All the other Achaean leaders spent the night
softly slumbering beside their ships, but sweet
sleep evaded Agamemnon, son of Atreus,
leader of men, for his mind was troubled.
Just as fair-haired Hera’s husband shoots
lightning when bringing terrifying rain or hail
or a blizzard that covers the fields with snow,
or like the sharp jaws of piercing warfare,
so groaned Agamemnon from the deep
recesses of his chest, his body trembling in fear.
Gazing out at the Trojan plain, he marveled
at the fires burning before Ilios, the sounds
of flutes and pipes, and the noises of men.
But when he looked at the Achaean ships
and army, he tore his hair out by the roots,
looked up to Zeus on high, and groaned
in his heart. Thus the plan that seemed to him
to be best was to first visit Nestor, son of Neleus,
in hopes that he would devise a shrewd scheme
that would avert disaster for all Danaans.
So he stood up, donned his tunic, bound
his beautiful sandals to his shining feet,
draped about him a yellow leopard hide
that reached to his feet, and seized his spear.

Sleep also evaded a trembling Menelaus, for he
feared the fate of all the Argives who came
across the sea’s great waters to Troy with war
in their hearts—all for him. He wrapped
a multi-colored panther skin around his chest,
lifted a bronze helmet, set it upon his head,
and seized a spear in his thick hand. Then he
went to see his brother, great lord of all Argives,
honored by his people like a god. He found
him putting fine armor over his shoulders
by his ship’s stern and was welcomed warmly.
And great-shouter Menelaus spoke first:
“Brother, why are you arming? Are you stirring
a soldier to spy on the Trojans? I have a grave
fear that no man will perform this task for you,
for only a stout-hearted man would go out
to spy on a hostile enemy in the ambrosial night.”

Then lord Agamemnon answered him, saying:
“You and I need clever counsel, Menelaus, dear
to Zeus, that will protect and save the Argives
and their ships, for the mind of Zeus has turned
against us, and his heart leans towards Hector.
I have not seen or heard tell of any man devising
such dreaded deeds as those Hector, dear to Zeus,
has done today against the Achaean sons,
though he is not a son of a goddess or god.
The Argives will not long forget the distress
and despair that he has brought upon them.
But now go along the line of ships and call Ajax
and Idomeneus to hurry here, and I will awaken
noble Nestor and ask him to head to the sacred
sentinels and give them an order. They will
eagerly obey him, since his son is their leader,
along with Meriones, aide of Idomeneus;
for these were the great men given this charge.”

Then great-shouter Menelaus answered him:
“How do you command me with your words?
Shall I remain there with them and wait for you
to come or run back after giving them your order?”

To him did Agamemnon, leader of men, reply:
“Remain there, in case we miss each other as we
go, for there are many paths through the camp.
But wherever you go, order each man to wake up
by using his father’s name and lineage, thus giving
him respect; and do not be too proud of heart,
but let you and I together do the work, for Zeus
placed upon us a heavy burden at our birth.”

So saying, he sent his brother off with his orders,
while he himself went to find Nestor, herder
of men. He came upon him on a soft bed beside
his hut and black ship; by him were his dappled
armor, his shield, two spears, and a shining helmet.
By him also lay the gleaming warrior’s belt
he wore when leading his troops into battle,
for mournful old age could not slow him down.
He raised himself with his arms, lifted his head
and addressed the son of Atreus, asking him:
“Who are you wandering alone by the army
and ships in darkness, when mortal men sleep?
Do you seek one of your mules or comrades?
Quit your silence and speak; what do you want?”

In reply, Agamemnon, lord of men, said to him:
“O Nestor, son of Neleus, honored Achaean,
you will know Atreus’ son Agamemnon,
whom Zeus has set more trials than any other,
so long as I breathe and my knees are moving.
I wander because sweet sleep evades my eyes,
for I worry about the war and the troubled
Achaeans. I fear terribly for the Danaans,
my pulse is unsteady, I am distraught, my heart
leaps out of my chest, and my lower limbs
tremble. But if you are ready to do something,
since you also cannot sleep, then let us go
to the sentries and see whether they have grown
exhausted, fallen asleep, and forgotten to keep
watch. For the enemy camp is near, and we know
not whether they plan to attack us this night.”

