εἴθ' ὡς, ἡβώοιμι: βίη τέ μοι ἔμπεδος εἴη.
ὡς ὁπότ' Ἠλείοισι καὶ ἡμῖν νεῖκος ἐτύχθη
ἀμφι βοηλασίῃ: ὅτ' ἐγὼ κτάνον Ἰ̈τυμονῆα
ἐσθλὸν Ὑπειροχίδην. ὃς ἐν Ἥλιδι, ναιετάασκε.
ῥύσι' ἐλαυνόμενος. ὁ δ' ἀμύνων ᾗσι βόεσσιν.
ἔβλητ' ἐν πρώτοισιν ἐμῆς ἀπο χειρὸς ἄκοντι.
καδ δ' έπεσεν: λαοὶ δὲ περίτρεσαν ἀγροιῶται.
ληΐδα δ' ἐκ πεδίου συνελάσσαμεν ἤλιθα πολλὴν.
πεντήκοντα βοῶν ἀγέλας: τόσα πώεα οἰῶν.
τόσσα συῶν συβόσια. τόσ' αἰπόλια πλατέ' αἰγῶν:
ἵ̈ππους δὲ ξανθὰς ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα
πάσας θηλείας: πολλῇσι δὲ πῶλοι ὑπῆσαν:
καὶ τά μὲν ἠλασάμεσθα Πύλον Νηλήϊον εἴσω
ἐννύχιοι προτὶ ἄστυ: γεγήθει δὲ φρένα Νηλεὺς:
οὕνεκά μοι τύχε πολλὰ, νέῳ πόλεμον δὲ κιόντι:
κήρυκες δ' ἐλίγαινον: ἅμ' ἠοῖ φαινομένηφι
τοὺς, ί̈μεν. οἷσι, χρέως ὠφείλετ' ἐν Ἥλιδι δίῃ:
οἳ δὲ συναγρόμενοι Πυλίων ἡγήτορες ἄνδρες,
δαίτρευον: πολέσιν γὰρ Ἐπειοὶ χρεῖος ὄφειλον.
ὡς ἡμεῖς παῦροι, κεκακωμένοι ἐν Πύλῳ ἦμεν.
ἐλθὼν γάρ ῥ' ἐκάκωσε βίη Ἡρακληείη
τῶν προτέρων ἐτέων: κατὰ δ' ἔκταθεν ὅσσοι ἄριστοι:
δώδεκα γὰρ Νηλῆος ἀμύμονος υἱέες ῆμεν:
τῶν οἶος λιπόμην. οἱ δ' ἄλλοι πάντες ὄλοντο:
ταῦθ' ὑπερηφανέοντες Ἐπειοὶ χαλκοχίτωνες.
ἡμέας ὑβρίζοντες, ἀτάσθαλα μηχανόωντο:
"Would that I were young and my strength were as when strife was set afoot between the Eleans and our folk about the lifting of kine, what time I slew Itymoneus, the valiant son of Hypeirochus, a man that dwelt in Elis, when I was driving off what we had seized in reprisal; and he while fighting for the kine was smitten amid the foremost by a spear from my hand; and he fell, and the country folk about him fled in terror. And booty exceeding great did we drive together from out the plain, fifty herds of kine, as many flocks of sheep, as many droves of swine, as many roving herds of goats, and chestnut horses an hundred and fifty, all mares, and many of them had foals at the teat. These then we drave into Neleian Pylos by night into the citadel, and Neleus was glad at heart for that much spoil had fallen to me when going as a stripling into war. And heralds made loud proclamation at break of dawn that all men should come to whomsoever a debt was owing in goodly Elis; and they that were leaders of the Pylians gathered together and made division, for to many did the Epeians owe a debt, seeing that we in Pylos were few and oppressed. For mighty Heracles had come and oppressed us in the years that were before, and all that were our bravest had been slain. Twelve were we that were sons of peerless Neleus, and of these I alone was left, and all the rest had perished; wherefore the brazen-coated Epeans, proud of heart thereat, in wantonness devised mischief against us.
