1. وَكُلٌّ رَمى بِالزُّجِّ يُحكِمُ رَشقَهُ

    فَبالعُنقِ مِزراقٌ وبالفَخذِ آخِرُ

    And each hurled his iron-shod spear with unerring aim.

    A javelin struck the neck, another the thigh.

  2. فَمُزِّقَ أَفطُوليمُ بالنَّصلِ عُنقُهُ

    فَعَضَّ الثَّرى تَنغَضُّ النَّواطِرُ

    Tlepolemus's neck was torn by the spearhead;

    he bit the dust, his eyes quivering.

  3. وَمُزِّقَ سَرفِيدُونُ لِلعَظمِ حُقُّهُ

    وَلَولا أًبُوهُ بادَرَتهُ البَوادِرُ

    Sarpedon's hip socket was torn to the bone;

    but for his father, deadly blows would have overtaken him.

  4. فأَصحَابُهُ اجتَرُّوهُ مِن ساحةِ الوغى

    لِساعَتِهِم والنَّصلُ في الجِسمِ غائِرُ

    His companions dragged him from the battlefield

    at once, the spearhead deeply embedded in his body.

  5. وقد شُغِلُوا عَن نَزعِهِ لِذُهُولِهِم

    فأُركِبَ بالآلامِ والعَزمُ خائِرُ

    In their bewilderment, they were distracted from drawing it out;

    so he was made to ride in pain, his resolve faltering.

  6. كذَ ارتَمى الإغرِيقُ فَوقَ قَتِيلهِم

    يَرُومُونَهُ فِيهِم وَأُوذِسُ ناظِرُ

    Thus the Greeks threw themselves upon their slain comrade,

    seeking to take him among them, while Odysseus watched.

  7. فَهَبَّ بِهِ الغَيظُ العَنِيفُ فَهاجهُ

    وَرَدَّد فِكراً رَدَّدَتهُ الخَوَاطِرُ

    Fierce anger surged within him and roused him,

    and he pondered a thought his musings kept returning to:

  8. أيَطلُبُ سَرفِيدُونَ أَم جُندَ قَومِهِ

    لِتَفتُكَ فِيهِم مِن يَدَيهِ البَوَاتِرُ

    should he seek Sarpedon, or his people's troops,

    so the cleaving blades in his hands might slaughter among them?

  9. فَعن سَرفِدون أَشغَلَتهُ يَدُ القَضا

    فَمالَ إِلى حَيث التَقَتهُ العَشَائِرُ

    But fate's hand kept him from Sarpedon,

    and he turned where the clans met him.

  10. وَساقَتهُ فالاسٌ لِمُجَتَمَعِ العِدى

    وَما راعَهُ مِنهُم نِصَالٌ شَواجِرُ

    Pallas led him to the enemy's gathering,

    and their bristling spearheads did not frighten him.

  11. فَجَندَلَ كِيرَانُس أَلستُرَ هليُساً

    وإخرُومِيُوساً وَهوَ كاللَّيثِ كاسِرُ

    He felled Coeranus, Alastor, and Halius,

    and Chromius, while he struck like a lion,

  12. وأَلكَندَراً إِفرِيتَنِيسَ نَوِيمُناً

    صَنادِيدُ لِبقِيُّونَ صِيدٌ جَبابِرُ

    and Alcander, Prytanis, and Noemon—

    Lycian champions, proud and mighty.

  13. وكادَ يَزِيدُ الفَتكَ لَو لَم يَثِب إِلى

    طَلاَئِعِهِم هَكطُورُ وَالنَّقعُ فائِرُ

    He would have wrought more slaughter, had there not leapt toward

    their vanguard Hector, while the dust seethed.

  14. رَأَى فَجرى يَلقى الصُّدُورَ مُدَجَّجاً

    فَضاقت بِهِم عَن مُلتَقاهُ المَعَابِرُ

    He saw and ran to meet their front ranks, fully armed;

    the passages grew too narrow for them to face him.

  15. وَعَن سَرفِدُونَ غُصَّةُ الكُرَبِ انجَلَت

    فَنادَى بِرِفقٍ والدُّمُوعُ بَوَادِرُ

    And the choking anguish lifted from Sarpedon;

    he called softly, his tears welling forth:

  16. أَغِثنِي ابنض فِريَامٍ وَلا تُوقِعِ العِدَى

    عَليَّ فإنِّي بالمَنيَّةِ شاعِرُ

    Help me, son of Priam; do not let the enemy fall

    upon me, for I sense death.

