Ἰλιάδος Ι

Thus the Trojans kept their watches; but the Achaeans

were gripped by terrible panic, companion of chilling fear,

and all their best men were struck with unbearable grief.

As two winds stir the fish-filled sea,

Boreas and Zephyrus, which blow from Thrace,

coming suddenly, and all at once the black wave

heaves into a crest and casts much seaweed along the sea —

so the spirit in the Achaeans' breasts was torn apart.

The son of Atreus, struck to the heart by great grief,

went about commanding the clear-voiced heralds

to summon every man by name to the assembly,

but not to shout aloud; he himself labored among the foremost.

They sat distressed in the assembly; and Agamemnon rose

shedding tears like a black-watered spring

that pours its dusky water down a sheer rock face.

So, groaning heavily, he spoke words to the Argives:

Friends, leaders and rulers of the Argives,

Zeus, son of Cronos, has bound me fast in heavy ruin —

cruel god, who then promised me and bowed his head in assent

that I should sack well-walled Ilion and return home,

but now he has devised a cruel deceit, and bids me

go back to Argos in dishonor, since I have lost so many men.

So, it seems, it must be dear to Zeus, exceeding in might,

who has already thrown down the crowning heights of many cities

and will yet throw down more; for his power is greatest of all.

Come, then, let all of us obey as I shall say:

let us flee with our ships to our own dear native land;

for we shall never now take wide-wayed Troy."

So he spoke, and they all fell hushed in silence;

for a long while the distressed sons of the Achaeans sat speechless.

but at last Diomedes, good at the war-cry, spoke among them:

"Son of Atreus, with you first I will contend in your folly,

as is right, lord, in the assembly; but do not be angered.

First you reproached my valor among the Danaans,

saying I was unwarlike and a coward; and all this

the Argives know, both young and old.

But to you the son of crooked-counseling Cronos gave his gifts divided:

with the scepter he gave you honor above all others,

but he did not give you valor, which is the greatest power.

Strange man, do you truly suppose the sons of the Achaeans

are unwarlike and cowardly, as you declare?

If your own heart is set on returning home,

go; the road lies open, and near the sea your ships

stand, the many that followed you from Mycenae.

But the other long-haired Achaeans will remain

until we sack Troy. But if they too are set on flight,

let them flee with their ships to their own dear native land;

we two, Sthenelus and I, will fight until we find the end

of Ilion; for with a god we have come."

So he spoke, and all the sons of the Achaeans shouted aloud,

marveling at the word of Diomedes, tamer of horses.

Then Nestor the horseman rose among them and spoke:

"Son of Tydeus, in war you are strong beyond all,

and in counsel you are best among all men of your age.

No Achaean will find fault with your word,

nor speak against it; yet you have not reached the end of all your words.

Truly, you are young; you could even be my son,

the youngest of my children by birth; yet you speak wisely

to the kings of the Argives, since you have spoken as is fitting.

But come, I who claim to be older than you

will speak out and go through the whole matter; and no one

will dishonor my word, not even the lord Agamemnon.

Clanless, lawless, hearthless is the man

who delights in the chilling war fought within his own people.

But now let us obey black night

and prepare our suppers; and let the sentinels, every man,

take their stations beside the dug trench, outside the wall.

These orders I lay upon the young men; but after that,

son of Atreus, you take the lead, for you are the kingliest of all.

Give the elders a feast; it befits you and is not unseemly.

Your huts are full of wine, which the ships of the Achaeans

bring daily from Thrace across the broad sea.

All hospitality is yours, and you rule over many.

When many are gathered, obey the man who offers the best

counsel; and all the Achaeans have great need

of counsel both good and shrewd, for close beside the ships the enemy

are burning many fires. Who could rejoice at this?

This night will either break the army or save it."

So he spoke, and they listened closely and obeyed him.

The guards rushed out in their armor

around Thrasymedes, Nestor's son, shepherd of the people,

and around Ascalaphus and Ialmenus, sons of Ares,

and around Meriones, Aphareus, and Deipyrus,

and around Creon's son, godlike Lycomedes.

Seven were the leaders of the guards, and with each went

a hundred young men, holding long spears in their hands.

They went and sat midway between the trench and the wall;

there they kindled a fire, and each man prepared his supper.

The son of Atreus led the gathered elders of the Achaeans

to his hut, and set before them a feast to satisfy desire.

They reached out their hands to the good things set ready before them.

But when they had put from them the desire for drink and food,

the old man was first among them to begin weaving counsel,

Nestor, whose counsel had also seemed best before;

with good will toward them, he addressed them and spoke:

"Son of Atreus, most glorious, Agamemnon, lord of men,

with you I shall end and from you begin, since over many

peoples you are lord, and Zeus has placed in your hands

the scepter and the judgments, that you may counsel them.

Therefore above all you must speak a word and listen,

and carry out another man's counsel too, whenever his heart urges him

to speak for the good; and what he proposes will rest with you.

But I will say what seems to me to be best.

No other man will devise a better plan than this

which I have had in mind, long ago and even now,