the face
  Of all the boundless earth one mortal man
  Who will, in times to come, consult with heaven? 
  See’st thou yon height of wall, and yon deep trench
  With which the Grecians have their fleet inclosed, 530
  And, careless of our blessing, hecatomb
  Or invocation have presented none? 
  Far as the day-spring shoots herself abroad,
  So far the glory of this work shall spread,
  While Phoebus and myself, who, toiling hard, 535
  Built walls for king Laomedon, shall see
  Forgotten all the labor of our hands. 
    To whom, indignant, thus high-thundering Jove. 
  Oh thou, who shakest the solid earth at will,
  What hast thou spoken?  An inferior power, 540
  A god of less sufficiency than thou,
  Might be allowed some fear from such a cause. 
  Fear not.  Where’er the morning shoots her beams,
  Thy glory shall be known; and when the Greeks
  Shall seek their country through the waves again, 545
  Then break this bulwark down, submerge it whole,
  And spreading deep with sand the spacious shore
  As at the first, leave not a trace behind. 
    Such conference held the Gods; and now the sun
  Went down, and, that great work perform’d, the Greeks 550
  From tent to tent slaughter’d the fatted ox
  And ate their evening cheer.  Meantime arrived
  Large fleet with Lemnian wine; Euneus, son
  Of Jason and Hypsipile, that fleet
  From Lemnos freighted, and had stow’d on board 555
  A thousand measures from the rest apart
  For the Atridae; but the host at large
  By traffic were supplied; some barter’d brass,
  Others bright steel; some purchased wine with hides,
  These with their cattle, with their captives those, 560
  And the whole host prepared a glad regale. 
  All night the Grecians feasted, and the host
  Of Ilium, and all night deep-planning Jove
  Portended dire calamities to both,
  Thundering tremendous!—­Pale was every cheek; 565
  Each pour’d his goblet on the ground, nor dared
  The hardiest drink, ’till he had first perform’d
  Libation meet to the Saturnian King
  Omnipotent; then, all retiring, sought
  Their couches, and partook the gift of sleep. 570

THE ILIAD.

BOOK VIII.

ARGUMENT OF THE EIGHTH BOOK.

Jove calls a council, in which he forbids all interference of the Gods between the Greeks and Trojans.  He repairs to Ida, where, having consulted the scales of destiny, he directs his lightning against the Grecians.  Nestor is endangered by the death of one of his horses.  Diomede delivers him.  In the chariot of Diomede they both hasten to engage Hector, whose charioteer is slain by Diomede.  Jupiter again interposes by his thunders, and the whole Grecian host, discomfited, is obliged to seek refuge within the rampart.  Diomede, with others, at sight of a favorable omen sent from Jove in answer to Agamemnon’s prayer, sallies.  Teucer performs great exploits, but is disabled by Hector.  Juno and Pallas set forth from Olympus in aid of the Grecians, but are stopped by Jupiter, who reascends from Ida, and in heaven foretells the distresses which await the Grecians.