And thus the bless'd gods both sides urged; they all stood in the midst And brake contention to their hosts. And over all their heads The gods' king in abhorred claps his thunder rattled out. Beneath them, Neptune tossed the earth; the mountains round about Bowed with affright and shook their heads, Jove's hill the earthquake felt, Steep Ida trembling at her roots, and all her fountains spilt, With crannied brows; the infernal king, that all things frays, was fray'd When this black battle of the gods was joining. Thus array'd 'Gainst Neptune Phoebus with winged shafts, 'gainst Mars the blue-eyed maid, 'Gainst Juno Phoebe, whose white hands bore stinging darts of gold, Her side armed with a sheaf of shafts, and (by the birth two-fold Of bright Latona) sister-twin to him that shoots so far. Against Latona, Hermes stood, grave guard in peace and war Of human beings. Against the god whose empire is on fire, The wat'ry godhead, that great flood, to show whose pow'r entire In spoil as th' other, all his streams on lurking whirlpits trod, Xanthus by gods, by men Scamander called. Thus god 'gainst god Entered the field. _IV_.--_Of Achilles and Hector_ Now Achilles fell upon the Trojan host, slaying one after another of their mighty men; but Æneas and Hector the gods shielded from him. Twelve he took captive, to sacrifice at the funeral of Patroclus. And he would have stormed into Troy itself but that Phoebus deceived him, and all the Trojans fled within the walls save Hector. But when he saw Achilles coming, cold fear shook Hector from his stand. No more stay now, all posts we've left, he fled in fear the hand Of that Fear-Master, who, hawk-like, air's swiftest passenger, That holds a timorous dove in chase, and with command doth bear His fiery onset, the dove hastes, the hawk comes whizzing on. This way and that he turns and winds and cuffs the pigeon: So urged Achilles Hector's flight. They ran thrice about the walls, until Hector, beguiled by Athene in the form of his brother Deiphobus, stayed to fight Achilles. Having cast his lance in vain, Then forth his sword flew, sharp and broad, and bore a deadly weight, With which he rushed in. And look how an eagle from her height Stoops to the rapture of a lamb, or cuffs a timorous hare; So fell in Hector; and at him Achilles. Achilles smote Hector through with his javelin, and thus death closed his eyes. Then, in his wrath for the death of Patroclus, Achilles bound the dead Hector by his feet to his chariot, And scourged on his horse that freely flew; A whirlwind made of startled dust drave with them as they drew, With which were all his black-brown curls knotted in heaps and fill'd. Which piteous sight was seen from the walls by Priam and Hecuba; but Andromache did not know that Hector had stayed without, until the clamour flew