Achilles (Mythological character); Epic poetry, Greek -- Translations into English; Trojan War
And on the other side the two Aiantes and Odysseus and Diomedes stirred
the Danaans to fight; yet these of themselves feared neither the
Trojans’ violence nor assaults, but stood like mists that Kronos’ son
setteth in windless air on the mountain tops, at peace, while the might
of the north wind sleepeth and of all the violent winds that blow with
keen breath and scatter apart the shadowing clouds. Even so the Danaans
withstood the Trojans steadfastly and fled not. And Atreides ranged
through the throng exhorting instantly: “My friends, quit you like men
and take heart of courage, and shun dishonour in one another’s eyes
amid the stress of battle. Of men that shun dishonour more are saved
than slain, but for them that flee is neither glory found nor any
safety.”
So saying he darted swiftly with his javelin and smote a foremost
warrior, even great-hearted Aineias’ comrade Deïkoon son of Pergasos,
whom the Trojans held in like honour with Priam’s sons, because he was
swift to do battle amid the foremost. Him lord Agamemnon smote with his
dart upon the shield, and it stayed not the spear, but the point passed
through, so that he drave it through the belt into his nethermost
belly: and he fell with a crash and his armour clanged upon him.
Then did Aineias slay two champions of the Danaans, even the sons of
Diokles, Krethon and Orsilochos, whose father dwelt in stablished
Phere, a man full of substance, whose lineage was of the river
Alpheios, that floweth in broad stream through the land of the Pylians;
Alpheios begat Orsilochos to be king of many men, and Orsilochos begat
great-hearted Diokles, and of Diokles were born twin sons, even Krethon
and Orsilochos, well skilled in all the ways of war. Now when these
were of full age, they bare the Argives company on their black ships to
Ilios home of horses, to win recompense for Atreus’ sons, Agamemnon and
Menelaos; but now the issue of death shrouded them about. Like them,
two lions on the mountain tops are nurtured by their dam in the deep
forest thickets; and these harry the kine and goodly sheep and make
havoc of the farmsteads of men, till in their turn they too are slain
at men’s hands with the keen bronze; in such wise were these twain
vanquished at Aineias’ hands and fell like tall pine-trees.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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