.

**358** εἴη, ἐπεὶ τάχα κεῖθι τετεύξεται αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος·  
For soon there sheer destruction will be wrought.

**359** ὧδε γὰρ ἔβρισαν Λυκίων ἀγοί, οἳ τὸ πάρος περ  
So heavily press the Lycian leaders, who before now

**360** ζαχρηεῖς τελέθουσι κατὰ κρατερὰς ὑσμίνας.  
have always proved fierce in mighty battles.

**361** εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐνθάδε περ πόλεμος καὶ νεῖκος ὄρωρεν,  
But if war and strife have risen here as well,

**362** ἀλλά περ οἶος ἴτω Τελαμώνιος ἄλκιμος Αἴας,  
then at least let mighty Telamonian Ajax come alone,

**363** καί οἱ Τεῦκρος ἅμα σπέσθω τόξων ἐῢ εἰδώς.  
and let Teucer, skilled with the bow, follow with him."

**364** ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε μέγας Τελαμώνιος Αἴας.  
So he spoke, and great Telamonian Ajax did not disobey.

**365** αὐτίκʼ Ὀϊλιάδην ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
At once he addressed the son of Oileus with winged words:

**366** Αἶαν σφῶϊ μὲν αὖθι, σὺ καὶ κρατερὸς Λυκομήδης,  
"Ajax, you two remain here, you and mighty Lycomedes,
> You two remain here: σφῶϊ is a second-person dual pronoun. The apposition that follows identifies the pair as Oilean Ajax and Lycomedes, whom Telamonian Ajax leaves to hold this section of wall.

**367** ἑσταότες Δαναοὺς ὀτρύνετον ἶφι μάχεσθαι·  
and rally the Danaans to fight with all their might.

**368** αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ κεῖσʼ εἶμι καὶ ἀντιόω πολέμοιο·  
I will go there and meet the battle,

**369** αἶψα δʼ ἐλεύσομαι αὖτις, ἐπὴν εὖ τοῖς ἐπαμύνω.  
and swiftly come back once I have given them good aid."

**370** ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη Τελαμώνιος Αἴας,  
So speaking, Telamonian Ajax departed,

**371** καί οἱ Τεῦκρος ἅμʼ ᾖε κασίγνητος καὶ ὄπατρος·  
and Teucer went with him, his brother by the same father;

**372** τοῖς δʼ ἅμα Πανδίων Τεύκρου φέρε καμπύλα τόξα.  
and with them Pandion carried Teucer's recurved bow.

**373** εὖτε Μενεσθῆος μεγαθύμου πύργον ἵκοντο  
When they reached the tower of great-hearted Menestheus,

**374** τείχεος ἐντὸς ἰόντες, ἐπειγομένοισι δʼ ἵκοντο,  
going within the wall, they came upon men hard-pressed:

**375** οἳ δʼ ἐπʼ ἐπάλξεις βαῖνον ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσοι  
they were mounting the battlements like a dark storm-squall,
> Like a dark storm: The comparison is completed across lines 375–376: the Lycian leaders mount the battlements like a dark storm-squall. Their massed pressure, rather than any single warrior, is the force of the image.

**376** ἴφθιμοι Λυκίων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες·  
the mighty leaders and rulers of the Lycians.

**377** σὺν δʼ ἐβάλοντο μάχεσθαι ἐναντίον, ὦρτο δʼ ἀϋτή.  
They clashed face to face in battle, and the war-cry rose.

**378** Αἴας δὲ πρῶτος Τελαμώνιος ἄνδρα κατέκτα  
First Telamonian Ajax killed a man,

**379** Σαρπήδοντος ἑταῖρον Ἐπικλῆα μεγάθυμον  
great-hearted Epicles, a companion of Sarpedon,

**380** μαρμάρῳ ὀκριόεντι βαλών, ὅ ῥα τείχεος ἐντὸς  
striking him with a jagged coping stone that lay inside the wall,
> A jagged coping stone: μάρμαρος here is a massive stone from the wall, and ὀκριόεις makes its edges jagged or projecting. Ajax throws this stone down from the battlements; it is separate from the gate-stone Hector lifts later.

