§2.71ᾤχετʼ ἀποπτάμενος, ἐμὲ δὲ γλυκὺς ὕπνος ἀνῆκεν.
He departed, flying away, and sweet sleep released me.
§2.72ἀλλʼ ἄγετʼ αἴ κέν πως θωρήξομεν υἷας Ἀχαιῶν·
But come, let us see if we can somehow arm the sons of the Achaeans.
§2.73πρῶτα δʼ ἐγὼν ἔπεσιν πειρήσομαι, ἣ θέμις ἐστί, §2.74καὶ φεύγειν σὺν νηυσὶ πολυκλήϊσι κελεύσω· §2.75ὑμεῖς δʼ ἄλλοθεν ἄλλος ἐρητύειν ἐπέεσσιν. §2.76ἤτοι ὅ γʼ ὣς εἰπὼν κατʼ ἄρʼ ἕζετο, τοῖσι δʼ ἀνέστη §2.77Νέστωρ, ὅς ῥα Πύλοιο ἄναξ ἦν ἠμαθόεντος, §2.78ὅ σφιν ἐὺ φρονέων ἀγορήσατο καὶ μετέειπεν· §2.79ὦ φίλοι Ἀργείων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες §2.80εἰ μέν τις τὸν ὄνειρον Ἀχαιῶν ἄλλος ἔνισπε §2.81ψεῦδός κεν φαῖμεν καὶ νοσφιζοίμεθα μᾶλλον· §2.82νῦν δʼ ἴδεν ὃς μέγʼ ἄριστος Ἀχαιῶν εὔχεται εἶναι·
First I will test them with words, as is right, and I will bid them flee with their many-bench ships; but do you, from one side and another, hold them back with words." He indeed, having thus spoken, sat down, and among them arose Nestor, who was the king of sandy Pylos; who with good intent addressed their assembly and spoke among them: "O friends, leaders and rulers of the Argives, if any other of the Achaeans had told this dream, we should call it a lie and turn away from it all the more; but now he has seen it who claims to be by far the best of the Achaeans.
§2.83ἀλλʼ ἄγετʼ αἴ κέν πως θωρήξομεν υἷας Ἀχαιῶν. §2.84ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας βουλῆς ἐξῆρχε νέεσθαι, §2.85οἳ δʼ ἐπανέστησαν πείθοντό τε ποιμένι λαῶν §2.86σκηπτοῦχοι βασιλῆες· ἐπεσσεύοντο δὲ λαοί.
But come, let us see if we can somehow arm the sons of the Achaeans." Having thus spoken, he led the way to go out of the council, and they rose up and obeyed the shepherd of the people, the sceptred kings; and the people hurried after them.
§2.87ἠΰτε ἔθνεα εἶσι μελισσάων ἁδινάων §2.88πέτρης ἐκ γλαφυρῆς αἰεὶ νέον ἐρχομενάων, §2.89βοτρυδὸν δὲ πέτονται ἐπʼ ἄνθεσιν εἰαρινοῖσιν· §2.90αἳ μέν τʼ ἔνθα ἅλις πεποτήαται, αἳ δέ τε ἔνθα· §2.91ὣς τῶν ἔθνεα πολλὰ νεῶν ἄπο καὶ κλισιάων §2.92ἠϊόνος προπάροιθε βαθείης ἐστιχόωντο §2.93ἰλαδὸν εἰς ἀγορήν·
Even as go the swarms of crowding bees, coming ever anew from a hollow rock, and they fly in clusters over the flowers of spring; some fly thick on this side, and some on that; so from the ships and huts their many nations marched in companies along the deep beach to the assembly.
μετὰ δέ σφισιν ὄσσα δεδήει §2.94ὀτρύνουσʼ ἰέναι Διὸς ἄγγελος· οἳ δʼ ἀγέροντο.
And among them blazed Rumour, messenger of Zeus, urging them to go; and they were gathered.
The assembly was troubled, and the earth groaned beneath them as the people sat down, and there was a tumult.
ἐννέα δέ σφεας §2.97κήρυκες βοόωντες ἐρήτυον, εἴ ποτʼ ἀϋτῆς §2.98σχοίατʼ, ἀκούσειαν δὲ διοτρεφέων βασιλήων.
But nine heralds with shouting held them back, if ever from crying they would refrain and listen to the kings, nurtured by Zeus.
And with difficulty the people sat down, and were kept to their seats, ceasing from their clamour.
ἀνὰ δὲ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων §2.101ἔστη σκῆπτρον ἔχων τὸ μὲν Ἥφαιστος κάμε τεύχων.
And up rose lord Agamemnon, holding the sceptre which Hephaestus had toilfully made.
§2.102Ἥφαιστος μὲν δῶκε Διὶ Κρονίωνι ἄνακτι, §2.103αὐτὰρ ἄρα Ζεὺς δῶκε διακτόρῳ ἀργεϊφόντῃ· §2.104Ἑρμείας δὲ ἄναξ δῶκεν Πέλοπι πληξίππῳ, §2.105αὐτὰρ ὃ αὖτε Πέλοψ δῶκʼ Ἀτρέϊ ποιμένι λαῶν, §2.106Ἀτρεὺς δὲ θνῄσκων ἔλιπεν πολύαρνι Θυέστῃ, §2.107αὐτὰρ ὃ αὖτε Θυέστʼ Ἀγαμέμνονι λεῖπε φορῆναι, §2.108πολλῇσιν νήσοισι καὶ Ἄργεϊ παντὶ ἀνάσσειν.
