Friends of one another do we declare ourselves to be, even as our fathers were, friends from of old. Nay, if you will, go and ask the old warrior Laertes, who, they say, comes no more to the city, but afar in the fields suffers woes attended by an aged woman as his handmaid, who sets before him food and drink, after weariness has laid hold of his limbs, as he creeps along the slope of his vineyard plot.
ξεῖνοι δ' ἀλλήλων πατρώιοι εὐχόμεθ' εἶναι ἐξ ἀρχῆς , εἴ πέρ τε γέροντ' εἴρηαι ἐπελθὼν Λαέρτην ἥρωα , τὸν οὐκέτι φασὶ πόλινδε ἔρχεσθ' , ἀλλ' ἀπάνευθεν ἐπ' ἀγροῦ πήματα πάσχειν γρηὶ σὺν ἀμφιπόλῳ , ἥ οἱ βρῶσίν τε πόσιν τε παρτιθεῖ , εὖτ' ἄν μιν κάματος κατὰ γυῖα λάβῃσιν ἑρπύζοντ' ἀνὰ γουνὸν ἀλωῆς οἰνοπέδοιο .
ξένος δέ ἀλλήλων πατρώιος εὔχομαι εἰμί ἐκ ἀρχή , εἰ πέρ τε γέρων ἔρομαι ἐπέρχομαι Λαέρτης ἥρως , ὁ οὐκέτι φημί πόλινδε ἔρχομαι , ἀλλά ἀπάνευθε ἐπί ἀγρός πῆμα πάσχω γραῦς σύν ἀμφίπολος , ὅς ἕ βρῶσις τε πόσις2 τε παρατίθημι , εὖτε ἄν μιν κάματος κατά γυῖον λαμβάνω ἑρπύζω ἀνά γουνός ἀλωή οἰνόπεδος .