So he spoke; and a trembling seized them all beneath their limbs,
and each man looked about him, to see how he might escape sheer destruction.
Tell me now Muses, who have your homes on Olympus,
who was first of the Achaeans to win bloodied spoils,
when the illustrious Earth-Shaker turned the tide of battle.510
First Telamonian Ajax struck Hyrtios,
the son of Gyrtios, leader of the strong-spirited Mysians;
and Antilochos slew and stripped Phalkes and Mermeros;
and Meriones killed Morys and Hippotion;
and Teucer destroyed Prothoön and Periphetes.
Then the son of Atreus stabbed Hyperenor, shepherd of the people,
down across his flank, and the bronze spear poured the entrails out
as it tore through; and down through the wound that had been stabbed his life
rushed in urgent haste, and darkness covered his eyes.
And Ajax the swift son of Oïleus killed the most men;520
for no man was his match in speed of feet to run down
men when they were fleeing, once Zeus drove panic upon them.
15.ILIÁDOS O
And as they fled through the palisade and ditch,
many were laid low by Danaan hands,
and the rest were checked beside the chariots, and there stood their ground,
green with fear, driven to flight; then Zeus awoke
on the heights of Ida beside Hera of the golden throne.
He stood, starting up, and beheld the Trojans and Achaeans,
the first fleeing in rout and driving them to panic from behind
the Argives, and lord Poseidon among them;
and he saw Hector lying on the plain, his companions sitting
round him—wracked with painful gasping, dazed at heart,10
vomiting blood, since not the weakest of Achaeans had struck him.
And seeing him the father of gods and men was filled with pity,
and looking terribly from beneath his brows he spoke a word to Hera:
“Now your evil-making, hopeless one, your deception, Hera,
has put a stop to shining Hector’s fighting, and driven his men to flight.
I rather think that, once again, you may be first to reap the profit of
your grievous evil scheming, and may I lash you with strokes of lightning.
Or do you not recollect that time you were hung on high, and from your feet
I let two anvils drop, and around your hands I threw fetters
of infrangible gold? And you hung in the clear sky above and in the clouds below;20
and the gods across high Olympus could not bear this,
yet they stood around powerless to set you free; and if I caught hold of anyone,
I would seize him and hurl him from the threshold of Olympus, so that he came to
earth with little strength to move; and not even so did unceasing grief
for godlike Heracles let my spirit go—
but you, winning over the storm gales with the aid of the North Wind,
had swept him into the murmuring sea, plotting your evil schemes,
and then carried him away to well-settled Kos.
And there I rescued him myself and at once led him up
into the horse-grazed pastures of Argos, he who had endured many struggles as it was.30
I will remind you of these things again, so that you give over your deceptions,
and see if they will protect you, your lovemaking and bed—
the bed where you lay, coming from the gods to deceive me.”
So he spoke and ox-eyed lady Hera shuddered,
and she spoke and addressed him with winged words:
“Let Earth now be witness to this and wide Heaven above,
and the down-flowing water of the Styx, which is the greatest
oath for the blessed gods and most dread,
and by your sacred head and by our own bed
of marriage—on which I would not ever swear in vain;40
not through my doing did Poseidon who shakes the earth
distress the Trojans and Hector, and help the others,
but it seems his own spirit stirred him and urged him,
when he saw the Achaeans worn to extremity by the ships and pitied them.
But I would advise him also
to go to the place where you lead, O Lord of the Dark Clouds.”
So she spoke; and the father of gods and men smiled,
and answering her he spoke winged words:
“If now then, lady Hera of the melting eyes, you indeed
were to take your seat among the immortals sharing my view,50
then would Poseidon, even if he strongly wished it otherwise,
soon turn the direction of his mind to follow your heart and mine.
And if now you are speaking truly, accurately,
then go among the tribe of gods, and summon Iris
and Apollo famed for his bow to come here,
so that she can go among the host of bronze-clad Achaeans
and tell lord Poseidon
to cease his fighting and return to his own home;
and let Phoebus Apollo rally Hector for battle,
and breathe strength in him at once, and make him forget the pains60
that now bear hard upon him through his lungs, and
let him roll the Achaeans back again after stirring abject panic,
so that they fall fleeing into the many-benched ships
of Peleus’ son Achilles. And he, Achilles, will rouse his companion
Patroclus, whom shining Hector with his spear will kill
in front of Ilion, after Patroclus has destroyed a multitude
of other young men, among them my own son, godlike Sarpedon;
and enraged at Patroclus dying, godlike Achilles will kill Hector.
And from that point, then, without respite, I will effect a retreat
from the ships, all the way until that time the Achaeans70
capture steep Ilion through the designs of Athena.
