- Source
- Homer. Homeri Opera, Volumes 1-2. Monro, D. B. (David Binning), editor; Allen, Thomas W. (Thomas William), editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908-1920.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.338-1.405
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Achilles instructs Patroclus to hand Briseis over to the heralds and, weeping alone by the shore, calls upon his mother, Thetis. When she appears, he recounts the entire conflict and begs her to intercede with Zeus on his behalf, relying on her past favor to the king of the gods.
καί σφωϊν δὸς ἄγειν· τὼ δʼ αὐτὼ μάρτυροι ἔστων
”And give her to them to lead away; and let those two themselves be witnesses
πρός τε θεῶν μακάρων πρός τε θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων
before the blessed gods, and before mortal men,
καὶ πρὸς τοῦ βασιλῆος ἀπηνέος εἴ ποτε δʼ αὖτε
and before that ruthless king, if ever hereafter
χρειὼ ἐμεῖο γένηται1 ἀεικέα λοιγὸν ἀμῦναι
there should be need of me to ward off shameful ruin
τοῖς ἄλλοις· ἦ γὰρ ὅ γʼ ὀλοιῇσι φρεσὶ θύει,
from the rest. For indeed he rages with destructive mind,
οὐδέ τι οἶδε νοῆσαι ἅμα πρόσσω καὶ ὀπίσσω,
and does not know at all how to think at once of the past and the future,
ὅππως οἱ παρὰ νηυσὶ σόοι μαχέοιντο Ἀχαιοί.
so that the Achaeans might fight in safety by their ships.”
ὣς φάτο, Πάτροκλος δὲ φίλῳ ἐπεπείθεθʼ ἑταίρῳ,
Thus he spoke, and Patroclus obeyed his dear companion,
ἐκ δʼ ἄγαγε κλισίης Βρισηΐδα καλλιπάρῃον,
and led out fair-cheeked Briseis from the hut,
δῶκε δʼ ἄγειν· τὼ δʼ αὖτις ἴτην παρὰ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν·
and gave her to them to lead away; and they went back along the ships of the Achaeans.
ἣ δʼ ἀέκουσʼ ἅμα τοῖσι γυνὴ κίεν· αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς
And the woman went with them unwillingly. But Achilles
δακρύσας ἑτάρων ἄφαρ ἕζετο νόσφι λιασθείς,
wept, and immediately sat down apart, withdrawing from his companions,
θῖνʼ ἔφʼ ἁλὸς πολιῆς, ὁρόων ἐπʼ ἀπείρονα πόντον·
on the shore of the gray sea, looking over the boundless deep.
πολλὰ δὲ μητρὶ φίλῃ ἠρήσατο χεῖρας ὀρεγνύς·
And he prayed much to his dear mother, stretching out his hands:
μῆτερ ἐπεί μʼ ἔτεκές γε μινυνθάδιόν περ ἐόντα,
”Mother, since you bore me to be but brief-lived,
τιμήν πέρ μοι ὄφελλεν Ὀλύμπιος ἐγγυαλίξαι
honor at least the Olympian ought to have granted me,
Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης· νῦν δʼ οὐδέ με τυτθὸν ἔτισεν·
high-thundering Zeus; but now he has honored me not even a little.
ἦ γάρ μʼ Ἀτρεΐδης εὐρὺ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
For indeed the son of Atreus, wide-ruling Agamemnon,
ἠτίμησεν· ἑλὼν γὰρ ἔχει γέρας αὐτὸς ἀπούρας.
has dishonored me; for he has taken away my prize and holds it himself, having robbed me.”
ὣς φάτο δάκρυ χέων, τοῦ δʼ ἔκλυε πότνια μήτηρ
Thus he spoke, shedding tears, and his lady mother heard him,
ἡμένη ἐν βένθεσσιν ἁλὸς παρὰ πατρὶ γέροντι·
as she sat in the depths of the sea beside her ancient father.
