ἀλλὰ τί κεν ῥέξαιμι: θεὸς διὰ πάντα τελευτᾷ:
πρέσβα Διὸς θυγάτηρ Ἄτη. ἣ πάντας ἀᾶται.
οὐλομένη: τῇ μέν θ' ἁπαλοὶ πόδες: οὐ γὰρ ἐπ' ούδει
πίλναται. ἀλλ' ἄρα ἥ γε κατ' ἀνδρῶν κράατα βαίνει.
βλάπτουσ' ἀνθρώπους. κατὰ δ' οὖν ἕτερόν γ' ἐπέδησε:
καὶ γὰρ δή νύ̆ ποτε Ζῆν' ἄσατο. τόν περ ἄριστον.
ἀνδρῶν ἠδὲ θεῶν φὰσ' ἔμμεναι⁚ ἀλλ' ἄρα καὶ τὸν
Ἥρη θῆλυς ἐοῦσα δολοφροσύνῃς ἀπάτησεν,
ἤματι τῷ, ὅτ' ἔμελλε βίην Ἡρακληείην
Ἀλκμήνη τέξεσθαι ἐϋστεφάνῳ ἐνὶ Θήβῃ:
ἤτοι ὅ γ' εὐχόμενος μετέφη πάντεσσι θεοῖσι:
κέκλυτέ μευ πάντες τὲ θεοὶ πᾶσαί τε θέαιναι.
ὄφρ' εἴπω τά με θυμὸς ἐνι στήθεσσιν ἀνώγει.
σήμερον ἄνδρα φόως δὲ μογοστόκος Εἰλείθυια:
ἐκφανεῖ. ὃς πάντεσσι περικτιόνεσσιν ἀνάξει.
τῶν ἀνδρῶν γενεῆς, οἵ θ' αἵματος ἐξ ἐμεῦ εἰσι:
τὸν δὲ δολοφρονέουσα προσηύδα πότνια Ἥρη.
ψευστήσεις: οὐδ' αὖτε τέλος μύθω ἐπιθήσεις:
εἰ δ' άγε νῦν μοι όμοσσον Ὀλύμπιεκρατερὸν ὅρκον.
ἡ μὲν τὸν πάντεσσι περικτιόνεσσιν ἀνάξειν.
ὅς κεν ἐπ' ἤματι τῷδε πέσῃ μετα ποσσὶ γυναικὸς.
τῶν ἀνδρῶν, οἳ, σῆς ἐξ αἵματός εἰσι γενέθλης:
ὡς ἔφατο. Ζεὺς δ' οὔ τι δολοφροσύνην ἐνόησεν.
ἀλλ' όμοσεν μέγαν ὅρκον. ἔπειτα δὲ πολλὸν ἀάσθη:
"But what could I do? It is God that bringeth all things to their issue. Eldest daughter of Zeus is Ate that blindeth all—a power fraught with bane; delicate are her feet, for it is not upon the ground that she fareth, but she walketh over the heads of men, bringing men to harm, and this one or that she ensnareth. Aye, and on a time she blinded Zeus, albeit men say that he is the greatest among men and gods; yet even him Hera, that was but a woman, beguiled in her craftiness on the day when Alcmene in fair-crowned Thebe was to bring forth the mighty Heracles. Zeus verily spake vauntingly among all the gods: ‘Hearken unto me, all ye gods and goddesses, that I may speak what the heart in my breast biddeth me. This day shall Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, bring to the light a man that shall be the lord of all them that dwell round about, even one of the race of those men who are of me by blood.’ But with crafty mind the queenly Hera spake unto him:‘Thou wilt play the cheat, and not bring thy word to fulfillment. Nay, come, Olympian, swear me now a mighty oath that in very truth that man shall be lord of all them that dwell round about, whoso this day shall fall between a woman's feet, even one of those men who are of the blood of thy stock.’ So spake she; howbeit Zeus in no wise marked her craftiness, but sware a great oath, and therewithal was blinded sore.
