ὣς εἰπὼν ἄλλους μὲν ἀπεσκέδασεν βασιλῆας.
δύω δ' Ἀτρείδα μενέτην καὶ δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς
Νέστωρ Ἰδομενεύς τε: γέρων θ' ἱππηλάτα Φοῖνιξ:
τέρποντες πυκινῶς ἀκαχήμενον οὐδέ τι θυμῷ
τέρπετο πρὶν πολέμου στόμα δύμεναι αἱματόεντος:
μνησάμενος δ' ἀδινῶς ἀνενείκατο φώνησέν τε
ἦ ῥὰ νύ μοι ποτὲ καὶ σύ δυσάμμορε φίλταθ' ἑταίρων
αὐτὸς ἐν κλισίῃ λαρὸν παρὰ δεῖπνον ἔθηκας:
αἶψα καὶ ὀτραλέως: ὁπότε σπερχοίατ' Ἀχαιοὶ
Τρωσὶν ἐφ' ἱπποδάμοισι φέρειν πολύδακρυν Ἄρηα
νῦν δὲ σὺ μὲν κεῖσαι δεδαϊγμένος: αὐτὰρ ἐμὸν κῆρ
ἄκμηνον πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος: ἔνδον ἐόντων,
σῇ ποθῇ: οὐ μὲν γάρ τι κακώτερον ἄλλο πάθοιμι
οὐδ' εἴ κεν τοῦ πατρὸς ἀποφθιμένοιο πυθοίμην:
ὅς που νῦν Φθίηφι τέρεν κατὰ δάκρυον εἴβει:
χήτει τοιοῦδ' υἷος: ὃ δ' ἀλλοδαπῷ ἐνὶ δήμῳ:
εἵνεκα ῥιγεδανῆς Ἑλένης Τρωσὶν πολεμίζω:
ἠὲ τὸν. ὃς Σκύρῳ μοι ἔνι τρέφεται φίλος υἱὸς:
εἴ που ἔτι ζώει γε, Νεοπτόλεμος. θεοειδής:
πρὶν μὲν γάρ μοι θυμὸς ἐνι στήθεσσιν, εώλπει.
οἶον ἐμὲ φθίσεσθαι ἀπ' Ἄργεος ἱ̈πποβότοιο
αὐτοῦ ἐνι Τροίῃ. σὲ δέ τε Φθίην δὲ νέεσθαι.
ὡς ἄν μοι τὸν παῖδα θοῇ ἐνι νηῒ μελαίνῃ
Σκυρόθεν ἐξαγάγοις. καί οἱ δείξειας ἕκαστα:
κτῆσιν ἐμὴν, δμῶάς τε καὶ ὑψερεφὲς μέγα δῶμα:
ἤδη γὰρ Πηλῆά γ' ὀΐομαι: ἢ κατα πάμπαν
τεθνάμεν. ἤ που τυτθὸν ἔτι ζώοντ' ἀκάχησθαι
γήραΐ τε στυγερῷ. καὶ ἐμὴν ποτιδέγμενον αἰεὶ
λυγρὴν ἀγγελίην ὅτ' ἀποφθιμένοιο πύθηται:
So spake he, and sent from him the other chieftains, but the two sons of Atreus abode, and goodly Odysseus, and Nestor and Idomeneus and the old man Phoenix, driver of chariots, seeking to comfort him in his exceeding sorrow; but no whit would his heart be comforted until he entered the mouth of bloody war. And as he thought thereon he heaved a heavy sigh and spake, saying: "Ah verily of old, thou too, O hapless one, dearest of my comrades, thyself wast wont to set forth in our hut with nimble haste a savoury meal, whenso the Achaeans made haste to bring tearful war against the horse-taming Trojans. But now thou liest here mangled, and my heart will have naught of meat and drink, though they be here at hand, through yearning for thee. Naught more grievous than this could I suffer, not though I should hear of the death of mine own father, who now haply in Phthia is shedding round tears for lack of a son like me, while I in a land of alien folk for the sake of abhorred Helen am warring with the men of Troy; nay, nor though it were he that in Scyrus is reared for me, my son well-beloved—if so be godlike Neoptolemus still liveth. For until now the heart in my breast had hope that I alone should perish far from horse-pasturing Argos, here in the land of Troy, but that thou shouldest return to Phthia, that so thou mightest take my child in thy swift, black ship from Scyrus, and show him all things—my possessions, my slaves, and my great high-roofed house. For by now I ween is Peleus either dead and gone, or else, though haply he still liveth feebly, is sore distressed with hateful old age, and with waiting ever for woeful tidings of me, when he shall hear that I am dead."
