τὸν δ' αὖτε προσέειπεν Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδής:
Ἕκτορ ἐπεί τοι θυμὸς ἀναίτιον αἰτιάασθαι,
ἄλλοτε δή ποτε μᾶλλον ἐρωῆσαι πολέμοιο
μέλλω. ἐπεὶ οὐδ έμε πάμπαν ἀνάλκιδα γείνατο μήτηρ:
ἐξ οὗ γὰρ παρὰ νηυσὶ μάχην ἤγειρας ἑταίρων.
ἐκ τοῦ δ' ἐνθάδ' ἐόντες ὁμιλέομεν Δαναοῖσι
νωλεμέως. ἕταροι δὲ κατέκταθεν οὓς σὺ μεταλλᾶςμεταλλᾷς
οἴω Δηΐφοβός τε βίη θ' Ἑλένοιο ἄνακτος
οἴχεσθον, μακρῇσι τετυμμένω ἐγχείῃσιν:
ἀμφοτέρω κατὰ χεῖρα. φόνον δ' ἤμυνε Κρονίων:
νῦν δ' ἄρχ' ὅππῃ σε κραδίη θυμός τε κελεύει:
ἡμεῖς δ' ἐμμεμαῶτες ἅμ' ἑψόμεθ', οὐδέ τί φημὶ
ἀλκῆς δευήσεσθαι, ὅση δύναμίς γε πάρεστι.
παρ δύναμιν δ' οὐκ ἔστι καὶ ἐσσύμενον, πολεμίζειν:
Then spake unto him again godlike Alexander: "Hector, seeing it is thy mind to blame one in whom is no blame, at some other time have I haply withdrawn me from war rather than now, for my mother bare not even me wholly a weakling. For from the time thou didst rouse the battle of thy comrades beside the ships, even from that time we abide here and have dalliance with the Danaans ceaselessly; but our comrades are dead of whom thou makest question. Only Deïphobus and the valiant prince Helenus have departed, both of them smitten in the arm with long spears; yet the son of Cronos warded off death. But now lead thou on whithersoever thy heart and spirit bid thee, and as for us, we will follow with thee eagerly, nor, methinks, shall we be anywise wanting in valour, so far as we have strength; but beyond his strength may no man fight, how eager soever he be."
