- 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-grc2:14.224-14.298
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
Leaving Aphrodite, Hera travels to Lemnos and persuades Hypnos, the god of sleep, to lull Zeus to sleep by promising him the hand of Pasithea, one of the Graces. The two journey to Mount Ida, where Hypnos conceals himself while Hera approaches Zeus and captivates him.
ἣ μὲν ἔβη πρὸς δῶμα Διὸς θυγάτηρ Ἀφροδίτη,
Aphrodite, the daughter of Zeus, went to the house of Zeus,
Ἥρη δʼ ἀΐξασα λίπεν ῥίον Οὐλύμποιο,
while Hera darted down and left the peak of Olympus.
Πιερίην δʼ ἐπιβᾶσα καὶ Ἠμαθίην ἐρατεινὴν
She set foot on Pieria and lovely Emathia,
σεύατʼ ἐφʼ ἱπποπόλων Θρῃκῶν ὄρεα νιφόεντα
and sped over the snowy mountains of the horse-breeding Thracians,
ἀκροτάτας κορυφάς· οὐδὲ χθόνα μάρπτε ποδοῖιν·
over their topmost peaks; and she did not touch the earth with her feet.
ἐξ Ἀθόω δʼ ἐπὶ πόντον ἐβήσετο κυμαίνοντα,
From Athos she stepped onto the billowing sea,
Λῆμνον δʼ εἰσαφίκανε πόλιν θείοιο Θόαντος.
and came to Lemnos, the city of divine Thoas.
ἔνθʼ Ὕπνῳ ξύμβλητο κασιγνήτῳ Θανάτοιο,
There she met Sleep, the brother of Death;
ἔν τʼ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρὶ ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν·
and she clasped him by the hand, and spoke and addressed him:
Ὕπνε ἄναξ πάντων τε θεῶν πάντων τʼ ἀνθρώπων,
”Sleep, lord of all gods and of all men,
ἠμὲν δή ποτʼ ἐμὸν ἔπος ἔκλυες, ἠδʼ ἔτι καὶ νῦν
if ever you did hearken to my word, even now also
πείθευ· ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι ἰδέω1 χάριν ἤματα πάντα.
obey me; and I will feel gratitude to you all my days.
κοίμησόν μοι Ζηνὸς ὑπʼ ὀφρύσιν ὄσσε φαεινὼ
Lull to sleep for me the shining eyes of Zeus beneath his brows,
αὐτίκʼ ἐπεί κεν ἐγὼ παραλέξομαι ἐν φιλότητι.
straightway when I shall have lain by his side in love.
δῶρα δέ τοι δώσω καλὸν θρόνον ἄφθιτον αἰεὶ
And gifts will I give you, a fair throne, imperishable forever,
χρύσεον· Ἥφαιστος δέ κʼ ἐμὸς πάϊς ἀμφιγυήεις
of gold; and my son Hephaestus, the limping god,
τεύξειʼ ἀσκήσας, ὑπὸ δὲ θρῆνυν ποσὶν ἥσει,
shall fashion it with skill, and set a footstool beneath it for your feet,
τῷ κεν ἐπισχοίης λιπαροὺς πόδας εἰλαπινάζων.
whereon you may rest your shining feet when you feast.”
τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσεφώνεε νήδυμος Ὕπνος·
Then sweet Sleep made answer to her, saying:
Ἥρη πρέσβα θεὰ θύγατερ μεγάλοιο Κρόνοιο
”Hera, queenly goddess, daughter of great Cronos,
ἄλλον μέν κεν ἔγωγε θεῶν αἰειγενετάων
any other of the everlasting gods I could
ῥεῖα κατευνήσαιμι, καὶ ἂν ποταμοῖο ῥέεθρα
easily lull to sleep, even the streams of the river
Ὠκεανοῦ, ὅς περ γένεσις πάντεσσι τέτυκται·
Oceanus, who is the source of all;
Ζηνὸς δʼ οὐκ ἂν ἔγωγε Κρονίονος ἆσσον ἱκοίμην
but to Zeus, the son of Cronos, I would not draw near,
οὐδὲ κατευνήσαιμʼ, ὅτε μὴ αὐτός γε κελεύοι.2
nor lull him to sleep, unless he himself should command me.
