Ὡς εἰπὼν. ὁ μὲν ἦρχ’. ὁ δ’ ἅμ’ ἕσπετο ϊσόθεος φώς.
τῶν δ’ ὥς τε δρυτόμων ἀνδρῶν ὀρυμαγδὸς ὀρώρει
οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃς. ἕκαθεν δέ τε γίνετ’ ἀκουὴ.
ὡς τῶν ὤρνυτο δοῦπος ἀπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυὁδείης
χαλκοῦ τε. ῥινοῦ τε βοῶν τ’ εὐποιητάων
νυσσομένων ξίφεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισιν:
οὐδ’ ἂν ἔτι φράδμων περ ἀνὴρ, Σαρπηδόνα δῖον
ἔγνω. ἐπεὶ βελέεσσι καὶ αἵματι. καὶ κονίῃσιν.
ἐκ κεφαλῆς εἴλυτο διαμπερὲς ἐς πόδας ἄκρους:
οἱ δ’ αἰεὶ, περι νεκρὸν ὁμίλεον. ὡς ὅτε μυῖαι
σταθμῷ ἔνι βρομέωσι περιγλαγέας κατα πέλλας
ὥρῃ ἐν εἰρινῇ εἰαρινῇ, ὅτε τε γλάγος ἄγγεα δεύει:
ὡς ἄρα τοὶ περὶ νεκρὸν ὁμίλεον: οὐδέ ποτε Ζεὺς
τρέψεν ἀπὸ κρατερῆς ὑσμίνης ὄσσε φαεινώ.
ἀλλὰ κατ’ αὐτοὺς αἰὲν όρα. καὶ φράζετο θυμῷ.
πολλὰ μάλ’ ἀμφι φόνῳ Πατρόκλου μερμηρίζων:
ἢ ἤδη καὶ κεῖνον ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ.
αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἀντιθέῳ Σαρπηδόνι φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ
χαλκῷ δῃώσῃ, ἀπό τ’ ὤμων τεύχε’ ἕληται,
ἠ ἔτι καὶ πλεόνεσσιν ὀφέλλειεν πόνον αἰπύν:
ὧδε δέ οἱ φρονέοντι δοάσσατο κέρδιον εἶναι:
ὄφρ’ ἠῢς θεράπων Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος.
ἐξαῦτις Τρῶάς τε καὶ Ἕκτορα χαλκοκορυστὴν
ὤσαιτο προτὶ ἄστυ. πολέων δ’ ἀπὸ θυμὸν ἕλοιτο:
Ἕκτορι δὲ πρωτίστῳ ἀνάλκιδα θυμὸν ἐνῆκεν:
ἐς δίφρον δ’ ἀναβὰς. φύγαδ’ ἔτραπε: κέκλετο δ’ ἄλλους
Τρῶας φευγέμεναι: γνῶ γὰρ Διὸς ϊρὰ τάλαντα:
So saying, he led the way, and the other followed, a godlike man. And from them—even as the din ariseth of woodcutters in the glades of a mountain, and afar is the sound thereof heard—so from them went up a clanging from the broad-wayed earth, a clanging of bronze and of hide and of well-wrought shields, as they thrust one at the other with swords and two-edged spears. Nor could a man, though he knew him well, any more have discerned goodly Sarpedon, for that he was utterly enwrapped with darts and blood and dust, from his head to the very soles of his feet. And they ever thronged about the corpse as when in a farmstead flies buzz about the full milk-pails, in the season of spring, when the milk drenches the vessels; even so thronged they about the corpse. Nor did Zeus anywise turn his bright eyes from the fierce conflict, but ever looked down upon them, and debated in heart, pondering much about the slaying of Patroclus, whether in the fierce conflict even there over godlike Sarpedon, glorious Hector should slay him likewise with the sword, and should strip the armour from his shoulders, or whether for yet more men he should make the utter toil of war to wax. And as he pondered, this thing seemed to him the better, that the valiant squire of Achilles, Peleus' son, should again drive toward the city the Trojans and Hector, harnessed in bronze, and take the lives of many. In Hector first of all he roused cowardly rout, and he leapt upon his car and turned to flight, and called on the rest of the Trojans to flee; for he knew the turning of the sacred scales of Zeus.
