Page 264 - the-iliad

Menelaus but could not pierce it, for the shield stayed the
spear and broke the shaft; nevertheless he was glad and
made sure of victory; forthwith, however, the son of Atreus
drew his sword and sprang upon him. Pisander then seized
the bronze battle-axe, with its long and polished handle
of olive wood that hung by his side under his shield, and
the two made at one another. Pisander struck the peak of
Menelaus’s crested helmet just under the crest itself, and
Menelaus hit Pisander as he was coming towards him, on
the forehead, just at the rise of his nose; the bones cracked
and his two gore-bedrabbled eyes fell by his feet in the dust.
He fell backwards to the ground, and Menelaus set his heel
upon him, stripped him of his armour, and vaunted over
him saying, ‘Even thus shall you Trojans leave the ships of
the Achaeans, proud and insatiate of battle though you be,
nor shall you lack any of the disgrace and shame which you
have heaped upon myself. Cowardly she-wolves that you
are, you feared not the anger of dread Jove, avenger of vio-
lated hospitality, who will one day destroy your city; you
stole my wedded wife and wickedly carried off much trea-
sure when you were her guest, and now you would fling fire
upon our ships, and kill our heroes. A day will come when,
rage as you may, you shall be stayed. O father Jove, you, who
they say art above all, both gods and men, in wisdom, and
from whom all things that befall us do proceed, how can
you thus favour the Trojans—men so proud and overween-
ing, that they are never tired of fighting? All things pall after
a while—sleep, love, sweet song, and stately dance— still
these are things of which a man would surely have his fill