Τὸν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων:
χρεὼ βουλῆς ἐμὲ καὶ σὲ διοτρεφὲς ὦ Μενέλᾱε
κερδαλέης, ἥ τίς κεν ἐρύσσεται ἠδὲ σαώσει
Ἀργείους καὶ νῆας. ἐπεὶ Διὸς ἐτράπετο φρήν:
Ἑκτορέοις άρα μᾶλλον ἐπὶ φρένα θῆχ' ἱ̈εροῖσιν:
οὐ γάρ πω ἰ̈δόμην. οὐδ' ἔκλυον αὐδήσαντος.
ἄνδρ' ἕνα, τοσσάδε μέρμερ' ἐπ' ἤματι μητίσασθαι.
ὅσσ' Ἕκτωρ ἔρρεξε Διῒ φίλος υἷας Ἀχαιῶν.
αύτως. οὔτε θεᾶς υἱὸς φίλος. οὔτε θεοῖο:
ἔργα δ' ἔρεξ': ὅσα φημὶ μελησέμεν, Ἀργείοισι
δηθά τε καὶ δολιχὸν. τόσα γὰρ κακὰ μήσατ' Ἀχαιούς:
ἀλλ' ἴ̈θι νῦν Αἴαντα καὶ Ἰ̈δομενῆα κάλεσσον
ῥίμφα θέων ἐπὶ νῆας. ἐγὼ δ' ἐπι Νέστορα δῖον
εἶμι: καὶ ὀτρυνέω ἀνστήμεναι: αἴ κ επίθηται
ἐλθεῖν ἐς φυλάκων ἱ̈ερὸν τέλος. ἠδ' ἐπιτεῖλαι:
κείνου γάρ κε μάλιστα πιθοίατο. τοῖο γὰρ υἱὸς
σημαίνει φυλάκεσσι: καὶ Ἰ̈δομενῆος ὀπάων
Μηριόνης. τοῖσιν γὰρ ἐπετράπομέν γε μάλιστα:
Then in answer to him spake lord Agamemnon: "Need have we, both thou and I, O Menelaus, fostered of Zeus, of shrewd counsel that shall save and deliver the Argives and their ships, seeing the mind of Zeus is turned. To the sacrifices of Hector, it seemeth, his heart inclineth rather than to ours. For never have I seen neither heard by the telling of another that one man devised in one day so many terrible deeds, as Hector, dear to Zeus, hath wrought upon the sons of the Achaeans, by himself alone, he that is not the dear son of goddess or of god. Deeds hath he wrought that methinks will be a sorrow to the Argives for ever and aye, so many evils hath he devised against the Achaeans. But go now, run swiftly along the lines of ships and call hither Aias and Idomeneus, and I will go to goodly Nestor and bid him arise, if so be he will be minded to go to the sacred company of the sentinels and give them charge. To him would they hearken as to no other, for his son is captain over the guard, he and Meriones, comrade of Idomeneus; for to them above all we entrusted this charge."
