They shudder at the corpse as though it were alive;

Such was the Trojans’ fear for Achilles after his death.

Despite that Paris used strong words to stir the people’s

Spirits, because his heart was happy in the hope

That the Argives would give up the deadly fighting

After the fall of Peleus’ son, who was their strength.

“My friends, if truly and sincerely you support me,

Let us either die today at the hands of the Argives

Or save ourselves and drag away to Ilion

The fallen body of Peleus’ son with the horses of Hektor,

Which since the death of my brother bear me into battle,

Feeling still the grief of losing their true master.

If with their help we drag away the dead Achilles,

Great glory we would win for the horses as well as for Hektor

Himself, if really in Hades mortals retain their minds

Or sense of justice, in view of the harm he did to Troy,

Great will be the joy in the hearts of Trojan women

When they gather round him in the city, like fearsome

Lionesses or leopards furious for their cubs

Around a man experienced and skilled in dangerous hunting.

Thus round the body of slain Achilles the women of Troy

Will rush together to show their overwhelming hatred,

Some enraged for loss of fathers, some for husbands,

Some for children, and others for their honored kinsmen.

But happiest of all will be my father and the elders,

Those kept by age against their will inside the walls,

If we can only drag Achilles into the city

And leave him to be devoured by the birds of the air.”

At these words round the body of Aiakos’ valiant grandson

Quickly gathered those who’d feared him previously,

Glaukos, Aineias, Agenor the brave of heart,

And others who were skilled in the deadly art of war,

Eager to drag him off to Ilion’s holy city.

Achilles, though, was not abandoned by godlike Ajax,

Who swiftly bestrode him and with his long lance drove them all

Away from him. And yet they persisted in their attack,

Fighting Ajax on every side and making assaults

One after the other, like so many long-lipped bees,

Which hover round their hive in countless swarms

To drive away a man; he disregards their attacks

While cutting out their honeycombs, and they are distressed

By both the man and the billowing smoke; and still they make

Their frontal assaults, although he heeds them not the least.

So Ajax disregarded all these rapid attacks.

First of all he killed with a blow above the breast

Maion’s son Agelaos and next the noble Thestor;

Then Okythoos, Agestratos, Aganippos,

Zoros, Nissos, and the famous Erymas,

Who came from Lykia under valiant Glaukos’ command.

His home was steep Melanippion sacred to Athena,

Which faces Massikytos near Cape Chelidon;

Seafaring sailors tremble in awe of that place

Whenever they have to round its jagged rocks.