Iliad

Then the princes of the Achaeans took the son of Peleus to Agamemnon, but hardly could they persuade him to come with them, so wroth was he for the death of his comrade. As soon as they reached Agamemnon's tent they told the serving-men to set a large tripod over the fire in case they might persuade the son of Peleus ‘to wash the clotted gore from this body, but he denied them sternly, and swore it with a solemn oath, saying, "Nay, by King Zeus, first and mightiest of all gods, it is not right [ themis ] that water should touch my body, till I have laid Patroklos on the flames, have built him a tomb [ sêma ], and shaved my head - for so long as I live no such second sorrow [ akhos ] shall ever draw nigh me. Now, therefore, let us do all that this sad festival demands, but at break of day, King Agamemnon, bid your men bring wood, and provide all else that the dead may duly take into the realm of darkness; the fire shall thus burn him out of our sight the sooner, and the people shall turn again to their own labors."

IliadBook 23, Line 35Samuel ButlerEnglishVerse permalinkRead in Book 23

HomerProseID iliad-iliad-butler-en-prose-23-35