οἱ δ' άρ Ἀθήνας εἶχον ἐϋκτίμενον πτολίεθρον:
δῆμον Ἐρεχθῆος μεγαλήτορος: ὅν ποτ' Ἀθήνη
θρέψε Διὸς θυγάτηρ. τέκε δὲ ζείδωρος ἄρουρα:
καδ δ' ἐν Ἀθήνῃς εἷσεν, ἑῷ ἐν πίονι νηῷ.
ἔνθα δέ μιν ταύροισι καὶ ἀρνειοῖς ϊλάονται
κοῦροι Ἀθηναίων περιτελλομένων ἐνιαυτῶν.
τῶν αὖθ' ἡγεμόνευ' υἱὸς Πετεῶο Μενεσθεύς:
τῷ δ' οὔ πώ τις ὁμοῖος ἐπιχθόνιος γένετ' ἀνὴρ
κοσμῆσαι ἵ̈ππους τε καὶ ἀνέρας ἀσπιδιώτας:
Νέστωρ οἶος ἔριζεν: ὃ γὰρ προγενέστερος ἦεν:
τῷ δ' ἅμα πεντήκοντα μέλαιναι νῆες ἕποντο:
And they that held Athens, the well-built citadel, the land of great-hearted Erechtheus, whom of old Athene, daughter of Zeus, fostered, when the earth, the giver of grain, had borne him; and she made him to dwell in Athens, in her own rich sanctuary, and there the youths of the Athenians, as the years roll on in their courses, seek to win his favour with sacrifices of bulls and rams;—these again had as leader Menestheus, son of Peteos. Like unto him was none other man upon the face of the earth for the marshalling of chariots and of warriors that bear the shield. Only Nestor could vie with him, for he was the elder. And with him there followed fifty black ships.
