ὡς ἔφατ'. ἔδεισεν δ' ὃ γέρων καὶ ἐπείθετο μύθῳ:
Πηλείδης δ' οἴκοιο λέων ὡς ἆλτο θύραζε:
οὐκ οἶος: ἅμα τῷ γε, δύω θεράποντες ἕποντο
ἥρως Αὐτομέδων ἠδ' Ἄλκιμος: οὕς ῥα μάλιστα
τί' Ἀχιλεὺς ἑτάρων μετα Πάτροκλόν γε θανόντα:
οἳ τόθ' ὑπο ζυγόφιν λύ̆ον ἵππους ἡμιόνους τε:
ἐς δ' ἄγαγον κήρυκα, καλήτορα τοῖο γέροντος:
καδ δ' ἐπι δίφρου εἷσαν: ἐϋξέστου δ' ἀπ' ἀπήνης
ᾕρεον Ἑκτορέης κεφαλῆς ἀπερείσι' ἄποινα:
καδ δ' ἔλιπον δύο φάρε'. ἐΰννητόν τε χιτῶνα:
ὄφρα νέκυν πυκάσας δῴηδοιη οἶκον δὲ φέρεσθαι:
δμῳὰς δ' ἐκκαλέσας. λοῦσαι κέλετ'. ἀμφί τ' ἀλεῖψαι
νόσφιν ἀειράσας. ὡς μὴ Πρίαμος ἴδοι υἱόν:
μὴ ὁ μεν ἀχνυμένῃ κραδίῃ χόλον οὐκ ἐρύσαιτο
παῖδα ἰδὼν. Ἀχιλῆϊ δ' ὀρινθείη φίλον ἦτορ:
καί, ἑ, κατακτείνειε. Διὸς δ' ἀλίτηται ἐφετμὰς ἐφετμάς:
τὸν δ' ἐπεὶ οὖν δμῳαὶ λοῦσαν καὶ χρῖσαν ἐλαίῳ.
ἀμφὶ δέ μιν φᾶρος καλὸν βάλον. ἠδὲ χιτῶνα:
αὐτὸς τόν γ' Ἀχιλεὺς λεχέων ἐπέθηκεν ἀείρας:
σὺν δ' ἕταροι ἤειραν ἐϋξέστὴν ἐπ'απ ἀπήνὴν:
ᾤμωξεν τ' ὰρ ἔπειτα: φίλον δ' ὀνόμηνεν ἑταῖρον:
μή μοι Πάτροκλε, σκυδμαινέμεν, αί κε πύθηαι
εἰν Ἄϊδός περ ἐὼν. ὅτι Ἕκτορα δῖον ἔλυσα
πατρὶ φίλῳ: ἐπεὶ οὔ μοι ἀεικέα δῶκεν ἄποινα:
σοὶ δ' αὖ, ἐγὼ καὶ τῶνδ' ἀποδάσσομαι ὅσσ' ἐπέοικεν:
So spake he, and the old man was seized with fear, and hearkened to his word. But like a lion the son of Peleus sprang forth from the houses—not alone, for with him went two squires as well, even the warrior Automedon and Alcimus, they that Achilles honoured above all his comrades, after the dead Patroclus. These then loosed from beneath the yoke the horses and mules, and led within the herald, the crier of the old king, and set him on a chair; and from the wain of goodly felloes they took the countless ransom for Hector's head. But they left there two robes and a fair-woven tunic, to the end that Achilles might enwrap the dead therein and so give him to be borne to his home. Then Achilles called forth the hand-maids and bade them wash and anoint him, bearing him to a place apart that Priam might not have sight of his son, lest in grief of heart he should not restrain his wrath, whenso he had sight of his son, and Achilles' own spirit be stirred to anger, and he slay him, and so sin against the behest of Zeus. So when the handmaids had washed the body and anointed it with oil, and had cast about it a fair cloak and a tunic, then Achilles himself lifted it and set it upon a bier, and his comrades with him lifted it upon the polished waggon. Then he uttered a groan, and called by name upon his dear comrade: "Be not thou wroth with me, Patroclus, if thou hearest even in the house of Hades that I have given back goodly Hector to his dear father, seeing that not unseemly is the ransom he hath given me. And unto thee shall I render even of this all that is thy due."
