Ἂλλ' ὅτε δὴ πόρον ΐξον ἐυρρεῖος ποταμοῖο
Ξάνθου δινήεντος. ὃν ἀθάνατος τέκετο Ζεὺς,
ἔνθα διατμήξας, τοὺς μὲν πεδίον δ' ἐδίωκε
πρὸς πόλιν. ᾗ περ Ἀχαιοὶ ἀτυζόμενοι φοβέοντο
ἤματι τῷ προτέρῳ, ὅτ' ἐμαίνετο φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ.
τῇ ρ' οἵ γε προχέοντο πεφυζότες: ἠέρα δ' Ἥρη
πίτνα πρόσθε βαθεῖαν ἐρυκέμεν: ἡμίσεες δὲ
ἐς ποταμὸν εἰλεῦντο βαθύρροον ἀργυροδίνην:
ἐν δ' ἔπεσον μεγάλῳ πατάγῳ. βράχε δ' αἰπὰ ῥέεθρα:
ὄχθαι δ' ἀμφι περὶ μεγάλ ἴαχον: οἳ δ' ἀλαλητῷ
ἔννεον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα ἐλισσόμενοι περὶ δίνας:
ὡς δ' ὅθ' ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς πυρὸς. ἀκρίδες ἠερέθονται
φευγέμεναι ποταμὸν δὲ: τὸ δὲ φλέγει ἀκάματον πῦρ
ὄρμενον ἐξαίφνης: ταὶ δὲ πτώσσουσι καθ' ὕδωρ.
ὡς ὑπ' Ἀχιλλῆος. Ξάνθου βαθυδινήεντος
πλῆτο ῥόος κελάδων ἐπιμὶξ ἵππων τὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν:
But when they were now come to the ford of the fair-flowing river, even eddying Xanthus that immortal Zeus begat, there Achilles cleft them asunder, and the one part he drave to the plain toward the city, even where the Achaeans were fleeing in rout the day before, what time glorious Hector was raging--thitherward poured forth some in rout, and Hera spread before them a thick mist to hinder them; but the half of them were pent into the deep-flowing river with its silver eddies. Therein they flung themselves with a great din, and the sheer-falling streams resounded, and the banks round about rang loudly; and with noise of shouting swam they this way and that, whirled about in the eddies. And as when beneath the onrush of fire locusts take wing to flee unto a river, and the unwearied fire burneth them with its sudden oncoming, and they shrink down into the water; even so before Achilles was the sounding stream of deep-eddying Xanthus filled confusedly with chariots and with men.
