Verse
Iliad
Book 17, Line 355 by Samuel Butler (English)
inasmuch as those about Patroklos were well covered by their shields, and held their spears in front of them, for Ajax had given them strict orders that no man 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.
IliadBook 17, Line 355Samuel ButlerEnglishVerse permalinkRead in Book 17
HomerProseID iliad-iliad-butler-en-prose-17-355