ὡς τοῦ, μὲν κεκόνιτο κάρη ἅπαν: ἡ δέ νυ μηρ [μήτηρ]
τίλλε κόμην: ἀπὸ δὲ λιπαρὴν ἔρριψε καλύπτρην
τηλόσε. κώκυσεν δὲ μάλα μέγα. παῖδ' ἐς ϊδοῦσα
ᾤμωξεν δ' ἐλεεινὰ πατὴρ φίλος. ἀμφι δὲ λαοὶ
κωκυτῷ τ' εἴχοντο καὶ οἰμωγῇ κατὰ ἄστυ:
τῷ δε μάλιστ' ὰρ' έην ἐναλίγκιον. ὡς εὶ ἅπασα
Ἴ̈λιος ὀφρυόεσσα πυρὶ σμύχοιτο κατ' άκρης:
λαοὶ μέν ῥα γέροντα μόγις ἔχον ἀσχαλόωντα:
ἐξελθεῖν μεμαῶτα πυλάων Δαρδανιάων:
πάντας δ' ἐλλιτάνευε κυλινδόμενος κατα κόπρον:
ἐξονομακλήδην. ὀνομάζων ἄνδρα ἕκαστον:
σχέσθε φίλοι. καί μ' οἶον ἐάσατε κηδόμενόν περ
ἐξελθόντα πόληος ἱ̈κέσθ' ἐπι νῆας Ἀχαιῶν:
λίσσωμ' ἀνέρα τοῦτον. ἀτάσθαλον, ὀβριμοεργόν,
ἤ’ν πως ἡλικίην αἰδέσσεται: ἠδ' ἐλεήσῃ
γῆρᾰς: καὶ δέ νυ: τῷ γεδε πατὴρ τοιόσδε τέτυκται
Πηλεὺς. ὅς μιν ἔτικτε: καὶ ἔτρεφε πῆμα γενέσθαι
Τρωσὶ, μάλιστα δ' εμοὶ περὶ πάντων ἄλγε' ἔθηκε:
τόσσους γάρ μοι παῖδας ἀπέκτανε τηλεθάοντας:
τῶν πάντων οὐ τόσσον ὀδύρομαι ἀχνύμενός περ.
ὡς ἑνός, οὗ μ' ἄχος ὀξὺ κατοίσεται Ἄϊδος εἴσω,
Ἕκτορος. ὡς ὄφελεν θανέειν ἐν χερσὶν ἐμῇσι:
τώ κε κορεσσάμεθα κλαίοντέ τε μυρομένω τε,
μήτηρ θ' ἥ μιν ἔτικτε, δυσάμμορος. ἠδ' ἐγὼ αὐτός:
So was his head all befouled with dust; but his mother tore her hair and from her flung far her gleaming veil and uttered a cry exceeding loud at sight of her son. And a piteous groan did his father utter, and around them the folk was holden of wailing and groaning throughout the city. Most like to this was it as though all beetling Ilios were utterly burning with fire. And the folk had much ado to hold back the old man in his frenzy, fain as he was to go forth from the Dardanian gates. To all he made prayer, grovelling the while in the filth, and calling on each man by name: "Withhold, my friends, and suffer me for all your love to go forth from the city alone, and hie me to the ships of the Achaeans. I will make prayer to yon ruthless man, yon worker of violence, if so be he may have shame before his fellows and have pity on my old age. He too, I ween, hath a father such as I am, even Peleus, that begat him and reared him to be a bane to Trojans; but above all others hath he brought woe upon me, so many sons of mine hath he slain in their prime. Yet for them all I mourn not so much, despite my grief, as for one only, sharp grief for whom will bring me down to the house of Hades—even for Hector. Ah, would he had died in my arms; then had we taken our fill of weeping and wailing, the mother that bare him to her sorrow, and myself."
