- 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-grc2:21.404-21.474
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-02
Athena defeats Ares and Aphrodite on the battlefield. Poseidon urges Apollo to fight, but Apollo refuses to clash with his uncle over mortal men, drawing sharp criticism from Artemis.
κείμενον ἐν πεδίῳ μέλανα τρηχύν τε μέγαν τε,
lying on the plain, black and rugged and great,
τόν ῥʼ ἄνδρες πρότεροι θέσαν ἔμμεναι οὖρον ἀρούρης·
which men of former days had set to be the boundary of a field.
τῷ βάλε θοῦρον Ἄρηα κατʼ αὐχένα, λῦσε δὲ γυῖα.
Therewith she smote impetuous Ares on the neck, and loosed his limbs.
ἑπτὰ δʼ ἐπέσχε πέλεθρα πεσών, ἐκόνισε δὲ χαίτας,
Seven plethra he covered in his fall, and his hair was soiled with dust,
τεύχεά τʼ ἀμφαράβησε· γέλασσε δὲ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη,
and his armour clashed about him. And Pallas Athena laughed,
καί οἱ ἐπευχομένη ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·
and boasting over him she spoke winged words:
νηπύτιʼ οὐδέ νύ πώ περ ἐπεφράσω ὅσσον ἀρείων
”Fool, not even yet have you learned how much better
εὔχομʼ ἐγὼν ἔμεναι, ὅτι μοι μένος ἰσοφαρίζεις.
I claim to be, that you match your strength against mine?
οὕτω κεν τῆς μητρὸς ἐρινύας ἐξαποτίνοις,1
Thus indeed may you pay the full measure of your mother’s wrath,
ἥ τοι χωομένη κακὰ μήδεται οὕνεκʼ Ἀχαιοὺς
who in her wrath devises evil against you because you left
κάλλιπες, αὐτὰρ Τρωσὶν ὑπερφιάλοισιν ἀμύνεις.
the Achaeans and are helping the overweening Trojans.”
ὣς ἄρα φωνήσασα πάλιν τρέπεν ὄσσε φαεινώ·
So saying, she turned away her bright eyes;
τὸν δʼ ἄγε χειρὸς ἑλοῦσα Διὸς θυγάτηρ Ἀφροδίτη
and the daughter of Zeus, Aphrodite, took him by the hand and led him away,
πυκνὰ μάλα στενάχοντα· μόγις δʼ ἐσαγείρετο θυμόν.
as he groaned heavily, and with difficulty was he gathering his spirit.
τὴν δʼ ὡς οὖν ἐνόησε θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη,
But when the white-armed goddess Hera noticed her,
αὐτίκʼ Ἀθηναίην ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·
straightway she spoke winged words to Athena:
ὢ πόποι αἰγιόχοιο Διὸς τέκος Ἀτρυτώνη
”Ah, look you, child of Zeus who bears the aegis, Unwearied one,
καὶ δʼ αὖθʼ ἡ κυνάμυια ἄγει βροτολοιγὸν Ἄρηα
lo, once again that dog-fly is leading man-destroying Ares
δηΐου ἐκ πολέμοιο κατὰ κλόνον· ἀλλὰ μέτελθε.
out of the hostile war through the tumult; but go after her.”
ὣς φάτʼ, Ἀθηναίη δὲ μετέσσυτο, χαῖρε δὲ θυμῷ,
So she spoke, and Athena rushed after her, and was glad in her heart;
καί ῥʼ ἐπιεισαμένη πρὸς στήθεα χειρὶ παχείῃ
and rushing upon her she smote her on the breast with her stout hand;
ἤλασε· τῆς δʼ αὐτοῦ λύτο γούνατα καὶ φίλον ἦτορ.
and her knees were loosed where she stood, and her heart.
