Achilles (Mythological character); Epic poetry, Greek -- Translations into English; Trojan War
So spake he, spurring them on, and they all heard him with their ears,
and in one mass rushed straight against the wall, and with sharp spears
in their hands climbed upon the machicolations of the towers. And
Hector seized and carried a stone that lay in front of the gates, thick
in the hinder part, but sharp at point: a stone that not the two best
men of the people, such as mortals now are, could lightly lift from the
ground on to a wain, but easily he wielded it alone, for the son of
crooked-counselling Kronos made it light for him. And as when a
shepherd lightly beareth the fleece of a ram, taking it in one hand,
and little doth it burden him, so Hector lifted the stone, and bare it
straight against the doors that closely guarded the stubborn-set
portals, double gates and tall, and two cross bars held them within,
and one bolt fastened them. And he came, and stood hard by, and firmly
planted himself, and smote them in the midst, setting his legs well
apart, that his cast might lack no strength. And he brake both the
hinges, and the stone fell within by reason of its weight, and the
gates rang loud around, and the bars held not, and the doors burst this
way and that beneath the rush of the stone. Then glorious Hector leaped
in, with face like the sudden night, shining in wondrous mail that was
clad about his body, and with two spears in his hands. No man that met
him could have held him back when once he leaped within the gates: none
but the gods, and his eyes shone with fire. Turning towards the throng
he cried to the Trojans to overleap the wall, and they obeyed his
summons, and speedily some overleaped the wall, and some poured into
the fair-wrought gateways, and the Danaans fled in fear among the
hollow ships, and a ceaseless clamour arose.
BOOK XIII.
Poseidon stirreth up the Achaians to defend the ships. The valour of
Idomeneus.
Now Zeus, after that he had brought the Trojans and Hector to the
ships, left them to their toil and endless labour there, but otherwhere
again he turned his shining eyes, and looked upon the land of the
Thracian horsebreeders, and the Mysians, fierce fighters hand to hand,
and the proud Hippemolgoi that drink mare’s milk, and the Abioi, the
most righteous of men. To Troy no more at all he turned his shining
eyes, for he deemed in his heart that not one of the Immortals would
draw near, to help either Trojans or Danaans.
But the mighty Earthshaker held no blind watch, who sat and marvelled
on the war and strife, high on the topmost crest of wooded Samothrace,
for thence all Ida was plain to see; and plain to see were the city of
Priam, and the ships of the Achaians. Thither did he go from the sea
and sate him down, and he had pity on the Achaians, that they were
subdued to the Trojans, and strong was his anger against Zeus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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