ὡς ἔφατ': Ἀργεῖοι δὲ μέγ' ΐαχον: ἀμφὶ δὲ νῆες
σμερδαλέον κονάβησαν ἀϋσάντων ὑπ' Ἀχαιῶν.
μῦθον ἐπαινήσαντες Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο:
τοῖσι δὲ καὶ μετέειπε Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ:
ὦ πόποι: ἦ δὴ παισὶν ἐοικότες ἀγοράασθε
νηπιάχοις. οἷς οὔ τι μέλει πολεμήϊα ἔργα
πῇ δὴ συνθεσίαι τε καὶ ὅρκια βήσεται ἥμιν:
ἐν πυρὶ δὴ βουλαί τε γενοίατο μήδεά τ' ἀνδρῶν.
σπονδαί τ' ἄκρητοι καὶ δεξιαὶ ᾗς ἐπέπιθμεν:
αύτως γάρ ῥ' ἐπέεσσ' ἐριδαίνομεν, οὐδέ τι μῆχος
εὑρέμεναι δυνάμεσθα: πολὺν χρόνον ἐνθάδ' ἐόντες:
Ἀτρείδη: σὺ δέ θ' ὡς πρὶν ἔχων ἀστεμφέα βουλὴν
ἄρχευ, Ἀργείοισι κατὰ κρατερὰς ὑσμίνας:
τοῦσδε δ' ἔα φθινύθειν ἕνα καὶ δύο: τοί κεν, Ἀχαιῶν
νόσφιν βουλεύωσ'. ἄνυσις δ`' οὐκ ἔσσεται αὐτῶν
πρὶν Ἄργος δ' ϊέναι. πρὶν καὶ Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο
γνώμεναι. εἴ τε ψεῦδος ὑπόσχεσις, εἴ τε καὶ οὐκί:
φημὶ γὰρ οὖν κατανεῦσαι ὑπερμενέα Κρονίωνα
ἤματι τῷ, ὅτε, νηυσὶν ἐν ὠκυπόροισιν ἔβαινον
Ἀργεῖοι: Τρώεσσι φόνον καὶ κῆρα φέροντες:
ἀστράπτων ἐπιδεξὶ', ἐναίσιμα σήματα φαίνων:
τῶ μή τις πρὶν ἐπειγέσθω οἶκον δὲ νέεσθαι.
πρίν τινα παρ Τρώων ἀλόχῳ κατακοιμηθῆναι.
τίσασθαι δ`' Ἑλένης ὁρμήματά τε στοναχάς τε:
εἰ δέ τις ἐκπάγλως ἐθέλει οἶκον δὲ νέεσθαι,
ἁπτέσθω ἧς, νηὸς ἐϋσσέλμοιο μελαίνης.
ὄφρα πρόσθ' ἄλλων θάνατον καὶ πότμον ἐπίσπῃ:
ἀλλὰ ἄναξ. αὐτός τ' εὖ, μήδεο: πείθεό τ' ἄλλῳ:
οὔ τοι ἀπόβλητον ἔπος ἔσσεται ὅττι κεν εἴπω:
κρῖν' ἄνδρας κατα φῦλα, κατα φρήτρας Ἀγάμεμνον.
ὡς φρήτρη φρήτρηφιν ἀρήγῃ: φῦλα δὲ φύλοις:
εἰ δέ κεν ὡς έρξῃς. καί τοι πείθωνται πείθονται Ἀχαιοί,
γνώσῃ ἔπειθ'. ὅς θ' ἡγεμόνων κακὸς. ὅς τέ νυ λαῶν.
ἢδ' ὅς κ' ἐσθλὸς ἔῃσι. κατα σφέας γὰρ μαχέονται:
γνώσεαι δ' εἰ καὶ θεσπεσίῃ πόλιν οὐκ ἀλαπάξεις
ἦ ἀνδρῶν κακότητι καὶ ἀφραδίῃ πολέμοιο:
So spake he, and the Argives shouted aloud, and all round about them the ships echoed wondrously beneath the shouting of the Achaeans, as they praised the words of godlike Odysseus. And there spake among them the horseman, Nestor of Gerenia: "Now look you; in very truth are ye holding assembly after the manner of silly boys that care no whit for deeds of war. What then is to be the end of our compacts and our oaths? Nay, into the fire let us cast all counsels and plans of warriors, the drink-offerings of unmixed wine, and the hand-clasps wherein we put our trust. For vainly do we wrangle with words, nor can we find any device at all, for all our long-tarrying here. Son of Atreus, do thou as of old keep unbending purpose, and be leader of the Argives throughout stubborn fights; and for these, let them perish, the one or two of the Achaeans, that take secret counsel apart—yet no accomplishment shall come therefrom—to depart first to Argos or ever we have learned whether the promise of Zeus that beareth the aegis be a lie or no. For I declare that Cronos' son, supreme in might, gave promise with his nod on that day when the Argives went on board their swift-faring ships, bearing unto the Trojans death and fate; for he lightened on our right and shewed forth signs of good. Wherefore let no man make haste to depart homewards until each have lain with the wife of some Trojan, and have got him requital for his strivings and groanings for Helen's sake. Howbeit, if any man is exceeding fain to depart homewards, let him lay his hand upon his black, well-benched ship, that before the face of all he may meet death and fate. But do thou, O King, thyself take good counsel, and hearken to another; the word whatsoever I speak, shalt thou not lightly cast aside. Separate thy men by tribes, by clans, Agamemnon, that clan may bear aid to clan and tribe to tribe. If thou do thus, and the Achaeans obey thee, thou wilt know then who among thy captains is a coward, and who among thy men, and who too is brave; for they will fight each clan for itself. So shalt thou know whether it is even by the will of heaven that thou shalt not take the city, or by the cowardice of thy folk and their witlessness in war."
