- 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-grc2:18.276-18.345
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-01
Polydamas advises a retreat to the city walls, but Hector rejects this, opting to remain in the plain and launch an attack the next morning, which the Trojans foolishly approve. Meanwhile, in the Achaean camp, Achilles leads the lamentation over Patroclus, swearing revenge on Hector before ordering the body to be washed.
μακραὶ ἐΰξεστοι ἐζευγμέναι εἰρύσσονται·1
long and well-polished, fitted together, will stretch across and guard [the city].
πρῶϊ δʼ ὑπηοῖοι σὺν τεύχεσι θωρηχθέντες
And early in the morning, at dawn, clad in our armor,
στησόμεθʼ ἂμ πύργους· τῷ δʼ ἄλγιον, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσιν
we shall take our stand upon the towers; and it will be the worse for him, if he shall wish
ἐλθὼν ἐκ νηῶν περὶ τείχεος ἄμμι μάχεσθαι.
to come from the ships and fight with us for the wall.
ἂψ πάλιν εἶσʼ ἐπὶ νῆας, ἐπεί κʼ ἐριαύχενας ἵππους
Back again will he go to the ships, when he has glutted his proud-necked horses
παντοίου δρόμου ἄσῃ2 ὑπὸ πτόλιν ἠλασκάζων·
with every kind of running, as he makes them gallop beneath the city;
εἴσω δʼ οὔ μιν θυμὸς ἐφορμηθῆναι ἐάσει,
but inside his spirit will not suffer him to rush,
οὐδέ ποτʼ ἐκπέρσει· πρίν μιν κύνες ἀργοὶ ἔδονται.
nor will he ever sack it; before that, the swift dogs will devour him.”
τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ·
Then with an angry glance, Hector of the flashing helmet addressed him:
Πουλυδάμα σὺ μὲν οὐκέτʼ ἐμοὶ φίλα ταῦτʼ ἀγορεύεις,
”Polydamas, these things that you speak are no longer pleasing to me,
ὃς κέλεαι κατὰ ἄστυ ἀλήμεναι αὖτις ἰόντας.3
you who bid us go back again and be pent within the city.
ἦ οὔ πω κεκόρησθε ἐελμένοι ἔνδοθι πύργων;
Are you not yet sated with being pent within the towers?
πρὶν μὲν γὰρ Πριάμοιο πόλιν μέροπες ἄνθρωποι
For of old all mortal men used to tell of
πάντες μυθέσκοντο πολύχρυσον πολύχαλκον·
the city of Priam as rich in gold and rich in bronze;
νῦν δὲ δὴ ἐξαπόλωλε δόμων κειμήλια καλά,
but now indeed the fair treasures of our houses have perished utterly,
πολλὰ δὲ δὴ Φρυγίην καὶ Μῃονίην ἐρατεινὴν
and many possessions have gone to Phrygia and lovely Maeonia,
κτήματα περνάμενʼ ἵκει, ἐπεὶ μέγας ὠδύσατο Ζεύς.
to be sold, since great Zeus grew angry.
νῦν δʼ ὅτε πέρ μοι ἔδωκε Κρόνου πάϊς ἀγκυλομήτεω
But now, when the son of crooked-counseling Cronos has granted me
κῦδος ἀρέσθʼ ἐπὶ νηυσί, θαλάσσῃ τʼ ἔλσαι Ἀχαιούς,
to win glory at the ships, and to coop the Achaeans by the sea,
νήπιε μηκέτι ταῦτα νοήματα φαῖνʼ ἐνὶ δήμῳ·
fool, no longer manifest these thoughts among the people;
οὐ γάρ τις Τρώων ἐπιπείσεται· οὐ γὰρ ἐάσω.
for none of the Trojans will obey; for I will not suffer it.
ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ ὡς ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω, πειθώμεθα πάντες.
But come, as I shall say, let us all obey.