Then Nestor, horseman of Gerenia, replied:
“Son of Atreus, noble Agamemnon, lord
of men, surely counselor Zeus will not carry
out all of Hector’s hopes and plans; but I
suspect he will suffer far greater troubles if
Achilles abandons the vile anger in his heart.
Still, I will gladly follow you, but let us awaken
others: famed spearman Diomedes, Odysseus,
swift Ajax, and Meges, Phyleus’ famed son.
And someone should go and call for godlike
Telamonian Ajax and lord Idomeneus
for their ships are far away, nowhere near us.
And though he is loved and respected, I must
blame Menelaus, even if it angers you,
for he now sleeps, forcing you to work alone.
Now he ought to go to all the leaders and beg
them, for our needs have become unbearable.”

Then Agamemnon, lord of men, answered him:
“Old man, you can blame him some other
time, even by my command, for he is often lazy
and idle, not because he is slothful and thoughtless
but because he looks to me and follows my lead.
But it was he who woke up first and came to me,
and I sent him out to call those you mentioned.
But we will go and find them by the sentinels
at the gates, where I ordered them to assemble.”

Then Nestor, horseman of Gerenia, replied:
“Thus no Argive will ever disobey or criticize
him when he urges them and orders them.”

So saying, he put his tunic on over his chest,
bound his glittering feet with well-made sandals,
and fastened around himself a large, double-
folded purple cloak with a thick, wooly fleece.
Seizing his stout, bronze-tipped spear, he went
down to the ships of the bronze-clad Achaeans.
Odysseus, Zeus’ equal in counsel, was the first
man found by Nestor, horseman of Gerenia,
awakened by a cry that quickly filled his mind
until he woke, left his tent and addressed him:
“Who wanders by the ships and the camp all
alone in the dark of night? What do you want?”

Then Nestor, horseman of Gerenia, replied:
“Divine son of Laertes, wily Odysseus, be not
vexed, for dangers have come to the Achaeans.
Come and we shall awaken others who may
give wise counsel on whether to fight or flee.”

Hearing this, wise Odysseus went into his hut,
took his dappled shield, strung it on his shoulders,
and followed them. They soon came to Diomedes,
son of Tydeus, outside his tent with his weapons;
his men slept on their shields around him,
their spear butts driven in the ground nearby,
the bronze tips shining like father Zeus’ lightning.
Diomedes was sleeping under an oxen hide,
and a bright blanket was under his head.
Nestor, horseman of Gerenia, kicked him awake
with his foot and scolded him to his face:
“Wake up, son of Tydeus. Why do you sleep all
night? Are the Trojans not poised on the plain’s
edge by the ships, a narrow space between us?”

So he said, and Diomedes sprang up from deep
sleep and addressed him with winged words:
“You are cruel, old man, and you never stop
working. Are there not younger sons of Achaea
who can go all across the camp to each king
and wake him up? You, old sir, are impossible.”

Then Nestor, horseman of Gerenia, answered:
“Yes, friend, all that you say is right and true.
I have sons who are blameless, and I have
many men who could be sent to call others.
But the Achaeans face a very grave threat,
for it all stands upon a razor’s edge, whether
the Achaeans live or die a woeful death.
But go now and wake swift Ajax and the son
of Phyleus, for you are young and must pity me.”

So he said, and Diomedes put on a long, tawny
lion’s skin that fell to his feet and lifted his sword.
He set to go, waking the other men to follow.

Upon reaching the assembled sentinels, they
found the leaders of the guards not asleep
but wide awake, their weapons poised. Just as
dogs watching over sheep in a field will have
their sleep broken when they hear a stout-
hearted beast coming through the woods
and the cries of men and dogs around him,
so sweet sleep evaded the eyes of those keeping
watch through the dark night as they turned
to the plain, listening for Trojan movement.
Seeing them, the old man rejoiced and stirred
them with words from his heart, saying to them:
“Keep up your watch, young men; do not let
sleep seize you, or else we shall delight our foes.”

