ὡς ἄρα τις εἴπεσκε καὶ οὐτήσασκε παραστάς:
τὸν δ' ἐπεὶ ἐξενάριξε ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς,
στὰς. ἐν Ἀχαιοῖσιν. ἔπεα πτερόεντ' ἀγόρευεν:
ὦ φίλοι. Ἀργείων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες :
ἐπειδὴ τόνδ' ἄνδρα θεοὶ δαμάσασθαι ἔδωκαν,
ὃς κακὰ πολλ`' ἔρρεξεν. ὅσ' οὐ σύμπαντες οἱ ἄλλοι:
εἰ δ' άγετ' ἀμφὶ πόλιν σὺν τεύχεσι πειρηθῶμεν:
ὄφρά κ' έτι γνῶμεν Τρώων νόον, ὅν τιν' ἔχουσιν:
ἢ καταλείψουσιν πόλιν ἄκρην τοῦδε πεσόντος.
ἦε μένειν μεμάασι. καὶ Ἕκτορος οὐκέτ' ἐόντος:
ἀλλὰ τί ή μοι ταῦτα φίλος διελέξατο θυμός:
κεῖται παρ νήεσσι, νέκυς ἄκλαυτος. ἄθαπτος.
Πάτροκλος. τοῦ δ' οὐκ ἐπιλήσομαι. ὄφρ' ὰν ἔγωγε
ζωοῖσιν μετέω. καί μοι φίλα γούνατ' ὀρώρῃ:
εἰ δὲ θανόντων περ καταλήθοντ', εἰν Ἀΐδαο:
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ κεῖθι φίλου μεμνήσομ' ἑταίρου:
νῦν δ' ἄγ' ἀείδοντες παιήονα κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν.
νηυσὶν ἐπὶ γλαφυρῇσι, νεώμεθα: τόνδε δ' ἄγωμεν:
ῃράμεθα μέγα κῦδος. ἐπέφνομεν Ἕκτορα δῖον.
ᾧ Τρῶες κατὰ ἄστυ, θεῷ ὡς εὐχετόωντο:
Thus would one speak, and drawing nigh would deal a wound. But when goodly Achilles, swift of foot, had despoiled him, then stood he up among the Achaeans and spake winged words: "My friends, leaders and rulers of the Argives, seeing the gods have vouchsafed us to slay this man, that hath wrought much evil beyond all the host of the others, come, let us make trial in arms about the city, to the end that we may yet further know what purpose the Trojans have in mind, whether they will leave their high city now that this man is fallen, or whether they are minded to abide, even though Hector be no more. But why doth my heart thus hold converse with me? There lieth by the ships a dead man unwept, unburied, even Patroclus; him will I not forget so long as I abide among the living, and my knees are quick. Nay, if even in the house of Hades men forget their dead, yet will I even there remember my dear comrade. But come, singing our song of victory, ye sons of the Achaeans, let us go back to the hollow ships and bring thither this corpse. We have won us great glory; we have slain goodly Hector, to whom the Trojans made prayer throughout their city, as unto a god."
