ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη πρὸς μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον
Ἑρμείας: Πρίαμος δ' ἐξ ἵππων ἄλτο χαμάζε.
Ἰδαῖον δὲ κατ' αὐθι λίπεν: ὁ δὲ μίμνεν ἐρύκων
ἵππους ἡμιόνους τε: γέρων δ' ἰθὺς κίεν οἴκου:
τῇ ῥ' Ἀχιλεὺς ἵζεσκε Διὶ φίλος: ἐν δέ μιν αὐτὸν
εὗρ' ἕταροι δ' απάνευθεν καθήατο: τὼ δὲ δύ' οἴω
ἥρως Αὐτομέδων τε καὶ Ἄλκϊμος ὄζος Ἄρηος
ποίπνυον παρεόντε: νέον δ' ἀπέληγεν ἐδωδῆς:
ἔσθων καὶ πίνων ἔτι καὶ παρέκειτο τράπεζα:
τοὺς δ' ἔλαθ' εἰσελθὼν Πρίαμος μέγας ἄγχι δ' ἄρα στάς
χερσὶν Ἀχιλλῆος λάβε γούνατα καὶ κύσε χεῖρας
δεινὰς ἀνδροφόνους, αἵ οἵ πολέας κτάνον υἷας.
ὡς δ' ὅταν ἄνδρ' ἄτη πυκινὴ λάβῃ: ὅς τ' ἐνὶ πάτρῃ
φῶτα κατακτείνας ἄλλων ἐξίκετο δῆμον
ἀνδρὸς ἐς ἀφνειοῦ: θάμβος δ' ἔχει εἰσορόωντας.
ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς θάμβησεν ἰδὼν Πρίαμον θεοειδέα:
θάμβησαν δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι: ἐς ἀλλήλους δὲ ἴδοντο:
So spake Hermes, and departed unto high Olympus; and Priam leapt from his chariot to the ground, and left there Idaeus, who abode holding the horses and mules; but the old man went straight toward the house where Achilles, dear to Zeus, was wont to sit. Therein he found Achilles, but his comrades sat apart: two only, the warrior Automedon and Alcimus, scion of Ares, waited busily upon him; and he was newly ceased from meat, even from eating and drinking, and the table yet stood by his side. Unseen of these great Priam entered in, and coming close to Achilles, clasped in his hands his knees, and kissed his hands, the terrible, man-slaying hands that had slain his many sons. And as when sore blindness of heart cometh upon a man, that in his own country slayeth another and escapeth to a land of strangers, to the house of some man of substance, and wonder holdeth them that look upon him; even so was Achilles seized with wonder at sight of godlike Priam, and seized with wonder were the others likewise, and they glanced one at the other.
