§14.1Νέστορα δʼ οὐκ ἔλαθεν ἰαχὴ πίνοντά περ ἔμπης, §14.2ἀλλʼ Ἀσκληπιάδην ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §14.3φράζεο δῖε Μαχᾶον ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα· §14.4μείζων δὴ παρὰ νηυσὶ βοὴ θαλερῶν αἰζηῶν.
Nestor was not unmindful of the cry, though he was drinking, but to the son of Asclepius he spoke winged words: "Consider, noble Machaon, how these deeds shall be; the cry of the lusty youths is growing louder by the ships.
§14.5ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν νῦν πῖνε καθήμενος αἴθοπα οἶνον §14.6εἰς ὅ κε θερμὰ λοετρὰ ἐϋπλόκαμος Ἑκαμήδη §14.7θερμήνῃ καὶ λούσῃ ἄπο βρότον αἱματόεντα· §14.8αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐλθὼν τάχα εἴσομαι ἐς περιωπήν. §14.9ὣς εἰπὼν σάκος εἷλε τετυγμένον υἷος ἑοῖο §14.10κείμενον ἐν κλισίῃ Θρασυμήδεος ἱπποδάμοιο §14.11χαλκῷ παμφαῖνον· ὃ δʼ ἔχʼ ἀσπίδα πατρὸς ἑοῖο.
But do thou sit now and drink the gleaming wine, until fair-tressed Hecamede shall heat a warm bath and wash away the clotted blood; but I will go quickly to a place of outlook and find out." So saying, he took the well-wrought shield of his son, which lay in the hut, even of Thrasymedes the tamer of horses, gleaming with bronze; for the son had the shield of his father.
§14.12εἵλετο δʼ ἄλκιμον ἔγχος ἀκαχμένον ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ, §14.13στῆ δʼ ἐκτὸς κλισίης, τάχα δʼ εἴσιδεν ἔργον ἀεικὲς §14.14τοὺς μὲν ὀρινομένους, τοὺς δὲ κλονέοντας ὄπισθε §14.15Τρῶας ὑπερθύμους· ἐρέριπτο δὲ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν.
And he took a strong spear, tipped with sharp bronze, and stood outside the hut, and quickly saw a shameful deed— the Achaeans in rout, and the Trojans pursuing them from behind, and the wall of the Achaeans thrown down.
§14.16ὡς δʼ ὅτε πορφύρῃ πέλαγος μέγα κύματι κωφῷ §14.17ὀσσόμενον λιγέων ἀνέμων λαιψηρὰ κέλευθα §14.18αὔτως, οὐδʼ ἄρα τε προκυλίνδεται οὐδετέρωσε, §14.19πρίν τινα κεκριμένον καταβήμεναι ἐκ Διὸς οὖρον, §14.20ὣς ὃ γέρων ὅρμαινε δαϊζόμενος κατὰ θυμὸν §14.21διχθάδιʼ, ἢ μεθʼ ὅμιλον ἴοι Δαναῶν ταχυπώλων, §14.22ἦε μετʼ Ἀτρεΐδην Ἀγαμέμνονα ποιμένα λαῶν.
And as when the great sea heaves with a silent wave, foreboding the swift paths of the shrill winds, all in vain, nor does it roll forward to this side or that until some decisive wind comes down from Zeus; so the old man pondered, divided in his mind two ways: whether he should go into the throng of the Danaans of swift horses, or after Agamemnon, son of Atreus, shepherd of the host.
And as he thus pondered, it seemed to him better to go after the son of Atreus.
οἳ δʼ ἀλλήλους ἐνάριζον §14.25μαρνάμενοι· λάκε δέ σφι περὶ χροῒ χαλκὸς ἀτειρὴς §14.26νυσσομένων ξίφεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισι.
But the others were slaying one another in battle, and the stubborn bronze clanged about their bodies as they were thrust at with swords and double-pointed spears.
§14.27Νέστορι δὲ ξύμβληντο διοτρεφέες βασιλῆες §14.28πὰρ νηῶν ἀνιόντες ὅσοι βεβλήατο χαλκῷ §14.29Τυδεΐδης Ὀδυσεύς τε καὶ Ἀτρεΐδης Ἀγαμέμνων.
And there met Nestor the kings, nurtured of Zeus, as they came up from the ships, as many as had been wounded with bronze— the son of Tydeus, and Odysseus, and Agamemnon, son of Atreus.
§14.30πολλὸν γάρ ῥʼ ἀπάνευθε μάχης εἰρύατο νῆες §14.31θῖνʼ ἔφʼ ἁλὸς πολιῆς· τὰς γὰρ πρώτας πεδίον δὲ §14.32εἴρυσαν, αὐτὰρ τεῖχος ἐπὶ πρύμνῃσιν ἔδειμαν.
For far away from the battle were their ships drawn up on the shore of the grey sea; for those that were first they had drawn up to the plain, and had built the wall at the sterns of them.
§14.33οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδʼ εὐρύς περ ἐὼν ἐδυνήσατο πάσας §14.34αἰγιαλὸς νῆας χαδέειν, στείνοντο δὲ λαοί· §14.35τώ ῥα προκρόσσας ἔρυσαν, καὶ πλῆσαν ἁπάσης §14.36ἠϊόνος στόμα μακρόν, ὅσον συνεέργαθον ἄκραι.
For, wide though it was, the beach could not contain all the ships, and the people were straitened; wherefore they drew them up in rows, and filled the wide mouth of all the shore, as much as the headlands enclosed.
§14.37τώ ῥʼ οἵ γʼ ὀψείοντες ἀϋτῆς καὶ πολέμοιο §14.38ἔγχει ἐρειδόμενοι κίον ἀθρόοι· ἄχνυτο δέ σφι §14.39θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν.
