"Arise, son of Peleus, most terrible of all men; defend Patroclus, for whom[580] a dire contest is maintained before the ships. But they are slaughtering each other, the one party fighting for the slain corpse, whilst the other, the Trojans, rush on, that they may drag him away to wind-swept Ilium; and above all, illustrious Hector desires to seize him, for his mind prompts him to fix his head upon stakes, having cut it from the tender neck. But up, nor lie longer; but let reverence[581] touch thy soul, that Patroclus should be a source of delight to Trojan dogs. A disgrace would be to thee, if the dead body should come at all defiled."
[Footnote 580: I.e. for whose body.]
[Footnote 581: "[Greek: Sebas] is commonly rendered pudor, nearly synonymous with [Greek: aidos]. Its meaning is however more forcible, viz. esteem it as an act of impiety to abandon the body to insult."—Kennedy.]
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