τὸν δ' αὐτ' Ἰ̈δομενεὺς Κρητῶν ἀγὸς ἀντίον ηύδᾱ:
νηυσὶ μὲν ἐν μέσσῃσιν ἀμύνειν εἰσὶ καὶ ἄλλοι:
Αἴαντές τε δύω. Τεῦκρός θ', ὃς ἄριστος Ἀχαιῶν
τοξοσύνῃ: ἀγαθὸς δὲ καὶ ἐν σταδίῃ ὑσμίνῃ:
οἵ μιν ἅδην ἑλόωσι, καὶ ἐσσύμενον πολέμοιο:
αἰπύ, οἱ, εσσεῖται. μάλα περ μεμαῶτι μάχεσθαι:
κείνων νικήσαντι μένος καὶ χεῖρας ἀάπτους.
νῆας ἐνιπρῆσαι, ὅτε μὴ αὐτός γε Κρονίων
ἐμβάλοι αἰθόμενον δαλὸν νήεσσι θοῇσιν:
ἀνδρὶ δέ κ' οὐκ είξειε μέγας Τελαμώνιος Αἴας:
ὃς θνητὸς θνητός τ' εἴη. καὶ ἔδοι Δημήτερος ἀκτήν.
χαλκῷ τε ῥηκτὸς, μεγάλοισί τε χερμαδίοισιν:
οὐδ' ἂν Ἀχιλλῆϊ ῥηξήνορι χωρήσειεν
ἐν γ' αὐτοσταδίῃ. ποσὶ δ' οὔ πως ἐστὶν ἐρίζειν:
νῶϊν δ' ὧδ' ἐπ αριστὲρ' ἔχε στρατοῦ, ὄφρα τάχιστα
εἴδομεν, ἠέ, τῳ εὖχος ὀρέξομεν. ἠέ τις ἡμῖν:
And to him again Idomeneus, leader of the Cretans, made answer: "Among the midmost ships there be others for defence, the two Aiantes, and Teucer, best of all the Achaeans in bowmanship, and a good man too in close fight; these shall drive Hector, Priam's son, to surfeit of war, despite his eagerness, be he never so stalwart. Hard shall it be for him, how furious soever for war, to overcome their might and their invincible hands, and to fire the ships, unless the son of Cronos should himself cast a blazing brand upon the swift ships. But to no man would great Telamonian Aias yield, to any man that is mortal, and eateth the grain of Demeter, and may be cloven with the bronze or crushed with great stones. Nay, not even to Achilles, breaker of the ranks of men, would he give way, in close fight at least; but in fleetness of foot may no man vie with Achilles. But for us twain, do thou, even as thou sayest,make for the left of the host, that we may know forthwith whether we shall give glory to another or another to us."
