Book X

The Night-Adventure of Diomed and Ulysses

Agamemnon’s distress at the obstinacy of Achilles⁠—Consults with Menelaus, Nestor, Ulysses, and Diomed⁠—A council⁠—Diomed and Ulysses set out for the enemy’s camp to learn his designs⁠—Death of Dolon, the Trojan Spy⁠—Rhesus the Thracian killed in his tent and his horses taken.

All the night long the captains of the Greeks

Slept at the ships, and pleasant was their sleep⁠—

Save only Agamemnon, Atreus’ son,

The shepherd of the people. Not to him⁠—

Vexed with a thousand cares⁠—came gentle sleep.

As when the husband of the light-haired queen

Of heaven sends forth his thunders, ushering in

Some wide-involving shower⁠—rain, hail, or snow

Whitening the fields⁠—or opening o’er some land

The ravenous jaws of unrelenting war⁠—

So frequent were the groans which from his heart

Atrides uttered; for within his breast

His heart was troubled. Looking toward the plain

Of Troy, he wondered at the many fires

Blazing before the city, and the sound

Of flutes and fifes, and tumult of the crowd.

But when he turned him toward the fleet and host

Of Greece, he tore his hair, and flung it up

To Jove, and vented his great heart in groans.

And now at length it seemed to him most wise

To seek Neleian Nestor, and with him

Devise some plan by which to turn aside

The threatened evil from the Greeks. He rose,

And drew his tunic o’er his breast, and laced

The graceful sandals to his well-shaped feet;

And o’er his shoulders threw the blood-stained hide

Of a huge tawny lion, that reached down

Even to the ground; and took in hand his spear.

Meantime with like uneasy thoughts oppressed

Was Menelaus, to whose eyes there came

No slumber⁠—dreading lest calamity

Should light upon the Greeks, who for his sake

Had crossed the sea to carry war to Troy.

And first he threw a leopard’s spotted hide

O’er his broad back, and placed the brazen helm

Upon his head, and took in his strong grasp

A spear, and went to bid his brother wake⁠—

His brother, the chief ruler over all

The men of Greece, and honored like a god.

He found him at his galley’s prow in act

To sheath his shoulders in the shining mail,

And pleased to greet his coming. To the king

Thus Menelaus, great in battle, spake:⁠—

“Why arm thyself, my brother? Wouldst thou send

A warrior to explore the Trojan camp?

None will accept the task, I fear, to creep

Alone at dead of night, a spy, within

The hostile lines;⁠—a bold man must he be.”

Then answered Agamemnon, king of men:⁠—

“Most noble Menelaus, much we need

Wise counsel⁠—thou and I⁠—to save our men

And galleys from destruction, since the will

Of Jove is changed. Now hath the God respect

To Hector’s sacrifices; for in truth

I never saw⁠—I never heard of one

Who in one day performed such mighty deeds

As Hector, dear to Jove, just now hath wrought,

Though not the son of goddess or of god.

Those deeds will be, I deem, for many a day

A cause of bitter sorrow to the Greeks⁠—

Such evil hath he wrought. Now go at once,

And from their galleys call Idomeneus

And Ajax; while to noble Nestor’s tent

I go, and pray that he will rise and give

Their orders to the sacred band of guards;⁠—

For they will hearken to him, since his son

Commands them jointly with Meriones,

The armor-bearer of Idomeneus⁠—

Both named by us to that important trust.”

Then Menelaus, great in battle, said:⁠—

“What wilt thou, then, and what dost thou command⁠—

That I remain with them until thou come,

Or, having given the message, seek thee here?”

Again the monarch Agamemnon spake:⁠—

“Wait there, lest as we go I meet thee not,

For many ways are through the camp. But thou,

In going, shout aloud and bid them all

Be vigilant, accosting everyone

By his paternal name, and giving each

Due honor: bear thyself not haughtily:

We too must labor; for when we were born

Jove laid this hard condition on us all.”

So spake he, and, dismissing with that charge

His brother, hastened to where Nestor lay,

The shepherd of his people. Him he found

On his soft couch within his tent beside

His dark-brown ship. Around him scattered shone

His arms⁠—a shield, two spears, a gleaming helm,

And pliant belt, with which the ancient man

Girded himself when arming to lead on

His men to murderous fight;⁠—for not to age

The warrior yielded yet. He raised his head,

And, leaning on his elbow, questioned thus

Atrides: “Who art thou that traversest

The camp beside the fleet at dead of night,

Alone, while others sleep? Com’st thou to find

One of the guardsmen, or a comrade? Speak;

Come not in silence thus: what wouldst thou have?”

Then answered Agamemnon, king of men:⁠—

“O Nestor, son of Neleus, whom the Greeks

All glory in! Thou certainly wilt know

Atrides Agamemnon, whom the will

Of Jove hath visited with hardships great

Beyond what others bear, to last while breath

Is in my lungs, and while my knees can move.

I wander thus abroad because sweet sleep

Comes not to close my eyelids, and the war

And slaughter of the Greeks distress me sore.

For them I greatly fear, my heart is faint,

My mind confounded. In my breast the heart

Pants, and my limbs all tremble. If thou wilt⁠—

For, as I see, thou also dost not sleep⁠—

Come with me to the guards, that we may know

Whether, o’ercome by toil and weariness,

They give themselves to slumber and forget

Their watch. The foe is near us in his camp,

And how know we that even now by night

He plans not, to attack us in our tents?”

Then Nestor, the Gerenian knight, replied:⁠—

“Atrides Agamemnon, glorious king

Of men, almighty Jove will not perform

For Hector all that Hector plans and hopes;

And heavier cares, I think, will yet be his

When once Achilles’ wrath is turned away.

Yet willingly I join thee. Let us call

The other chiefs⁠—Ulysses, Diomed,

Both mighty spearmen; Ajax, swift of foot;

And the brave son of Phyleus. It were well

To send and bid the mightier Ajax come,

And King Idomeneus, for farthest off

The ships of both are stationed. I shall chide

Thy brother Menelaus⁠—though he be

Honored and dear, and though it please thee not⁠—

For sleeping, while he leaves such toils as these

To thee alone. He should be here among

The chiefs, exhorting them to valiant deeds;

For now the hour of bitter need is come.”

Again spake Agamemnon, king of men:⁠—

“At other times, old chief, I would have begged

That thou shouldst blame him: he is oft remiss,

And late to act; but not because of sloth,

Or want of spirit, but he looks to me

And waits for my example. Yet tonight

He rose before me, sought me, and is sent

To call the chiefs whom thou hast named; and now

Let us go on, and meet them where they wait,

Among the guards and just before the gates⁠—

For I appointed that the trysting-place.”

And Nestor, the Gerenian knight, replied:⁠—

“Then let no Greek condemn him, or refuse

To heed and to obey when he shall speak.”

He spake, and drew his tunic o’er his breast,

Laced the fair sandals to his shapely feet,

And round him fastened, with a clasp, his cloak⁠—

A double web of purple, with full folds

And flowing pile. He grasped a massive spear,

Its blade of trenchant brass. And first he sought

The galleys of the Achaians brazen-mailed.

There shouted Nestor the Gerenian knight,

To raise Ulysses, best of counsellors,

Jove-like in wisdom; who perceived the voice,

And issued from his tent in haste, and said:⁠—

“What brings you forth to walk the camp at night,

Beside the ships alone; what urgent cause?”

Then answered Nestor, the Gerenian knight:⁠—

“Son of Laertes, nobly born, and skilled

In wise devices, be thou not displeased:

A fearful woe impends above the Greeks:

Come, then, and call the other chiefs, to give

Their counsel whether we shall flee or fight.”

He spake; and wise Ulysses, entering

His tent again, upon his shoulders laid

His well-wrought shield, and joined them as they went,

Till, coming to Tydides Diomed,

They found him by his tent among his arms,

His comrades sleeping round him with their shields

Beneath their heads. Their spears were set upright,

The nether points in earth. The polished brass

Gleamed like the lightnings of All-Father Jove.

In sleep the hero lay; a wild bull’s hide

Was spread beneath him, and a carpet dyed

With glowing colors propped his head. The knight,

Gerenian Nestor, touched him with his foot

And roused him, and addressed him chidingly:⁠—

“O son of Tydeus! Wilt thou calmly sleep

All the night long? And hast thou, then, not heard

That on a height amidst the plain the sons

Of Troy are stationed, near the ships, and small

The space that parts the enemy’s camp from ours?”

He spake. The son of Tydeus sprang from sleep

At once, and answered him with wingèd words:

“Thy labors are too constant, aged man;

Thou shrinkest from no hardship. Are there not

Young men among the Greeks to walk the camp

And call the kings? Thou never takest rest.”

And Nestor, the Gerenian knight, replied:⁠—

“Well hast thou said, my friend, for I have sons

Without reproach, and I have many troops;

And any one of these might walk the camp

And give the summons. But tonight there lies

A hard necessity upon the Greeks,

And their destruction and their rescue hang

Balanced on a knife’s edge. Come then, since thou

Art younger, call swift Ajax and the son

Of Phyleus, if thou wouldst relieve my age.”

He spake; and Diomed around him flung

A tawny lion’s ample hide, that reached

Down to his feet, and took his spear and went

And summoned the two kings, and brought them forth.

Now when they came among the assembled guard,

Its leaders were not slumbering; every man

Sat watchful and in arms. As dogs that guard

Flocks in a sheepfold hear some savage beast

That comes through thickets down the mountainside;

Loud is the clamor of the dogs and men,

And sleep is frightened thence⁠—so gentle sleep

Fled from the eyes of those who watched, that night,

Sadly, with eyes turned ever toward the plain,

Intently listening for the foe’s approach.

The aged Nestor saw them, and rejoiced,

And thus encouraged them with wingèd words:⁠—

“Watch thus, dear youths, let no one yield to sleep,

Lest we become the mockery of the foe.”

He spake, and crossed the trench; and with him went

The Grecian leaders, they who had been called

To council. With them went Meriones

And Nestor’s eminent son, for they had both

Been summoned. Crossing to the other side

Of that deep trench, they found an open space

Clear of the dead, in which they sat them down⁠—

Just where the fiery Hector, having slain

Many Achaians, turned him back when night

Came o’er him. There they sat to hold debate

And thus spake Nestor the Gerenian knight:⁠—

“Friends! Is there none among you who so far

Trusts his own valor that he will tonight

Venture among the Trojans? He perchance

Might capture on the borders of the camp

Some foeman wandering, or might bring report

Of what they meditate, and whether still

They mean to keep their station far from Troy

And near our ships, or, since their late success,

Return to Ilium. Could he safely bring

This knowledge back to us, his meed were great,

Glory among all men beneath the sky,

And liberal recompense. As many chiefs

As now command our galleys, each would give

A black ewe with a suckling lamb⁠—such gifts

No one hath yet received⁠—and he should sit

A guest at all our banquets and our feasts.”

He spake; and all were silent for a space.

Then Diomed, the great in battle, said:⁠—

“Nestor, my resolute spirit urges me

To explore the Trojan camp, that lies so near;

Yet, were another warrior by my side,

I should go forth with a far surer hope,

And greater were my daring. For when two

Join in the same adventure, one perceives

Before the other how they ought to act;

While one alone, however prompt, resolves

More tardily and with a weaker will.”

He spake; and many a chief made suit to share

The risk with Diomed. The ministers

Of Mars, the chieftains Ajax, asked to go;

Meriones desired it; Nestor’s son

Greatly desired to join the enterprise;

Atrides Menelaus, skilled to wield

The spear, desired it; and that hardy chief,

Ulysses, longed to explore the Trojan camp,

For full of daring aims was the great soul

Within his bosom. Agamemnon then,

The king of men, took up the word and said:⁠—

“Tydides Diomed, most dear of men,

Choose from the many chiefs, who ask to bear

A part with thee, the bravest. Be not moved

By deference to take the worse and leave

The abler warrior. Pay no heed to rank,

Or race, or wide extent of kingly rule.”

Thus spake the king; for in his heart he feared

For fair-haired Menelaus. Diomed,

The great in battle, then addressed them all:⁠—

“Ye bid me choose: how, then, can I o’erlook

Godlike Ulysses, prudent in resolve,

And firm in every danger, well beloved

By Pallas. Give me him, and our return

Is sure, though from consuming flames; for he

Is wise to plan beyond all other men.”

Ulysses, nobly born and hardy, spake

In turn: “Tydides, praise me not too much,

Nor blame me, for thou speakest to the Greeks,

Who know me. Meantime let us haste to go,

For the night wears away, and morn is near.

The stars are high, two thirds of night are past⁠—

The greater part⁠—and scarce a third remains.”

He spake; and both arrayed themselves for fight.

The mighty warrior Thrasymedes gave

The two-edged sword he wore to Diomed⁠—

Whose own was at the galleys⁠—and a shield.

The hero then put on his helmet, made

Of tough bull-hide, with neither cone nor crest⁠—

Such as is worn by beardless youths. A bow,

Quiver, and sword Meriones bestowed

Upon Ulysses, placing on his brows

A leathern helmet, firmly laced within

By many a thong, and on the outer side

Set thickly with a tusky boar’s white teeth,

Which fenced it well and skilfully. A web

Of woollen for the temples lined the work.

This helm Autolycus once bore away

From Eleon, the city where he sacked

The stately palace of Amyntor, son

Of Ormenus. The captor gave the prize

To the Cytheran chief, Amphidamas,

Who bore it to Scandeia, and in turn

Bestowed it upon Molus as his guest,

And Molus gave it to Meriones,

His son, to wear in battle. Now at last

It crowned Ulysses’ temples. When the twain

Were all accoutred in their dreadful arms,

Forward they went, and left the assembled chiefs,

While, sent by Pallas forth, upon their right

A heron flew beside their path. The bird

They saw not, for the night was dark, but heard

Its rustling wings. Ulysses at the sound

Rejoiced, and supplicated Pallas thus:⁠—

“Hear! daughter of the Aegis-bearer Jove!

Thou who art near me in all dangers, thou

Whose eye is on me wheresoe’er I go,

Befriend me, Pallas, yet again, and grant

That, laden with great glory, we return

Safe to the galleys, mighty deeds performed,

And woe inflicted on the Trojan race.”

Next Diomed, the great in battle, prayed:⁠—

“Daughter invincible of Jove, give ear

Also to me. Be with me now, as once

Thou didst attend on Tydeus nobly born,

My father, when he bore an embassy

To Thebé from the Achaians. He beside

The Asopus left the Achaians mailed in brass,

And bore a friendly message to the sons

Of Cadmus, and on his return performed

Full many a mighty deed with aid from thee,

Great goddess! for thou stoodest by his side.

Stand now by me; be thou my shield and guard;

And I, in turn, will offer up to thee

A yearling heifer, broad between the horns,

Which never ploughman yet hath tamed to bear

The yoke. Her to thine altar will I bring, With gilded horns, to be a sacrifice.”

So prayed they. Pallas listened to their prayers;

And, having supplicated thus the child

Of Jove Almighty, the two chiefs went on Like lions through the darkness of the night, Through slaughter, heaps of corses, and black blood.

Nor now had Hector suffered the brave sons

Of Troy to sleep, but summoned all the chiefs,

Leaders, and princes of the host, and thus

Addressed the assembly with well-ordered words:⁠—

“Who of you all will promise to perform

The task I set him, for a large reward?

For ample shall his meed be. I will give

A chariot and two steeds with lofty necks,

Swifter than the swift galleys of the Greeks.

Great glory will be his whoever dares

Approach those ships and bring the knowledge thence

Whether the fleet is guarded as before,

Or whether, yielding to our arms, the foe

Is meditating flight, and, through the night

O’ercome with weariness, keeps watch no more.”

He spake; and all were silent for a space.

Now there was one, among the Trojan chiefs,

Whose father was Eumedes, of the train

Of reverend heralds. Dolon was his name,

And he was rich in gold and brass, deformed

In face but swift of foot, an only son

Among five sisters. He stood forth among

The Trojans, and replied to Hector thus:⁠—

“My daring spirit, Hector, urges me

To visit the swift ships and learn the state

Of the Greek host. But hold thy sceptre forth,

And solemnly attest the gods that thou

Wilt give to me the horses, and the car

Engrailed with brass, which bear the illustrious son

Of Peleus. I shall not explore in vain,

Nor balk thy hope of me; for I will pass

Into the camp until I reach the ship

Of Agamemnon, where the chiefs are now

Debating whether they shall fly or fight.”

He spake; and Hector held the sceptre forth,

And swore: “Be Jupiter the Thunderer,

Husband of Juno, witness, that those steeds

Shall bear no other Trojan than thyself.

That honor I confirm to thee alone.”

He spake. It was an idle oath, yet gave

New courage to the spy, who instantly

Upon his shoulders hung his crooked bow,

And round him flung a gray wolf’s hide, and placed

A casque of otter-skin upon his head,

And took his pointed javelin, and made haste

To reach the Grecian fleet. Yet was he doomed

Never to leave that fleet again, nor bring

Tidings to Hector. Soon was he beyond

The crowd of men and steeds, and eagerly

Held on his way. Ulysses first perceived

His coming, and thus spake to Diomed:⁠—

“Someone, Tydides, from the enemy’s camp

Is coming, either as a spy, or else

To spoil the dead. First let us suffer him

To pass us by a little on the plain,

Then let us rush and seize him. Should his speed

Be greater than our own, let us attack

The fugitive with spears, and drive him on

To where our ships are lying, from his camp,

Lest, flying townward, he escape our hands.”

He spake; and both lay down without the path

Among the dead, while he unwarily

Passed by them. When he now had gone as far

As two yoked mules might at the furrow’s end

Precede a pair of oxen⁠—for by mules

The plough is drawn more quickly through the soil

Of the deep fallow⁠—then they rose, and rushed

To seize him. As he heard their steps he stopped.

In hope that his companions had been sent

From Troy by Hector to conduct him back.

But when they came within a javelin’s cast,

Or haply less, he saw that they were foes,

And moved his nimble knees, and turned to flee,

While rapidly they followed. As two hounds,

Sharp-toothed, and trained to track their prey, pursue

Through forest-grounds some fawn or hare that runs

Before them panting, so did Diomed

And terrible Ulysses without stop

Follow the fugitive, to cut him off

From his own people. In his flight he came

Where soon he would have mingled with the guards,

Close to the fleet. Then Pallas breathed new strength

Into Tydides, that no other Greek

Might boast that he had wounded Dolon first,

And steal the honor. Therefore, with his spear

Uplifted, Diomed rushed on and spake:⁠—

“Stop, or my spear o’ertakes thee, nor wilt thou

Escape a certain death from this right hand.”

He spake, and hurled his spear⁠—but not to smite⁠—

At Dolon, over whose right shoulder passed

The polished weapon, and, descending, pierced

The ground. Then Dolon, pale and fear-struck, stopped,

And quaked, with chattering teeth and stammering speech.

They, breathless with the chase, came up and seized

His hands, while, bursting into tears, he spake:⁠—

“Take me alive, and ye shall have from me

A ransom: there is store of brass and gold

And well-wrought steel, of which a princely share

My father will bestow when he shall hear

Of me alive and at the Grecian fleet.”

The crafty chief Ulysses answered thus:⁠—

“Take heart, and cease to think of death, but tell,

And truly, why thou camest to our fleet:

Was it to strip the bodies of the dead?

Camest thou, sent by Hector, as a spy

Among our ships, or of thine own accord?”

And Dolon answered, trembling still with fear:⁠—

“Hector, against my will and to my hurt,

Persuaded me. He promised to bestow

On me the firm-paced coursers, and the car

Engrailed with brass, which bear the illustrious son

Of Peleus, and enjoined me by the aid

Of darkness to approach the foe and learn

Whether ye guard your galleys as before,

Or, overcome by us, consult on flight,

And, wearied with the hardships of the day,

Have failed to set the accustomed nightly watch.”

The man of craft, Ulysses, smiled, and said:⁠—

“Truly, thy hope was set on princely gifts⁠—

The steeds of war-renowned Aeacides,

Hard to be reined by mortal hands, or driven as

By any, save by Peleus’ son himself,

Whom an immortal mother bore. But come,

Tell me⁠—and tell the truth⁠—where hast thou left

Hector, the leader of the host, and where

Are laid his warlike arms; where stand his steeds;

Where are the sentinels, and where the tents

Of other chiefs? On what do they consult?

Will they remain beside our galleys here,

Or do they meditate, since, as they say,

The Greeks are beaten, a return to Troy?”

Dolon, Eumedes’ son, made answer thus:⁠—

“What thou requirest I will truly tell.

Hector is with his counsellors, and now,

Apart from all the bustle, at the tomb

Of Ilus the divine, he plans the war.

Sentries, of whom thou speakest, there are none;

No chosen band, O hero! has in charge

To guard the camp. By all their blazing fires,

Constrained by need, the Trojans keep awake,

And each exhorts his fellow to maintain

The watch: not so the auxiliar troops who came

From far: they sleep, and since they have no wives

Nor children near, they let the Trojans watch.”

Then thus the man of wiles, Ulysses, spake:⁠—

“How sleep they⁠—mingled with the knights of Troy

Or by themselves? Tell me, that I may know.”

Dolon, Eumedes’ son, made answer thus:⁠—

“What thou requirest I will truly tell.

On one hand, toward the sea, the bowmen lie

Of Caria and Paeonia, and with them

Lelegans, Caucons, and the gallant tribe

Of the Pelasgians. On the other hand,

Toward Thymbra, are the Lycians, the proud race

Of Mysia, Phrygia’s knights, and cavalry

Of the Maeonians. Why should ye inquire

The place of each? If ye design tonight

To penetrate into the Trojan camp,

There are the Thracians, newly come, apart

From all the others: with them is their king,

Rhesus, the son of Eioneus; his steeds

Are far the largest and most beautiful

I ever saw⁠—the snow is not so white,

The wind is not so swift. His chariot shines

With gold and silver, and the coat of mail

In which he came to Troy is all of gold,

And gloriously and marvellously bright,

Such as becomes not mortal men to wear,

But the gods only. Now to your swift Ships

Lead me; or bind me fast with thongs, and here

Leave me till your return; and ye shall know

Whether the words I speak be true or false.”

Then sternly spake the gallant Diomed:⁠—

“Once in our hands a prisoner, do not think,

O Dolon! to escape, though thou hast told

Things that shall profit us. For if we now

Release thee thou wilt surely come again

To the Greek fleet, a spy, or openly

To fight against us. If I take thy life,

’Tis certain thou wilt harm the Greeks no more.”

He spake. And as the suppliant took his chin

In his large hand, and had begun a prayer,

He smote him with his sword at the mid-neck,

And cut the tendons both; the severed head,

While yet he spake, fell, rolling in the dust.

And then they took his helm of otter-skin

The wolf’s-hide, sounding bow, and massive spear.

The nobly born Ulysses in his hand

Lifted the trophies high, devoting them

To Pallas, deity of spoil, and prayed:⁠—

“Delight thyself, O goddess, in these arms,

For thee we first invoke, of all the gods

Upon Olympus. Guide us now to find

The camp and coursers of the sons of Thrace.”

He spake; and, raising them aloft, he hung

The spoils upon a tamarisk, and brake

Reeds and the spreading branches of the tree

To form a mark, that so on their return

They might not, in the darkness, miss the spot.

Then onward, mid strewn arms and pools of blood,

They went, and soon were where the Thracians lay.

There slept the warriors, overpowered with toil;

Their glittering arms were near them, fairly ranged

In triple rows, and by each suit of arms

Two coursers. Rhesus slumbered in the midst.

Near him were his fleet horses, which were made

Fast to the chariot’s border by the reins.

Ulysses saw them first, and, pointing, said:⁠—

“This is the man, O Diomed, and these

The steeds, described by Dolon whom we slew.

Come, then; put forth thy strength of arm, for ill

Doth it become thee to stand idle here,

Armed as thou art. Loose thou the steeds; or else

Slay thou the men, and leave the steeds to me.”

He spake. The blue-eyed Pallas straightway gave

Strength to Tydides, who on every side

Dealt slaughter. From the smitten by the sword

Rose fearful groans; the ground was red with blood.

As when a ravening lion suddenly

Springs on a helpless flock of goats or sheep,

So fell Tydides on the Thracian band,

Till twelve were slain. Whomever Diomed

Approached and smote, the sage Ulysses seized,

And drew him backward by the feet, that thus

The flowing-maned coursers might pass forth

Unhindered, nor, by treading on the dead,

Be startled; for they yet were new to war.

