Apollo's Rescue of Hector and Achilles' Slaughter — Homer, Iliad Book 20 (lines 436–503), Greek & English

436

αἴ κέ σε χειρότερός περ ἐὼν ἀπὸ θυμὸν ἕλωμαι¹

”Even if I am weaker than you, let me see if I may take away your life

δουρὶ βαλών, ἐπεὶ ἦ καὶ ἐμὸν βέλος ὀξὺ πάροιθεν.

by casting with my spear, since indeed my weapon too was sharp before.”

ἦ ῥα, καὶ ἀμπεπαλὼν προΐει δόρυ, καὶ τό γʼ Ἀθήνη

He spoke, and brandishing his spear, let it fly, but Athena

πνοιῇ Ἀχιλλῆος πάλιν ἔτραπε κυδαλίμοιο

with a breath turned it back away from glorious Achilles,

440

ἦκα μάλα ψύξασα· τὸ δʼ ἂψ ἵκεθʼ Ἕκτορα δῖον,

blowing very softly; and it came back to noble Hector,

αὐτοῦ δὲ προπάροιθε ποδῶν πέσεν. αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς

and fell there before his feet. But Achilles

ἐμμεμαὼς ἐπόρουσε κατακτάμεναι μενεαίνων,

leaped upon him furiously, eager to slay him,

σμερδαλέα ἰάχων· τὸν δʼ ἐξήρπαξεν Ἀπόλλων

crying a terrible cry; but Apollo snatched Hector away

ῥεῖα μάλʼ ὥς τε θεός, ἐκάλυψε δʼ ἄρʼ ἠέρι πολλῇ.

very easily, as a god can, and shrouded him in thick mist.

445

τρὶς μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἐπόρουσε ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς

Three times then did swift-footed noble Achilles rush on him

ἔγχεϊ χαλκείῳ, τρὶς δʼ ἠέρα τύψε βαθεῖαν.

with his bronze spear, and three times he struck the deep mist.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τὸ τέταρτον ἐπέσσυτο δαίμονι ἶσος,

But when for the fourth time he charged like a god,

δεινὰ δʼ ὁμοκλήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

he shouted terribly and spoke winged words:

ἐξ αὖ νῦν ἔφυγες θάνατον κύον· ἦ τέ τοι ἄγχι

”Once again now you have escaped death, you dog! Surely evil

450

ἦλθε κακόν· νῦν αὖτέ σʼ ἐρύσατο Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων,

came close to you; but this time too Phoebus Apollo saved you,

ᾧ μέλλεις εὔχεσθαι ἰὼν ἐς δοῦπον ἀκόντων.

to whom you must pray when going into the clash of javelins.

ἦ θήν σʼ ἐξανύω γε καὶ ὕστερον ἀντιβολήσας,

Verily I will finish you off when I meet you hereafter,

εἴ πού τις καὶ ἔμοιγε θεῶν ἐπιτάρροθός ἐστι.

if any of the gods is a helper to me as well.

νῦν αὖ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπιείσομαι, ὅν κε κιχείω.

Now, however, I will go after the others, whomsoever I may find.”

455

ὣς εἰπὼν Δρύοπʼ οὖτα κατʼ αὐχένα μέσσον ἄκοντι·

So saying, he wounded Dryops in the middle of the neck with his spear,

ἤριπε δὲ προπάροιθε ποδῶν· ὃ δὲ τὸν μὲν ἔασε,

and he fell down before his feet. But Achilles left him,

Δημοῦχον δὲ Φιλητορίδην ἠΰν τε μέγαν τε

and stopped Demuchus, Philetor’s son, both brave and tall,

κὰγ γόνυ δουρὶ βαλὼν ἠρύκακε. τὸν μὲν ἔπειτα

hitting him on the knee with his spear; and then

οὐτάζων ξίφεϊ μεγάλῳ ἐξαίνυτο θυμόν·

wounding him with his great sword, he took away his life.

460

αὐτὰρ ὃ Λαόγονον καὶ Δάρδανον υἷε Βίαντος

But he attacked Laogonus and Dardanus, sons of Bias,

ἄμφω ἐφορμηθεὶς ἐξ ἵππων ὦσε χαμᾶζε,

and thrust them both from their chariot to the ground,

τὸν μὲν δουρὶ βαλών, τὸν δὲ σχεδὸν ἄορι τύψας.

striking one with his spear, and hitting the other in close fight with his sword.

