τὴν δ`' ἠμείβετ' ἔπειτα μέγας κορυθαιόλος Ἕκτωρ:
μή μοι οἶνον ἄειρε μελίφρονα πότνια μῆτερ
μή μ' ἀπογυιώσῃς, μένεος ἀλκῆς τε λάθωμαι:
χερσὶ δ' ἀνίπτοισιν Διῒ λείβειν αἴθοπα οἶνον
ἅζομαι: οὐδέ πῃ ἐστὶ κελαινεφέϊ Κρονίωνι
αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον εὐχετάασθαι:
ἀλλὰ σύ γε προς νηὸν Ἀθηναίης ἀγελείης
ἔρχεο συν θυέεσσιν, ἀολλίσασα γεραιάς:
πέπλον δ`' ὅστίς τοι χαριέστατος ἠδὲ μέγιστος
ἐστὶν ἐνι μεγάρῳ: καί τοι πολὺ φίλτατος αὐτῇ.
τὸν θὲς Ἀθηναίης ἐπι γούνασιν ἠϋκόμοιο.
καί οἱ, ὑποσχέσθαι δυοκαίδεκα βοῦς ἐνι νηῷ
ήνῑς ἠκέστας ἱ̈ερευσέμεν, αἴ κ' ἐλεήσῃ
ἄστύ τε, καὶ Τρώων ἀλόχους. καὶ νήπια τέκνα.
αἴ κεν Τυδέος υἱὸν ἀπόσχῃ Ἰ̈λίου ϊρῆς
ἄγριον: αἰχμητὴν: κρατερὸν μήστωρα φόβοιο:
ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν πρὸς νηὸν Ἀθηναίης ἀγελείης
ἔρχευ: ἐγὼ δὲ Πάριν μετελεύσομαι: ὄφρα καλέσσω:
αἴ κ' ἐθέλῃς' εἰπόντος ἀκουέμεν: ὡς κέ οἱ, αὖθι
γαῖα χάνοι: μέγα γάρ μιν Ὀλύμπιος ἔτρεφε πῆμα
Τρωσί τε. καὶ Πριάμῳ μεγαλήτορι. τοῖό τε παισίν:
εἰ κεῖνόν γε ΐδοιμι κατελθόντ' Ἄϊδος εἴσω:
φαίην κεν φρέν' ἄτέρ που ὀϊζύος ἐκλελαθέσθαι:
Then in answer to her spake great Hector of the flashing helm: "Bring me no honey-hearted wine, honoured mother, lest thou cripple me, and I be forgetful of my might and my valour; moreover with hands unwashen I have awe to pour libation of flaming wine to Zeus; nor may it in any wise be that a man should make prayer to the son of Cronos, lord of the dark clouds, all befouled with blood and filth. Nay, do thou go to the temple of Athene, driver of the spoil, with burnt-offerings, when thou hast gathered together the aged wives; and the robe that seemeth to thee the fairest and amplest in thy hall, and that is dearest far to thine own self, this do thou lay upon the knees of fair-haired Athene and vow to her that thou wilt sacrifice in her temple twelve sleek heifers that have not felt the goad, if she will take pity on Troy and the Trojans' wives and their little children; in hope she may hold back the son of Tydeus from sacred Ilios, that savage spearman, a mighty deviser of rout. So go thou to the temple of Athene, driver of the spoil; and I will go after Paris, to summon him, if haply he will hearken to my bidding. Would that the earth might straightway gape for him! for in grievous wise hath the Olympian reared him as a bane to the Trojans and to great-hearted Priam, and the sons of Priam. If I but saw him going down to the house of Hades, then might I deem that my heart had forgotten its woe."
