Ἀτρείδην δ' ἄχος εἷλε βοὴν ἀγαθὸν Μενέλαον:
βῆ δ' ἐπαπειλήσας Ἑλένῳ ἥρωϊ ἄνακτι.
ὀξὺ δόρυ κραδάων. ὁ δὲ τόξου πῆχυν ἀνεῖλκε.
τὼ δ' ὰρ ὁμαρτήτην. ὁ μὲν ἔγχεϊ ὀξυόεντι
ΐετ' ἀκοντίσσαι. ὁ δ' ἀπο νευρῆφιν ὀϊστῷ:
Πριαμίδης μὲν ἔπειτα κατὰ στῆθος βάλεν ϊῷ
θώρηκος γύαλον: ἀπο δ' ἔπτατο πικρὸς ὀϊστός:
ὡς δ' ὅτ' ἀπο πλατέος πτυόφιν μεγάλην κατ' ἀλωιὴν
θρῴσκωσιν κύαμοι μελανόχροες. ἢ ἐρέβινθοι
πνοιῇ ὑπο λιγυρῇ. καὶ λικμητῆρος ἐρωῇ.
ὡς ἀπὸ θώρηκος Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο
πολλὸν ἀποπλαγχθεὶς. ἑκὰς, ἔπτατο πικρὸς ὀϊστός:
Ἀτρείδης δ' ἄρα χεῖρα βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος
τὴν βάλεν. ᾗ ρ' ἔχε τόξον ἐΰξοον: ἐν δ' ἄρα τόξῳ
ἀντικρὺ δια χειρὸς ἐλήλατο χάλκεον ἔγχος:
ὰψ δ' ἑτάρων εἰς ἔθνος ἐχάζετο κῆρ' ἀλεείνων.
χεῖρα παρακρεμάσας: τὸ δ' ἐφέλκετο μείλινον ἔγχος:
καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐκ χειρὸς ἔρυσεν μεγάθυμος Ἀγήνωρ.
αὐτὴν δὲ ξυνέδησεν, ἐϋστρόφῳ οἰὸς ἀώτῳ
σφενδόνῃ, ἣν, ἄρα, οἱ θεράπων ἔχε ποιμένι λαῶν.
But the son of Atreus was seized with grief thereat, even Menelaus, good at the war-cry, and he strode forth with a threat against the prince, the warrior Helenus, brandishing his sharp spear, while the other drew the centre-piece of his bow. So the twain at the one moment let fly, the one with his sharp spear, and the other with an arrow from the string. Then the son of Priam smote Menelaus on the breast with his arrow, on the plate of his corselet, and off therefrom glanced the bitter arrow. And as from a broad shovel in a great threshing-floor the dark-skinned beans or pulse leap before the shrill wind and the might of the winnower; even so from the corselet of glorious Menelaus glanced aside the bitter arrow and sped afar. But the son of Atreus, Menelaus, good at the war-cry, cast, and smote Helenus on the hand wherewith he was holding the polished bow, and into the bow clean through the hand was driven the spear of bronze. Then back he shrank into the throng of his comrades, avoiding fate, letting his hand hang down by his side; and the ashen spear trailed after him. This then great-souled Agenor drew forth from his hand, and bound the hand with a strip of twisted sheep's wool, even a sling that his squire carried for him, the shepherd of the host.
