§23.416στεινωπῷ ἐν ὁδῷ παραδύμεναι, οὐδέ με λήσει. §23.417ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δὲ ἄνακτος ὑποδείσαντες ὁμοκλὴν §23.418μᾶλλον ἐπιδραμέτην ὀλίγον χρόνον· αἶψα δʼ ἔπειτα §23.419στεῖνος ὁδοῦ κοίλης ἴδεν Ἀντίλοχος μενεχάρμης. §23.420ῥωχμὸς ἔην γαίης, ᾗ χειμέριον ἀλὲν ὕδωρ §23.421ἐξέρρηξεν ὁδοῖο, βάθυνε δὲ χῶρον ἅπαντα· §23.422τῇ ῥʼ εἶχεν Μενέλαος ἁματροχιὰς ἀλεείνων. §23.423Ἀντίλοχος δὲ παρατρέψας ἔχε μώνυχας ἵππους §23.424ἐκτὸς ὁδοῦ, ὀλίγον δὲ παρακλίνας ἐδίωκεν. §23.425Ἀτρεΐδης δʼ ἔδεισε καὶ Ἀντιλόχῳ ἐγεγώνει·
to pass them in a narrow way, nor will it escape me." So he spoke, and they, fearing the shouting of their master, ran harder for a little while; and quickly then the steadfast-in-battle Antilochus saw a narrow place of the hollow way. There was a cleft in the earth, where the winter water gathered had broken away part of the road, and deepened all the place; there Menelaus was driving, avoiding a clash of wheels. But Antilochus turned aside his single-hoofed horses outside the track, and guiding them slightly aside, pursued him. And the son of Atreus was afraid and shouted to Antilochus: "Antilochus, you are driving recklessly!
§23.426Ἀντίλοχʼ ἀφραδέως ἱππάζεαι, ἀλλʼ ἄνεχʼ ἵππους· §23.427στεινωπὸς γὰρ ὁδός, τάχα δʼ εὐρυτέρη παρελάσσαι· §23.428μή πως ἀμφοτέρους δηλήσεαι ἅρματι κύρσας. §23.429ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀντίλοχος δʼ ἔτι καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἔλαυνε §23.430κέντρῳ ἐπισπέρχων ὡς οὐκ ἀΐοντι ἐοικώς. §23.431ὅσσα δὲ δίσκου οὖρα κατωμαδίοιο πέλονται, §23.432ὅν τʼ αἰζηὸς ἀφῆκεν ἀνὴρ πειρώμενος ἥβης, §23.433τόσσον ἐπιδραμέτην· αἳ δʼ ἠρώησαν ὀπίσσω §23.434Ἀτρεΐδεω· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἑκὼν μεθέηκεν ἐλαύνειν §23.435μή πως συγκύρσειαν ὁδῷ ἔνι μώνυχες ἵπποι, §23.436δίφρους τʼ ἀνστρέψειαν ἐϋπλεκέας, κατὰ δʼ αὐτοὶ §23.437ἐν κονίῃσι πέσοιεν ἐπειγόμενοι περὶ νίκης. §23.438τὸν καὶ νεικείων προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος· §23.439Ἀντίλοχʼ οὔ τις σεῖο βροτῶν ὀλοώτερος ἄλλος· §23.440ἔρρʼ, ἐπεὶ οὔ σʼ ἔτυμόν γε φάμεν πεπνῦσθαι Ἀχαιοί. §23.441ἀλλʼ οὐ μὰν οὐδʼ ὧς ἄτερ ὅρκου οἴσῃ ἄεθλον. §23.442ὣς εἰπὼν ἵπποισιν ἐκέκλετο φώνησέν τε· §23.443μή μοι ἐρύκεσθον μὴ δʼ ἕστατον ἀχνυμένω κῆρ. §23.444φθήσονται τούτοισι πόδες καὶ γοῦνα καμόντα §23.445ἢ ὑμῖν· ἄμφω γὰρ ἀτέμβονται νεότητος. §23.446ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δὲ ἄνακτος ὑποδείσαντες ὁμοκλὴν §23.447μᾶλλον ἐπιδραμέτην, τάχα δέ σφισιν ἄγχι γένοντο. §23.448Ἀργεῖοι δʼ ἐν ἀγῶνι καθήμενοι εἰσορόωντο §23.449ἵππους· τοὶ δὲ πέτοντο κονίοντες πεδίοιο. §23.450πρῶτος δʼ Ἰδομενεὺς Κρητῶν ἀγὸς ἐφράσαθʼ ἵππους· §23.451ἧστο γὰρ ἐκτὸς ἀγῶνος ὑπέρτατος ἐν περιωπῇ· §23.452τοῖο δʼ ἄνευθεν ἐόντος ὁμοκλητῆρος ἀκούσας §23.453ἔγνω, φράσσατο δʼ ἵππον ἀριπρεπέα προὔχοντα, §23.454ὃς τὸ μὲν ἄλλο τόσον φοῖνιξ ἦν, ἐν δὲ μετώπῳ §23.455λευκὸν σῆμα τέτυκτο περίτροχον ἠΰτε μήνη. §23.456στῆ δʼ ὀρθὸς καὶ μῦθον ἐν Ἀργείοισιν ἔειπεν· §23.457ὦ φίλοι Ἀργείων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες §23.458οἶος ἐγὼν ἵππους αὐγάζομαι ἦε καὶ ὑμεῖς; §23.459ἄλλοι μοι δοκέουσι παροίτεροι ἔμμεναι ἵπποι, §23.460ἄλλος δʼ ἡνίοχος ἰνδάλλεται· αἳ δέ που αὐτοῦ §23.461ἔβλαβεν ἐν πεδίῳ, αἳ κεῖσέ γε φέρτεραι ἦσαν· §23.462ἤτοι γὰρ τὰς πρῶτα ἴδον περὶ τέρμα βαλούσας, §23.463νῦν δʼ οὔ πῃ δύναμαι ἰδέειν· πάντῃ δέ μοι ὄσσε §23.464Τρωϊκὸν ἂμ πεδίον παπταίνετον εἰσορόωντι· §23.465ἦε τὸν ἡνίοχον φύγον ἡνία, οὐδὲ δυνάσθη §23.466εὖ σχεθέειν περὶ τέρμα καὶ οὐκ ἐτύχησεν ἑλίξας· §23.467ἔνθά μιν ἐκπεσέειν ὀΐω σύν θʼ ἅρματα ἆξαι, §23.468αἳ δʼ ἐξηρώησαν, ἐπεὶ μένος ἔλλαβε θυμόν. §23.469ἀλλὰ ἴδεσθε καὶ ὔμμες ἀνασταδόν· οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε §23.470εὖ διαγιγνώσκω· δοκέει δέ μοι ἔμμεναι ἀνὴρ §23.471Αἰτωλὸς γενεήν, μετὰ δʼ Ἀργείοισιν ἀνάσσει §23.472Τυδέος ἱπποδάμου υἱὸς κρατερὸς Διομήδης.
