§11.492ὡς δʼ ὁπότε πλήθων ποταμὸς πεδίον δὲ κάτεισι §11.493χειμάρρους κατʼ ὄρεσφιν ὀπαζόμενος Διὸς ὄμβρῳ, §11.494πολλὰς δὲ δρῦς ἀζαλέας, πολλὰς δέ τε πεύκας §11.495ἐσφέρεται, πολλὸν δέ τʼ ἀφυσγετὸν εἰς ἅλα βάλλει, §11.496ὣς ἔφεπε κλονέων πεδίον τότε φαίδιμος Αἴας, §11.497δαΐζων ἵππους τε καὶ ἀνέρας· οὐδέ πω Ἕκτωρ §11.498πεύθετʼ, ἐπεί ῥα μάχης ἐπʼ ἀριστερὰ μάρνατο πάσης §11.499ὄχθας πὰρ ποταμοῖο Σκαμάνδρου, τῇ ῥα μάλιστα §11.500ἀνδρῶν πῖπτε κάρηνα, βοὴ δʼ ἄσβεστος ὀρώρει §11.501Νέστορά τʼ ἀμφὶ μέγαν καὶ ἀρήϊον Ἰδομενῆα.
As when a swollen river comes down to the plain, a winter torrent from the mountains, sped by the rain of Zeus, and many a dry oak and many a pine it sweeps along, and flings much mud into the sea; even so did glorious Ajax then sweep the plain in confusion, slaying both horses and men; nor did Hector yet know of it, for he was fighting on the left of all the battle, by the banks of the river Scamander, where chiefly the heads of men were falling, and an unquenchable clamour arose around great Nestor and warlike Idomeneus.
§11.502Ἕκτωρ μὲν μετὰ τοῖσιν ὁμίλει μέρμερα ῥέζων §11.503ἔγχεΐ θʼ ἱπποσύνῃ τε, νέων δʼ ἀλάπαζε φάλαγγας· §11.504οὐδʼ ἄν πω χάζοντο κελεύθου δῖοι Ἀχαιοὶ §11.505εἰ μὴ Ἀλέξανδρος Ἑλένης πόσις ἠϋκόμοιο §11.506παῦσεν ἀριστεύοντα Μαχάονα ποιμένα λαῶν, §11.507ἰῷ τριγλώχινι βαλὼν κατὰ δεξιὸν ὦμον.
Hector was mingling with these, doing wondrous deeds with spear and horsemanship, and was destroying the phalanxes of youths; nor would the noble Achaeans have yet given way from their path, had not Alexander, husband of fair-haired Helen, stayed Machaon, shepherd of the host, as he was performing doughty deeds, wounding him on the right shoulder with a three-barbed arrow.
For him then did the spirit-breathing Achaeans fear, lest by some means, as the battle turned, the enemy should take him.
§11.510αὐτίκα δʼ Ἰδομενεὺς προσεφώνεε Νέστορα δῖον· §11.511ὦ Νέστορ Νηληϊάδη μέγα κῦδος Ἀχαιῶν §11.512ἄγρει σῶν ὀχέων ἐπιβήσεο, πὰρ δὲ Μαχάων §11.513βαινέτω, ἐς νῆας δὲ τάχιστʼ ἔχε μώνυχας ἵππους· §11.514ἰητρὸς γὰρ ἀνὴρ πολλῶν ἀντάξιος ἄλλων §11.515ἰούς τʼ ἐκτάμνειν ἐπί τʼ ἤπια φάρμακα πάσσειν. §11.516ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ.
And straightway Idomeneus spoke to noble Nestor: "O Nestor, son of Neleus, great glory of the Achaeans, come, mount your chariot, and let Machaon mount beside you, and drive the whole-hoofed horses with all speed to the ships; for a physician is a man worth many other men, to cut out arrows and spread soothing medicines." So he spoke, and Gerenian horseman Nestor failed not to obey.
§11.517αὐτίκα δʼ ὧν ὀχέων ἐπεβήσετο, πὰρ δὲ Μαχάων §11.518βαῖνʼ Ἀσκληπιοῦ υἱὸς ἀμύμονος ἰητῆρος· §11.519μάστιξεν δʼ ἵππους, τὼ δʼ οὐκ ἀέκοντε πετέσθην §11.520νῆας ἔπι γλαφυράς· τῇ γὰρ φίλον ἔπλετο θυμῷ.
Straightway he mounted his chariot, and beside him Machaon mounted, the son of Asclepius, the peerless healer; and he lashed the horses, and they flew nothing loath toward the hollow ships; for to their own hearts' liking was it.
§11.521Κεβριόνης δὲ Τρῶας ὀρινομένους ἐνόησεν §11.522Ἕκτορι παρβεβαώς, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν· §11.523Ἕκτορ νῶϊ μὲν ἐνθάδʼ ὁμιλέομεν Δαναοῖσιν §11.524ἐσχατιῇ πολέμοιο δυσηχέος· οἳ δὲ δὴ ἄλλοι §11.525Τρῶες ὀρίνονται ἐπιμὶξ ἵπποι τε καὶ αὐτοί.
But Cebriones saw the Trojans being thrown into confusion, as he stood beside Hector, and spoke to him, saying: "Hector, here we two mingle with the Danaans at the edge of ill-sounding battle; but the other Trojans are being thrown into confusion in a huddle, both horses and men.
And Telamonian Ajax is driving them; well do I know him, for he has a broad shield about his shoulders.
ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμεῖς §11.528κεῖσʼ ἵππους τε καὶ ἅρμʼ ἰθύνομεν, ἔνθα μάλιστα §11.529ἱππῆες πεζοί τε κακὴν ἔριδα προβαλόντες §11.530ἀλλήλους ὀλέκουσι, βοὴ δʼ ἄσβεστος ὄρωρεν. §11.531ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἵμασεν καλλίτριχας ἵππους §11.532μάστιγι λιγυρῇ· τοὶ δὲ πληγῆς ἀΐοντες §11.533ῥίμφʼ ἔφερον θοὸν ἅρμα μετὰ Τρῶας καὶ Ἀχαιοὺς §11.534στείβοντες νέκυάς τε καὶ ἀσπίδας· αἵματι δʼ ἄξων §11.535νέρθεν ἅπας πεπάλακτο καὶ ἄντυγες αἳ περὶ δίφρον, §11.536ἃς ἄρʼ ἀφʼ ἱππείων ὁπλέων ῥαθάμιγγες ἔβαλλον §11.537αἵ τʼ ἀπʼ ἐπισσώτρων.
But let us also direct our horses and chariot thither, where chiefly horsemen and foot-soldiers, joining in evil strife, destroy one another, and an unquenchable clamour has arisen." So saying, he lashed the fair-maned horses with the shrill whip; and they, hearing the blow, swiftly bore the fleet chariot among Trojans and Achaeans, trampling on both corpses and shields; and the axle-tree beneath was all befouled with blood, and the rims around the car, which the drops from the horses' hooves struck, and those from the tires.
ὃ δὲ ἵετο δῦναι ὅμιλον §11.538ἀνδρόμεον ῥῆξαί τε μετάλμενος· ἐν δὲ κυδοιμὸν §11.539ἧκε κακὸν Δαναοῖσι, μίνυνθα δὲ χάζετο δουρός.
And he was eager to enter the throng of men and to break through, leaping in; and an evil tumult he sent among the Danaans, and but little did he shrink from the spear.
§11.540αὐτὰρ ὃ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπεπωλεῖτο στίχας ἀνδρῶν §11.541ἔγχεΐ τʼ ἄορί τε μεγάλοισί τε χερμαδίοισιν, §11.542Αἴαντος δʼ ἀλέεινε μάχην Τελαμωνιάδαο.
But he went ranging among the ranks of other men with spear and sword and great stones, but he avoided battle with Ajax, son of Telamon.
§11.544Ζεὺς δὲ πατὴρ Αἴανθʼ ὑψίζυγος ἐν φόβον ὦρσε· §11.545στῆ δὲ ταφών, ὄπιθεν δὲ σάκος βάλεν ἑπταβόειον, §11.546τρέσσε δὲ παπτήνας ἐφʼ ὁμίλου θηρὶ ἐοικὼς §11.547ἐντροπαλιζόμενος ὀλίγον γόνυ γουνὸς ἀμείβων.
And father Zeus, ruling from on high, roused fear within Ajax; he stood in amaze, and cast behind him his shield of seven bull's-hides, and shrank back, peering warily toward the throng like a wild beast, turning back and again, and step by step slowly moving knee after knee.
§11.548ὡς δʼ αἴθωνα λέοντα βοῶν ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο §11.549ἐσσεύαντο κύνες τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἀγροιῶται, §11.550οἵ τέ μιν οὐκ εἰῶσι βοῶν ἐκ πῖαρ ἑλέσθαι §11.551πάννυχοι ἐγρήσσοντες· ὃ δὲ κρειῶν ἐρατίζων §11.552ἰθύει, ἀλλʼ οὔ τι πρήσσει· θαμέες γὰρ ἄκοντες §11.553ἀντίον ἀΐσσουσι θρασειάων ἀπὸ χειρῶν §11.554καιόμεναί τε δεταί, τάς τε τρεῖ ἐσσύμενός περ· §11.555ἠῶθεν δʼ ἀπὸ νόσφιν ἔβη τετιηότι θυμῷ· §11.556ὣς Αἴας τότʼ ἀπὸ Τρώων τετιημένος ἦτορ §11.557ἤϊε πόλλʼ ἀέκων· περὶ γὰρ δίε νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν.
And as dogs and rustic men from the mid-fold of the oxen drive a tawny lion, who do not suffer him to take the fatness of the oxen, watching all night through; but he, eager for flesh, makes his charge, but profits nothing; for thick darts fly against him from bold hands, and blazing brands, which he dreads, eager though he be; and at dawn he goes far away with vexed heart; even so did Ajax then go from the Trojans, vexed at heart, very loath; for he feared exceedingly for the ships of the Achaeans.
§11.558ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ὄνος παρʼ ἄρουραν ἰὼν ἐβιήσατο παῖδας §11.559νωθής, ᾧ δὴ πολλὰ περὶ ῥόπαλʼ ἀμφὶς ἐάγῃ, §11.560κείρει τʼ εἰσελθὼν βαθὺ λήϊον· οἳ δέ τε παῖδες §11.561τύπτουσιν ῥοπάλοισι· βίη δέ τε νηπίη αὐτῶν· §11.562σπουδῇ τʼ ἐξήλασσαν, ἐπεί τʼ ἐκορέσσατο φορβῆς· §11.563ὣς τότʼ ἔπειτʼ Αἴαντα μέγαν Τελαμώνιον υἱὸν
And as when a lazy ass, passing by a field, gets the better of boys, on whose sides many clubs have already been broken, and he enters and crops the deep standing crop; and the boys beat him with clubs, but their strength is childish; yet with trouble they drive him out when he has had his fill of fodder; even so did the Trojans and their allies then follow after great Ajax, son of Telamon...