city, like a hurricane, turbulent with the waves of surging war. And therewithal Strife lifted her head high as heaven and stirred up the Argives; since even bloody Ares, late but even so, came and brought to the Danaans the changeful victory in war and his help that is now for these and anon for those. And on the acropolis grey-eyed Athena uttered her voice and shook her aegis, the shield of Zeus; and the sky trembled as Hera bestirred her, and the heavy earth rang as it was shaken by the three-toothed speara of Poseidon. And Hades shuddered and looked forth from his seat under earth, afraid lest in the great anger of Zeus Hermes, conductor of souls, should bring down all the race of men. And all things were confounded together and there was slaughter without discretion.b For some in flight they slew standing by the Scaeanc gates: one leapt from this bed and, seeking his arms, fell upon a darkling spear; one hidden in his shadowy house invited as his guest one whom he deemed to be a friend: fool! no friendly man was he to meet but got hateful gifts of his hospitality; another over his roof, while yet he looked not, fell by the swift arrow. And some, their hearts weighed down with grievous wine, in terror at the din, hasting to come down, forgot the ladderd and fell unwitting from the lofty roofs and luxed and brake the bones of their necks,
a The trident; cf. Pind. O. ix. 30, Isth. viii. 35.
b (Susan note Grk) is not easy to translate adequately, though the sense is clear enough. We write ãwithout discretionã as a reminiscence of Cuddie Headriggâs remark (Scott, Old Mortality, chap. xvii.), ãThe Whigamore bullets ken unco little discretion, and will just as sune knock out the harns oâ a psalm-singing auld wife as a swearing dragoonä; cf. Bacchylid. v. 129 (Susan note Grk), Appian p 76 (Bekker), an elephant ran amuck and (Susan note Grk), and Byronâs ãfriend, foe, in one red burial blentä (Ch. Har. iii. 28. 9).
c For a discussion of the gates of Troy see W. Leaf, Troy, pp. 151 ff.
d Like Elpenor in Hom. Od. x. 552 ff.