§21.202κείμενον ἐν ψαμάθοισι, δίαινε δέ μιν μέλαν ὕδωρ.
lying on the sands, and the dark water wet him.
§21.203τὸν μὲν ἄρʼ ἐγχέλυές τε καὶ ἰχθύες ἀμφεπένοντο §21.204δημὸν ἐρεπτόμενοι ἐπινεφρίδιον κείροντες·
Him the eels and fishes busied themselves about, tearing the fat about his kidneys and nibbling it.
§21.205αὐτὰρ ὃ βῆ ῥʼ ἰέναι μετὰ Παίονας ἱπποκορυστάς, §21.206οἵ ῥʼ ἔτι πὰρ ποταμὸν πεφοβήατο δινήεντα, §21.207ὡς εἶδον τὸν ἄριστον ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ §21.208χέρσʼ ὕπο Πηλεΐδαο καὶ ἄορι ἶφι δαμέντα.
But he went on to go after the chariot-fighting Paeonians, who were still fleeing in terror along the eddying river, when they saw their best man in the fierce combat slain by might beneath the hands and sword of the son of Peleus.
§21.209ἔνθʼ ἕλε Θερσίλοχόν τε Μύδωνά τε Ἀστύπυλόν τε §21.210Μνῆσόν τε Θρασίον τε καὶ Αἴνιον ἠδʼ Ὀφελέστην· §21.211καί νύ κʼ ἔτι πλέονας κτάνε Παίονας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς, §21.212εἰ μὴ χωσάμενος προσέφη ποταμὸς βαθυδίνης §21.213ἀνέρι εἰσάμενος, βαθέης δʼ ἐκ φθέγξατο δίνης· §21.214ὦ Ἀχιλεῦ, περὶ μὲν κρατέεις, περὶ δʼ αἴσυλα ῥέζεις §21.215ἀνδρῶν·
There he slew Thersilochus and Mydon and Astypylus, and Mnesus and Thrasius and Aenius and Ophelestes; and now swift Achilles would have slain yet more Paeonians, had not the deep-eddying River spoken to him in anger, taking the likeness of a man, and called from his deep eddy: "O Achilles, beyond men you are strong, and beyond men you do lawless deeds among men; for always the gods themselves defend you.
αἰεὶ γάρ τοι ἀμύνουσιν θεοὶ αὐτοί. §21.216εἴ τοι Τρῶας ἔδωκε Κρόνου παῖς πάντας ὀλέσσαι, §21.217ἐξ ἐμέθεν γʼ ἐλάσας πεδίον κάτα μέρμερα ῥέζε· §21.218πλήθει γὰρ δή μοι νεκύων ἐρατεινὰ ῥέεθρα, §21.219οὐδέ τί πῃ δύναμαι προχέειν ῥόον εἰς ἅλα δῖαν §21.220στεινόμενος νεκύεσσι, σὺ δὲ κτείνεις ἀϊδήλως.
If the son of Cronos has granted you to destroy all the Trojans, at least drive them out from me and work your grim deeds on the plain; for my lovely streams are full of dead men, nor can I anywise pour my stream into the bright sea, choked as I am with dead, while you slay ruthlessly.
§21.221ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ καὶ ἔασον· ἄγη μʼ ἔχει ὄρχαμε λαῶν. §21.222τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς· §21.223ἔσται ταῦτα Σκάμανδρε διοτρεφές, ὡς σὺ κελεύεις.
Come, let be, and cease; amazement holds me, leader of hosts." And to him in answer spoke swift-footed Achilles: "So shall it be, Scamander, nurtured of Zeus, even as you bid.
§21.224Τρῶας δʼ οὐ πρὶν λήξω ὑπερφιάλους ἐναρίζων, §21.225πρὶν ἔλσαι κατὰ ἄστυ καὶ Ἕκτορι πειρηθῆναι §21.226ἀντιβίην, ἤ κέν με δαμάσσεται, ἦ κεν ἐγὼ τόν. §21.227ὣς εἰπὼν Τρώεσσιν ἐπέσσυτο δαίμονι ἶσος· §21.228καὶ τότʼ Ἀπόλλωνα προσέφη ποταμὸς βαθυδίνης· §21.229ὢ πόποι ἀργυρότοξε Διὸς τέκος οὐ σύ γε βουλὰς §21.230εἰρύσαο Κρονίωνος, ὅ τοι μάλα πόλλʼ ἐπέτελλε §21.231Τρωσὶ παρεστάμεναι καὶ ἀμύνειν, εἰς ὅ κεν ἔλθῃ §21.232δείελος ὀψὲ δύων, σκιάσῃ δʼ ἐρίβωλον ἄρουραν. §21.233ἦ, καὶ Ἀχιλλεὺς μὲν δουρικλυτὸς ἔνθορε μέσσῳ §21.234κρημνοῦ ἀπαΐξας· ὃ δʼ ἐπέσσυτο οἴδματι θύων, §21.235πάντα δʼ ὄρινε ῥέεθρα κυκώμενος, ὦσε δὲ νεκροὺς §21.236πολλούς, οἵ ῥα κατʼ αὐτὸν ἅλις ἔσαν, οὓς κτάνʼ Ἀχιλλεύς §21.237τοὺς ἔκβαλλε θύραζε μεμυκὼς ἠΰτε ταῦρος §21.238χέρσον δέ· ζωοὺς δὲ σάω κατὰ καλὰ ῥέεθρα, §21.239κρύπτων ἐν δίνῃσι βαθείῃσιν μεγάλῃσι.
