He wielded a great sea-pike in his hands, joined with metal rings, twenty-two cubits long.
§15.679ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἀνὴρ ἵπποισι κελητίζειν ἐῢ εἰδώς, §15.680ὅς τʼ ἐπεὶ ἐκ πολέων πίσυρας συναείρεται ἵππους, §15.681σεύας ἐκ πεδίοιο μέγα προτὶ ἄστυ δίηται §15.682λαοφόρον καθʼ ὁδόν· πολέες τέ ἑ θηήσαντο §15.683ἀνέρες ἠδὲ γυναῖκες· ὃ δʼ ἔμπεδον ἀσφαλὲς αἰεὶ §15.684θρῴσκων ἄλλοτʼ ἐπʼ ἄλλον ἀμείβεται, οἳ δὲ πέτονται· §15.685ὣς Αἴας ἐπὶ πολλὰ θοάων ἴκρια νηῶν §15.686φοίτα μακρὰ βιβάς, φωνὴ δέ οἱ αἰθέρʼ ἵκανεν, §15.687αἰεὶ δὲ σμερδνὸν βοόων Δαναοῖσι κέλευε §15.688νηυσί τε καὶ κλισίῃσιν ἀμυνέμεν.
And as when a man well skilled in riding horses, who, when he has chosen four horses out of many, drives them from the plain rushing toward a great city, along the highway; and many gaze at him, men and women; and he, ever securely and without fail, leaping, changes from one to another, while they fly along; even so Ajax kept going over many decks of swift ships, striding with long steps, and his voice went up to the ether, and ever with a terrible cry he commanded the Danaans to defend the ships and huts.
οὐδὲ μὲν Ἕκτωρ §15.689μίμνεν ἐνὶ Τρώων ὁμάδῳ πύκα θωρηκτάων· §15.690ἀλλʼ ὥς τʼ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν αἰετὸς αἴθων §15.691ἔθνος ἐφορμᾶται ποταμὸν πάρα βοσκομενάων §15.692χηνῶν ἢ γεράνων ἢ κύκνων δουλιχοδείρων, §15.693ὣς Ἕκτωρ ἴθυσε νεὸς κυανοπρῴροιο §15.694ἀντίος ἀΐξας· τὸν δὲ Ζεὺς ὦσεν ὄπισθε §15.695χειρὶ μάλα μεγάλῃ, ὄτρυνε δὲ λαὸν ἅμʼ αὐτῷ.
Nor indeed did Hector remain in the throng of close-corseleted Trojans; but as a flashing eagle swoops upon a flock of winged birds feeding by a river, of geese, or cranes, or long-necked swans, even so Hector rushed straight for a dark-prowed ship, rushing right against it; and Zeus pushed him from behind with his mighty hand, and urged on the host together with him.
§15.696αὖτις δὲ δριμεῖα μάχη παρὰ νηυσὶν ἐτύχθη· §15.697φαίης κʼ ἀκμῆτας καὶ ἀτειρέας ἀλλήλοισιν §15.698ἄντεσθʼ ἐν πολέμῳ, ὡς ἐσσυμένως ἐμάχοντο.
And again a sharp fight arose beside the ships; you would have said that they met each other in war unwearied and untiring, so eagerly did they fight.
§15.699τοῖσι δὲ μαρναμένοισιν ὅδʼ ἦν νόος· ἤτοι Ἀχαιοὶ §15.700οὐκ ἔφασαν φεύξεσθαι ὑπʼ ἐκ κακοῦ, ἀλλʼ ὀλέεσθαι, §15.701Τρωσὶν δʼ ἔλπετο θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἑκάστου §15.702νῆας ἐνιπρήσειν κτενέειν θʼ ἥρωας Ἀχαιούς.
And as they fought, this was their thought: the Achaeans indeed did not think that they would escape from the danger, but would perish, but the heart in the breast of each of the Trojans hoped that they would burn the ships and slay the Achaean heroes.
§15.703οἳ μὲν τὰ φρονέοντες ἐφέστασαν ἀλλήλοισιν· §15.704Ἕκτωρ δὲ πρυμνῆς νεὸς ἥψατο ποντοπόροιο §15.705καλῆς ὠκυάλου, ἣ Πρωτεσίλαον ἔνεικεν §15.706ἐς Τροίην, οὐδʼ αὖτις ἀπήγαγε πατρίδα γαῖαν.
They with these thoughts stood facing one another; and Hector laid hold of the stern of a seafaring ship, beautiful, swift-sailing, which had brought Protesilaus to Troy, but did not bear him back again to his native land.
§15.707τοῦ περ δὴ περὶ νηὸς Ἀχαιοί τε Τρῶές τε §15.708δῄουν ἀλλήλους αὐτοσχεδόν· οὐδʼ ἄρα τοί γε §15.709τόξων ἀϊκὰς ἀμφὶς μένον οὐδʼ ἔτʼ ἀκόντων, §15.710ἀλλʼ οἵ γʼ ἐγγύθεν ἱστάμενοι ἕνα θυμὸν ἔχοντες §15.711ὀξέσι δὴ πελέκεσσι καὶ ἀξίνῃσι μάχοντο §15.712καὶ ξίφεσιν μεγάλοισι καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισι.
Around this very ship Achaeans and Trojans were slaughtering one another hand to hand; nor indeed did they wait for the flights of arrows or of javelins, but standing close together with one mind they fought with sharp battle-axes and hand-axes, and with great swords and two-edged spears.
