τὸν δ' ἠμείβετ' ἔπειτα Θετίς κατα δακρυ χέουσα:
Ἥφαιστ': ῆ άρα δή τις ὅσαι θεαί εἰσ' ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ
τοσσάδ' ἐνὶ φρεσὶν ῇσιν ἀνέσχετο κήδεα λυγρὰ.
ὅσσ' ἐμοὶ ἐκ πασέων Κρονίδης, Ζεὺς ἄλγε' ἔδωκεν:
ἐκ μέν μ' ἀλλάων ἁλιάων ἀνδρὶ δάμασσεν,
Αἰακίδῃ Πηλῆϊ: καὶ ἔτλην ἀνέρος εὐνὴν,
πολλὰ μάλ' οὐκ ἐθέλουσα: ὁ μὲν δὴ γήραϊ λυγρῷ
κεῖται ἐνι μεγάροις ἀρημένος: ἄλλα δέ μοι νῦν:
υἱὸν ἐπεί μοι δῶκεῖ γενέσθαί δῶκε γενέσθαί τε τραφέμεν τε
ἔξοχον ἡρώων. ὁ δ' ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶ̈σος.
τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὡς γουνῶ αλωῆς,
νηυσὶν ἔπι προέηκα κορωνίσιν Ἴλιον εἴσω
Τρωσὶ μαχησόμενον, τὸν δ' οὐχ ὑποδέξομαι αὖτις
οἴκαδε νοστήσαντα: δόμον Πηλήϊον εἴσω:
ὄφρα δέ μοι ζώει καὶ ὁρᾷ φάος ἠελίοιο.
ἄχνυται. οὐδέ τι οἱ δύναμαι χραισμῆσαι ἰ̈οῦσα:
κούρην, ἣν ἄρα οἱ γέρας ἔξελον υἷες Ἀχαιῶν.
τὴν, ὰψ ἐκ χειρῶν ἕλετο κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων:
ἤτοι ὃ τῆς ἀχέων. φρένας ἔφθιεν: αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὺς
Τρῶες ἐπι πρύμνῃσιν, εείλεον: οὐδὲ θύραζε
εἴων ἐξιέναι: τὸν δὲ λλίσσοντο γέροντες
Ἀργείων, καὶ πολλὰ περικλυτὰ δῶρ' ὀνόμαζον:
ἔνθ' αὐτὸς μὲν ἔπειτ' ἠναίνετο λοιγὸν ἀμῦναι:
αὐτὰρ ὃ Πάτροκλον περι μὲν τὰ, ἃ. τεύχεα, έσσε:
πέμπε δέ μιν πόλεμον δὲ, πολὺν δ' ἅμα λαὸν όπασσε:
πᾶν δ' ῆμαρ μάρναντο περὶ Σκαιῇσι πύλῃσι:
καί νύ κεν αὐτῆμαρ πόλιν ἔπραθον, εἰ μὴ Ἀπόλλων
πολλὰ κακὰ ῥέξαντα Μενοιτίου ἄλκιμον υἱὸν:
ἔκταν' ἐνι προμάχοισι. καὶ Ἕκτορι κῦδος ἔδωκε:
τοὔνεκα νῦν τὰ σὰ γούναθ' ϊκάνομαι. αί κ' ἐθέλῃσθα
υἱεῖ ἐμ ὠκυμόρῳ δόμεν' ἀσπίδα καὶ τρυφάλειαν.
καὶ κᾱλὰς κνημῖδας ἐπισφυρίοις ἀραρυίας.
καὶ θώρηχ'. ὃ γὰρ ἦν οἱ: ἀπώλεσε πιστὸς ἑταῖρος
Τρωσὶ δαμείς: ὁ δὲ κεῖται ἐπὶ χθονὶ, θυμὸν ἀχεύων:
τερπόμενοι: δοιὼ δὲ κυβιστητῆρε κατ' αὐτοὺς
And Thetis made answer to him, shedding tears the while: "Hephaestus, is there now any goddess, of all those that are in Olympus, that hath endured so many grievous woes in her heart as are the sorrows that Zeus, son of Cronos, hath given me beyond all others? Of all the daughters of the sea he subdued me alone to a mortal, even to Peleus, son of Aeacus, and I endured the bed of a mortal albeit sore against my will. And lo, he lieth in his halls fordone with grievous old age, but now other griefs are mine. A son he gave me to bear and to rear, pre-eminent among warriors, and he shot up like a sapling; then when I had reared him as a tree in a rich orchard plot, I sent him forth in the beaked ships to Ilios to war with the Trojans; but never again shall I welcome him back to his home, to the house of Peleus. And while yet he liveth, and beholdeth the light of the sun, he hath sorrow, nor can I any wise help him, though I go to him. The girl that the sons of the Achaeans chose out for him as a prize, her hath the lord Agamemnon taken back from out his arms. Verily in grief for her was he wasting his heart; but the Achaeans were the Trojans penning at the sterns of the ships, and would not suffer them to go forth. And to him the elders of the Argives made prayer, and named many glorious gifts. Then albeit he refused himself to ward from them ruin, yet clad he Patroclus in his own armour and sent him into the war, and added therewithal much people. All day long they fought around the Scaean gates, and on that selfsame day had laid the city waste, but that, after the valiant son of Menoetius had wrought sore harm, Apollo slew him amid the foremost fighters and gave glory to Hector. Therefore am I now come to thy knees, if so be thou wilt be minded to give my son, that is doomed to a speedy death, shield and helmet, and goodly greaves fitted with ankle-pieces, and corselet. For the harness that was his aforetime his trusty comrade lost, when he was slain by the Trojans; and my son lieth on the ground in anguish of heart."
