THE ILIAD (Completed)

BOOK 7

Thus as he spoke, from out the city gates The noble Hector pass'd, and by his side His brother Paris; in the breast of both Burnt the fierce ardour of the battle-field. As when some God a fav'ring breeze bestows On seamen tugging at the well-worn oar, Faint with excess of toil, ev'n so appear'd Those brethren twain to Troy's o'erlabour'd host.

Then to their prowess fell, by Paris' hand Menesthius, royal Areithous' son, Whom to the King, in Arna, where he dwelt, The stag-ey'd dame Phylomedusa bore; While Hector smote, with well-directed spear, Beneath the brass-bound headpiece, through the throat, Eioneus, and slack'd his limbs in death; And Glaucus, leader of the Lycian bands, Son of Hippolochus, amid the fray Iphinous, son of Dexias, borne on high By two fleet mares upon a lofty car, Pierc'd through the shoulder; from the car he fell Prone to the earth, his limbs relax'd in death. But them when Pallas saw, amid the fray Dealing destruction on the hosts of Greece, From high Olympus to the walls of Troy She came in haste; Apollo there she found, As down he look'd from Ilium's topmost tow'r, Devising vict'ry to the arms of Troy. Beside the oak they met; Apollo first, The son of Jove, the colloquy began: "Daughter of Jove, from great Olympus' heights, Why com'st thou here, by angry passion led? Wouldst thou the vict'ry, swaying here and there, Give to the Greeks? since pitiless thou see'st The Trojans slaughter'd? Be advis'd by me, For so 'twere better; cause we for today The rage of battle and of war to cease; To-morrow morn shall see the fight renew'd, Until the close of Ilium's destiny; For so ye Goddesses have wrought your will, That this fair city should in ruin fall."

To whom the blue-ey'd Goddess thus replied: "So be it, Archer-King; with like intent I from Olympus came; but say, what means Wilt thou devise to bid the conflict cease?"

To whom Apollo, royal son of Jove: "The might of valiant Hector let us move To challenge to the combat, man to man, Some Grecian warrior; while the brass-clad Greeks Their champion urge the challenge to accept, And godlike Hector meet in single fight."

He said; nor did Minerva not assent; But Helenus, the son of Priam, knew The secret counsel by the Gods devis'd; And drawing near to Hector, thus he spoke: "Hector, thou son of Priam, sage as Jove In council, hearken to a brother's words. Bid that the Greeks and Trojans all sit down, And thou defy the boldest of the Greeks With thee in single combat to contend; By revelation from th' eternal Gods, I know that here thou shalt not meet thy fate."

He said, and Hector joy'd to hear his words; Forth in the midst he stepp'd, and with his spear Grasp'd in the middle, stay'd the Trojan ranks. With one accord they sat; on th' other side Atrides bade the well-greav'd Greeks sit down; While, in the likeness of two vultures, sat On the tall oak of aegis-bearing Jove, Pallas, and Phoebus of the silver bow, With heroes' deeds delighted; dense around Bristled the ranks, with shield, and helm, and spear. As when the west wind freshly blows, and brings A dark'ning ripple o'er the ocean waves, E'en so appear'd upon the plain the ranks Of Greeks and Trojans; standing in the midst, Thus to both armies noble Hector spoke: "Hear, all ye Trojans, and ye well-greav'd Greeks, The words I speak, the promptings of my soul. It hath not pleas'd high-thron'd Saturnian Jove To ratify our truce, who both afflicts With labours hard, till either ye shall take Our well-fenc'd city, or yourselves to us Succumb beside your ocean-going ships. Here have ye all the chiefest men of Greece; Of all, let him who dares with me to fight, Stand forth, and godlike Hector's might confront. And this I say, and call to witness Jove, If with the sharp-edg'd spear he vanquish me, He shall strip off, and to the hollow ships In triumph bear my armour; but my corpse Restore, that so the men and wives of Troy May deck with honours due my funeral pyre. But, by Apollo's grace should I prevail, I will his arms strip off and bear to Troy, And in Apollo's temple hang on high; But to the ships his corpse I will restore, That so the long-hair'd Greeks with solemn rites May bury him, and to his mem'ry raise By the broad Hellespont a lofty tomb; And men in days to come shall say, who urge Their full-oar'd bark across the dark-blue sea, 'Lo there a warrior's tomb of days gone by, A mighty chief, whom glorious Hector slew:' Thus shall they say, and thus my fame shall live."