Hector Before the Gates and Priam's Entreaty — Homer, Iliad Book 22 (lines 1–64), Greek & English

ὣς οἳ μὲν κατὰ ἄστυ πεφυζότες ἠΰτε νεβροὶ

Thus they, routed through the city like fawns,

ἱδρῶ ἀπεψύχοντο πίον τʼ ἀκέοντό τε δίψαν

were cooling their sweat and drinking and quenching their thirst,

κεκλιμένοι καλῇσιν ἐπάλξεσιν· αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ

leaning against the beautiful battlements; but the Achaeans

τείχεος ἆσσον ἴσαν σάκεʼ ὤμοισι κλίναντες.

drew near to the wall, leaning their shields against their shoulders.

Ἕκτορα δʼ αὐτοῦ μεῖναι ὀλοιὴ μοῖρα πέδησεν

But Hector did destructive fate bind to remain there,

Ἰλίου προπάροιθε πυλάων τε Σκαιάων.

in front of Ilios and the Scaean gates.

αὐτὰρ Πηλείωνα προσηύδα Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων·

Then Phoebus Apollo spoke to the son of Peleus:

τίπτέ με Πηλέος υἱὲ ποσὶν ταχέεσσι διώκεις

”Why, son of Peleus, do you pursue me with swift feet,

αὐτὸς θνητὸς ἐὼν θεὸν ἄμβροτον; οὐδέ νύ πώ με

yourself a mortal pursuing an immortal god? Have you not yet

ἔγνως ὡς θεός εἰμι, σὺ δʼ ἀσπερχὲς μενεαίνεις.

recognized that I am a god, that you rage so incessantly?

ἦ νύ τοι οὔ τι μέλει Τρώων πόνος,¹ οὓς ἐφόβησας,

Surely you care nothing for the toil of the Trojans whom you routed,

οἳ δή τοι εἰς ἄστυ ἄλεν, σὺ δὲ δεῦρο λιάσθης.

who are now gathered into the city, while you have turned aside here.

οὐ μέν με κτενέεις, ἐπεὶ οὔ τοι μόρσιμός εἰμι.

You will not kill me, since I am not subject to death.”

τὸν δὲ μέγʼ ὀχθήσας προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς·

Then deeply moved, swift-footed Achilles spoke to him:

ἔβλαψάς μʼ ἑκάεργε θεῶν ὀλοώτατε πάντων

”You have baffled me, worker from afar, most destructive of all gods,

ἐνθάδε νῦν τρέψας ἀπὸ τείχεος· ἦ κʼ ἔτι πολλοὶ

in turning me away from the wall hither; surely many a man would yet

γαῖαν ὀδὰξ εἷλον πρὶν Ἴλιον εἰσαφικέσθαι.

have bitten the dust before they reached Ilios.

νῦν δʼ ἐμὲ μὲν μέγα κῦδος ἀφείλεο, τοὺς δὲ σάωσας

But now you have robbed me of great glory, and saved them

ῥηϊδίως, ἐπεὶ οὔ τι τίσιν γʼ ἔδεισας ὀπίσσω.

easily, since you have no fear of vengeance hereafter.

ἦ σʼ ἂν τισαίμην, εἴ μοι δύναμίς γε παρείη.²

Verily I would take vengeance on you, if only the power were in me.”

ὣς εἰπὼν προτὶ ἄστυ μέγα φρονέων ἐβεβήκει,

So saying, he went toward the city with high thoughts,

σευάμενος ὥς θʼ ἵππος ἀεθλοφόρος σὺν ὄχεσφιν,

speeding like a prize-winning horse with a chariot,

ὅς ῥά τε ῥεῖα θέῃσι τιταινόμενος πεδίοιο·³

that runs lightly and at full stretch over the plain;

ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς λαιψηρὰ πόδας καὶ γούνατʼ ἐνώμα.

so Achilles plied his swift feet and knees.

τὸν δʼ ὃ γέρων Πρίαμος πρῶτος ἴδεν ὀφθαλμοῖσι

Him the old man Priam was first to behold with his eyes,

παμφαίνονθʼ ὥς τʼ ἀστέρʼ ἐπεσσύμενον πεδίοιο,

gleaming like the star that comes forth at harvest-time, and its rays

ὅς ῥά τʼ ὀπώρης εἶσιν, ἀρίζηλοι δέ οἱ αὐγαὶ

shine bright among many stars in the darkness of the night,

φαίνονται πολλοῖσι μετʼ ἀστράσι νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ,

the star they call by name the Dog of Orion.

ὅν τε κύνʼ Ὠρίωνος ἐπίκλησιν καλέουσι.

Brightest of all is he, yet he is ordained as an evil sign,

λαμπρότατος μὲν ὅ γʼ ἐστί, κακὸν δέ τε σῆμα τέτυκται,

and he brings much fever to wretched mortals;

καί τε φέρει πολλὸν πυρετὸν δειλοῖσι βροτοῖσιν·

even so gleamed the bronze upon the breast of Achilles as he ran.

ὣς τοῦ χαλκὸς ἔλαμπε περὶ στήθεσσι θέοντος.

The old man groaned aloud, and beat his head with his hands,

ᾤμωξεν δʼ ὃ γέρων, κεφαλὴν δʼ ὅ γε κόψατο χερσὶν

raising them on high, and with a loud cry of wailing he spoke,

ὑψόσʼ ἀνασχόμενος, μέγα δʼ οἰμώξας ἐγεγώνει

entreating his dear son; but he before the gates

λισσόμενος φίλον υἱόν· ὃ δὲ προπάροιθε πυλάων

stood, fiercely eager to do battle with Achilles.