**381** κεῖτο μέγας παρʼ ἔπαλξιν ὑπέρτατος· οὐδέ κέ μιν ῥέα  
huge beside the highest battlement. Not easily could

**382** χείρεσσʼ ἀμφοτέρῃς ἔχοι ἀνὴρ οὐδὲ μάλʼ ἡβῶν,  
a man grasp it with both hands, even in the full strength of youth,
> With both hands: The dative χείρεσσʼ is instrumental: a man could scarcely hold the stone with his hands. ἀμφοτέρῃς stresses that even both hands and youthful strength would not suffice.

**383** οἷοι νῦν βροτοί εἰσʼ· ὃ δʼ ἄρʼ ὑψόθεν ἔμβαλʼ ἀείρας,  
such as mortals now are; but Ajax raised it and hurled it from above.

**384** θλάσσε δὲ τετράφαλον κυνέην, σὺν δʼ ὀστέʼ ἄραξε  
He crushed the four-crested helmet and shattered together

**385** πάντʼ ἄμυδις κεφαλῆς· ὃ δʼ ἄρʼ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς  
all the bones of the head; and like a diver
> Falling like a diver: ἐοικώς introduces the compact comparison: Epicles pitches headfirst from the tower like a diver. The graceful shape of the fall sharply contrasts with the crushed skull that causes it.

**386** κάππεσʼ ἀφʼ ὑψηλοῦ πύργου, λίπε δʼ ὀστέα θυμός.  
he fell from the high tower, and the spirit left his bones.

**387** Τεῦκρος δὲ Γλαῦκον κρατερὸν παῖδʼ Ἱππολόχοιο  
Then Teucer struck mighty Glaucus, son of Hippolochus,

**388** ἰῷ ἐπεσσύμενον βάλε τείχεος ὑψηλοῖο,  
with an arrow as he rushed upon the high wall,

**389** ᾗ ῥʼ ἴδε γυμνωθέντα βραχίονα, παῦσε δὲ χάρμης.  
where he saw his arm laid bare, and stopped him from battle.
> The arm laid bare: γυμνωθέντα is an aorist passive participle agreeing with βραχίονα, the arm Teucer sees exposed. The Greek names the vulnerable limb precisely without moving the wound to the shoulder or chest.

**390** ἂψ δʼ ἀπὸ τείχεος ἆλτο λαθών, ἵνα μή τις Ἀχαιῶν  
Glaucus leapt back down from the wall unseen, lest any Achaean

**391** βλήμενον ἀθρήσειε καὶ εὐχετόῳτʼ ἐπέεσσι.  
notice him wounded and boast over him in words.
> A feared result: After the past-tense ἆλτο, ἵνα μή introduces what Glaucus wished to prevent, with the optative ἀθρήσειε in secondary sequence. He hides the wound so that no Achaean may see it and claim a boast.

**392** Σαρπήδοντι δʼ ἄχος γένετο Γλαύκου ἀπιόντος  
Grief came upon Sarpedon as Glaucus withdrew,

**393** αὐτίκʼ ἐπεί τʼ ἐνόησεν· ὅμως δʼ οὐ λήθετο χάρμης,  
as soon as he marked it; yet he did not forget the fight,

**394** ἀλλʼ ὅ γε Θεστορίδην Ἀλκμάονα δουρὶ τυχήσας  
but met Alcmaon, son of Thestor, with his spear

**395** νύξʼ, ἐκ δʼ ἔσπασεν ἔγχος· ὃ δʼ ἑσπόμενος πέσε δουρὶ  
and stabbed him, then wrenched the spear out; following the spear, he fell
> Following the withdrawn spear: The aorist middle participle ἑσπόμενος makes Alcmaon's body follow the spear as Sarpedon pulls it free. The victim falls with the weapon's withdrawal, keeping attacker, weapon, and motion in one sequence.

