τὸν δὲ μέγ' ὀχθήσας προσέφη: ξανθὸς Μενέλαος:
Ζεῦ πάτερ,οὐ μὲν καλὸν. ὑπέρβιον εὐχετάασθαι.
οὔτ' οὖν πορδάλιος τόσσον μένος. οὔτε λέοντος.
οὔτε συὸς κάπρου ὀλοόφρονος. οὗ τε μέγιστος
θυμὸς ἐνι στήθεσσι περι σθένεϊ βλεμεαίνει:
ὅσσον Πάνθου υἷες ἐϋμμελίαι φορέουσιν:
οὐδὲ μὲν οὐδὲ βίη Ὑπερήνορος ἱ̈πποδάμοιο
ἧς ἥβης ἀπόνηθ', ὅτε μ' ὤνατο καί μ' ὑπέμεινε
καί μ' ἔφατ' ἐν Δαναοῖσιν ἐλέγχιστον πολεμιστὴν
ἔμμεναι: οὐδέ ἑ, φημὶ πόδεσσί γε οἷσι κιόντα.
εὐφρῆναι ἄλοχόν τε φίλην. κεδνούς τε τοκῆας:
ὥς, θην καὶ σὸν ἐγὼ λύσω μένος. εἴ κέ μευ ἄντα
στήῃς. ἀλλά σ' ἔγωγ' ἀναχωρήσαντα κελεύω
ἐς πληθὺν ϊέναι. μὴδ' ἀντίος ΐστασ' ἐμεῖο:
πρίν τι κακὸν παθέειν: ῥεχθὲν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω:
Then, his heart mightily stirred, fair-haired Menelaus spake unto him: "O father Zeus, no good thing is it to boast overweeningly. Verily neither is the spirit of pard so high, nor of lion, nor of wild boar, of baneful mind, in whose breast the greatest fury exulteth exceedingly in might, as is the spirit of Panthous' sons, of the good spear of ash. Nay, but in sooth even the mighty Hyperenor, tamer of horses, had no profit of his youth, when he made light of me and abode my coming, and deemed that among the Danaans I was the meanest warrior; not on his own feet, I ween, did he fare home to make glad his dear wife and his worthy parents. Even so, meseems, shall I loose thy might as well, if thou stand to face me; nay, of myself I bid thee get thee back into the throng, and stand not forth to face me, ere yet some evil befall thee; when it is wrought even a fool getteth understanding."
