The Iliad: Book 8 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGBHGBBIJKBLBMB NOPQRSTBBBHUBBBVOWVB VBXYBZOTKBA2BXVBBNBV BBXBBVXBBB2C2XB2D2E2 BBBBNBBBBBVF2BBVBG2V VBBBBBOB2BH2XI2D2BBO OBNOJ2K2BQOOB2QRBB| Now when Morning clad in her robe of saffron had begun to suffuse | A |
| light over the earth Jove called the gods in council on the topmost | B |
| crest of serrated Olympus Then he spoke and all the other gods gave | C |
| ear Hear me said he gods and goddesses that I may speak even as | D |
| I am minded Let none of you neither goddess nor god try to cross | E |
| me but obey me every one of you that I may bring this matter to an | F |
| end If I see anyone acting apart and helping either Trojans or | G |
| Danaans he shall be beaten inordinately ere he come back again to | B |
| Olympus or I will hurl him down into dark Tartarus far into the | H |
| deepest pit under the earth where the gates are iron and the floor | G |
| bronze as far beneath Hades as heaven is high above the earth that | B |
| you may learn how much the mightiest I am among you Try me and find | B |
| out for yourselves Hangs me a golden chain from heaven and lay | I |
| hold of it all of you gods and goddesses together tug as you will | J |
| you will not drag Jove the supreme counsellor from heaven to earth | K |
| but were I to pull at it myself I should draw you up with earth and | B |
| sea into the bargain then would I bind the chain about some | L |
| pinnacle of Olympus and leave you all dangling in the mid firmament | B |
| So far am I above all others either of gods or men | M |
| They were frightened and all of them of held their peace for he had | B |
| spoken masterfully but at last Minerva answered Father son of | N |
| Saturn king of kings we all know that your might is not to be | O |
| gainsaid but we are also sorry for the Danaan warriors who are | P |
| perishing and coming to a bad end We will however since you so | Q |
| bid us refrain from actual fighting but we will make serviceable | R |
| suggestions to the Argives that they may not all of them perish in | S |
| your displeasure | T |
| Jove smiled at her and answered Take heart my child | B |
| Trito born I am not really in earnest and I wish to be kind to you | B |
| With this he yoked his fleet horses with hoofs of bronze and | B |
| manes of glittering gold He girded himself also with gold about the | H |
| body seized his gold whip and took his seat in his chariot Thereon | U |
| he lashed his horses and they flew forward nothing loth midway twixt | B |
| earth and starry heaven After a while he reached many fountained Ida | B |
| mother of wild beasts and Gargarus where are his grove and | B |
| fragrant altar There the father of gods and men stayed his horses | V |
| took them from the chariot and hid them in a thick cloud then he | O |
| took his seat all glorious upon the topmost crests looking down | W |
| upon the city of Troy and the ships of the Achaeans | V |
| The Achaeans took their morning meal hastily at the ships and | B |
| afterwards put on their armour The Trojans on the other hand likewise | V |
| armed themselves throughout the city fewer in numbers but | B |
| nevertheless eager perforce to do battle for their wives and children | X |
| All the gates were flung wide open and horse and foot sallied forth | Y |
| with the tramp as of a great multitude | B |
| When they were got together in one place shield clashed with | Z |
| shield and spear with spear in the conflict of mail clad men Mighty | O |
| was the din as the bossed shields pressed hard on one another | T |
| death cry and shout of triumph of slain and slayers and the earth | K |
| ran red with blood | B |
| Now so long as the day waxed and it was still morning their | A2 |
| weapons beat against one another and the people fell but when the | B |
| sun had reached mid heaven the sire of all balanced his golden | X |
| scales and put two fates of death within them one for the Trojans | V |
| and the other for the Achaeans He took the balance by the middle and | B |
| when he lifted it up the day of the Achaeans sank the death fraught | B |
| scale of the Achaeans settled down upon the ground while that of | N |
| the Trojans rose heavenwards Then he thundered aloud from Ida and | B |
| sent the glare of his lightning upon the Achaeans when they saw this | V |
| pale fear fell upon them and they were sore afraid | B |
| Idomeneus dared not stay nor yet Agamemnon nor did the two | B |
| Ajaxes servants of Mars hold their ground Nestor knight of Gerene | X |
| alone stood firm bulwark of the Achaeans not of his own will but | B |
| one of his horses was disabled Alexandrus husband of lovely Helen had | B |
| hit it with an arrow just on the top of its head where the mane begins | V |
| to grow away from the skull a very deadly place The horse bounded in | X |
| his anguish as the arrow pierced his brain and his struggles threw | B |
| others into confusion The old man instantly began cutting the | B |
| traces with his sword but Hector's fleet horses bore down upon him | B2 |
| through the rout with their bold charioteer even Hector himself | C2 |
| and the old man would have perished there and then had not Diomed been | X |
| quick to mark and with a loud cry called Ulysses to help him | B2 |
| Ulysses he cried noble son of Laertes where are you flying | D2 |
| to with your back turned like a coward See that you are not struck | E2 |
| with a spear between the shoulders Stay here and help me to defend | B |
| Nestor from this man's furious onset | B |
| Ulysses would not give ear but sped onward to the ships of the | B |
| Achaeans and the son of Tydeus flinging himself alone into the | B |
| thick of the fight took his stand before the horses of the son of | N |
| Neleus Sir said he these young warriors are pressing you hard | B |
| your force is spent and age is heavy upon you your squire is naught | B |
| and your horses are slow to move Mount my chariot and see what the | B |
| horses of Tros can do how cleverly they can scud hither and thither | B |
| over the plain either in flight or in pursuit I took them from the | B |
| hero Aeneas Let our squires attend to your own steeds but let us | V |
| drive mine straight at the Trojans that Hector may learn how | F2 |
| furiously I too can wield my spear | B |
| Nestor knight of Gerene hearkened to his words Thereon the | B |
| doughty squires Sthenelus and kind hearted Eurymedon saw to Nestor's | V |
| horses while the two both mounted Diomed's chariot Nestor took the | B |
| reins in his hands and lashed the horses on they were soon close up | G2 |
| with Hector and the son of Tydeus aimed a spear at him as he was | V |
| charging full speed towards them He missed him but struck his | V |
| charioteer and squire Eniopeus son of noble Thebaeus in the breast | B |
| by the nipple while the reins were in his hands so that he died there | B |
| and then and the horses swerved as he fell headlong from the chariot | B |
| Hector was greatly grieved at the loss of his charioteer but let | B |
| him lie for all his sorrow while he went in quest of another | B |
| driver nor did his steeds have to go long without one for he | O |
| presently found brave Archeptolemus the son of Iphitus and made him | B2 |
| get up behind the horses giving the reins into his hand | B |
| All had then been lost and no help for it for they would have | H2 |
| been penned up in Ilius like sheep had not the sire of gods and men | X |
| been quick to mark and hurled a fiery flaming thunderbolt which | I2 |
| fell just in front of Diomed's horses with a flare of burning | D2 |
| brimstone The horses were frightened and tried to back beneath the | B |
| car while the reins dropped from Nestor's hands Then he was afraid | B |
| and said to Diomed Son of Tydeus turn your horses in flight see | O |
| you not that the hand of Jove is against you To day he vouchsafes | O |
| victory to Hector to morrow if it so please him he will again grant | B |
| it to ourselves no man however brave may thwart the purpose of | N |
| Jove for he is far stronger than any | O |
| Diomed answered All that you have said is true there is a grief | J2 |
| however which pierces me to the very heart for Hector will talk among | K2 |
| the Trojans and say 'The son of Tydeus fled before me to the | B |
| ships ' This is the vaunt he will make and may earth then swallow | Q |
| me | O |
| Son of Tydeus replied Nestor what mean you Though Hector say | O |
| that you are a coward the Trojans and Dardanians will not believe him | B2 |
| nor yet the wives of the mighty warriors whom you have laid low | Q |
| So saying he turned the horses back through the thick of the battle | R |
| and with a cry that rent the air the Trojans and Hector rained their | B |
| dart | B |
Homer
(1)
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