**396** πρηνής, ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ βράχε τεύχεα ποικίλα χαλκῷ,  
face down, and his ornate bronze armor clanged around him.

**397** Σαρπηδὼν δʼ ἄρʼ ἔπαλξιν ἑλὼν χερσὶ στιβαρῇσιν  
Then Sarpedon seized a battlement with his strong hands

**398** ἕλχʼ, ἣ δʼ ἕσπετο πᾶσα διαμπερές, αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε  
and pulled; the whole piece came away clean through, while above it
> The battlement comes away: The feminine pronoun refers to the battlement: the whole piece follows Sarpedon's pull and comes away through its depth. This strips open one section of the wall, but does not yet break the barred gates.

**399** τεῖχος ἐγυμνώθη, πολέεσσι δὲ θῆκε κέλευθον.  
the wall lay bare, and he opened a path for many.

**400** τὸν δʼ Αἴας καὶ Τεῦκρος ὁμαρτήσανθʼ ὃ μὲν ἰῷ  
Ajax and Teucer met him together: Teucer with an arrow

**401** βεβλήκει τελαμῶνα περὶ στήθεσσι φαεινὸν  
struck the gleaming strap across his chest

**402** ἀσπίδος ἀμφιβρότης· ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς κῆρας ἄμυνε  
of the shield that covered him; but Zeus warded the death-dooms

**403** παιδὸς ἑοῦ, μὴ νηυσὶν ἔπι πρύμνῃσι δαμείη·  
from his son, so he would not be slain beside the ships' sterns.

**404** Αἴας δʼ ἀσπίδα νύξεν ἐπάλμενος, οὐδὲ διὰ πρὸ  
Ajax sprang and stabbed the shield, but the spearhead did not pass all the way through;

**405** ἤλυθεν ἐγχείη, στυφέλιξε δέ μιν μεμαῶτα.  
the spear passed and staggered Sarpedon as he charged
> Sarpedon is staggered: The Greek leaves μιν, 'him,' to context, where it refers to Sarpedon. This repeated line elsewhere names Hector in English, but here the attacker Ajax checks Sarpedon's charge, so the contextual name must change.

**406** χώρησεν δʼ ἄρα τυτθὸν ἐπάλξιος· οὐδʼ ὅ γε πάμπαν  
and made him give a little ground from the battlement; yet he did not wholly

**407** χάζετʼ, ἐπεί οἱ θυμὸς ἐέλπετο κῦδος ἀρέσθαι.  
draw back, for his heart still hoped to win glory.

**408** κέκλετο δʼ ἀντιθέοισιν ἑλιξάμενος Λυκίοισιν·  
He wheeled and called aloud to the godlike Lycians:

**409** ὦ Λύκιοι τί τʼ ἄρʼ ὧδε μεθίετε θούριδος ἀλκῆς;  
"Lycians, why do you slacken so in furious valor?
> Slackening in furious valor: μεθίετε means to let up or slacken, while θούριδος ἀλκῆς is the established phrase 'furious valor.' Sarpedon rebukes the Lycians for easing their pressure at the moment of breach.

**410** ἀργαλέον δέ μοί ἐστι καὶ ἰφθίμῳ περ ἐόντι  
It is hard for me, strong though I am,

**411** μούνῳ ῥηξαμένῳ θέσθαι παρὰ νηυσὶ κέλευθον·  
to break through alone and make a path beside the ships.

**412** ἀλλʼ ἐφομαρτεῖτε· πλεόνων δέ τι ἔργον ἄμεινον.  
Follow close behind me; the work of more men is better."

**413** ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δὲ ἄνακτος ὑποδείσαντες ὁμοκλὴν  
So he spoke, and they, fearing their lord's rebuke,

**414** μᾶλλον ἐπέβρισαν βουληφόρον ἀμφὶ ἄνακτα.  
pressed harder around their king and counselor.

**415** Ἀργεῖοι δʼ ἑτέρωθεν ἐκαρτύναντο φάλαγγας  
and the Argives on the other side strengthened their battalions.
> The battalions strengthen again: The line repeats Iliad 11.215 and preserves its earlier English exactly. The shared wording marks the Argives reforming their ranks on the opposite side of a renewed Trojan attack.