νῦν μὲν δόρπον ἕλεσθε κατὰ στρατὸν ἐν τελέεσσι,
For now take your supper throughout the host by companies,
καὶ φυλακῆς μνήσασθε, καὶ ἐγρήγορθε ἕκαστος·
and keep watch, and let everyone be wakeful;
Τρώων δʼ ὃς κτεάτεσσιν ὑπερφιάλως ἀνιάζει,
and whosoever of the Trojans is exceedingly troubled for his possessions,
συλλέξας λαοῖσι δότω καταδημοβορῆσαι·
let him gather them and give them to the people to consume in common;
τῶν τινὰ βέλτερόν ἐστιν ἐπαυρέμεν ἤ περ Ἀχαιούς.
it is better that some of them enjoy them than the Achaeans.
πρῶϊ δʼ ὑπηοῖοι σὺν τεύχεσι θωρηχθέντες
And early in the morning, at dawn, clad in our armor,
νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇσιν ἐγείρομεν ὀξὺν Ἄρηα.
at the hollow ships let us rouse fierce war.
εἰ δʼ ἐτεὸν παρὰ ναῦφιν ἀνέστη δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς,
But if in truth noble Achilles has arisen by the ships,
ἄλγιον αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσι τῷ ἔσσεται· οὔ μιν ἔγωγε
it will be the worse for him if he shall wish it; I at least will not
φεύξομαι ἐκ πολέμοιο δυσηχέος, ἀλλὰ μάλʼ ἄντην
flee from him out of dread-sounding war, but face to face
στήσομαι, ἤ κε φέρῃσι μέγα κράτος, ἦ κε φεροίμην.
will I stand against him, whether he shall bear away great victory, or I shall bear it away.
ξυνὸς Ἐνυάλιος, καί τε κτανέοντα κατέκτα.4
The god of war is common to all, and he slays him that would slay.”
ὣς Ἕκτωρ ἀγόρευʼ, ἐπὶ δὲ Τρῶες κελάδησαν
So Hector spoke, and the Trojans shouted assent,
νήπιοι· ἐκ γάρ σφεων φρένας εἵλετο Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.
fools; for Pallas Athena had taken away their wits from them.
Ἕκτορι μὲν γὰρ ἐπῄνησαν κακὰ μητιόωντι,
For they praised Hector who devised evil counsel,
Πουλυδάμαντι δʼ ἄρʼ οὔ τις ὃς ἐσθλὴν φράζετο βουλήν.
but Polydamas no one praised, who advised good counsel.
δόρπον ἔπειθʼ εἵλοντο κατὰ στρατόν· αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ
Then they took their supper throughout the host; but the Achaeans
παννύχιοι Πάτροκλον ἀνεστενάχοντο γοῶντες.
all night long made lamentation for Patroclus, wailing aloud.
τοῖσι δὲ Πηλεΐδης ἁδινοῦ ἐξῆρχε γόοιο
And among them the son of Peleus began the vehement lamentation,
χεῖρας ἐπʼ ἀνδροφόνους θέμενος στήθεσσιν ἑταίρου
laying his manslaying hands upon the breast of his companion,
πυκνὰ μάλα στενάχων ὥς τε λὶς ἠϋγένειος,
groaning full heavily, like a bearded lion
ᾧ ῥά θʼ ὑπὸ σκύμνους ἐλαφηβόλος ἁρπάσῃ5 ἀνὴρ
whose cubs some hunter of stags has snatched away
ὕλης ἐκ πυκινῆς· ὃ δέ τʼ ἄχνυται ὕστερος ἐλθών,
out of the thick wood; and the lion grieves, coming too late,
πολλὰ δέ τʼ ἄγκεʼ ἐπῆλθε μετʼ ἀνέρος ἴχνιʼ ἐρευνῶν
and goes through many glens tracing the footsteps of the man,
εἴ ποθεν ἐξεύροι· μάλα γὰρ δριμὺς χόλος αἱρεῖ·
if somewhere he may find him; for very bitter anger possesses him.
ὣς ὃ βαρὺ στενάχων μετεφώνεε Μυρμιδόνεσσιν·
Even so groaning heavily did he speak among the Myrmidons:
ὢ πόποι ἦ ῥʼ ἅλιον ἔπος ἔκβαλον ἤματι κείνῳ
”Ah, surely a vain word did I let fall on that day
θαρσύνων ἥρωα Μενοίτιον ἐν μεγάροισι·
when I comforted the hero Menoetius in his halls;
φῆν δέ οἱ εἰς Ὀπόεντα περικλυτὸν υἱὸν ἀπάξειν
I said that I would bring back his glorious son to Opus,
Ἴλιον ἐκπέρσαντα, λαχόντα τε ληΐδος αἶσαν.
when he had sacked Ilios and gotten his share of the spoil.
