Achilles Receives the Armor and Renounces His Wrath — Homer, Iliad Book 19 (lines 1–69), Greek & English

Ἠὼς μὲν κροκόπεπλος ἀπʼ Ὠκεανοῖο ῥοάων

Dawn of the saffron robe was rising from the streams of Ocean,

ὄρνυθʼ, ἵνʼ ἀθανάτοισι φόως φέροι ἠδὲ βροτοῖσιν·

to bring light to immortals and to mortal men;

ἣ δʼ ἐς νῆας ἵκανε θεοῦ πάρα δῶρα φέρουσα.

and she came to the ships, bearing the gifts from the god.

εὗρε δὲ Πατρόκλῳ περικείμενον ὃν φίλον υἱὸν

And she found her dear son lying clasping Patroclus,

κλαίοντα λιγέως· πολέες δʼ ἀμφʼ αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι

weeping aloud; and about him his many comrades

μύρονθʼ· ἣ δʼ ἐν τοῖσι παρίστατο δῖα θεάων,

were lamenting. And the noble goddess stood in their midst,

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

and she clung to his hand, and spoke, and addressed him:

τέκνον ἐμὸν τοῦτον μὲν ἐάσομεν ἀχνύμενοί περ

”My child, this man we will let lie, though we grieve,

κεῖσθαι,¹ ἐπεὶ δὴ πρῶτα θεῶν ἰότητι δαμάσθη·

since once he has been slain by the will of the gods.

τύνη δʼ Ἡφαίστοιο πάρα κλυτὰ τεύχεα δέξο

But you, receive from Hephaestus glorious armor,

καλὰ μάλʼ, οἷʼ οὔ πώ τις ἀνὴρ ὤμοισι φόρησεν.

exceeding beautiful, such as no man has ever yet worn upon his shoulders.”

ὡς ἄρα φωνήσασα θεὰ κατὰ τεύχεʼ ἔθηκε

So saying, the goddess set down the armor

πρόσθεν Ἀχιλλῆος· τὰ δʼ ἀνέβραχε δαίδαλα πάντα.

before Achilles; and all those elaborately wrought pieces clanged aloud.

Μυρμιδόνας δʼ ἄρα πάντας ἕλε τρόμος, οὐδέ τις ἔτλη

Then trembling seized all the Myrmidons, nor did anyone dare

ἄντην εἰσιδέειν, ἀλλʼ ἔτρεσαν. αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς

to look upon them face to face, but they shrank back. But Achilles,

ὡς εἶδʼ, ὥς² μιν μᾶλλον ἔδυ χόλος, ἐν δέ οἱ ὄσσε

when he saw them, was filled with even greater anger, and his eyes

δεινὸν ὑπὸ βλεφάρων ὡς εἰ σέλας ἐξεφάανθεν·

flashed terribly beneath his eyelids like a flame of fire;

τέρπετο δʼ ἐν χείρεσσιν ἔχων θεοῦ ἀγλαὰ δῶρα.

and he was glad as he held in his hands the glorious gifts of the god.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ φρεσὶν ᾗσι τετάρπετο δαίδαλα λεύσσων

But when he had satisfied his soul with gazing on the wondrous work,

αὐτίκα μητέρα ἣν ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

straightway he spoke winged words to his mother:

μῆτερ ἐμὴ τὰ μὲν ὅπλα θεὸς πόρεν οἷʼ ἐπιεικὲς

”My mother, the armor indeed the god has given is such as is fitting to be

ἔργʼ ἔμεν ἀθανάτων,³ μὴ δὲ βροτὸν ἄνδρα τελέσσαι.

the work of immortals, and such as no mortal man could fashion.

νῦν δʼ ἤτοι μὲν ἐγὼ θωρήξομαι· ἀλλὰ μάλʼ αἰνῶς

And now I will arm myself for battle; but I dread terribly

δείδω μή μοι τόφρα Μενοιτίου ἄλκιμον υἱὸν

lest meanwhile flies enter the wounds of the brave son of Menoetius,

μυῖαι καδδῦσαι κατὰ χαλκοτύπους ὠτειλὰς

made by the bronze, and breed maggots

εὐλὰς ἐγγείνωνται,⁴ ἀεικίσσωσι δὲ νεκρόν,

and so defile his dead body—

ἐκ δʼ αἰὼν πέφαται, κατὰ δὲ χρόα πάντα σαπήῃ.

for the life is slain out of him—and all his flesh rot.”