So saying, he sped past the trench, followed
by the other Argive leaders who were called
to the council. Meriones and Nestor’s noble son
came also, both being asked to join the counsel.
So they went across the well-dug trench and sat
down on a spot untouched by fallen corpses,
the space where mighty Hector had turned back
from slaughtering Argives once night drew its veil.
So the men settled to speak to one another,
and Nestor, horseman of Gerenia, spoke first:
“Friends, is there no man, ruled by his bold spirit,
willing to go against the great-hearted Trojans
and seize some enemy straggler during battle
or hear some report discussed during a Trojan
war council, whether they plan to remain
by the ships, far from the city, or whether
to return home, having beaten the Achaeans?
He may learn all this, return without a scratch,
gain glory among men that would spread
across the heavens, and gain splendid gifts.
For each lord who holds sway among the ships
shall offer him a black ewe with a lamb
suckling at her teat, a prize like no other,
and he will always join us at feasts and banquets.”

So he said, but all the men fell softly silent.
Then great war-crier Diomedes said to them:
“Nestor, my heart and sturdy spirit urge me
to enter the camp of the nearby foes,
the Trojans; but my confidence and spirit
would grow if another were to follow me.
When two go together, one sees advantage
before the other; one man’s mind alone
sees more slowly and with a smaller reach.”

So saying, many were eager to follow Diomedes.
The two Ajaxes, servants of Ares, were eager,
as were Meriones and Nestor’s son and the son
of Atreus, spear-famed Menelaus, and patient
Odysseus: all were willing to enter the Trojan
throng, for bold were the hearts in their breasts.
Then Agamemnon, lord of men, said to them:
“Diomedes, son of Tydeus, dear to my heart,
choose whichever comrade that you wish,
whichever is the best, since many are eager.
Do not leave the best man behind simply
out of respect, taking instead a man who
is worse, even if he is a greater king.”

So he said, fearing for fair-haired Menelaus.
Then war-crier Diomedes again spoke:
“If you command me to choose a comrade
myself, then I must choose godlike Odysseus,
beloved of Pallas Athena, whose stout heart
and brave spirit are above all in times of toil.
If he is with me, then we would even escape
a blazing fire, for his mind is the sharpest of all.”

Then unflinching, noble Odysseus said to him:
“Son of Tydeus, do not praise or blame me
so much, for you say these things to Argives who
know me. But let us go, for the night is short,
the dawn is near, the stars have moved, two
watches have passed, and only a third remains.”

So he said, and they donned their fearsome
armor. Stout-fighter Thrasymedes gave the son
of Tydeus a two-edged sword, having left his own
on his ship, and a shield, and on his head he set
a bull’s hide helmet with no horn or crest, often
called a skullcap for it protects the heads of strong
young men. Meriones gave Odysseus a bow,
quiver, and sword, and on his head he placed
a fine leather helmet^[1] made with many tightly-
stretched straps stiffening the inside, rows of white
teeth from a shimmering swine skillfully arranged
on the outside, and a layer of felt set in the middle.
Autolycus stole this when he broke into the sturdy
home of Amyntor, son of Ormenus, in Eleon,
and he gave it to Amphidamas of Cytheria
at Scandeia, and Amphidamas gave it as a gift
of friendship to Molus, who gave it to Meriones,
his son; and now it covered the head of Odysseus.

When they had donned their fearsome armor,
they set to go, leaving behind all the noble leaders.
Pallas Athena sent a heron to their right side,
near the path, and though their eyes saw nothing
in the murky dark, they heard its cry. Rejoicing
at this omen, Odysseus prayed to Athena:
“Hear me, child of aegis-bearing Zeus, who
aids me in all toils and keeps watch over me:
now again grant your great love, so we may
return to the famed ships after performing
a deed that will bring sorrow to the Trojans.”

Then war-crier Diomedes also spoke a prayer:
“Hear me, too, child of Zeus, Atrytone. Follow me
as you once followed my father, Tydeus, when he
went into Thebes as messenger for the Achaeans.
He left the bronze-clad Achaeans in Asopus
and carried winning words to the Cademians,
but on the way back he forged evil plans with you,
fair goddess, for you stood zealously by his side.^[2]
So now stand by my side and protect me, and I
will sacrifice a broad-fronted, unbroken heifer
that no man has taken by the yoke; I will coat
her horns with gold and offer her to you.”

