§17.347στῆ δὲ μάλʼ ἐγγὺς ἰών, καὶ ἀκόντισε δουρὶ φαεινῷ, §17.348καὶ βάλεν Ἱππασίδην Ἀπισάονα ποιμένα λαῶν §17.349ἧπαρ ὑπὸ πραπίδων, εἶθαρ δʼ ὑπὸ γούνατʼ ἔλυσεν,
He came and stood very near, and cast with his bright spear, and struck Apisaon, son of Hippasus, shepherd of the people, in the liver beneath the midriff, and straightway loosed his knees.
§17.350ὅς ῥʼ ἐκ Παιονίης ἐριβώλακος εἰληλούθει, §17.351καὶ δὲ μετʼ Ἀστεροπαῖον ἀριστεύεσκε μάχεσθαι.
He had come from fertile Paeonia, and next after Asteropaeus was the best of them in fight.
§17.352τὸν δὲ πεσόντʼ ἐλέησεν ἀρήϊος Ἀστεροπαῖος, §17.353ἴθυσεν δὲ καὶ ὃ πρόφρων Δαναοῖσι μάχεσθαι· §17.354ἀλλʼ οὔ πως ἔτι εἶχε· σάκεσσι γὰρ ἔρχατο πάντῃ §17.355ἑσταότες περὶ Πατρόκλῳ, πρὸ δὲ δούρατʼ ἔχοντο.
And as he fell, warlike Asteropaeus pitied him, and he too rushed forward full eagerly to fight with the Danaans; yet he could not do so anymore; for they were fenced on every side with shields as they stood about Patroclus, and held their spears before them.
§17.356Αἴας γὰρ μάλα πάντας ἐπῴχετο πολλὰ κελεύων· §17.357οὔτέ τινʼ ἐξοπίσω νεκροῦ χάζεσθαι ἀνώγει §17.358οὔτέ τινα προμάχεσθαι Ἀχαιῶν ἔξοχον ἄλλων, §17.359ἀλλὰ μάλʼ ἀμφʼ αὐτῷ βεβάμεν, σχεδόθεν δὲ μάχεσθαι.
For Ajax went among them all and charged them straitly: he bade that no man shrink back from the corpse, nor any of the Achaeans fight in advance of the rest, but stand firm about it and fight in close combat.
§17.360ὣς Αἴας ἐπέτελλε πελώριος, αἵματι δὲ χθὼν §17.361δεύετο πορφυρέῳ, τοὶ δʼ ἀγχιστῖνοι ἔπιπτον §17.362νεκροὶ ὁμοῦ Τρώων καὶ ὑπερμενέων ἐπικούρων §17.363καὶ Δαναῶν· οὐδʼ οἳ γὰρ ἀναιμωτί γε μάχοντο, §17.364παυρότεροι δὲ πολὺ φθίνυθον· μέμνηντο γὰρ αἰεὶ §17.365ἀλλήλοις ἀνʼ ὅμιλον ἀλεξέμεναι φόνον αἰπύν.
So giant Ajax commanded, and the earth was wet with dark blood, and they fell close-thronged, both of the Trojans and their high-spirited allies, and of the Danaans too; for they too fought not without blood, though far fewer of them perished, for they were ever mindful to ward off sheer destruction from one another in the throng.
§17.366ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρός, οὐδέ κε φαίης §17.367οὔτέ ποτʼ ἠέλιον σῶν ἔμμεναι οὔτε σελήνην· §17.368ἠέρι γὰρ κατέχοντο μάχης ἐπί θʼ ὅσσον ἄριστοι §17.369ἕστασαν ἀμφὶ Μενοιτιάδῃ κατατεθνηῶτι.
So they fought like blazing fire, nor would you have said that either sun or moon was safe, for they were shrouded in mist in the battle, as many of the bravest as stood about the dead son of Menoetius.
§17.370οἳ δʼ ἄλλοι Τρῶες καὶ ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοὶ §17.371εὔκηλοι πολέμιζον ὑπʼ αἰθέρι, πέπτατο δʼ αὐγὴ §17.372ἠελίου ὀξεῖα, νέφος δʼ οὐ φαίνετο πάσης §17.373γαίης οὐδʼ ὀρέων· μεταπαυόμενοι δὲ μάχοντο §17.374ἀλλήλων ἀλεείνοντες βέλεα στονόεντα §17.375πολλὸν ἀφεσταότες.
But the rest of the Trojans and the well-greaved Achaeans fought at ease under a clear sky, and the sharp light of the sun was spread abroad, and no cloud appeared over all the earth or the mountains; they fought with pauses, avoiding one another's grievous shafts, standing far apart.
τοὶ δʼ ἐν μέσῳ ἄλγεʼ ἔπασχον §17.376ἠέρι καὶ πολέμῳ, τείροντο δὲ νηλέϊ χαλκῷ §17.377ὅσσοι ἄριστοι ἔσαν·
But those in the midst suffered pain from the mist and the battle, and all the bravest were worn out by the pitiless bronze.
δύο δʼ οὔ πω φῶτε πεπύσθην §17.378ἀνέρε κυδαλίμω Θρασυμήδης Ἀντίλοχός τε §17.379Πατρόκλοιο θανόντος ἀμύμονος, ἀλλʼ ἔτʼ ἔφαντο §17.380ζωὸν ἐνὶ πρώτῳ ὁμάδῳ Τρώεσσι μάχεσθαι.
But two glorious men, Thrasymedes and Antilochus, had not yet heard that peerless Patroclus was dead, but thought he was still alive and fighting with the Trojans in the forefront of the throng.
