ὡς φάσαν ἡ πληθύς: ἀνὰ δ' ὁ πτολίπορθος Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἔστη σκῆπτρον ἔχων: παρα δὲ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη
εἰδομένη κήρυκι: σιωπᾶν λαὸν ἀνώγει:
ὡς ἅμα θ' οἱ πρῶτοί τε καὶ ὕστατοι υἷες Ἀχαιῶν
μῦθον ἀκούσειαν καὶ ἐπιφρασσαίατο βουλήν:
ὅ σφιν ἔϋ φρονέων ἀγορήσατο καὶ μετέειπεν:
Ἀτρείδη: νῦν δή σε ἄναξ ἐθέλουσιν Ἀχαιοὶ
πᾶσιν ἐλέγχιστον θέμεναι μερόπεσσι βροτοῖσιν:
οὐδέ τοι ἐκτελέουσιν ὑπόσχεσιν. ἥν περ ὑπέσταν
ἐνθα δ' έτι στείχοντες ἀπ' Ἄργεος ἱπποβότοιο
Ἴ̈λιον ἐκπέρσαντ' εὐτείχεον ἀπονέεσθαι:
ὥς τε γὰρ ἠ παῖδες νεαροὶ χῆραί τε γυναῖκες
ἀλλήλοισιν ὀδύρονται οἶκον δὲ νέεσθαι:
ῆ μὴν καὶ πόνος ἐστὶν ἀνιηθέντα νέεσθαι:
καὶ γάρ τίς θ' ἕνα μῆνα μένων ἀπὸ ἧς ἀλόχοιο.
ἀσχαλάᾳ σὺν, νηῒ πολυζύγῳ: ὅν περ ἄελλαι.
χειμέριαι ἰ̈λέωσιν ὀρινομένη τε θάλασσα:
ἡμῖν δ' εἴνατός ἐστι περιτροπέων ἐνιαυτὸς
ἐνθάδε μιμνόντεσσι: τῶ οὐ νεμεσίζομ' Ἀχαιοὺς
ἀσχαλάαν παρὰ νηυσὶ κορωνίσιν: ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔμπης
αἰσχρόν τοι δηρόν τε μένειν κενεόν τε νέεσθαι:
τλῆτε φίλοι: καὶ μείνατ' ἐπὶ χρόνον, ὄφρα δαῶμεν
ἢεἲ ἐτεὸν Κάλχας μαντεύεται ηἒ καὶ οὐκί:
So spake the multitude; but up rose Odysseus, sacker of cities, the sceptre in his hand, and by his side flashing-eyed Athene, in the likeness of a herald, bade the host keep silence, that the sons of the Achaeans, both the nearest and the farthest, might hear his words, and lay to heart his counsel. He with good intent addressed their gathering and spake among them: "Son of Atreus, now verily are the Achaeans minded to make thee, O king, the most despised among all mortal men, nor will they fulfill the promise that they made to thee, while faring hitherward from Argos, the pasture-land of horses, that not until thou hadst sacked well-walled Ilios shouldest thou get thee home. For like little children or widow women do they wail each to the other in longing to return home. Verily there is toil enough to make a man return disheartened. For he that abideth but one single month far from his wife in his benched ship hath vexation of heart, even he whom winter blasts and surging seas keep afar; but for us is the ninth year at its turn, while we abide here; wherefore I count it not shame that the Achaeans have vexation of heart beside their beaked ships; yet even so it is a shameful thing to tarry long, and return empty. Endure, my friends, and abide for a time, that we may know whether the prophecies of Calchas be true, or no.