Hold back your horses! For the road is narrow, but soon it will be wider to pass; lest somehow you harm us both by crashing your chariot." So he spoke, but Antilochus drove even far harder, speeding them with the goad, like one who did not hear. As far as is the range of a discus swung from the shoulder, which a young man casts making trial of his youth, so far they ran on; but the mares of Atreus' son gave way and fell back; for he himself of his own will let up driving, lest the single-hoofed horses should crash in the path, and overturn the well-woven chariots, and they themselves should fall in the dust in their eagerness for victory. And blond Menelaus spoke to him, chiding him: "Antilochus, no other mortal is more ruinous than you. Go, since we Achaeans were wrong to say you were wise. Yet even so, you shall not carry off the prize without an oath." So saying, he called to his horses and spoke: "Do not hold back, and do not stand still, grieved in your hearts. Their feet and knees will grow weary and fail before yours, for both of them are deprived of youth." So he spoke, and they, fearing the shouting of their master, ran harder, and quickly they were near them. Meanwhile the Argives sitting in the assembly were watching the horses, and they flew along raising the dust of the plain. And Idomeneus, leader of the Cretans, was the first to discern the horses; for he sat outside the assembly, highest up on a place of outlook; and hearing the shouting of the driver though he was far off, he recognized it, and he discerned a conspicuous horse showing ahead, which was chestnut all the rest of him, but on his forehead there was a white mark, round like the moon. He stood upright and spoke among the Argives: "O friends, leaders and rulers of the Argives, do I alone see the horses, or do you as well? Other horses seem to me to be in front, and another charioteer appears; and those mares must have been harmed there on the plain, which before were the better. For indeed I saw them first as they turned the post, but now I can see them nowhere, though my eyes look everywhere over the Trojan plain as I watch. Either the reins slipped from the charioteer, and he was not able to hold them well around the post, and failed in turning; there, I think, he fell out, and his chariot was broken, and the mares bolted, when anger seized their hearts. But look you too, standing up; for as for me, I cannot distinguish well; but he seems to me to be a man Aetolian by race, and he rules among the Argives, the son of horse-taming Tydeus, strong Diomedes." And swift Ajax, son of Oileus, chided him shamefully: "Idomeneus, why do you babble so early?
§23.473τὸν δʼ αἰσχρῶς ἐνένιπεν Ὀϊλῆος ταχὺς Αἴας· §23.474Ἰδομενεῦ τί πάρος λαβρεύεαι; αἳ δέ τʼ ἄνευθεν §23.475ἵπποι ἀερσίποδες πολέος πεδίοιο δίενται. §23.476οὔτε νεώτατός ἐσσι μετʼ Ἀργείοισι τοσοῦτον, §23.477οὔτέ τοι ὀξύτατον κεφαλῆς ἐκδέρκεται ὄσσε· §23.478ἀλλʼ αἰεὶ μύθοις λαβρεύεαι· οὐδέ τί σε χρὴ §23.479λαβραγόρην ἔμεναι· πάρα γὰρ καὶ ἀμείνονες ἄλλοι. §23.480ἵπποι δʼ αὐταὶ ἔασι παροίτεραι, αἳ τὸ πάρος περ, §23.481Εὐμήλου, ἐν δʼ αὐτὸς ἔχων εὔληρα βέβηκε. §23.482τὸν δὲ χολωσάμενος Κρητῶν ἀγὸς ἀντίον ηὔδα· §23.483Αἶαν νεῖκος ἄριστε κακοφραδὲς ἄλλά τε πάντα §23.484δεύεαι Ἀργείων, ὅτι τοι νόος ἐστὶν ἀπηνής. §23.485δεῦρό νυν ἢ τρίποδος περιδώμεθον ἠὲ λέβητος, §23.486ἴστορα δʼ Ἀτρεΐδην Ἀγαμέμνονα θείομεν ἄμφω,
Far off the high-stepping mares are speeding over the wide plain. You are neither so much the youngest among the Argives, nor do the eyes in your head see most sharply; yet you are always babbling with words; nor is there any need for you to be a babbler, for there are others here better than you. The horses in front are the very same that were before, those of Eumelus, and he himself stands holding the reins." And the leader of the Cretans spoke in anger against him: "Ajax, master of quarreling, ill-spoken, in all else you are inferior to the Argives, because your mind is ungentle. Come now, let us wager a tripod or a cauldron, and let us both make Agamemnon, son of Atreus, our umpire,