αὖτις δὲ δριμεῖᾰ μάχη παρὰ νηυσὶν ἐτύχθη:
φαίης κ' ἀκμῆτας καὶ ἀτειρέας ἀλλήλοισιν
ἄντεσθ' ἐν πολέμῳ: ὡς ἐσσυμένως ἐμάχοντο:
τοῖσι δὲ μαρναμένοισιν ὅδ' ἦν, νόος: ἤτοι Ἀχαιοὶ
οὐκ ἔφασαν φεύξεσθαι ὑπεκ κακοῦ: ἂλλ' ὀλέεσθαι.
Τρωσὶν δ' ήλπετο θυμὸς ἐνι στήθεσσιν ἑκάστου.
νῆας ἐνιπρήσειν. κτενέειν δ' ἥρωας Ἀχαιούς:
οἱ μὲν, τὰ, φρονέοντες ἐφέστασαν ἀλλήλοισιν:
Ἕκτωρ δὲ πρύμνης νεὸς ἥψατο ποντοπόροιο
καλῆς. ὠκυάλου. ἣ Πρωτεσίλαον ἔνεικεν
ἐς Τροίην. οὐδ' αῦτις ἀπήγαγε πατρίδα γαῖαν:
τοῦ περ δὴ περὶ νηὸς Ἀχαιοί τε Τρῶές τε
δῄουν ἀλλήλους αὐτοσχεδὸν. οὐδ' άρα τοί γε
τόξων ἀϊκὰς ἀμφὶς, μένον. οὐδ έτ' ἀκόντων.
ἂλλ' οἵ γ' ἐγγύθεν ἱ̈στάμενοι. ἕνα θυμὸν ἔχοντες:
ὀξέσι δὴ πελέκεσσι καὶ ἀξί̄νῃσι μάχοντο.
καὶ ξίφεσιν μεγάλοισι. καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισι:
πολλὰ δὲ φάσγανα καλὰ. μελάνδετα: κωπήεντα:
ἄλλα μὲν ἐκ χειρῶν χαμάδις πέσον: ἄλλα δ' ἀπ' ὤμων
ἀνδρῶν μαρναμένων. ῥέε δ' αἵματι γαῖα μέλαινα:
Ἕκτωρ δὲ πρύμνηθεν ἐπεὶ λάβεν. οὐχι μεθΐει:
ἄφλαστον μετα χερσὶν ἔχων. Τρωσὶν δὲ κέλευεν:
οἴσετε πῦρ. ἅμα δ' αὐτοὶ ἀολλέες ώρνυτ' ἀϋτήν:
νῦν ἥμιν πάντων Ζεὺς ἄξιον ἦμαρ ἔδωκε
νῆας ἑλεῖν. αἳ δεῦρο θεῶν ἀἕκητι μολοῦσαι.
ἡμῖν πήματα πολλὰ θέσαν κακότητι γερόντων:
οἵ μ' ἐθέλοντα μάχεσθαι ἐπὶ πρύμνῃσι. νέεσσιν.
αὐτόν τ' ἰ̈σχανάασκον. ἐρητύοντό τε λαόν:
ἂλλ' εἰ δή ῥα, τότε βλάπτε φρένας εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς
ἡμετέρας. νῦν αὐτὸς ἐποτρύνει καὶ ἀνώγει:
Then again keen battle was set afoot beside the ships. Thou wouldst have deemed that all unwearied and unworn they faced one another in war, so furiously did they fight. And in their fighting they were minded thus: The Achaeans verily deemed that they should never escape from out the peril, but should perish, while for the Trojans, the heart in each man's breast hoped that they should fire the ships and slay the Achaean warriors. Such were their thoughts as they stood, each host against the other. But Hector laid hold of the stern of a seafaring ship, a fair ship, swift upon the brine, that had borne Protesilaus to Troy, but brought him not back again to his native land. About his ship Achaeans and Trojans were slaying one another in close combat, nor did they longer hold aloof and thus endure the flight of arrows and darts, but standing man against man in oneness of heart, they fought with sharp battle-axes and hatchets, and with great swords and two-edged spears. And many goodly blades, bound with dark thongs at the hilt, fell to the ground, some from the hands and some from the shoulders of the warriors as they fought; and the black earth flowed with blood. But Hector, when he had grasped the ship by the stern, would not loose his hold, but kept the ensign in his hands, and called to the Trojans: "Bring fire, and therewithal raise ye the war-cry all with one voice; now hath Zeus vouchsafed us a day that is recompense for all—to take the ships that came hither in despite of the gods, and brought us many woes, by reason of the cowardice of the elders, who, when I was eager to fight at the sterns of the ships, kept me back, and withheld the host. But if Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, then dulled our wits, now of himself he urgeth and giveth command."
