ὡς ἔφατ', ὦρτο δ' ἔπειτα βίη Τεύκροιο ἄνακτος,
ἂν δ' άρα Μηριόνης. θεράπων ἐῢς, Ἰδομενῆος:
κλήρους δ' ἐν κυνέῃ χαλκήρεϊ πάλλον ἑλόντες:
Τεῦκρος δὲ πρῶτος κλήρῳ λάχεν. αὐτίκα δ' ϊὸν
ἧκεν ἐπικρατέως: οὐδ' ἠπείλησεν ἄνακτι:
ἀρνῶν πρωτογόνων ῥέξειν κλειτὴν ἑκατόμβην:
ὄρνιθος μὲν ἅμαρτε, μέγηρε γάρ, οἱ, τότ' Ἀπόλλων:
αὐτὰρ ὃ μήρινθον βάλε πὰρ πόδα. τῇ δέδετ' ὄρνις:
ἀντικρὺ δ' ἀπὸ μήρινθον τάμε πικρὸς ὀϊστός:
ἡ μὲν ἔπειτ' ἤϊξε προς οὐρανόν. ἡ δὲ παρείθη
μήρινθος ποτὶ γαῖαν: ἀτὰρ κελάδησαν Ἀχαιοί:
σπερχόμενος δ' ἄρα Μηριόνης. ἐξείρυσε χειρὸς
τόξον: ἀταρ δὴ ὀϊστὸν ἔχεν πάλαι. ὡς ἴ¨θυνεν.
αὐτίκα δ' ἠπείλησεν ἑκηβόλῳ Ἀπόλλωνι
ἀρνῶν πρωτογόνων ῥέξειν κλειτὴν ἑκατόμβην:
ὕψι δ' ὑπαὶ νεφέων εῖδε τρήρωνα πέλειαν:
τῇ ῥ' ὅ γε δινεύουσαν. ὑπὸ πτερύγος βάλε μέσσην:
ἀντικρὺ δὲ διῆλθε βέλος: τὸ μὲν, ἂψ ἐπι γαίῃ
πρόσθεν Μηριόναο πάγη ποδὸς: αὐτὰρ ἡ ὄρνις
ἱστῶ ἐφεζομένη νηὸς κυανοπρώροιο.
αὐχέν' ἀπεκρέμασεν: σὺν δὲ πτερὰ πυκνὰ λιάσθεν:
ὠκὺς δ' ἐκ μελέων θυμὸς πτάτο: τῆλε δ' ἀπ' αὐτοῦ
κάππεσε: λαοὶ δ' αὖ θηεῦντό τε. θάμβησάν τε.
ἂν δ' ἄρα Μηριόνης πελέκεας δέκα πάντας ἄειρε
Τεῦκρος δ' ἡμιπέλεκκα φέρεν κοῖλας ἐπὶ νῆας:
So spake he, and there arose the might of the prince Teucer, and Meriones the valiant squire of Idomeneus. Then took they the lots and shook them in a helmet of bronze, and Teucer drew by lot the first place. Forthwith he let fly an arrow with might, howbeit he vowed not that he would sacrifice to the king a glorious hecatomb of firstling lambs. So he missed the bird, for Apollo grudged him that, but hit the cord beside its foot wherewith the bird was tied, and clean away the bitter arrow cut the cord. Then the dove darted skyward, and the cord hung loose toward earth; and the Achaeans shouted aloud. But Meriones speedily snatched the bow from Teucer's hand—an arrow had he long been holding while Teucer aimed—and vowed forthwith that he would sacrifice to Apollo that smiteth afar a glorious hecatomb of firstling lambs. High up beneath the cloud he spied the timorous dove; there as she circled round he struck her in the midst beneath the wing, and clean through passed the shaft, and fell again and fixed itself in the ground before the foot of Meriones; but the dove, lighting on the mast of the dark-prowed ship, hung down her head, and her thick plumage drooped. Swiftly the life fled from her limbs, and she fell far from the mast; and the people gazed thereon and were seized with wonder. And Meriones took up all ten double axes, and Teucer bare the single to the hollow ships.
