At least we’ll give someone his glory, or someone will give it to us.” And with Glaucus and all the Lycians I attacked.
Ajax
On one of the towers the men saw them coming and called for help, but no one heard them, there was such a din. Finally they sent a messenger, who came to me and said, “Ajax, the Lycians have attacked the wall in a mass, at the tower defended by Teucer. Hurry, they need help.” I set off at a run, and when I got there I saw that they were at the end of their resources. There was a big rock leaning against the parapet. I lifted it—I don’t know how I had the strength; truly, it was immense— but I lifted it up and threw it down onto the heads of the Lycians. And meanwhile Teucer, with an arrow, shot Glaucus in the arm, just as he was about to get over the wall. He shot him in the arm and Glaucus slid down.
Sarpedon
He was hit, and he went and hid behind us. He didn’t want some Achaean to know that he was wounded, you see? He didn’t want to give anyone that glory. I was so angry I could hardly see. I was right at the top of the wall, and I gripped the parapet with both hands, using all the strength I had, and tore it away. I swear, it came off in one piece, down with the parapet. Now we would get through.
Ajax
Suddenly Sarpedon was right in front of us. He had rotated the shield around to his back to scale the wall, and now he came at us like that, unprotected. Teucer shot an arrow straight into his breast, but that man was fortunate. The arrow hit the shield’s leather strap, across his chest, and stuck there.
Sarpedon
I shouted to the others, “What’s wrong with you? Do I have to take this wall by myself? Where is your courage, your spirit?” And then they all piled into the breach, and there was a tremendous fight. The light shields yielded under the bronze spear points; the tower was covered with blood, both Trojan and Achaean—we attacked but couldn’t get through. It was like a scale that hovers, always in balance: the Achaean side wouldn’t drop. It seemed that the fight would never end, when suddenly we heard the voice of Hector shouting, “Go, let’s go, to the wall, to the ships,” and it was as if that voice were pushing us up, up, and over the wall…
Ajax
Hector was right in front of one of the gates. Nearby was a huge rock; it was lying on the ground and had a sharp, jagged point at one end. He picked it up—and I swear, it was huge; two men would have had trouble with it—but he lifted it up, lifted it high above his head. We saw him take a few steps toward the gate, and then with all his might he hurled that rock at it. The impact was such that the hinges tore away, the wood split, the bolts yielded abruptly. Rapid as the night Hector advanced into the chasm that had opened, splendid in the bronze that clothed him, two spears in his hands, his eyes burning like fire. I tell you that only a god could have stopped him at that moment. He turned to his men and shouted to them to go, go through the wall. We saw them coming, charging through the ruined gate or climbing over the wall at every point. All was lost. We could only flee, and we fled toward our ships, toward all that remained to us.
Ajax
From his tent, Nestor, the old man, saw us fleeing, with the shattered wall behind us and the Trojans at our heels, pushing us toward the ships like a flame, like a storm. He hurried to find the other kings who were lying wounded in their tents— Diomedes, Odysseus, Agamemnon. Together they observed the battlefield, leaning on their spears, their hearts constricted by grief.
Agamemnon spoke first. “Hector promised. He said that he wouldn’t stop before he set fire to the ships. And now here he is, he’s coming. I fear that all the Achaeans are angry withme, each one an Achilles, and sooner or later they’ll refuse to keep fighting.”
Nestor gazed at that desperate retreat. “The wall we hoped would be an indestructible defense for us and our ships has
Ajax
On one of the towers the men saw them coming and called for help, but no one heard them, there was such a din. Finally they sent a messenger, who came to me and said, “Ajax, the Lycians have attacked the wall in a mass, at the tower defended by Teucer. Hurry, they need help.” I set off at a run, and when I got there I saw that they were at the end of their resources. There was a big rock leaning against the parapet. I lifted it—I don’t know how I had the strength; truly, it was immense— but I lifted it up and threw it down onto the heads of the Lycians. And meanwhile Teucer, with an arrow, shot Glaucus in the arm, just as he was about to get over the wall. He shot him in the arm and Glaucus slid down.
Sarpedon
He was hit, and he went and hid behind us. He didn’t want some Achaean to know that he was wounded, you see? He didn’t want to give anyone that glory. I was so angry I could hardly see. I was right at the top of the wall, and I gripped the parapet with both hands, using all the strength I had, and tore it away. I swear, it came off in one piece, down with the parapet. Now we would get through.
Ajax
Suddenly Sarpedon was right in front of us. He had rotated the shield around to his back to scale the wall, and now he came at us like that, unprotected. Teucer shot an arrow straight into his breast, but that man was fortunate. The arrow hit the shield’s leather strap, across his chest, and stuck there.
Sarpedon
I shouted to the others, “What’s wrong with you? Do I have to take this wall by myself? Where is your courage, your spirit?” And then they all piled into the breach, and there was a tremendous fight. The light shields yielded under the bronze spear points; the tower was covered with blood, both Trojan and Achaean—we attacked but couldn’t get through. It was like a scale that hovers, always in balance: the Achaean side wouldn’t drop. It seemed that the fight would never end, when suddenly we heard the voice of Hector shouting, “Go, let’s go, to the wall, to the ships,” and it was as if that voice were pushing us up, up, and over the wall…
Ajax
Hector was right in front of one of the gates. Nearby was a huge rock; it was lying on the ground and had a sharp, jagged point at one end. He picked it up—and I swear, it was huge; two men would have had trouble with it—but he lifted it up, lifted it high above his head. We saw him take a few steps toward the gate, and then with all his might he hurled that rock at it. The impact was such that the hinges tore away, the wood split, the bolts yielded abruptly. Rapid as the night Hector advanced into the chasm that had opened, splendid in the bronze that clothed him, two spears in his hands, his eyes burning like fire. I tell you that only a god could have stopped him at that moment. He turned to his men and shouted to them to go, go through the wall. We saw them coming, charging through the ruined gate or climbing over the wall at every point. All was lost. We could only flee, and we fled toward our ships, toward all that remained to us.
Ajax
From his tent, Nestor, the old man, saw us fleeing, with the shattered wall behind us and the Trojans at our heels, pushing us toward the ships like a flame, like a storm. He hurried to find the other kings who were lying wounded in their tents— Diomedes, Odysseus, Agamemnon. Together they observed the battlefield, leaning on their spears, their hearts constricted by grief.
Agamemnon spoke first. “Hector promised. He said that he wouldn’t stop before he set fire to the ships. And now here he is, he’s coming. I fear that all the Achaeans are angry withme, each one an Achilles, and sooner or later they’ll refuse to keep fighting.”
Nestor gazed at that desperate retreat. “The wall we hoped would be an indestructible defense for us and our ships has
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