Ὡς ἔφατ'. Ἀτρειδης δὲ παρῴχετο γηθόσυνος κῆρ:
ἦλθε δ' ἐπ' Αἰάντεσσι: κιὼν ἀνα οὐλαμὸν ἀνδρῶν.
τὼ δὲ κορυσσέσθην: ἅμα δὲ νέφος εἵπετο πεζῶν.
ὡς δ' ὅτ' ἀπο σκοπιῆς εἶδεν νέφος αἰπόλος ἀνὴρ
ἐρχόμενον κατα πόντον ὑπο Ζεφύροιο ἰ̈ωῆς:
τῷ δέ τ' ἄνευθεν ἐόντι: μελάντερον: ἠΰτε πίσσα
φαίνετ' ἰ̈ὸν κατὰ πόντον: ἄγει δέ τε λαίλαπα πολλὴν.
ῥίγησέν τε ἰ̈δών. ὑπό τε σπέος ἤλασε μῆλα.
τοῖαι ἅμ' Αἰάντεσσι διοτρεφέων αἰζηῶν
δήϊον ἐς πόλεμον πυκιναὶ κίνυντο φάλαγγες.
κυάνεαι σάκεσσίν τε. καὶ ἔγχεσι πεφρικυῖαι.
καὶ τοὺς μὲν γήθησεν ἰ̈δὼν κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων.
καί σφεας φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα:
Αἴαντ'. Ἀργείων ἡγήτορε χαλκοχιτώνων:
σφῶϊ μὲν, οὐ γὰρ ἔοικ' ὀτρυνέμεν, οὔ τι κελεύω:
αὐτὼ γὰρ μάλα λαὸν ἀνώγετον ῖ̈φι μάχεσθαι:
αἲ γὰρ Ζεῦ τε περ [πάτερ]. καὶ Ἀθηναίη: καὶ Ἄπολλον:
τοῖος πᾶσιν θυμὸς ἐνι στήθεσσι γένοιτο:
τῶ κε τάχ' ημύσειε πόλις Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος
χερσὶν ὑφ' ἡμετέρῃσιν ἁλοῦσά τε περθομένη τε:
So spake he, and the son of Atreus passed on, glad at heart, and came to the Aiantes as he fared through the throng of warriors; these were arming them for battle, and a cloud of footmen followed with them. Even as when from some place of outlook a goatherd seeth a cloud coming over the face of the deep before the blast of the West Wind, and to him being afar off it seemeth blacker than pitch as it passeth over the face of the deep, and it bringeth a mighty whirlwind; and he shuddereth at sight of it, and driveth his flock beneath a cave; even in such wise by the side of the Aiantes did the thick battalions of youths, nurtured of Zeus, move into furious war--dark battalions, bristling with shields and spears. At sight of these lord Agamemnon waxed glad, and he spake and addressed them with winged words: "Ye Aiantes, leaders of the brazen-coated Argives, to you twain, for it beseemeth not to urge you, I give no charge; for of yourselves ye verily bid your people fight amain. I would, O father Zeus and Athene and Apollo, that such spirit as yours might be found in the breasts of all; then would the city of king Priam forthwith bow her head, taken and laid waste beneath our hands."
