τὸν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς:
ὦ Νέστορ, Νηληάδη μέγα κῦδος Ἀχαιῶν.
ῥεῖα θεός γ' ἐθέλων καὶ ἀμείνονας ἠέ περ οἵδε
ἵ̈ππους δωρήσαιτ'. ἐπεὶ ῆ πολὺ φέρτεροί εἰσιν:
ἵπποι δ' οἵδε γεραιὲ, νεήλυδες. οὓς ἐρεείνεις,
Θρηΐκιοι: τὸν δέ σφιν ἄνακτ': ἀγαθὸς Διομήδης
ἔκτανε, πὰρ δ' ἑτάρους δυοκαίδεκα πάντας ἀρίστους:
τὸν τρισκαιδέκατον σκοπὸν εἵλομεν ἐγγύθι νηῶν:
τόν ῥα διοπτῆρα στρατοῦ ἔμμεναι ἡμετέροιο.
Ἕκτωρ τὲ προέηκε. καὶ ἄλλοι Τρῶες ἀγαυοί:
Then in answer spake unto him Odysseus of many wiles: "Nestor, son of Neleus, great glory of the Achaeans, easily might a god that willed it bestow even better horses than these, for the gods are mightier far. But these horses, old sir, whereof thou askest, are newly come from Thrace, and their lord did brave Diomedes slay, and beside him twelve of his comrades, all them that were the best. And for the thirteenth we slew a scout near the ships, one that Hector and the other lordly Trojans had sent forth to spy upon our camp."
