τὸν δὲ πεσόντ' ἐλέησεν ἀρήιος Ἀστεροπαῖος
ἴθυσεν δὲ καὶ ὃ πρόφρων Δαναοῖσι μάχεσθαι:
ἀλλ' οὔ πως ἔτι εἶχε: σάκεσσι γὰρ ἔρχατο πάντῃ
ἔσταότες περὶ Πατρόκλῳ: πρὸ δὲ δούρατ' ἔχοντο:
Αἴας γὰρ μάλα πάντας ἐπ ᾤχετο πολλὰ κελεύων
οὔτέ τιν' ἐξοπίσω νεκροῦ χάζεσθαι ἀνώγει:
οὔτέ τινα προμάχεσθαι Ἀχαιῶν ἔξοχον ἄλλων:
ἀλλὰ μάλ' ἀμφ' αὐτῷ βεβάμεν: σχεδόθεν δὲ μάχεσθαι:
ὣς Αἴας ἐπέτελλε πελώριος: αἵματι δὲ χθὼν
δεύετο πορφυρέῳ: τοὶδ' ἀγχὶστῖνοι ἀγχίστῖνοι ἔπιπτον
νεκροὶ ὁμοῦ Τρώων καὶ ὑπερμενέων ἐπικούρων
καὶ Δαναῶν: οὐδ' οἳ γὰρ ἀναιμωτί γε ἐμάχοντο:
παυρότεροι δὲ πολυ φθίνυθον: μέμνηντο γὰρ αἰεὶ
ἀλλήλοις καθ' ὅμιλον ἀλεξέμεναι φόνον αἰπὺν:
But as he fell warlike Asteropaeus had pity for him, and he too rushed onward, fain to fight with the Danaans; howbeit thereto could he no more avail, for with shields were they fenced in on every side, as they stood around Patroclus, and before them they held their spears. For Aias ranged to and fro among them and straitly charged every man; not one, he bade them, should give ground backward from the corpse, nor yet fight in front of the rest of the Achaeans as one pre-eminent above them all; but stand firm close beside the corpse and do battle hand to hand. Thus mighty Aias charged them, and the earth grew wet with dark blood, and the dead fell thick and fast alike of the Trojans and their mighty allies, and of the Danaans; for these too fought not without shedding of blood, howbeit fewer of them by far were falling; for they ever bethought them to ward utter destruction from one another in the throng.
