Ἕκτορ. μή μοι μίμνε φίλον τέκος ἀνέρα τοῦτον
οἶος ἄνευθ' ἄλλων: ἵνα μὴ τάχα πότμον ἐπίσπῃς
Πηλείωνι δαμεὶς. ἐπεὶ ῆ πολὺ φέρτερός ἐστι:
σχέτλιος: αἴθε θεοῖσι φίλος τοσσόνδε γένοιτο
ὅσσον ἐμοὶ. τάχα κέν, ἑ, κύνες καὶ γῦπες ἔδονται
κείμενον. ῆ κέ μοι αἰνὸν ἀπὸ πραπίδων ἄχος ἔλθοι:
ὅς μ' υἱῶν πολλῶν τε καὶ ἐσθλῶν εῦνιν ἔθηκε.
κτείνων καὶ περνὰς νήσων ἔπι τηλεδαπάων:
καὶ γὰρ νῦν δύο παῖδε. Λυκάονα καὶ Πολύδωρον
οὐ δύναμαι ἰ̈δέειν, Τρώων εἰς ἄστυ ἀλέντων.
τούς μοι Λαοθόη τέκετο κρείουσα γυναικῶν:
ἂλλ' εἰ μὲν ζώουσι μετὰ στρατῷ, ἢ τ' ὰν ἔπειτα
χαλκοῦ τε χρυσοῦ τ' ἀπολυσόμεθ'. ἔστι γὰρ ἔνδον:
πολλὰ γὰρ ὤπασε παιδὶ γέρων ὀνομάκλυτος Ἄλτης:
εἰ δ' ἤδη, τεθνᾶσι. καὶ εἰν Ἀΐδαο δόμοισιν.
ἄλγος ἐμῷ θυμῶ καὶ μητέρι, τοῖ τοὶ τεκόμεσθα:
λαοῖσιν δ' ἄλλοισι μινυνθαδιώτερον ἄλγος
ἔσσεται. ἢν, μὴ καὶ σὺ θάνῃς. Ἀχιλῆϊ δαμασθείς:
ἂλλ' εἰσέρχεο τεῖχος, ἐμὸν τέκος. ὄφρα σαώσῃς
Τρῶας καὶ Τρῳάς. μὴ δὲ μέγα κῦδος ὀρέξῃς
Πηλείδῃ. αὐτὸς δὲ φίλης, αἰῶνος ἀμερθῇς:
"Hector, my dear child, abide not, I pray thee, yon man, alone with none to aid thee, lest forthwith thou meet thy doom, slain by the son of Peleus, since verily he is far the mightier—cruel that he is. I would that he were loved by the gods even as by me! Then would the dogs and vuhtures speedily devour him as he lay unburied; so would dread sorrow depart from my soul, seeing he hath made me bereft of sons many and valiant, slaying them and selling them into isles that hie afar. For even now there be twain of my sons, Lycaon and Polydorus, that I cannot see amid the Trojans that are gathered into the city, even they that Laothoe bare me, a princess among women. But if they be yet alive in the camp of the foe, then verily will we ransom them with bronze and gold, seeing there is store thereof in my house; for gifts full many did the old Altes, of glorious name, give to his daughter. But and if they be even now dead and in the house of Hades, then shall there be sorrow to my heart and to their mother, to us that gave them birth; but to the rest of the host a briefer sorrow, if so be thou die not as well, slain by Achilles. Nay, enter within the walls, my child, that thou mayest save the Trojan men and Trojan women, and that thou give not great glory to the son of Peleus, and be thyself reft of thy dear life.