ἀλλʼ οὐ Ζεὺς ἄνδρεσσι νοήματα πάντα τελευτᾷ·
But Zeus does not fulfill all purposes for men;
ἄμφω γὰρ πέπρωται ὁμοίην γαῖαν ἐρεῦσαι
for it is fated for both of us to redden the same earth
αὐτοῦ ἐνὶ Τροίῃ, ἐπεὶ οὐδʼ ἐμὲ νοστήσαντα
here in Troy, since neither shall the old horseman Peleus
δέξεται ἐν μεγάροισι γέρων ἱππηλάτα Πηλεὺς
welcome me returning in his halls,
οὐδὲ Θέτις μήτηρ, ἀλλʼ αὐτοῦ γαῖα καθέξει.
nor my mother Thetis, but the earth here shall hold me fast.
νῦν δʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν Πάτροκλε σεῦ ὕστερος εἶμʼ ὑπὸ γαῖαν,
But now, since, Patroclus, I go beneath the earth after you,
οὔ σε πρὶν κτεριῶ πρίν γʼ Ἕκτορος ἐνθάδʼ ἐνεῖκαι
I will not perform your funeral rites until I have brought hither the armor
τεύχεα καὶ κεφαλὴν μεγαθύμου σοῖο φονῆος·
and the head of Hector, the great-hearted slayer of you;
δώδεκα δὲ προπάροιθε πυρῆς ἀποδειροτομήσω
and before your pyre I will cut the throats of twelve
Τρώων ἀγλαὰ τέκνα σέθεν κταμένοιο χολωθείς.
glorious children of the Trojans, in my wrath for your slaying.
τόφρα δέ μοι παρὰ νηυσὶ κορωνίσι κείσεαι αὔτως,
Meanwhile you shall lie thus by my curved ships,
ἀμφὶ δὲ σὲ Τρῳαὶ καὶ Δαρδανίδες βαθύκολποι
and around you deep-bosomed Trojan and Dardanian women
κλαύσονται νύκτάς τε καὶ ἤματα δάκρυ χέουσαι,
shall weep and shed tears night and day,
τὰς αὐτοὶ καμόμεσθα βίηφί τε δουρί τε μακρῷ
whom we ourselves won by our strength and our long spears,
πιείρας πέρθοντε πόλεις μερόπων ἀνθρώπων.
when we sacked the rich cities of mortal men.”
ὣς εἰπὼν ἑτάροισιν ἐκέκλετο δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς
So saying, noble Achilles bade his companions
ἀμφὶ πυρὶ στῆσαι τρίποδα μέγαν, ὄφρα τάχιστα
to set a great tripod upon the fire, so that as quickly as possible
Πάτροκλον λούσειαν ἄπο βρότον αἱματόεντα.
they might wash the bloody gore from Patroclus.
- 18.276εἰρύσσονται
This is a 3rd person plural future middle (or passive) indicative. The subjects are the towers, gates, and well-fitted doors from the preceding lines. It means that they will be stretched across or drawn to protect and shut in the city.
- 18.281ἄσῃ
The 3rd person singular aorist active subjunctive (from ἄω, meaning to satiate or tire out). Introduced by ἐπεί κε, forming a temporal clause implying indefinite frequency or prior action: 'after he has tired out/sated' his horses with running.
- 18.286ἰόντας
A masculine accusative plural active present participle. It functions as the subject of the infinitive ἀλήμεναι ('to be gathered' or 'to retreat') in an accusative-with-infinitive construction, referring to the Trojan soldiers as the ones who are to return to the city.
- 18.309κατέκτα
A 3rd person singular aorist active (non-thematic aorist from κτείνω). It functions as a 'gnomic aorist' expressing a timeless truth or general maxim: 'the war god kills even the one who would kill.'
- 18.319ἁρπάσῃ
The 3rd person singular aorist active subjunctive in a relative clause introduced by ᾧ (referring back to the lion λὶς). The subjunctive with ῥά θʼ expresses a general or characteristic condition in the simile: 'from whom [a hunter] has snatched away [his cubs].'