οὐδ' ἄν πω τότε γε Τρῶες καὶ φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ
τείχεος ἐρρήξαντο πύλας καὶ μακρὸν ὀχῆα.
εἰ μὴ ὰρ υἱὸν ἑὸν Σαρπηδόνα μητίετα Ζεὺς
ὦρσεν ἐπ' Ἀργείοισι. λέονθ' ὡς βουσὶν ἐλιξιν:
αὐτίκα δ', ἀσπίδα μὲν πρόσθ' ἔσχετο πάντοσε, ΐσην.
κᾱλὴν. χαλκείην. ἑξήλατον. ἣν ἄρα χαλκεὺς
ἤλασεν. ἔντοσθεν δὲ βοείᾱς ῥάψε θαμειὰς.
χρυσείῃς ῥάβδοισι διηνεκέσιν περὶ κύκλον.
τὴν ὰρ ὅ γε πρόσθε σχόμενος, δύο δοῦρε τινάσσων.
βῆ ρ' ἵ̈μεν. ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος. ὅς τ' ἐπιδευὴς
δηρὸν ἔῃ κρειῶν, κέλεται δέ ἑ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ
μήλων πειρήσοντα καὶ εἰς πυκινὸν δόμον ἐλθεῖν:
εἴ περ γάρ χ' εὕρῃσι παρ' αὐτόφι βώτορας ἄνδρας,
σὺν κυσὶ καὶ δούρεσσι φυλάσσοντας περι μῆλα.
οὔ, ῥά, τ', ἀπείρητος μέμονε, σταθμοῖο δίεσθαι:
ἂλλ' ὁ γ' ὰρ ἠ ἥρπαξε μετάλμενος, ἠὲ καὶ αὐτὸς
ἔβλητ' ἐν πρώτοισι θοῆς ἀπο χειρὸς ἄκοντι,
ὥς ῥα, τότ' ἀντίθεον Σαρπηδόνα θυμὸς ἀνῆκε,
τεῖχος ἐπαΐξαι. διά τε ῥήξασθαι ἐπάλξεις.
Yet not even then would the Trojans and glorious Hector have broken the gates of the wall and the long bar, had not Zeus the counsellor roused his own son, Sarpedon, against the Argives, as a lion against sleek kine. Forthwith he held before him his shield that was well balanced upon every side, a fair shield of hammered bronze,—that the bronze-smith had hammered out, and had stitched the many bull's-hides within with stitches of gold that ran all about its circuit. This he held before him, and brandished two spears, and so went his way like a mountain-nurtured lion that hath long lacked meat, and his proud spirit biddeth him go even into the close-built fold to make an attack upon the flocks. For even though he find thereby the herdsmen with dogs and spears keeping watch over the sheep, yet is he not minded to be driven from the steading ere he maketh essay; but either he leapeth amid the flock and seizeth one, or is himself smitten as a foremost champion by a javelin from a swift hand: even so did his spirit then urge godlike Sarpedon to rush upon the wall, and break-down the battlements.
