τοῖς δὲ πανημερίου ἔριδος μέγα νεῖκος ὀρώρει
ἀργαλέης: καμάτῳ δὲ καὶ ἱδρῶ νωλεμές αἰεὶ
γούνατά τε κνῆμαί τε πόδες θ' ὕπερθεν ἑκάστου:
χεῖρες τ' ὀφθαλμοί τε παλάσσετο μαρναμένοιιν
ἀμφ' ἀγαθὸν θεράποντα ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο:
ὡς δ' ὅτ' ἀνὴρ ταύροιο βοὸς μεγάλοιο βοείην
λαοῖσι δώη τανύειν μεθύουσαν ἀλοιφῇ:
δεξάμενοι δ' ἄρα τοί γε διαστάντες τανύουσι
κυκλόσ' ἄφαρ δέ τε ἰκμὰς ἔβη: δύνει δέ τ' ἀλοιφή
πολλῶν ἑλκόντων: τάνυται δέ τε πᾶσα δια πρό.
ὣς οἵ γ' ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα νέκυν ὀλίγῃ ἐνὶ χώρῃ
εἵλκεον ἀμφότεροι: μάλα δέ σφισιν ἤλπετο θυμός
Τρωσὶν μὲν ῥ' ἐρύειν ποτὶ Ἴλιον: αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοῖς
νῆας ἔπι γλαφυράς: περὶ δ' αὐτοῦ μῶλος ὀρώρει
ἄγριος: οὐδέ κ' Ἄρης λαοσσόος: οὐδέ κ' Ἀθήνη
τόν δ' ἰδοῦσ' ὀνόσαιτ' οὐδ' εἰ μάλα μϊν χόλος ἵκοι:
So then the whole day through raged the great strife of their cruel fray, and with the sweat of toil were the knees and legs and feet of each man beneath him ever ceaselessly bedewed, and his arms and eyes, as the two hosts fought about the goodly squire of swift-footed Achilles. And as when a man giveth to his people the hide of a great bull for stretching, all drenched in fat, and when they have taken it, they stand in a circle and stretch it, and forthwith its moisture goeth forth and the fat entereth in under the tugging of many hands, and all the hide is stretched to the uttermost; even so they on this side and on that were haling the corpse hither and thither in scant space; and their hearts within them were full of hope, the Trojans that they might drag him to Ilios, but the Achaeans to the hollow ships; and around him the battle waxed wild, nor could even Ares, rouser of hosts, nor Athene, at sight of that strife have made light thereof, albeit their anger were exceeding great.
