14. Who would try to open its jaws,full of fearsome teeth?
15-17. Its back is coveredwith shield after shield,firmly bound and closer togetherthan breath to breath.
18. When this monster sneezes,lightning flashes, and its eyesglow like the dawn.
19. Sparks and fiery flamesexplode from its mouth.
20. And smoke spews from its noselike steamfrom a boiling pot,
21. while its blazing breathscorches everything in sight.
22. Its neck is so tremendousthat everyone trembles,
23. the weakest parts of its bodyare harder than iron,
24. and its heart is stone.
25. When this noisy monster appears,even the most powerfulturn and run in fear.
26. No sword or spear can harm it,
27. and weapons of bronze or ironare as useless as strawor rotten wood.
28. Stones thrown from a slingcause it no more harmthan husks of grain.This monster fears no arrows,
29. it simply smiles at spears,and striking it with a stickis like slapping it with straw.