**416** τείχεος ἔντοσθεν, μέγα δέ σφισι φαίνετο ἔργον·  
Within the wall, the struggle seemed immense to them:

**417** οὔτε γὰρ ἴφθιμοι Λύκιοι Δαναῶν ἐδύναντο  
neither could the mighty Lycians break through

**418** τεῖχος ῥηξάμενοι θέσθαι παρὰ νηυσὶ κέλευθον,  
the Danaans' wall and make a path beside the ships,

**419** οὔτέ ποτʼ αἰχμηταὶ Δαναοὶ Λυκίους ἐδύναντο  
nor could the spearfighting Danaans drive the Lycians

**420** τείχεος ἂψ ὤσασθαι, ἐπεὶ τὰ πρῶτα πέλασθεν.  
back from the wall once they had first drawn near.

**421** ἀλλʼ ὥς τʼ ἀμφʼ οὔροισι δύʼ ἀνέρε δηριάασθον  
But as two men quarrel over boundary stones,
> Two men in a boundary quarrel: ἀνέρε is dual, and the verb δηριάασθον is dual as well: precisely two men dispute their line. Their narrow contested strip becomes the image for the battlements separating the armies.

**422** μέτρʼ ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες ἐπιξύνῳ ἐν ἀρούρῃ,  
holding measuring rods in a field they share,

**423** ὥ τʼ ὀλίγῳ ἐνὶ χώρῳ ἐρίζητον περὶ ἴσης,  
and in a narrow strip contend for an equal share,

**424** ὣς ἄρα τοὺς διέεργον ἐπάλξιες· οἳ δʼ ὑπὲρ αὐτέων  
so the battlements divided them; and over these they

**425** δῄουν ἀλλήλων ἀμφὶ στήθεσσι βοείας  
hacked at one another's oxhides about the chest,
> An inherited shield-fighting line: This entire line repeats Iliad 5.452 and keeps its accepted English exactly. βοείας are the oxhide layers being hacked around each fighter's chest.

**426** ἀσπίδας εὐκύκλους λαισήϊά τε πτερόεντα.  
well-rounded shields and winged bucklers.

**427** πολλοὶ δʼ οὐτάζοντο κατὰ χρόα νηλέϊ χαλκῷ,  
Many were gashed through the skin by pitiless bronze,

**428** ἠμὲν ὅτεῳ στρεφθέντι μετάφρενα γυμνωθείη  
both those whose backs were bared whenever they turned
> A back exposed in turning: The aorist passive participle στρεφθέντι marks a fighter at the instant he turns, when his back may be exposed. The anatomy belongs to those caught turning during the close struggle, not to the shield-pierced men of the next line.

**429** μαρναμένων, πολλοὶ δὲ διαμπερὲς ἀσπίδος αὐτῆς.  
amid the fighting, and many were pierced straight through the shield itself.

**430** πάντῃ δὴ πύργοι καὶ ἐπάλξιες αἵματι φωτῶν  
Everywhere the towers and battlements with warriors' blood

**431** ἐρράδατʼ ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἀπὸ Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν.  
were spattered from both sides, by Trojans and Achaeans.

**432** ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ὧς ἐδύναντο φόβον ποιῆσαι Ἀχαιῶν,  
Yet even so they could not put the Achaeans to flight,

**433** ἀλλʼ ἔχον ὥς τε τάλαντα γυνὴ χερνῆτις ἀληθής,  
but they held, as an honest working woman holds her scales,

**434** ἥ τε σταθμὸν ἔχουσα καὶ εἴριον ἀμφὶς ἀνέλκει  
lifting weight and wool on either side

**435** ἰσάζουσʼ, ἵνα παισὶν ἀεικέα μισθὸν ἄρηται·  
to make them equal, so she may earn a meager wage for her children;

**436** ὣς μὲν τῶν ἐπὶ ἶσα μάχη τέτατο πτόλεμός τε,  
so evenly for them were battle and war stretched taut,

**437** πρίν γʼ ὅτε δὴ Ζεὺς κῦδος ὑπέρτερον Ἕκτορι δῶκε  
until Zeus gave the greater glory to Hector,

**438** Πριαμίδῃ, ὃς πρῶτος ἐσήλατο τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν.  
Priam's son, who first leapt against the Achaeans' wall.

