ῆ ῥα: καὶ ἐκ κρημνοῖο ἐρύσσατο χάλκεον ἔγχος:
τὸν δὲ κατ' αὐτόθι λεῖπεν. ἐπεὶ φίλον ῆτορ ἀπηύρα.
κείμενον ἐν ψαμάθοισι: δίαινε δέ μιν μέλαν ὕδωρ:
τὸν μὲν ὰρ' ἐγχέλυές τε καὶ ἰ̈χθύες ἀμφεπένοντο
δημὸν ἐρεπτόμενοι ἐπινεφρίδιον κείροντες:
αὐτὰρ ὃ βῆ ϊέναι μετὰ Παίονας ἱπποκορυστάς.
οἵ ῥ' ἔτι πὰρ ποταμὸν πεφοβήατο δινήεντα
ὡς εἶδον τὸν ἄριστον ἐνι κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ
χερσ̀' ὑπὸ Πηλείδαο καὶ ἄορι ῖ̈φι δαμέντα:
ἔνθ' ἕλε Θερσίλοχόν τε: Μύδωνά τε. Ἀστύπυλόν τε:
Μνῆσόν τε. Θρασίον τε. καὶ Αἴνιον. ἠδ' Ὀφελέστην:
καὶ νύ κ' ἔτι πλέονας ἔκτανε Παίονας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς.
εἰ μὴ χωσάμενος προσέφη ποταμὸς βαθυδίνης:
ἀνέρι εἰσάμενος, βαθέης δ' ἐφθέγξατο δίνης:
ὦ Ἀχιλεῦ: περὶ μὲν κρατέεις περὶ δ' αἴσυλα ῥέζεις
ἀνδρῶν: αἰεὶ γάρ τοι ἀμύνουσιν θεοὶ αὐτοί:
εἴ τοι Τρῶας ἔδωκε Κρόνου παῖς πάντας ὀλέσσαι.
ἐξ ἐμέθεν γ' ἐλάσας, πεδίον κάτα μέρμερα ῥέζε:
πλήθει γὰρ δή μοι, νεκύων. ἐρατεινὰ ῥέεθρα:
οὐδε τί πῃ δύναμαι προχέειν ῥόον εις ἅλα δῖαν
στεινόμενος νεκύεσσι: σὺ δὲ κτείνεις ἀϊδήλως:
ἀλλ' ἄγε δὴ καὶ ἔασον. ἄγη μ' ἔχει ὄρχαμε λαῶν:
He spake, and drew forth from the bank his spear of bronze, and left Asteropaeus where he was, when he had robbed him of his life, lying in the sands; and the dark water wetted him. With him then the eels and fishes dealt, plucking and tearing the fat about his kidneys; but Achilles went his way after the Paeonians, lords of chariots, who were still huddled in rout along the eddying river, when they saw their best man mightily vanquished in the fierce conflict beneath the hands and sword of the son of Peleus. There slew he Thersilochus and Mydon and Astypylus and Mnesus and Thrasius and Aenius and Ophelestes; and yet more of the Paeonians would swift Achilles have slain, had not the deep-eddying River waxed wroth and called to him in the semblance of a man, sending forth a voice from out the deep eddy: "O Achilles, beyond men art thou in might, and beyond men doest deeds of evil; for ever do the very gods give thee aid. If so be the son of Cronos hath granted thee to slay all the men of Troy, forth out of my stream at least do thou drive them, and work thy direful work on the plain. Lo, full are my lovely streams with dead men, nor can I anywise avail to pour my waters forth into the bright sea, being choked with dead, while thou ever slayest ruthlessly. Nay, come, let be; amazement holds me, thou leader of hosts."
