Then great had been the slaughter; fearful deeds Had then been done; the Trojans had been scared Into their town like lambs into the fold— Had not the Father of the immortal gods And mortal men beheld, and from on high Terribly thundered, sending to the earth A bolt of fire. He flung it down before The car of Diomed; and fiercely glared The blazing sulphur; both the frightened steeds Cowered trembling by the chariot. Nestor’s hand Let fall the embroidered reins; his spirit sank With fear, and thus he said to Diomed:—
“Tydides, turn thy firm-paced steeds, and flee. Dost thou not see that victory from Jove Attends thee not? Today doth Saturn’s son Award the glory to the Trojan chief. Hereafter he will make it ours, if such Be his good pleasure. No man, though he be The mightiest among men, can thwart the will Of Jupiter, with whom abides all power.”
The great in battle, Diomed, replied:— “Truly, O ancient man, thou speakest well; But this it is that grieves me to the heart— That Hector to the Trojan host will say, ‘I put to flight Tydides, and he sought Shelter among his ships.’ Thus will he boast Hereafter; may earth open then for me!”
And Nestor, the Gerenian knight, rejoined:— “What, son of warlike Tydeus, hast thou said? Though Hector call thee faint of heart and weak, The Trojans and Dardanians, and the wives Of the stout-hearted Trojans armed with shields, Whose husbands in their youthful prime thy hand Hath laid in dust, will not believe his words.”
Thus having said, he turned the firm-paced steeds Rearward, and mingled with the flying crowd. And now the Trojans and their leader gave A mighty cry, and poured on them a storm Of deadly darts, and crested Hector raised His thundering voice and shouted after them:—
“O son of Tydeus! The swift-riding Greeks Have honored thee beyond all other men, At banquets, with high place and delicate meats And