τὸν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς:
Ἀτρείδη κύδιστε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγάμεμνον:
ἄλλοτέ περ καὶ μᾶλλον ὀφέλλετε ταῦτα πένεσθαι
ὁππότέ τις μετὰπαυσωλὴ πολέμοιο γένηται:
καὶ μένος οὐ τόσον ἦσιν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἐμοῖσι:
νῦν δ' οἱ μὲν κέαται δεδαϊγμένοι οὓς ἐδάμασσεν
Ἕκτωρ Πριαμίδης ὅτε οἱ Ζεὺς κῦδος ἔδωκεν.
ὑμεῖς δ' ἐς βρωτὺν ὀτρύνετον: ἦ τ' ἂν ἔγωγε
νῦν μὲν ἀνώγοιμι πτολεμίζειν υἷας Ἀχαιῶν
νήστιας ἀκμήνους: ἅμα δ' ἠελίῳ καταδύντι
τεύξεσθαιτεύξασθαι μέγα δόρπον ἐπὴν τισαίμεθα λώβην:
πρὶν δ' οὔ πως ἂν ἔμοιγε φίλον κατὰ λαιμὸν ἱείη
οὐ πόσις οὐδὲ βρῶσις ἑταίρου τεθνηῶτος:
ὅς μοι ἐνὶ κλισίῃ δεδαιγμένος ὀξέι χαλκῷ
κεῖται ἀνὰ προθύροισι τετραμμένος: ἀμφὶ δ' ἑταῖροι
μύρονται: τό μοι οὔ τι μετὰ φρεσὶ ταῦτα μέμηλεν
ἀλλὰ φόνος τε καὶ αἷμα καὶ ἀργαλέος στόνος ἀνδρῶν:
But swift-footed Achilles answered him, and said: "Most glorious son of Atreus, Agamemnon, king of men, at some other time were it e'en better that ye be busied thus, when haply there shall come between some pause in war, and the fury in my breast be not so great. Now are they lying mangled, they that Hector, son of Priam, slew, Zeus vouch-safed him glory, and ye twain are bidding us to meat! Verily for mine own part would I even now bid the sons of the Achaeans do battle fasting and unfed, and at set of sun make them ready a mighty meal, when we shall have avenged the shame. Till that shall be, down my throat, at least, neither drink nor food shall pass, seeing my comrade is dead, who in my hut lieth mangled by the sharp bronze, his feet turned toward the door, while round about him our comrades mourn; wherefore it is nowise on these things that my heart is set, but on slaying, and blood, and the grievous groanings of men."