§17.381τὼ δʼ ἐπιοσσομένω θάνατον καὶ φύζαν ἑταίρων §17.382νόσφιν ἐμαρνάσθην, ἐπεὶ ὣς ἐπετέλλετο Νέστωρ §17.383ὀτρύνων πόλεμον δὲ μελαινάων ἀπὸ νηῶν.
These two, watching for the death and flight of their companions, were fighting apart, since Nestor had so charged them when urging them into the battle from the black ships.
§17.384τοῖς δὲ πανημερίοις ἔριδος μέγα νεῖκος ὀρώρει §17.385ἀργαλέης· καμάτῳ δὲ καὶ ἱδρῷ νωλεμὲς αἰεὶ §17.386γούνατά τε κνῆμαί τε πόδες θʼ ὑπένερθεν ἑκάστου §17.387χεῖρές τʼ ὀφθαλμοί τε παλάσσετο μαρναμένοιιν §17.388ἀμφʼ ἀγαθὸν θεράποντα ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο.
But for the others, all day long arose the great strife of their bitter conflict; and without ceasing, with weariness and sweat, were the knees and shins and feet beneath each man, and hands and eyes spattered, as they fought about the good squire of the fleet-footed grandson of Aeacus.
§17.389ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἀνὴρ ταύροιο βοὸς μεγάλοιο βοείην §17.390λαοῖσιν δώῃ τανύειν μεθύουσαν ἀλοιφῇ· §17.391δεξάμενοι δʼ ἄρα τοί γε διαστάντες τανύουσι §17.392κυκλόσʼ, ἄφαρ δέ τε ἰκμὰς ἔβη, δύνει δέ τʼ ἀλοιφὴ §17.393πολλῶν ἑλκόντων, τάνυται δέ τε πᾶσα διὰ πρό· §17.394ὣς οἵ γʼ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα νέκυν ὀλίγῃ ἐνὶ χώρῃ §17.395εἵλκεον ἀμφότεροι· μάλα δέ σφισιν ἔλπετο θυμὸς §17.396Τρωσὶν μὲν ἐρύειν προτὶ Ἴλιον, αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοῖς §17.397νῆας ἔπι γλαφυράς· περὶ δʼ αὐτοῦ μῶλος ὀρώρει §17.398ἄγριος· οὐδέ κʼ Ἄρης λαοσσόος οὐδέ κʼ Ἀθήνη §17.399τόν γε ἰδοῦσʼ ὀνόσαιτʼ, οὐδʼ εἰ μάλα μιν χόλος ἵκοι·
And as when a man gives to his people the hide of a great bull to stretch, all wet with fat; and they take it and stretch it, standing in a circle, and straightway the moisture goes out, and the fat enters in, as many pull, and it is stretched tight throughout; even so they on this side and on that were dragging the corpse hither and thither in a narrow space; and the hearts of both were full of hope—the Trojans to drag him to Ilium, but the Achaeans to the hollow ships; and about him arose a wild tumult; nor could Ares, rouser of hosts, nor Athena, have looked on and made light of it, not even if anger had come heavily upon them.
Such evil toil of men and horses did Zeus stretch over Patroclus on that day.
οὐδʼ ἄρα πώ τι §17.402ᾔδεε Πάτροκλον τεθνηότα δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς· §17.403πολλὸν γὰρ ῥʼ ἀπάνευθε νεῶν μάρναντο θοάων §17.404τείχει ὕπο Τρώων·
Nor as yet did divine Achilles know at all that Patroclus was dead; for far away from the swift ships were they fighting, beneath the wall of the Trojans.
τό μιν οὔ ποτε ἔλπετο θυμῷ §17.405τεθνάμεν, ἀλλὰ ζωὸν ἐνιχριμφθέντα πύλῃσιν §17.406ἂψ ἀπονοστήσειν, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ τὸ ἔλπετο πάμπαν §17.407ἐκπέρσειν πτολίεθρον ἄνευ ἕθεν, οὐδὲ σὺν αὐτῷ· §17.408πολλάκι γὰρ τό γε μητρὸς ἐπεύθετο νόσφιν ἀκούων, §17.409ἥ οἱ ἀπαγγέλλεσκε Διὸς μεγάλοιο νόημα.
Therefore he never deemed in his heart that he was dead, but that alive, after he had reached the gates, he would return back again; for he did not at all expect that Patroclus would sack the city without him, no, nor even with him; for often had he heard this from his mother, listening to her apart, when she would bring him word of the counsel of great Zeus.
§17.410δὴ τότε γʼ οὔ οἱ ἔειπε κακὸν τόσον ὅσσον ἐτύχθη §17.411μήτηρ, ὅττί ῥά οἱ πολὺ φίλτατος ὤλεθʼ ἑταῖρος.
Yet then his mother told him not of such evil as had come to pass, that his companion, far dearest to him, had perished.
§17.412οἳ δʼ αἰεὶ περὶ νεκρὸν ἀκαχμένα δούρατʼ ἔχοντες §17.413νωλεμὲς ἐγχρίμπτοντο καὶ ἀλλήλους ἐνάριζον·
But they, ever holding their sharp spears about the corpse, pressed on without ceasing, and slew one another.
§17.414ὧδε δέ τις εἴπεσκεν Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων· §17.415ὦ φίλοι οὐ μὰν ἧμιν ἐϋκλεὲς ἀπονέεσθαι §17.416νῆας ἔπι γλαφυράς, ἀλλʼ αὐτοῦ γαῖα μέλαινα
And thus would one of the bronze-clad Achaeans say: "My friends, it would indeed be no glorious thing for us to return to the hollow ships; but rather let the black earth