ὡς εἰπὼν. οὔτησε κατασπίδα θυσσανόεσσαν.
σμερδαλέην. ἣν οὐδὲ Διὸς δάμνῃσι κεραυνός:
τῇ μιεν Ἄρης οὔτησε μιαιφόνος ἔγχεϊ μακρῷ:
ἡ δ' ἀναχασσαμένη λίθον εἵλετο χειρὶ παχείῃ,
κείμενον ἐν πεδίῳ: μέλανα τρηχύν τε μέγαν τε:
τόν ῥ' ἄνδρες πρότεροι θέσαν ἔμμεναι οὖρον ἀρούρης:
τῷ βάλε θοῦρον Ἄρηα κατ' αὐχένα, λῦσε δὲ γυῖα.
ἑπτὰ δ' ἐπέσχε πέλεθρα πεσὼν, ἐκόνισσε δὲ χαίτας:
τεύχεά τ' ἀμφ' ἀράβησε, γέλασσε δὲ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.
καί μιν ἐπευχομένη ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα:
νηπύτι': οὐδέ νύ πώ περ ἐπεφράσω. ὅσσον ἀρείων
εὔχομ' ἐγὼν, ἔμμεναι, ὅτι μοι μένος ἰσοφαρίζεις.
οὕτω κεν τῆς μητρὸς ἐρινύας ἐξαποτίνοις.
ἥ τοι χωομένη κακὰ μήδεται. οὕνεκ' Ἀχαιοὺς
κάλλιπες: αὐτὰρ Τρωσὶν ὑπερφιάλοισιν ἀμύνεις:
So saying he smote upon her tasselled aegis—the awful aegis against which not even the lightning of Zeus can prevail—thereon blood-stained Ares smote with his long spear. But she gave ground, and seized with her stout hand a stone that lay upon the plain, black and jagged and great, that men of former days had set to be the boundary mark of a field. Therewith she smote furious Ares on the neck, and loosed his limbs. Over seven roods he stretched in his fall, and befouled his hair with dust, and about him his armour clanged. But Pallas Athene broke into a laugh, and vaunting over him she spake winged words: "Fool, not even yet hast thou learned how much mightier than thou I avow me to be, that thou matchest thy strength with mine. On this wise shalt thou satisfy to the full the Avengers invoked of thy mother, who in her wrath deviseth evil against thee, for that thou hast deserted the Achaeans and bearest aid to the overweening Trojans."
