ἔνθ', οὔτ' Ἰ̈δομενεὺς τλῆ μίμνειν. οὔτ' Ἀγαμέμνων.
οὔτε δυ' Αἴαντες μενέτην θεράποντες Ἄρηος:
Νέστωρ οἶος ἔμιμνε Γερήνιος, οῦρος Ἀχαιῶν,
οὔ τι ἑκών. ἀλλ' ἵ̈ππος ἐτείρετο, τὸν βάλεν ἰ̈ῷ
δῖος Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἑλένης πόσις ἠϋκόμοιο
ἄκρην κακ κορυφὴν. ὅθι τε πρῶται τρίχες ἵ̈ππων
κρανίῳ ἐμπεφύᾱσι. μάλιστα δὲ καίριόν ἐστιν⁚
ἀλγήσας δ' ἀνέπαλτο. βέλος δ' εἰς ἐγκέφαλον δῦ:
σὺν δ' ἵππους ἐτάραξε κυλινδόμενος περι χαλκῷ:
ὄφρ' ὁ γέρων, ἵπποιο παρηορίας ἀπέτεμνεἀπέταμνε
φασγάνῳ ἀΐσσων, τόφρ' Ἕκτορος ὠκέες ἵπποι
ἦλθον ἀνι ιωχμὸν, θρασὺν ἡνίοχον φορέοντες
Ἕκτορα: καί νύ̆ κεν ἔνθ' ὁ γέρων ἀπο θυμὸν ὄλεσσεν.
εἰ μὴ ὰρ ὀξὺ νόησε βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Διομήδης:
σμερδαλέον δ' ἐβόησεν ἐποτρύνων Ὀδυσσῆα:
διογενὲς: Λαερτιάδη πολυμήχαν' Ὀδυσσεῦ:
πῇ φεύγεις μετὰ νῶτα βαλὼν, κακὸς ὡς. ἐν ὁμίλῳ:
μή τίς τοι φεύγοντι, μεταφρένω ἐν δόρυ πήξῃ:
ἀλλὰ μέν'. ὄφρα γέροντος ἀπώσομεν ἄγριον ἄνδρα:
Then had neither Idomeneus the heart to abide, nor Agamemnon, nor yet the Aiantes twain, squires of Ares; only Nestor of Gerenia abode, the warder of the Achaeans, and he nowise of his own will, but his horse was sore wounded, seeing goodly Alexander, lord of fair-haired Helen, had smitten him with an arrow upon the crown of the head where the foremost hairs of horses grow upon the skull, and where is the deadliest spot. So, stung with agony the horse leapt on high as the arrow sank into his brain, and he threw into confusion horses and car as he writhed upon the bronze. And while the old man sprang forth and with his sword was cutting away the traces, meanwhile the swift horses of Hector came on through the tumult, bearing a bold charioteer, even Hector. And now would the old man here have lost his life, had not Diomedes, good at the war-cry, been quick to see; and he shouted with a terrible shout, urging on Odysseus: "Zeus-born son of Laërtes, Odysseus of many wiles, whither fleest thou with thy back turned, like a coward in the throng? Let it not be that as thou fleest some man plant his spear in thy back. Nay, hold thy ground, that we may thrust back from old Nestor this wild warrior."
