ἔστι δέ τις Θρυόεσσα πόλις αἰπεῖα κολώνη.
τηλοῦ ἐπ' Ἀλφειῷ νεάτη Πύλου ἠμαθόεντος:
τὴν ἀμφ' ἐστρατόωντο διαρραῖσαι μεμαῶτες:
ἂλλ' ὅτε πᾶν πεδίον μετεκίαθον: ἄμμι δ' Ἀθήνη
ἄγγελος ἦλθε θέουσ' ἀπ' Οὐλύμπου θωρήσσεσθαι
ἔννυχος. οὐδ' ἀἕκοντα Πύλον. κάτα λαὸν ἄγειρεν.
ἀλλὰ μάλ' ἐσσυμένους πολεμίζειν: οὐδέ με Νηλεὺς
εἴα θωρήσσεσθαι: ἀπέκρυψεν δέ μοι ἵ̈ππους:
οὐ γάρ πώ τί μ' ἔφη ἴ̈δμεν πολεμήϊα ἔργα:
ἀλλὰ καὶ ὧς ἱ̈ππεῦσι μετέπρεπον ἡμετέροισι
καὶ πεζός περ ἐὼν. ἐπεὶ ὣς ἄγε νεῖκος Ἀθήνη:
ἔστι δέ τις ποταμὸς Μινυήϊος εἰς ἅλα βάλλων.
ἐγγύθεν Ἀρήνης. ὅθι μείναμεν Ἠῶ δῖαν
ἱ̈ππῆες Πυλίων: τά δ' ἐπέρρεον ἔθνεα πεζῶν:
ἔνθεν πανσυδίῃ συν τεύχεσι. θωρηχθέντες.
ένδιοι ϊκόμεσθ' ἱ̈ερὸν ῥόον Ἀλφειοῖο:
ἔνθα Διὶ̈ ῥέξαντες ὑπερμενεῖ ἱ̈ερὰ καλὰ.
ταῦρον δ' Ἀλφειῷ. ταῦρον δὲ Ποσειδάωνι.
αὐτὰρ Ἀθηναίῃ γλαυκώπιδι βοῦν ἀγελαίην.
δόρπον ἔπειθ' ἑλόμεσθα κατὰ στρατὸν ἐν τελέεσσι.
καὶ κατεκοιμήθημεν ἐν ἔντεσιν οἷσιν ἕκαστος
ἀμφὶ ῥοὰς ποταμοῖο: ἀτὰρ μεγάθυμοι Ἐπειοὶ
ἀμφίσταντο δὲδὴ ἄστυ διαρραῖσαι μεμαῶτες:
ἀλλά σφιν προπάροιθε φάνη μέγα ἔργον Ἀρήος Ἄρηος:
εὖτε γὰρ ἠέλιος φαέθων ὑπερέσχεθε γαίης:
συμφερόμεσθα μάχῃ: Διί̈ τ' εὐχόμενοι καὶ Ἀθήνῃ:
" Now there is a city Thryoessa, a steep hill, far off on the Alpheius, the nethermost of sandy Pylos; about this they set their camp, fain to raze it utterly. But when they had coursed over the whole plain to us came Athene, speeding down from Olympus by night with the message that we should array us for battle, and nowise loath were the folk she gathered in Pylos, but right eager for war. Now Neleus would not suffer me to arm myself, but hid away my horses, for he deemed that as yet I knew naught of deeds of war. Howbeit even so I was pre-eminent among our horsemen, on foot though I was, for so did Athene order the fight. There is a river Minyeïus that empties into the sea hard by Arene, where we waited for bright Dawn, we the horsemen of the Pylians, and the throngs of footmen flowed ever after. Thence with all speed, arrayed in our armour, we came at midday to the sacred stream of Alpheius. There we sacrificed goodly victims to Zeus, supreme in might, and a bull to Alpheius, and a bull to Poseidon, but to flashing-eyed Athene a heifer of the herd; and thereafter we took supper throughout the host by companies, and laid us down to sleep, each man in his battlegear, about the streams of the river. But the great-souled Epeians were marshalled about the city, fain to raze it utterly; but ere that might be there appeared unto them a mighty deed of war; for when the bright sun stood above the earth we made prayer to Zeus and Athene, and joined battle.