Τρῶα δʼ Ἀλαστορίδην,² ὃ μὲν ἀντίος ἤλυθε γούνων,

Then Tros, Alastor’s son, came to clasp his knees,

εἴ πώς εὑ πεφίδοιτο λαβὼν καὶ ζωὸν ἀφείη

if by any means he would spare him, taking him alive and letting him go,

465

μηδὲ κατακτείνειεν ὁμηλικίην ἐλεήσας,

and not slay him, having pity on one of the same age,

νήπιος, οὐδὲ τὸ ᾔδη ὃ οὐ πείσεσθαι ἔμελλεν·

foolish man, nor did he know this, that he was not likely to persuade him;

οὐ γάρ τι γλυκύθυμος ἀνὴρ ἦν οὐδʼ ἀγανόφρων,

for he was not a sweet-tempered man, nor gentle of heart,

ἀλλὰ μάλʼ ἐμμεμαώς· ὃ μὲν ἥπτετο χείρεσι γούνων

but exceedingly fierce; Tros was trying to touch his knees with his hands,

ἱέμενος λίσσεσθʼ, ὃ δὲ φασγάνῳ οὖτα καθʼ ἧπαρ·

eager to entreat him, but Achilles wounded him with his sword in the liver;

470

ἐκ δέ οἱ ἧπαρ ὄλισθεν, ἀτὰρ μέλαν αἷμα κατʼ αὐτοῦ

and his liver slipped out, and the dark blood from it

κόλπον ἐνέπλησεν· τὸν δὲ σκότος ὄσσε κάλυψε

filled his lap; and darkness covered his eyes

θυμοῦ δευόμενον· ὃ δὲ Μούλιον οὖτα παραστὰς

as he swooned. Then Achilles stood beside Mulius and struck him

δουρὶ κατʼ οὖς· εἶθαρ δὲ διʼ οὔατος ἦλθʼ ἑτέροιο

with his spear in the ear, and immediately through the other ear

αἰχμὴ χαλκείη· ὃ δʼ Ἀγήνορος υἱὸν Ἔχεκλον

came the bronze spearpoint. Then he struck Echeclus, son of Agenor,

475

μέσσην κὰκ κεφαλὴν ξίφει ἤλασε κωπήεντι,

on the middle of the head with his hilted sword,

πᾶν δʼ ὑπεθερμάνθη ξίφος αἵματι· τὸν δὲ κατʼ ὄσσε

and all the sword was warmed with blood; and dark death

ἔλλαβε πορφύρεος θάνατος καὶ μοῖρα κραταιή.

and strong fate seized his eyes.

Δευκαλίωνα δʼ ἔπειθʼ, ἵνα τε ξυνέχουσι τένοντες

Then Deucalion, where the tendons of the elbow

ἀγκῶνος, τῇ τόν γε φίλης διὰ χειρὸς ἔπειρεν

join, there he pierced him through his arm

480

αἰχμῇ χαλκείῃ· ὃ δέ μιν μένε χεῖρα βαρυνθεὶς³

with the bronze spearpoint; and he awaited him with his arm weighed down,

πρόσθʼ ὁρόων θάνατον· ὃ δὲ φασγάνῳ αὐχένα θείνας

seeing death before him; but Achilles, striking his neck with his sword,

τῆλʼ αὐτῇ πήληκι κάρη βάλε· μυελὸς αὖτε

swept his head far off, helmet and all; and the marrow

σφονδυλίων ἔκπαλθʼ, ὃ δʼ ἐπὶ χθονὶ κεῖτο τανυσθείς.

spurted out from the spine, and he lay stretched upon the earth.

αὐτὰρ ὃ βῆ ῥʼ ἰέναι μετʼ ἀμύμονα Πείρεω υἱὸν

But he went on to go after Rigmus, the noble son of Peires,

485

Ῥίγμον, ὃς ἐκ Θρῄκης ἐριβώλακος εἰληλούθει·

who had come from fertile Thrace;

τὸν βάλε μέσσον ἄκοντι, πάγη δʼ ἐν νηδύϊ χαλκός,

him he struck in the middle with his javelin, and the bronze fixed in his belly,

ἤριπε δʼ ἐξ ὀχέων· ὃ δʼ Ἀρηΐθοον θεράποντα

and he fell from his chariot. Then as his squire Areithous

ἂψ ἵππους στρέψαντα μετάφρενον ὀξέϊ δουρὶ

turned the horses back, Achilles stabbed him in the back with his sharp spear

νύξʼ, ἀπὸ δʼ ἅρματος ὦσε· κυκήθησαν δέ οἱ ἵπποι.

and thrust him from the chariot; and the horses were thrown into confusion.

