τὸν δ' Ἑλένη τανύπεπλος ἀμείβετο δῖα γυναικῶν:
οὗτος δ' Αἴας ἐστὶ πελώριος ἕρκος Ἀχαιῶν:
Ἰ̈δομενεὺσδ' ἑτέρωθεν ἐνι Κρήτεσσι θεὸς ὡς
ἕστηκ': ἀμφὶ δέ μιν Κρητῶν ἀγοὶ ἠγερέθονται:
πολλάκι μιν ξείνισσεν ἀρηΐφιλος Μενέλαος
οἴκῳ ἐν ἡμετέρῳ: ὁπότε Κρήτηθεν ἵ̈κοιτο:
νῦν δ' ἄλλους μὲν πάντας ὁρῶ ἑλίκωπας Ἀχαιοὺς
οὕς κεν ἔϋ γνοίην. καί τ' οὔνομα μυθησαίμην:
δοιὼ δ' οὐ δύναμαι ἰ̈δέειν κοσμήτορε λαῶν
Κάστορά θ' ἱππόδαμον: καὶ πὺξ ἀγαθὸν Πολυδεύκεα
αὐτοκασιγνήτω. τώ μοι μία γείνατο μήτηρ:
ἢ οὐχ ἑπέσθην Λακεδαίμονος ἐξ ερατεινῆς.
ἦ δεύρο μὲν ἕποντο νέεσς' ἐνὶ ποντοπόροισι:
νῦν αῦτ' οὐκ ἐθέλουσι μάχην καταδύμεναι ἀνδρῶν
αἴσχεα δειδιότες καὶ ὀνείδεα: πολλ' ἅ μοι ἐστίν:
And to him made answer long-robed Helen, fair among women: "This is huge Aias, bulwark of the Achaeans. And Idomeneus over against him standeth amid the Cretans even as a god, and about him are gathered the captains of the Cretans. Full often was Menelaus, dear to Ares, wont to entertain him in our house, whenever he came from Crete. And now all the rest of the bright-eyed Achaeans do I see, whom I could well note, and tell their names; but two marshallers of the host can I not see, Castor, tamer of horses, and the goodly boxer, Polydeuces, even mine own brethren, whom the same mother bare. Either they followed not with the host from lovely Lacedaemon, or though they followed hither in their seafaring ships, they have now no heart to enter into the battle of warriors for fear of the words of shame and the many revilings that are mine."
