ὣς εἰπὼν Αἴαντε καλέσσατο καὶ Μενέλαον:
Αἴαντ' Ἀργείων ἡγήτορε καὶ Μενέλαε:
ἤτοι μὲν τὸν νεκρὸν ἐπιτράπεθ' οἵ περ ἄριστοι
ἀμφ' αὐτῷ βεβάμεν καὶ ἀμύνεσθαι στίχας ἀνδρῶν:
νῷν δ' ἐν ζωοῖσιν ἀμύνετε νηλεές ἦμαρ
τῇδε γὰρ ἔβρισαν πόλεμον κατὰ δακρυόεντα
Ἕκτωρ Αἰνείας θ' οἳ Τρώων εἰσὶν ἄριστοι:
ἀλλ' ἤτοι μὲν ταῦτα θεῶν ἐν γούνασι κεῖται:
ἥσω γὰρ καὶ ἐγώ: τὰ δέ κεν Διὶ πάντα μελήσαι.
So spake he, and called to the two Aiantes and to Menelaus: "Ye Aiantes twain, leaders of the Argives, and thou Menelaus, lo now, leave ye the corpse in charge of them that are bravest to stand firm about it and to ward off the ranks of men; but from us twain that yet live ward ye off the pitiless day of doom, for here are pressing hard in tearful war Hector and Aeneas, the best men of the Trojans. Yet these things verily lie on the knees of the gods: I too will cast, and the issue shall rest with Zeus."
