εἰ δέ κεν ἀσπίδα μὲν καταθείομαι ὀμφαλόεσσαν.
καὶ κόρυθα βριαρήν. δόρυ δὲ πρὸς τεῖχος ἐρείσας.
αὐτὸς ἰ̈ὼν. Ἀχιλῆος ἀμύμονος ἀντίος ἔλθω:
καί οἱ ὑπόσχωμαι Ἑλένην. καὶ κτήμαθ' ἅμ' αὐτῇ
πάντα μάλ' ὅσσά τ' Ἀλέξανδρος κοίλῃς ἐπὶ νηυσὶν
ἠγάγετο Τροίηνδ' ἥ τ' ἔπλετο, νείκεος ἀρχὴ.
δωσέμεν Ἀτρείδῃσιν ἄγειν, ἅμα δ' ἀμφὶς Ἀχαιοῖς
ἄλλ' ἀποδάσσεσθαι. ὅσσα πτόλις ἥδε κέκευθε.
Τρωσὶν δ' αῦ μετόπισθε γερούσιον ὅρκον ἕλωμαι,
μή τι κατακρύψειν: ἂλλ' άνδιχα πάντα δάσασθαι:
ἀλλὰ τί ή μοι ταῦτα φίλος διελέξατο θυμός:
μή μιν ἐγὼ μὲν ἵ̈κωμαι ἰ̈ὼν. ὁ δέ μ' οὐκ ἐλεήσει.
οὐδέ τι μ' αἰδέσεται: κτενέει δέ με γυμνὸν ἐόντα
αύτως. ὥς τε γυναῖκα: ἐπεί κ' ἀπο τεύχεα δύω:
οὐ μέν πως νῦν ἑστιν ἀπὸ δρυὸς οὐδ' ἀπο πέτρης
τῷ ὀαριζέμεναι. ἅ τε παρθένος ἠΐθεός τε.
παρθένος ἠΐθεός τ' ὀαρίζετον ἀλλήλοιϊν:
βέλτερον αὖτ' ἔριδι ξυνελαυνέμεν, ὅττι τάχιστα:
εἴδομεν ὁπποτέρῳ κεν Ὀλύμπιος εὖχος ὀρέξῃ:
"Or what if I lay down my bossed shield and my heavy helm, and leaning my spear against the wall, go myself to meet peerless Achilles, and promise him that Helen, and with her all the store of treasure that Alexander brought in his hollow ships to Troy—the which was the beginning of strife—will we give to the sons of Atreus to take away, and furthermore and separate therefrom will make due division with the Achaeans of all that this city holdeth; and if thereafter I take from the Trojans an oath sworn by the elders that they will hide nothing, but will divide all in twain, even all the treasure that the lovely city holdeth within? But why doth my heart thus hold converse with me? Let it not be that I go and draw nigh him, but he then pity me not nor anywise have reverence unto me, but slay me out of hand all unarmed, as I were a woman, when I have put from me mine armour. In no wise may I now from oak-tree or from rock hold dalliance with him, even as youth and maiden—youth and maiden!—hold dalliance one with the other. Better were it to clash in strife with all speed; let us know to which of us twain the Olympian will vouchsafe glory."
