the rivers on. He flung among the billows the huge beams And stones which, with hard toil, the Greeks had laid For the foundations. Thus he levelled all Beside the hurrying Hellespont, destroyed The bulwarks utterly, and overspread The long broad shore with sand; and then he brought Again the rivers to the ancient beds In which their gently flowing waters ran.
This yet was to be done in time to come By Neptune and Apollo. Meanwhile raged Battle and tumult round that strong-built wall. The towers in all their timbers rang with blows; And, driven as by the scourge of Jove, the Greeks, Hemmed closely in beside their roomy ships, Trembled at Hector, the great scatterer Of squadrons, fighting, as he did before, With all a whirlwind’s might. As when a boar Or lion mid the hounds and huntsmen stands, Fearfully strong, and fierce of eye, and they In square array assault him, and their hands Fling many a javelin;—yet his noble heart Fears not, nor does he fly, although at last His courage cause his death; and oft he turns, And tries their ranks; and where he makes a rush The ranks give way;—so Hector moved and turned Among the crowd, and bade his followers cross The trench. The swift-paced horses ventured not The leap, but stood upon the edge and neighed Aloud, for the wide space affrighted them; And hard it was to spring across, or pass From side to side, for on each side the brink Was steep, and bristled with sharp stakes, close set And strong, which there the warrior sons of Greece Had planted, a defence against the foe. No steed that whirled the rapid car along Could enter, but the soldiery on foot Eagerly sought to pass, and in these words Polydamas to daring Hector spake:—
“Hector, and ye who lead the troops of Troy And our auxiliars! Rashly do we seek To urge our rapid steeds across the trench So hard to pass, beset with pointed stakes— And the Greek wall so near. The troops of horse Cannot descend nor combat there: the space Is narrow: they would all be slain. If Jove, The Thunderer of the skies, design to crush The