Hephaestus gave it to lord Zeus, son of Cronos, and Zeus gave it to the messenger, the slayer of Argus; and lord Hermes gave it to Pelops, striker of horses, and Pelops in turn gave it to Atreus, shepherd of the people; and Atreus at his death left it to Thyestes, rich in flocks, and Thyestes in turn left it to Agamemnon to bear, to rule over many islands and all of Argos.
§2.109τῷ ὅ γʼ ἐρεισάμενος ἔπεʼ Ἀργείοισι μετηύδα· §2.110ὦ φίλοι ἥρωες Δαναοὶ θεράποντες Ἄρηος §2.111Ζεύς με μέγα Κρονίδης ἄτῃ ἐνέδησε βαρείῃ, §2.112σχέτλιος, ὃς πρὶν μέν μοι ὑπέσχετο καὶ κατένευσεν §2.113Ἴλιον ἐκπέρσαντʼ εὐτείχεον ἀπονέεσθαι, §2.114νῦν δὲ κακὴν ἀπάτην βουλεύσατο, καί με κελεύει §2.115δυσκλέα Ἄργος ἱκέσθαι, ἐπεὶ πολὺν ὤλεσα λαόν.
Leaning upon this sceptre, he spoke words among the Argives: "O friends, Danaan heroes, squires of Ares, Zeus, son of Cronos, has bound me fast in heavy blindness, harsh king! who once promised me and bowed his head that I should return home when I had destroyed well-walled Ilium, but now he has planned a cruel deceit, and bids me return to Argos inglorious, after I have lost many people.
§2.116οὕτω που Διὶ μέλλει ὑπερμενέϊ φίλον εἶναι, §2.117ὃς δὴ πολλάων πολίων κατέλυσε κάρηνα §2.118ἠδʼ ἔτι καὶ λύσει· τοῦ γὰρ κράτος ἐστὶ μέγιστον.
Thus, I suppose, it must be well-pleasing to all-powerful Zeus, who has laid low the heads of many cities, and will yet lay them low; for his power is greatest.
§2.119αἰσχρὸν γὰρ τόδε γʼ ἐστὶ καὶ ἐσσομένοισι πυθέσθαι §2.120μὰψ οὕτω τοιόνδε τοσόνδε τε λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν §2.121ἄπρηκτον πόλεμον πολεμίζειν ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι §2.122ἀνδράσι παυροτέροισι, τέλος δʼ οὔ πώ τι πέφανται·
For this is a shameful thing even for men of later days to hear, that in vain such a great and goodly host of Achaeans should wage a bootless war and fight with men fewer than they, and no end has yet appeared.
§2.123εἴ περ γάρ κʼ ἐθέλοιμεν Ἀχαιοί τε Τρῶές τε §2.124ὅρκια πιστὰ ταμόντες ἀριθμηθήμεναι ἄμφω, §2.125Τρῶας μὲν λέξασθαι ἐφέστιοι ὅσσοι ἔασιν, §2.126ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐς δεκάδας διακοσμηθεῖμεν Ἀχαιοί, §2.127Τρώων δʼ ἄνδρα ἕκαστοι ἑλοίμεθα οἰνοχοεύειν, §2.128πολλαί κεν δεκάδες δευοίατο οἰνοχόοιο.
For if we should wish, both Achaeans and Trojans, to strike a solemn oath and to be numbered both, and the Trojans should gather all who have hearths in the city, and we Achaeans should be marshalled into tens, and we should choose each group of us a Trojan to pour wine, many tens would lack a cupbearer.
So far, I say, do the sons of the Achaeans outnumber the Trojans who dwell in the city.
ἀλλʼ ἐπίκουροι §2.131πολλέων ἐκ πολίων ἐγχέσπαλοι ἄνδρες ἔασιν, §2.132οἵ με μέγα πλάζουσι καὶ οὐκ εἰῶσʼ ἐθέλοντα §2.133Ἰλίου ἐκπέρσαι εὖ ναιόμενον πτολίεθρον.
But there are allies from many cities, spear-brandishing men, who greatly hinder me and do not suffer me, though I wish it, to sack the well-inhabited city of Ilium.
Already nine years of great Zeus have gone by, and now the timbers of our ships are rotted and the rigging is slackened.
§2.136αἳ δέ που ἡμέτεραί τʼ ἄλοχοι καὶ νήπια τέκνα §2.137εἵατʼ ἐνὶ μεγάροις ποτιδέγμεναι· ἄμμι δὲ ἔργον §2.138αὔτως ἀκράαντον οὗ εἵνεκα δεῦρʼ ἱκόμεσθα.
And our wives and little children sit in their halls waiting for us; but our work is still unaccomplished, for the sake of which we came hither.
§2.139ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ ὡς ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω πειθώμεθα πάντες· §2.140φεύγωμεν σὺν νηυσὶ φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν· §2.141οὐ γὰρ ἔτι Τροίην αἱρήσομεν εὐρυάγυιαν. §2.142ὣς φάτο, τοῖσι δὲ θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ὄρινε §2.143πᾶσι μετὰ πληθὺν ὅσοι οὐ βουλῆς ἐπάκουσαν·
But come, as I shall speak, let us all obey; let us flee with our ships to our dear native land; for no longer shall we take wide-wayed Troy." So he spoke, and he stirred the heart in the breasts of all among the multitude, whoever had not heard the council.