Before that I neither stop my anger nor will I permit any other
of the immortals to defend the Danaans here at Troy,
not before the wish of the son of Peleus is fulfilled,
as I first promised him, nodding my head in assent,
on that day when the goddess Thetis clasped my knees
entreating me to honor Achilles, sacker of cities.”
So he spoke; nor did Hera the white-armed goddess disobey,
but made her way down from the peaks of Ida to high Olympus.
As when a man’s thought flashes, after he has traveled80
much land, and in his sharp mind he thinks,
“Would that I were in this place or that,” and he wishes for many things,
so swiftly did lady Hera fly in anxious haste.
She arrived at steep Olympus, and came up to the immortal gods
assembled in the house of Zeus; and seeing her
all sprang up and greeted her with upraised goblets.
She ignored the rest, but from Themis of the lovely cheeks
she accepted a cup; for she was first to come running to meet her,
and speaking she addressed her with winged words:
“Hera, why have you come? You are like one distraught.90
To be sure, the son of Cronus has routed you, he who is your husband.”
Then answered her the goddess white-armed Hera:
“Do not, divine Themis, ask me about these things; you know yourself,
what sort of arrogant, unyielding heart he has.
Come, begin the fair feast in the halls of the gods;
and you will hear of these things with the other immortals,
of the wicked deeds that Zeus reveals. And I do not think
that the heart of everyone will rejoice alike, be he mortal
or god, even though
he might now feast in good cheer.”
So spoke lady Hera and sat down,100
and throughout the house of Zeus the gods were shaken. Hera smiled
with her lips, but her forehead by her dark brows
did not soften; and she spoke among them all in anger:
“We are fools, who struggle against Zeus so senselessly.
Are we still set on stopping him, approaching him
with words or force? He sits apart and has no regard for us,
he does not worry about us; he says that among immortal gods
he is incontestably preeminent in power and strength.
So therefore accept it, since he might send misfortune to each of you.
Already I suspect he has now wrought pain for Ares;110
for his son is dead in battle, dearest of men,
Askalaphos, whom mighty Ares says is his son.”
So she spoke, and Ares struck his burly thighs
with the flat of his hand, and spoke in grief:
“Do not blame me now, all you who hold Olympus,
that I go to avenge the murder of my son at the ships of the Achaeans,
even if it is my fate to lie struck by Zeus’ bolt
amid blood and dust together with the corpses.”
So he spoke, and called for Panic and Rout to yoke his horses;
and himself put on his bright-shining armor.120
And there would have come some even greater and more grievous
rage and wrath at Zeus’ hands against the immortals,
had not Athena, greatly fearing for all the gods,
sprung through the doorway, left her chair where she was sitting,
and snatched the helmet from his head and the shield from his shoulders,
and stood his bronze spear against a wall, seizing it from his massive hands.
Then she accosted furious Ares with her words:
“Raving madman, deranged, you have lost your wits! To no purpose
do you have ears to hear—your mind is gone, and your sense of shame.
Do you not hear what the goddess white-armed Hera said,130
who just this minute now has come from Olympian Zeus?
Or do you wish to take your fill of trouble,
and come back to Olympus by force, for all your grieving,
and to plant a seed of great evil for all the rest of us?
Zeus will straightway leave the high-hearted Trojans and Achaeans,
and come to Olympus to wreak havoc among us,
and will lay hold of us, one after another, guilty or not.
Therefore I now bid you again let go the anger for your son;
already someone better than he in might and strength of hands
either has been killed, or will be. It is hard140
to rescue the race and offspring of all men.”
So speaking she sat furious Ares in his chair.
And outside the hall Hera summoned Apollo
and Iris, who is messenger for gods and men,
and raising her voice she addressed them with winged words:
“Zeus commands you both to go to Ida with all speed;
and when you get there and look upon the face of Zeus,
do whatever he urges and commands.”
So speaking the lady Hera went back
and took her seat; and accordingly the two gods, darting away, flew off.150
And they arrived at Ida of the many springs, mother of wild creatures,
and found the far-thundering son of Cronus sitting on the topmost peak of Gargaros;
fragrant cloud encircled him.
Then on arriving they stood before Zeus who gathers the clouds;
and when he saw them, he was not angered in his heart,
because they obeyed so swiftly the words of his beloved wife.
And to Iris first he addressed his winged words:
“Go now, swift Iris, and to lord Poseidon
bear this message in its entirety, nor be false messenger.
Order him to desist from war and battle160
and to go among the tribe of gods, or into the bright salt sea.
