ὣς εἰπὼν, παρέπεισεν ἀδελφειοῦ φρένας ἥρως:
βὰν δ' ΐμεν ἔνθα μάλιστα μάχη καὶ φύλοπις ῆεν.
ἀμφί τε Κεβριόνην. καὶ ἀμύμονα Πουλυδάμαντα.
Φάλκην. Ὀρθαῖόν τε. καὶ ἀντίθεον Πολυφήτην
Πάλμύν τ'. Ἀσκάνιόν τε, Μόρυν θ' υἷ' Ἱπποτίωνος:
οἵ ῥ' ἐξ Ἀσκανίης ἐριβώλακος ἦλθον ἀμοιβοῖ ἀμοιβοὶ
ἠοῖ τῇ προτέρῃ: τότε δὲ Ζεὺς ὦρσε μάχεσθαι:
οἱ δ' ΐσαν. ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀτάλαντοι ἀέλλῃ
ἥ ῥά θ' ὑπο βροντῆς πατρὸς Διὸς εῖσι πέδον δὲ,
θεσπεσίῳ δ' ὁμάδῳ ἁλὶ μίσγεται. ἐν δέ τε πολλὰ
κύματα παφλάζοντα. πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης.
κυρτὰ, φαληριόωντα. πρὸ μέν τ'τε ἄλλ'. αὐτὰρ ἐπ' ἄλλα:
ὡς Τρῶες. πρὸ μὲν ἄλλοι ἀρηρότες, αὐτὰρ ἐπ' ἄλλοι.
χαλκῷ μαρμαίροντες, ἅμ' ἡγεμόνεσσιν ἕποντο.
Ἕκτωρ δ' ἡγεῖτο βροτολοιγῷ ἶσος Ἄρηϊ
Πριαμίδης. προ ἕθεν δ' ἔχεν ἀσπίδα πάντοσε, ΐσην.
ῥινοῖσιν πυκινὴν. πολλὸς δ' ἐπελήλατο χαλκός:
ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ κροτάφοισι φαεινὴ σείετο πήληξ:
πάντῃ δ' ἀμφὶ φάλαγγας ἐπειρᾶτο προποδίζων
εἴ, πώς, οἱ, εἴξειαν ὑπ' ἀσπίδια προβιβῶντι
ἂλλ' οὐ σύγχει θυμὸν ἐνί στήθεσσιν Ἀχαιῶν:
Αἴας δὲ πρῶτος προκαλέσσατο μακρὰ βιβάσθων:
δαιμόνιε. σχεδὸν ἐλθέ. τί ὴ δειδίσσεαι αύτως
Ἀργείους, οὔ τοι τι μάχης ἀδαήμονές εἰμεν:
ἀλλὰ Διὸς μάστιγι κακῇ ἐδάμημεν Ἀχαιοί:
ῆ, θήν, που τοι θυμὸς ἐέλπεται ἐξαλαπάξειν
νῆας. ἄφαρ δέ τε χεῖρες ἀμύνειν εἰσὶ καὶ ἡμῖν:
ἦ κε πολὺ φθαίη εὖ ναιομένη πόλις ὑμὴ
χερσὶν ὑφ' ἡμετέρῃσιν ἁλοῦσά τε περθομένη τε:
σοὶ δ' αὐτῷ φημὶ σχεδὸν ἔμμεναι. ὁππότε φεύγων
ἀρήσῃ Διῒ πατρὶ καὶ ἄλλοις ἀθανάτοισι
θάσσονας, ϊρήκων έμεναι καλλίτριχας ἵππους:
οἵ σε πόλιν δ' οἴσουσι κονί̄οντες πεδίοιο:
So spake the warrior, and turned his brother's mind; and they set out to go where the battle and the din were fiercest, round about Cebriones and peerless Polydamas, and Phalces, and Orthaeus, and godlike Polyphetes, and Palmys, and Ascanius, and Morys, son of Hippotion, who had come from deep-soiled Ascania on the morn before to relieve their fellows, and now Zeus roused them to fight. And they came on like the blast of direful winds that rusheth upon the earth beneath the thunder of father Zeus, and with wondrous din mingleth with the sea, and in its track are many surging waves of the loud-resounding sea, high-arched and white with foam, some in the van and after them others; even so the Trojans, in close array, some in the van and after them others, flashing with bronze, followed with their leaders. And Hector, son of Priam, led them, the peer of Ares, the bane of mortals. Before him he held his shield that was well-balanced upon every side, his shield thick with hides, whereon abundant bronze had been welded, and about his temples waved the crest of his shining helm. And everywhere on this side and on that he strode forward and made trial of the battalions, if so be they would give way before him, as he advanced under cover of his shield; yet could he not confound the heart in the breast of the Achaeans. And Aias came on with long strides, and was first to challenge him: "Good sir, draw nigh; wherefore seekest thou thus vainly to affright the Argives? In no wise, I tell thee, are we ignorant of battle, but by the evil scourge of Zeus were we Achaeans subdued. Verily, thy heart hopeth, I ween, to despoil our ships, but be sure we too have hands to defend them. In good sooth your well-peopled city is like, ere that, to be taken and laid waste beneath our hands. And for thine own self, I declare that the day is near when in flight thou shalt pray to father Zeus and the other immortals, that thy fair-maned horses may be swifter than falcons—they that shall bear thee citywards, coursing in dust over the plain."
