τὸν μὲν δακρυχέοντα πόδες φέρον ἐκ πολέμοιο.
Πηλείδῃ Ἀχιλῆϊ κακὸν ἔπος ἀγγελέοντα:
οὐδ' ἄρα σοὶ Μενέλᾱε διοτρεφὲς ἤθελε θυμὸς
τειρομένοις ἑτάροισιν ἀμυνέμεν. ἔνθεν ἀπῆλθεν
Ἀντίλοχος, μεγάλη δὲ ποθὴ Πυλίοισιν ἐτύχθῃ:
ἀλλ' ὅ γε, τοῖσιν μὲν Θρασυμήδεα δῖον ἀν ἧκεν:
αὐτὸς δ' αὖτ' ἐπὶ Πατρόκλῳ ἥρωϊ βεβήκει:
στῆ δὲ παρ' Αἰάντεσσι θέων. εἶθαρ δὲ προσηύδᾱ:
κεῖνον μὲν δὴ νηυσὶν ἐπιπροέηκα θοῇσιν.
ἐλθεῖν εἰς Ἀχιλῆα πόδας ταχύν: οὐδέ μιν οἴω
νῦν ἱ̈έναι. μάλα περ κεχολωμένον Ἕκτορι δίῳ:
οὐ γάρ πως ἂν γυμνὸς ἐὼν Τρώεσσι μάχοιτο:
ἡμεῖς δ' αὐτοί περ φραζώμεθα μῆτιν ἀρίστην.
ἠμὲν ὅπως τὸν νεκρὸν ἐρύσσομεν, ἠδὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ
Τρώων ἐξ ἐνοπῆς. θάνατον καὶ κῆρα φύγωμεν:
Him then as he wept his feet bare forth from out the battle to bear an evil tale to Peleus' son Achilles. Nor was thy heart, Menelaus, nurtured of Zeus, minded to bear aid to the sore-pressed comrades from whom Antilochus was departed, and great longing was wrought for the men of Pylos. Howbeit, for their aid he sent goodly Thrasymedes, and himself went again to bestride the warrior Patroclus; and he ran, and took his stand beside the Aiantes, and forthwith spake to them: "Yon man have I verily sent forth to the swift ships, to go to Achilles, fleet of foot. Howbeit I deem not that Achilles will come forth, how wroth soever he be against goodly Hector; for in no wise may he fight against the Trojans unarmed as he is. But let us of ourselves devise the counsel that is best, whereby we may both hale away the corpse, and ourselves escape death and fate amid the battle-din of the Trojans."
