Page 353 - the-iliad

was either to give ground, or to stand out before the others,
but all were to hold well together about the body and fight
hand to hand. Thus did huge Ajax bid them, and the earth
ran red with blood as the corpses fell thick on one another
alike on the side of the Trojans and allies, and on that of
the Danaans; for these last, too, fought no bloodless fight
though many fewer of them perished, through the care they
took to defend and stand by one another.
Thus did they fight as it were a flaming fire; it seemed as
though it had gone hard even with the sun and moon, for
they were hidden over all that part where the bravest heroes
were fighting about the dead son of Menoetius, whereas the
other Danaans and Achaeans fought at their ease in full
daylight with brilliant sunshine all round them, and there
was not a cloud to be seen neither on plain nor mountain.
These last moreover would rest for a while and leave off
fighting, for they were some distance apart and beyond the
range of one another’s weapons, whereas those who were
in the thick of the fray suffered both from battle and dark-
ness. All the best of them were being worn out by the great
weight of their armour, but the two valiant heroes, Thra-
symedes and Antilochus, had not yet heard of the death of
Patroclus, and believed him to be still alive and leading the
van against the Trojans; they were keeping themselves in
reserve against the death or rout of their own comrades, for
so Nestor had ordered when he sent them from the ships
into battle.
Thus through the livelong day did they wage fierce war,
and the sweat of their toil rained ever on their legs under

The Iliad