Page 77 - the-iliad

his purpose was not for long; Agenor saw him haling the
body away, and smote him in the side with his bronze-shod
spear—for as he stooped his side was left unprotected by
his shield—and thus he perished. Then the fight between
Trojans and Achaeans grew furious over his body, and they
flew upon each other like wolves, man and man crushing
one upon the other.
Forthwith Ajax, son of Telamon, slew the fair youth Si-
moeisius, son of Anthemion, whom his mother bore by
the banks of the Simois, as she was coming down from Mt.
Ida, where she had been with her parents to see their flocks.
Therefore he was named Simoeisius, but he did not live to
pay his parents for his rearing, for he was cut off untimely
by the spear of mighty Ajax, who struck him in the breast
by the right nipple as he was coming on among the fore-
most fighters; the spear went right through his shoulder,
and he fell as a poplar that has grown straight and tall in a
meadow by some mere, and its top is thick with branches.
Then the wheelwright lays his axe to its roots that he may
fashion a felloe for the wheel of some goodly chariot, and
it lies seasoning by the waterside. In such wise did Ajax fell
to earth Simoeisius, son of Anthemion. Thereon Antiphus
of the gleaming corslet, son of Priam, hurled a spear at Ajax
from amid the crowd and missed him, but he hit Leucus,
the brave comrade of Ulysses, in the groin, as he was drag-
ging the body of Simoeisius over to the other side; so he fell
upon the body and loosed his hold upon it. Ulysses was fu-
rious when he saw Leucus slain, and strode in full armour
through the front ranks till he was quite close; then he glared

The Iliad