πρόσθεν Μυρμιδόνων πολεμιζέμεν: αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς
βῆ ρ’ ΐμεν ἐς κλισίην. χηλοῦ δ’ ἀπο πῶμ’ ἀνέῳγε
καλῆς. δαιδαλέης. τήν οἱ Θέτις ἀργυρόπεζα
θῆκ’ ἐπι νηὸς ἄγεσθαι, ἔϋ πλήσασα χιτώνων.
χλαινάων τ’ ἀνεμοσκεπέων, ούλων τε ταπήτων:
ἔνθα δέ οἱ δέπας ἔσκε τετυγμένον: οὐδέ τις ἄλλος
οὔτ’ ἀνδρῶν πίνεσκεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ αἴθοπα οἶνον.
οὔτέ τεῳ σπένδεσκε θεῶν. ὅτι μὴ Διῒ πατρί
τό ῥα τότ’ ἐκ χηλοῖο λαβὼν, ἐκάθῃρε θεείῳ
πρῶτον. ἔπειτα δ’ ένιψ’ ὕδατος καλῇσι ῥοῇσι:
νίψατο δ’ αὐτὸς χεῖρας. ἀφύσσατο δ’ αίθοπα οἶνον:
εὔχετ’ ἔπειτα στὰς μέσῳ έρκεϊ: λεῖβε δὲ οἶνον,
οὐρανὸν εἰσἀνιδών. Δία δ’ οὐ λάθε τερπικέραυνον.
Ζεῦ άνα: Δωδωναῖε, Πελασγικὲ, τηλόθι ναίων,
Δωδώνης μεδέων δυσχειμέρου. ἀμφὶ δὲ, Σελλοὶ
σοὶ ναίουσ’ ὑποφῆται. ἀνιπτόποδες. χαμαιεῦναι.
ἠμὲν δή ποτ’ ἐμὸν ἔπος ἔκλυες εὐξαμένοιο:
τίμησας μὲν ἐμὲ, μέγα δ’ ΐψαο λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν:
ἠδ’ ἔτι καὶ νῦν μοι τόδ’ ἐπικρήηνον ἐέλδωρ.
αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ἐγὼ μενέω, νηῶν ἐν ἀγῶνι.
ἂλλ’ ἕταρον πέμπω πολέσιν μετα Μυρμιδόνεσσι
μάρνασθαι. τῷ κῦδος ἅμα πρόἑς εὐρύοπα Ζεῦ.
θάρσυνον δέ οἱ ἦτορ ἐνὶ φρεσὶν. ὄφρα καὶ Ἕκτωρ
εἴσεται. ἦρα καὶ οἶος ἐπίστηται πολεμίζειν
ἡμέτερος θεράπων. ἤ οἱ τότε χεῖρες ἄαπτοι:
μαίνονθ’, ὁππότ’ ἐγώ περ, ΐω μετὰ μῶλον Ἄρηος:
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί κ’ ἀπο ναῦφι μάχην ἐνοπήν τε δίηται.
ἀσκηθής μοι ἔπειτα θοὰς ἐπὶ νῆας ἵ̈κοιτο
τεύχεσί τε ξὺν, πᾶσι. καὶ ἀγχεμάχοις ἑτάροισιν:
But Achilles went into his hut, and opened the lid of a chest, fair and richly-dight, that silver-footed Thetis had set on his ship for him to carry with him, whem she had filled it well with tunics, and cloaks to keep off the wind, and woollen rugs. Therein had he a fair-fashioned cup, wherefrom neither was any other man wont to drink the flaming wine, nor was he wont to pour drink offerings to any other of the gods save only to father Zeus. This cup he then took from the chest and cleansed it first with sulphur, and thereafter washed it in fair streams of water; and himself he washed his hands, and drew flaming wine. Then he made prayer, standing in the midst of the court, and poured forth the wine, looking up to heaven; and not unmarked was he of Zeus, that hurleth the thunderbolt: "Zeus, thou king, Dodonaean, Pelasgian, thou that dwellest afar, ruling over wintry Dodona,—and about thee dwell the Selli, thine interpreters, men with unwashen feet that couch on the ground. Aforetime verily thou didst hear my word, when I prayed: me thou didst honour, and didst mightily smite the host of the Achaeans; even so now also fulfill thou for me this my desire. Myself verily will I abide in the gathering of the ships, but my comrade am I sending forth amid the host of the Myrmidons to war: with him do thou send forth glory, O Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, and make bold the heart in his breast, to the end that Hector, too, may know whether even alone my squire hath skill to fight, or whether his hands then only rage invincible, whenso I enter the turmoil of Ares. But when away from the ships he hath driven war and the din of war, thea all-unscathed let him come back to the swift ships with all his arms, and his comrades that fight in close combat."