Therefore the kings, desiring to behold the clamor and the battle, came all together, leaning on their spears; and the heart in their breasts was sorrowful.
ὃ δὲ ξύμβλητο γεραιὸς §14.40Νέστωρ, πτῆξε δὲ θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν Ἀχαιῶν.
And the old man met them, even Nestor, and dismayed the spirit in the breasts of the Achaeans.
§14.41τὸν καὶ φωνήσας προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων· §14.42ὦ Νέστορ Νηληϊάδη μέγα κῦδος Ἀχαιῶν §14.43τίπτε λιπὼν πόλεμον φθισήνορα δεῦρʼ ἀφικάνεις;
To him spoke the ruler Agamemnon, and said: "Nestor, son of Neleus, great glory of the Achaeans, why hast thou left the man-destroying battle and come hither?
§14.44δείδω μὴ δή μοι τελέσῃ ἔπος ὄβριμος Ἕκτωρ, §14.45ὥς ποτʼ ἐπηπείλησεν ἐνὶ Τρώεσσʼ ἀγορεύων §14.46μὴ πρὶν πὰρ νηῶν προτὶ Ἴλιον ἀπονέεσθαι §14.47πρὶν πυρὶ νῆας ἐνιπρῆσαι, κτεῖναι δὲ καὶ αὐτούς.
I fear lest dread Hector fulfill the word even as he once threatened, speaking among the Trojans, that he would not return to Ilios from the ships until he had burned the ships with fire, and slain us also.
§14.48κεῖνος τὼς ἀγόρευε· τὰ δὴ νῦν πάντα τελεῖται.
So he spoke, and now all this is being fulfilled.
§14.49ὢ πόποι ἦ ῥα καὶ ἄλλοι ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοὶ §14.50ἐν θυμῷ βάλλονται ἐμοὶ χόλον ὥς περ Ἀχιλλεὺς §14.51οὐδʼ ἐθέλουσι μάχεσθαι ἐπὶ πρυμνῇσι νέεσσι. §14.52τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ· §14.53ἦ δὴ ταῦτά γʼ ἑτοῖμα τετεύχαται, οὐδέ κεν ἄλλως §14.54Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης αὐτὸς παρατεκτήναιτο.
Ah, verily, the other well-greaved Achaeans also, lay up wrath against me in their hearts, even as Achilles does, and will not fight by the sterns of the ships." To him then made answer the Gerenian horseman, Nestor: "Verily, these things are already done, nor could Zeus himself, the high-thundering, fashion them otherwise.
§14.55τεῖχος μὲν γὰρ δὴ κατερήριπεν, ᾧ ἐπέπιθμεν §14.56ἄρρηκτον νηῶν τε καὶ αὐτῶν εἶλαρ ἔσεσθαι· §14.57οἳ δʼ ἐπὶ νηυσὶ θοῇσι μάχην ἀλίαστον ἔχουσι §14.58νωλεμές· οὐδʼ ἂν ἔτι γνοίης μάλα περ σκοπιάζων §14.59ὁπποτέρωθεν Ἀχαιοὶ ὀρινόμενοι κλονέονται, §14.60ὡς ἐπιμὶξ κτείνονται, ἀϋτὴ δʼ οὐρανὸν ἵκει.
For the wall has been thrown down, in which we trusted that it would be an unbreakable defense for the ships and for ourselves; and the men are fighting by the swift ships without ceasing, ceaselessly; nor couldst thou any longer tell, though thou shouldst look ever so closely, from which side the Achaeans are driven in rout, so confusedly are they slain, and the cry reaches the heaven.
§14.61ἡμεῖς δὲ φραζώμεθʼ ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα §14.62εἴ τι νόος ῥέξει· πόλεμον δʼ οὐκ ἄμμε κελεύω §14.63δύμεναι· οὐ γάρ πως βεβλημένον ἐστὶ μάχεσθαι. §14.64τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων· §14.65Νέστορ ἐπεὶ δὴ νηυσὶν ἔπι πρυμνῇσι μάχονται, §14.66τεῖχος δʼ οὐκ ἔχραισμε τετυγμένον, οὐδέ τι τάφρος, §14.67ᾗ ἔπι πολλὰ πάθον Δαναοί, ἔλποντο δὲ θυμῷ §14.68ἄρρηκτον νηῶν τε καὶ αὐτῶν εἶλαρ ἔσεσθαι· §14.69οὕτω που Διὶ μέλλει ὑπερμενέϊ φίλον εἶναι §14.70νωνύμνους ἀπολέσθαι ἀπʼ Ἄργεος ἐνθάδʼ Ἀχαιούς.
But let us take counsel how these things shall be, if wisdom may do aught; but into the battle I bid you not enter; for in no wise is it possible for a wounded man to fight." To him again made answer Agamemnon, king of men: "Nestor, since they are fighting by the sterns of the ships, and the well-built wall has availed not, nor the trench, whereat the Danaans suffered much, and hoped in their hearts that it would be an unbreakable defense for the ships and for ourselves; so, I ween, must it be the pleasure of Zeus supreme that the Achaeans should perish here far from Argos, without a name.
§14.71ᾔδεα μὲν γὰρ ὅτε πρόφρων Δαναοῖσιν ἄμυνεν, §14.72οἶδα δὲ νῦν ὅτε τοὺς μὲν ὁμῶς μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι §14.73κυδάνει, ἡμέτερον δὲ μένος καὶ χεῖρας ἔδησεν.
For I knew it when he was aiding the Danaans with a ready heart, and I know it now when he glorifies the Trojans even as the blessed gods, and has bound our strength and our hands.
§14.74ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ ὡς ἂν ἐγὼν εἴπω πειθώμεθα πάντες.
But come, even as I shall speak, let us all obey.