It contains 15,693 lines in its most widely accepted version. As with the Odyssey, the poem is divided into 24 books and was written in dactylic hexameter. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. And from Hector as he was dragged the dust rose up, and on either side his dark hair flowed outspread, and all in the dust lay the head that was before so fair but now had Zeus given him over to his foes to suffer foul entreatment in his own native land.The Iliad ( / ˈ ɪ l i ə d/ Ancient Greek: Ἰλιάς, romanized: Iliás, Attic Greek: 'a poem about Ilium (Troy)') is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. He touched the horses with the lash to start thiem, and nothing loath the pair sped onward. Then when he had mounted his car and had lifted therein the glorious armour, The tendons of both his feet behind he pierced from heel to ankle, and made fast therethrough thongs of oxhide, and bound them to his chariot, but left the head to trail. He spake, and devised foul entreatment for goodly Hector. We have won us great glory we have slain goodly Hector, to whom the Trojans made prayer throughout their city, as unto a god.” But come, singing our song of victory, ye sons of the Achaeans, let us go back to the hollow ships and bring thither this corpse. Yet will I even there remember my dear comrade. Nay, if even in the house of Hades men forget their dead,

That hath wrought much evil beyond all the host of the others, come, let us make trial in arms about the city, to the end that we may yet further know what purpose the Trojans have in mind, whether they will leave their high city now that this man is fallen, or whether they are minded to abide, even though Hector be no more.īut why doth my heart thus hold converse with me? There lieth by the ships a dead man unwept, unburied, even Patroclus him will I not forget so long as I abide among the living, and my knees are quick. But when goodly Achilles, swift of foot, had despoiled him, then stood he up among the Achaeans and spake winged words:“My friends, leaders and rulers of the Argives, seeing the gods have vouchsafed us to slay this man, Thus would one speak, and drawing nigh would deal a wound.

And thus would one speak, with a look at his neighbour:“Look you, in good sooth softer is Hector for the handling now than when he burned the ships with blazing fire.” And the other sons of the Achaeans ran up round about,Īnd gazed upon the stature and wondrous comeliness of Hector, neither did any draw nigh but dealt him a wound. He spake, and from the corpse drew forth his spear of bronze and laid it aside, and set him to strip from the shoulders the blood-stained armour.

The iliad book 22