Οὐδὲ σέθεν Μενέλαε θεοὶ μάκαρες λελάθοντο
ἀθάνατοι: πρώτη δὲ Διὸς θυγάτηρ ἀγελείη:
ἥ τοι πρόσθεν στᾶσα βέλος ἐχεπευκὲς ἄμυνεν:
ἡ δὲ τόσον μὲν ἔεργεν ἀπὸ χροὸς, ὡς ὅτε μήτηρ
παιδὸς ἐἔργῃ μυῖαν, ὅθ' ἡδέϊ λέξεται ὕπνῳ:
αὐτὴ δ' αῦτ' ἴθυνεν ὅθι ζωστῆρος ὀχῆες
χρύσειοι σύνεχον: καὶ δίπλοος ἤντετο θώρηξ:
ὲν δ' έπεσε ζωστῆρι ἀρηρότι πικρὸς ὀϊστός:
διὰ μὲν ὰρ ζωστῆρος ἐλήλατο δαιδαλέοιο:
καὶ διὰ θώρηκος πολυδαιδάλου ἠρήρειστο:
μίτρης θ' ἣν ἐφόρει ἔρυμα χροὸς έρκος ἀκόντων:
ἥ οἱ πλεῖστον ἔρυτο: διὰ πρὸ δὲ είσατο καὶ τῆς.
ἀκρότατον δ' ὰρ ὀϊστὸς ἐπέγραψε χρόα φωτός:
αὐτίκα δ' ἔρρεεν αἷμα κελαινεφὲς ἐξ ὠτειλῆς
Ὡς δ' ὅτε τίς τ' ἐλέφαντα γυνὴ φοίνικι μιήνῃ
Μῃονὶς. ἠὲ Κάειρα: παρήϊον ἔμμεναι ἵππων:
κεῖται δ' ἐν θαλάμῳ: πολέες τέ μιν ἠρήσαντο
ἱππῆες φορέειν: βασιλῆϊ δὲ κεῖται ἄγαλμα:
ἀμφότερον: κόσμός θ' ἵππῳ ἐλατῆρί τε κῦδος.
τοῖοί τοι Μενέλαε μιάνθην αἵματι μηροὶ
εὐφυέες. κνῆμαί τε ἰ̈δὲ σφυρὰ κὰλ' ὑπένερθε:
Then, O Menelaus, the blessed gods, the immortals, forgat thee not; and before all the daughter of Zeus, she that driveth the spoil, who took her stand before thee, and warded off the stinging arrow. She swept it just aside from the flesh, even as a mother sweepeth a fly from her child when he lieth in sweet slumber; and of herself she guided it where the golden clasps of the belt were fastened and the corselet overlapped. On the clasped belt lighted the bitter arrow, and through the belt richly dight was it driven, and clean through the curiously wrought corselet did it force its way, and through the taslet which he wore, a screen for his flesh and a barrier against darts, wherein was his chiefest defence; yet even through this did it speed. So the arrow grazed the outermost flesh of the warrior, and forthwith the dark blood flowed from the wound. As when a woman staineth ivory with scarlet, some woman of Maeonia or Caria, to make a cheek-piece for horses, and it lieth in a treasure-chamber, though many horsemen pray to wear it; but it lieth there as a king's treasure, alike an ornament for his horse and to its driver a glory; even in such wise, Menelaus, were thy thighs stained with blood, thy shapely thighs and thy legs and thy fair ankles beneath.
