ὣς εἰπὼν. ὄτρυνε μένος καὶ θυμὸν ἑκάστου:
Αἴας δ' αῦθ' ἑτέρωθεν ἐκέκλετο, οἷς ἑτάροισιν:
αἰδὼς Ἀργεῖοι: νῦν ἄρκιον ἠ ἀπολέσθαι
ἠὲ σαωθῆναι καὶ ἀπώσασθαι κακὰ νηῶν:
ῆ ἔλπεσθ'. ἢν νῆας ἕλῃ κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ.
ἐμβαδὸν ί̈ξεσθαι ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἕκαστος:
ἦ οὐκ ὀτρύνοντος ἀκούετε λαὸν ἅπαντα
Ἕκτορος, ὃς δὴ νῆας ἐνιπρῆσαι μενεαίνει:
οὐ μὰν ἔς γε, χορὸν κέλετ' ἐλθέμεν. ἀλλὰ μάχεσθαι:
ἡμῖν δ' οὔ τις τοῦδε νόος. καὶ μῆτις ἀμείνων.
ἢ αὐτοσχεδίῃ μῖξαι χεῖράς τε μένος τε:
βέλτερον ἢ ἀπολέσθαι ἕνα χρόνον ἠὲ βιῶναι.
ἢ δηθὰ στρεύγεσθαι ἐν αἰνῇ δηϊοτῆτι
ὧδ' αύτως παρὰ νηυσὶν, ὑπ' ἀνδράσι χειροτέροισιν:
So saying, he aroused the strength and spirit of every man. And Aias again, over against him called to his comrades: "Shame on you, Argives, now is it sure that we must either perish utterly or find deliverance by thrusting back the peril from the ships. Think ye haply that if Hector of the flashing helm take the ships, ye shall come afoot each man of you to his own native land? Hear ye not Hector urging on all his host in his fury to burn the ships? Verily it is not to the dance that he biddeth them come, but to battle. And for us there is no counsel or device better than this, that in close combat we bring our hands and our might against theirs. Better is it once for all either to die or live, than long to be straitened in dread conflict thus bootlessly beside the ships at the hands of men that be meaner."
