τὴν δ' αῦτ' Ἀντήνωρ πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηύδᾱ:
ὦ γύναι: ῆ μάλα τοῦτο ἔπος νημερτὲς έειπες:
ἤδη γὰρ καὶ δεῦρό ποτ' ἤλυθε δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς
σεῦ ἕνεκ': ἀγγελίης σὺν ἀρηϊφίλῳ Μενελάῳ:
τοὺς δ' ἐγὼ ἐξείνισσα καὶ ἐν μεγάροισι φίλησα:
ἀμφοτέρων δὲ φυὴν ἐδάην καὶ μήδεα πυκνά:
ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ Τρώεσσιν ἐν ἀγρομένοισιν ἔμιχθεν:
στάντων μὲν Μενέλαος ὑπείρεχεν εὐρέας ὤμους:
ἄμφω δ' ἑζομένω: γεραρώτερος ῆεν Ὀδυσσεύς:
ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ μύθους. καὶ μήδεα πᾶσιν ὕφαινον.
ἤτοι μὲν Μενέλαος ἐπιτροχάδην ἀγόρευε:
παῦρα μὲν. ἀλλὰ μάλα λιγέως: ἐπεὶ οὐ πολύμυθος
οὐδ' ἀφαμαρτοεπής ἢ καὶ γένει ὕστερος ῆεν:
ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ πολύμητις ἀναΐξειεν Ὀδυσσεὺς.
στάσκεν: ὑπαὶ δὲ ἴ̈δεσκε κατα χθονὸς ὄμματα πήξας:
σκῆπτρον δ' οὔτ' ὀπίσω οὔτε προπρηνὲς ἐνώμᾱ:
ἀλλ' ἀστεμφὲς ἔχεσκεν ἀΐδρεϊ φωτὶ ἐοικώς:
φαίης κεν ζάκοτόν τέ τιν' ἔμμεναι ἄφρονά τ' αὕτως:
ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ ὄπα τὲ μεγάλην ἐκ στήθεος εἴη
καὶ ἔπεα νιφάδεσσιν ἐοικότα χειμερίῃσιν.
οὐκ ἂν ἔπειτ' Ὀδυσῆΐ γ' ἐρίσσειε βροτὸς ἄλλος:
οὐ τότε γ' ὧδ' Ὀδυσῆος ἀγασσάμεθ' εἶδος ἰ̈δόντες:
Then to her again made answer Antenor, the wise: "Lady, this verily is a true word that thou hast spoken, for erstwhile on a time goodly Odysseus came hither also on an embassy concerning thee, together with Menelaus, dear to Ares; and it was I that gave them entertainment and welcomed them in my halls, and came to know the form and stature of them both and their cunning devices. Now when they mingled with the Trojans, as they were gathered together, when they stood Menelaus overtopped him with his broad shoulders; howbeit when the twain were seated Odysseus was the more royal. But when they began to weave the web of speech and of counsel in the presence of all, Menelaus in truth spake fluently, with few words, but very clearly, seeing he was not a man of lengthy speech nor of rambling, though verily in years he was the younger. But whenever Odysseus of many wiles arose, he would stand and look down with eyes fixed upon the ground, and his staff he would move neither backwards nor forwards, but would hold it stiff, in semblance like a man of no understanding; thou wouldest have deemed him a churlish man and naught but a fool. But whenso he uttered his great voice from his chest, and words like snowflakes on a winter's day, then could no mortal man beside vie with Odysseus; then did we not so marvel to behold Odysseus' aspect."
