If thou hast wisely planned,

Fear not; the steed doth wait the rider,

The spear doth claim the hand.

That snake-born monster’s horny hide,

That was not made to feel,

May never yield life’s crimson tide

To sharpest Rhodian steel;

But with this spear from Vulcan’s forge,

Right through the mouth in the deep gorge

If thou shalt pierce it, then