τὼ μὲν ἄρʼ ἄμφω κεῖντο ἐπὶ χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ,
So the two lay upon the bounteous earth,
ἣ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπευχομένη ἔπεα πτερόεντʼ ἀγόρευε·
and boasting over them she spoke winged words:
τοιοῦτοι νῦν πάντες ὅσοι Τρώεσσιν ἀρωγοὶ
”Such may all those be who are helpers to the Trojans,
εἶεν, ὅτʼ Ἀργείοισι μαχοίατο2 θωρηκτῇσιν,
when they fight against the mail-clad Argives,
ὧδέ τε θαρσαλέοι καὶ τλήμονες, ὡς Ἀφροδίτη
and as brave and enduring as Aphrodite
ἦλθεν Ἄρῃ ἐπίκουρος ἐμῷ μένει ἀντιόωσα·
came to helper Ares to face my might;
τώ κεν δὴ πάλαι ἄμμες ἐπαυσάμεθα πτολέμοιο3
then would we long ago have ceased from war,
Ἰλίου ἐκπέρσαντες ἐϋκτίμενον πτολίεθρον.
having sacked the well-built city of Ilios.”
ὣς φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη.
So she spoke, and the white-armed goddess Hera smiled.
αὐτὰρ Ἀπόλλωνα προσέφη κρείων ἐνοσίχθων·
But the lord, the Earth-shaker, spoke to Apollo:
Φοῖβε τί ἢ δὴ νῶϊ διέσταμεν; οὐδὲ ἔοικεν
”Phoebus, why do we two stand apart? It is not seemly,
ἀρξάντων ἑτέρων· τὸ μὲν αἴσχιον αἴ κʼ ἀμαχητὶ
when others have begun; the shame would be greater if without fighting
ἴομεν Οὔλυμπον δὲ Διὸς ποτὶ χαλκοβατὲς δῶ.
we should go to Olympus, to the bronze-floored house of Zeus.
ἄρχε· σὺ γὰρ γενεῆφι νεώτερος· οὐ γὰρ ἔμοιγε
Begin, for you are the younger in birth; for me it is not
καλόν, ἐπεὶ πρότερος γενόμην καὶ πλείονα οἶδα.
seemly, since I am the elder-born and know more.
νηπύτιʼ ὡς ἄνοον κραδίην ἔχες· οὐδέ νυ τῶν περ
Fool, how thoughtless is the heart you have! No longer do you
μέμνηαι ὅσα δὴ πάθομεν κακὰ Ἴλιον ἀμφὶ
remember all the evils we two alone of the gods endured about Ilios,
μοῦνοι νῶϊ θεῶν, ὅτʼ ἀγήνορι Λαομέδοντι
when we came from Zeus and served proud Laomedon for a year
πὰρ Διὸς ἐλθόντες θητεύσαμεν εἰς ἐνιαυτὸνμισθῷ ἔπι ῥητῷ· ὃ δὲ σημαίνων ἐπέτελλεν.
at a fixed wage, and he gave us orders and commanded us?
ἤτοι ἐγὼ Τρώεσσι πόλιν πέρι τεῖχος ἔδειμα
I indeed built a wall for the Trojans about their city,
εὐρύ τε καὶ μάλα καλόν, ἵνʼ ἄρρηκτος πόλις εἴη·
wide and very beautiful, that the city might be unbreakable;
Φοῖβε σὺ δʼ εἰλίποδας ἕλικας βοῦς βουκολέεσκες
and you, Phoebus, did herd their shambling, crumple-horned cattle
Ἴδης ἐν κνημοῖσι πολυπτύχου ὑληέσσης.
in the glens of many-valleyed, wooded Ida.
ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ μισθοῖο τέλος πολυγηθέες ὧραι
But when at length the glad Seasons were bringing to an end the term of our wage,
ἐξέφερον, τότε νῶϊ βιήσατο μισθὸν ἅπαντα
then did terrible Laomedon rob us of all our wage,
Λαομέδων ἔκπαγλος, ἀπειλήσας δʼ ἀπέπεμπε.
and sent us away with threats.
σὺν μὲν ὅ γʼ ἠπείλησε πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθε
He threatened to bind your feet, and your hands above,
δήσειν, καὶ περάαν νήσων ἔπι τηλεδαπάων·
and to sell you into far-off islands;
στεῦτο δʼ ὅ γʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἀπολεψέμεν οὔατα4 χαλκῷ.
and he stood pledged to lop off the ears of both of us with the bronze.
νῶϊ δὲ ἄψορροι κίομεν κεκοτηότι θυμῷ
So we two went back with angry hearts,
μισθοῦ χωόμενοι, τὸν ὑποστὰς οὐκ ἐτέλεσσε.
wroth for the wage he had promised but did not pay.