And if he does not obey my words, but ignores them,
let him then consider in his mind and in his very heart,
that, mighty though he be, he might not have the fortitude
to withstand me coming against him, since I think I am more powerful by far than him in strength
and am in birth the elder, yet he it is whose heart does not shrink
from deeming himself my equal—I whom even the other gods dread.”
So he spoke, nor did swift Iris with feet like the wind disobey,
but made her way down from the peaks of Ida to sacred Ilion.
As when from clouds there flies snow or icy hail170
by the blast of Boreas, the north wind born of the high clear sky,
so did fleet Iris swiftly fly in eager haste.
And standing close she addressed the illustrious Earth-Shaker:
“I came here bearing a message for you, dark-haired
holder of the earth, from Zeus who wields the aegis.
He commands you to desist from war and battle
and to go among the tribe of gods, or into the bright salt sea.
And if you do not obey his words, but ignore them,
he threatens that he too will come here
to do battle, face-to-face; and he bids you avoid180
his hands, since he says he is more powerful by far than you in strength
and in birth is elder. Yet your own heart does not shrink
from deeming yourself his equal—he whom even the other gods dread.”
Then greatly troubled the famous Earth-Shaker addressed her:
“Oh for shame! Great though he is, what he says is insolent,
if he will hold me down, his equal in honor, against my will by force!
For we are three brothers whom Rhea bore to Cronus,
And everything was divided into three parts, and we each had a share of honor;
and when we shook the lots, it fell to me to dwell forever190
in the gray salt sea, and Hades drew the misted realm of darkness,
and Zeus the broad heavens in the high clear sky and clouds,
but earth is yet common to us all, and high Olympus;
therefore I shall not live at the will of Zeus, but untroubled
and mighty though he is, let him stick with his third share.
Let him not try to frighten me with threat of hands as if I were someone altogether worthless;
it would better for him to rebuke with his violent words
his daughters and his sons, those whom he begot,
who will listen to his summoning by necessity.”
Then swift Iris with feet like the wind answered him:200
“Is it in this way, then, dark-haired holder of the earth,
I should bear this harsh and powerful word to Zeus,
or will you change your mind at all? The minds of the great are yielding.
And you know the Furies always attend the elder born.”
Then in turn Poseidon who shakes the earth addressed her:
“Immortal Iris, indeed it was proper you spoke this word;
it is a good thing when a messenger knows what is right.
But this is a bitter pain that comes upon my heart and spirit,
when he should choose to abuse with words of anger
one of equal rank and one allotted equal fate.210
But for now, although angered, I will withdraw,
but I will tell you something else, and I make this threat from the bottom of my heart;
if against my goodwill, and that of Athena who carries the spoils of war
and Hera and Hermes and lord Hephaestus,
he spares steep Ilion, and is not willing
to sack it and give great power to
the Argives,
let him know this, that the anger between us will be not be healed.”
So speaking the Earth-Shaker left the Achaean army,
and leaving plunged into the open sea; and the Achaean warriors felt his loss.
And then Zeus who gathers the clouds spoke to Apollo:220
“Go now, beloved Phoebus, to Hector of the brazen helm;
for the Earth-Shaker who holds the earth has already now
departed for the bright salt sea, shrinking from my towering anger.
For others too would have heard of our battle,
the gods who are below, the Titans around Cronus.
This is far the best outcome both for me and for him,
since before it came to that, although displeased, he yielded
to my strength of hands, otherwise nothing would have been brought to pass without the sweat of conflict.
But take in your hands the tasseled aegis,
and shake it to rout the Achaean warriors.230
And let shining Hector be your own care, Far-Shooter;
rouse the great strength in him all the while, until the Achaeans
flee in panic to the ships and Hellespont.
From that point I myself will consider word and action,
to ensure that the Achaeans too have respite again from battle.”
So he spoke; and nor did Apollo fail to heed his father,
but made his way down the peaks of Ida in the likeness of a swift
dove-killing hawk, lightest of all things on wings.
He found the son of wise Priam, shining Hector,
sitting up—he was not still lying, but was just gathering his strength,240
and recognizing his companions about him, and his hard breathing and sweat
were abating, since the will of Zeus who wields the aegis had roused him.
And standing close Apollo who strikes from afar addressed him:
“Hector son of Priam, why do you sit apart from all the others
scarcely stirring? Or has some trouble come upon you?”
Then with little strength Hector of the shimmering helm addressed him:
“Which god are you, most powerful one, who speaks to me face-to-face?
Did you not hear, how by the sterns of the Achaean ships
Ajax of the great war cry struck me as I was slaying his companions,
with a boulder to the chest, and put a stop to my fierce courage?250
And I thought this day I would look upon the dead
and halls of Hades, when I had breathed my life out.”
Then in turn lord Apollo who shoots from afar addressed him: