So he spoke, and balanced the spear far shadowed, and threw it, and struck the middle of Achilles' shield, nor missed it, but the spear was driven far back from the shield, and Hector was angered because his swift weapon had been loosed from his hand in a vain cast. He stood discouraged, and had no other ash spear; but lifting his voice he called aloud on Deiphobus of the pale shield, and asked him for a long spear but Deiphobus was not near him. And Hector knew the truth inside his heart and spoke aloud: " No use. Here at last the gods have summoned me deathward. I thought Deiphobus the hero was here close beside me but he is he behind the wall and it was Athena cheating me, and now evil death is close to me, and no longer far away, and there is no way out. So it must long since have been pleasing to Zeus and Zeus' son who strikes from afar, this way; though before this they defended me gladly. But now my death is upon me. Let me at least not die without a struggle, inglorious, but do some big thing first, that men to come shall know of it.” So he spoke, and pulling out the sharp sword that was slung at the hollow of his side, huge and heavy, and gathering himself together he made his swoop. Like a high flown eagle who launches himself out of the murk of the clouds and the flat land to catch away a tender lamb or a shivering hair. So Hector made his swoop swinging his sharp sword and Achilles charged, the heart within him loaded with savage fury. In front of his chest the beautiful elaborate great shield covered him. And with the glittering helm with four horns he nodded: The lovely golden fringes were shaken about it which Hephaestus had driven close along the horn of the helmet. And as a star moves among stars in the nights darkening, Hespera was the fairest star who stands in the sky, such was shining from the pointed spear Achilles was shaking in his right hand, with evil intention towards brilliant Hector. He was eying Hector’s splendid body to see where it might best give way, but all the rest of the skin was held in the armour, brazen and splendid he stripped when he cut down the strength of Patroclus. Yet showed where the collar bones hold the neck from the shoulders: the throat – where death of the soul comes most swiftly. In this place brilliant Achilles drove the spear as he came on in fury and clean through the soft part of the neck the spear point was driven. Yet the ash spear heavy with bronze did not sever the windpipe so that Hector could still make exchange of words spoken. But he dropped in the dust, and brilliant Achilles vaunted above him:“Hector-surely you thought as you killed Patroclus you would be safe and since I was far away, you thought nothing of me…Oh fool! For an avenger was left far greater than he was, behind him and away by the hollow ships. And it was I! And I have broken your strength. On you the dogs and the vultures shall feed and foully rip you. The Achaeans will bury Patroclus.” In his weakness, Hector of the shining helm spoke to him: I entreat you by your life, by your needs, by your parents: do not let the dogs feed on me by the ships of the Achaeans, but take yourself the bronze and gold that are there in abundance. Those gifts that my father and the lady my mother would give you, and give my body to be taken home again so that the Trojans and the wives of the Trojans may give me in death my rite of burning.
The Iliad by Homer
