ὄρνυσθ'. οἳ καὶ τούτου ἀέθλου πειρήσεσθε:
ὡς ἔφατ'. ὤρνυτο δ' αὐτίκ' Ὀϊλῆος ταχὺς Αἴας:
ἂν δ' Ὀδυσεὺς πολύμητις: ἔπειτα δὲ Νέστορος υἱὸς
Ἀντίλοχος. ὃ γὰρ αὖτε, νέους ποσὶ πάντας ἐνίκα:
στὰν δὲ μεταστοιχὶ: σήμηνε δὲ τέρματ' Ἀχιλλεύς:
τοῖσι δ' ἀπὸ νύσσης τέτατο δρόμος: ὦκα δ' ἔπειτα
ἔκφερ' Ὀϊλιάδης: ἐπὶ δ' ὤρνυτο δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἄγχι μάλ', ὡς ὅτε τίς τε γυναικὸς ἐϋζώνοιο
στήθεός ἐστι κανών, ὅν τ' εὖ μάλα χερσὶ τανύσσῃ
πηνίον ἐξέλκουσα παρεκ μίτον, γχόθι δ' ἴσχει
στήθεος: ὡς Ὀδυσεὺς θέεν ἐγγύθεν, αὐτὰρ ὄπισθεν
ἴχνια τύπτε πόδεσσι πάρος κόνιν μφιχυθῆναι:
καδ δ' ἄρα ἐκ κεφαλῆς χέ' ϋτμένα δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς
αἰεὶ ῥίμφα θέων: ἴαχον δ' ἐπὶ πάντες Ἀχαιοὶ
νίκης ἱεμένῳ, μάλα δὲ σπεύδοντι κέλευον.
ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ πύματον τέλεον δρόμον, αὐτίκ' Ὀδυσσεὺς
εὔχετ' Ἀθηναίῃ γλαυκώπιδι ὃν κατὰ θυμόν:
κλῦθι θεά, γαθή μοι ἐπίρροθος ἐλθὲ ποδοῖιν.
So spake he, and forthwith uprose swift Aias, son of Oïleus, and Odysseus of many wiles, and after them Antilochus, Nestor's son, for he surpassed all the youths in swiftness of foot. Then took they their places in a row, and Achilles showed them the goal, and a course was marked out for them from the turning-point. Then speedily the son of Oïleus forged to the front, and close after him sped goodly Odysseus; close as is the weaving-rod to the breast of a fair-girdled woman, when she deftly draweth it in her hands, pulling the spool past the warp, and holdeth the rod nigh to her breast; even so close behind ran Odysseus, and his feet trod in the footsteps of Aias or ever the dust had settled therein, and down upon his head beat the breath of goodly Odysseus, as he ran ever swiftly on; and all the Achaeans shouted to further him as he struggled for victory, and called to him as he strained to the utmost. But when now they were running the last part of the course, straightway Odysseus made prayer in his heart to flashing-eyed Athene: "Hear me, goddess, and come a goodly helper to my feet."
