Thetis' Plea and Hephaestus' Consent to Forge Armor — Homer, Iliad Book 18 (lines 414–478), Greek & English

414

σπόγγῳ δʼ ἀμφὶ πρόσωπα καὶ ἄμφω χεῖρʼ ἀπομόργνυ

With a sponge he wiped his face and both hands,

415

αὐχένα τε στιβαρὸν καὶ στήθεα λαχνήεντα,

and his sturdy neck and hairy chest.

δῦ δὲ χιτῶνʼ, ἕλε δὲ σκῆπτρον παχύ, βῆ δὲ θύραζε

He put on his tunic, grasped his thick staff, and went out the door,

χωλεύων· ὑπὸ δʼ ἀμφίπολοι ῥώοντο ἄνακτι

limping; and golden handmaids moved quickly to support their master,

χρύσειαι ζωῇσι νεήνισιν¹ εἰοικυῖαι.

resembling living maidens.

τῇς ἐν μὲν νόος ἐστὶ μετὰ φρεσίν, ἐν δὲ καὶ αὐδὴ

In them is understanding in their minds, and in them is voice

420

καὶ σθένος, ἀθανάτων δὲ θεῶν ἄπο ἔργα ἴσασιν.

and strength, and from the immortal gods they know handiwork.

αἳ μὲν ὕπαιθα ἄνακτος ἐποίπνυον· αὐτὰρ ὃ ἔρρων

These bustled along to support their master; but he, hobbling

πλησίον, ἔνθα Θέτις περ, ἐπὶ θρόνου ἷζε φαεινοῦ,

near to where Thetis was, sat down upon a gleaming throne.

ἔν τʼ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρὶ ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζε·

And he clasped her hand, and spoke to her, and addressed her:

τίπτε Θέτι τανύπεπλε ἱκάνεις ἡμέτερον δῶ

”Why, long-robed Thetis, do you come to our house,

425

αἰδοίη τε φίλη τε; πάρος γε μὲν οὔ τι θαμίζεις.

revered and beloved? In former times you did not use to visit us.

αὔδα ὅ τι φρονέεις· τελέσαι δέ με θυμὸς ἄνωγεν,

Speak what is in your mind; my heart bids me fulfill it,

εἰ δύναμαι τελέσαι γε καὶ εἰ τετελεσμένον ἐστίν.

if I can fulfill it and if it is something that can be fulfilled.”

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Θέτις κατὰ δάκρυ χέουσα·

Then Thetis answered him, shedding tears:

Ἥφαιστʼ, ἦ ἄρα δή τις, ὅσαι θεαί εἰσʼ ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ,

”Hephaestus, has any of all the goddesses that are in Olympus

430

τοσσάδʼ ἐνὶ φρεσὶν ᾗσιν ἀνέσχετο κήδεα λυγρὰ

endured in her heart so many grievous sorrows

ὅσσʼ ἐμοὶ ἐκ πασέων Κρονίδης Ζεὺς ἄλγεʼ ἔδωκεν;

as the griefs Cronos’ son Zeus has given to me above all others?

ἐκ μέν μʼ ἀλλάων ἁλιάων ἀνδρὶ δάμασσεν

Me alone of the daughters of the sea he subjected to a mortal man,

Αἰακίδῃ Πηλῆϊ, καὶ ἔτλην ἀνέρος εὐνὴν

to Peleus son of Aeacus, and I endured the bed of a mortal husband,

πολλὰ μάλʼ οὐκ ἐθέλουσα. ὃ μὲν δὴ γήραϊ λυγρῷ

much against my will. And he now lies in his halls worn out by grievous old age,

435

κεῖται ἐνὶ μεγάροις ἀρημένος, ἄλλα δέ μοι νῦν·²

but other sorrows are mine now.

