亚该亚人的其他王子整夜都睡得很香，但阿特柔斯的儿子阿伽门农却很烦恼，无法休息。就像当美丽的朱诺的主人在雪花变白的时候发出闪电，预示着大雨、冰雹或大雪，或者再次作为他将展开饥饿战争的信号一样，阿伽门农也发出了许多沉重的叹息，因为他的灵魂在他内心颤抖。当他眺望特洛伊平原时，他惊叹于伊略斯面前燃烧着的许多烽火，笛声和人声，但当他很快转向亚该亚人的船只和军队时，他在天上的朱庇特面前一把一把地撕破头发，大声呻吟着他灵魂的不安。最后，他认为最好立即去找尼琉斯的儿子内斯特，看看他们能否找到使亚该亚人免于灭亡的办法。于是他站了起来，穿上衬衫，把凉鞋系在他美丽的脚上，把一头巨大的黄褐色狮子的皮披在肩上——皮一直长到他的脚上——手里拿着长矛。墨涅劳斯也睡不着，因为他也预示着阿尔戈斯人的厄运，因为阿尔戈斯人为了他而远渡重洋与特洛伊人作战。他用黑豹的皮盖住宽阔的后背，头上戴着青铜盔，强壮的手里拿着长矛。然后他去唤醒他的兄弟，他是亚该亚人中最强大的，人们把他当作神一样尊敬。他发现他已经站在船尾，把那套漂亮的行头披在肩上，他很高兴他哥哥来了。墨涅劳斯先开口了。 "Why," said he, "my dear brother, are you thus arming? Are you going to send any of our comrades to exploit the Trojans? I greatly fear that no one will do you this service, and spy upon the enemy alone in the dead of night. It will be a deed of great daring." And King Agamemnon answered, "Menelaus, we both of us need shrewd counsel to save the Argives and our ships, for Jove has changed his mind, and inclines towards Hector's sacrifices rather than ours. I never saw nor heard tell of any man as having wrought such ruin in one day as Hector has now wrought against the sons of the Achaeans- and that too of his own unaided self, for he is son neither to god nor goddess. The Argives will rue it long and deeply. Run, therefore, with all speed by the line of the ships, and call Ajax and Idomeneus. Meanwhile I will go to Nestor, and bid him rise and go about among the companies of our sentinels to give them their instructions; they will listen to him sooner than to any man, for his own son, and Meriones brother in arms to Idomeneus, are captains over them. It was to them more particularly that we gave this charge." Menelaus replied, "How do I take your meaning? Am I to stay with them and wait your coming, or shall I return here as soon as I have given your orders?" "Wait," answered King Agamemnon, "for there are so many paths about the camp that we might miss one another. Call every man on your way, and bid him be stirring; name him by his lineage and by his father's name, give each all titular observance, and stand not too much upon your own dignity; we must take our full share of toil, for at our birth Jove laid this heavy burden upon us." With these instructions he sent his brother on his way, and went on to Nestor shepherd of his people. He found him sleeping in his tent hard by his own ship; his goodly armour lay beside him- his shield, his two spears and his helmet; beside him also lay the gleaming girdle with which the old man girded himself when he armed to lead his people into battle- for his age stayed him not. He raised himself on his elbow and looked up at Agamemnon. "Who is it," said he, "that goes thus about the host and the ships alone and in the dead of night, when men are sleeping? Are you looking for one of your mules or for some comrade? Do not stand there and say nothing, but speak. What is your business?" And Agamemnon answered, "Nestor, son of Neleus, honour to the Achaean name, it is I, Agamemnon son of Atreus, on whom Jove has laid labour and sorrow so long as there is breath in my body and my limbs carry me. I am thus abroad because sleep sits not upon my eyelids, but my heart is big with war and with the jeopardy of the Achaeans. I am in great fear for the Danaans. I am at sea, and without sure counsel; my heart beats as though it would leap out of my body, and my limbs fail me. If then you can do anything- for you too cannot sleep- let us go the round of the watch, and see whether they are drowsy with toil and sleeping to the neglect of their duty. The enemy is encamped hard and we know not but he may a