ὡς ἔφαθ', οἱ δὲ ἄνακτος ὑποδδείσαντες ομοκλὴν.
μᾶλλον ἐπέβρισαν βουληφόρον ἀμφι ἄνακτα:
Ἀργεῖοι δ' ἑτέρωθεν ἐκαρτύναντο φάλαγγας
τείχεος ἔντοσθεν. μέγα δέ σφισι φαίνετο ἔργον:
οὔτε γὰρ ἴ̈φθιμοι Λύκιοι. Δαναῶν ἐδύναντο
τεῖχος ῥηξάμενοι. θέσθαι παρὰ νηυσὶ κέλευθον.
οὔτέ ποτ' αἰχμηταὶ Δαναοὶ, Λυκίους ἐδύναντο
τείχεος ὰψ ὤσασθαι: ἐπεὶ τὰ πρῶτα πέλασθεν:
ἂλλ' ὥς τ' ἀμφ' οῦροισι ούροισι δύ' ἀνέρε δηριάασθον
μέτρ' ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες ἐπιξύνῳ ἐν ἀρούρῃ:
ὥ τ' ὀλίγῳ ἐνι χώρῳ ἐρίζητον περὶ ἴ̈σης.
ὡς ἄρα τοὺς διέεργον ἐπάλξιες. οἱ δ' ὑπερ αὐτέων
δῄουν ἀλλήλων ἀμφι στήθεσσι βοείας
ἀσπίδας εὐ̈κύκλους. λαισήϊά τε πτερόεντα:
πολλοὶ δ' οὐτάζοντο κατὰ χρόα νηλέϊ χαλκῷ.
ἠμὲν ὅτῳ. στρεφθέντι: μετάφρενα γυμνωθείη
μαρναμένων. πολλοὶ δὲ διαμπερὲς ἀσπίδος αὐτῆς:
πάντῃ δὴ πύργοι καὶ ἐπάλξιες αἵματι φωτῶν
ἐρράδατ' ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἀπὸ Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν:
ἂλλ' οὐδ' ὡς ἐδύναντο φόβον ποιῆσαι Ἀχαιῶν.
ἂλλ' ἔχον ὥς τε τάλαντα γυνὴ χερνῆτις ἀληθής:
ἥ τε σταθμὸν ἔχουσα καὶ εἴριον ἀμφὶς. ἀνέλκει.
ἰ̈σάζουσ' ἵνα παισὶν ἀεικέα μισθὸν ἄρηται:
ὡς μὲν τῶν ἐπὶ ῗσα μάχη τέτατο πτόλεμός τε:
πρίν γ' ὅτε δὴ Ζεὺς κῦδος ὑπέρτερον Ἕκτορι δῶκε
Πριαμίδῃ. ὃς πρῶτος ἐσήλατο τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν:
ἤϋσεν δὲ διαπρύσιον Τρώεσσι γεγωνώς:
ὄρνυσθ' ἱ̈ππόδαμοι Τρῶες, ῥήγνυσθε δὲ τεῖχος
Ἀργείων. καὶ νηυσὶν ἐνίετε θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ:
So spake he; and they, seized with fear of the rebuke of their king, pressed on the more around about their counsellor and king, and the Argives over against them made strong their battalions within the wall; and before them was set a mighty work. For neither could the mighty Lycians break the wall of the Danaans, and make a path to the ships, nor ever could the Danaan spearmen thrust back the Lycians from the walI, when once they had drawn nigh thereto. But as two men with measuring-rods in hand strive about the landmark-stones in a common field, and in a narrow space contend each for his equal share; even so did the battlements hold these apart, and over them hey smote the bull's-hide bucklers about one another's breasts, the round shields and fluttering targets. And many were wounded in the flesh by thrusts of the pitiless bronze, both whensoever any turned and his back was left bare, as they fought, and many clean through the very shield. Yea, everywhere the walls and battlements were spattered with blood of men from both sides, from Trojans and Achaeams alike. Howbeit even so they could not put the Achaeans to rout, but they held their ground, as a careful woman that laboureth with her hands at spinning, holdeth the balance and raiseth the weight and the wool in either scale, making them equal, that she may win a meagre wage for her children; so evenly was strained their war and battle, until Zeus vouchsafed the glory of victory to Hector, son of Priam, that was first to leap within the wall of the Achaeans he uttered a piercing shout, calling aloud to the Trojans: "Rouse you horse-taming Trojans, break the wall of the Argives, and fling among the ships wondrous-blazing fire."
