τὸν δ' αὖτ' Αἰνείας ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέειπε:
Πριαμίδη. τί με ταῦτα καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντα κελεύεις
ἀντία Πηλείωνος ὑπερθύμοιο μάχεσθαι:
οὐ μὲν γὰρ νῦν πρῶτα ποδώκεος ἄντ' Ἀχιλῆος
στήσομαι. ἄλλ' ἤδη με καὶ ἄλλοτε δουρὶ φόβησεν:
ἐξ Ἴ+δης ὅτε βουσὶν ἐπήλυθεν ἡμετέρῃσιν.
πέρσε δὲ Λυρνησσὸν καὶ Πήδασσον Πήδασον , αὐτὰρ ἐμὲ Ζεὺς
εἰρύσαθ' ὅς μοι ἐπῶρσε μένος λαιψηρά τε γοῦνα.
ῆ κ' ἐδάμην ὑπὸ χερσὶν Ἀχιλλῆος καὶ Ἀθήνης.
ἥ οἱ πρόσθεν ϊοῦσα τίθει φάος. ἠδ' ἐκέλευεν
ἔγχεϊ χαλκείῳ Λέλεγας καὶ Τρῶας ἐναίρειν:
τὼ οὐκ ἐστ' Ἀχιλῆος ἐναντίον ἄνδρα μάχεσθαι.
αἰεὶ γὰρ πάρα εἷς γε θεῶν. ὃς λοιγὸν ἀμύνει:
καὶ δ' ἄλλως τοῦ γ' ἰ+θὺς βέλος πέτετ'. οὐδ'ἀπολήγει.
πρὶν χροὸς ἀνδρομέοιο διελθεῖν. εἰ δὲ θεός περ
ἶσον τείνειεν πολέμου τέλος. οὔ κε μάλα ῥέα
νικήσει'. οὐδ' εἰ παγχάλκεος εὔχεται εἶναι:
Then Aeneas answered him, and said: "Son of Priam, why on this wise do thou bid me face in fight the son of Peleus, high of heart, though I be not minded thereto? Not now for the first time shall I stand forth against swift-footed Achilles; nay, once ere now he drave me with his spear from Ida, when he had come forth against our kine, and laid Lyrnessus waste and Pedasus withal; howbeit Zeus saved me, who roused my strength and made swift my knees. Else had I been slain beneath the hands of Achilles and of Athene, who ever went before him and set there a light of deliverance, and bade him slay Leleges and Trojans with spear of bronze. Wherefore may it not be that any man face Achilles in fight, for that ever by his side is some god, that wardeth from him ruin. Aye, and of itself his spear flieth straight, and ceaseth not till it have pierced through the flesh of man. Howbeit were a god to stretch with even hand the issue of war, then not lightly should he vanquish me, nay, not though he vaunt him to be wholly wrought of bronze."