490

ὡς δʼ ἀναμαιμάει βαθέʼ ἄγκεα θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ

And as a raging fire rages through the deep glens

οὔρεος ἀζαλέοιο, βαθεῖα δὲ καίεται ὕλη,

of a dry mountain, and the deep forest burns,

πάντῃ τε κλονέων ἄνεμος φλόγα εἰλυφάζει,

and the wind driving it on whirls the flame everywhere,

ὣς ὅ γε πάντῃ θῦνε σὺν ἔγχεϊ δαίμονι ἶσος

so he raged everywhere with his spear like a god,

κτεινομένους ἐφέπων· ῥέε δʼ αἵματι γαῖα μέλαινα.

pressing hard upon those he slew; and the black earth ran with blood.

495

ὡς δʼ ὅτε τις ζεύξῃ βόας ἄρσενας εὐρυμετώπους

And as when one yokes broad-browed male oxen

τριβέμεναι κρῖ λευκὸν ἐϋκτιμένῃ ἐν ἀλωῇ,

to tread white barley in a well-ordered threshing-floor,

ῥίμφά τε λέπτʼ ἐγένοντο βοῶν ὑπὸ πόσσʼ ἐριμύκων,

and quickly it is ground fine under the feet of the lowing oxen,

ὣς ὑπʼ Ἀχιλλῆος μεγαθύμου μώνυχες ἵπποι

so under great-hearted Achilles his whole-hooved horses

στεῖβον ὁμοῦ νέκυάς τε καὶ ἀσπίδας· αἵματι δʼ ἄξων

trampled together both corpses and shields; and the axle

500

νέρθεν ἅπας πεπάλακτο καὶ ἄντυγες αἳ περὶ δίφρον,

beneath was all spattered with blood, and the chariot-rims about the seat,

ἃς ἄρʼ⁴ ἀφʼ ἱππείων ὁπλέων ῥαθάμιγγες ἔβαλλον

which droplets from the horses’ hooves struck,

αἵ τʼ ἀπʼ ἐπισσώτρων· ὃ δὲ ἵετο κῦδος ἀρέσθαι

and others from the wheel-rims; but he was eager to win glory,

Πηλεΐδης, λύθρῳ δὲ παλάσσετο χεῖρας ἀάπτους.

the son of Peleus, and with gore were defiled his invincible hands.

Syntax notes4 items

20.436αἴ κέ σε χειρότερός περ ἐὼν ἀπὸ θυμὸν ἕλωμαι
The subjunctive clause αἴ κέ... ἕλωμαι expresses an attempt with an uncertain outcome, where the main clause (such as 'let me see if...') is omitted. It functions as an indirect question expressing Hector's challenge to see if he can kill Achilles despite being weaker.
20.463Τρῶα δʼ Ἀλαστορίδην
This accusative noun is placed at the beginning of the sentence for prominence (prolepsis/hyperbaton). The subject of the action, ὃ μὲν (Tros), appears in line 468 with the verb ἥπτετο. The initial accusative acts as an anticipated topic before being grammatically integrated as the object of the subsequent actions.
20.480ὃ δέ μιν μένε χεῖρα βαρυνθεὶς
The accusative χεῖρα is an accusative of specification (or respect) modifying the passive participle βαρυνθεὶς, meaning 'having his arm weighed down.' The pronoun μιν (him, referring to Achilles) serves as the direct object of the transitive verb μένε ('awaited').
20.501ἃς ἄρʼ
The relative pronoun ἃς (feminine plural accusative) has as its antecedent ἄντυγες ('chariot-rims', feminine plural) in line 500. It shows that the droplets of blood flung from the horses' hooves (ἱππείων ὁπλέων) and the wheel-rims (ἐπισσώτρων) struck the rims around the chariot platform.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:20.436-20.503