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Book Eight
Zeus (zyoos) warns the other gods that the course of the war is now in his hands alone. Any Olympian caught interfering on behalf of Greek or Trojan will be flung down into the pit of Tartarus, as far beneath the underworld of the dead as the earth is beneath the sky. And lest any immortal dream of testing Zeus's strength, he challenges the whole lot of them to tie a golden cable to the heavens and try to drag him down, whereas if he takes a notion to pull the other way he'll haul them up and the earth and ocean too, swing the cable over an Olympian crag, and set the whole world dangling.
The divine company is stunned into silence. Finally Athena (a-THEE-nuh) allows that she'll just limit herself to coaching the Greeks in tactics so that they won't be annihilated. Telling her not to take his words too seriously, Zeus mounts his chariot and flies off to Mount Ida, overlooking the Trojan plain. Here as the armies grapple furiously below he balances his enormous golden scales. On one side he places the destiny of the Greeks, on the other the fate of the Trojans. Raising it up so that the beam swings true, the Greek fate plunges toward the ground. Forthwith Zeus hurls his lightning bolts into the Greek ranks. To a man they turn and run. All that is but Nestor, whose trace horse has been felled by an arrow from the bow of Paris.
Diomedes (dy-uh-MEE-deez) rushes to his rescue and now with Nestor at the reins of his own chariot, he is tempted to resume the offensive. But Zeus explodes a lightning bolt directly in his path, causing his team to shy and Nestor to drop the reins. The aged counselor points out the obvious — that the field belongs to Hector for this day at least by the will of Zeus himself. But Diomedes is so jealous of his honor that he can't bear the thought of Hector bragging about compelling his retreat. Nestor assures him that not even a Trojan would believe such a boast. But then when Hector gloats aloud, Diomedes can't help but turn the chariot around, only to be met with another of Zeus's lightning bolts. Twice more Diomedes wheels to attack with the same result before giving in to the inevitable. Hector urges his four horses on toward an assault on the Greek fortification.
Desperate to help the Greeks, Hera (HEER-uh) tries to cajole Poseidon (puh-SY-dun) into intervening against Zeus's will, but the sea god isn't about to match strength against the ruler of Olympus. Hera contents herself with acting through Agamemnon (a-guh-MEM-non) to rouse his men. Agamemnon goes further and prays aloud to Zeus to spare his army from the murderous onslaught of Hector. Zeus is moved to pity and sends an eagle, surest sign of his favor, wheeling high over the Greek camp with a fawn in its talons, which it drops on the altar of sacrifice. Heartened, the Greeks turn the tide.
Diomedes is the first to score a kill. Roaring out through the gate of the rampart he overtakes a Trojan who has turned his chariot to flee and stabs the man in the back. Each of the Greek captains in turn comes charging out across the trench. Mighty Ajax shelters the archer Teucer (TYOO-sur) behind his towering shield. Eight times Teucer emerges from behind this bulwark and lets fly a fatal arrow; eight times he ducks back behind the shield like a child sheltering in his mother's skirts. To the sound of Agamemnon's praise, Teucer now draws a bead on Hector but kills one of his brothers instead. Again he aims at the Trojan champion, but the shaft is deflected by Apollo into the chest of Hector's charioteer. Furious, Hector heaves a rock that catches Teucer in the collarbone, knocking him almost senseless. His comrades carry him back to the ships.
Zeus sees fit to rally the Trojans again, and they drive the Greeks back behind the rampart, picking off the stragglers. Hera is beside herself and appeals to Athena to join her in taking action. Athena concurs that there is nothing she'd like more than to see the downfall of Trojan Hector, and she is indignant that Zeus seems to have forgotten all the times she saved his son Heracles (HER-uh-kleez) in the course of his famous Labors. But she knows that Zeus will smile on her again one day, his favorite, grey-eyed daughter. So she tells Hera to harness the chariot team while she dons her battle gear. Together they mount the chariot, Athena bearing the enormous spear that she uses to control the course of battles. Out they charge through the gates kept by the Seasons, but Zeus sees them coming and dispatches his messenger Iris to turn them back at the outer gates of Olympus. As instructed, Iris warns that a clash with Zeus will end in wounds that won't heal for ten long years.
Daunted, the goddesses return to their heavenly palace. The Seasons unharness the chariot team, scattering ambrosial feed and tilting the chariot against a polished palace wall that glows brightly in the sun. Zeus returns from Ida to taunt them for ever daring to flout his will. Athena holds her peace but Hera cannot help repeating her earlier contention that Zeus's diktat does not preclude her counseling the Greeks in tactics. Counsel all you want, says Zeus, and tomorrow morning is your chance. By my decree the Trojans will batter and maul the Greeks until Achilles enters the fray. Meanwhile, the coming of night has spared the Greeks further damage at the hands of the resurgent Hector. The Trojans decide to camp out on the plain to be ready to attack on the morrow.







Book Eight
Zeus (zyoos) warns the other gods that the course of the war is now in his hands alone. Any Olympian caught interfering on behalf of Greek or Trojan will be flung down into the pit of Tartarus, as far beneath the underworld of the dead as the earth is beneath the sky. And lest any immortal dream of testing Zeus's strength, he challenges the whole lot of them to tie a golden cable to the heavens and try to drag him down, whereas if he takes a notion to pull the other way he'll haul them up and the earth and ocean too, swing the cable over an Olympian crag, and set the whole world dangling.
The divine company is stunned into silence. Finally Athena (a-THEE-nuh) allows that she'll just limit herself to coaching the Greeks in tactics so that they won't be annihilated. Telling her not to take his words too seriously, Zeus mounts his chariot and flies off to Mount Ida, overlooking the Trojan plain. Here as the armies grapple furiously below he balances his enormous golden scales. On one side he places the destiny of the Greeks, on the other the fate of the Trojans. Raising it up so that the beam swings true, the Greek fate plunges toward the ground. Forthwith Zeus hurls his lightning bolts into the Greek ranks. To a man they turn and run. All that is but Nestor, whose trace horse has been felled by an arrow from the bow of Paris.
Diomedes (dy-uh-MEE-deez) rushes to his rescue and now with Nestor at the reins of his own chariot, he is tempted to resume the offensive. But Zeus explodes a lightning bolt directly in his path, causing his team to shy and Nestor to drop the reins. The aged counselor points out the obvious — that the field belongs to Hector for this day at least by the will of Zeus himself. But Diomedes is so jealous of his honor that he can't bear the thought of Hector bragging about compelling his retreat. Nestor assures him that not even a Trojan would believe such a boast. But then when Hector gloats aloud, Diomedes can't help but turn the chariot around, only to be met with another of Zeus's lightning bolts. Twice more Diomedes wheels to attack with the same result before giving in to the inevitable. Hector urges his four horses on toward an assault on the Greek fortification.
Desperate to help the Greeks, Hera (HEER-uh) tries to cajole Poseidon (puh-SY-dun) into intervening against Zeus's will, but the sea god isn't about to match strength against the ruler of Olympus. Hera contents herself with acting through Agamemnon (a-guh-MEM-non) to rouse his men. Agamemnon goes further and prays aloud to Zeus to spare his army from the murderous onslaught of Hector. Zeus is moved to pity and sends an eagle, surest sign of his favor, wheeling high over the Greek camp with a fawn in its talons, which it drops on the altar of sacrifice. Heartened, the Greeks turn the tide.
Diomedes is the first to score a kill. Roaring out through the gate of the rampart he overtakes a Trojan who has turned his chariot to flee and stabs the man in the back. Each of the Greek captains in turn comes charging out across the trench. Mighty Ajax shelters the archer Teucer (TYOO-sur) behind his towering shield. Eight times Teucer emerges from behind this bulwark and lets fly a fatal arrow; eight times he ducks back behind the shield like a child sheltering in his mother's skirts. To the sound of Agamemnon's praise, Teucer now draws a bead on Hector but kills one of his brothers instead. Again he aims at the Trojan champion, but the shaft is deflected by Apollo into the chest of Hector's charioteer. Furious, Hector heaves a rock that catches Teucer in the collarbone, knocking him almost senseless. His comrades carry him back to the ships.
Zeus sees fit to rally the Trojans again, and they drive the Greeks back behind the rampart, picking off the stragglers. Hera is beside herself and appeals to Athena to join her in taking action. Athena concurs that there is nothing she'd like more than to see the downfall of Trojan Hector, and she is indignant that Zeus seems to have forgotten all the times she saved his son Heracles (HER-uh-kleez) in the course of his famous Labors. But she knows that Zeus will smile on her again one day, his favorite, grey-eyed daughter. So she tells Hera to harness the chariot team while she dons her battle gear. Together they mount the chariot, Athena bearing the enormous spear that she uses to control the course of battles. Out they charge through the gates kept by the Seasons, but Zeus sees them coming and dispatches his messenger Iris to turn them back at the outer gates of Olympus. As instructed, Iris warns that a clash with Zeus will end in wounds that won't heal for ten long years.
Daunted, the goddesses return to their heavenly palace. The Seasons unharness the chariot team, scattering ambrosial feed and tilting the chariot against a polished palace wall that glows brightly in the sun. Zeus returns from Ida to taunt them for ever daring to flout his will. Athena holds her peace but Hera cannot help repeating her earlier contention that Zeus's diktat does not preclude her counseling the Greeks in tactics. Counsel all you want, says Zeus, and tomorrow morning is your chance. By my decree the Trojans will batter and maul the Greeks until Achilles enters the fray. Meanwhile, the coming of night has spared the Greeks further damage at the hands of the resurgent Hector. The Trojans decide to camp out on the plain to be ready to attack on the morrow.