So they prayed, and Pallas Athena heard them.
And having prayed to the daughter of great Zeus,
they crept like two lions through the black night,
dodging corpses, armor, and black blood.

Nor did Hector allow the mighty Trojans
to sleep but summoned together all the greatest
leaders and rulers of Troy; and when they
had gathered, he told them of his shrewd plan:
“Who will undertake a task and carry it out
for a great prize? The reward will be ample.
I will give a chariot and two strong-necked
horses, the finest among the Achaean swift
ships, to he who undertakes this task, winning
glory for himself: to go near the swift ships
and find out if those ships are guarded as before,
or whether, having been routed by our hands,
they plan to flee and are unwilling to guard
them all night, as they are worn and weary.”

So he said, but all the men fell softly silent.
Then a Trojan named Dolon, son of Eumedes,
the sacred herald who was rich in gold
and bronze, who looked ugly but was swift
of foot, and who was an only son with five
sisters, said to the Trojans and to Hector:
“Hector, my heart and brave spirit urge me
to go near the swift ships and learn what I can.
But come, raise your staff and swear that you
will give me the horses and the bronze-adorned
chariot that carries the noble son of Peleus,
and I will prove no inept scout or deceiver;
for I will go through the camp until I come
to Agamemnon’s ship, where the leaders will be
holding council on whether to fight or flee.”

He spoke, and Hector lifted the staff and swore:
“Let thundering Zeus, lord of Hera, be my witness
that no other Trojan shall mount those horses
but you, and they shall bring glory to you alone.”

So he swore an impossible oath, stirring the man’s
heart; at once, Dolon threw a curved bow over
his shoulder, clothed himself in grey wolf-skin,
covered his head with a marten-skin helmet,
grabbed a sharp spear, and headed for the ships
and camp, but he was not fated to return and bring
word back to Hector. He left the throng of horses
and men and went eagerly on his way, but godlike
Odysseus saw him coming, and said to Diomedes:
“Diomedes, someone is coming from the camp,
and I am unsure whether he comes to spy
on our ships or pillage the bodies of our dead.
But let him first pass us a little on the plain,
and then we can rush him and swiftly seize him;
if he outruns us on foot, then keep drawing
him to the ships and away from camp, pressing
him with your spear so he does not flee to the city.”

They left the road and hid among the dead,
and he ran quickly and foolishly past them.
When he was as far from them as mules range
in plowing—for they are better than oxen
at drawing a plow over a deep, fallow field—
they chased him, and he stopped when he heard
their footsteps, hoping in his heart they were
fellow Trojans calling him back at Hector’s
urging. When they were a spear’s throw away,
he recognized them as hostile and fled as fast
as his limbs could carry him, and they quickly
pursued. Like two jagged-jawed dogs eagerly
hunting a young deer or a hare in a wooded
place, the prey crying as it flees, so the son
of Tydeus and Odysseus, sacker of cities,
pursued Dolon, cutting him off from his camp.
And just as he was coming near the sentinels
by the ships, Athena granted Diomedes might
so no other bronze-clad Achaean would gain
glory by cutting the man down before he arrived.
Lifting his spear, stout Diomedes said to him:
“Stop or I will hit you with my spear, and you
will not long evade utter death by my hands.”

With that, he shot his spear and missed Dolon
on purpose, the point passing over his right
shoulder and sticking in the earth. The Trojan
froze in terror, his clattering teeth filling
his mouth with green fear. They came to him
out of breath, seized his hands, and he cried out:
“Spare me and I will pay the ransom, for at home
I have bronze and gold and well-wrought iron.
My father will bestow on you countless ransoms
if he hears that I am alive by the Achaean ships.”

Then wily Odysseus replied to him, saying:
“Have courage and take no thought of death.
But come, tell me something and make it true:
what are you doing wandering alone in the murky
night by the ships and camp while others sleep?
Are you stripping armor from one of the dead?
Has Hector sent you to the hollowed ships
to spy on us? Or did your own soul send you?”

