τὸν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων.
ῆ μὰν αὖτ' ἀγορῇ νικᾷς γέρον υἷας Ἀχαιῶν:
αἲ γὰρ Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον.
τοιοῦτοι, δέκα μοι συμφράδμονες εἶεν Ἀχαιῶν:
τῶ κε τάχ' ἠμύσειε πόλις Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος
χερσὶν ὑφ' ἡμετέρῃσιν ἁλοῦσά τε περθομένη τε:
ἀλλά μοι αἰγίοχος Κρονίδης Ζεὺς ἄλγε' ἔδωκεν.
ὅς με μετ' ἀπρήκτους ἔριδας καὶ νείκεα βάλλει:
καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼν Ἀχιλεύς τε μαχεσσάμεθ' εἵνεκα κούρης
ἀντιβίοις ἐπέεσσιν. ἐγὼ δ' ἦρχον χαλεπαίνων:
εἰ δέ ποτ' ἔς γε μίαν βουλεύσομεν, οὐκέτ' ἔπειτα
Τρωσὶν ἀνάβλησις κακοῦ ἔσσεται οὐδ' ἠβαιόν.
νῦν δ' ἔρχεσθ' ἐπὶ δεῖπνον, ἵνα ξυνάγωμεν Ἄρηα:
εὖ μέν τις δόρυ θηξάσθω. εὖ, δ' ἀσπίδα θέσθω:
εὖ, δέ τις ἵ̈πποισιν δεῖπνον δότω ὠκυπόδεσσιν:
εὖ, δέ τις ἅρματος ἀμφὶς ἰ̈δὼν, πολέμοιο μεδέσθω:
ὥς κε, πανημέριοι στυγερῷ κρινώμεθ' Ἄρηϊ:
οὐ γὰρ παυσωλή γε μετέσσεται οὐδ' ἠβαιὸν.
εἰ μὴ νὺξ ἐλθοῦσα διακρίνεει μένος ἀνδρῶν:
ἱ̈δρώσει μέν τευ τελαμὼν ἀμφι στήθεσφιν
ἀσπίδος ἀμφιβρότης. περ δ' ἔγχεϊ χεῖρα καμεῖται:
ἱ̈δρώσει δέ τευ. ἵππος ἐΰξοον ἅρμα τιταίνων:
ὃν δέ κ' ἐγὼν ἀπάνευθε μάχης ἐθέλοντα νοήσω
μιμνάζειν παρὰ νηυσὶ κορωνίσιν. οὔ οἱ ἔπειτα
ἄρκιον ἐσσεῖται: φυγέειν κύνας ἠδ`' οἰωνούς:
Then in answer to him spake the king, Agamemnon: "Aye verily once more, old sir, art thou pre-eminent in speech above the sons of the Achaeans. I would, O father Zeus and Athene and Apollo, that I had ten such counsellors; then would the city of king Priam forthwith bow her head, taken and laid waste beneath our hands. But the son of Cronos, even Zeus that beareth the aegis, hath brought sorrows upon me, in that he casteth me into the midst of fruitless strifes and wranglings. For verily I and Achilles fought about a girl with violent words, and it was I that waxed wroth the first; but if e'er we shall be at one in counsel, then shall there no more be any putting off of evil for the Trojans, no not for an instant. But for this present go ye to your meal, that we may join battle. Let every man whet well his spear and bestow well his shield, and let him well give to his swift-footed horses their food, and look well to his chariot on every side, and bethink him of fighting; that the whole day through we may contend in hateful war. For of respite shall there intervene, no, not a whit, until night at its coming shall part the fury of warriors. Wet with sweat about the breast of many a man shall be the baldric of his sheltering shield, and about the spear shall his hand grow weary, and wet with sweat shall a man's horse be, as he tugs at the polished car. But whomsoever I shall see minded to tarry apart from the fight beside the beaked ships, for him shall there be no hope thereafter to escape the dogs and birds."
