ὡσ άρ' ἔμελλον ὄπισθε Ποσιδάων καὶ Ἀπόλλων
θησέμεναι: τότε δ' ἀμφὶ μάχη ἐνοπή τε δεδήει
τεῖχοσ ἐΰδμητον: κανάχιζε δὲ δούρατα πύργων
βαλλόμεν'. Ἀργεῖοι δὲ Διὸς μάστιγι δαμέντεσ:
νηυσὶν ἐπὶ γλαφυρῇσιν ἐελμένοι ἰ̈σχανόωντο:
Ἕκτορα δειδιότεσ κρατερὸν. μήστωρα φόβοιο:
αὐτὰρ ὅ γ' ὡσ τὸ πρόσθεν ἐμάρνατο ἶ̈σοσ ἀέλληι:
ὡσ δ' ὅτ' ὰν ἔν τε κύνεσσι καὶ ἀνδράσι θηρευτῇσι
κάπριος. ἠὲ λέων στρέφεται σθένεϊ βλεμεαίνων.
οἱ δέ τε πυργηδὸν σφέασ αὐτοὺσ ἀρτύναντες
ἀντίοι ἵ̈στανται. καὶ ἀκοντίζουσι θαμειὰς
αἰχμὰσ ἐκ χειρῶν. τοῦ δ' οὔ ποτε κυδάλιμον κῆρ
ταρβεῖ. οὐδὲ φοβεῖται ἀγηνορίη δέ μιν ἔκτα:
ταρφέα τε στρέφεται. στίχασ ἀνδρῶν πειρητίζων.
ὅππηι τ' ἰ̈θύσηι: τῇ τ' εἴκουσι, στίχες ἀνδρῶν.
ὡσ Ἕκτωρ ἀν ὅμιλον ἰ̈ὼν. ἐλλίσεθ', ἑταίρουσ:
τάφρον ἐποτρύνων διαβαινέμεν: οὐδέ οἱ ἵπποι
τόλμων ὠκύποδες. μάλα δὲ χρεμέτιζον ἐπ' ἄκρωι
χείλει ἐφεσταότες: ἀπὸ γὰρ δειδίσσετο τάφρος
εὐρεῖ'. οὔτ' ὰρ ὑπερθορέειν σχεδὸν. οὔτε περῆσαι
ῥηϊδίη: κρημνοὶ γὰρ ἐπηρεφέες περὶ πᾶσαν
ἕστασαν ἀμφοτέρωθεν. ὕπερθεν δὲ σκολόπεσσιν
ὀξέσιν ἠρήρει. τοὺς ἔστασαν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν
πυκνοὺς καὶ μεγάλους. δηΐων ἀνδρῶν ἀλεωρήν:
ἔνθ' οὔ κεν ῥέα, ἵ̈ππος ἐΰτροχον ἅρμα τιταίνων
ἐσβαίη: πεζοὶ δὲ μενοίνεον. εἰ τελέουσι:
αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης ἐπ' ἀριστερὰ λαὸν εέργων:
Thus were Poseidon and Apollo to do in the aftertime; but then war and the din of war blazed about the well-builded wall, and the beams of the towers rang, as they were smitten; and the Argives, conquered by the scourge of Zeus, were penned by their hollow ships, and held in check in terror of Hector, the mighty deviser of rout, while he as aforetime fought like unto a whirlwind. And as when, among hounds and huntsmen, a wild boar or a lion wheeleth about, exulting in his strength, and these array them in ranks in fashion like a wall, and stand against him, and hurl from their hands javelins thick and fast; yet his valiant heart feareth not nor anywise quaileth, though his valour is his bane; and often he wheeleth him about and maketh trial of the ranks of men, and wheresoever he chargeth, there the ranks of men give way: even on this wise Hector went ever through the throng and besought his comrades, urging them to cross the trench. Howbeit his swift-footed horses dared not, but loudly they neighed, standing on the sheer brink, for the trench affrighted them, so wide was it, easy neither to o'erleap at a bound nor to drive across; for over-hanging banks stood all about its circuit on this side and on that, and at the top it was set with sharp stakes that the sons of the Achaeans had planted, close together and great, a defence against foemen. Not lightly might a horse, tugging at the wheeled car, get within that circuit; but the footmen were eager, if thy might achieve it.
