Αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τό γ' ἄκουσεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων.
αὐτίκα λαὸν μὲν σκέδασεν κατὰ νῆας ἐΐσας.
κηδεμόνες δὲ παρ αῦθι μένον: καὶ νήεον ὕλην:
ποίησαν δὲ πυρὴν ἑκατόμπεδον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα:
ἒν δὲ πυρῇ ὑπάτῃ νεκρὸν θέσαν ἀχνύμενοι κῆρ:
πολλὰ δὲ ἴφια μῆλα καὶ εἰλίποδας ἔλικας βοῦς.
πρόσθε πυρῆς ἔδερόν τε καὶ ἄμφεπον. ἐκ δ' ἄρα πάντων
δημὸν ἑλὼν, ἐκάλυψε, νέκυν μεγάθυμος Ἀχιλλεὺς
ἐς πόδας ἐκ κεφαλῆς. περὶ δὲ δρατὰ σώματα νήει:
ἐν δ' ἐτίθει μέλιτος καὶ λείφατος ἀμφιφορῆας
προς λέχεα κλίνων: πίσυρας δ' ἐριαύχενας ἵππους
‘ἐσσυμένως ἐνέβαλλε πυρῇ μεγάλα στεναχίζων:
ἐννέα τῷ γε ἄνακτι τραπεζῆες κύνες ἦσαν.
καὶ μὲν τῶν ἐνέβαλλε πυρῇ δύο δειροτομήσας.
δώδεκα δὲ Τρώων μεγαθύμων υἱέας ἐσθλοὺς
χαλκῷ δηϊόων: κακὰ δὲ φρεσὶ μήδετο ἔργα:
ἐν δὲ πυρὸς μένος ἧκε, σιδήρεον. ὄφρα νέμοιτο:
ᾤμωξεν τ' ὰρ, ἔπειτα. φίλον δ' ὀνόμηνεν ἑταῖρον:
χαῖρέ μοι ὦ Πάτροκλε καὶ εἰν Αΐδαο δόμοισι:
πάντα γὰρ ἤδη τοι τελέω, τὰ πάροιθεν ὑπέστην:
δώδεκα μὲν Τρώων μεγαθύμων υἱέας ἐσθλοὺς.
τοὺς ἅμα σοὶ πάντας πῦρ ἐσθίει: Ἕκτορα δ' οὔ τι
δώσω Πριαμίδην πυρὶ δαπτέμεν. ἀλλα κύνεσσιν:
Then when the king of men Agamemnon heard this word, he forthwith dispersed the folk amid the shapely ships, but they that were neareat and dearest to the dead abode there, and heaped up the wood, and made a pyre of an hundred feet this way and that, and on the topmost part thereof they set the dead man, their hearts sorrow-laden. And many goodly sheep and many sleek kine of shambling gait they flayed and dressed before the pyre; and from them all great-souled Achilles gathered the fat, and enfolded the dead therein from head to foot, and about him heaped the flayed bodies. And thereon he set two-handled jars of honey and oil, leaning them against the bier; and four horses with high arched neeks he cast swiftly upon the pyre, groaning aloud the while. Nine dogs had the prince, that fed beneath his table, and of these did Achilles cut the throats of twain, and cast them upon the pyre. And twelve valiant sons of the great-souled Trojans slew he with the bronze—and grim was the work he purposed in his heart and thereto he set the iron might of fire, to range at large. Then he uttered a groan, and called on his dear comrade by name: "Hail, I bid thee, O Patroclus, even in the house of Hades, for now am I bringing all to pass, which afore-time I promised thee. Twelve valiant sons of the great-souled Trojans, lo all these together with thee the flame devoureth; but Hector, son of Priam, will I nowise give to the fire to feed upon, but to dogs."
