Compassionate his death, and drawing nigh First stood, then hurling his resplendent lance,420 Right through the liver Apisaon pierced Offspring of Hippasus, his chest beneath, And, lifeless, instant, on the field he fell. He from Pæonia the deep soil’d to Troy Came forth, Asteropæus sole except,425 Bravest of all Pæonia’s band in arms. Asteropæus saw, and to the van Sprang forth for furious combat well prepared, But room for fight found none, so thick a fence Of shields and ported spears fronted secure430 The phalanx guarding Menœtiades. For Ajax ranging all the ranks, aloud Admonish’d them that no man yielding ground Should leave Patroclus, or advance before The rest, but all alike fight and stand fast.435 Such order gave huge Ajax; purple gore Drench’d all the ground; in slaughter’d heaps they fell Trojans and Trojan aids of dauntless hearts And Grecians; for not even they the fight Waged bloodless, though with far less cost of blood,440 Each mindful to avert his fellow’s fate. Thus burn’d the battle; neither hadst thou deem’d The sun himself in heaven unquench’d, or moon, Beneath a cope so dense of darkness strove Unceasing all the most renown’d in arms445 For Menœtiades. Meantime the war, Wherever else, the bright-arm’d Grecians waged And Trojans under skies serene. The sun On them his radiance darted; not a cloud, From mountain or from vale rising, allay’d450 His fervor; there at distance due they fought And paused by turns, and shunn’d the cruel dart. But in the middle field not war alone They suffer’d, but night also; ruthless raged The iron storm, and all the mightiest bled.455 Two glorious Chiefs, the while, Antilochus And Thrasymedes, had no tidings heard Of brave Patroclus slain, but deem’d him still Living, and troubling still the host of Troy; For watchful[5] only to prevent the flight460 Or slaughter of their fellow-warriors, they Maintain’d a distant station, so enjoin’d By Nestor when he sent them to the field. But fiery conflict arduous employ’d The rest all day continual; knees and legs,465 Feet, hands, and eyes of those who fought to guard The valiant friend of swift Æacides Sweat gather’d foul and dust. As when a man A huge ox-hide drunken with slippery lard Gives to be stretch’d, his servants all around470 Disposed, just intervals between, the task Ply strenuous, and while many straining hard Extend it equal on all sides, it sweats The moisture out, and drinks the unction in,[6] So they, in narrow space struggling, the dead475 Dragg’d every way, warm hope conceiving, these To drag him thence to Troy, those, to the ships. Wild tumult raged around him; neither Mars, Gatherer of hosts to battle, nor herself Pallas, however angry, had beheld480 That conflict with disdain, Jove to such length Protracted on that day the bloody toil Of steeds and men for Menœtiades. Nor knew divine Achilles or had aught Heard of Patroclus slain, for from the ships485 Remote they fought, beneath the walls of Troy.