Verse
Iliad
Book 20, Line 438 by Samuel Butler (English)
He hurled his spear as he spoke, but Athena breathed upon it, and though she breathed but very lightly she turned it back from going towards Achilles, so that it returned to Hektor and lay at his feet in front of him. Achilles then sprang furiously on him with a loud cry, bent on killing him, but Apollo caught him up easily as a god can, and hid him in a thick darkness. Thrice did Achilles spring towards him spear in hand, and thrice did he waste his blow upon the air. When he rushed forward for the fourth time as though he were a daimôn he shouted aloud saying, "Hound, this time too you have escaped death - but of a truth it came exceedingly near you. Phoebus Apollo, to whom it seems you pray before you go into battle, has again saved you; but if I too have any friend among the gods I will surely make an end of you when I come across you at some other time. Now, however, I will pursue and overtake other Trojans."
IliadBook 20, Line 438Samuel ButlerEnglishVerse permalinkRead in Book 20
HomerProseID iliad-iliad-butler-en-prose-20-438