Parodos
[Choral 2]
The warlike Myrmidons from Phthia held the right wing with fifty swift cruisers, upon whose sterns, right at the ends, stood Nereid goddesses
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Chorus
in golden effigy, the ensign of Achilles’ armament.
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Near these were moored the Argive ships in equal numbers, over which Mecisteus’
son, whom Talaus his grandfather reared, and Sthenelus, son of Capaneus, were in command; next in order, Theseus’ son was stationed at the head of sixty ships from Attica, having the goddess
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Pallas set in a winged chariot drawn by steeds with solid hoof, a lucky sight for mariners.
250
[Choral 3]
Then I saw Boeotia’s fleet of fifty sails
Chorus
decked with ensigns; these had Cadmus at the stern holding a golden dragon at the beaks of the vessels, and earth-born Leitus
255
was their admiral. And there were ships from Phocis; and from Locris came the son of Oileus with an equal contingent, leaving famed Thronium’s citadel.
260
And from Mycenae, the Cyclopes’ town, Atreus’ son sent a hundred well-manned galleys, and Adrastoshis brotherPaley reads ἀδελφὸς with Markland for Ἄδραστος of the old copies. was with him in command, as friend with friend,
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that Hellas might exact vengeance on the one who had fled her home to wed a foreigner. Also I saw upon Gerenian Nestor’s prows from Pylos
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the ensign of his neighbour Alpheus, four-footed like a bull.
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[Choral 4]
Moreover there was a squadron of twelve Aenianian sail under King Gouneus; and then near them
Chorus
the lords of Elis, whom all the people named Epeians; and Eurytus was lord of these; Iikewise he led the Taphian warriors with the white oar-blades, the subjects of Meges,
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son of Phyleus, who had left the isles of the Echinades, where sailors cannot land.
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Lastly, Aias, reared in Salamis,
was joining his right wing to the leftThis line is corrupt, and perhaps the next also. The attempted version follows Weil. of those near whom he was posed, closing the line with his outermost ships, twelve barques obedient to the helm, as I heard and then
290
saw the crews; the one who brings his barbaric boats to grapple Aias shall obtain no safe return. There I sawThe word ἄιον before εἰδόμαν is probably a gloss on that verb. Some editors adopt Hermann’s οἶον, but there is no certainty in it.
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the naval armament, but some things I heard at home about the gathered army, of which I still have a recollection.
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