ἤδη γάρ με καὶ ἄλλο τεὴ ἐπίνυσσεν ἐφετμὴ
For already on another occasion your command made me wise,
ἤματι τῷ ὅτε κεῖνος ὑπέρθυμος Διὸς υἱὸς
on the day when that high-hearted son of Zeus
ἔπλεεν Ἰλιόθεν Τρώων πόλιν ἐξαλαπάξας.
sailed from Ilium, having sacked the city of the Trojans.
ἤτοι ἐγὼ μὲν ἔλεξα Διὸς νόον αἰγιόχοιο
Indeed, I lulled the mind of aegis-bearing Zeus,
νήδυμος ἀμφιχυθείς· σὺ δέ οἱ κακὰ μήσαο θυμῷ
shedding myself sweet about him; but you devised evil in your heart against him,
ὄρσασʼ ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἐπὶ πόντον ἀήτας,
rousing the blasts of cruel winds over the sea,
καί μιν ἔπειτα Κόων δʼ εὖ ναιομένην ἀπένεικας
and then bore him away to well-inhabited Cos,
νόσφι φίλων πάντων. ὃ δʼ ἐπεγρόμενος χαλέπαινε
far from all his friends. But he, when he awoke, was angry,
ῥιπτάζων κατὰ δῶμα θεούς, ἐμὲ δʼ ἔξοχα πάντων
casting the gods about his house, and me above all
ζήτει· καί κέ μʼ ἄϊστον ἀπʼ αἰθέρος ἔμβαλε πόντῳ,3
he sought; and he would have cast me from the upper air into the sea to be no more,
εἰ μὴ Νὺξ δμήτειρα θεῶν ἐσάωσε καὶ ἀνδρῶν·
had Night, the subduer of gods and men, not saved me.
τὴν ἱκόμην φεύγων, ὃ δʼ ἐπαύσατο χωόμενός περ.
To her I came in my flight, and he ceased, though he was angry;
ἅζετο γὰρ μὴ Νυκτὶ θοῇ ἀποθύμια ἕρδοι.
for he shrank from doing what would displease swift Night.
νῦν αὖ τοῦτό μʼ ἄνωγας ἀμήχανον ἄλλο τελέσσαι.
Now again you bid me perform this other impossible thing.”
τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη·
Then ox-eyed queenly Hera spoke to him again:
Ὕπνε τί ἢ δὲ σὺ ταῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶ σῇσι μενοινᾷς;
”Sleep, why do you ponder these things in your heart?
ἦ φῂς ὣς Τρώεσσιν ἀρηξέμεν εὐρύοπα Ζῆν
Do you think that wide-seeing Zeus will aid the Trojans
ὡς Ἡρακλῆος περιχώσατο παῖδος ἑοῖο;
with such anger as he felt for Heracles, his own son?
ἀλλʼ ἴθʼ, ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι Χαρίτων μίαν ὁπλοτεράων
Nay, come, and I will give you one of the younger Graces
δώσω ὀπυιέμεναι καὶ σὴν κεκλῆσθαι ἄκοιτιν.
to marry, and she shall be called your wife.”
ὣς φάτο, χήρατο δʼ Ὕπνος, ἀμειβόμενος δὲ προσηύδα·
So she spoke, and Sleep was glad, and made answer, saying:
ἄγρει νῦν μοι ὄμοσσον ἀάατον Στυγὸς ὕδωρ,
”Come now, swear to me by the inviolable water of Styx,
χειρὶ δὲ τῇ ἑτέρῃ μὲν ἕλε χθόνα πουλυβότειραν,
and with one hand grasp the all-nourishing earth,
τῇ δʼ ἑτέρῃ ἅλα μαρμαρέην, ἵνα νῶϊν ἅπαντες
and with the other the shimmering sea, so that all
μάρτυροι ὦσʼ οἳ ἔνερθε θεοὶ Κρόνον ἀμφὶς ἐόντες,
the gods below who are around Cronos may be our witnesses,
ἦ μὲν ἐμοὶ δώσειν Χαρίτων μίαν ὁπλοτεράων
that you will indeed give me one of the younger Graces,
Πασιθέην, ἧς τʼ αὐτὸς ἐέλδομαι ἤματα πάντα.
