ὲν δ' ἐτίθει τέμενος, βασιλήϊον: ἔνθα δ' ἔριθοι
ἥμων. ὀξείας δρεπάνας ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες:
δράγματα δ' ἄλλα μετ' ὄγμον ἐπήτριμα πίπτον ἔραζε.
ἄλλα δ' ἀμαλλοδετῆρες, ἐν, ελλεδανοῖσι δέοντο:
τρεῖς δ' ὰρ ἀμαλλοδετῆρες ἐφέστασαν: αὐτὰρ ὄπισθε
παῖδες δραγμεύοντες. ἐν ἀγκαλίδεσσι φέροντες.
ἀσπερχὲς πάρεχον: βασιλεὺς δ' ἐν τοῖσι σιωπῇ.
σκῆπτρον ἔχων. ἑστήκει ἐπ' ὄγμου γηθόσυνος κῆρ:
κήρυκες δ' ἀπάνευθεν ὑπὸ δρυῒ δαῖτα πένοντο:
βοῦν δ' ἱ̈ερεύσαντες μέγαν ἄμφεπον: αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες
δεῖπνον ἐρίθοισιν λεὺκ' ἄλφιτα πολλ ἀπάλυνον πολλὰ πάλυνον:
τερπόμενοι: δοιὼ δὲ κυβιστητῆρε κατ' αὐτοὺς
Therein he set also a king's demesne-land, wherein labourers were reaping, bearing sharp sickles in their hands. Some handfuls were falling in rows to the ground along the swathe, while others the binders of sheaves were binding with twisted ropes of straw. Three binders stood hard by them, while behind them boys would gather the handfuls, and bearing them in their arms would busily give them to the binders; and among them the king, staff in hand, was standing in silence at the swathe, joying in his heart. And heralds apart beneath an oak were making ready a feast, and were dressing a great ox they had slain for sacrifice; and the women sprinkled the flesh with white barley in abundance, for the workers' mid-day meal.
