ὡς φάτο: ῥίγησεν δὲ βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη:
καί μιν φωνήσασ'. ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα:
ἴ̈στω νῦν τόδε Γαῖα καὶ Οὐρανὸς εὐρυς ὕπερθε.
καὶ τὸ κατειβόμενον Στυγὸς ὕδωρ. ὅς τε μέγιστος
ὅρκος δεινότατός τε πέλει μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι:
σή θ' ϊερὴ κεφαλὴ: καὶ νωΐτερον λέχος αὐτῶν
κουρίδιον, τὸ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἐγώ ποτε μὰψ, ὀμόσαιμι.
μὴ δι' εμὴν ἰ̈ότητα Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων
πημαίνει Τρῶάς τε καὶ Ἕκτορα, τοῖσι δ' ἀρήγει;
ἀλλά που αὐτὸν θυμὸς ἐποτρύνει καὶ ἀνώγει:
τειρομένους δ' ἐπὶ νηυσὶν ἰ̈δὼν ἐλέησεν Ἀχαιούς.
αὐτάρ τοι καὶ κείνῳ ἐγὼ παραμυθησαίμην
τῇ ἴ̈μεν. ᾗ κεν, δὴ σὺ κελαινεφὲς ἡγεμονεύῃς:
So spake he, and the ox-eyed, queenly Hera shuddered; and she spake and addressed him with winged words: "Hereto now be Earth my witness and the broad Heaven above, and the down-flowing water of Styx, which is the greatest and most dread oath for the blessed gods, and thine own sacred head, and the couch of us twain, couch of our wedded love, whereby I verily would never forswear myself—not by my will doth Poseidon, the Shaker of Earth, work harm to the Trojans and Hector, and give succour to their foes. Nay, I ween, it is his own soul that urgeth and biddeth him on, and he hath seen the Achaeans sore-bested by their ships and taken pity upon them. But I tell thee, I would counsel even him to walk in that way, wherein thou, O lord of the dark cloud, mayest lead him."
