τὸν δ' αὖτε προσέειπε διάκτορος ἀργειφόντης:
πειρᾷ ἐμοῖο γεραιὲ, καὶ εἴρεαι Ἕκτορα δῖον.
τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ μάλα πολλὰ μάχῃ ἐνι κυδιανείρῃ
ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὄπωπα. καὶ εὖτ' ἐπὶ νηὺσὶν ἐλάσσας
Ἀργείους. κτείνεσκε δαΐζων ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ:
ἡμεῖς δ' ἐσταότες θαυμάζομεν: οὐ γὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς
εἴᾱ μάρνασθαι κεχολωμένος Ἀτρείωνι:
τοῦ γὰρ ἐγὼ θεράπων. μία δ' ἤγαγε νηῦς εὐεργής:
Μυρμιδόνων δ' ἔξ εἰμι. πατὴρ δέ μοι ἐστὶ Πολύκτωρ:
ἀφνειὸς μὲν ὅ δ'γ' ἐστὶ. γέρων δὲ δὴ ὡς σύ περ ὧδε:
ἓξ δέ οἱ υἷες ἔασιν: ἐγὼ δὲ δέ οἱ ἕβδομός εἰμι:
τῶν μέτα παλλόμενος, κλήρῳ λάχον ἐνθάδ' ἕπεσθαι:
νῦν δ' ἦλθον πεδίον δ' ἀπὸ νηῶν: ἠῶθεν γὰρ
θήσονται περι ἄστυ μάχην ἐλίκωπες Ἀχαιοί:
ἀσχαλόωσι γὰρ οἵ̂δεοἵ̂γε καθήμενοι. οὐδε δύνανταὶ
ἴ̈σχειν ἐσσυμένους πολέμου βασιλῆες Ἀχαιῶν:
Then again the messenger, Argeiphontes, spake to him: "Thou wouldest make trial of me, old sire, in asking me of goodly Hector. Him have mine eyes full often seen in battle, where men win glory, and when after driving the Argives to the ships he would slay them in havoc with the sharp bronze; and we stood there and marvelled, for Achilles would not suffer us to fight, being filled with wrath against the son of Atreus. His squire am I, and the selfsame well-wrought ship brought us hither. Of the Myrmidons am I one, and my father is Polyctor. Rich in substance is he, and an old man even as thou, and six sons hath he, and myself the seventh. From these by the casting of lots was I chosen to fare hitherward. And now am I come to the plain from the ships; for at dawn the bright-eyed Achaeans will set the battle in array about the city. For it irketh them that they sit idle here, nor can the kings of the Achaeans avail to hold them back in their eagerness for war."
