αὐτὰρ τόνγε ἄνακτα ποδώκεα Πηλείωνα.
εἰς Ἀγαμέμνονα δῖον ἄγον βασιλῆες Ἀχαιῶν.
σπουδῇ παρπεπιθόντες ἑταίρου χωόμενον κῆρ:
οἱ δ' ὅτε δὴ κλισίην Ἀγαμέμνονος ΐξον ϊόντες
αὐτίκα κηρύκεσσι λιγυφθόγγοισι κέλευσαν.
ἀμφι πυρὶ, στῆσαι τρίποδα μέγαν. εἰ πεπίθοιεν
Πηλείδην λούσασθαι ἄπο βρότον αἱματόεντα:
αὐτὰρ ὅ γ' ἠρνεῖτο, στερεῶς. ἐπὶ δ' ὄρκον όμοσσεν:
οὒ μα Ζῆν̓. ὅς τις τε θεῶν ὕπατος καὶ ἄριστος
οὐ θέμις ἐστὶ λοετρὰ καρήατος άσσον ϊκέσθαι.
πρίν γ' ἐνι Πάτροκλον θέμεναι πυρὶ, σῆμά τε χεῦαι.
κείρασθαί τε κόμην. ἐπεὶ οὔ μ' ἔτι δεύτερον ὧδε
ΐξετ' ἄχος κραδίην. ὄφρα ζωοῖσι μετείω
ἂλλ' ἤτοι νῦν μὲν στυγερῇ πειθώμεθα δαιτὶ:
ἠῶθεν δ' ὄτρυνον ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγάμεμνον.
ὕλην τ' ἂξέμεναι. παρά τε σχεῖν. ὡς ἐπιεικὲς
νεκρὸν ἔχοντα νέεσθαι ὑπο ζόφον ἠερόεντα:
ὄφρ' ἤτοι τοῦτον μὲν ἐπιφλέγῃ ἀκάματον πῦρ
θᾶσσον ἀπ' ὀφθαλμῶν: λαοὶ δ' ἐπι έργα τράπωνται:
But the prince, the swiftfooted son of Peleus, was led unto goodly Agamemnon by the chiefs of the Achaeans, that had much ado to persuade him thereto, so wroth at heart was he for his comrade. But when, as they went, they were come to the hut of Agamemnon, forthwith they bade clear-voiced heralds set upon the fire a great cauldron, if so be they might persuade the son of Peleus to wash from him the bloody gore. But he steadfastly denied them, and swore an oath thereto: "Nay, verily by Zeus, that is highest and best of gods, it may not be that water should come nigh my head, until such time as I have laid Patroclus on the fire, and have heaped him a barrow, and shorn my hair withal, since never more shall a second grief thus reach my heart, while yet I abide among the living. Howbeit for this present let us yield us to the banquet we needs must loathe; but in the morning rouse thou the folk, king of men Agamemnon, to bring wood, and to make ready all that it beseemeth a dead man to have, whenso he goeth beneath the murky darkness, to the end that unwearied fire may burn him quickly from sight, and the host betake it to its tasks."
