ἥ μὲν ὰρ, ὡς εἰποῦσ' ἀπέβη πόδας ὠκέα Ϊ̂ρις⁚
αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς ὦρτο Διῒ φίλος: ἀμφὶ δ' Ἀθήνη
ὤμοις ἰ̈φθίμοισι βάλ' αἰγίδα θυσσανόεσσαν:
ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ κεφαλῇ νέφος ἔστεφε δῖα θεάων
χρύσεον. ἐκ δ' αὐτοῦ δαῖε φλόγα παμφανόωσαν:
ὡς δ' ὅτε καπνὸς ἰ̈ὼν ἐξ ἄστεος αἰθέρ' ΐκηται
τηλόθεν ἐκ νήσου. τὴν δήϊοι ἀμφιμάχονται:
οἵ τε πανημέριοι στυγερῷ κρίνωνται Ἄρηϊ
ἄστεος ἐκ σφετέρου. ἅμα δ' ἠελίω καταδύντι.
πυρσοί τε φλεγέθουσιν ἐπήτριμοι: ὑψόσε δ' αὐγὴ
γίγνεται ἀΐσσουσα περικτιόνεσσιν ἰ̈δέσθαι.
αἴ κέν πως σὺν νηυσὶν ἄρεως ἀλκτῆρες ΐκωνται:
ὡς ἀπ' Ἀχιλλῆος κεφαλῆς σέλας αἰθέρ' ΐκανεν:
στῆ δ' ἐπι τάφρον ἰ̈ὼν ἀπὸ τείχεος. οὐδ' ἐς Ἀχαιοὺς
μίσγετο. μητρὸς γὰρ πυκινὴν ὠπίζετ' ἐφετμήν:
ἔνθα στὰς ἤϋσ': ἀπάτερθε δὲ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη
φθέγξατ'. ἀτὰρ Τρώεσσιν ἐν άσπετον ῶρσε κυδοιμόν:
ὡς δ' ὅτ' ἀριζήλη φωνή. ὅτε τ' ΐαχε σάλπιγξ
ἄστυ περιπλομένων δηΐων ὑπο θυμοραϊστέων.
ὡς τότ' ἀριζήλη φωνὴ γένετ' Αἰακίδᾱο :
οἱ δ' ὡς οὖν ἄϊον ὄπα χάλκεον Αἰακίδαο.
πᾶσιν ὀρίνθη θυμὸς. ἀτὰρ καλλίτριχες ἵπποι
ὰψ ὄχεα τρόπεον. ὄσσοντο γὰρ ἄλγεα θυμῷ:
ἡνίοχοι δ' ἔκπληγεν ἐπεὶ ἴ̈δον ἀκάματον πῦρ.
δεινὸν. ὑπερ κεφαλῆς μεγαθύμου Πηλείωνος
δαιόμενον. τὸ δὲ δαῖε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη.
τρὶς μὲν ὑπὲρ τάφρου μεγάλ' ἴ̈αχε δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς.
τρὶς δ' ἐκυκήθησαν Τρῶες κλειτοί τ' ἐπίκουροι:
ἔνθα δὲ καὶ τότ' ὄλοντο δυώδεκα φῶτες ἄριστοι
ἀμφὶ σφοῖς ὀχέεσσι καὶ ἔγχεσιν: αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ.
ἀσπασίως Πάτροκλον ὑπ ἐκ βελέων ἐρύσαντες
κάτθεσαν ἐν λεχέεσσι: φίλοι δ' ἀμφ' έστασαν ἑταῖροι
μυρόμενοι: μετα δέ σφι ποδώκης εἵπετ' Ἀχιλλεὺς
δάκρυα θερμὰ χέων, ἐπεὶ εἴσιδε πιστὸν ἑταῖρον
κείμενον ἐν φέρτρῳ. δεδαϊγμένον ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ:
τόν ῥ' ἤτοι μὲν ἔπεμπε σὺν ἵπποισιν καὶ ὄχεσφιν
ἐς πόλεμον. οὐδ' αὖτις ἐδέξατο νοστήσαντα:
τερπόμενοι: δοιὼ δὲ κυβιστητῆρε κατ' αὐτοὺς
When she had thus spoken swift-footed Iris departed; but Achilles, dear to Zeus, roused him, and round about his mighty shoulders Athene flung her tasselled aegis, and around his head the fair goddess set thick a golden cloud, and forth from the man made blaze a gleaming fire. And as when a smoke goeth up from a city and reacheth to heaven from afar, from an island that foes beleaguer, and the men thereof contend the whole day through in hateful war from their city's walls, and then at set of sun flame forth the beacon-fires one after another and high aloft darteth the glare thereof for dwellers round about to behold, if so be they may come in their ships to be warders off of bane; even so from the head of Achilles went up the gleam toward heaven. Then strode he from the wall to the trench, and there took his stand, yet joined him not to the company of the Achaeans, for he had regard to his mother's wise behest. There stood he and shouted, and from afar Pallas Athene uttered her voice; but amid the Trojans he roused confusion unspeakable. Clear as the trumpet's voice when it soundeth aloud beneath the press of murderous foemen that beleaguer a city, so clear was then the voice of the son of Aeacus. And when they heard the brazen voice of the son of Aeacus the hearts of all were dismayed; and the fair-maned horses turned their cars backward, for their spirits boded bane. And the charioteers were stricken with terror when they beheld the unwearied fire blaze in fearsome wise above the head of the great-souled son of Peleus; for the goddess, flashing-eyed Athene, made it blaze. Thrice over the trench shouted mightily the goodly Achilles, and thrice the Trojans and their famed allies were confounded. And there in that hour perished twelve men of their best amid their own chariots and their own spears. But the Achaeans with gladness drew Patroclus forth from out the darts and laid him on a bier, and his dear comrades thronged about him weeping; and amid them followed swift-footed Achilles, shedding hot tears, for that he beheld his trusty comrade lying on the bier, mangled by the sharp bronze. Him verily had he sent forth with horses and chariot into the war, but never again did he welcome his returning.
