τὸνδ' ὰρ ὑπόδρα ἰ̈δὼν, προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς:
Ἀτρείδη: ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν έρκος ὀδόντων:
οὐλόμεν', αἴθ' ὤφελλες ἀεικελίου στρατοῦ ἄλλου
σημαίνειν. μὴ δ' ἄμμιν ἀνασσέμεν. οἷσιν ἄρα Ζεὺς
ἐκ νεότητος ἔδωκε καὶ ἐς γῆρας τολυπεύειν
ἀργαλέους πολέμους, ὄφρα φθιόμεσθα ἕκαστος:
οὕτω δὴ μέμονας Τρώων πόλιν εὐρυάγυιαν
καλλείψειν: ἧς εἵνεκ' ὀϊζύομεν κακὰ πολλά:
σίγα: μή τίς τ' ἄλλος Ἀχαιῶν τοῦτον ἀκούσῃ
μῦθον: ὃν οὔ κεν ἀνήρ γε δια στόμα πάμπαν ἄγοιτο
ὅς τις ἐπίσταιτο ᾗσι, φρεσὶν ἄρτια βάζειν:
σκηπτοῦχος τ' εἴη: καί οἱ, πειθοίατο λαοὶ.
τοσσοῖδ'. ὅσσοισιν σὺ μετ Aργείοισιν ἀνάσσεις:
νῦν δὲ σεῦ ὠνοσάμην πάγχυ φρένας οἷον ἔειπες:
ὃς κέλεαι πολέμοιο συνεσταότος καὶ ἀϋτῆς.
νῆας ἐϋσσέλμους ἅλαδ' ἑλκέμεν. ὄφρ' ἔτι μᾶλλον.
Τρωσὶ μὲν εὐκτὰ γένηται ἐπικρατέουσί περ ἔμπης,
ἡμῖν δ' αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος ἐπιρρέπῃ: οὐ γὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ
σχήσουσιν πόλεμον. νηῶν ἅλα δ' ἑλκομενάων.
ἀλλ' ἀποπτανέουσιν. ἐρωήσουσι δὲ χάρμης:
ἔνθά κε, σὴ βουλὴ δηλήσεται ὄρχαμε λαῶν:
ὡς εἰπὼν, μέγ' ἄϋσεν ἐπεσσύμενος πεδίοιο:
Then with an angry glance from beneath his brows Odysseus of many wiles addressed him: "Son of Atreus, what a word hath escaped the barrier of thy teeth! Doomed man that thou art, would that thou wert in command of some other, inglorious army, and not king over us, to whom Zeus hath given, from youth right up to age, to wind the skein of grievous wars till we perish, every man of us. Art thou in truth thus eager to leave behind thee the broad-wayed city of the Trojans, for the sake of which we endure many grievous woes? Be silent, lest some other of the Achaeans hear this word, that no man should in any wise suffer to pass through his mouth at all, no man who hath understanding in his heart to utter things that are right, and who is a sceptred king to whom hosts so many yield obedience as are the Argives among whom thou art lord. But now have I altogether scorn of thy wits, that thou speakest thus, seeing thou biddest us, when war and battle are afoot, draw down our well-benched ships to the sea, that so even more than before the Trojans may have their desire, they that be victors even now, and that on us utter destruction may fall. For the Achaeans will not maintain their fight once the ships are drawn down to the sea, but will ever be looking away, and will withdraw them from battle. Then will thy counsel prove our bane, thou leader of hosts."
