καὶ δ' ἂν τοῖς ἄλλοισιν ἐγὼ παραμυθησαίμην
οἴκαδ' ἀποπλείειν: ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι δήετε τέκμωρ
Ἰ̈λίου αἰπεινῆς: μάλα γάρ ἕθεν εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς
χεῖρα ἑὴν ὑπερέσχε. τεθαρσήκασι δὲ λαοί:
ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς μὲν ἰ̈όντες. ἀριστήεσσιν Ἀχαιῶν
ἀγγελίην ἀπόφασθε. τὸ γὰρ γέρας ἐστὶ γερόντων,
ὄφρ' ἄλλην φράζωνται ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μῆτιν ἀμείνω.
ἥ κέ σφιν νῆάς τε σοῶ. καὶ λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν
νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇς. ἐπεὶ οὔ σφισιν ἧδέ γ' ἑτοίμη
ἣν νῦν ἐφράσσαντο ἐμεῦ ἀπομηνίσαντος:
Φοῖνιξ δ' αὖθι παρ' άμμι μένων: κατακοιμηθήτω:
ὄφρά μοι ἐν νήεσσι φίλην ἐς πατρίδ' ἕπηται
αὔριον, ἢν ἐθέλῃσιν: ἀνάγκῃ δ' οὔ τί μιν άξω:
"Aye, and I would counsel you others also to sail back to your homes; seeing there is no more hope that ye shall win the goal of steep Ilios; for mightily doth Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, hold forth his hand above her, and her people are filled with courage. But go ye your way and declare my message to the chieftains of the Achaeans—for that is the office of elders—to the end that they may devise some other plan in their minds better than this, even such as shall save their ships, and the host of the Achaeans beside the hollow ships; seeing this is not to be had for them, which now they have devised, by reason of the fierceness of my anger. Howbeit let Phoenix abide here with us, and lay him down to sleep, that he may follow with me on my ships to my dear native land on the morrow, if so he will; but perforce will I not take him."
