Page 420 - the-iliad

earth was soaked. Then Achilles caught him by the foot and
flung him into the river to go down stream, vaunting over
him the while, and saying, ‘Lie there among the fishes, who
will lick the blood from your wound and gloat over it; your
mother shall not lay you on any bier to mourn you, but the
eddies of Scamander shall bear you into the broad bosom
of the sea. There shall the fishes feed on the fat of Lycaon as
they dart under the dark ripple of the waters—so perish all
of you till we reach the citadel of strong Ilius—you in flight,
and I following after to destroy you. The river with its broad
silver stream shall serve you in no stead, for all the bulls you
offered him and all the horses that you flung living into his
waters. None the less miserably shall you perish till there
is not a man of you but has paid in full for the death of
Patroclus and the havoc you wrought among the Achaeans
whom you have slain while I held aloof from battle.’
So spoke Achilles, but the river grew more and more
angry, and pondered within himself how he should stay
the hand of Achilles and save the Trojans from disaster.
Meanwhile the son of Peleus, spear in hand, sprang upon
Asteropaeus son of Pelegon to kill him. He was son to the
broad river Axius and Periboea eldest daughter of Acessa-
menus; for the river had lain with her. Asteropaeus stood
up out of the water to face him with a spear in either hand,
and Xanthus filled him with courage, being angry for the
death of the youths whom Achilles was slaying ruthlessly
within his waters. When they were close up with one an-
other Achilles was first to speak. ‘Who and whence are you,’
said he, ‘who dare to face me? Woe to the parents whose son

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