§15.713πολλὰ δὲ φάσγανα καλὰ μελάνδετα κωπήεντα §15.714ἄλλα μὲν ἐκ χειρῶν χαμάδις πέσον, ἄλλα δʼ ἀπʼ ὤμων §15.715ἀνδρῶν μαρναμένων· ῥέε δʼ αἵματι γαῖα μέλαινα.
And many beautiful swords, dark-bound, hilted, some fell from the hands to the ground, and others from the shoulders of fighting men; and the black earth ran with blood.
§15.716Ἕκτωρ δὲ πρύμνηθεν ἐπεὶ λάβεν οὐχὶ μεθίει §15.717ἄφλαστον μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχων, Τρωσὶν δὲ κέλευεν· §15.718οἴσετε πῦρ, ἅμα δʼ αὐτοὶ ἀολλέες ὄρνυτʼ ἀϋτήν·
And Hector, when once he had laid hold of the stern, did not let go, holding the stern-ornament in his hands, and commanded the Trojans: "Bring fire, and do you yourselves raise the war-cry all together!
§15.719νῦν ἡμῖν πάντων Ζεὺς ἄξιον ἦμαρ ἔδωκε §15.720νῆας ἑλεῖν, αἳ δεῦρο θεῶν ἀέκητι μολοῦσαι §15.721ἡμῖν πήματα πολλὰ θέσαν, κακότητι γερόντων, §15.722οἵ μʼ ἐθέλοντα μάχεσθαι ἐπὶ πρυμνῇσι νέεσσιν §15.723αὐτόν τʼ ἰσχανάασκον ἐρητύοντό τε λαόν·
Now Zeus has given us a day worth all else, to take the ships, which came here against the will of the gods and brought many woes upon us, through the cowardice of our elders, who, when I was eager to fight at the sterns of the ships, kept holding me back and restraining the host.
§15.724ἀλλʼ εἰ δή ῥα τότε βλάπτε φρένας εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς §15.725ἡμετέρας, νῦν αὐτὸς ἐποτρύνει καὶ ἀνώγει. §15.726ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ἄρα μᾶλλον ἐπʼ Ἀργείοισιν ὄρουσαν.
But if indeed far-sounding Zeus then blinded our minds, now he himself urges and commands us." So he spoke, and they rushed yet more upon the Argives.
§15.727Αἴας δʼ οὐκέτʼ ἔμιμνε· βιάζετο γὰρ βελέεσσιν· §15.728ἀλλʼ ἀνεχάζετο τυτθόν, ὀϊόμενος θανέεσθαι §15.729θρῆνυν ἐφʼ ἑπταπόδην, λίπε δʼ ἴκρια νηὸς ἐΐσης.
And Ajax no longer stood his ground; for he was hard pressed by the missiles; but he drew back a little, thinking that he would die, to the seven-foot rowing-bench, and left the deck of the balanced ship.
§15.730ἔνθʼ ἄρʼ ὅ γʼ ἑστήκει δεδοκημένος, ἔγχεϊ δʼ αἰεὶ §15.731Τρῶας ἄμυνε νεῶν, ὅς τις φέροι ἀκάματον πῦρ· §15.732αἰεὶ δὲ σμερδνὸν βοόων Δαναοῖσι κέλευε· §15.733ὦ φίλοι ἥρωες Δαναοὶ θεράποντες Ἄρηος §15.734ἀνέρες ἔστε φίλοι, μνήσασθε δὲ θούριδος ἀλκῆς.
There indeed he stood on the watch, and with his spear ever kept warding off the Trojans from the ships, whoever brought tireless fire; and ever with a terrible cry he commanded the Danaans: "O friends, Danaan heroes, squires of Ares, be men, my friends, and remember furious valor!
§15.735ἠέ τινάς φαμεν εἶναι ἀοσσητῆρας ὀπίσσω, §15.736ἦέ τι τεῖχος ἄρειον, ὅ κʼ ἀνδράσι λοιγὸν ἀμύναι;
Do we think that there are any helpers behind us, or any stronger wall, which might ward off destruction from men?
§15.737οὐ μέν τι σχεδόν ἐστι πόλις πύργοις ἀραρυῖα, §15.738ᾗ κʼ ἀπαμυναίμεσθʼ ἑτεραλκέα δῆμον ἔχοντες· §15.739ἀλλʼ ἐν γὰρ Τρώων πεδίῳ πύκα θωρηκτάων §15.740πόντῳ κεκλιμένοι ἑκὰς ἥμεθα πατρίδος αἴης· §15.741τὼ ἐν χερσὶ φόως, οὐ μειλιχίῃ πολέμοιο. §15.742ἦ, καὶ μαιμώων ἔφεπʼ ἔγχεϊ ὀξυόεντι.
In no way is there nearby any city equipped with towers, where we might defend ourselves, having a garrison to turn the tide; but since we are here in the plain of the close-corseleted Trojans, leaning against the sea, far away from our native land; therefore, safety is in our hands, not in gentle fighting." He spoke, and in his fury pressed on with his sharp spear.
§15.743ὅς τις δὲ Τρώων κοίλῃς ἐπὶ νηυσὶ φέροιτο §15.744σὺν πυρὶ κηλείῳ, χάριν Ἕκτορος ὀτρύναντος, §15.745τὸν δʼ Αἴας οὔτασκε δεδεγμένος ἔγχεϊ μακρῷ· §15.746δώδεκα δὲ προπάροιθε νεῶν αὐτοσχεδὸν οὖτα.
And whoever of the Trojans rushed toward the hollow ships with burning fire, to please Hector who urged them on, Ajax, waiting for him, wounded with his long spear; and twelve men he wounded hand to hand in front of the ships.