τὸν δ' αῦτε προσέειπεν Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδής:
Ἕκτορ: ἐπεί με κατ' αῖσαν ἐνείκεσας. οὐδ' ὑπὲρ αῖσαν:
αἰεί τοι κραδίη πέλεκυς ὥς ἐστιν ἀτειρὴς.
ὅς τ' εἶσιν διὰ δουρὸς ὑπανέρος: ὅς ῥά τε τέχνῃ
νήϊον ἐκτάμνῃσιν, ὀφέλλει δ' ἀνδρὸς ἐρωήν:
ὣς σοὶ ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἀτάρβητος νόος ἐστί:
μή μοι δῶρ' ἐρατὰ πρόφερε χρυσῆς Ἀφροδίτης:
οὔ τοι ἀπόβλητ' ἐστὶ θεῶν ἐρικυδέα δῶρα
ὅσσά κεν αὐτοὶ δῶσιν, ἑκὼν δ' οὐκ ἄν τις ἕλοιτο:
νῦν αῦτ' εἴ μ' ἐθέλεις πολεμίζειν ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι:
ἄλλους μὲν κάθισον Τρῶας καὶ πάντας Ἀχαιούς,
αὐτὰρ ἒμ' ἐν μέσσῳ καὶ ἀρηΐφιλον Μενέλαον
συμβάλετ' ἀμφ' Ἑλένῃ καὶ κτήμασι πᾶσι μάχεσθαι:
ὁππότερος δέ κε νικήσῃ κρείσσων τε γένηται
κτήμαθ' ἑλὼν εῦ πάντα γυναῖκά τε οἴκαδ' ἀγέσθω:
οἱ δ' ἄλλοι φιλότητα καὶ ὅρκια πιστὰ ταμόντες
ναίοιτε Τροίην ἐριβώλακα: τοιδὲ νεέσθων
῎Αργος ἐς ἱ̈ππόβοτον καὶ Ἀχαιΐδα καλλιγύναικα.
And to him did godlike Alexander make answer, saying: "Hector, seeing that thou dost chide me duly, and not beyond what is due—ever is thy heart unyielding, even as an axe that is driven through a beam by the hand of man that skilfully shapeth a ship's timber, and it maketh the force of his blow to wax; even so is the heart in thy breast undaunted—cast not in my teeth the lovely gifts of golden Aphrodite. Not to be flung aside, look you, are the glorious gifts of the gods, even all that of themselves they give, whereas by his own will could no man win them. But now, if thou wilt have me war and do battle, make the other Trojans to sit down and all the Achaeans, but set ye me in the midst and Menelaus, dear to Ares, to do battle for Helen and all her possessions. And whichsoever of us twain shall win, and prove him the better man, let him duly take all the wealth and the woman, and bear them to his home. But for you others, do ye swear friendship and oaths of faith with sacrifice. So should ye dwell in deep-soiled Troyland, and let them return to Argos, pasture-land of horses, and to Achaea, the land of fair women."