υἱὸν ἐπεί μοι δῶκε γενέσθαί τε τραφέμεν τε³

Since he gave me a son to bear and to rear,

ἔξοχον ἡρώων· ὃ δʼ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος·

pre-eminent among heroes; and he shot up like a sapling;

τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς γουνῷ ἀλωῆς

him I reared like a plant in a fertile hill of an orchard,

νηυσὶν ἐπιπροέηκα κορωνίσιν Ἴλιον εἴσω

and sent him forth in the curved ships to Ilium

440

Τρωσὶ μαχησόμενον· τὸν δʼ οὐχ ὑποδέξομαι αὖτις

to fight with the Trojans; but I shall never welcome him back

οἴκαδε νοστήσαντα δόμον Πηλήϊον εἴσω.

returning home to the house of Peleus.

ὄφρα δέ μοι ζώει καὶ ὁρᾷ φάος ἠελίοιο

And as long as he lives for me and sees the light of the sun,

ἄχνυται, οὐδέ τί οἱ δύναμαι χραισμῆσαι ἰοῦσα.

he is grieved, nor can I help him at all though I go to him.

κούρην ἣν ἄρα οἱ γέρας ἔξελον υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,

The maiden whom the sons of the Achaeans chose out as a prize for him,

445

τὴν ἂψ ἐκ χειρῶν ἕλετο κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων.

her has lord Agamemnon taken back from his hands.

ἤτοι ὃ τῆς ἀχέων φρένας ἔφθιεν· αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὺς

Verily in grief for her he was wasting his heart; but the Achaeans

Τρῶες ἐπὶ πρύμνῃσιν ἐείλεον, οὐδὲ θύραζε

did the Trojans hem in at the sterns of their ships, and would not let them

εἴων ἐξιέναι· τὸν δὲ λίσσοντο γέροντες

go forth; and the elders of the Argives

Ἀργείων, καὶ πολλὰ περικλυτὰ δῶρʼ ὀνόμαζον.

entreated him, and named many glorious gifts.

450

ἔνθʼ αὐτὸς μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἠναίνετο λοιγὸν ἀμῦναι,

Then he himself refused to ward off ruin,

αὐτὰρ ὃ Πάτροκλον περὶ μὲν τὰ ἃ τεύχεα ἕσσε,

but he clothed Patroclus in his own armor,

πέμπε δέ μιν πόλεμον δέ, πολὺν δʼ ἅμα λαὸν ὄπασσε.

and sent him into the battle, and gave a great host to go with him.

πᾶν δʼ ἦμαρ μάρναντο περὶ Σκαιῇσι πύλῃσι·

All day long they fought around the Scaean gates;

καί νύ κεν αὐτῆμαρ πόλιν ἔπραθον, εἰ μὴ Ἀπόλλων

and they would have sacked the city that very day, had not Apollo

455

πολλὰ κακὰ ῥέξαντα Μενοιτίου ἄλκιμον υἱὸν

slain the valiant son of Menoetius, after he had wrought much harm,

ἔκτανʼ⁴ ἐνὶ προμάχοισι καὶ Ἕκτορι κῦδος ἔδωκε.

among the foremost fighters, and given glory to Hector.

τοὔνεκα νῦν τὰ σὰ γούναθʼ ἱκάνομαι, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσθα

Therefore I now come to your knees, if you will

υἱεῖ ἐμῷ ὠκυμόρῳ δόμεν ἀσπίδα καὶ τρυφάλειαν

give to my short-lived son a shield and helmet,

καὶ καλὰς κνημῖδας ἐπισφυρίοις ἀραρυίας

and fair greaves fitted with ankle-guards,

460

καὶ θώρηχʼ· ὃ γὰρ ἦν οἱ ἀπώλεσε πιστὸς ἑταῖρος

and a corselet; for that which he had his trusty comrade lost

Τρωσὶ δαμείς· ὃ δὲ κεῖται ἐπὶ χθονὶ θυμὸν ἀχεύων.

when slain by the Trojans; and my son lies on the ground grieving in his heart.”

