Breaker of Horses
Epic Tale of Divine Betrayal and Heroic Sacrifice
Lyrics
9 heroes stepped forward to see who'd face my sword
9 heroes volunteered to face the challenge of confronting me in battle.
Ajax drew the shortest lot to fight
Ajax was chosen by fate (shortest lot) to engage in combat with me.
Fought from the dawn 'til dusk and neither one could win
A fierce battle unfolded from morning until evening with no clear victor.
My song the muses will recite
The muses will immortalize my heroic deeds in song.
Why have the gods forsaken me
Expressing a sense of abandonment and questioning divine favor.
You must fight for your family
An urging to fight for one's family, emphasizing familial duty.
Apollo, I reject thee
Rejecting the influence or assistance of Apollo, a Greek god.
Go, fight, slay, Hector! Kill the Greeks
An exhortation to Hector to go and defeat the Greeks in battle.
False hero falls and then a lion takes his stead
A false hero falls, replaced by a lion, symbolizing a strong adversary.
My countrymen flee and leave me to face my death
Countrymen abandon the speaker in the face of imminent death.
Brave hero separates my body from my soul
A brave hero separates the speaker's body and soul through death.
Though I have died I won't be alone
Despite death, the speaker anticipates companionship beyond the mortal realm.
Why have the gods forsaken me
Reiteration of feeling forsaken by the gods.
You must fight for your family
Encouragement to fight for family persists despite divine abandonment.
Apollo, I reject thee
Continued rejection of Apollo and reliance on personal strength.
Go, fight, slay, Hector! Kill the Greeks
Repetition of the call for Hector to fight and kill Greeks.
And my city and my family
Expressing concern for the city and family left behind.
I'll see you in Hades
A resolve to meet others in the afterlife, specifically in Hades.
Think of thine father and his helpless face behold
Reflection on a father's helpless expression in the speaker's final moments.
Seeing him in me as helpless and old
Seeing one's own vulnerability mirrored in the father's expression.
Suppliant my children's murderer to implore
Pleading to the murderer of the speaker's children, perhaps metaphorical.
And kiss these hands yet reeking with their gore
A final act of submission and remorse, symbolized by kissing bloodied hands.
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