ὡς ἄρα φωνήσασα θεὰ κατα τεύχε' ἔθηκε
πρόσθεν Ἀχιλλῆος. τὰ δ' ἀνέβραχε δαίδαλα πάντα.
Μυρμιδόνας δ' ἄρα πάντας ἕλε τρόμος. οὐδέ τις ἔτλη
ἄντην εἰσϊδέειν, ἄλλ' ἔτρεσαν: αὐταρ Ἀχιλλεὺς
ὡς εἶδ' ὥς μιν μᾶλλον ἔδυ χόλος, ἐν δέ οἱ ὄσσε
δεινὸν ὑπο βλεφάρων ὡς εὶ σέλας ἐξεφάανθεν:
τέρπετο δ' ἐν χείρεσσιν ἔχων θεοῦ ἀγλαὰ δῶρα.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ φρεσὶν ᾗσι τετάρπετο. δαίδαλα λεύσσων.
αὐτίκα μητέρα ἣν, ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα:
μῆτερ ἐμὴ. τὰ μὲν ὅπλα θεὸς πόρεν⁚ οἷ' ἐπιεικὲς
ἔργ' έμεν ἀθανάτων. μη δὲ βροτὸν ἄνδρα τελέσσαι.
νῦν δ' ἤτοι μὲν ἐγὼ θωρήξομαι: ἀλλα μάλ' αἰνῶς
δείδω. μή μοι τόφρα Μενοιτίου ἄλκιμον υἱὸν
μυῖαι καδδῦσαι κατὰ χαλκοτύπους ὠτειλὰς.
εὐλὰς ἐγγείνωνται: ἀεικίσσωσι δὲ νεκρόν:
ἐκ δ' αἰὼν πέφαται: κατα δε χρόα πάντα σαπήῃ:
So saying the goddess set down the arms in front of Achilles, and they all rang aloud in their splendour. Then trembling seized all the Myrmidons, neither dared any man to look thereon, but they shrank in fear. Howbeit, when Achilles saw the arms, then came wrath upon him yet the more, and his eyes blazed forth in terrible wise from beneath their lids, as it had been flame; and he was glad as he held in his arms the glorious gifts of the god. But when in his soul he had taken delight in gazing on the glory of them, forthwith to his mother he spake winged words: "My mother, the arms that the god hath given are such as the works of immortals should fitly be, such as no mortal man could fashion. Now therefore will I array me for battle; yet am I sore afraid lest meantime flies enter the wounds that the bronze hath dealt on the corpse of the valiant son of Menoetius, and breed worms therein, and work shame upon his corpse—for the life is slain out of him—and so all his flesh shall rot."
