μϋρομένω δ' ἄρα τώ γε ἰδὼν ἐλέησε Κρονίων:
κινήσας δὲ κάρη ποτὶ ὃν μϋθήσατο θυμόν:
ἆ δειλὼ: τί σφῷ δόμεν Πηλῇ ἄνακτι
θνητῷ: ὑμεῖς δ' ἐστὸν ἀγήρω τ' ἀθανάτω τε:
ἢ ἵνα δυστήνοισι μετ' ἀνδράσιν ἄλγε' ἔχοιτον:
οὐ μὲν γάρ τι που ἐστὶν ὀϊζυρώτερον ἀνδρός
πάντων, ὅσσά τε γαῖαν ἐπι πνείει τε καὶ ἕρπει:
ἀλλ' οὐ μὰν ὑμῖν γε καὶ ἅρμασι δαιδαλέοισιν
Ἕκτωρ Πριαμίδης ἐπῳχήσεται: οὐ γὰρ ἐάσω:
ἢ οὐχ ἅλις ὡς καὶ τεύχε' ἔχει καὶ ἐπεύχεται αὕτως⁚
σφῷν δ' ἐν γούνεσσι βαλῶ μένος: ἠδ' ἐνὶ θυμῷ
ὄφρα καὶ Αὐτομέδοντα σαώσετον ἐκ πολέμοιο
νῆας ἐπὶ γλαφυρὰς: ἔτι γάρ σφισι κῦδος ὀρέξω
κτείνειν: εἰςόκε νῆας ἐϋσσέλμους ἀφίκωνται:
δύη τ' ἠλέλιος καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἱερὸν ἔλθη:
And as they mourned, the son of Cronos had sight of them and was touched with pity, and he shook his head, and thus spake unto his own heart: "Ah unhappy pair, wherefore gave we you to king Peleus, to a mortal, while ye are ageless and immortal? Was it that among wretched men ye too should have sorrows? For in sooth there is naught, I ween, more miserable than man among all things that breathe and move upon earth. Yet verily not upon you and your car, richly-dight, shall Hector, Priam's son, mount; that will I not suffer. Sufficeth it not that he hath the armour and therewithal vaunteth him vainly? Nay, in your knees and in your heart will I put strength, to the end that ye may also bear Automedon safe out of the war to the hollow ships; for still shall I vouchsafe glory to the Trojans, to slay and slay, until they come to the well-benched ships, and the sun sets and sacred darkness cometh on."
