Agamemnon smote him through the loins, And prone on earth he fell. Upon the breast Of the slain man Atrides placed his heel, And from the body drew the ashen spear.
Then Nestor to the Argives called aloud:— “Friends, Grecian heroes, ministers of Mars! Let no man here through eagerness for spoil Linger behind the rest, that he may bear Much plunder to the ships; but let us first Strike down our enemies, and afterward At leisure strip the bodies of the dead.”
Thus speaking, he revived in every breast Courage and zeal. Then had the men of Troy Sought refuge from the Greeks within their walls, O’ercome by abject fear, if Helenus, The son of Priam, and of highest note Among the augurs, had not made his way To Hector and Aeneas, speaking thus:—
“O Hector and Aeneas, since on you Is laid the mighty labor to command The Trojans and the Lycians—for the first Are ye in battle, and in council first— Here make your stand, and haste from side to side, Rallying your scattered ranks, lest they betake Themselves to flight, and, rushing to their wives, Become the scorn and laughter of the foe. And then, so soon as ye shall have revived The courage of your men, we here will bide The conflict with the Greeks, though closely pressed; For so we must. But, Hector, thou depart To Troy and seek the mother of us both, And bid her call the honored Trojan dames To where the blue-eyed Pallas has her fane, In the high citadel, and with a key Open the hallowed doors, and let her bring What she shall deem the fairest of the robes, And amplest, in her palace, and the one She prizes most, and lay it on the knees Of the bright-haired Minerva. Let her make A vow to offer to the goddess there Twelve yearling heifers that have never borne The yoke, if she in mercy will regard The city, and the wives and little ones Of its defenders; if she will protect Our sacred Ilium from the ruthless son Of Tydeus, from whose valor armies flee, And whom I deem the bravest of