οὐδ' ἔλαθ' Ἀτρέος υἱὸν ἀρηΐφιλον Μενέλαον
Πάτροκλος. Τρώεσσι δαμεὶς ἐν δηϊοτῆτι:
βῆ δὲ δια προμάχων κεκορυθμένος αἴθοπι χαλκῷ:
ἀμφι δ' ὰρ αὐτῷ βαῖν', ὥς τις περὶ πόρτακι μήτηρ
πρωτοτόκος κινυρὴ ,οὐ πρὶν εἰδυῖα τόκοιο:
ὡς περι Πατρόκλῳ βαῖνε ξανθὸς Μενέλαος:
πρόσθε δέ οἱ δόρυ τ' έσχε καὶ ἀσπίδα πάντοσε, ΐσην:
τὸν κτάμεναι μεμαὼς, ὅς τις τοῦ γ' ἀντίος ἔλθοι:
οὐδ' ἄρα Πάνθου υἱὸς ἐϋμμελίης ἀμέλησε
Πατρόκλοιο πεσόντος ἀμύμονος, ἄγχι δ' ὰρ αὐτοῦ
έστη. καὶ προσέειπεν ἀρηΐφιλον Μενέλαον:
Ἀτρείδη Μενέλαε, διοτρεφὲς. ὄρχαμε λαῶν.
χάζεο: λεῖπε δὲ νεκρόν: ἔᾱ δ' ἔναρα βροτόεντα:
οὐ γάρ τις πρότερος Τρώων κλειτῶν τ' ἐπικούρων
Πάτροκλον βάλε δουρὶ κατα κρατερὴν ὑσμίνην:
τῶ με, ἔα κλέος ἐσθλὸν ἐνι Τρώεσσιν ἀρέσθαι:
μή σε βάλω: ἀπὸ δὲ μελιηδέα θυμὸν ἕλωμαι:
And the son of Atreus, Menelaus, dear to Ares, failed not to mark that Patroclus had been slain in battle by the Trojans, but fared amid the foremost fighters, harnessed in flaming bronze, and bestrode the dead, as over a calf standeth lowing plaintively its mother, that hath brought forth her first-born, ere then knowing naught of motherhood; even so over Patroclus strode fair-haired Menelaus, and before him he held his spear and his shield that was well-balanced upon every side, eager to slay the man who should come to seize the corpse. Then was Panthous' son, of the good spear of ash, not unheedful of the falling of peerless Patroclus, but he took his stand hard by him, and spake to Menelaus, dear to Ares: "Menelaus, son of Atreus, fostered of Zeus, thou leader of hosts, give back, and leave the corpse, and let be the bloody spoils; for before me no man of the Trojans and their famed allies smote Patroclus with the spear in the fierce conflict; wherefore suffer thou me to win goodly renown among the Trojans, lest I cast and smite thee, and rob thee of honey-sweet life."
