Ὡς ἔφαθ'. οἱ δ' ἄρα πάντες ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπῇ
μῦθον ἀγασσάμενοι: μάλα γὰρ κρατερῶς ἀπέειπεν:
ὀψὲ δὲ δὴ μετέειπε γέρων ἱ̈ππηλάτα Φοῖνιξ:
δάκρυ' ἀναπρήσας: περὶ γὰρ δίε, νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν:
εἰ μὲν δὴ νόστόν γε μετὰ φρεσὶ φαίδιμ' Ἀχιλλεῦ
βάλλεαι: οὐδ' έτι πάμπαν ἀμύνειν νηυσὶ θοῇσι
πῦρ ἐθέλεις ἀΐδηλον: ἐπεὶ χόλος ἔμπεσε θυμῷ.
πῶς ἂν ἔπειτ' ἀπὸ σεῖο φίλον τέκος αὖθι λιποίμην
οἶος: σοὶ δέ μ' ἔπεμπε γέρων ἱ̈ππηλάτα Πηλεὺς
ἤματι τῷ: ὅτε σ' ἐκ Φθίης Ἀγαμέμνονι πέμπε.
νήπιον. οὔ πω εἰδόθ' ὁμοιΐου πτολέμοιο
οὐδ' ἀγορέων: ἵ̆να τ' ἄνδρες ἀριπρεπέες τελέθουσι:
τούνεκά με προἕηκε διδασκέμεναι τάδε πάντα:
μύθων τε ῥητῆρ' ἔμεναι: πρηκτῆρά τε ἔργων:
ὡς ἂν ἔπειτ' ἀπο σεῖο φίλον τέκος οὐκ ἐθέλοιμι
λείπεσθ'. οὐδ' εἴ κέν μοι ὑποσταίη θεὸς αὐτὸς
γῆρας ἀποξύσας. θήσειν νέον ἡβώοντα.
So spake he, and they all became hushed in silence, marveling at his words; for with exceeding vehemence did he deny them. But at length there spake among them the old horseman Phoenix, bursting into tears, for that greatly did he fear for the ships of the Achaeans: "If verily thou layest up in thy mind, glorious Achilles, the purpose of returning, neither art minded at all to ward from the swift ships consuming fire, for that wrath hath fallen upon thy heart; how can I then, dear child, be left here without thee, alone? It was to thee that the old horseman Peleus sent me on the day when he sent thee to Agamemnon, forth from Phthia, a mere child, knowing naught as yet of evil war, neither of gatherings wherein men wax preeminent. For this cause sent he me to instruct thee in all these things, to be both a speaker of words and a doer of deeds. Wherefore, dear child, I am not minded hereafter to be left alone without thee, nay, not though a god himself should pledge him to strip from me my old age and render me strong in youth.
