Οὗτοι ὰρ ἡγεμόνες Δαναῶν καὶ κοίρανοι ἦσαν:
τίς ταρ τῶν ὄχ' ἄριστος ἔην σύ μοι ἔννεπε Μοῦσα
αὐτῶν ἢδ' ἵ̈ππων. οἳ ἅμ' Ἀτρείδῃσιν ἕποντο:
Ἵπποι μὲν μέγ' ἄρισται ἔσαν Φηρητιάδᾱο
τὰς Εὔμηλος ἔλαυνε ποδώκεας ὄρνιθας ὣς:
ὄτριχας οἰέτεας. σταφύλῃ ἐπὶ νῶτον ἐΐσας:
τὰς ἐν πηρείῃ θρέψ' ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων
ἄμφω θηλείᾱς: φόβον Ἄ̄ρηος φορεούσας:
ἀνδρῶν αὖ, μέγ' ἄριστος ἔην Τελαμώνιος Αἴας
ὄφρ' Ἀχιλεὺς μήνιεν: ὃ γὰρ πολὺ φέρτατος ῆεν:
ἵπποι θ' οἳ φορέεσκον ἀμύμονα Πηλείωνα:
ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐν νήεσσι κορωνίσι ποντοπόροισι
κεῖτ' ἀπομηνίσας Ἀγαμέμνονι ποιμένι λαῶν
Ἀτρείδῃ: λαοὶ δὲ παρὰ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης
δίσκοισιν τέρποντο καὶ αἰγανέῃσιν ἱ̈έντες
τόξοισίν θ': ἵπποι δὲ παρ' ἅρμασιν οἷσιν ἕκαστος
λωτὸν ἐρεπτόμενοι ἐλεόθρεπτόν τε σέλινον
ἕστασαν: ἅρματα δ' εὖ πεπυκασμένα κεῖτο ἀνάκτων
ἐν κλισίῃς: οἱ δ' ἀρχὸν ἀρηΐφιλον ποθέοντες
φοίτων ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα κατα στρατὸν: οὐδ' ἐμάχοντο:
These were the leaders of the Danaans and their lords. But who was far the best among them do thou tell me, Muse—best of the warriors and of the horses that followed with the sons of Atreus. Of horses best by far were the mares of the son of Pheres, those that Eumelas drave, swift as birds, like of coat, like of age, their backs as even as a levelling line could make. These had Apollo of the silver bow reared in Pereia, both of them mares, bearing with them the panic of war. And of warriors far best was Telamonian Aias, while yet Achilles cherished his wrath; for Achilles was far the mightiest, he and the horses that bare the peerless son of Peleus. Howbeit he abode amid his beaked, seafaring ships in utter wrath against Agamemnon, Atreus' son, shepherd of the host; and his people along the sea-shore took their joy in casting the discus and the javelin, and in archery; and their horses each beside his own car, eating lotus and parsley of the marsh, stood idle, while the chariots were set, well covered up, in the huts of their masters. But the men, longing for their captain, dear to Ares, roared hither and thither through the camp, and fought not.
