τὸνδ' ὰρ ὑπόδρα ἰ̈δὼν προσέφη κρατερὸς Διομήδης:
μή τι. φόβον δ' ἀγόρευ': ἐπεὶ οὐδεσὲ πεισέμεν οἴω:
οὐ γὰρ μοὶ γενναῖον ἀλυσκάζοντι μάχεσθαι:
οὐδὲ καταπτώσσειν: ἔτι μοι μένος ἐμπεδόν ἐστιν:
ὀκνείω δ' ἵππων ἐπιβαινέμεν: ἀλλὰ καὶ αὕτως
ἀντίον εἶμ' αὐτῶν. τρεῖν μ' οὐκ ἔα Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.
τούτω δ' οὐ πάλιν αῦτις ἀποίσετον ὠκέες ἵπποι
ἄμφω ἀφ' ἡμείων, εἰ γ' οὖν ἕτερός γε φύγῃσιν:
ἄλλο δέ τοι ἐρέω. σὺ δ' ἐνι φρεσὶ βάλλεο, σῇσιν:
αἴ κέν μοι πολύβουλος Ἀθήνη κῦδος ὀρέξῃ
ἀμφοτέρω κτεῖναι, σὺ δὲ τοῦσδε μὲν ὠκέας ἵππους
αὐτοῦ ἐρυκακέειν: ἐξ ἄντυγος ἡνία τείνας:
Αἰνείαο δ' ἐπαΐξαι μεμνημένος ἵππων:
ἐξελάσαι Τρώων μετ εϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιούς.
τῆς γάρ τοι γενεῆς. ἧς, Τρωΐ περ εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς '
δῶχ' υἷος ποινὴν Γανυμήδεος: οὕνεκ' ἄριστοι
ἵππων ὅσσοι ἔασι ὑπ' ἠῶ τ' ἠέλιόν τε:
τῆς, γενεῆς ἔκλεψεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγχίσης:
λάθρῃ Λαομέδοντος ὑποσχὼν θήλεας ἵππους:
τῶν, οἱ, ἓξ, ἐγένοντο ἐνὶ μεγάροισι γενέθλη:
τοὺς μὲν τέσσαρας αὐτὸς ἔχων ἀτίταλλ' ἐπὶ φάτνῃ:
τὼ δὲ δύ' Αἰνείᾳ δῶκεν μήστωρε φόβοιο:
εἰ τούτω κε λάβοιμεν, ἀροίμεθά κε κλέος ἐσθλόν.
Then with an angry glance from beneath his brows mighty Diomedes spake to him: "Talk not thou to me of flight, for I deem thou wilt not persuade me. Not in my blood is it to fight a skulking fight or to cower down; still is my strength steadfast. And I have no mind to mount upon a car, but even as I am will I go to face them; that I should quail Pallas Athene suffereth not. As for these twain, their swift horses shall not bear both back from us again, even if one or the other escape. And another thing will I tell thee, and do thou lay it to heart. If so be Athene, rich in counsel, shall vouchsafe me this glory, to slay them both, then do thou hold here these swift horses, binding the reins taut to the chariot rim; but be mindful to rush upon the horses of Aeneas and drive them forth from the Trojans to the host of the well-greaved Achaeans. For they are of that stock wherefrom Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, gave to Tros recompense for his son Ganymedes, for that they were the best of all horses that are beneath the dawn and the sun. Of this stock the king of men Anchises stole a breed, putting his mares to them while Laomedon knew naught thereof. And from these a stock of six was born him in his palace; four he kept himself and reared at the stall, and the other two he gave to Aeneas, devisers of rout. Could we but take these twain, we should win us goodly renown."
