τὸν δ' ἒπιμειδήσᾱς προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς.
ῆ ρά νύ τοι μεγάλων δώρων ἐπεμαίετο θυμὸς
ἵ̈ππων Αἰακί´δαο δαί̈φρονος: οἱ δ`' ἀλεγεινοὶ
ἀνδράσι γε θνητοῖσι δαμήμεναι: ἠδ' ὀχέεσθαι
ἄλλω γ'. ἢ Ἀχιλῆϊ. τὸν ἀθανάτη τέκε μήτηρ:
ἂλλ' ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ καὶ ἀτρεκέως κατάλεξον:
ποῦ νῦν, δεῦρο κιὼν. λίπες Ἕκτορα ποιμένα λαῶν:
ποῦ δέ οί ἔντεα κεῖται ἀρήϊα. ποῦ δέ οἱ ἵ̈πποι.
πῶς δαὶ, τῶν ἄλλων Τρώων φυλακαί τε καὶ εὐναὶ.
ἄσσά τε μητιόωσι μετὰ σφίσιν. ἢ μεμάᾱσιν
αὖθι μένειν παρὰ νηυσὶν. ἀπόπροθεν. ἠὲ πόλιν δὲ
ὰψ ἀναχωρήσουσιν. ἐπεὶ δαμάσαντό γ' Ἀχαιούς:
Then smiling upon him Odysseus of many wiles made answer: "Verily now on great rewards was thy heart set, even the horses of the wise-hearted son of Aeacus, but hard are they for mortal men to master or to drive, save only for Achilles whom an immortal mother bare. But come tell me this, and declare it truly: where now, as thou camest hither, didst thou leave Hector, shepherd of the host? Where lies his battle-gear, and where his horses? And how are disposed the watches and the sleeping-places of the other Trojans? And what counsel devise they among themselves?—to abide where they be by the ships afar, or to withdraw again to the city, seeing they have worsted the Achaeans?
