The Euboian Contingent (2.536-45)

οἳ δ' Εὔβοιαν ἔχον μένεα πνείοντες Ἄβαντες
Χαλκίδα τ' Εἰρέτριάν τε πολυστάφυλόν θ' Ἱστίαιαν
Κήρινθόν τ' ἔφαλον Δίου τ' αἰπὺ πτολίεθρον,
οἵ τε Κάρυστον ἔχον ἠδ' οἳ Στύρα ναιετάασκον,
τῶν αὖθ' ἡγεμόνευ' Ἐλεφήνωρ ὄζος Ἄρηος [540]
Χαλκωδοντιάδης μεγαθύμων ἀρχὸς Ἀβάντων.
τῷ δ' ἅμ' Ἄβαντες ἕποντο θοοὶ ὄπιθεν κομόωντες
αἰχμηταὶ μεμαῶτες ὀρεκτῇσιν μελίῃσι
θώρηκας ῥήξειν δηΐων ἀμφὶ στήθεσσι:
τῷ δ' ἅμα τεσσαράκοντα μέλαιναι νῆες ἕποντο. [545]

Translation
The fierce Abantes held Euboia—
held the towns of Khalkis, Eiretria, and
Histaia with its many vineyards,
the coastal town of Kerinthos,
and the lofty citadel of Dion.
They held Karustos and dwelt in Stura, too.
Elephenor led the proud Abantes—
Ares’ man, the son of Khalkodon.
The swift Abantes followed him,
spearmen who were hot to smash
the breastplates of their foes with thrusting spears.
With him there sailed forth forty black-hulled ships.

Comments
Try as I usually do to hold the line to eight beats, it is frequently difficult or impossible to compress the sense of the Greek hexameters into so short a span. I’m starting to think that it is the iambic pentameter after all that is most naturally suited to rendering the Greek dactylic hexameter. In pentameters I seem to have just the right amount of space to convey what’s going on in the Greek. Still, I do like the economy of the tetrameter, and the solution might be to remain flexible and to range between 7 and 11 beats with 8 as the ideal.