ὡς εἰπὼν ἐν χερσὶ τίθει, ὁ δ' ἐδέξατο χαίρων.
αὐτὰρ Πηλεΐδης κατὰ μὲν δολιχόσκιον ἔγχος
θῆκ' ἐς γῶνα φέρων, κατὰ δ' σπίδα καὶ τρυφάλειαν
τεύχεα Σαρπήδοντος, ἅ μιν Πάτροκλος πηύρα.
στῆ δ' ὀρθὸς καὶ μῦθον ἐν Ἀργείοισιν ἔειπεν:
ἄνδρε δύω περὶ τῶνδε κελεύομεν, ὥ περ ρίστω,
τεύχεα ἑσσαμένω ταμεσίχροα χαλκὸν ἑλόντε
λλήλους προπάροιθεν ὁμίλου πειρηθῆναι.
ὁππότερός κε φθῇσιν ὀρεξάμενος χρόα καλόν,
ψαύσει δ' ἐνδίνων διά τ' ἔντεα καὶ μέλαν αἷμα,
τῷ μὲν ἐγὼ δώσω τόδε φάσγανον ργυρόηλον
καλὸν Θρηΐκιον, τὸ μὲν Ἀστεροπαῖον πηύρων:
τεύχεα δ' μφότεροι ξυνήϊα ταῦτα φερέσθων:
καί σφιν δαῖτ' γαθὴν παραθήσομαι ἐν κλισίῃσιν.
So saying, he set it in his hands, and Antilochus received it gladly. But the son of Peleus brought and set in the place of gathering a far-shadowing spear, and therewith a shield and helmet, the battlegear of Sarpedon, that Patroclus stripped from him; and he stood up, and spake among the Argives, saying: "To win these prizes invite we warriors twain, the best there are, to clothe them in their armour and take bronze that cleaveth the flesh, and so make trial each of the other before the host. Whoso of the twain shall first reach the other's fair flesh, and touch the inward parts through armour and dark blood, to him will I give this silver-studded sword—a goodly Thracian sword which I took from Asteropaeus; and these arms let the twain bear away to hold in common; and a goodly banquet shall we set before them in our huts."
