Τονδ`' ἠμείβετ' ἔπειτα βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη:
ἤτοι ἐμοὶ τρεῖς μὲν πολυ φίλταταί εἰσι πόληες:
Ἄργός τε; Σπάρτη τε: καὶ εὐρυάγυια Μυκήνη:
τὰς διαπέρσαι. ὅτ' ἄν τοι ἀπέχθωνται περὶ κῆρι:
τάων οὔ τοι ἐγὼ πρόσθ' ἵσταμαι οὐδὲ μεγαίρω:
εἴ περ γὰρ φθονέω τε καὶ οὐκ εἰῶ διαπέρσαι:
οὐκ ἀνύω φθονέους'. ἐπει ῆ πολὺ φέρτερος ἔσσι:
ἀλλα χρὴ καὶ ἐμὸν θέμεναι πόνον οὐκ ἀτέλεστον:
καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ θεός εἰμι: γένος δέ μοι ἔνθεν, ὅθεν σοί:
καί με πρεσβυτάτην τέκετο Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης
ἀμφότερον: γενεῇ τε, καὶ οὕνεκα σὴ παράκοιτις
κέκλημαι: σὺ δὲ πᾶσι μετ' ἀθανάτοισιν ἀνάσσεις:
ἀλλ' ἤτοι μὲν ταῦθ' ὑποείξομεν ἀλλήλοισι:
σοὶ μὲν ἐγώ: σὺ δ' ἐμοί. ἐπὶ δ' ἕψονται θεοὶ ἄλλοι
ἀθάνατοι: σὺ δὲ θᾶσσον Ἀθηναίῃ ἐπιτεῖλαι
ἐλθεῖν ἐς Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν φύλοπιν αἰνήν:
πειρᾶν δ' ὥς κεν Τρῶες ὑπερκύδαντας Ἀχαιοὺς
ἄρξωσι πρότεροι ὑπερόρκια δηλήσασθαι.
Then in answer to him spake ox-eyed, queenly Hera: "Verily have I three cities that are far dearest in my sight, Argos and Sparta and broad-wayed Mycenae; these do thou lay waste whensoe'er they shall be hateful to thy heart. Not in their defence do I stand forth, nor account them too greatly. For even though I grudge thee, and am fain to thwart their overthrow, I avail naught by my grudging, for truly thou art far the mightier. Still it beseemeth that my labour too be not made of none effect; for I also am a god, and my birth is from the stock whence is thine own, and crooked-counselling Cronos begat me as the most honoured of his daughters in twofold wise, for that I am eldest, and am called thy wife, whilst thou art king among all the immortals. Nay then, let us yield one to the other herein, I to thee and thou to me, and all the other immortal gods will follow with us; and do thou straightway bid Athene go her way into the dread din of battle of Trojans and Achaeans, and contrive how that the Trojans may be first in defiance of their oaths to work evil upon the Achaeans that exult in their triumph."
