κλέψας δ᾽ ἐκ λειμῶνος ἐμὰς βοῦς ὤχετ᾽ ἐλαύνων
ἑσπέριος παρὰ θῖνα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης,
εὐθὺ Πύλονδ᾽ ἐλάων: τὰ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἴχνια δοιὰ πέλωρα,
οἷά τ᾽ ἀγάσσασθαι, καὶ ἀγαυοῦ δαίμονος ἔργα.
τῇσιν μὲν γὰρ βουσὶν ἐς ἀσφοδελὸν λειμῶνα
ἀντία βήματ᾽ ἔχουσα κόνις ἀνέφαινε μέλαινα:
αὐτὸς δ᾽ ἐκτὸς ὁδοῦ, τις ἀμήχανος, οὔτ᾽ ἄρα ποσσὶν
οὔτ᾽ ἄρα χερσὶν ἔβαινε διὰ ψαμαθώδεα χῶρον:
ἀλλ᾽ ἄλλην τινὰ μῆτιν ἔχων διέτριβε κέλευθα
τοῖα πέλωρ᾽ ὡς εἴ τις ἀραιῇσι δρυσὶ βαίνοι.
340-349 He stole away my cows from their meadow
and drove them off in the evening along the shore of the loud-roaring
sea, making straight for Pylos. There were double tracks, and wonderful
they were, such as one might marvel at, the doing of a clever sprite;
for as for the cows, the dark dust kept and showed their footprints
leading towards the flowery meadow; but he himself--bewildering
creature--crossed the sandy ground outside the path, not on his feet nor
yet on his hands; but, furnished with some other means he trudged his
way--wonder of wonders!--as though one walked on slender oak-trees.