τὸν δ' ἠμείβετ' ἔπειτα Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ:
ῆ δὴ, ταῦτά γ' ἑτοῖμα τετεύχαται. οὐδέ κεν ἄλλως
Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης αὐτὸς παρατεκτήναιτο:
τεῖχος μὲν γὰρ δὴ, κατερήριπεν, ᾧ ἐπέπιθμεν
ἄρρηκτον νηῶν τε καὶ αὐτῶν εῖλαρ ἔσεσθαι:
οἱ δ' ἐπὶ νηυσὶ θοῇσι μάχην ἀλίαστον ἔχουσι
νωλεμὲς, οὐδ' ὰν ἔτι γνοίης μάλα περ σκοπιάζων:
ὁπποτέρωθεν Ἀχαιοὶ ὀρινόμενοι κλονέονται:
ὡς ἐπιμὶξ κτείνονται: ἀϋτὴ δ' οὐρανὸν ΐκει:
ἡμεῖς δὲ φραζώμεθ' ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα.
εἴ τι νόος ῥέξει. πόλεμον δ' οὐκ άμμε κελεύω
δύμεναι. οὐ γάρ πως βεβλημένον ἐστὶ μάχεσθαι:
ὡς εἰπὼν, μέγ' ἄϋσεν ἐπεσσύμενος πεδίοιο:
Then made answer to him the horseman Nestor of Gerenia: "Yea, verily, these things have now been brought to pass and are here at hand, neither could Zeus himself, that thundereth on high, fashion them otherwise. For, lo, the wall has been thrown down, wherein we put our trust that it should be an unbreakable bulwark for our ships and ourselves. And the foemen at the swift ships maintain a ceaseless fight, and make no end; nor couldst thou any more tell, wert thou to look never so closely, from what side the Achaeans are driven in rout, so confusedly are they slain, and the cry of battle goeth up to heaven. But for us, let us take thought how these things are to be, if so be wit may aught avail. But into the war I bid not that we should enter; in no wise may a wounded man do battle."
