and Karesos, and Rhodios, Grenikos, and Aisepos, and
goodly Skamandros, and Simoeis, whereby many shields
and helms fell in the dust, and the generation of
men half divine; the mouths of all these waters did
Phoebus Apollo turn together, and for nine days he
drave their stream against the wall; and still Zeus
rained unceasingly, that the quicker he might mingle
the wall with the salt sea. And the Shaker of
the earth, with his trident in his hands, was himself
the leader, and sent forth into the waves all the
foundations of beams and stones that the Achaians
had laid with toil, and made all smooth by the strong
current of the Hellespont, and covered again the great
beach with sand, when he had swept away the wall,
and turned the rivers back to flow in their channel,
where of old they poured down their fair flow of water.
So were Poseidon and Apollo to do in the aftertime;
but then war and the din of war sounded about the
well-builded wall, and the beams of the towers rang
beneath the strokes; while the Argives, subdued by
the scourge of Zeus, were penned and driven in by
the hollow ships, in dread of Hector, the mighty maker
of flight, but he, as aforetime, fought like a whirlwind.
And as when, among hounds and hunting men, a boar or
lion wheeleth him about, raging in his strength, and
these array themselves in fashion like a tower, and
stand up against him, casting many javelins from their
hands; but never is his stout heart confused nor afraid,
and his courage is his bane, and often he wheeleth
him about, and maketh trial of the ranks of men, and
wheresoever he maketh onset there the ranks of men
give way, even so Hector went and besought his comrades
through the press, and spurred them on to cross the
dyke. But his swift-footed horses dared not,
but loud they neighed, standing by the sheer edge,
for the wide fosse affrighted them, neither easy to
leap from hard by, nor to cross, for overhanging banks
stood round about it all on either hand, and above
it was furnished with sharp stakes that the sons of
the Achaians had planted there, thick set and great,
a bulwark against hostile men. Thereby not lightly
might a horse enter, drawing a well-wheeled chariot;
but the footmen were eager, if they might accomplish
it. Then Polydamas drew near valiant Hector, and
spake to him: “Hector and ye other leaders
of the Trojans and allies, foolishly do we drive our
fleet horses through the dyke; nay right hard it is
to cross, for sharp stakes stand in it, and over against
them the wall of the Achaians. Thereby none may
go down and fight in chariots, for strait is the place
wherein, methinks, we might come by a mischief.
For if Zeus that thunders on high is utterly to destroy
them in his evil will, and is minded to help the Trojans,
verily then I too would desire that even instantly
this might be, that the Achaians should perish here
nameless far from Argos: but and if they turn
again, and we flee back from among the ships, and
rush into the delved ditch, then methinks that not
even one from among us to bear the tidings will win
back to the city before the force of the Achaians
when they rally. But come as I declare, let us
all obey. Let our squires hold the horses by the
dyke, while we being harnessed in our gear as foot
soldiers follow all together with Hector, and the
Achaians will not withstand us, if indeed the bands
of death be made fast upon them.”