  17. وَلَن يَتَلَقَّاني على الرُّحبٍ مَوطِني

    وَزَوجي وَطِفلي وَالكِرَامُ الأَكاَبِرُ

    Never will my homeland welcome me warmly,

    nor my wife, my child, nor the noble grandees.

  18. فَدَعنِي بإِليُونٍ أَمُت ذَاكَرامَةٍ

    وثَمَّةَ لي في لُجَّةِ القَبرِ ساتِرُ

    So let me die with honor in Ilium,

    and there let me have a covering in the grave's depths.

  19. تَسِيرُ دُعَاةُ المَوتِ طَوعَ حُسَامِهِ

    وَمِن كَفِّهِ جَمرُ الرَّدَى مُتناثِرُ

    The heralds of death march at his sword's command,

    and from his palm the embers of doom scatter.

  20. وأَصحابُ سَرفِيدُونَ في الحالِ أَسرَعُوا

    لِزَانَةِ زَفسٍ فيه والزَّانُ ناضِرُ

    Sarpedon's companions hastened at once

    to Zeus's beech tree there, lush and green.

  21. فَبَادَرَ فِيلاغُونُ إِلفُ وَدادِهِ

    وأخرَجَ نَصلاً أَغفلَتُهُ البَصائِرُ

    Then Pelagon, his beloved companion, hurried

    and drew out the spearhead that had escaped their notice.

  22. فَغَشَّت على أَبصارِهِ ظُلمُ الرَّدى

    وخُيِّلَ أن قَد فارَقتهُ المَشاعِرُ

    Death's shadows veiled his eyes,

    and it seemed his senses had already deserted him.

  23. فَهَبَّت لِبُرياسٍ مِن الرِّيحِ نَسمَةٌ

    فأُنعِشَ وَارفَضَّت تَزُولُ المَخَاطِر

    Then a breath of Boreas's wind blew;

    he revived, and the perils scattered and vanished.

  24. وَدَارَت عَلى الإِغرِيقِ في دارَةِ الوَغى

    بآرِس وَهَكطُورَ الدَّوَاهي الدَّوَاثِرُ

    And round the Greeks, in the circle of battle, swept

    the devastating calamities brought by Ares and Hector.

  25. وَلَكِنَّهُم بالصَّبرِ طُرًّا تَدَرَّعُوا

    وَكُلٌّ على دَفعِ العَدُوِّ مُثَابِرُ

    Yet all of them armored themselves in endurance,

    and each persevered in driving back the foe.

  26. فَلَم يَكُ فيهِم ناكِصٌ نَحو فُلكهِ

    ولا لِلِقا الأَعدَاءِ بالصَّدِّ جاسِرُ

    None among them turned back toward his ship,

    nor did any dare face the enemy and drive them back.

  27. وَتَحتَ الدِّفاعِ الثَّبتِ مَهلاً تَقهَقرُوا

    يَروعُهُم أَنَّ المَهدِّمَ حاِضِرُ

    Under cover of steadfast defense, they slowly fell back,

    terrified that the destroyer was there.

  28. فَاَثخنَ آريسٌ وَهَكطُورُ فِيهمِ

    فَمن أوَّلُ القتلى وَمن هُوَ آخَرُ

    Then Ares and Hector wrought carnage among them.

    Who was the first of the slain, and who the last?

  29. فَأَوَّلُهُم تُثرَاسُ نِدُّ ذَوي البَقا

    فأُورستُ رَوَّاضُ الجِيادِ المُكابِرُ

    The first was Teuthras, a peer of the deathless,

    then Orestes, the haughty tamer of steeds,

  30. فإِترِيخُ أُونُومٌ هِلينُ أُرسبُسٌ

    وَكُلُّهُمُ ذاقَ الرَّدى وَهوَ صاغِرُ

    then Trechus, Oenomaus, Helenus, and Oresbius.

    Each of them tasted doom, brought low.

  31. فأُورسبُساً لَم يُجدِ وافرُ مالهِ

    وَمِلكٌ على أَكنافِ كِيفِسَ وافِرُ

    As for Oresbius, his ample wealth availed him nothing,

    nor his vast holdings around Cephissus.

  32. فَفي هِيلَةٍ قَد كانَ حيثُ ثَوَى الغِنا

    وَبَحرُ البِيُوتيِّينَ بالمالِ زاخرُ

    For he had lived in Hyle, where wealth dwelt,

    and the Boeotians' sea brimmed with riches.

  33. فَدَارَت عَلَيهِ عِندَهُم أَكؤُسُ الصَّفا

    ودارَت عَلَيهِ بالنِّزالِ الدَّوائِرُ

    Among them the cups of delight had circled to him,

    and in battle the turns of fate turned against him.