ὡς εἰπὼν. μάστιγι κατωμαδὸν ήλασεν ἵ̈ππους:
κεκλόμενος Τρώεσσιν ἐπι στίχας. οἱ δὲ συν αυτῷ
πάντες ὁμοκλήσαντες έχον ἐρυσάρματας ἵ̈ππους
ἠχῇ θεσπεσίῃ: προπάροιθε δὲ Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων
ῥεῖ' ὄχθας καπέτοιο βαθείης ποσσὶν ἐρίπων
ἐς μέσσον κατέβαλλε, γεφύρωσεν δὲ κέλευθον
μακρὴν ἠ δ̀' εὐρεῖαν. ὅσον τ' ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωῆ ἐρωὴ
γίνεται. ὁππότ' ἀνὴρ σθένεος πειρώμενος ᾗσι:
τῇ ῥ' οἵ γε προχέοντο φαλαγγηδὸν. πρὸ δ' Ἀπόλλων
αἰγίδ' ἔχων ἐρίτιμον: ἔρειπε δὲ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν
ῥεῖα μάλ'. ὡς ὅτε τις ψάμαθον παῖς ἄγχι θαλάσσης:
ὅς τ' ἐπεὶ οὖν ποιήσῃ ἀθύρματα νηπιέῃσιν.
ὰψ αὖτις συνέχευε ποσὶν καὶ χερσὶν ἀθύρων.
ὥς ῥα σὺ ἤϊε Φοῖβε πολὺν κάματον καὶ ὀϊζὺν
σύγχεας Ἀργείων. αὐτοῖσι δὲ φῦζανφύζαν ἐνῶρσας:
ὡς οἱ μὲν, παρὰ νηυσὶν ἐρητύοντο μένοντες:
ἀλλήλοισί τε κεκλόμενοι, καὶ πᾶσι θεοῖσι
χεῖρας ἀνίσχοντες, μεγάλ' εὐχετόωντο ἕκαστος:
Νέστωρ αὖτε μάλιστα Γερήνιος. οὖρος Ἀχαιῶν
εὔχετο χεῖρ' ὀρέγων εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα:
Ζεῦ πάτερ. εἴ ποτέ τις τοι ἐν Ἄργεΐ περ πολυπύρῳ
ἠ βοὸς ἢ ὄϊος καταπίονα μηρία καίων
εὔχετο νοστῆσαι. σὺ δ' ὑπέσχεο καὶ κατένευσας.
τῶν μνῆσαι. καὶ ἄμυνον Ὀλύμπιε νηλεὲς ἦμαρ:
μὴ δ' οὕτω Τρώεσσιν ἔα δάμνασθαι Ἀχαιούς:
So saying, with a downward sweep of his arm he smote his horses with the lash, and called aloud to the Trojans along the ranks; and they all raised a shout, and even with him drave the steeds that drew their chariots, with a wondrous din; and before them Phoebus Apollo lightly dashed down with his feet the banks of the deep trench, and cast them into the midst thereof, bridging for the men a pathway long and broad, even as far as a spear-cast, when a man hurleth, making trial of his strength. Therethrough they poured forward rank on rank, and before them went Apollo, bearing the priceless aegis. And full easily did he cast down the wall of the Achaeans, even as when a boy scattereth the sand by the sea, one that makes of it a plaything in his childishness, and then again confounds it with hands and feet as he maketh sport: so lightly didst thou, O archer Phoebus, confound the long toil and labour of the Achaeans, and on themselves send rout. So then beside their ships the Danaans halted, and were stayed, calling one upon the other, and lifting up their hands to all the gods they made fervent prayer, each man of them; and most of all prayed Nestor of Gerenia, the warder of the Achaeans, stretching forth his two hands to the starry heaven: "O father Zeus, if ever any man of us in wheat-bearing Argos burned to thee fat thigh-pieces of bull or of ram with the prayer that he might return, and thou didst promise and nod thy head thereto, be thou now mindful of these things, and ward from us, O Olympian god, the pitiless day of doom, nor suffer the Achaeans thus to be vanquished by the Trojans."
