ἄλλοι μέν ῥα θεοί τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἱπποκορυσταὶ
εὗδον παννύχιοι. μαλακῷ δεδμημένοι ὕπνῳ.
ἂλλ' οὐχ Ἑρμείᾱν ἐριούνιον ὕπνος ἔμαρπτεν
ὁρμαίνοντ' ἀνὰ θυμὸν. ὅπως Πρίαμον βασιλῆα
νηῶν ἐκπέμψειε. λαθὼν ἱεροὺς πυλαωρούς:
στῆ δ' ἄρ, ὑπερ κεφαλῆς καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν
ὦ γέρον. οὔ νύ τι σοί γε μέλει κακὸν. οἷον ἔθ' εὕδεις
ἀνδράσιν ἐν δηΐοισιν. ἐπεί σ' είασεν Ἀχιλλεύς:
καὶ νῦν μὲν φίλον υἱὸν ἐλύσαο. πολλὰ δ' ἔδωκας:
σεῖο δέ κεν ζωοῦ. καὶ τρὶς τόσα δοῖεν ἄποινα
παῖδες, τοὶ μετ' όπισθε λελειμμένοι: αἴ κ' Ἀγαμέμνων
γνοίησ'γνωησ' Ἀτρεΐδης, γνώωσι δὲ πάντες Ἀχαιοί:
Now all the other gods and men, lords of chariots, slumbered the whole night through, overcome of soft sleep; but not upon the helper Hermes might sleep lay hold, as he pondered in mind how he should guide king Priam forth from the ships unmarked of the strong keepers of the gate. He took his stand above his head and spake to him, saying: "Old sire, no thought then hast thou of any evil, that thou still sleepest thus amid foemen, for that Achilles has spared thee. Now verily hast thou ransomed thy son, and a great price thou gavest. But for thine own life must the sons thou hast, they that be left behind, give ransorn thrice so great, if so be Agamemnon, Atreus' son, have knowledge of thee, or the host of the Achaeans have knowledge."
