Ἥρη δ' ἀΐξασα λίπεν ῥίον Οὐλύμποιο.
καρπαλίμως δ' ΐκετ' ἌργοςἈχαιϊκόν. ἔνθ' ἄρα ᾔδη
ἰ̈φθίμην ἄλοχον Σθενέλου Περσηϊάδαο.
ἡ δ εκύει φίλον υἱόν: ὃ δ έβδομος ἑστήκει μείς:
ἐκ δ' ἄγαγε προ φόως δὲ καὶ ἠλιτόμηνον ἐόντα:
Ἀλκμήνης δ' ἀπέπαυσε τόκον. σχέθε δ' Εἰλειθυίας:
αὐτὴ δ' ἀγγελέουσα Δία Κρονίωνα προσηύδᾱ:
Ζεῦ πάτερ ἀργικέραυνε. ἔπος τί τοι ἐν φρεσὶ θήσω
ἤδη ἀνὴρ γέγον' ἐσθλὸς. ὃς Ἀργείοισιν ἀνάξει:
Εὐρυσθεὺς, Σθενέλοιο πάϊς Περσηϊάδαο:
σὸν γένος. οὔ οἱ ἀεικὲς ἀνασσέμεν Ἀργείοισιν:
ὡς φάτο, τὸν δ' ἄχος ὀξὺ κατα φρένα τύψε βαθεῖαν:
αὐτίκα δ' εἷλ' Ἄτην κεφαλῆς λιπαροπλοκάμοιο:
χωόμενος φρεσὶν ᾗσι: καὶ ὤμοσε κρατερὸν ὅρκον
μή ποτ' ἐς Οὔλυμπόν τε καὶ οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα
αὖτις ἐλεύσεσθ' Ἄτην ἣ πάντας ἀᾶται.
ὣς εἰπὼν ἔρριψεν ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος
χειρὶ περιστρέψας: τάχα δ' ἵκετο ἔργ' ἀνθρώπων.
τὴν αἰεὶ στενάχεσχ' ὅθ' ἑὸν φίλον υἱὸν ὁρῷτο
ἔργον ἀεικές ἔχοντα πρὸς Εὐρυσθῆος ἀέθλων
"But Hera darted down and left the peak of Olympus, and swiftly came to Achaean Argos, where she knew was the stately wife of Sthenelus, son of Perseus, that bare a son in her womb, and lo, the seventh month was come. This child Hera brought forth to the light even before the full tale of the months, but stayed Alcmene's bearing, and held back the Eileithyiae. And herself spake to Zeus, son of Cronos, to bear him word: ‘Father Zeus, lord of the bright lightning, a word will I speak for thy heeding. Lo, even now, is born a valiant man that shall be lord over the Argives, even Eurystheus, son of Sthenelus, the son of Perseus, of thine own lineage; not unmeet is it that he be lord over the Argives.’ So spake she, and sharp pain smote him in the deep of his heart, and forthwith he seized Ate by her bright-tressed head, wroth in his soul, and sware a mighty oath that never again unto Olympus and the starry heaven should Ate come, she that blindeth all. So said he, and whirling her in his hand flung her from the starry heaven, and quickly she came to the tilled fields of men. At thought of her would he ever groan, whenso he beheld his dear son in unseemly travail beneath Eurystheus' tasks.