Now when the son of Tydeus reached the king⁠—

The thirteenth of his victims⁠—him he slew

As he breathed heavily; for on that night

A fearful dream, in shape Oenides’ son,

Stood o’er him, sent by Pallas. Carefully

Ulysses meantime loosed the firm-paced steeds,

And, fastening them together, drave them forth,

Urging them with his bow: he had not thought

To take the showy lash that lay in sight

On the fair chariot-seat. In going thence

He whistled, as a sign to Diomed,

Who lingered, pondering on his next exploit⁠—

Whether to seize the chariot where was laid

The embroidered armor, dragging it away;

Or, lifting it aloft, to bear it thence;

Or take more Thracian lives. As thus his thoughts

Were busy, Pallas, standing near him, spake:⁠—

“O son of large-souled Tydeus, think betimes

Of thy return to where the galleys lie;

Else may some god arouse the sons of Troy,

And thou be forced to reach the ships by flight.”

She spake. He knew the goddess by her voice,

And leaped upon a steed. Ulysses lashed

The horses with his bow, and on they flew

Toward the swift galleys of the Grecian host.

Apollo, bearer of the silver bow,

Kept no vain watch, and, angry when he saw

Minerva at the side of Diomed,

Down to the mighty host of Troy he came,

And roused from sleep a Thracian counsellor⁠—

Hippocoön, a kinsman of the house

Of Rhesus. Leaping from his couch, he saw

The vacant spot where the swift steeds had stood,

And, weltering in their blood, the dying chiefs,

He saw, and wept aloud, and called by name

His dear companion. Then a clamor rose,

And boundless tumult, as the Trojans came

All rushing to the spot, and marvelling

At what the daring warriors, who were now

Returning to the hollow ships, had done.

And when these warriors now had reached the spot

Where Hector’s spy was slain, Ulysses, dear

To Jupiter, reined in the fiery steeds,

And Diomed leaped down and took the spoil

Blood-stained, and gave it to Ulysses’ hands,

And mounted. Then again they urged the steeds,

Which, not unwilling, flew along the way.

First Nestor heard the approaching sound, and said:⁠—

“Friends, chiefs and princes of the Greeks, my heart⁠—

Truly or falsely⁠—urges me to speak.

The trampling of swift steeds is in my ears.

O that Ulysses and the gallant son

Of Tydeus might be bringing at this hour

Firm-footed coursers from the enemy’s camp!

Yet must I fear that these, our bravest chiefs,

Have met disaster from the Trojan crew.”

While he was speaking yet, the warriors came.

They sprang to earth; their friends, rejoicing, flocked

Around them, greeting them with grasp of hands

And with glad words, while the Gerenian knight,

Nestor, inquired: “Declare, illustrious chief,

Glory of Greece, Ulysses, how ye took

These horses: from the foe;⁠—or did some god

Bestow them? They are glorious as the sun.

Oft am I midst the Trojans, for, though old,

I lag not idly at the ships; yet ne’er

Have my eyes looked on coursers like to these.

Some god, no doubt, has given them, for to Jove,

The God of storms, and Pallas, blue-eyed child

Of aegis-bearing Jove, ye both are dear.”

Then sage Ulysses answered: “Pride of Greece!

Neleian Nestor, truly might a god

Have given us nobler steeds than even these.

All power is with the gods. But these of which

Thou askest, aged man, are brought from Thrace,

And newly come. Brave Diomed hath slain

Their lord, and twelve companions by his side⁠—

All princes. Yet another victim fell⁠—

A spy whom, near our ships, we put to death⁠—

A man whom Hector and his brother chiefs

Sent forth by midnight to explore our camp.”

He spake, and gayly caused the firm-paced steeds

To pass the trench; the other Greeks, well pleased,

Went with him. When they reached the stately tent

Of Diomed, they led the coursers on

To stalls where Diomed’s fleet horses stood

Champing the wholesome corn, and bound them there

With halters neatly shaped. Ulysses placed

Upon his galley’s stern the bloody spoil

Of Dolon, to be made an offering

To Pallas. Then, descending to the sea,

They washed from knees and neck and thighs the grime

Of sweat; and when in the salt wave their limbs

Were cleansed, and all the frame refreshed, they stepped

Into the polished basins of the bath,

And, having bathed and rubbed with fragrant oil

Their limbs, they sat them down to a repast,

And from a brimming jar beside them drew,

And poured to Pallas first, the pleasant wine.