Iliad

Fourth in order Antilokhos, son to noble Nestor son of Neleus, made ready his horses. These were bred in Pylos , and his father came up to him to give him good advice of which, however, he stood in but little need. "Antilokhos," said Nestor, "you are young, but Zeus and Poseidon have loved you well, and have made you an excellent horseman. I need not therefore say much by way of instruction. You are skillful at wheeling your horses round the post, but the horses themselves are very slow, and it is this that will, I fear, mar your chances. The other drivers know less than you do, but their horses are fleeter; therefore, my dear son, see if you cannot hit upon some artifice [ mêtis ] whereby you may insure that the prize shall not slip through your fingers. The woodsman does more by skill [ mêtis ] than by brute force [ biê ]; by skill [ mêtis ] the pilot guides his storm-tossed ship over the sea [ pontos ], and so by skill [ mêtis ] one driver can beat another. If a man go wide in rounding this way and that, whereas a man of craft [ kerdos ] may have worse horses, but he will keep them well in hand when he sees the turning-post [ terma ];

IliadBook 23, Line 301Samuel ButlerEnglishVerse permalinkRead in Book 23

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