§25.211αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τὸν χῶρον, ὅθι λῖς ἦεν, ἵκανον, §25.212δὴ τότε τόξον ἑλὼν στρεπτὴν ἐπέλασσα κορώνῃ §25.213νευρειήν, περὶ δʼ ἰὸν ἐχέστονον εἶθαρ ἔβησα.
But when I arrived at the place where the lion was, indeed then, taking my bow, I drew the twisted string to the notched end, and straightway placed upon it a groan-causing arrow.
§25.214πάντῃ δʼ ὄσσε φέρων ὀλοὸν τέρας ἐσκοπίαζον, §25.215εἴ μιν ἐσαθρήσαιμι, πάρος γʼ ἐμὲ κεῖνον ἰδέσθαι.
And casting my eyes in all directions, I was scouting for the baneful monster, if I might catch sight of him, before he should see me.
It was midday, and nowhere could I yet discern his tracks, nor hear his roaring.
§25.218οὐδὲ μὲν ἀνθρώπων τις ἔην ἐπὶ βουσὶ καὶ ἔργοις §25.219φαινόμενος σπορίμοιο διʼ αὔλακος, ὅντινʼ ἐροίμην· §25.220ἀλλὰ κατὰ σταθμοὺς χλωρὸν δέος εἶχεν ἕκαστον.
Nor indeed was there any man appearing over the cattle and the fields through the sown furrows, whom I might ask; but pale fear held everyone throughout the farmsteads.
§25.221οὐ μὴν πρὶν πόδας ἔσχον ὄρος τανύφυλλον ἐρευνῶν, §25.222πρὶν ἰδέειν ἀλκῆς τε παραυτίκα πειρηθῆναι.
Yet I did not stay my feet as I searched the leaf-clad mountain, until I saw him and immediately made trial of his strength.
§25.223ἤτοι ὁ μὲν σήραγγα προδείελος ἔστιχεν εἰς ἥν, §25.224βεβρωκὼς κρειῶν τε καὶ αἵματος, ἀμφὶ δὲ χαίτας §25.225αὐχμηρὰς πεπάλακτο φόνῳ χαροπόν τε πρόσωπον §25.226στήθεά τε, γλώσσῃ δὲ περιλιχμᾶτο γένειον.
Indeed, before evening he was walking toward his cavern, having gorged on flesh and blood; and around his shaggy mane he was spattered with gore, and his fierce face and chest likewise; and with his tongue he was licking his chin.
§25.227αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ θάμνοισιν ἄφαρ σκιεροῖσιν ἐκρύφθην §25.228ἐν ῥίῳ ὑλήεντι δεδεγμένος ὁππόθʼ ἵκοιτο, §25.229καὶ βάλον ἆσσον ἰόντος ἀριστερὸν ἐς κενεῶνα §25.230τηϋσίως· οὐ γάρ τι βέλος διὰ σαρκὸς ὄλισθεν §25.231ὀκριόεν, χλωρῇ δὲ παλίσσυτον ἔμπεσε ποίῃ.
Then I straightway hid myself in the shady bushes on the wooded ridge, waiting for whenever he might arrive, and as he came closer, I shot him in the left flank, in vain; for the sharp arrow did not slip through his flesh at all, but bounced back and fell upon the green grass.
§25.232αὐτὰρ ὁ κρᾶτα δαφοινὸν ἀπὸ χθονὸς ὦκʼ ἐπάειρε §25.233θαμβήσας, πάντῃ δὲ διέδρακεν ὀφθαλμοῖσι §25.234σκεπτόμενος, λαμυροὺς δὲ χανὼν ὑπʼ ὀδόντας ἔφηνε.
But he quickly raised his blood-red head from the ground in wonder, and darted his eyes in all directions, looking around, and opening his mouth, displayed his greedy teeth.
§25.235τῷ δʼ ἐγὼ ἄλλον ὀιστὸν ἀπὸ νευρῆς προΐαλλον §25.236ἀσχαλόων, ὅ μοι ὁ πρὶν ἐτώσιος ἔκφυγε χειρός· §25.237μεσσηγὺς δʼ ἔβαλον στηθέων, ὅθι πνεύμονος ἕδρη.
And at him I shot another arrow from the string, vexed that the former one had escaped from my hand in vain; and I hit him in the middle of the chest, where the seat of the lung is.
§25.238ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ὣς ὑπὸ βύρσαν ἔδυ πολυώδυνος ἰός, §25.239ἀλλʼ ἔπεσε προπάροιθε ποδῶν ἀνεμώλιος αὔτως.
But not even so did the painful arrow penetrate beneath the hide, but fell before his feet, utterly fruitless.
§25.240τὸ τρίτον αὖ μέλλεσκον ἀσώμενος ἐν φρεσὶν αἰνῶς §25.241αὐερύειν· ὁ δέ μʼ εἶδε περιγληνώμενος ὄσσοις §25.242θὴρ ἄμοτος, μακρὴν δὲ περʼ ἰγνύῃσιν ἕλιξε §25.243κέρκον, ἄφαρ δὲ μάχης ἐμνήσατο·
For the third time I was about to draw back the bow again, sorely vexed in my heart; but the relentless beast saw me, rolling his eyes around, and wound his long tail around his flanks, and straightway minded him of battle.
