οὐδε μὲν οὐδὲ Τρῶας ἀγήνορας εἴασεν Ἕκτωρ
εὕδειν, ἀλλ`' ἄμυδις κικλῄσκετο πάντας ἀρίστους:
ὅσσοι ἔσαν Τρώων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες:
τοὺς ὅ γε συγκαλέσας. πυκινὴν ἠρτύνετο βουλήν:
τίς κέν μοι τόδε ἔργον ὑποσχόμενος τελέσειεν
δώρῳ ἐπὶ μεγάλῳ: μισθὸς δέ οἱ άρκιος ἔσται:
δώσω γὰρ δίφρόν τε, δύω τ' ἐριαύχενας ἵ̈ππους
οἵ κεν ἀριστεύωσι θοῇς ἐπι νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν.
ὅς τίς κεν τλαίῃ: οἵ τ' αὐτῷ κῦδος ἄροιτο.
νηῶν ὠκυπόρων σχεδὸν ἐλθέμεν. ἔκ τε πυθέσθαι
ἠὲ, φυλάσσονται νῆες θοαὶ ὡς τὸ πάρος περ.
ἢ, ἤδη χείρεσσιν ὑφ' ἡμετέρῃσι δαμέντες
φύξιν βουλεύουσι μετα σφίσιν. οὐδ' ἐθέλουσι
νύκτα φυλασσέμεναι: καμάτῳ αδηκότες αἰνῷ:
Nay, nor did Hector suffer the lordly Trojans to sleep, but he called together all the noblest, as many as were leaders and rulers of the Trojans; and when he had called them together he contrived a cunning plan, and said: "Who is there now that would promise me this deed and bring it to pass for a great gift? Verily his reward shall be sure. For I will give him a chariot and two horses with high arched necks, even those that be the best at the swift ships of the Achaeans, to the man whosoever will dare --and for himself win glory withal—to go close to the swift-faring ships, and spy out whether the swift ships be guarded as of old, or whether by now our foes, subdued beneath our hands, are planning flight among themselves and have no mind to watch the night through, being fordone with dread weariness."
