τὸν δ' οὐ ταρβήσας προσέφη κρατερὸς Διομήδης:
τοξότα λωβητὴρ, κέρᾳ ἀγλαὲ, παρθενοπῖπα.
εἰ μὲν δὴ ἀντίβιον σὺν τεύχεσι πειρηθείεις:
οὐκ ἄν τοι χραίσμῃσι βιὸς καὶ ταρφέες ϊοί:
νῦν δέ μ' ἐπιγράψας ταρσὸν ποδὸς. εὔχεαι αύτως.
οὐκ ἀλέγω. ὡς εἴ με γυνὴ βάλοι ἢ πάϊς ἄφρων.
κωφὸν γὰρ βέλος ἀνδρὸς ἀνάλκιδος οὐτιδανοῖο:
ῆ τ' ἄλλως ὑπ εμεῖο καὶ εἴ κ' ὀλίγον περ ἐπαύρῃ.
ὀξὺ βέλος πέλεται: καὶ ἀκήριον αῖψα τίθησι:
τοῦ δὲ γυναικὸς μέν τ' ἀμφίδρυφοί εἰσι παρειαὶ,
παῖδες δ' ὀρφανικοί: ὁ δέ θ' αἵματι γαῖαν ἐρεύθων
πύθεται. οἰωνοὶ δὲ περὶ, πλέες ἠὲ γυναῖκες:
But with no touch of fear mighty Diomedes spake to him: "Bowman, reviler, proud of thy curling locks, thou ogler of girls! O that thou wouldst make trial of me man to man in armour, then would thy bow and thy swift-falling arrows help thee not; whereas now having but grazed the flat of my foot thou boastest vainly. I reck not thereof, any more than if a woman had struck me or a witless child, for blunt is the dart of one that is a weakling and a man of naught. Verily in other wise when sped by my hand, even though it do but touch, does the spear prove its edge, and forthwith layeth low its man; torn then with wailing are the two cheeks of his wife, and his children fatherless, while he, reddening the earth with his blood, rotteth away, more birds than women around him."