ἑστήκει ἄμοτον μεμαὼς Ἀχιλῆϊ μάχεσθαι·

To him the old man spoke piteously, stretching forth his hands:

τὸν δʼ ὃ γέρων ἐλεεινὰ προσηύδα χεῖρας ὀρεγνύς·

”Hector, I pray you, my dear child, do not wait for this man

Ἕκτορ μή μοι μίμνε φίλον τέκος ἀνέρα τοῦτον

alone, apart from the others, lest you quickly meet your doom,

οἶος ἄνευθʼ ἄλλων, ἵνα μὴ τάχα πότμον ἐπίσπῃς

slain by the son of Peleus, since he is far stronger than you,

Πηλεΐωνι δαμείς, ἐπεὶ ἦ πολὺ φέρτερός ἐστι

hard man! Would that he were as little dear to the gods as he is to me!

σχέτλιος· αἴθε θεοῖσι φίλος τοσσόνδε γένοιτο

Quickly then would dogs and vultures devour him

ὅσσον ἐμοί· τάχα κέν ἑ κύνες καὶ γῦπες ἔδοιεν

as he lay dead; then would terrible grief depart from my heart.

κείμενον· ἦ κέ μοι αἰνὸν ἀπὸ πραπίδων ἄχος ἔλθοι·

He has made me childless of many and noble sons,

ὅς μʼ υἱῶν πολλῶν τε καὶ ἐσθλῶν εὖνιν ἔθηκε

slaying them and selling them into islands far away.

κτείνων καὶ περνὰς νήσων ἔπι τηλεδαπάων.

For even now there are two of my children, Lycaon and Polydorus,

καὶ γὰρ νῦν δύο παῖδε Λυκάονα καὶ Πολύδωρον

whom I cannot see among the Trojans who have gathered into the city,

οὐ δύναμαι ἰδέειν Τρώων εἰς ἄστυ ἀλέντων,

whom Laothoe bore to me, a queen among women.

τούς μοι Λαοθόη τέκετο κρείουσα γυναικῶν.

But if they are yet alive in the camp, then surely hereafter

ἀλλʼ εἰ μὲν ζώουσι μετὰ στρατῷ, ἦ τʼ ἂν ἔπειτα

we will ransom them with bronze and gold; for there is store of it within;

χαλκοῦ τε χρυσοῦ τʼ ἀπολυσόμεθʼ, ἔστι γὰρ ἔνδον·

for many things did the old man of famous name, Altes, give to his daughter.

πολλὰ γὰρ ὤπασε παιδὶ γέρων ὀνομάκλυτος Ἄλτης.

But if they are already dead and in the house of Hades,

εἰ δʼ ἤδη τεθνᾶσι καὶ εἰν Ἀΐδαο δόμοισιν,

there will be grief to my soul and to their mother, we who begot them;

ἄλγος ἐμῷ θυμῷ καὶ μητέρι τοὶ τεκόμεσθα·

but to the rest of the people the grief will be shorter,

λαοῖσιν δʼ ἄλλοισι μινυνθαδιώτερον ἄλγος

if you too do not die, slain by Achilles.

ἔσσεται, ἢν μὴ καὶ σὺ θάνῃς Ἀχιλῆϊ δαμασθείς.

Nay, enter within the wall, my child, that you may save

ἀλλʼ εἰσέρχεο τεῖχος ἐμὸν τέκος, ὄφρα σαώσῃς

the Trojan men and Trojan women, and do not yield great glory

Τρῶας καὶ Τρῳάς, μὴ δὲ μέγα κῦδος ὀρέξῃς

to the son of Peleus, and yourself be robbed of your dear life.

Πηλεΐδῃ, αὐτὸς δὲ φίλης αἰῶνος ἀμερθῇς.

And have pity on me, the wretched one, while I still have my senses,

πρὸς δʼ ἐμὲ τὸν δύστηνον ἔτι φρονέοντʼ⁴ ἐλέησον

the ill-fated one, whom father Zeus, son of Kronos, at the threshold of old age

δύσμορον, ὅν ῥα πατὴρ Κρονίδης ἐπὶ γήραος οὐδῷ

will destroy by a grievous doom, after I have seen many evils—

αἴσῃ ἐν ἀργαλέῃ φθίσει κακὰ πόλλʼ ἐπιδόντα

my sons perishing and my daughters dragged away,

υἷάς τʼ ὀλλυμένους ἑλκηθείσας τε θύγατρας,

and my bridal chambers plundered, and infant children

καὶ θαλάμους κεραϊζομένους, καὶ νήπια τέκνα

dashed to the ground in the dread conflict,

βαλλόμενα προτὶ γαίῃ ἐν αἰνῇ δηϊοτῆτι,

and daughters-in-law dragged away by the destructive hands of the Achaeans.”

Syntax notes4 items

22.11Τρώων πόνος
Τρώων is a subjective genitive, meaning 'the toil/suffering of the Trojans.' Here, πόνος refers to the hardship of battle or the panic of retreat.
22.20ἦ σʼ ἂν τισαίμην, εἴ μοι δύναμίς γε παρείη
A potential optative construction with ἄν (τισαίμην) and εἰ + optative (παρείη), which here carries a strong contrary-to-fact nuance ('I would take vengeance on you, if only I had the power,' implying he does not). This demonstrates the Homeric use of the optative for unreal conditional statements.
22.23πεδίοιο
Genitive of space (or partitive genitive of place) indicating the area over or within which the motion occurs; hence 'over/across the plain.'
22.59ἔτι φρονέοντʼ
The accusative present participle φρονέοντα modifies ἐμὲ. Meaning 'while still possessing my senses' or 'while still alive and conscious,' it emphasizes that old Priam, still capable of understanding, must face the prospective horrors before his doom.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:22.1-22.64