καρπαλίμως δʼ ἀνέδυ πολιῆς ἁλὸς ἠΰτʼ ὀμίχλη,
And swiftly she emerged from the gray sea like a mist,
καί ῥα πάροιθʼ αὐτοῖο καθέζετο δάκρυ χέοντος,
and sat down before him as he wept,
χειρί τέ μιν κατέρεξεν ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζε·
and stroked him with her hand, and spoke to him, and called him by name:
τέκνον τί κλαίεις; τί δέ σε φρένας ἵκετο πένθος;
”My child, why do you weep? What sorrow has come upon your heart?
ἐξαύδα, μὴ κεῦθε νόῳ, ἵνα εἴδομεν ἄμφω.
Speak out, hide it not in your mind, so that we both may know.”
τὴν δὲ βαρὺ στενάχων προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς·
Then groaning heavily, swift-footed Achilles spoke to her:
οἶσθα· τί ἤ τοι ταῦτα ἰδυίῃ πάντʼ ἀγορεύω;
”You know; why indeed should I tell all this to you who already know?
ᾠχόμεθʼ ἐς Θήβην ἱερὴν πόλιν Ἠετίωνος,
We went to Thebe, the sacred city of Eetion,
τὴν δὲ διεπράθομέν τε καὶ ἤγομεν ἐνθάδε πάντα·
and we sacked it, and brought all the spoil here.
καὶ τὰ μὲν εὖ δάσσαντο μετὰ σφίσιν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,
And the sons of the Achaeans distributed it fairly among themselves,
ἐκ δʼ ἕλον Ἀτρεΐδῃ Χρυσηΐδα καλλιπάρῃον.
and chose for the son of Atreus fair-cheeked Chryseis.
Χρύσης δʼ αὖθʼ ἱερεὺς ἑκατηβόλου Ἀπόλλωνος
But Chryses, the priest of far-shooting Apollo,
ἦλθε θοὰς ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων
came to the swift ships of the bronze-clad Achaeans
λυσόμενός τε θύγατρα φέρων τʼ ἀπερείσιʼ ἄποινα,
to ransom his daughter, bringing boundless ransom,
στέμματʼ ἔχων ἐν χερσὶν ἑκηβόλου Ἀπόλλωνος
and holding in his hands the fillets of far-shooting Apollo
χρυσέῳ ἀνὰ σκήπτρῳ, καὶ λίσσετο πάντας Ἀχαιούς,
upon a golden scepter, and he entreated all the Achaeans,
Ἀτρεΐδα δὲ μάλιστα δύω κοσμήτορε λαῶν.
and most of all the two sons of Atreus, the marshals of the people.
ἔνθʼ ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες ἐπευφήμησαν Ἀχαιοὶ
Then all the other Achaeans shouted assent
αἰδεῖσθαί θʼ ἱερῆα καὶ ἀγλαὰ δέχθαι ἄποινα·
to reverence the priest and to accept the glorious ransom;
ἀλλʼ οὐκ Ἀτρεΐδῃ Ἀγαμέμνονι ἥνδανε θυμῷ,
yet it did not please the heart of Agamemnon, son of Atreus,
ἀλλὰ κακῶς ἀφίει, κρατερὸν δʼ ἐπὶ μῦθον ἔτελλε·
but he sent him away harshly, and laid a stern command upon him.
χωόμενος δʼ ὁ γέρων πάλιν ᾤχετο· τοῖο δʼ Ἀπόλλων
And the old man went back angry; but Apollo
εὐξαμένου ἤκουσεν, ἐπεὶ μάλα οἱ φίλος ἦεν,
heard his prayer, since he was very dear to him,
ἧκε δʼ ἐπʼ Ἀργείοισι κακὸν βέλος· οἳ δέ νυ λαοὶ
and sent an evil shaft against the Argives; and the people
θνῇσκον ἐπασσύτεροι, τὰ δʼ ἐπῴχετο κῆλα θεοῖο
were dying one upon another, and the shafts of the god went
πάντῃ ἀνὰ στρατὸν εὐρὺν Ἀχαιῶν· ἄμμι δὲ μάντις
everywhere throughout the wide camp of the Achaeans. And to us a prophet
εὖ εἰδὼς ἀγόρευε θεοπροπίας ἑκάτοιο.
who well knew declared the oracles of the far-shooter.
