οἱ δὲ μέγα φρονέοντες, ἐπὶ πτολέμοιο γεφύρας
εἴατο παννύχιοι. πυρὰ δέ σφισι καίετο πολλά:
ὡς δ' ὅτ' ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄστρα φαεινὴν ἀμφι σελήνην
φαίνετ' ἀριπρεπέα: ὅτε τ' ἔπλετο νήνεμος αἰθήρ.
ἔκ τ' έφανεν πᾶσαι σκοπιαὶ καὶ πρώονες ἄκροι:
καὶ νάπαι: οὐρανόθεν δ' ὰρ ὑπερράγη ἄσπετος αἰθήρ.
πάντα δὲ τ' εἴδεται ἄστρα: γέγηθε δέ τε φρένα ποιμήν:
τόσσα μεσηγὺ νεῶν ἠδὲ Ξάνθοιο ῥοάων
Τρώων καιόντων πυρὰ φαίνετο Ἰ̈λιόθι πρό:
χίλι' ὰρ ἐν πεδίῳ πυρὰ καίετο: πὰρ δὲ ἑκάστῳ
εἵατο πεντήκοντα σέλᾳ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο;
ἵ̈πποι δὲ κρῖ λευκὸν ἐρεπτόμενοι καὶ ὀλύρας
ἑσταότες παρ' ὄχεσφιν. ἐΰθρονον Ἠῶ μίμνον:
These then with high hearts abode the whole night through along the dykes of war, and their fires burned in multitudes. Even as in heaven about the gleaming moon the stars shine clear, when the air is windless, and forth to view appear all mountain peaks and high headlands and glades, and from heaven breaketh open the infinite air, and all stars are seen, and the shepherd joyeth in his heart; even in such multitudes between the ships and the streams of Xanthus shone the fires that the Trojans kindled before the face of Ilios. A thousand fires were burning in the plain and by each sat fifty men in the glow of the blazing fire. And their horses, eating of white barley and spelt, stood beside the cars and waited for fair-throned Dawn.