**439** ἤϋσεν δὲ διαπρύσιον Τρώεσσι γεγωνώς·  
He shouted piercingly, calling to the Trojans:

**440** ὄρνυσθʼ ἱππόδαμοι Τρῶες, ῥήγνυσθε δὲ τεῖχος  
"Rise, horse-taming Trojans! Break the Argives' wall

**441** Ἀργείων καὶ νηυσὶν ἐνίετε θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ.  
and cast god-kindled fire among their ships."

**442** ὣς φάτʼ ἐποτρύνων, οἳ δʼ οὔασι πάντες ἄκουον,  
So he spoke, urging them on; they all heard him with their ears

**443** ἴθυσαν δʼ ἐπὶ τεῖχος ἀολλέες· οἳ μὲν ἔπειτα  
and rushed upon the wall in one mass; some then

**444** κροσσάων ἐπέβαινον ἀκαχμένα δούρατʼ ἔχοντες,  
mounted the battlements, holding sharpened spears,

**445** Ἕκτωρ δʼ ἁρπάξας λᾶαν φέρεν, ὅς ῥα πυλάων  
while Hector seized and carried a stone that stood before

**446** ἑστήκει πρόσθε πρυμνὸς παχύς, αὐτὰρ ὕπερθεν  
the gates, thick at its base but tapering

**447** ὀξὺς ἔην· τὸν δʼ οὔ κε δύʼ ἀνέρε δήμου ἀρίστω  
to a sharp point. Not even two of the best men in the district,

**448** ῥηϊδίως ἐπʼ ἄμαξαν ἀπʼ οὔδεος ὀχλίσσειαν,  
could easily lever it from the ground onto a wagon,

**449** οἷοι νῦν βροτοί εἰσʼ· ὃ δέ μιν ῥέα πάλλε καὶ οἶος.  
such as mortals now are; but he alone swung it with ease.
> Hector's separate stone feat: This inherited line keeps the accepted English of Iliad 5.304 exactly. The stone is the tapered mass beside the gates, distinct from the coping stone Ajax threw down upon Epicles.

**450** τόν οἱ ἐλαφρὸν ἔθηκε Κρόνου πάϊς ἀγκυλομήτεω.  
The son of crooked-counseling Cronos made it light for him.

**451** ὡς δʼ ὅτε ποιμὴν ῥεῖα φέρει πόκον ἄρσενος οἰὸς  
As a shepherd easily carries the fleece of a ram,
> The stone becomes a fleece: The simile makes the gate-stone as light in Hector's hand as a ram's fleece in a shepherd's. It develops Zeus's action in the previous line: divine aid, not ordinary human strength alone, removes the weight.

**452** χειρὶ λαβὼν ἑτέρῃ, ὀλίγον τέ μιν ἄχθος ἐπείγει,  
grasped in one hand, and its weight scarcely burdens him,

**453** ὣς Ἕκτωρ ἰθὺς σανίδων φέρε λᾶαν ἀείρας,  
so Hector lifted the stone and bore it straight toward the door-planks

**454** αἵ ῥα πύλας εἴρυντο πύκα στιβαρῶς ἀραρυίας  
that guarded the gates, close-set and strongly fitted,

**455** δικλίδας ὑψηλάς· δοιοὶ δʼ ἔντοσθεν ὀχῆες  
high and double-leaved. Two bars on the inner side

**456** εἶχον ἐπημοιβοί, μία δὲ κληῒς ἐπαρήρει.  
held them crosswise, and a single locking bolt was fitted fast.
> The gate's locking bolt: The singular κληΐς is the final locking bolt fitted to the two inner bars named just before it. Homer inventories the fastenings before Hector's blow breaks the hinges and makes the bars fail.

