§13.768ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱστάμενος προσέφη αἰσχροῖς ἐπέεσσι· §13.769Δύσπαρι εἶδος ἄριστε γυναιμανὲς ἠπεροπευτὰ §13.770ποῦ τοι Δηΐφοβός τε βίη θʼ Ἑλένοιο ἄνακτος §13.771Ἀσιάδης τʼ Ἀδάμας ἠδʼ Ἄσιος Ὑρτάκου υἱός;
Standing close, Hector addressed him with insulting words: "Evil Paris, most fair of form, mad after women, deceiver, where is Deiphobus, and the might of king Helenus, and Adamas son of Asius, and Asius son of Hyrtacus?
§13.772ποῦ δέ τοι Ὀθρυονεύς;
And where is Othryoneus?
νῦν ὤλετο πᾶσα κατʼ ἄκρης §13.773Ἴλιος αἰπεινή· νῦν τοι σῶς αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος. §13.774τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπεν Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδής· §13.775Ἕκτορ ἐπεί τοι θυμὸς ἀναίτιον αἰτιάασθαι, §13.776ἄλλοτε δή ποτε μᾶλλον ἐρωῆσαι πολέμοιο §13.777μέλλω, ἐπεὶ οὐδʼ ἐμὲ πάμπαν ἀνάλκιδα γείνατο μήτηρ·
Now is utterly destroyed from her height steep Ilios; now is thy sheer destruction sure." To him then godlike Alexandrus made answer: "Hector, since it is thy pleasure to blame one that is blameless, at some other time rather than now might I be likely to hold back from the fight, since my mother bore not even me to be an utter coward.
§13.778ἐξ οὗ γὰρ παρὰ νηυσὶ μάχην ἤγειρας ἑταίρων, §13.779ἐκ τοῦ δʼ ἐνθάδʼ ἐόντες ὁμιλέομεν Δαναοῖσι §13.780νωλεμέως· ἕταροι δὲ κατέκταθεν οὓς σὺ μεταλλᾷς.
For from the time that thou didst arouse the battle of our comrades by the ships, from that hour have we remained here and fought with the Danaans ceaselessly; and our comrades are slain for whom thou inquirest.
§13.781οἴω Δηΐφοβός τε βίη θʼ Ἑλένοιο ἄνακτος §13.782οἴχεσθον, μακρῇσι τετυμμένω ἐγχείῃσιν §13.783ἀμφοτέρω κατὰ χεῖρα· φόνον δʼ ἤμυνε Κρονίων.
Only Deiphobus and the might of king Helenus, I think, have gone, both of them wounded in the hand with long spears; but the son of Cronos warded off death from them.
§13.784νῦν δʼ ἄρχʼ ὅππῃ σε κραδίη θυμός τε κελεύει· §13.785ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐμμεμαῶτες ἅμʼ ἑψόμεθʼ, οὐδέ τί φημι §13.786ἀλκῆς δευήσεσθαι, ὅση δύναμίς γε πάρεστι.
But now lead on wheresoever thy heart and spirit bid thee; and we will follow with thee eagerly, nor do I think we shall be lacking in valor, so far as power is in us.
§13.787πὰρ δύναμιν δʼ οὐκ ἔστι καὶ ἐσσύμενον πολεμίζειν. §13.788ὣς εἰπὼν παρέπεισεν ἀδελφειοῦ φρένας ἥρως· §13.789βὰν δʼ ἴμεν ἔνθα μάλιστα μάχη καὶ φύλοπις ἦεν §13.790ἀμφί τε Κεβριόνην καὶ ἀμύμονα Πουλυδάμαντα §13.791Φάλκην Ὀρθαῖόν τε καὶ ἀντίθεον Πολυφήτην §13.792Πάλμύν τʼ Ἀσκάνιόν τε Μόρυν θʼ υἷʼ Ἱπποτίωνος, §13.793οἵ ῥʼ ἐξ Ἀσκανίης ἐριβώλακος ἦλθον ἀμοιβοὶ §13.794ἠοῖ τῇ προτέρῃ· τότε δὲ Ζεὺς ὦρσε μάχεσθαι.
But beyond his power may no man fight, howsoever eager he be." So speaking the hero persuaded his brother's heart; and they went where the battle and the din of war were hottest, around Cebriones and peerless Polydamas, and Phalces, and Orthaeus, and godlike Polyphetes, and Palmys, and Ascanius, and Morys, son of Hippotion, who had come from fertile Ascania as reliefs on the morn before; and now Zeus aroused them to fight.
§13.795οἳ δʼ ἴσαν ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀτάλαντοι ἀέλλῃ, §13.796ἥ ῥά θʼ ὑπὸ βροντῆς πατρὸς Διὸς εἶσι πέδον δέ, §13.797θεσπεσίῳ δʼ ὁμάδῳ ἁλὶ μίσγεται, ἐν δέ τε πολλὰ §13.798κύματα παφλάζοντα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης §13.799κυρτὰ φαληριόωντα, πρὸ μέν τʼ ἄλλʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐπʼ ἄλλα· §13.800ὣς Τρῶες πρὸ μὲν ἄλλοι ἀρηρότες, αὐτὰρ ἐπʼ ἄλλοι, §13.801χαλκῷ μαρμαίροντες ἅμʼ ἡγεμόνεσσιν ἕποντο.
And they went like the blast of grievous winds that under the thunder of father Zeus rushes to the plain, and with wondrous din mixes with the sea, and in its track are many boiling waves of the roaring sea, arched and white with foam, some in front, and others after them; so the Trojans, some in vanguard arrayed, and others after them, flashing with bronze, followed along with their leaders.
