But I am not the sort of man to lay insult against a friend.

[Then just as a sun's rays are diminished by a passing cloud, so too does Achilles' grin fade as he remembers his purpose in seeking Graham's company.]

I have received word that in the morning I shall quit this noble house, not to embark with this crew on the pending mission, but to return to Troy, upon which shores the well-greaved Achaeans have waged war for nine years. There I shall meet my fate, as I have long known I must.