τὴν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα περικλυτὸς ἀμφιγυήεις·

Then the famous crook-footed god answered her:

θάρσει· μή τοι ταῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶ σῇσι μελόντων.

”Take courage; let not these things trouble your heart.

αἲ γάρ μιν θανάτοιο δυσηχέος ὧδε δυναίμην⁵

Would that I might be able so to hide him far from dread death,

465

νόσφιν ἀποκρύψαι, ὅτε μιν μόρος αἰνὸς ἱκάνοι,

when his terrible doom comes upon him,

ὥς οἱ τεύχεα καλὰ παρέσσεται, οἷά τις αὖτε

as surely as fair armor shall be his, such as any

ἀνθρώπων πολέων θαυμάσσεται, ὅς κεν ἴδηται.

of the multitude of men shall marvel at, whosoever shall behold it.”

ὣς εἰπὼν τὴν μὲν λίπεν αὐτοῦ, βῆ δʼ ἐπὶ φύσας·

So saying, he left her there, and went to the bellows;

τὰς δʼ ἐς πῦρ ἔτρεψε κέλευσέ τε ἐργάζεσθαι.

these he turned to the fire and bid them work.

470

φῦσαι δʼ ἐν χοάνοισιν ἐείκοσι πᾶσαι ἐφύσων

And the bellows, twenty in all, blew upon the melting-pots,

παντοίην εὔπρηστον ἀϋτμὴν ἐξανιεῖσαι,

sending forth a well-blown blast of every kind,

ἄλλοτε μὲν σπεύδοντι παρέμμεναι, ἄλλοτε δʼ αὖτε,

sometimes to help him when he labored hard, and sometimes again

ὅππως Ἥφαιστός τʼ ἐθέλοι καὶ ἔργον ἄνοιτο.

however Hephaestus willed and the work went on.

χαλκὸν δʼ ἐν πυρὶ βάλλεν ἀτειρέα κασσίτερόν τε

And he cast hard bronze into the fire, and tin,

475

καὶ χρυσὸν τιμῆντα καὶ ἄργυρον· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα

and precious gold and silver; and then

θῆκεν ἐν ἀκμοθέτῳ μέγαν ἄκμονα, γέντο δὲ χειρὶ

he set a great anvil on the anvil-block, and grasped in one hand

ῥαιστῆρα κρατερήν, ἑτέρηφι δὲ γέντο πυράγρην.

a heavy hammer, and with the other hand he grasped the tongs.

ποίει δὲ πρώτιστα σάκος μέγα τε στιβαρόν τε

And first of all he began to make a shield, great and sturdy.

Syntax notes5 items

18.418ζωῇσι νεήνισιν
Dative of resemblance depending on the participle εἰοικυῖαι (feminine plural of ἔοικα, 'to be like'), meaning 'resembling living maidens.'
18.435ἄλλα δέ μοι νῦν
Ellipsis of the verb ἐστί (or πάρεστι). It means 'but now other (sorrows) are to me (i.e. I have other sorrows),' standing in contrast with the preceding 'he lies (κεῖται).'
18.436γενέσθαί τε τραφέμεν τε
Infinitive of purpose or result (τραφέμεν is the Aeolic/Homeric active infinitive form). They depend on the verb δῶκε ('gave'), meaning 'gave me a son to be born and to be reared.'
18.454καί νύ κεν ... ἔπραθον, εἰ μὴ ... ἔκτανʼ
A past contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. The apodosis features the particle κεν (equivalent to ἄν) with an imperfect/aorist indicative (ἔπραθον), and the protasis has εἰ μὴ with an aorist indicative (ἔκτανʼ), meaning 'they would have sacked the city on that very day, had not Apollo slain...'
18.464αἲ γάρ ... δυναίμην
The particle αἲ γάρ (Homeric form of εἴθε / εἰ γάρ) followed by the optative (δυναίμην) expresses an unattainable or strong wish: 'Would that I might be able to hide him far from death (when his terrible doom comes).'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:18.414-18.478