Τὸν δ’ ἠμείβετ’ ἔπειτα βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη:
αἰνότατε Κρονίδη: ποῖον τὸν μῦθον ἔειπες:
ἄνδρα θνητὸν ἐόντα. πάλαι πεπρωμένον αἴσῃ.
ὰψ ἐθέλεις θανάτοιο δυσχέος δυσηχέος ἐξαναλῦσαι:
ἔρδ’: ἀτὰρ οὔ τοι πάντες ἐπαινέομεν θεοὶ ἄλλοι:
ἄλλο δέ τοι ἐρέω. σὺ δ’ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βάλλεο, σῇσιν:
αἴ κε ζὼν πέμψῃς Σαρπηδόνα ὃν δὲ δόμον δὲ.
φράζεο. μή τις ἔπειτα θεῶν ἐθέλῃσι καὶ ἄλλος
πέμπειν ὃν φίλον υἱὸν ἄπὸ κρατερῆς ὑσμίνης:
πολλοὶ γὰρ περὶ ἄστυ μέγα Πριάμοιο μάχονται
υἱέες ἀθανάτων. τοῖσιν κότον αἰνὸν ἐνήσεις:
ἂλλ’ ἤτοι φίλον ἐστὶ. τεὸν δ’ ὀλοφύρεται ῆτορ.
χὲρσ’ ὑπο Πατρόκλοιο Μενοιτιάδᾱο δαμῆναι:
αὐτὰρ ἐπει δὴ τόν γε λίπῃ ψυχή τε καὶ αἰών.
πέμπειν μιν θάνατόν τε φέρειν καὶ νήδυμον ὕπνον
εἰς ὅ κε δὴ Λυκίης εὐρείης δῆμον ΐκωνται,
ἔνθά ἑ ταρχύσουσι κασίγνητοί τε έται τε
τύμβῳ τε στήλῃ τε. τὸ γὰρ γέρας ἐστὶ θανόντων:
Then ox-eyed queenly Hera answered him: "Most dread son of Cronos, what a word hast thou said! A man that is mortal, doomed long since by fate, art thou minded to deliver again from dolorous death? Do as thou wilt; but be sure that we other gods assent not all thereto. And another thing will I tell thee, and do thou lay it to heart: if thou send Sarpedon living to his house, bethink thee lest hereafter some other god also be minded to send his own dear son away from the fierce conflict; for many there be fighting around the great city of Priam that are sons of the immortals, and among the gods wilt thou send dread wrath. But and if he be dear to thee, and thine heart be grieved, suffer thou him verily to be slain in the fierce conflict beneath the hands of Patroclus, son of Menoetius; but when his soul and life have left him, then send thou Death and sweet Sleep to bear him away until they come to the land of wide Lycia; and there shall his brethren and his kinsfolk give him burial with mound and pillar; for this is the due of the dead."
