Ἀργεῖοι δ' ἐν γῶνι καθήμενοι εἰσορόωντο
ἵππους: τοὶ δὲ πέτοντο κονίοντες πεδίοιο.
πρῶτος δ' Ἰδομενεὺς Κρητῶν γὸς ἐφράσαθ' ἵππους:
ἧστο γὰρ ἐκτὸς γῶνος ὑπέρτατος ἐν περιωπῇ:
τοῖο δ' ἄνευθεν ἐόντος ὁμοκλητῆρος κούσας
ἔγνω, φράσσατο δ' ἵππον ριπρεπέα προὔχοντα,
ὃς τὸ μὲν ἄλλο τόσον φοῖνιξ ἦν, ἒν δὲ μετώπῳ
λευκὸν σῆμ' ἐτέτυκτο περίτροχον ἠΰτε μήνη.
στῆ δ' ὀρθὸς καὶ μῦθον ἐν Ἀργείοισιν ἔειπεν:
ὦ φίλοι Ἀργείων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες
οἶος ἐγὼν ἵππους αὐγάζομαι ἠὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς;
ἄλλοι μοι δοκέουσι παροίτεροι ἔμμεναι ἵπποι,
ἄλλος δ' ἡνίοχος ἰνδάλλεται: αἱ δέ που αὐτοῦ
ἔβλαβεν ἐν πεδίῳ, αἳ κεῖσέ γε φέρτεραι ἦσαν:
ἤτοι γὰρ τὰς πρῶτα ἴδον περὶ τέρμα βαλούσας,
νῦν δ' οὔ πω δύναμαι ἰδέειν: πάντῃ δέ μοι ὄσσε
Τρωϊκὸν μ πεδίον παπταίνετον εἰσορόωντι:
ἠὲ τὸν ἡνίοχον φύγεν ἡνία, οὐδὲ δυνάσθη
εὖ σχεθέειν περὶ τέρμα καὶ οὐκ ἐτύχησεν ἑλίξας:
ἔνθά μιν ἐκπεσέειν ὀΐω σύν θ' ἅρματα ἄξαι,
αἱ δ'ἐξηρώησαν, ἐπεὶ μένος ἔλλαβε θυμόν.
λλὰ ἴδεσθε καὶ ὕμμες νασταδόν: οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε
εὖ διαγινώσκω: δοκέει δέ μοι ἔμμεναι νὴρ
Αἰτωλὸς γενεήν, μετὰ δ' Ἀργείοισιν νάσσει
Τυδέος ἱπποδάμου υἱὸς κρατερὸς Διομήδης.
But the Argives sitting in the place of gathering were gazing at the horses, that flew amid the dust over the plain. And the first to mark them was Idomeneus, leader of the Cretans, for he sat without the gathering, the highest of all, in a place of outlook, and when he heard the voice of him that shouted, albeit afar off, he knew it; and he was ware of a horse, shewing clear to view in front, one that was a bay all the rest of him, but on his forehead was a white spot round like the moon. And he stood up, and spake among the Argives saying: "My friends, leaders and rulers of the Argives, is it I alone that discern the horses, or do ye as well? Other are they, meseemeth, that be now in front, and other is the charioteer that appeareth; and the mares will have come to harm out yonder on the plain, they that were in front on the outward course. For in truth I marked them sweeping first about the turning-post, but now can I nowhere spy them, though mine eyes glance everywhither over the Trojan plain, as I gaze. Did the reins haply slip from the charioteer, and was he unable to guide the course aright about the post, and did he fail in the turn? Even there, methinks, must he have been hurled to earth, and have wrecked his car, and the mares must have swerved from the course in wild terror of heart. Howbeit stand ye up also, and look; for myself I discern not clearly, but the man seemeth to me to be an Aetolian by race, and is king among the Argives, even the son of horse-taming Tydeus, mighty Diomedes."
