ὡς ἔφατ': Ἀργεῖοι δὲ, μέγ' ΐαχον. ὡς ὅτε κῦμα
ἀκτῇ ἐφ' ὑψηλῇ. ὅ, τε κινήσῃ Νότος ἐλθών
προβλῆτι, σκοπέλῳ: τὸν δ`' οὔ ποτε κύματα λείπει
παντοίων ἀνέμων, ὅτ' ὰν ἔνθ' ἢ ἔνθα γένωνται:
ἀνστάντες δ' ὀρέοντο. κεδασθέντες κατὰ νῆας:
κάπνισάν τε κατὰ κλισίας, καὶ δεῖπνον ἕλοντο:
ἄλλος δ' ἄλλῳ ἔρεζε θεῶν αἰειγενετάων.
εὐχόμενος θάνατόν τε φυγεῖν. καὶ μῶλον Ἄρηος:
αὐτὰρ ὃ, βοῦν ἱ̈έρευσεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων
πίονα πενταέτηρον ὑπερμενέϊ Κρονίωνι:
κίκλησκεν δὲ γέροντας ἀριστῆας Παναχαιῶν:
Νέστορα μὲν πρώτιστα. καὶ Ἰ̈δομενῆα ἄνακτα:
αὐτὰρ ἔπειτ' Αἴαντε δύω. καὶ Τυδέος υἱόν:
ἕκτον δ' αὖτ' Ὀδυσῆα Διῒ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον:
αὐτόματος δέ οἱ ἦλθε βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος.
ᾔδεε γὰρ κατὰ θυμὸν, ἀδελφεὸν ὡς ἐπονεῖτο:
βοῦν δὲ περιστήσαντο. καὶ οὐλοχύτας ἀνέλοντο:
τοῖσιν δ`' εὐχόμενος μετέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων:
Ζεῦ κύδιστε: μέγιστε: κελαινεφὲς. αἰθέρι ναίων:
μὴ πρὶν ἐπ' ἠέλιον δῦναι καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἐλθεῖν.
πρίν με καταπρηνὲς βαλέειν Πριάμοιο μέλαθρον
αἰθαλόεν: πρῆσαι δὲ πυρὸς δηΐοιο θύρετρα:
Ἑκτόρεον δὲ χιτῶνα περὶ στήθεσσι δαΐξαι
χαλκῷ ῥωγαλέον: πολέες δ' ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι
πρηνέες ἐν κονίῃσιν ὀδὰξ λαζοίατο γαῖαν:
So spake he, and the Argives shouted aloud as a wave against a high headland, when the South Wind cometh and maketh it to swell—even against a jutting crag that is never left by the waves of all the winds that come from this side or from that. And they arose and hasted to scatter among the ships, and made fires in the huts, and took their meal. And they made sacrifice one to one of the gods that are for ever, and one to another, with the prayer that they might escape from death and the toil of war. But Agamemnon, king of men, slew a fat bull of five years to the son of Cronos, supreme in might, and let call the elders, the chieftains of the Achaean host, Nestor, first of all, and king Idomeneus, and thereafter the twain Aiantes and the son of Tydeus, and as the sixth Odysseus, the peer of Zeus in counsel. And unbidden came to him Menelaus, good at the war-cry, for he knew in his heart wherewith his brother was busied. About the bull they stood and took up the barley grains, and in prayer lord Agamemnon spake among them, saying: "Zeus, most glorious, most great, lord of the dark clouds, that dwellest in the heaven, grant that the sun set not, neither darkness come upon us, until I have cast down in headlong ruin the hall of Priam, blackened with smoke, and have burned with consuming fire the portals thereof, and cloven about the breast of Hector his tunic, rent with the bronze; and in throngs may his comrades round about him fall headlong in the dust, and bite the earth."
