فقال المُجتَبى آخِيلُ مَهلاً

أَيا أَترِيذُ يا سامي المَقامِ

Then Achilles, the chosen one, said: “Hold—

O Atreides, you of lofty station!

أَأَطمَعَ كُلِّ مَخلُوقٍ أَتَرجُو

مُكَافأَةَ الأَراغَسةِ العظَامِ

Greediest of all creatures, do you expect

a recompense from the mighty Argives?

فَلَيس لَهُم وتعلَمُ بَيتُ مالٍ

يَضُمُّ كُنُوزَ أَموالٍ رُكمِ

They have, as you know, no treasury

containing heaped-up stores of wealth.

فما نِلنا مِنَ المُدُن اللَّواتي

دَكَكنا شاعَ بينَ ذَوي السِهَامِ

For whatever we gained from the cities

we razed has been apportioned among the warriors.

وكَيفَ يليقُ سَهمَ الجُندِ نجبُو

وقد نالُوا على هامٍ وهامِ

And how could we exact the soldiers’ shares

when they won them at the cost of head upon head?

فَعَدِّ وأَرجِعَنَّ فَتاةَ قَومٍ

أَثارُوا غَيظَ رَشَّاقِ السِّهامِ

So relent, and return the people’s maiden—

they have roused the wrath of the arrow-shooter.

ومَوعِدُنا إِذَا إِليُونُ دُكَّت

بنِعمَةِ زَفسنا مَولى الأَنامِ

Our promise stands: when Ilium is laid low,

by the favor of our Zeus, Lord of humankind,

بأَضعَافٍ مُثَلَّثَةٍ وأَوفى

نُجيزُكَ فاعتَبِر حَرِجَ المَقامِ

threefold and in fullest measure

we shall repay you—so recognize the straits we are in.”