So home you’ll run from our racing ships, by god,
all as corpses – see, you death-defying Trojans?
Never sated with shattering war cries, are you?
Nor do you lack the other brands of outrage,
all that shame you heaped on me, you rabid dogs!
No fear in your hearts for the quaking rage of Zeus,
the thundering god of host and welcome stranger –
one day he’ll raze your lofty city for you.
You Trojans who stole away my wedded wife
and hoards of riches too – for no reason, none –
my queen of the realm who hosted you with kindness.
And now you rampage on among our deep-sea ships,
wild to torch our hulls and kill our heroes – well,
you’ll be stopped, somewhere, mad as you are for combat!
Zeus, Father Zeus, They say you excel all others…
all men and gods, in wisdom clear and calm –
but all this brutal carnage comes from you.
Look how you favor them, these reckless Trojans,
their fury always in uproar – no one can ever slake
their thirst for blood, for the great leveler, war!
One can achieve his fill of all good things,
even of sleep, even of making love…
rapturous song and the beat and sway of dancing.
A man will yearn for his fill of all these joys
before his fill of war. But not these Trojans –
no one can glut their lust for battle!
– Homer