With that the son of magnanimous old Nestor
led the mare and turned her over to Menelaus’ hands.
And his heart melted now like the dew that wets the corn
when the fresh stalks rise up and the ripe fields ripple –
so the heart in your chest was melted now, Menelaus.
– Homer
The Iliad, Book 23, lines 662-666. Menelaus forgives Antilochus for his actions in the chariot race, after Antilochus gives him the mare that he won. An epic simile describes Menelaus’s heart melting like the dew on ripening ears of corn.