αὐτίκʼ ἐγὼ πρῶτος κελόμην θεὸν ἱλάσκεσθαι·
At once I was the first to urge that we appease the god;
Ἀτρεΐωνα δʼ ἔπειτα χόλος λάβεν, αἶψα δʼ ἀναστὰς
but then anger seized the son of Atreus, and quickly rising
ἠπείλησεν μῦθον ὃ δὴ τετελεσμένος ἐστί·
he threatened a word which indeed has now been fulfilled.
τὴν μὲν γὰρ σὺν νηῒ θοῇ ἑλίκωπες Ἀχαιοὶ
For the one, the bright-eyed Achaeans in a swift ship
ἐς Χρύσην πέμπουσιν, ἄγουσι δὲ δῶρα ἄνακτι·
are sending to Chryse, and are carrying gifts to the king;
τὴν δὲ νέον κλισίηθεν ἔβαν κήρυκες ἄγοντες
but the other, the daughter of Briseus whom the sons of the Achaeans gave me,
κούρην Βρισῆος τήν μοι δόσαν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν.
heralds have just gone and led away from my hut.
ἀλλὰ σὺ εἰ δύνασαί γε περίσχεο παιδὸς ἑῆος·2
But do you, if you are able, protect your own son;
ἐλθοῦσʼ Οὔλυμπον δὲ Δία λίσαι, εἴ ποτε δή τι
go to Olympus and entreat Zeus, if ever indeed
ἢ ἔπει ὤνησας κραδίην Διὸς ἠὲ καὶ ἔργῳ.
you have aided the heart of Zeus either by word or by deed.
πολλάκι γάρ σεο πατρὸς ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἄκουσα
For often I have heard you boasting in the halls of my father,
εὐχομένης ὅτʼ ἔφησθα κελαινεφέϊ Κρονίωνι
when you said that you alone among the immortals warded off shameful ruin
οἴη ἐν ἀθανάτοισιν ἀεικέα λοιγὸν ἀμῦναι,
from the son of Chronos, lord of the dark clouds,
ὁππότε μιν ξυνδῆσαι Ὀλύμπιοι ἤθελον ἄλλοι
when the other Olympians wished to bind him,
Ἥρη τʼ ἠδὲ Ποσειδάων καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη·
Hera and Poseidon and Pallas Athena.
ἀλλὰ σὺ τόν γʼ ἐλθοῦσα θεὰ ὑπελύσαο δεσμῶν,
But you came, goddess, and freed him from his bonds,
ὦχʼ ἑκατόγχειρον καλέσασʼ ἐς μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον,
quickly calling to high Olympus the hundred-handed monster,
ὃν Βριάρεων καλέουσι θεοί, ἄνδρες δέ τε πάντες
whom the gods call Briareus, but all men call
Αἰγαίωνʼ, ὃ γὰρ αὖτε βίην οὗ πατρὸς ἀμείνων·3
Aegaeon; for he indeed is superior in strength even to his father;
ὅς ῥα παρὰ Κρονίωνι καθέζετο κύδεϊ γαίων·
and he sat by the side of the son of Chronos, exulting in his glory.”
- 1.340εἴ ποτε δʼ αὖτε / χρειὼ ἐμεῖο γένηται
The construction εἴ... γένηται forms a conditional clause with the subjunctive, representing a hypothetical or possible future event. The noun χρειώ ("need") takes the genitive pronoun ἐμεῖο ("of me"), meaning "if there should ever be a need of me."
- 1.393περίσχεο παιδὸς ἑῆος
περίσχεο is the second-person singular aorist middle imperative of the compound verb περιέχω ("to surround, protect"). In the middle voice, it carries the sense of "to protect/champion for oneself" and takes a genitive object (παιδὸς ἑῆος, "your own son").
- 1.404βίην οὗ πατρὸς ἀμείνων
βίην is an accusative of respect ("in strength") modifying the comparative adjective ἀμείνων ("better, superior"). οὗ πατρὸς is a genitive of comparison meaning "than his own father" (Poseidon).