**457** στῆ δὲ μάλʼ ἐγγὺς ἰών, καὶ ἐρεισάμενος βάλε μέσσας  
He came and stood very near, braced himself, and struck the middle,

**458** εὖ διαβάς, ἵνα μή οἱ ἀφαυρότερον βέλος εἴη,  
planting his feet wide, so that his cast would lose none of its force.
> A cast at full force: ἵνα μή with the optative εἴη explains Hector's wide stance: he plants himself so that the cast will not be weaker for him. The purpose clause makes his footing part of the gate-breaking mechanics.

**459** ῥῆξε δʼ ἀπʼ ἀμφοτέρους θαιρούς· πέσε δὲ λίθος εἴσω  
He broke both hinges away; the stone fell inward

**460** βριθοσύνῃ, μέγα δʼ ἀμφὶ πύλαι μύκον, οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ὀχῆες  
under its weight, and the gates groaned loudly around it; the bars no longer

**461** ἐσχεθέτην, σανίδες δὲ διέτμαγεν ἄλλυδις ἄλλη  
held, and the door-planks split apart, one this way, one that,
> Both bars fail: ἐσχεθέτην is a dual verb whose subject is the pair of inner bars named across the line break: both cease to hold. The doors then split in opposite directions, completing the failure of the whole gate assembly.

**462** λᾶος ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς· ὃ δʼ ἄρʼ ἔσθορε φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ  
under the stone's impact. Glorious Hector sprang inside,

**463** νυκτὶ θοῇ ἀτάλαντος ὑπώπια· λάμπε δὲ χαλκῷ  
his face like sudden night, while bronze flashed
> A face like sudden night: ἀτάλαντος sets Hector's face in comparison with swift, oncoming night. The darkness belongs to his terrifying appearance, while the next words keep the bronze around him flashing bright.

**464** σμερδαλέῳ, τὸν ἕεστο περὶ χροΐ, δοιὰ δὲ χερσὶ  
terribly around the body it clothed; in his hands he held

**465** δοῦρʼ ἔχεν· οὔ κέν τίς μιν ἐρύκακεν ἀντιβολήσας  
two spears. No one meeting him could have checked him,

**466** νόσφι θεῶν ὅτʼ ἐσᾶλτο πύλας· πυρὶ δʼ ὄσσε δεδήει.  
except a god, when he leapt within the gates; his eyes blazed with fire.

**467** κέκλετο δὲ Τρώεσσιν ἑλιξάμενος καθʼ ὅμιλον  
He wheeled amid the throng and called to the Trojans

**468** τεῖχος ὑπερβαίνειν· τοὶ δʼ ὀτρύνοντι πίθοντο.  
to scale the wall, and they obeyed his urging.

**469** αὐτίκα δʼ οἳ μὲν τεῖχος ὑπέρβασαν, οἳ δὲ κατʼ αὐτὰς  
At once some crossed over the wall, while others through the very

**470** ποιητὰς ἐσέχυντο πύλας· Δαναοὶ δὲ φόβηθεν  
wrought gates poured in; the Danaans fled in rout

**471** νῆας ἀνὰ γλαφυράς, ὅμαδος δʼ ἀλίαστος ἐτύχθη.  
among the hollow ships, and unending uproar arose.
> Unending uproar: ἀλίαστος describes a din that does not let up. The book closes not merely with the gate taken, but with the Danaans routed among the ships under the noise of the Trojan flood.

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Source text: public domain (Homer, ancient; Greek per the Murray text via the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 3.0). English translation: © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC — original line-aligned draft, pending editorial review. Word-by-word morphology and syntax derived from the Perseus Ancient Greek Dependency Treebank (CC BY-SA 3.0); English glosses and notes © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.