But the proud Trojans I will not cease from slaying, until I have penned them in their city and made trial of Hector strength against strength, whether he shall slay me or I him." So saying, he rushed upon the Trojans like a god; and then the deep-eddying River spoke to Apollo: "Alas, lord of the silver bow, child of Zeus, you have not kept the counsel of the son of Cronos, who charged you strictly to stand by the Trojans and defend them, until there comes late-setting dusk, and shadows the fertile land." He spoke, and spear-famed Achilles leapt into the midst, springing down from the bank; but the River rushed upon him with raging flood, and stirred all his streams in tumult, and swept along the dead, of whom there were many in his channel, whom Achilles had slain; these he cast out upon the land, bellowing like a bull, onto the dry ground; but the living he saved along his fair streams, hiding them in his deep, great eddies.
§21.240δεινὸν δʼ ἀμφʼ Ἀχιλῆα κυκώμενον ἵστατο κῦμα, §21.241ὤθει δʼ ἐν σάκεϊ πίπτων ῥόος· οὐδὲ πόδεσσιν §21.242εἶχε στηρίξασθαι· ὃ δὲ πτελέην ἕλε χερσὶν §21.243εὐφυέα μεγάλην· ἣ δʼ ἐκ ῥιζῶν ἐριποῦσα §21.244κρημνὸν ἅπαντα διῶσεν, ἐπέσχε δὲ καλὰ ῥέεθρα §21.245ὄζοισιν πυκινοῖσι, γεφύρωσεν δέ μιν αὐτὸν §21.246εἴσω πᾶσʼ ἐριποῦσʼ·
And dreadfully about Achilles rose the swelling wave, and the stream beat upon his shield as it fell, nor with his feet could he find a foothold; but he gripped with his hands an elm, fair and tall, which fell from its roots and tore away all the bank, and dammed the fair streams with its thick branches, and bridged the River itself, falling all within it.
ὃ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐκ δίνης ἀνορούσας §21.247ἤϊξεν πεδίοιο ποσὶ κραιπνοῖσι πέτεσθαι §21.248δείσας· οὐδέ τʼ ἔληγε θεὸς μέγας, ὦρτο δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ §21.249ἀκροκελαινιόων, ἵνα μιν παύσειε πόνοιο §21.250δῖον Ἀχιλλῆα, Τρώεσσι δὲ λοιγὸν ἀλάλκοι.
Then Achilles, leaping up from the eddy, sped to fly with swift feet over the plain, in his fear; nor yet did the great god desist, but rose up against him with dark crest, that he might stay from his labor noble Achilles, and ward off destruction from the Trojans.
§21.251Πηλεΐδης δʼ ἀπόρουσεν ὅσον τʼ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωή, §21.252αἰετοῦ οἴματʼ ἔχων μέλανος τοῦ θηρητῆρος, §21.253ὅς θʼ ἅμα κάρτιστός τε καὶ ὤκιστος πετεηνῶν·
But the son of Peleus sprang back as far as a spear-cast, with the swoop of a black eagle, the hunter, which is at once the strongest and swiftest of winged things.
§21.254τῷ ἐϊκὼς ἤϊξεν, ἐπὶ στήθεσσι δὲ χαλκὸς §21.255σμερδαλέον κονάβιζεν· ὕπαιθα δὲ τοῖο λιασθεὶς §21.256φεῦγʼ, ὃ δʼ ὄπισθε ῥέων ἕπετο μεγάλῳ ὀρυμαγδῷ.
Like to it he sped, and upon his breast the bronze clanged terribly; and slipping away from beneath the flood he fled, and the River followed behind him with a great roar.
§21.257ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἀνὴρ ὀχετηγὸς ἀπὸ κρήνης μελανύδρου §21.258ἂμ φυτὰ καὶ κήπους ὕδατι ῥόον ἡγεμονεύῃ §21.259χερσὶ μάκελλαν ἔχων, ἀμάρης ἐξ ἔχματα βάλλων· §21.260τοῦ μέν τε προρέοντος ὑπὸ ψηφῖδες ἅπασαι §21.261ὀχλεῦνται· τὸ δέ τʼ ὦκα κατειβόμενον κελαρύζει §21.262χώρῳ ἔνι προαλεῖ, φθάνει δέ τε καὶ τὸν ἄγοντα· §21.263ὣς αἰεὶ Ἀχιλῆα κιχήσατο κῦμα ῥόοιο §21.264καὶ λαιψηρὸν ἐόντα· θεοὶ δέ τε φέρτεροι ἀνδρῶν.
And as when a man leads a stream of water from a dark-watered spring among his plants and gardens, guiding its flow, holding a mattock in his hands and clearing the dams from the ditch; and as it flows forward, all the pebbles beneath are swept along, and it trickles swiftly down and murmurs in a sloping place, and outstrips even him that leads it; so did the wave of the flood ever overtake Achilles, swift though he was; for the gods are mightier than men.
§21.265ὁσσάκι δʼ ὁρμήσειε ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς §21.266στῆναι ἐναντίβιον καὶ γνώμεναι εἴ μιν ἅπαντες §21.267ἀθάνατοι φοβέουσι, τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσι, §21.268τοσσάκι μιν μέγα κῦμα διιπετέος ποταμοῖο §21.269πλάζʼ ὤμους καθύπερθεν· ὃ δʼ ὑψόσε ποσσὶν ἐπήδα
As often as swift-footed noble Achilles turned to stand and face the flood, and to know if all the immortals who hold broad heaven were putting him to flight, so often did the great wave of the rain-fed river beat upon his shoulders from above; and he leapt high with his feet