δὴ τότε Πουλυδάμας θρασὺν Ἕκτορα εἶπε παραστάς:
Ἕκτορ. ἀεὶ μέν πως μοι ἐπιπλήσσεις ἀγορῇσιν
ἐσθλὰ φραζομένῳ: ἐπεὶ οὐδε μὲν οὐδὲ ἔοικε
δῆμον ἐόντα: παρὲξ ἀγορευέμεν. οὐτ' ἐνι βουλῇ
οὔτέ ποτ' ἐν πολέμῳ: σὸν δὲ κράτος αἰὲν ἀέξειν:
νῦν αὖτ' ἐξερέω ὥς μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι ἄριστα:
μὴ ἴ̈ομεν. Δαναοῖσι μαχησόμενοι περὶ νηῶν:
ὧδε γὰρ ἐκτελέεσθαι ὀΐομαι. εἰ ἐτεόν γε
Τρωσὶν ὅδ' ὄρνις ἐπ ῆλθε περησέμεναι μεμαῶσιν.
αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης ἐπ' ἀριστερὰ λαὸν εέργων:
φοινήεντα δράκοντα φέρων ὀνύχεσσι πέλωρον
ζωὸν. ἄφαρ δ' ἀφέηκε. πάρος, φίλα, οἰκί' ἱ̈κέσθαι
οὐδ' ἐτέλεσσε φέρων δόμεναι τεκέεσσιν ἑοῖσιν:
ὣς ἡμεῖς: εἴ πέρ τε πύλας καὶ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν
ῥηξόμεθα σθένεϊ μεγάλῳ: εἴξωσι δ' Ἀχαιοὶ.
οὐ κόσμῳ παρὰ ναῦφιν ἐλευσόμεθ' αὐτὰ κέλευθα:
πολλοὺς γὰρ Τρώων καταλείψομεν. οὕς κεν Ἀχαιοὶ
χαλκῷ δῃώσουσιν. ἀμυνόμενοι περὶ νηῶν:
χαλκῷ δῃώσωσιν ἀμυνόμενοι περὶ νηῶν.
ὧδέ χ' ὑποκρίναιτο θεοπρόπος. ὃς, σάφα θυμῷ
εἰδείη τεράων. καί οἱ πειθοίατο λαοί:
Then verily Polydamas drew near, and spake to bold Hector: "Hector, ever dost thou rebuke me in the gatherings of the folk, though I give good counsel, since it were indeed unseemly that a man of the people should speak contrariwise to thee, be it in council or in war, but he should ever increase thy might; yet now will I speak even as seemeth to me to be best. Let us not go forward to fight with the Danaans for the ships. For thus, methinks, will the issue be, seeing that in sooth this bird has come upon the Trojans, as they were eager to cross over, an eagle of lofty flight, skirting the host on the left, bearing in his talons a blood-red, monstrous snake, still living, yet straightway let it fall before he reached his own nest, neither finished he his course, to bring and give it to his little ones—even so shall we, though we break the gates and the wall of the Achaeans by our great might, and the Achaeans give way, come back over the selfsame road from th ships in disarray; for many of the Trojans shall we leave behind, whom th Achaeans shall slay with the bronze in defense of the ships. On this wise would a soothsayer interpret, one that in his mind had clear knowledge of omens, and to whom the folk gave ear."