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα θεὰ Θέτις ἀργυρόπεζα·

Then the silver-footed goddess Thetis answered him:

τέκνον μή τοι ταῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶ σῇσι μελόντων.

”My child, let not these things be a care to your heart.

τῷ μὲν ἐγὼ πειρήσω ἀλαλκεῖν ἄγρια φῦλα

From him I will strive to ward off the wild swarms

μυίας, αἵ ῥά τε φῶτας ἀρηϊφάτους κατέδουσιν·

of flies, which devour men slain in battle.

ἤν περ γὰρ κεῖταί γε τελεσφόρον εἰς ἐνιαυτόν,

For even if he lie for a full year,

αἰεὶ τῷ γʼ ἔσται χρὼς ἔμπεδος, ἢ καὶ ἀρείων.

his flesh shall remain sound, or even better than now.

ἀλλὰ σύ γʼ εἰς ἀγορὴν καλέσας ἥρωας Ἀχαιοὺς

But do you call the Achaean heroes to assembly,

μῆνιν ἀποειπὼν Ἀγαμέμνονι ποιμένι λαῶν

and renounce your wrath against Agamemnon, shepherd of the host,

αἶψα μάλʼ ἐς πόλεμον θωρήσσεο, δύσεο δʼ ἀλκήν.

and then arm yourself quickly for war, and clothe yourself in strength.”

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσασα μένος πολυθαρσὲς ἐνῆκε,

So saying she filled him with bold courage,

Πατρόκλῳ δʼ αὖτʼ ἀμβροσίην καὶ νέκταρ ἐρυθρὸν

and on Patroclus she dripped ambrosia and red nectar

στάξε κατὰ ῥινῶν, ἵνα οἱ χρὼς ἔμπεδος εἴη.

through his nostrils, so that his flesh might remain sound.

αὐτὰρ ὃ βῆ παρὰ θῖνα θαλάσσης δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς

But noble Achilles went along the shore of the sea,

σμερδαλέα ἰάχων, ὦρσεν δʼ ἥρωας Ἀχαιούς.

crying out terribly, and roused the Achaean heroes.

καί ῥʼ οἵ περ τὸ πάρος γε νεῶν ἐν ἀγῶνι μένεσκον

And they who before had been used to remain in the gathering of the ships,

οἵ τε κυβερνῆται καὶ ἔχον οἰήϊα νηῶν

both the steersmen who held the rudders of the ships,

καὶ ταμίαι παρὰ νηυσὶν ἔσαν σίτοιο δοτῆρες,

and they who were stewards at the ships, dispensers of food,

καὶ μὴν οἳ τότε γʼ εἰς ἀγορὴν ἴσαν, οὕνεκʼ Ἀχιλλεὺς

even these then came to the assembly, because Achilles

ἐξεφάνη, δηρὸν δὲ μάχης ἐπέπαυτʼ ἀλεγεινῆς.

had appeared, though he had long kept away from grievous war.

τὼ δὲ δύω σκάζοντε βάτην Ἄρεος θεράποντε

And the two squires of Ares went limping,

Τυδεΐδης τε μενεπτόλεμος καὶ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς

Tydeus’ son stanch in battle and noble Odysseus,

ἔγχει ἐρειδομένω· ἔτι γὰρ ἔχον ἕλκεα λυγρά·

leaning on their spears; for they still had grievous wounds;

κὰδ δὲ μετὰ πρώτῃ ἀγορῇ ἵζοντο κιόντες.

and they went and sat down in the front of the assembly.

αὐτὰρ ὃ δεύτατος ἦλθεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων

And last of all came Agamemnon, king of men,

ἕλκος ἔχων· καὶ γὰρ τὸν ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ

having a wound; for him too in the fierce conflict

οὖτα Κόων Ἀντηνορίδης χαλκήρεϊ δουρί.

