τὴν μὲν ὰρ' Οὔλυμπον δὲ πόδες φέρον: αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ
θεσπεσίῳ ἀλαλητῷ ὑφ' Ἕκτορος ἀνδροφόνοιο
φεύγοντες. νῆάς τε καὶ Ἑλλήσποντον ΐκοντο:
οὐδέ κε Πάτροκλόν περ ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοὶ
ἐκ βελέων ἐρύσαντο νέκυν. θεράποντ' Ἀχιλῆος:
αὖτις γὰρ δὴ τόν γε κίχον λαόςλαοί τε καὶ ἵπποι:
Ἕκτωρ τὲ Πριάμοιο πάϊς φλογὶ εἴκελος ἀλκήν.
τρὶς μέν μιν μετ' όπισθε ποδῶν λάβε φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ
ἑλκέμεναι μεμαὼς. μέγα δὲ Τρώεσσιν ὁμόκλα:
τρὶς δὲ δύ' Αἴαντες, θοῦριν ἐπιειμένοι ἀλκὴν.
νεκροῦ ἀπεστυφέλιξαν: ὃ δ' ἔμπεδον, ἀλκὶ πεποιθὼς.
ἄλλοτ' ἐπαΐξασκε κατὰ μόθον. ἄλλοτε δ' αὖτε
στάσκε μέγα ἰ̈άχων, ὀπίσω δ' οὐ χάζετο πάμπαν:
ὡς δ' ἀπο σώματος οὔ τι λέοντ' αἴθωνα δύνανται
ποιμένες ἄγραυλοι μέγα πεινάοντα δίεσθαι.
ὥς ῥα τὸν οὐκ ἐδύναντο δύω Αἴαντε κορυστὰ
Ἕκτορα Πριαμίδην ἀπο νεκροῦ δειδίξασθαι:
τερπόμενοι: δοιὼ δὲ κυβιστητῆρε κατ' αὐτοὺς
Her then were her feet bearing to Olympus, but the Achaeans fled with wondrous shouting from before man-slaying Hector, and came to the ships and the Hellespont. Howbeit Patroclus, the squire of Achilles, might the well-greaved Achaeans not draw forth from amid the darts; for now again there overtook him the host and the chariots of Troy, and Hector, son of Priam, in might as it were a flame. Thrice from behind did glorious Hector seize him by the feet, fain to drag him away, and called mightily upon the Trojans, and thrice did the two Aiantes, clothed in furious valour, hurl him back from the corpse. But he, ever trusting in his might, would now charge upon them in the fray, and would now stand and shout aloud; but backward would he give never a whit. And as shepherds of the steading avail not in any wise to drive from a carcase a tawny lion when he hungereth sore, even so the twain warrior Aiantes availed not to affright Hector, Priam's son, away from the corpse.
