So on they fought like a swirl of living fire - you could not say if the sun and moon still stood secure, so dense the battle-haze that engulfed the brave who stood their ground to defend Patroclus' body.

So on they fought like a swirl of living fire –
you could not say if the sun and moon still stood secure,
so dense the battle-haze that engulfed the brave
who stood their ground to defend Patroclus’ body.

– Homer

The Iliad, Book 17, lines 423-426. Using a fire simile, Homer tells us about the intensity of the battle by the Greeks to protect the body of Patroclus, after giant Ajax orders them to cluster around it.

Homer Quotes