§25.140ἀστέρι πάντες ἔισκον, ὁθούνεκα πολλὸν ἐν ἄλλοις §25.141βουσὶν ἰὼν λάμπεσκεν, ἀρίζηλος δʼ ἐτέτυκτο.
Everyone likened him to a star, because far among the other cattle as he went he shone, and he was highly conspicuous.
§25.142ὃς δή τοι σκύλος αὖον ἰδὼν χαροποῖο λέοντος §25.143αὐτῷ ἔπειτʼ ἐπόρουσεν ἐυσκόπῳ Ἡρακλῆι §25.144χρίμψασθαι ποτὶ πλευρὰ κάρη στιβαρόν τε μέτωπον.
He indeed, seeing the dry skin of the fierce-eyed lion, then rushed upon sharp-eyed Heracles himself, to press his sturdy head and forehead against his flanks.
§25.145τοῦ μὲν ἄναξ προσιόντος ἐδράξατο χειρὶ παχείῃ §25.146σκαιοῦ ἄφαρ κέραος, κατὰ δʼ αὐχένα νέρθʼ ἐπὶ γαίης §25.147κλάσσε βαρύν περ ἐόντα, πάλιν δέ μιν ὦσεν ὀπίσσω §25.148ὤμῳ ἐπιβρίσας· ὁ δέ οἱ περὶ νεῦρα τανυσθεὶς §25.149μυὼν ἐξ ὑπάτοιο βραχίονος ὀρθὸς ἀνέστη.
As he approached, the lord seized with his thick hand straightway his left horn, and down to the ground, by the neck beneath, bent him down, heavy though he was, and pushed him back again, pressing down with his shoulder; and the muscle, stretched around his sinews, stood up straight from the top of his arm.
§25.150θαύμαζεν δʼ αὐτός τε ἄναξ υἱός τε δαΐφρων §25.151Φυλεὺς οἵ τʼ ἐπὶ βουσὶ κορωνίσι βουκόλοι ἄνδρες, §25.152Ἀμφιτρυωνιάδαο βίην ὑπέροπλον ἰδόντες.
And the lord himself wondered, and his wise son Phyleus, and the herdsmen over the curved-horned cattle, seeing the immense strength of the son of Amphitryon.
And the two, leaving behind the rich fields there, toward the city were walking, Phyleus and the mighty Heracles.
§25.155λαοφόρου δʼ ἐπέβησαν ὅθι πρώτιστα κελεύθου, §25.156λεπτὴν καρπαλίμοισι τρίβον ποσὶν ἐξανύσαντες, §25.157ἥ ῥα διʼ ἀμπελεῶνος ἀπὸ σταθμῶν τετάνυστο §25.158οὔτι λίην ἀρίσημος ἐν ὕλῃ χλωρὰ θέουσα, §25.159τῇ μιν ἄρα προσέειπε Διὸς γόνον ὑψίστοιο §25.160Αὐγείω φίλος υἱὸς ἕθεν μετόπισθεν ἰόντα, §25.161ἦκα παρακλίνας κεφαλὴν κατὰ δεξιὸν ὦμον· §25.162ξεῖνε, πάλαι τινὰ πάγχυ σέθεν πέρι μῦθον ἀκούσας §25.163ὡσεί περ σφετέρῃσιν ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βάλλομαι ἄρτι.
And where they first set foot upon the public road, having traversed with swift feet a narrow path, which stretched from the farmsteads through the vineyard, not very conspicuous, running green through the foliage, there the dear son of Augeas addressed the offspring of highest Zeus, who was walking behind him, turning his head slightly toward his right shoulder: 'Stranger, having heard long ago a certain story about you, I am just now pondering it as it were in my heart.
§25.164ἤλυθε γὰρ στείχων τις ἀπʼ Ἄργεος ὡς μέσος ἀκμῆς §25.165ἐνθάδʼ Ἀχαιὸς ἀνὴρ Ἑλίκης ἐξ ἀγχιάλοιο· §25.166ὃς δή τοι μυθεῖτο καὶ ἐν πλεόνεσσιν Ἐπειῶν, §25.167οὕνεκεν Ἀργείων τις ἕθεν παρεόντος ὄλεσσε §25.168θηρίον, αἰνολέοντα, κακὸν τέρας ἀγροιώταις, §25.169κοίλην αὖλιν ἔχοντα Διὸς Νεμέοιο παρʼ ἄλσος, §25.170οὐκ οἶδʼ ἀτρεκέως ἢ Ἄργεος ἐξ ἱεροῖο §25.171αὐτόθεν ἢ Τίρυνθα νέμων πόλιν ἠὲ Μυκήνην.
For there came a certain Achaean man from Argos, in the prime of his life, here, from Helice by the sea; who indeed told us, even in the presence of many Epeians, how some Argive man, while he himself was present, killed a beast, a terrible lion, a baneful monster to the country-dwellers, having its hollow lair near the grove of Nemean Zeus, though I do not know for certain whether from sacred Argos itself, or from there, inhabiting the city of Tiryns or Mycenae.
§25.172ὣς κεῖνος ἀγόρευε· γένος δέ μιν εἶναι ἔφασκεν, §25.173εἰ ἐτεόν περ ἐγὼ μιμνήσκομαι, ἐκ Περσῆος.
So that man spoke; and he said that his lineage was, if indeed I remember truly, descended from Perseus.
§25.174ἔλπομαι οὐχ ἕτερον τόδε τλήμεναι Αἰγιαλήων §25.175ἠὲ σέ· δέρμα δὲ θηρὸς ἀριφραδέως ἀγορεύει §25.176χειρῶν καρτερὸν ἔργον, ὅ τοι περὶ πλευρὰ καλύπτει.
