Τρῶες δ' αὖθ' ἑτέρωθεν ἀπὸ κρατερῆς ὑσμίνης
χωρήσαντες ἔλυσαν ὑφ' ἅρμασιν ὠκέας ἵππους
ἐς δ' ἀγορὴν ἀγέροντο. πάρος δόρποιο μέδεσθαι:
ὀρθῶν δ' ἑσταότων ἀγορὴ γένετ'. οὐδέ τις ἔτλη
ἕζεσθαι. πάντας γὰρ ἔχεἕλε τρόμος, οὕνεκ' Ἀχιλλεὺς
ἐξεφάνη: δηρὸν δὲ μάχης ἐπέπαυτ' ἀλεγεινῆς:
τοῖσι δὲ Πουλυδάμας πεπνυμένος ἦρχ' ἀγορεύειν
Πανθοίδης. ὃ γὰρ οἶος ὅρα πρόσσω καὶ ὀπίσσω:
Ἕκτορι δ' ῆεν ἑταῖρος, ϊῇ δ', ἐν νυκτὶ γένοντο:
ἂλλ' ὁ μὲν ἂρ μύθοισιν. ὁ δ' ἔγχεϊ πολλὸν ἐνΐκα:
ὅ σφιν ἐϋφρονέων ἀγορήσατο καὶ μετέειπεν:
ἀμφι μάλα φράζεσθε φίλοι: κέλομαι γὰρ ἔγωγε
ἄστυδε νῦν ϊέναι, μὴ μίμνειν ἠῶ δῖαν
ἐν πεδίῳ, παρα νηυσὶν. ἑκὰς δ' ἀπὸ τείχεός εἰμεν:
ὄφρα μὲν οὗτος ἀνὴρ Ἀγαμέμνονι μήνιε δίῳ:
τόφρα δὲ ῥηΐτεροι πολεμίζειν ἦσαν Ἀχαιοί:
χαίρεσκον γὰρ ἔγωγε θοῇς ἐπὶ νηυσὶν ἰ̈αύων.
ἐλπόμενος νῆας αἱρησέμεν ἀμφιελίσσας.
νῦν δ' αἰνῶς δείδοικα ποδώκεα Πηλείωνα:
οἷος κείνου θυμὸς ὑπέρβιος, οὐκ ἐθελήσει
μίμνειν ἐν πεδίῳ. ὅθι περ Τρῶες καὶ Ἀχαιοὶ.
ἐν μέσῳ ἀμφότεροι μένος ἄρεος δατέονται:
ἀλλα περὶ πτόλιός τε μαχήσεται ἠδὲ γυναικῶν:
ἀ̄λλ' ἴ̈ομεν προτὶ ἄστυ. πί̆θεσθέ μοι, ὧδε γὰρ ἔσται:
νῦν μὲν νὺξ ἀπέπαυσε ποδώκεα Πηλείωνα
ἀμβροσίη: εἰ δ' ἄμμε κιχήσεται ἐνθάδ' ἐόντας
αὔριον. ὁρμηθεὶς σὺν τεύχεσιν. εὖ νύ τις αὐτὸν
γνώσεται. ἀσπασίως γὰρ ἀφίξεται Ί̈λιον ϊ̄ρὴν
ὅς κε φύγῃ. πολλοὺς δὲ κύνες καὶ γῦπες ἔδονται
Τρώων: αἳ γὰρ δή μοι ἀπ' ούατος ὧδε γένοιτο:
εἰ δ' ὰν, ἐμοῖς ἐπέεσσι πιθώμεθα κηδόμενοί περ:
νύκτα μὲν εἰν ἀγορῇ σθένος ἕξομεν: ἄστυ δὲ πύργοι:
ὑψηλαί τε πύλαι σανίδες τ' ἐπὶ τῇς ἀραρυῖαι.
μακραὶ ἐΰξεστοι. ἐζευγμέναι. εἰρύσσονται:
πρωῒ δ': ὑπ' ἠοῖοι. συν τεύχεσι. θωρηχθέντες:
στησόμεθ' ἂμ πύργους: τῷ δ' ἄλγιον. αί κ' ἐθέλῃσιν
ἐλθὼν ἐκ νηῶν. περὶ τείχεος ἄμμι μάχεσθαι:
ὰψ πάλιν εῖσ' ἐπὶ νῆας. ἐπεί κ' ἐριαύχενας ἵππους
παντοίου δρόμου ἄσῃ. ὑπὸ πτόλιν ἠλασκάζων:
εἴσω δ' οὔ μιν θυμὸς ἐφορμηθῆναι ἐάσει
οὐδέ ποτ' ἐκπέρσει: πρίν μιν κύνες ἀργοὶ ἔδονται:
τερπόμενοι: δοιὼ δὲ κυβιστητῆρε κατ' αὐτοὺς
And on their side, the Trojans, when they were come back from the fierce conflict, loosed from beneath their cars their swift horses, and gathered themselves in assembly or ever they bethought them to sup. Upon their feet they stood while the gathering was held, neither had any man heart to sit; for they all were holden of fear, seeing Achilles was come forth, albeit he had long kept him aloof from grievous battle. Then among them wise Polydamas was first to speak, the son of Panthous; for he alone looked at once before and after. Comrade was he of Hector, and in the one night were they born: howbeit in speech was one far the best, the other with the spear. He with good intent addressed their gathering, and spake among them: "On both sides, my friends, bethink you well. For my own part I bid you return even now to the city, neither on the plain beside the ships await bright Dawn, for afar from the wall are we. As long as this man continued in wrath against goodly Agamemnon, even so long were the Achaeans easier to fight against; aye, and I too was glad, when hard by the swift ships I spent the night, in hope that we should take the curved ships. But now do I wondrously fear the swift-footed son of Peleus; so masterful is his spirit, he will not be minded to abide in the plain, where in the midst both Trojans and Achaeans share in the fury of Ares; but it is for our city that he will fight, and for our wives. Nay, let us go to the city; hearken ye unto me, for on this wise shall it be. For this present hath immortal night stayed the swift-footed son of Peleus, but if on the morrow he shall come forth in harness and light on us yet abiding here, full well shall many a one come to know him; for with joy shall he that escapeth win to sacred Ilios, [270] and many of the Trojans shall the dogs and vultures devour—far from my ear be the tale thereof. But and if we hearken to my words for all we be loath, this night shall we keep our forces in the place of gathering, and the city shall be guarded by the walls and high gates and by the tall well-polished doors that are set therein, bolted fast. But in the morning at the coming of Dawn arrayed in our armour will we make our stand upon the walls; and the worse will it be for him, if he be minded to come forth from the ships and fight with us to win the wall. Back again to his ships shall he hie him, when he hath given his horses, with high-arched necks, surfeit of coursing to and fro, as he driveth vainly beneath the city. But to force his way within will his heart not suffer him nor shall he lay it waste; ere that shall the swift dogs devour him."
