τὸν δ' ὰρ ὑπὸ ζυγόφιν προσέφη πόδας αἰόλος ἵππος
Ξάνθος. ἄφαρ δ' ἤμυσε καρήατι. πᾶσα δὲ χαίτη
ζεύγλης ἐξεριποῦσα παρὰ ζυγὸν οῦδας ΐκανεν:
αὐδήεντα δ' έθηκε θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη:
καὶ λίην σ' ἔτι νῦν γε σαώσομεν ὄβριμ' Ἀχιλλεῦ:
ἀλλά τοι ἐγγύθεν ἦμαρ ὀλέθριον. οὐδέ τοι ἡμεῖς
αἴτιοι: ἀλλὰ θεός τε μέγας καὶ Μοῖρα κραταιή:
οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμετέρῃ βραδυτῆτί τε νωχελίῃ τε
Τρῶες ἀπ' ὤμοιϊν Πατρόκλου τεύχε' ἕλοντο:
ἀλλὰ θεῶν ὥριστος ὤριστος, ὃν ἠΰκομος τέκε Λητὼ.
ἔκταν' ἐνι προμάχοισι: καὶ Ἕκτορι κῦδος ἔδωκε:
νῶϊ δὲ καὶ καί κεν ἅμα πνοιῇ Ζεφύροιο θέοιμενθέωμεν
ἥν περ ἐλαφροτάτην φὰσ' ἔμμεναι: ἀλλὰ σοὶ αὐτῷ
μόρσιμόν ἐστι θεῷ τε καὶ ἀνέρι ῗφι δαμῆναι:
Then from beneath the yoke spake to him the horse Xanthus, of the swift-glancing feet; on a sudden he bowed his head, and all his mane streamed from beneath the yoke-pad beside the yoke, and touched the ground; and the goddess, white-armed Hera, gave him speech: "Aye verily, yet for this time will we save thee, mighty Achilles, albeit the day of doom is nigh thee, nor shall we be the cause thereof, but a mighty god and overpowering Fate. For it was not through sloth or slackness of ours that the Trojans availed to strip the harness from the shoulders of Patroclus, but one, far the best of gods, even he that fair-haired Leto bare, slew him amid the foremost fighters and gave glory to Hector. But for us twain, we could run swift as the blast of the West Wind, which, men say, is of all winds the fleetest; nay, it is thine own self that art fated to be slain in fight by a god and a mortal."