His limbs trembling beneath him, Dolon replied:
“Hector led my mind astray with great deception,
for he swore to give me the single-hoofed horses
of Achilles and his chariot adorned with bronze,
and he ordered me to move quickly through
the dark night and to go near the foe to find out
whether those ships are guarded as before,
or whether, having been routed by our hands,
they plan to flee and are unwilling to guard
them all night, as they are worn and weary.”

Then wily Odysseus smiled and said to him:
“Clearly your soul sought only to gain the great
horses of Aeacus’ battle-minded grandson,
but they are hard for any man to control or drive
save Achilles, whose mother is immortal. But come,
tell me something and make it true: where was
Hector, shepherd of men, when you left him?
Where are his battle armor and horses? Where
are the other Trojans, the watchers and sleepers?
What do they talk about amongst themselves?
Do they plan to remain by the ships or return
to the city, since they have beaten the Achaeans?”

And Dolon, son of Eumedes, replied to him:
“I will truthfully tell you all of these things.
Hector is holding council with his greatest
leaders beside the tomb of divine Ilus
away from the throng; as for sentries,
no soldiers are assigned to guard the army.
By the blazing hearths of the Trojans, men
lay awake and keep watch until they order
others to relieve them; but the foreign allies
sleep, relying instead on Troy to protect them,
for neither their wives nor children are near.”

Then wily Odysseus answered him, saying:
“How are they sleeping? Are they mixed
with the horse-taming Trojans? Tell me.”

And Dolon, son of Eumedes, replied to him:
“I will truthfully tell you all of these things.
The Carians, bent-bowed Paeonians, Leleges,
Caucones and Pelasgi are towards the sea,
and the Lycians, famed Mysians, charioteer
Phrygians, and chariot lord Maeonians are
near Thymbra. But why do you ask such things?
If you plan to raid the Trojan camp, then go
to the newly-arrived Thracians at the extreme
end, where you will find their king, Rhesus, son
of Eïoneus. He has the most beautiful horses
I have ever seen, lighter than snow and swifter
than the wind; he also has a chariot, well-wrought
with gold and silver, and mighty golden armor
that is a wonder to see and is better suited to be
worn by an immortal god, not a mortal man.
Now, take me to the swift-sailing ships
or tie me with ruthless bonds and leave me,
so you may go and put my words to the test
and find out if what I say is true or not.”

With a scowl, mighty Diomedes said to him:
“Do not think of escape, Dolon, despite having
delivered good news into our hands. For if we
let you loose now or set you free, then later you
will go to the swift Achaean ships, either as
a spy or as an enemy in battle; but if my hands
cut you down and end your life, then you will
never again bring the Argives misery.”

Hearing this, Dolan tried to grasp the other’s
chin and beg for his life, but Diomedes stuck
his sword through his neck, tearing both tendons,
and his still-speaking head fell to the dust. They
removed his marten-skin helmet, his wolf’s skin
covering, his curved bow, and his long sword.
Then noble Odysseus lifted them high to Athena
who spreads spoils and spoke a prayer to her:
“Rejoice in these, goddess, who we call on first
among all the Olympian immortals; but send us
to the horses and beds of the Thracian warriors.”

So saying, he put the prizes on a tamarisk shrub
and placed bundled reeds and tamarisk branches
next to it as a landmark that would be visible
when they returned through the swift black night.
They then proceeded past the armor and black
blood and soon came to the Thracian warriors
who were weary from war and fast asleep,
their fine armor laying on the ground in three
rows and a yoked horse standing beside each man.
Rhesus slept in the middle, his swift horses tied
with a leather strap to the outer rail of the chariot.
Odysseus saw him first and said to Diomedes:
“Diomedes, here are the man and the horses
that Dolon, the man we killed, told us about.
So come and lend your might and do not stand
idly by with your weapons; untie the horses
or slay the men and I will handle the horses.”

