The Cretan chief, Idomeneus, replied:⁠— “Atrides, I remain thy true ally, As I have pledged my faith. But thou exhort The other long-haired Greeks, and bid them rush To combat, since the Trojans break their oath. For woe and death must be the lot of those Who broke the peace they vowed so solemnly.”

He spake. The son of Atreus, glad at heart, Passed on among the squadrons, till he came To where the warriors Ajax formed their ranks For battle, with a cloud of infantry. As when some goatherd from the hill-top sees A cloud that traverses the deep before A strong west wind⁠—beholding it afar, Pitch-black it seems, and bringing o’er the waves A whirlwind with it; he is seized with fear, And drives his flock to shelter in a cave⁠— So with the warriors Ajax to the war Moved, dense and dark, the phalanxes of youths Trained for the combat, and their serried files Bristling with spears and shields. The king of men Saw with delight, and spake these wingèd words:⁠—