The Iliad 13.517–531

and he fell in the dust and clutched the ground with his palm. But as yet loud-voiced dread Ares wist not at all that his son had fallen in the mighty conflict; but he sat on the topmost peak of Olympus beneath the golden clouds, constrained by the will of Zeus, where also were the other immortal gods, being held aloof from the war. and from his hand the crested helm fell to the ground with a clang. And Meriones sprang forth again like a vulture, and drew forth the mighty spear from the upper arm of Deïphobus, and shrank back in the throng of his comrades. But Polites, the own brother of Deïphobus, stretched his arms around his waist,

Δηΐφοβος· δὴ γάρ οἱ ἔχεν κότον ἐμμενὲς αἰεί. ἀλλʼ ὅ γε καὶ τόθʼ ἅμαρτεν, ὃ δʼ Ἀσκάλαφον βάλε δουρὶ υἱὸν Ἐνυαλίοιο· διʼ ὤμου δʼ ὄβριμον ἔγχος ἔσχεν· ὃ δʼ ἐν κονίῃσι πεσὼν ἕλε γαῖαν ἀγοστῷ. οὐδʼ ἄρα πώ τι πέπυστο βριήπυος ὄβριμος Ἄρης υἷος ἑοῖο πεσόντος ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ, ἀλλʼ ὅ γʼ ἄρʼ ἄκρῳ Ὀλύμπῳ ὑπὸ χρυσέοισι νέφεσσιν ἧστο Διὸς βουλῇσιν ἐελμένος, ἔνθά περ ἄλλοι ἀθάνατοι θεοὶ ἦσαν ἐεργόμενοι πολέμοιο. οἳ δʼ ἀμφʼ Ἀσκαλάφῳ αὐτοσχεδὸν ὁρμήθησαν· Δηΐφοβος μὲν ἀπʼ Ἀσκαλάφου πήληκα φαεινὴν ἥρπασε, Μηριόνης δὲ θοῷ ἀτάλαντος Ἄρηϊ δουρὶ βραχίονα τύψεν ἐπάλμενος, ἐκ δʼ ἄρα χειρὸς αὐλῶπις τρυφάλεια χαμαὶ βόμβησε πεσοῦσα. Μηριόνης δʼ ἐξ αὖτις ἐπάλμενος αἰγυπιὸς ὣς

Lattimore commentary

Gods are not omniscient but must learn, like mortals, over time. The pathos of late-learning about a family death recalls the narrator’s observation (3.236) concerning Helen’s ignorance of the fate of her brothers Kastor and Polydeukes.

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