Τρώων δ' αὖτ' ἀγορὴν ποιήσατο φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ
νόσφι, νεῶν ἀγαγὼν. ποταμῷ ἐπι δινήεντι.
ἐν καθαρῷ. ὅθι δὴ νεκύων διεφαίνετο χῶρος:
ἐξ ἵ̈ππων δ' ἀποβάντες ἐπὶ χθόνα. μῦθον ἄκουον.
τόν ῥ' Ἕκτωρ ἀγόρευε Διῒ φίλος: ἐν δ' άρα χειρὶ
ἔγχος ἔχ' ἑνδεκάπηχυ. πάροιθε δὲ λάμπετο δουρὸς
αἰχμὴ χαλκείη: περὶ δὲ χρύσεος θέε πόρκης:
τῷ ὅ γ' ἐρεισάμενος, ἔπεα Τρώεσσι μετηύδα
κέκλυτέ μευ Τρῶες. καὶ Δάρδανοι. ἠδ' ἐπίκουροι:
νῦν ἐφάμην νῆας τ' ὀλέσας καὶ πάντας Ἀχαιοὺς,
ὰψ ἀπονοστήσειν προτὶ Ί̈λιον ἠνεμόεσσαν:
ἀλλα πρὶν κνέφας ἦλθε, τὸ νῦν ἐσάωσε μάλιστα
Ἀργείους καὶ νῆας ἐπὶ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης:
ἂλλ' ἤτοι νῦν μὲν πειθώμεθα νυκτὶ μελαίνῃ:
δόρπά τ' ἐφοπλισόμεσθα: ἀτὰρ καλλίτριχας ἵππους
λύσαθ' ὑπ' ἐξ οχέων, παρα δέ σφισι βάλλετ' ἐδωδήν:
ἐκ πόλιος δ' ἄξεσθε βόας καὶ ἴ̈φια μῆλα
καρπαλίμως. οἶνον δὲ μελίφρονα οἰνίζεσθε,
σῖτόν τ' ἐκ μεγάρων. ἐπι δὲ ξύλα πολλὰ λέγεσθε,
ὥς κεν παννύχιοι μέσφ' ἠοῦς ἠριγενείης
καίωμεν πυρὰ πολλά: σέλας δ' εἰς οὐρανὸν ἵ̈κῃ,
μή πως καὶ διὰ νύκτα κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοὶ
φεύγειν ὁρμήσωνται ἐπ' εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης:
Then did glorious Hector make a gathering of the Trojans, leading them apart from the ships beside the eddying river in an open space, where the ground shewed clear of dead. Forth from their chariots they stepped upon the ground, to hearken to the word that Hector dear to Zeus spake among them. In his hand he held a spear of eleven cubits, and before him blazed the spear-point of bronze, around which ran a ring of gold. Thereon he leaned, and spake his word among the Trojans: "Hearken to me, ye Trojans and Dardanians and allies: I deemed but now to make havoc of the ships and all the Achaeans, and so return back again to windy Ilios; but darkness came on ere that might be, the which above all else hath now saved the Argives and their ships upon the beach of the sea. So then for this present let us yield to black night and make ready our supper; loose ye from the cars your fair-maned horses, and cast fodder before them; and from the city bring ye oxen and goodly sheep with speed, and get you honey-hearted wine and bread from your houses, and furthermore gather abundant wood, that all night long until early dawn we may burn fires full many and the gleam thereof may reach to heaven, lest haply even by night the long-haired Achaeans make haste to take flight over the broad back of the sea.
