τὸν δ' ὰρ ὑπόδρα ἰ̈δὼν προσέφη κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ:
Πουλυδάμα. σὺ μὲν οὐκ έτ' ἐμοὶ φίλα ταῦτ' ἀγορεύεις:
οἶσθα καὶ ἄλλον μῦθον ἀμείνονα τοῦδε νοῆσαι:
εἰ δ' ετεὸν δὴ τοῦτον ἀπὸ σπουδῆς ἀγορεύεις,
ἐξ άρα δή τοι ἔπειτα θεοὶ φρένας ὤλεσαν αὐτοί:
ὃς κέλεαι. Ζηνὸς μὲν ἐριγδούποιο λαθέσθαι
βουλέων. ἅς τέ μοι αὐτὸς ὑπέσχετο καὶ κατένευσε:
τύνη δ' οἰωνοῖσι τανυπτερύγεσσι κελεύεις
πείθεσθαι. τῶν οὔ τι μετὰτρέπομ', οὐδ' ἀλεγίζω.
εἴτ' ἐπὶ δεξὶ' ἴ̈ωσι. πρὸς ἠῶ τ' ἠέλιόν τε.
εἴτ' ἐπ αριστερὰ τοί γε. ποτὶ ζόφον ἠερόεντα:
ἡμεῖς δὲ μεγάλοιο Διὸς πειθώμεθα βουλῇ.
ὃς πᾶσι θνητοῖσι καὶ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀνάσσει:
εἷς οἰωνὸς ἄριστος, ἀμύνεσθαι περὶ πάτρης:
τίπτε, σὺ δείδοικας πόλεμον καὶ δηϊοτῆτα:
εἴ περ γάρ τ' ἄλλοι γε περι κτεινώμεθα πάντες
νηυσὶν ἐπ Αργείων. σοὶ δ' οὐ δέος ἔστ' ἀπολέσθαι.
οὐ γάρ τοι κραδίη μενεδήϊος. οὐδε μαχήμων:
εἰ δὲ σὺ δηϊοτῆτος ἀφέξεαι: ἠέ τίν' ἄλλον
παρφάμενος ἐπέεσσιν. ἀποτρέψεις πολέμοιο.
αὐτίκ' ἐμῷ ὑπο δουρὶ τυπεὶς. ἀπο θυμὸν ὀλέσσεις:
Then with an angry glance from beneath his brows spake to him Hector of the flashing helm: "Polydamas, this that thou sayest is no longer to my pleasure; yea, thou knowest how to devise better words than these. But if thou verily speakest thus in earnest, then of a surety have the gods themselves destroyed thy wits, seeing thou biddest me forget the counsels of loud-thundering Zeus, that himself promised me and bowed his head thereto. But thou biddest us be obedient to birds long of wing, that I regard not, nor take thought thereof, whether they fare to the right, toward the Dawn and the sun, or to the left toward the murky darkness. nay, for us, let us be obedient to the counsel of great Zeus, that is king over all mortals and immortals. One omen is best, to fight for one's country. Wherefore dost thou fear war and battle? For if the rest of us be slain one and all at the ships of the Argives, yet is there no fear that thou shouldest perish,—for thy heart is—not staunch in fight nor warlike. Howbeit, if thou shalt hold aloof from battle, or shalt beguile with thy words an other, and turn him from war, forthwith smitten by my spear shalt thou lose thy life."
