Verse

Iliad

Book 4, Line 118 by Samuel Butler (English)

He laid the arrow on the string and prayed to Lycian Apollo, the famous archer, vowing that when he got home to his strong city of Zelea he would offer a hecatomb of firstling lambs in his honor. He laid the notch of the arrow on the oxhide bowstring, and drew both notch and string to his breast till the arrow-head was near the bow; then when the bow was arched into a half-circle he let fly, and the bow twanged, and the string sang as the arrow flew gladly on over the heads of the throng.

IliadBook 4, Line 118Samuel ButlerEnglishVerse permalinkRead in Book 4

HomerProseID iliad-iliad-butler-en-prose-4-118

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