πᾶς δέ οἱ αὐχὴν §25.244θυμοῦ ἐνεπλήσθη, πυρσαὶ δʼ ἔφριξαν ἔθειραι §25.245σκυζομένῳ, κυρτὴ δὲ ῥάχις γένετʼ ἠύτε τόξον, §25.246πάντοθεν εἰληθέντος ὑπὸ λαγόνας τε καὶ ἰξύν.
And his whole neck was swollen with rage, and his fiery mane bristled as he snarled, and his back became curved like a bow, as he gathered himself together from all sides under his flanks and loins.
§25.247ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἂν ἁρματοπηγὸς ἀνὴρ πολέων ἴδρις ἔργων §25.248ὄρπηκας κάμπτῃσιν ἐρινεοῦ εὐκεάτοιο, §25.249θάλψας ἐν πυρὶ πρῶτον, ἐπαξονίῳ κύκλα δίφρῳ· §25.250τοῦ μὲν ὑπὲκ χειρῶν ἔφυγεν τανύφλοιος ἐρινεὸς §25.251καμπτόμενος, τηλοῦ δὲ μιῇ πήδησε σὺν ὁρμῇ· §25.252ὣς ἐπʼ ἐμοὶ λῖς αἰνὸς ἀπόπροθεν ἀθρόος ἆλτο §25.253μαιμώων χροὸς ἆσαι·
And just as when a carriage-builder, well-skilled in many works, bends the shoots of the easily-split wild fig tree, having warmed them first in the fire, to make wheels for a wheeled chariot; the thick-barked wild fig escapes from his hands as it is being bent, and springs far away with a single bound; so the dread lion from afar leapt upon me all at once, eager to gorge on my flesh.
ἐγὼ δʼ ἑτέρηφι βέλεμνα §25.254χειρὶ προεσχεθόμην καὶ ἀπʼ ὤμων δίπλακα λώπην, §25.255τῇ δʼ ἑτέρῃ ῥόπαλον κόρσης ὕπερ αὖον ἀείρας §25.256ἤλασα κὰκ κεφαλῆς, διὰ δʼ ἄνδιχα τρηχὺν ἔαξα §25.257αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ λασίοιο καρήατος ἀγριέλαιον §25.258θηρὸς ἀμαιμακέτοιο·
But I with one hand held out my arrows and the double cloak from my shoulders, and with the other, raising the dry club above his temple, I struck him down upon his head, and broke in two the rough wild-olive over the shaggy head of the unyielding beast itself.
πέσεν δʼ ὅγε πρὶν ἔμʼ ἱκέσθαι §25.259ὑψόθεν ἐν γαίῃ, καὶ ἐπὶ τρομεροῖς ποσὶν ἔστη §25.260νευστάζων κεφαλῇ· περὶ γὰρ σκότος ὄσσέ οἱ ἄμφω §25.261ἦλθε, βίῃ σεισθέντος ἐν ὀστέῳ ἐγκεφάλοιο.
And he fell, before he could reach me, from on high to the ground, and stood on trembling feet, nodding with his head; for darkness came over both his eyes, his brain being violently shaken within the bone.
§25.262τὸν μὲν ἐγὼν ὀδύνῃσι παραφρονέοντα βαρείαις §25.263νωσάμενος, πρὶν αὖτις ὑπότροπον ἀμπνυνθῆναι, §25.264αὐχένος ἀρρήκτοιο παρʼ ἰνίον ἤλασα προφθάς, §25.265ῥίψας τόξον ἔραζε πολύρραπτόν τε φαρέτρην·
Seeing him dazed with heavy pains, before he could recover his breath and turn back again, I forestalled him, striking him by the nape of his unbreakable neck, having cast my bow and well-stitched quiver to the ground.
§25.266ἦγχον δʼ ἐγκρατέως στιβαρὰς σὺν χεῖρας ἐρείσας §25.267ἐξόπιθεν, μὴ σάρκας ὑποδρύψῃ ὀνύχεσσι, §25.268πρὸς δʼ οὖδας πτέρνῃσι πόδας στερεῶς ἐπίεζον §25.269οὐραίους ἐπιβάς, μηροῖσί τε πλεύρʼ ἐφύλασσον, §25.270μέχρί οἱ ἐξετάνυσσα βραχίονας ὀρθὸν ἀείρας §25.271ἄπνευστον, ψυχὴν δὲ πελώριος ἔλλαχεν Ἅιδης.
And I strangled him mightily, pressing my sturdy hands together from behind, lest he should tear my flesh with his claws; and with my heels I firmly pressed his hind feet to the ground, standing upon them, and guarded his flanks with my thighs, until I stretched out his forelegs, lifting him upright, breathless; and giant Hades received his soul.
§25.272καὶ τότε δὴ βούλευον, ὅπως λασιαύχενα βύρσαν §25.273θηρὸς τεθνειῶτος ἀπὸ μελέων ἐρυσαίμην, §25.274ἀργαλέον μάλα μόχθον, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἔσκε σιδήρῳ §25.275τμητὴ οὐδὲ λίθοις πειρωμένῳ, οὐδὲ μὲν ἄλλῃ
And then indeed I began to plan how I might strip the shaggy hide from the limbs of the dead beast— a very difficult labor, since it was not to be cut by iron, nor by stones when I tried, nor indeed by any other means.
There indeed some one of the immortals put it into my mind to devise to rip open the lion's skin with its own claws.
With these I quickly flayed it, and put it around my limbs as a defense against the flesh-cutting tumult of war.