Coön, Antenor’s son, had wounded with his bronze-tipped spear.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ πάντες ἀολλίσθησαν Ἀχαιοί,

Now when all the Achaeans were gathered together,

τοῖσι δʼ ἀνιστάμενος μετέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς·

Achilles of the swift feet arose and spoke among them:

Ἀτρεΐδη ἦ ἄρ τι τόδʼ ἀμφοτέροισιν ἄρειον

”Son of Atreus, was this indeed better for us both,

ἔπλετο σοὶ καὶ ἐμοί, ὅ τε νῶΐ περ ἀχνυμένω κῆρ

for you and for me, that with grieving hearts we raged

θυμοβόρῳ ἔριδι μενεήναμεν⁵ εἵνεκα κούρης;

in soul-devouring strife for the sake of a girl?

τὴν ὄφελʼ ἐν νήεσσι κατακτάμεν Ἄρτεμις ἰῷ

Would that Artemis had slain her with an arrow at the ships

ἤματι τῷ ὅτʼ ἐγὼν ἑλόμην Λυρνησσὸν ὀλέσσας·

on the day when I chose her, after I had destroyed Lyrnessus;

τώ κʼ οὐ τόσσοι Ἀχαιοὶ ὀδὰξ ἕλον ἄσπετον οὖδας

then had not so many Achaeans bitten the vast earth with their teeth

δυσμενέων ὑπὸ χερσὶν ἐμεῦ ἀπομηνίσαντος.

beneath the hands of the enemy, while I was angry.

Ἕκτορι μὲν καὶ Τρωσὶ τὸ κέρδιον· αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὺς

To Hector and the Trojans this was gain; but the Achaeans

δηρὸν ἐμῆς καὶ σῆς ἔριδος μνήσεσθαι ὀΐω.

will long remember, I think, your strife and mine.

ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν προτετύχθαι ἐάσομεν ἀχνύμενοί περ

But these things we will let be as past and done, though we grieve,

θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλον δαμάσαντες ἀνάγκῃ·

keeping down by necessity the anger in our breasts.

νῦν δʼ ἤτοι μὲν ἐγὼ παύω χόλον, οὐδέ τί με χρὴ

And now I end my wrath; it is not fitting for me

ἀσκελέως αἰεὶ μενεαινέμεν· ἀλλʼ ἄγε θᾶσσον

to remain stubbornly angry forever. But come, quickly

ὄτρυνον πόλεμον δὲ κάρη κομόωντας Ἀχαιούς,

urge to battle the long-haired Achaeans,”

Syntax notes5 items

19.8τοῦτον μὲν ἐάσομεν ... κεῖσθαι
τοῦτον (this one) refers to Patroclus (his corpse), serving as the direct object of the verb ἐάσομεν (we will let) and simultaneously as the subject of the infinitive κεῖσθαι (to lie).
19.16ὡς εἶδʼ, ὥς
The correlation of ὡς (when) and accented ὥς (thus/then) expresses immediate temporal succession: "as soon as he saw, then anger entered him."
19.21οἷʼ ἐπιεικὲς / ἔργʼ ἔμεν ἀθανάτων
οἷʼ (οἷα, neuter plural relative adjective) agrees with the antecedent τὰ ὅπλα. The impersonal ἐστί is omitted after ἐπιεικὲς (it is fitting). ἔμεν (epic infinitive of εἶναι) depends on ἐπιεικὲς, with ἀθανάτων as the possessive or subjective genitive modifying ἔργα (works). The construction means "such as are fitting to be the works of immortals."
19.24δείδω μή μοι ... εὐλὰς ἐγγείνωνται
The verb of fearing δείδω introduces a μή clause with subjunctives (ἐγγείνωνται and ἀεικίσσωσι), expressing apprehension about the future: "I fear lest...". μοι is a dative of disadvantage (affecting me).
19.57ὅ τε νῶϊ ... μενεήναμεν
ὅ (epic neuter relative used as a conjunction, equivalent to ὅτι "that" or "in that") introduces the clause explaining the demonstrative τόδε in the preceding line: "(was this better...) that we two raged." νῶϊ is the dual pronoun of the first person (we two).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:19.1-19.69