ὡς φᾶτο φάτο: τῷ δ' ἔμπνευσε μένος γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη:
κτεῖνε δ' ἐπιστροφάδην: τῶν δὲ στόνος ὄρνυτ' ἀεικὴς
ἄορι θεινομένων. ἐρυθαίνετο δ' αἵματι γαῖα:
ὡς δὲ λέων μήλοισιν ἀσημάντοισιν ἐπελθὼν,
αἴγεσιν ἢ ὀΐεσσι κακὰ φρονέων ἐνορούσῃ:
ὡς μὲν Θρήϊκας ἄνδρας ἐπῴχετο Τυδέος υἱὸς
ὄφρα δυώδεκ' ἔπεφνεν: ἀτὰρ πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεὺς
ὅν τινα Τυδείδης ἄορι πλήξειε παραστὰς.
τὸν δ' Ὀδυσεὺς μετόπισθε. λαβὼν ποδὸς. ἐξερύσασκε.
τὰ φρονέων κατὰ θυμὸν. ὅπως καλλίτριχες ἵ̈πποι
ῥεῖα διέλθοιεν: μὴδὲ τρομεοίατο θυμῷ
νεκροῖς ἀμβαίνοντες. ἀήθεσσον γὰρ ἔτ' αὐτῶν:
ἂλλ' ὅτε δὴ βασιλῆα κιχήσατο Τυδέος υἱὸς:
τὸν τρισκαιδέκατον: μελιηδέα θυμὸν ἀπηύρα
ἀσθμαίνοντα. κακὸν γὰρ ὄναρ κεφαλῇφιν ἐπέστη
τὴν νύκτ' Οἰνείδᾱο πάϊς διὰ μῆτιν Ἀθήνης:
τόφρα δ' ὰρ ὁ τλήμων Ὀδυσεὺς λύε μώνυχας ἵ̈ππους:
σὺν δ' ῄειρεν ϊμᾶσι: καὶ ἐξήλαυνεν ὁμίλου
τόξῳ ἐπιπλήσσων: ἐπεὶ οὐ μάστιγα φαεινὴν
ποικίλου ἐκ δίφροιο νοήσατο χερσὶν ἑλέσθαι:
ῥοίζησεν δ' άρα, πιφραύσκων Διομήδεϊ δίῳ:
So spake he, and into the other's heart flashing-eyed Athene breathed might, and he fell to slaving on this side and on that, and from them uprose hideous groaning as they were smitten with the sword, and the earth grew red with blood. And even as a lion cometh on flocks unshepherded, on goats or on sheep, and leapeth upon them with fell intent, so up and down amid the Thracian warriors went the son of Tydeus until he had slain twelve. But whomsoever the son of Tydeus drew nigh and smote with the sword, him would Odysseus of the many wiles seize by the foot from behind and drag aside, with this thought in mind, that the fair-maned horses might easily pass through and not be affrighted at heart as they trod over dead men; for they were as yet unused thereto. But when the son of Tydeus came to the king, him the thirteenth he robbed of honey-sweet life, as he breathed hard, for like to an evil dream there stood above his head that night the son of Oeneus' son, by the devise of Athene. Meanwhile steadfast Odysseus loosed the single-hooved horses and bound them together with the reins, and drave them forth from the throng, smiting them with his bow, for he had not thought to take in his hands the bright whip from the richly dight car; and he whistled to give a sign to goodly Diomedes.
