Achilles groaned and answered, "Mother, Olympian Jove has indeed vouchsafed me the fulfilment of my prayer, but what boots it to me, seeing that my dear comrade Patroclus has fallen--he whom I valued more than all others, and loved as dearly as my own life? I have lost him; aye, and Hector when he had killed him stripped the wondrous armour, so glorious to behold, which the gods gave to Peleus when they laid you in the couch of a mortal man. Would that you were still dwelling among the immortal sea-nymphs, and that Peleus had taken to himself some mortal bride. For now you shall have grief infinite by reason of the death of that son whom you can never welcome home--nay, I will not live nor go about among mankind unless Hector fall by my spear, and thus pay me for having slain Patroclus son of Menoetius."

Τὴν δὲ βαρὺ στενάχων προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς· μῆτερ ἐμή͵ τὰ μὲν ἄρ μοι Ὀλύμπιος ἐξετέλεσσεν· ἀλλὰ τί μοι τῶν ἦδος ἐπεὶ φίλος ὤλεθ΄ ἑταῖρος Πάτροκλος͵ τὸν ἐγὼ περὶ πάντων τῖον ἑταίρων ἶσον ἐμῇ κεφαλῇ; τὸν ἀπώλεσα͵ τεύχεα δ΄ Ἕκτωρ δῃώσας ἀπέδυσε πελώρια θαῦμα ἰδέσθαι καλά· τὰ μὲν Πηλῆϊ θεοὶ δόσαν ἀγλαὰ δῶρα ἤματι τῷ ὅτε σε βροτοῦ ἀνέρος ἔμβαλον εὐνῇ. αἴθ΄ ὄφελες σὺ μὲν αὖθι μετ΄ ἀθανάτῃς ἁλίῃσι ναίειν͵ Πηλεὺς δὲ θνητὴν ἀγαγέσθαι ἄκοιτιν. νῦν δ΄ ἵνα καὶ σοὶ πένθος ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μυρίον εἴη παιδὸς ἀποφθιμένοιο͵ τὸν οὐχ ὑποδέξεαι αὖτις οἴκαδε νοστήσαντ΄͵ ἐπεὶ οὐδ΄ ἐμὲ θυμὸς ἄνωγε ζώειν οὐδ΄ ἄνδρεσσι μετέμμεναι͵ αἴ κε μὴ Ἕκτωρ πρῶτος ἐμῷ ὑπὸ δουρὶ τυπεὶς ἀπὸ θυμὸν ὀλέσσῃ͵ Πατρόκλοιο δ΄ ἕλωρα Μενοιτιάδεω ἀποτίσῃ.