ὡς φάτο λισσόμενος, μέγα νήπιος. ῆ γὰρ ἔμελλεν:
οἷ αὐτῶι θάνατόν τε κακὸν καὶ κῆρα λιτέσθαι:
τὸν δὲ μέγ' ὀχθήσας προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς ἀχιλλεύς:
ὤ μοι διογενὲς πατρόκλεις οἷον ἔειπες:
οὔτε θεοπροπίης ἐμπάζομαι ἥν τινα οἶδα:
οὔτέ τί μοι πὰρ Ζηνὸς ἐπέφραδὲ πότνια μηρ [μήτηρ].
ἀλλὰ τόδ' αἰνὸν ἄχος κραδίην καὶ θυμὸν ἱκάνει.
ὁππότε δὴ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἀνὴρ ἐθέλῃσιν ἀμέρσαι.
καὶ γέρας ὰψ, ἀφελέσθαι, ὅ τε κράτεϊ προβεβήκῃ:
αἰνὸν ἄχος τό μοι ἐστιν ἐπεὶ πάθον ἄλγεα θυμῷ:
κούρην: ἣν ἄρα μοι γέρας ἔξελον υἷες Ἀχαιῶν:
δουρὶ δ' ἐμῷ κτεάτισσα, πόλιν εὐτείχεα πέρσας.
τὴν ὰψ, ἐκ χειρῶν ἕλετο κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
Ἀτρείδης, ὡς εἴ τιν' ἀτίμητον μετανάστην:
ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν προτετύχθαι ἐάσομεν. οὐδ' άρα πως ἦν
ἀσπερχὲς κεχολῶσθαι ἐνι φρεσίν: ἤτοι ἔφην γε
οὐ πρὶν μηνιθμὸν καταπαυσέμεν: ἀλλ' ὁπότ ἀν δὴ
νῆας ἐμὰς ἀφίκηται ἀϋτή τε πτόλεμός τε:
τύνη δ' ὤμοιϊν μὲν ἐμὰ κλυτὰ τεύχεα δῦθι:
ἄρχε δὲ Μυρμιδόνεσσι φιλοπτολέμοισι μάχεσθαι.
εἰ δὴ κυάνεον Τρώων νέφος ἀμφιβέβηκε
νηυσὶν ἐπικρατέως, οἱ δὲ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης
κεκλίαται: χώρης ὀλίγην ἔτι μοῖραν ἔχοντες
Ἀργεῖοι. Τρώων δὲ πόλις ἐπὶ πᾶσα βέβηκε
θάρσυνος. οὐ γὰρ ἐμῆς κόρυθος λεύσουσι μέτωπον
ἐγγύθι λαμπομένης: τάχα κεν φεύγοντες ἐναύλους
πλήσειαν νεκύων: εἴ μοι κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
ήπια εἰδείη: νῦν δὲ στρατὸν ἀμφιμάχονται:
So spake he in prayer, fool that he was, for in sooth it was to be his own evil death and fate for which he prayed. Then, his heart deeply stirred, spake to him swift-footed Achilles: "Ah me, Zeus-born Patroclus, what a thing hast thou said! Neither reck I of any oracle, that I wot of, nor has my queenly mother declared to me aught from Zeus; but herein dread grief cometh upon heart and soul, whenso a man is minded to rob one that is his equal, and take from him his prize, for that he surpasseth him in power. Dread grief is this to me, seeing I have suffered woes at heart. The girl that the sons of the Achaeans chose out for me as a prize, and that I won with my spear, when I had laid waste a well-walled city, her hath lord Agamemnon taken back from my arms, this son of Atreus, as though I were some alien that had no rights. Howbeit these things will we let be, as past and done. In no wise, meseems, was I to be filled with ceaseless wrath at heart; yet verily I deemed that I should not make an end of mine anger, until the hour when unto mine own ships should come the war-cry and the battle. But come, do thou put upon thy shoulders my glorious armour, and lead forth the war-loving Myrmidons to the fight, if in good sooth the dark cloud of the Trojans lieth encompassed the ships mightily, and those others abide with naught to support them but the shore of the sea, having but scant space of land still left them, even the Argives; while the whole city of the Trojans hath come forth against them fearlessly, for they see not the front of my helm shining hard at hand; full soon in their flight would they fill the water-courses with their dead, were but lord Agamemnon of kindly mind toward me, whereas now they are warring around the camp.
