Homer ILIAD : Rhapsody 12

Page 7

But him sternly regarding, crest-tossing Hector thus addressed: "O Polydamas, thou dost not say things agreeable to me: besides, thou knowest how to devise other counsel better than this. If, however, thou really speakest this with seriousness, then truly have the gods destroyed thy judgment from thee, who advisest me to be forgetful of the counsels of lofty-thundering Jove, which he hath himself undertaken for me, and confirmed. And thou exhortest me to obey the wing-expanding birds; which I very little regard, nor do I care for them, whether they fly to the right towards the Morn and the Sun, or to the left towards the darkening west; but let us obey the will of mighty Jove, who rules over all mortals and immortals. There is one augury, the best, to fight for our country.[401] Why dost thou dread the war and conflict? For although all the rest of us should perish round the ships of the Greeks, there is no fear that thou wilt perish, for thy heart is not persevering in the fight, nor warlike. But if thou darest to abstain from the combat, or dissuading, dost avert another from the battle, immediately stricken by my spear, shalt thou lose thy life."

Thus then having spoken, he led the way, but they followed him with an immense clamour. Then thunder-delighting Jove raised a storm of wind from the Idaean mountains, which bore the dust directly towards the ships; moreover, he weakened the courage of the Greeks, but bestowed glory upon the Trojans and Hector: so that, relying upon his prodigies, and [their own] strength, they endeavoured to break through the mighty wall of the Greeks. They tore down the niched battlements of the towers, and demolished the breast-works,[402] and with levers they upheaved the projecting buttresses, which the Greeks had planted first in the earth, as supporters of the towers. These then they tore down, and hoped to break through the wall of the Greeks.

Yet did not the Greeks retire as yet from the way; but fencing up the embrazures with their ox-hide shields, they wounded from behind them the enemy coming up under the wall. And both the Ajaces ranged in every direction upon the towers, cheering on, rousing the valour of the Greeks. One [they addressed][403] with soothing, another they rebuked with harsh expressions, whomsoever they beheld totally neglectful of battle:

[Footnote 401: Cf. Aristot. Rhet. ii. 22; Cicero Ep. ad Attic, ii. 3. See, also, Duport, Gnom. Horn. p. 73.]

[Footnote 402: Observe the zeugma, and compare Il. O. 8, G. 327; Od. 291; and the most elaborate and accurate note on this construction of D'Orville on Charit. iv. 4, p. 440, sqq. ed. Lips., with Burm. and Schwabe on Phaedr. iv. 17, 31; Duker on Flor. iii. 21, 26.]

[Footnote 403: Id.]

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