I expect that no other of the Aegialeans dared this but you; and the skin of the beast clearly declares the mighty work of your hands, which covers your flanks.
§25.177εἴπʼ ἄγε νῦν μοι πρῶτον, ἵνα γνώω κατὰ θυμόν, §25.178ἥρως, εἴτʼ ἐτύμως μαντεύομαι εἴτε καὶ οὐκί, §25.179εἰ σύγʼ ἐκεῖνος, ὃν ἧμιν ἀκουόντεσσιν ἔειπεν §25.180οὑξ Ἑλίκηθεν Ἀχαιός, ἐγὼ δέ σε φράζομαι ὀρθῶς.
Come now, tell me first, so that I may know in my heart, hero, whether I guess truly or not, if you are indeed that man of whom the Achaean from Helice spoke to us as we listened, and if I perceive you rightly.
§25.181εἰπὲ δʼ ὅπως ὀλοὸν τόδε θηρίον αὐτὸς ἔπεφνες, §25.182ὅππως τʼ εὔυδρον Νεμέης εἰσήλυθε χῶρον· §25.183οὐ μὲν γάρ κε τοσόνδε κατʼ Ἀπίδα κνώδαλον εὕροις §25.184ἱμείρων ἰδέειν, ἐπεὶ οὐ μάλα τηλίκα βόσκει, §25.185ἀλλʼ ἄρκτους τε σύας τε λύκων τʼ ὀλοφώιον ἔρνος.
And tell me how you yourself slew this deadly beast, and how it came into the well-watered land of Nemea; for you would not find such a monster in Apis even if you desired to see one, since it does not nurture such huge things, but only bears and boars and the destructive breed of wolves.
§25.186τῷ καὶ θαυμάζεσκον ἀκούοντες τότε μῦθον· §25.187οἱ δέ νυ καὶ ψεύδεσθαι ὁδοιπόρον ἀνέρʼ ἔφαντο §25.188γλώσσης μαψιδίοιο χαριζόμενον παρεοῦσιν. §25.189Ὣς εἰπὼν μέσσης ἐξηρώησε κελεύθου §25.190Φυλεύς, ὄφρα κιοῦσιν ἅμα σφίσιν ἄρκιος εἴη, §25.191καί ῥά τε ῥηίτερον φαμένου κλύοι Ἡρακλῆος, §25.192ὅς μιν ὁμαρτήσας τοίῳ προσελέξατο μύθῳ· §25.193Ὦ Αὐγηιάδη, τὸ μὲν ὅττί με πρῶτον ἀνήρευ, §25.194αὐτὸς καὶ μάλα ῥεῖα κατὰ στάθμην ἐνόησας.
Therefore they wondered too, when they heard the story then; and some indeed said that the traveler was lying, pleasing the bystanders with an idle tongue.' So speaking, Phyleus stepped aside from the middle of the path, so that there might be room enough for them as they walked together, and he might more easily hear Heracles as he spoke, who, walking beside him, addressed him with such a speech: 'O son of Augeas, as to the first thing you asked me, you yourself have guessed it very easily and straight to the mark.
§25.195ἀμφὶ δέ σοι τὰ ἕκαστα λέγοιμί κε τοῦδε πελώρου §25.196ὅππως ἐκράανθεν, ἐπεὶ λελίησαι ἀκούειν, §25.197νόσφίν γʼ ἢ ὅθεν ἦλθε· τὸ γὰρ πολέων περ ἐόντων §25.198Ἀργείων οὐδείς κεν ἔχοι σάφα μυθήσασθαι· §25.199οἶον δʼ ἀθανάτων τίνʼ ἐίσκομεν ἀνδράσι πῆμα §25.200ἱρῶν μηνίσαντα Φορωνείδῃσιν ἐφεῖναι.
And I will tell you each detail about this monster, how things were accomplished, since you are eager to hear, except only whence it came; for though there are many Argives, no one of them could tell that for certain; we only conjecture that some one of the immortals, angry about sacrifices, sent this plague upon the descendants of Phoroneus.
§25.201πάντας γὰρ πισῆας ἐπικλύζων ποταμὸς ὣς §25.202λῖς ἄμοτον κεράιζε, μάλιστα δὲ Βεμβιναίους, §25.203οἵ ἑθεν ἀγχόμοροι ναῖον πασχόντες ἄτλητα.
For, flooding like a river all the valley-dwellers, the lion ravaged them relentlessly, and most of all the Bembinaeans, who dwelt near him and suffered unbearable things.
§25.204τὸν μὲν ἐμοὶ πρώτιστα τελεῖν ἐπέταξεν ἄεθλον §25.205Εὐρυσθεύς, κτεῖναι δέ μʼ ἐφίετο θηρίον αἰνόν.
This was the very first labor Eurystheus ordered me to perform, and he bade me kill the terrible beast.
§25.206αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ κέρας ὑγρὸν ἑλὼν κοίλην τε φαρέτρην §25.207ἰῶν ἐμπλείην νεόμην, ἑτέρηφι δὲ βάκτρον §25.208εὐπαγὲς αὐτόφλοιον ἐπηρεφέος κοτίνοιο §25.209ἔμμητρον, τὸ μὲν αὐτὸς ὑπὸ ζαθέῳ Ἑλικῶνι §25.210εὑρὼν σὺν πυκινῇσιν ὁλοσχερὲς ἔσπασα ῥίζαις.
So I, taking my flexible bow and my hollow quiver full of arrows, set forth; and in the other hand a club, well-made, with the bark still on, of a shading wild-olive tree, with the pith still inside, which I myself, under sacred Helicon, having found it, tore up whole with its thick roots.'