- 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-grc2:17.694-17.761
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-01
Antilochus runs to inform Achilles of Patroclus's death. Menelaus and Meriones carry Patroclus's corpse back to the ships while the two Ajaxes hold off the pursuing Trojans, led by Aeneas and Hector.
ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀντίλοχος δὲ κατέστυγε μῦθον ἀκούσας·
So he spoke, and Antilochus was struck with horror at hearing his words.
δὴν δέ μιν ἀμφασίη ἐπέων λάβε, τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε1
For a long time speechless amazement seized him, and his two eyes
δακρυόφι πλῆσθεν, θαλερὴ δέ οἱ ἔσχετο φωνή.
were filled with tears, and his vigorous voice was checked.
ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ὧς Μενελάου ἐφημοσύνης ἀμέλησε,
Yet even so he did not neglect the command of Menelaus,
βῆ δὲ θέειν, τὰ δὲ τεύχεʼ ἀμύμονι δῶκεν ἑταίρῳ
but set out to run, and gave his armor to his peerless comrade,
Λαοδόκῳ, ὅς οἱ σχεδὸν ἔστρεφε μώνυχας ἵππους.
Laodocus, who close by was wheeling his single-hoofed horses.
τὸν μὲν δάκρυ χέοντα πόδες φέρον ἐκ πολέμοιο
As he wept, his feet bore him out of the battle,
Πηλεΐδῃ Ἀχιλῆϊ κακὸν ἔπος ἀγγελέοντα.
to bring the evil tidings to Achilles, son of Peleus.
οὐδʼ ἄρα σοὶ Μενέλαε διοτρεφὲς ἤθελε θυμὸς2
Nor did your heart, nurtured by Zeus, Menelaus, wish
τειρομένοις ἑτάροισιν ἀμυνέμεν, ἔνθεν ἀπῆλθεν
to aid the hard-pressed comrades where Antilochus had departed,
Ἀντίλοχος, μεγάλη δὲ ποθὴ Πυλίοισιν ἐτύχθη·
from where Antilochus went, and great longing was made for the Pylians.
ἀλλʼ ὅ γε τοῖσιν μὲν Θρασυμήδεα δῖον ἀνῆκεν,
But he sent noble Thrasymedes to them,
αὐτὸς δʼ αὖτʼ ἐπὶ Πατρόκλῳ ἥρωϊ βεβήκει,
and himself ran back again to the hero Patroclus,
στῆ δὲ παρʼ Αἰάντεσσι θέων, εἶθαρ δὲ προσηύδα·
and stood by the Ajaxes, and straightway spoke:
κεῖνον μὲν δὴ νηυσὶν ἐπιπροέηκα θοῇσιν
”That man indeed I have sent forth to the swift ships
ἐλθεῖν εἰς Ἀχιλῆα πόδας ταχύν· οὐδέ μιν οἴω3
to go to Achilles, swift of foot; yet I do not think
νῦν ἰέναι μάλα περ κεχολωμένον Ἕκτορι δίῳ·
he will come now, however greatly angered he be at noble Hector;
οὐ γάρ πως ἂν γυμνὸς ἐὼν Τρώεσσι μάχοιτο.
for in no way could he fight with the Trojans, being naked.
ἡμεῖς δʼ αὐτοί περ φραζώμεθα μῆτιν ἀρίστην,
But let us ourselves think of the best plan,
ἠμὲν ὅπως τὸν νεκρὸν ἐρύσσομεν, ἠδὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ
both how we may drag away the dead body, and how we ourselves
Τρώων ἐξ ἐνοπῆς θάνατον καὶ κῆρα φύγωμεν.
may escape death and fate from the battle-cry of the Trojans.”
τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα μέγας Τελαμώνιος Αἴας·
And then great Telamonian Ajax answered him:
πάντα κατʼ αἶσαν ἔειπες ἀγακλεὲς ὦ Μενέλαε·
”All has been said aright, glorious Menelaus;
ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν καὶ Μηριόνης ὑποδύντε μάλʼ ὦκα
but do you and Meriones stoop full quickly
νεκρὸν ἀείραντες φέρετʼ ἐκ πόνου· αὐτὰρ ὄπισθε
and lift the dead body and bear it out of the toil of war; and behind you
νῶϊ μαχησόμεθα Τρωσίν τε καὶ Ἕκτορι δίῳ
we two will fight with the Trojans and noble Hector,
ἶσον θυμὸν ἔχοντες ὁμώνυμοι, οἳ τὸ πάρος περ
keeping a single heart, we who share one name, and who of old
μίμνομεν ὀξὺν Ἄρηα παρʼ ἀλλήλοισι μένοντες.
were wont to stand by one another and abide the sharp battle.”
ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ἄρα νεκρὸν ἀπὸ χθονὸς ἀγκάζοντο
So he spoke, and they lifted the dead body from the ground in their arms,
ὕψι μάλα μεγάλως· ἐπὶ δʼ ἴαχε λαὸς ὄπισθε
high and with great effort; and the Trojan host behind shouted aloud,
Τρωϊκός, ὡς εἴδοντο νέκυν αἴροντας Ἀχαιούς.
when they saw the Achaeans lifting the dead body.
ἴθυσαν δὲ κύνεσσιν ἐοικότες, οἵ τʼ ἐπὶ κάπρῳ
They rushed on like hounds that spring upon a wounded wild boar
βλημένῳ ἀΐξωσι πρὸ κούρων θηρητήρων·
before the young huntsmen;
ἕως μὲν γάρ τε θέουσι διαρραῖσαι μεμαῶτες,
for a while indeed they run, eager to tear him in pieces,
ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή ῥʼ ἐν τοῖσιν ἑλίξεται ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς,
but when indeed he wheels among them, trusting in his strength,
ἄψ τʼ ἀνεχώρησαν διά τʼ ἔτρεσαν ἄλλυδις ἄλλος.
then they shrink back and flee in terror, one this way, one that.
ὣς Τρῶες εἷος μὲν ὁμιλαδὸν αἰὲν ἕποντο
Even so the Trojans for a time followed ever in throngs,
νύσσοντες ξίφεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισιν·
thrusting with swords and double-pointed spears;
ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή ῥʼ Αἴαντε μεταστρεφθέντε κατʼ αὐτοὺς
but when the Ajaxes wheeled and stood against them,
σταίησαν, τῶν δὲ τράπετο χρώς, οὐδέ τις ἔτλη
then their color changed, and no man dared
πρόσσω ἀΐξας περὶ νεκροῦ δηριάασθαι.
to rush forward and fight for the dead body.
ὣς οἵ γʼ ἐμμεμαῶτε νέκυν φέρον ἐκ πολέμοιο
Thus they eagerly bore the dead body out of the battle
νῆας ἔπι γλαφυράς· ἐπὶ δὲ πτόλεμος τέτατό σφιν
toward the hollow ships; and the battle was strained against them,
ἄγριος ἠΰτε πῦρ, τό τʼ ἐπεσσύμενον πόλιν ἀνδρῶν
fierce as fire that, rushing upon a city of men,
ὄρμενον ἐξαίφνης φλεγέθει, μινύθουσι δὲ οἶκοι
and rising suddenly, sets it ablaze, and the houses perish
ἐν σέλαϊ μεγάλῳ· τὸ δʼ ἐπιβρέμει ἲς ἀνέμοιο.
in the great glare, and the might of the wind roars over it.
ὣς μὲν τοῖς ἵππων τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν αἰχμητάων
Even so a relentless din of horses and of spearmen
ἀζηχὴς ὀρυμαγδὸς ἐπήϊεν ἐρχομένοισιν·
came upon them as they went.
οἳ δʼ ὥς θʼ ἡμίονοι κρατερὸν μένος ἀμφιβαλόντες
But they, like mules that, putting forth their great strength,
ἕλκωσʼ4 ἐξ ὄρεος κατὰ παιπαλόεσσαν ἀταρπὸν
drag down from the mountain along a rugged path
ἢ δοκὸν ἠὲ δόρυ μέγα νήϊον· ἐν δέ τε θυμὸς
either a beam or a great ship-timber; and their heart
τείρεθʼ ὁμοῦ καμάτῳ τε καὶ ἱδρῷ σπευδόντεσσιν·
within them is spent with toil and sweat as they hasten;
ὣς οἵ γʼ ἐμμεμαῶτε νέκυν φέρον. αὐτὰρ ὄπισθεν
even so they eagerly bore the dead body. And behind them
Αἴαντʼ ἰσχανέτην, ὥς τε πρὼν ἰσχάνει ὕδωρ
the Ajaxes held back the enemy, even as a wooded ridge holds back water,
ὑλήεις πεδίοιο διαπρύσιον τετυχηκώς,5
which stretches straight across a plain,
ὅς τε καὶ ἰφθίμων ποταμῶν ἀλεγεινὰ ῥέεθρα
and holds back the destructive floods even of mighty rivers,
ἴσχει, ἄφαρ δέ τε πᾶσι ῥόον πεδίον δὲ τίθησι
and straightway turns all their streams into the plain,
πλάζων· οὐδέ τί μιν σθένεϊ ῥηγνῦσι ῥέοντες·
bending their course; nor can they break through it by the strength of their flowing.
ὣς αἰεὶ Αἴαντε μάχην ἀνέεργον ὀπίσσω
Even so did the Ajaxes ever keep back the battle of the Trojans;
Τρώων· οἳ δʼ ἅμʼ ἕποντο, δύω δʼ ἐν τοῖσι μάλιστα
but they followed close, and two among them especially,
Αἰνείας τʼ Ἀγχισιάδης καὶ φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ.
Aeneas, son of Anchises, and glorious Hector.
τῶν δʼ ὥς τε ψαρῶν νέφος ἔρχεται ἠὲ κολοιῶν
And as a cloud of starlings or of daws goes
οὖλον κεκλήγοντες, ὅτε προΐδωσιν ἰόντα
shrieking a confused cry, when they see coming
κίρκον, ὅ τε σμικρῇσι φόνον φέρει ὀρνίθεσσιν,
a hawk, which brings death to small birds;
ὣς ἄρʼ ὑπʼ Αἰνείᾳ τε καὶ Ἕκτορι κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν
even so before Aeneas and Hector the young Achaeans
οὖλον κεκλήγοντες ἴσαν, λήθοντο δὲ χάρμης.
went shrieking a confused cry, and forgot all fight.
πολλὰ δὲ τεύχεα καλὰ πέσον περί τʼ ἀμφί τε τάφρον
And many beautiful weapons fell about the trench
φευγόντων Δαναῶν· πολέμου δʼ οὐ γίγνετʼ ἐρωή.
as the Danaans fled; but there was no ceasing of war.
- 17.695τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε
The dative of the third person pronoun οἱ functions here as a dative of interest (or possessive dative) modifying the body part ὄσσε ("his two eyes").
- 17.702οὐδʼ ἄρα σοὶ Μενέλαε ... ἤθελε θυμὸς
This passage features hyperbaton and apostrophe, where the poet directly addresses Menelaus in the second person (σοὶ ... Μενέλαε), while the grammatical subject is the third-person noun phrase ἤθελε θυμὸς ("your heart did not wish"), agreeing with the third-person singular verb ἤθελε.
- 17.709οὐδέ μιν οἴω
This introduces an accusative and infinitive construction dependent on οἴω ("I do not think"). The pronoun μιν ("him", referring to Achilles) serves as the subject accusative of the infinitive ἰέναι, while μάλα περ κεχολωμένον is a concessive participle in the accusative agreeing with μιν.
- 17.742ὥς θʼ ἡμίονοι ... ἕλκωσʼ
The subjunctive ἕλκωσιν (contracted as ἕλκωσʼ) is used in the simile introduced by ὡς to describe a general or typical scenario, which is a common feature of epic similes.
- 17.748ὑλήεις πεδίοιο διαπρύσιον τετυχηκώς
πεδίοιο is the Homeric genitive singular of πεδίον ("plain"). The word διαπρύσιον is used adverbially ("straight through", "completely") to modify the perfect participle τετυχηκώς (from τυγχάνω), which here has the simple existential meaning of "being situated" or "lying".