So he said, and, bright-eyed Athena filled
Diomedes with might, and he annihilated
the Thracians, one after another; they groaned
horribly as his sword flew and the earth turned
blood red. Like a lion finding shepherd-less
sheep or goats and leaping on them wickedly,
so Tydeus’ son leapt on the Thracians, killing
twelve; and as each one fell, wise-counselor
Odysseus would catch the body by its feet
and drag it away, so the fair-maned horses would
pass through without panicking over dead bodies,
as they were not yet used to them. But the king
was the thirteenth man, and when Tydeus’
son took his honey-sweet life, the man gasped,
for a bad dream hung over his head that
night: the son of Oeneus, by Athena’s will.^[3]
Then stout Odysseus let the single-hoofed horses
loose, harnessed them with reins and drove them
from camp, striking them with his bow, forgetting
to take in his hands the chariot’s elaborate whip;
and he signaled noble Diomedes with a whistle.

But Diomedes held back and considered whether
he should seize the chariot and its fine armor
by drawing it away with a pole or by lifting it high
and carrying it off, or if he should take the life
of still more Thracians. As he pondered all this,
Athena approached noble Diomedes and said:
“Go back to the hollow ships, son of great-hearted
Tydeus, or else you may be pursued on your
return should another god rouse the Trojans.”

Obeying the goddess, he mounted the horses
while Odysseus whipped them with his bow,
and they hurried back to the Achaean swift ships.

But silver-bowed Apollo was no blind watchman,
for he saw Athena meeting with the son of Tydeus;
enraged, he went among the Trojan throng
and roused Hippocoön, the Thracian counselor
and Rhesus’ cousin. When he woke and saw
an empty space where the swift horses had
stood and men panting their last breaths,
he wailed aloud and shouted to his comrades.
A din arose as the Trojans gathered to look
upon the woeful deeds done by the warriors
before they returned to the hollow ships.

When they came to the place where they slew
Hector’s spy, Odysseus reined in the swift horses,
and Diomedes fell to the ground, gave the gory
spoils to Odysseus, and remounted the horses;
Odysseus whipped the horses, and they drove
to the hollow ships, where his soul wished to be.
Nestor was first to hear the sound, and he said:
“Friends, leaders, and protectors of the Argives,
should I lie or tell the truth? My heart orders me.
The crash of swift horses strikes both my ears,
for Odysseus and mighty Diomedes have driven
here the single-hoofed horses of the Trojans;
but my heart fears that these greatest of Argives
have been harmed in their clash with the Trojans.”

Before he even finished speaking, they arrived
and leapt down onto the earth, and all rejoiced
with welcome applause and with pleasing words.
First to speak was Nestor, horseman of Gerenia:
“Come and tell me, illustrious Odysseus, great
glory of the Achaeans, did you take these horses
from a Trojan throng, or did a god come and give
them to you? They burn like the blinding sun.
Always am I mixing with the Trojans in battle,
and I do not wait by the ships, though I am old;
but I have never seen or known of such horses.
I suspect some god has given them to you,
for you both are loved by cloud-gatherer Zeus
and the bright-eyed daughter of Zeus, Athena.”

Then wily Odysseus answered him, saying:
“Nestor, son of Neleus, Achaea’s greatest glory,
a god could easily grant us better horses than
these if he wished, for the gods are greater by far.
But, old man, these horses you mention are
from Thrace: brave Diomedes slew their lord
and twelve of his comrades, all of his best.
The thirteenth slain was a scout near our ships
who had been sent out to spy on our camp
by Hector and the other noble Trojans.”

So saying, he smiled and drove the single-
hoofed horses through the trench as Achaeans
cheered. When they came to Diomedes’ well-
built tent, they used a shapely strap to halter
the horses and placed them alongside his other
swift horses and fed them honey-sweet grain.
On his ship’s stern, Odysseus set Dolon’s gory
spoils until he could prepare an offering to Athena.
Then they entered the sea and washed away
the sweat from their necks, thighs, and calves.
When the waves of the sea had washed them
clean and their hearts were refreshed, they
entered a polished bath and bathed. After
bathing and anointing themselves in olive oil,
they dined, and from a full mixing bowl they
made an offering of honey-sweet wine to Athena.