shield stayed the spear and
broke the shaft; nevertheless he was glad and made sure of victory;
forthwith, however, the son of Atreus drew his sword and sprang upon
him. Pisander then seized the bronze battle-axe, with its long and
polished handle of olive wood that hung by his side under his shield,
and the two made at one another. Pisander struck the peak of Menelaus's
crested helmet just under the crest itself, and Menelaus hit Pisander
as he was coming towards him, on the forehead, just at the rise of his
nose; the bones cracked and his two gore-bedrabbled eyes fell by his
feet in the dust. He fell backwards to the ground, and Menelaus set his
heel upon him, stripped him of his armour, and vaunted over him saying,
"Even thus shall you Trojans leave the ships of the Achaeans, proud and
insatiate of battle though you be, nor shall you lack any of the
disgrace and shame which you have heaped upon myself. Cowardly
she-wolves that you are, you feared not the anger of dread Jove,
avenger of violated hospitality, who will one day destroy your city;
you stole my wedded wife and wickedly carried off much treasure when
you were her guest, and now you would fling fire upon our ships, and
kill our heroes. A day will come when, rage as you may, you shall be
stayed. O father Jove, you, who they say art above all, both gods and
men, in wisdom, and from whom all things that befall us do proceed, how
can you thus favour the Trojans--men so proud and overweening, that
they are never tired of fighting? All things pall after a while--sleep,
love, sweet song, and stately dance--still these are things of which a
man would surely have his fill rather than of battle, whereas it is of
battle that the Trojans are insatiate."

So saying Menelaus stripped the blood-stained armour from the body of
Pisander, and handed it over to his men; then he again ranged himself
among those who were in the front of the fight.

Harpalion son of King Pylaemenes then sprang upon him; he had come to
fight at Troy along with his father, but he did not go home again. He
struck the middle of Menelaus's shield with his spear but could not
pierce it, and to save his life drew back under cover of his men,
looking round him on every side lest he should be wounded. But Meriones
aimed a bronze-tipped arrow at him as he was leaving the field, and hit
him on the right buttock; the arrow pierced the bone through and
through, and penetrated the bladder, so he sat down whe