ὡς εἰπὼν, ὁ μὲν ᾤχετ' ἐπὶ κλυτὰ φῦλ' ἀνων [ἀνθρώπων],
τὸν δ' ἔτι μᾶλλον ἀνῆκεν ἀμυνέμεναι Δαναοῖσιν
αὐτίκα δ' ἐν πρώτοισι μέγα προθορῶν ἐκέλευσεν:
Ἀργεῖοι: καὶ δ' αῦτε μεθείεμεν Ἕκτορι νίκην
Πριαμίδῃ: ἵνα νῆας ἕλῃ, καὶ κῦδος ἄρηται:
ἂλλ' ὁ μὲν οὕτω φησὶ καὶ εὔχεται, οὕνεκ' Ἀχιλλεὺς.
νηυσὶν ἐπι γλαφυρῇσι μένει κεχολωμένος ῆτορ:
κείνου δ' οὔ τι λίην, ποθὴ ἔσσεται: εἴ κέν, οἱ ἄλλοι
ἡμεῖς ὀτρυνώμεθ' ἀμυνέμεν ἀλλήλοισιν:
ἂλλ' ἄγεθ' ὡς ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω, πειθώμεθα πάντες:
ἀσπίδες, ὅσσαι ἄρισται ἐνι στρατῷ ἠδὲ μέγισται.
ἐσσάμενοι, κεφαλὰς δὲ παναίθῃσιν κορύθεσσι
κρύψαντες: χερσὶν δὲτε τὰ μακρότατ' ἔγχε' ἑλόντες,
ἴ̈ομεν: αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν, ἡγήσομαι. οὐδ' έτι φημὶ
Ἕκτορα Πριαμίδην μενέειν μάλα περ μεμαῶτα:
ὃς δέ κ' ἀνὴρ μενέχαρμος. ἔχῃ δ' ὀλίγον σάκος ὤμῳ.
χείρονι φωτὶ δότω. ὁ δ' ἐν ἀσπίδι μείζονι δύτω:
So spake he and departed to the glorious tribes of men, but Poseidon he set on yet more to bear aid to the Danaans. Forthwith then he leapt forth amid the foremost, and cried aloud: "Argives, are we again in good sooth to yield victory to Hector, son of Priam, that he may take the ships and win him glory? Nay, even so he saith, and vaunteth that it shall be, for that Achilles abideth by the hollow ships, filled with wrath at heart. Howbeit him shall we in no wise miss overmuch if we others bestir ourselves to bear aid one to the other. Nay, come, even as I shall bid, let us all obey. In the shields that are best in the host and largest let us harness ourselves, and our heads let us cover with helms all-gleaming, and in our hands take the longest spears, and so go forth. And I will lead the way, nor, methinks, will Hector, son of Priam, longer abide, how eager soever he be. And whoso is a man, staunch in fight, but hath a small shield on his shoulder, let him give it to a worser man, and himself harness him in a large shield."