§13.802Ἕκτωρ δʼ ἡγεῖτο βροτολοιγῷ ἶσος Ἄρηϊ §13.803Πριαμίδης· πρόσθεν δʼ ἔχεν ἀσπίδα πάντοσʼ ἐΐσην §13.804ῥινοῖσιν πυκινήν, πολλὸς δʼ ἐπελήλατο χαλκός· §13.805ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ κροτάφοισι φαεινὴ σείετο πήληξ.
And Hector led them, the peer of Ares, bane of mortals, the son of Priam; and before him he held his shield, well-balanced on every side, thick with hides, and upon it much bronze had been welded; and around his temples his gleaming helmet shook.
§13.806πάντῃ δʼ ἀμφὶ φάλαγγας ἐπειρᾶτο προποδίζων, §13.807εἴ πώς οἱ εἴξειαν ὑπασπίδια προβιβῶντι· §13.808ἀλλʼ οὐ σύγχει θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν Ἀχαιῶν.
And everywhere he made trial of the ranks, advancing, if they would yield to him as he strode forward under cover of his shield; yet he could not confound the spirit in the breasts of the Achaeans.
§13.809Αἴας δὲ πρῶτος προκαλέσσατο μακρὰ βιβάσθων· §13.810δαιμόνιε σχεδὸν ἐλθέ· τί ἢ δειδίσσεαι αὔτως §13.811Ἀργείους;
And Aias first challenged him, striding with long steps: "Madman, draw near; why dost thou try to frighten the Argives?
οὔ τοί τι μάχης ἀδαήμονές εἰμεν, §13.812ἀλλὰ Διὸς μάστιγι κακῇ ἐδάμημεν Ἀχαιοί.
We Achaeans are in no wise ignorant of battle, but by the evil scourge of Zeus have we Achaeans been subdued.
§13.813ἦ θήν πού τοι θυμὸς ἐέλπεται ἐξαλαπάξειν §13.814νῆας· ἄφαρ δέ τε χεῖρες ἀμύνειν εἰσὶ καὶ ἡμῖν.
Surely, I ween, thy heart hopes to destroy our ships; but we too have hands ready to defend them.
Verily, long before that shall your well-peopled city be taken and sacked by our hands.
§13.817σοὶ δʼ αὐτῷ φημὶ σχεδὸν ἔμμεναι ὁππότε φεύγων §13.818ἀρήσῃ Διὶ πατρὶ καὶ ἄλλοις ἀθανάτοισι §13.819θάσσονας ἰρήκων ἔμεναι καλλίτριχας ἵππους, §13.820οἵ σε πόλιν δʼ οἴσουσι κονίοντες πεδίοιο. §13.821ὣς ἄρα οἱ εἰπόντι ἐπέπτατο δεξιὸς ὄρνις §13.822αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης· ἐπὶ δʼ ἴαχε λαὸς Ἀχαιῶν §13.823θάρσυνος οἰωνῷ· ὃ δʼ ἀμείβετο φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ· §13.824Αἶαν ἁμαρτοεπὲς βουγάϊε ποῖον ἔειπες·
And for thyself, I say the time is near when in thy flight thou shalt pray to father Zeus and the other immortals that thy fair-maned horses may be swifter than falcons, the horses that shall bear thee to the city, raising dust on the plain." Even as he thus spoke, a bird flew on the right, a high-flying eagle; and the host of the Achaeans shouted aloud, heartened by the omen; and glorious Hector made answer: "Aias, blunderer in speech, thou braggart, what a word hast thou spoken!
§13.825εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼν οὕτω γε Διὸς πάϊς αἰγιόχοιο §13.826εἴην ἤματα πάντα, τέκοι δέ με πότνια Ἥρη, §13.827τιοίμην δʼ ὡς τίετʼ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἀπόλλων, §13.828ὡς νῦν ἡμέρη ἥδε κακὸν φέρει Ἀργείοισι §13.829πᾶσι μάλʼ, ἐν δὲ σὺ τοῖσι πεφήσεαι, αἴ κε ταλάσσῃς §13.830μεῖναι ἐμὸν δόρυ μακρόν, ὅ τοι χρόα λειριόεντα §13.831δάψει· ἀτὰρ Τρώων κορέεις κύνας ἠδʼ οἰωνοὺς §13.832δημῷ καὶ σάρκεσσι πεσὼν ἐπὶ νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν. §13.833ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἡγήσατο· τοὶ δʼ ἅμʼ ἕποντο §13.834ἠχῇ θεσπεσίῃ, ἐπὶ δʼ ἴαχε λαὸς ὄπισθεν.
Would that I were as surely the son of aegis-bearing Zeus all my days, and queenly Hera had borne me, and that I were honored even as Athena and Apollo are honored, as surely as this day brings evil to the Argives, to one and all; and among them shalt thou be slain, if thou hast the heart to abide my long spear, which shall tear thy lily-like skin; yea, thou shalt glut the dogs and birds of the Trojans with thy fat and flesh, falling by the ships of the Achaeans." So saying, he led the way; and they followed after him with wondrous clamor, and the host behind shouted likewise.
And the Argives on their side shouted in answer, and forgot not their valor, but awaited the onslaught of the bravest of the Trojans.
§13.837ἠχὴ δʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἵκετʼ αἰθέρα καὶ Διὸς αὐγάς.
And the clamor of both reached the upper air and the bright rays of Zeus.