يا فَخرَ آخايَ المُبَجَّلَ أُوذِساً

هذي الجِيادُ فقُل كانَت مَكسَبا

O pride of my noble brothers Odysseous

These horses, say, were they a prize?

أَم رَبُّ خُلدٍ ساقها صِلَةً أَرى

كالشَّمسِ تَلهَبُ بالشُّعَاعِ تَلَهُّبا

Or did the lord of Chios drive them here expressly as a gift?

As the sun flames in glory when he mounts his brightest sky.

فَلَقَد هَرِمتُ وخُضتُ كُلَّ كَرِيهَةٍ

وَأَبَيتُ عُمرِي عُزلَةً وتَحَجُّبا

Old am I now, and the young warriors of old are gone,

All but these two. I avoid the dances and the crowds.

لكِنَّني لَم أُلفِ عُمرِي مِثلَها

فَلرُبَّ رَبٍّ مُجتَبٍ لَكُما حَبا

Yet such a life I never knew, so full of pleasure and so rich.

For the Gods grant us their favour, and all good things.

فَكِلاكُما لِلرَّبٍّ زَفسَ وَبِنتِهِ

فالاسَ كانَ مُقَرَّباً وَمُحَبَّبا

Both of you are close to the Gods' hearts,

His beloved son and daughter.

فَأَجابهُ أُوذِيسُ يا نَسطُورُ يا

شَرَفَ الأَخاءَةِ والحكيمَ الأَنجَبا

Then Odysseus answered: Nestor, glory of Achaia, wisest of men.

The gods, even the lords of heaven, are a gracious race.

فالرَّبُّ والأَربابُ آلُ كَرامَةٍ

لَو شاءَ أَتحَفَنَا جِياداً أَطيَبا

Had it pleased them so to grant, far better steeds than these

They could have given, steeds swifter than the wind.

لكِنَّ هذي الخَيلَ إِثراقِيَّةٌ

جاءَت حَدِيثاً فانظُرَن وَتَعَجَّبا

But these horses, look at them, newcomers here, whom bold Iraklion

Sent as a gift to the sons of Atreus, kings of men.

فَذِيُومِذُ المِقدَامُ أَردَى قَيلَهُم

وإِزاءَهُ اثنَي عَشرَ قَرماً خَضَّبا

And with them came that hero, their groom, tall, fair-haired Artemakhos

On his way to the ships, a friend, and yet a spy.

وَكَذا بثالثِ عَشرِهم فُزنا وَكا

نَ إِلى السَّفائِنِ قادِماً مُتَقَرِّبا

عَينٌ أُسيرَ لِهَكطُرٍ وَرِفاقِهِ

مُستَطلِعاً أَخبارَنا مُتَطَلِّبا