In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Richard about an extract from book 22 of the Iliad by Homer
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Iliad_in_art#/media/File:Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_Achilles_slays_Hector.jpg
Text of the poem extract in Homeric Greek:
τὸν δ᾽ ὀλιγοδρανέων προσέφη κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ:
‘λίσσομ᾽ ὑπὲρ ψυχῆς καὶ γούνων σῶν τε τοκήων
μή με ἔα παρὰ νηυσὶ κύνας καταδάψαι Ἀχαιῶν,
ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν χαλκόν τε ἅλις χρυσόν τε δέδεξο
δῶρα τά τοι δώσουσι πατὴρ καὶ πότνια μήτηρ,
σῶμα δὲ οἴκαδ᾽ ἐμὸν δόμεναι πάλιν, ὄφρα πυρός με
Τρῶες καὶ Τρώων ἄλοχοι λελάχωσι θανόντα.
’
τὸν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεὺς:
μή με κύον γούνων γουνάζεο μὴ δὲ τοκήων:
αἲ γάρ πως αὐτόν με μένος καὶ θυμὸς ἀνήη
ὤμ᾽ ἀποταμνόμενον κρέα ἔδμεναι, οἷα ἔοργας,
ὡς οὐκ ἔσθ᾽ ὃς σῆς γε κύνας κεφαλῆς ἀπαλάλκοι,
οὐδ᾽ εἴ κεν δεκάκις τε καὶ εἰκοσινήριτ᾽ ἄποινα
στήσωσ᾽ ἐνθάδ᾽ ἄγοντες, ὑπόσχωνται δὲ καὶ ἄλλα,
οὐδ᾽ εἴ κέν σ᾽ αὐτὸν χρυσῷ ἐρύσασθαι ἀνώγοι
Δαρδανίδης Πρίαμος: οὐδ᾽ ὧς σέ γε πότνια μήτηρ
ἐνθεμένη λεχέεσσι γοήσεται ὃν τέκεν αὐτή,
ἀλλὰ κύνες τε καὶ οἰωνοὶ κατὰ πάντα δάσονται.
Translation of the poem extract:
Strength all spent, spake Hector, he of the gleaming helm.
“I implore you by thy life and thy knees and thy parents, suffer me not to be devoured of dogs by the ships of the Achaeans.
Nay, take thou my store of bronze and gold, gifts that my father and royal mother shall give thee, but my body return to my home, that the Trojans and the wives of Trojans may give me in death my due meed of fire.”
But with an angry stare from beneath his brows spake Achilles, swift of foot.
“Implore me not, dog, speak not of knees or parents. My wrath and fury bid me carve thy flesh and myself eat it raw, because of what thou hast wrought, as surely as there lives no man that shall ward off the dogs from thy head.
About the poet:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad
