And the whole grove shone under the terrible god and his armor and himself; and like fire light flashed from their eyes.
Who of mortals would have dared to rush straight against him, except indeed Heracles and glorious Iolaus?
For great was their strength, and invincible hands grew from their shoulders upon their sturdy limbs.
§77ὅς ῥα τόθʼ ἡνίοχον προσέφη κρατερὸν Ἰόλαον· §102τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπεν ἀμώμητος Ἰόλαος· §115ὣς φάτο· μείδησεν δὲ βίη Ἡρακληείη §116θυμῷ γηθήσας· μάλα γάρ νύ οἱ ἄρμενα εἶπεν· §117καί μιν ἀμειβόμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §118ἥρως ὦ Ἰόλαε, διοτρεφές, οὐκέτι τηλοῦ
He then spoke to his charioteer, strong Iolaus: To him, in turn, blameless Iolaus spoke: So he spoke; and the mighty Heracles smiled, rejoicing in his heart; for he had spoken what was very fitting to him; and in answer he addressed him with winged words: "O hero Iolaus, nurtured by Zeus, no longer far off is the harsh battle.
§119ὑσμίνη τρηχεῖα· σὺ δʼ ὡς πάρος ἦσθα δαΐφρων, §120ὣς καὶ νῦν μέγαν ἵππον Ἀρίονα κυανοχαίτην §121πάντη ἀναστρωφᾶν καὶ ἀρηγέμεν, ὥς κε δύνηαι. §122ὣς εἰπὼν κνημῖδας ὀρειχάλκοιο φαεινοῦ, §123Ἡφαίστου κλυτὰ δῶρα, περὶ κνήμῃσιν ἔθηκεν·
But as you were valiant before, so also now guide the great, dark-maned horse Arion in every direction, and aid us as you are able." Having spoken thus, he placed greaves of shining mountain-bronze, the glorious gifts of Hephaestus, around his shins.
§124δεύτερον αὖ θώρηκα περὶ στήθεσσιν ἔδυνε §125καλὸν χρύσειον πολυδαίδαλον, ὅν οἱ ἔδωκε §126Παλλὰς Ἀθηναίη, κούρη Διός, ὁππότʼ ἔμελλε §127τὸ πρῶτον στονόεντας ἐφορμήσεσθαι ἀέθλους.
Next, in turn, he put on his chest a breastplate, beautiful, golden, and finely wrought, which to him had given Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus, when he was about for the first time to rush into his lamentable labors.
And around his shoulders the terrible man slung the iron sword that wards off ruin.
κοΐλην δὲ περὶ στήθεσσι φαρέτρην §130καββάλετʼ ἐξόπιθεν· πολλοὶ δʼ ἔντοσθεν ὀιστοὶ
And around his chest he cast a hollow quiver backward; and within were many arrows, chilling, givers of silent death.
§131ῥιγηλοί, θανάτοιο λαθιφθόγγοιο δοτῆρες. §132πρόσθεν μὲν θάνατόν τʼ εἶχον καὶ δάκρυσι μῦρον, §133μέσσοι δὲ ξεστοί, περιμήκεες, αὐτὰρ ὄπισθε §134μόρφνοιο φλεγύαο καλυπτόμενοι πτερύγεσσιν.
At the front they held death and dripped with tears, and in the middle they were polished and very long, but at the back they were covered with the feathers of a fiery eagle.
§135εἵλετο δʼ ὄβριμον ἔγχος, ἀκαχμένον αἴθοπι χαλκῷ, §136κρατὶ δʼ ἔπʼ ἰφθίμῳ κυνέην ἐύτυκτον ἔθηκε, §137δαιδαλέην ἀδάμαντος, ἐπὶ κροτάφοις ἀραρυῖαν, §138ἥτʼ εἴρυτο κάρη Ἡρακλῆος θείοιο.
And he took his mighty spear, sharpened with flashing bronze, and upon his mighty head he placed a well-wrought helmet, finely fashioned of adamant, fitted to his temples, which protected the head of divine Heracles.
§139χερσί γε μὴν σάκος εἷλε παναίολον, οὐδέ τις αὐτὸ §140οὔτʼ ἔρρηξε βαλὼν οὔτʼ ἔθλασε, θαῦμα ἰδέσθαι.
And in his hands he took his all-shining shield; and no one broke it by casting at it, nor crushed it, a wonder to behold.
§141πᾶν μὲν γὰρ κύκλῳ τιτάνῳ λευκῷ τʼ ἐλέφαντι §142ἠλέκτρῳ θʼ ὑπολαμπὲς ἔην χρυσῷ τε φαεινῷ §143λαμπόμενον, κυάνου δὲ διὰ πτύχες ἠλήλαντο.
For its whole circle gleamed with white gypsum and ivory and amber, and shone with bright gold, and there ran bands of dark cyanus through it.
And in the midst of it was Panic, made of adamant, not to be described, glaring backward with eyes flashing with fire.
§146τοῦ καὶ ὀδόντων μὲν πλῆτο στόμα λευκὰ θεόντων, §147δεινῶν ἀπλήτων, ἐπὶ δὲ βλοσυροῖο μετώπου §148δεινὴ Ἔρις πεπότητο κορύσσουσα κλόνον ἀνδρῶν, §149σχετλίη, ἥ ῥα νόον τε καὶ ἐκ φρένας εἵλετο φωτῶν. §150οἵτινες ἀντιβίην πόλεμον Διὸς υἷι φέροιεν.
And his mouth was filled with white, running teeth, terrible and unapproachable; and upon his grim brow terrible Strife hovered, marshalling the tumult of men, ruthless she, who took away the mind and senses of men, whoever carried war face to face against the son of Zeus.
§151τῶν καὶ ψυχαὶ μὲν χθόνα δύμεναι Ἄιδος εἴσω §152κάκκιον, ὀστέα δέ σφι περὶ ῥινοῖο σαπείσης §153Σειρίου ἀζαλέοιο μελαίνῃ πύθεται αἴῃ.
Of these the souls indeed go down beneath the earth into Hades, and their bones, when the skin has rotted around them, decay in the black earth under parching Sirius.
§154ἐν δὲ Προΐωξίς τε Παλίωξίς τε τέτυκτο, §155ἐν δʼ Ὅμαδός τε Φόβος τʼ Ἀνδροκτασίη τε δεδήει, §156ἐν δʼ Ἔρις, ἐν δὲ Κυδοιμὸς ἐθύνεον, ἐν δʼ ὀλοὴ Κὴρ §157ἄλλον ζωὸν ἔχουσα νεούτατον, ἄλλον ἄουτον, §158ἄλλον τεθνηῶτα κατὰ μόθον ἕλκε ποδοῖιν.
On it were fashioned Onslaught and Retreat, and on it burned Tumult and Panic and Slaughter, and on it raged Strife and Uproar, and on it was deadly Fate, holding one alive, newly wounded, and another unwounded, and another dead she dragged by the feet through the battle.
And she had a garment around her shoulders, red with the blood of men, glaring terribly and gnashing her teeth with a roar.
§161ἐν δʼ ὀφίων κεφαλαὶ δεινῶν ἔσαν, οὔ τι φατειῶν, §162δώδεκα, ταὶ φοβέεσκον ἐπὶ χθονὶ φῦλʼ ἀνθρώπων, §163οἵ τινες ἀντιβίην πόλεμον Διὸς υἷι φέροιεν· §164τῶν καὶ ὀδόντων μὲν καναχὴ πέλεν, εὖτε μάχοιτο §165Ἀμφιτρυωνιάδης, τὰ δʼ ἐδαίετο θαυματὰ ἔργα.
And on it were heads of terrible serpents, not to be described, twelve of them, which terrified the races of men upon the earth, whoever carried war face to face against the son of Zeus; and of these there was a gnashing of teeth whenever the son of Amphitryon fought, and these wondrous works burned.
And spots appeared to be seen on the terrible serpents; they were dark blue along their backs, and their jaws were blackened.
§168ἐν δὲ συῶν ἀγέλαι χλούνων· ἔσαν ἠδὲ λεόντων §169ἐς σφέας δερκομένων, κοτεόντων θʼ ἱεμένων τε. §170τῶν καὶ ὁμιληδὸν στίχες ἤισαν· οὐδέ νυ τώ γε §171οὐδέτεροι τρεέτην· φρῖσσόν γε μὲν αὐχένας ἄμφω.
And on it were herds of wild boars and lions glaring at one another, angry and eager; and of these the ranks went in throngs; nor did either side tremble, but both bristled their manes.
§172ἤδη γάρ σφιν ἔκειτο μέγας λῖς, ἀμφὶ δὲ κάπροι §173δοιοί, ἀπουράμενοι ψυχάς, κατὰ δέ σφι κελαινὸν §174αἷμʼ ἀπελείβετʼ ἔραζʼ· οἳ δʼ αὐχένας ἐξεριπόντες §175κείατο τεθνηῶτες ὑπὸ βλοσυροῖσι λέουσιν.
For already a great lion lay dead before them, and around him boars, two of them, reft of life, and down from them the dark blood dripped to the ground; and they, with necks collapsed, lay dead under the fierce lions.