Pasithea, whom myself I desire all my days.”
ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη,
So he spoke, and the white-armed goddess Hera did not disobey,
ὄμνυε δʼ ὡς ἐκέλευε, θεοὺς δʼ ὀνόμηνεν ἅπαντας
but swore as he bade, and named all the gods
τοὺς ὑποταρταρίους οἳ Τιτῆνες καλέονται.
beneath Tartarus, who are called Titans.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ὄμοσέν τε τελεύτησέν τε τὸν ὅρκον,
But when she had sworn and completed her oath,
τὼ βήτην Λήμνου τε καὶ Ἴμβρου ἄστυ λιπόντε
the two went on, leaving the city of Lemnos and Imbros,
ἠέρα ἑσσαμένω ῥίμφα πρήσσοντε κέλευθον.
clad in mist, swiftly accomplishing their journey.
Ἴδην δʼ ἱκέσθην πολυπίδακα μητέρα θηρῶν
And they came to many-fountained Ida, mother of wild beasts,
Λεκτόν, ὅθι πρῶτον λιπέτην ἅλα· τὼ δʼ ἐπὶ χέρσου
to Lectum, where first they left the sea; and the two walked
βήτην, ἀκροτάτη δὲ ποδῶν ὕπο σείετο ὕλη.
upon dry land, and the topmost forest shook beneath their feet.
ἔνθʼ Ὕπνος μὲν ἔμεινε πάρος Διὸς ὄσσε ἰδέσθαι
There Sleep remained, before the eyes of Zeus should see him,
εἰς ἐλάτην ἀναβὰς περιμήκετον, ἣ τότʼ ἐν Ἴδῃ
climbing up into a tall pine-tree, which then on Ida,
μακροτάτη πεφυυῖα διʼ ἠέρος αἰθέρʼ ἵκανεν·
growing tallest, reached through the mist into the upper air.
ἔνθʼ ἧστʼ ὄζοισιν πεπυκασμένος εἰλατίνοισιν
There he sat, hidden by the pine branches,
ὄρνιθι λιγυρῇ ἐναλίγκιος, ἥν τʼ ἐν ὄρεσσι
like the clear-voiced bird that in the mountains
χαλκίδα κικλήσκουσι θεοί, ἄνδρες δὲ κύμινδιν.
the gods call chalcis, and men cymindis.
Ἥρη δὲ κραιπνῶς προσεβήσετο Γάργαρον ἄκρον
But Hera swiftly went to Gargarus, the peak
Ἴδης ὑψηλῆς· ἴδε δὲ νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς.
of lofty Ida; and Zeus, the cloud-gatherer, saw her.
ὡς δʼ ἴδεν, ὥς μιν ἔρως πυκινὰς φρένας ἀμφεκάλυψεν,
And as he saw her, so love enveloped his wise heart,
οἷον ὅτε πρῶτόν περ ἐμισγέσθην φιλότητι
even as when they first lay together in love,
εἰς εὐνὴν φοιτῶντε, φίλους λήθοντε τοκῆας.
going to the couch, without the knowledge of their dear parents.
στῆ δʼ αὐτῆς προπάροιθεν ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν·
And he stood before her, and spoke and addressed her:
Ἥρη πῇ μεμαυῖα κατʼ Οὐλύμπου τόδʼ ἱκάνεις;
”Hera, with what desire do you come hither from Olympus?”
- 14.235ἰδέω
Subjunctive form (Homeric ἰδέω for εἰδῶ in the phrase χάριν εἰδέναι). Used with the particle κέ (κε) to express a confident expectation or future intention ("I shall feel gratitude always").
- 14.248ὅτε μὴ αὐτός γε κελεύοι
Conditional clause with the optative (ὅτε μή + optative). It expresses a generalized or cautious exception/condition: "except when he himself should command."
- 14.258καί κέ μʼ ἄϊστον ἀπʼ αἰθέρος ἔμβαλε πόντῳ
A past contrary-to-fact condition. The apodosis features the particle κέ with the aorist indicative (ἔμβαλε), while the protasis in the following line (14.259) uses εἰ μή with the aorist indicative (ἐσάωσε): "and he would have cast me from the upper air into the sea, had Night not saved me."