τὴν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς:
Ἥρη. κεῖσε μέν ἐστι καὶ ὕστερον ὁρμηθῆναι,
νῶϊ δ' ἄγ' ἐν φιλότητι τραπείομεν εὐνηθέντε:
οὐ γάρ πώ ποτέ μ' ῶδε θεᾶς, ἔρως, οὐδε γυναικὸς
θυμὸν ἐνι στήθεσσι περιπροχυθεὶς ἐδάμασσεν;
οὐδ' ὁπότ' ηρασάμην Ϊξιονίης ἀλόχοιο,
ἣ τέκε Πειρίθοον, θεόφιν μήστωρ' ἀτάλαντον:
οὐδ' ὅτε περ Δανάης καλλισφύρου Ἀκρισιώνης,
ἣ τέκε Περσῆα. πάντων ἀριδείκετον ἀνδρῶν:
οὐδ' ὅτε Φοίνικος κούρης τηλεκλειτοῖο.
ἣ τέκε μοι Μί̄νω τε καὶ ἀντίθεον Ῥαδάμανθυν:
οὐδ' ὅτε περ Σεμέλης. οὐδ' Ἀλκμήνης ἐνι Θήβῃ.
ἥ ρ' Ἡρακλῆα κρατερόφρονα γείνατο παῖδα.
ἡ δὲ Διώνυσον Σεμέλη τέκε. χάρμα βροτοῖσιν:
οὐδ' ὅτε Δήμητρος καλλιπλοκάμοιο ἀνάσσης
οὐδ' ὁπότε Λητοῦς ἐρικυδέος. οὐδὲ σεῦ αὐτῆς:
ὡς σέο νῦν ἔραμαι. καί με γλυκὺς ἵμερος αιρεῖ:
Then in answer spake to her Zeus, the cloud-gatherer: "Hera, thither mayest thou go even hereafter. But for us twain, come, let us take our joy couched together in love; for never yet did desire for goddess or mortal woman so shed itself about me and overmaster the heart within my breast--nay, not when I was seized with love of the wife of Ixion, who bare Peirithous, the peer of the gods in counsel; nor of Danaë of the fair ankles, daughter of Acmsius, who bare Perseus, pre-eminent above all warriors; nor of the daughter of far-famed Phoenix, that bare me Minos and godlike Rhadamanthys; nor of Semele, nor of Alcmene in Thebes, and she brought forth Heracles, her son stout of heart, and Semele bare Dionysus, the joy of mortals; nor of Demeter, the fair-tressed queen; nor of glorious Leto; nay, nor yet of thine own self, as now I love thee, and sweet desire layeth hold of me."