τοῦ δὴ νῦν λαοῖσι φέρεις χάριν, οὐδὲ μεθʼ ἡμέων
It is to his people now that you show favour, and you do not try
πειρᾷ ὥς κε Τρῶες ὑπερφίαλοι ἀπόλωνται
with us to bring it about that the overweening Trojans may perish
πρόχνυ κακῶς σὺν παισὶ καὶ αἰδοίῃς ἀλόχοισι
utterly and miserably, with their children and their respected wives.”
τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπεν ἄναξ ἑκάεργος Ἀπόλλων·
Then the lord Apollo who works from afar spoke to him:
ἐννοσίγαιʼ οὐκ ἄν με σαόφρονα μυθήσαιο
”Earth-shaker, you would not say that I am sane
ἔμμεναι, εἰ δὴ σοί γε βροτῶν ἕνεκα πτολεμίξω5
if I fight with you for the sake of wretched mortals,
δειλῶν, οἳ φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες ἄλλοτε μέν τε
who like leaves are at one time
ζαφλεγέες τελέθουσιν ἀρούρης καρπὸν ἔδοντες,
full of flaming life, eating the fruit of the field,
ἄλλοτε δὲ φθινύθουσιν ἀκήριοι. ἀλλὰ τάχιστα
and at another fade away and are lifeless. But straightway
παυώμεσθα μάχης· οἳ δʼ αὐτοὶ δηριαάσθων.
let us cease from battle, and let them fight by themselves.”
ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας πάλιν ἐτράπετʼ· αἴδετο γάρ ῥα
So saying, he turned away, for he felt shame
πατροκασιγνήτοιο μιγήμεναι ἐν παλάμῃσι.
to do battle with his father’s brother.
τὸν δὲ κασιγνήτη μάλα νείκεσε πότνια θηρῶν
But his sister, the mistress of wild beasts,
Ἄρτεμις ἀγροτέρη, καὶ ὀνείδειον φάτο μῦθον·
huntress Artemis, chid him sharply, and spoke words of reviling:
φεύγεις δὴ ἑκάεργε, Ποσειδάωνι δὲ νίκην
”Are you fleeing then, worker from afar, and to Poseidon have you yielded
πᾶσαν ἐπέτρεψας, μέλεον δέ οἱ εὖχος ἔδωκας·
victory entire, and given him boast for nothing?
νηπύτιε τί νυ τόξον ἔχεις ἀνεμώλιον αὔτως;
Fool, why then have you a bow that is vain as the wind?”
- 21.412οὕτω κεν τῆς μητρὸς ἐρινύας ἐξαποτίνοις
The combination of the particle κεν and the optative ἐξαποτίνοις functions as a potential optative, expressing "thus indeed you would pay the penalty of your mother's wrath."
- 21.429εἶεν, ὅτʼ Ἀργείοισι μαχοίατο
εἶεν is the third-person plural optative of wish ("would that they were..."). μαχοίατο is the Ionic and poetic form for the third-person plural middle/passive optative ending in -οιντο.
- 21.432τώ κεν δὴ πάλαι ἄμμες ἐπαυσάμεθα πτολέμοιο
The combination of the particle κεν and the past indicative (aorist ἐπαυσάμεθα) expresses a past unfulfilled condition (unreal indicative), meaning "in that case we would have ceased from war long ago."
- 21.455στεῦτο δʼ ὅ γʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἀπολεψέμεν οὔατα
The verb στεῦτο (third-person singular imperfect of στεῦμαι) means "he declared, vowed, or threatened," and here takes the future infinitive ἀπολεψέμεν (Homeric form for ἀπολέψειν) to convey a strong threat.
- 21.462οὐκ ἄν με σαόφρονα μυθήσαιο / ἔμμεναι, εἰ δὴ σοί γε βροτῶν ἕνεκα πτολεμίξω
A mixed conditional sentence where the apodosis features ἄν with the optative μυθήσαιο (potential optative), while the protasis has εἰ with the future indicative πτολεμίξω. It posits a realistic future contingency in the protasis and asserts a moderated judgment in the apodosis.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-10-12)
- 2026-10-12 AI review — translation 1
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1