τὸν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς:
ὦ Ἀχιλεῦ Πηλέος υἱὲ μέγα φέρτατ' Ἀχαιῶν:
κρείσσων εἰς ἐμέθεν καὶ φέρτερος οὐκ ὀλίγον περ
ἔγχει: ἐγὼ δέ κε σεῖο νοήματί κεν προβαλοίμην
πολλὸν: ἐπεὶ πρότερος γενόμην καὶ πλείονα οἶδα:
τῷ τοι ἐπιτλήτω κραδίη μύθοισιν ἐμοῖσιν:
αἶψά τε φυλόπιδος πέλεται κόρος ἀνθρώποισιν
ἧς τε πλείστην μὲν καλάμην χθονὶ χαλκὸς ἔχευεν
ἄμητος δ' ὀλίγιστος ἐπὴν κλίνῃσι τάλαντα
Ζεὺς ὅς τ' ἀνθρώπων ταμίης πολέμοιο τέτϋκται:
γαστέρι δ' οὔ πως ἐστὶ νέκυν πενθῆσαι Ἀχαιούς:
λίην γὰρ πολλοὶ καὶ ἐπήτριμοι ἤματα πάντα
πίπτουσιν: πότε κέν τις ἀναπνεύσειε πόνοιο
ἀλλά χρὴ τὸν μὲν κατ θάπτειν ὅς κε θάνησι:
νηλέα θυμὸν ἔχοντας: ἐπ' ἤματι δακρύσαντας
ὅσσοι δ' ἂν πολέμοιο περι στυγεροῖο λίπωνται.
μεμνῆσθαι πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος ὄφρ' ἔτι μᾶλλον
ἀνδράσι δυσμενέεσσι μαχώμεθα νωλεμὲς αἰεὶ:
ἑσσάμενοι χροὶ χαλκὸν ἀτειρέα μὴ δέ τι ἄλλην
λαῶν ὀτρυντὺν ποτιδέγμενος ἰσχαναάσθω:
ἤδε γὰρ ὀτρυντύς κακὸν ἔσσεται ὅς κε λίπηται
νηυσὶν ἐπ' Ἀργείων: ἀλλ' ἀθρόοι ὁρμηθέντες
Τρωσὶν ἐφ' ἱπποδάμοισιν ἐγείρομεν ὀξὺν Ἄρηα
Then Odysseus of many wiles answered him, and said: "O Achilles, son of Peleus, far the mightiest of the Achaeans, better art thou than I and mightier not a little with the spear, howbeit in counsel might I surpass thee by far, seeing I am the elder-born and know the more; wherefore let thine heart endure to hearken to my words. Quickly have men surfeit of battle, wherein the bronze streweth most straw upon the ground, albeit the harvest is scantiest, whenso Zeus inclineth his balance, he that is for men the dispenser of battle. But with the belly may it nowise be that the Achaeans should mourn a corpse, for full many are ever falling one after another day by day; when then could one find respite from toil? Nay, it behoveth to bury him that is slain, steeling our hearts and weeping but the one day's space; but all they that are left alive from hateful war must needs bethink them of drink and of food, to the end that yet the more we may fight with the foemen ever incessantly, clothed about with stubborn bronze. And let no man of all the host hold back awaiting other summons beside, for the summons is this: Ill shall it be for him whoso is left at the ships of the Argives. Nay, setting out in one throng let us rouse keen battle against the horse-taming Trojans."
