"My friends, this man will give us
no quarter. He will stand where he is and shoot us down till he has
killed every man among us. Let us then show fight; draw your swords,
and hold up the tables to shield you from his arrows. Let us have at
him with a rush, to drive him from the pavement and doorway: we can
then get through into the town, and raise such an alarm as shall soon
stay his shooting."
As he spoke he drew his keen blade
of bronze, sharpened on both sides, and with a loud cry sprang
towards Odysseus, but Odysseus instantly shot an arrow into his
breast that caught him by the nipple and fixed itself in his liver.
He dropped his sword and fell doubled up over his table. The cup and
all the meats went over on to the ground as he smote the earth with
his forehead in the agonies of death, and he kicked the stool with
his feet until his eyes were closed in darkness.
Then Amphinomos drew his sword and
made straight at Odysseus to try and get him away from the door; but
Telemakhos was too quick for him, and struck him from behind; the
spear caught him between the shoulders and went right through his
chest, so that he fell heavily to the ground and struck the earth
with his forehead. Then Telemakhos sprang away from him, leaving his
spear still in the body, for he feared that if he stayed to draw it
out, some one of the Achaeans might come up and hack at him with his
sword, or knock him down, so he set off at a run, and immediately was
at his father's side. Then he said:
"Father, let me bring you a
shield, two spears, and a brass helmet for your temples. I will arm
myself as well, and will bring other armor for the swineherd and the
stockman, for we had better be armed."
Homer. The Odyssey. Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Samuel Butler. Based on public domain edition, revised by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy. A. C. Fifield, London. 1900 (?).
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