- 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-grc2:22.386-22.450
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-02
Achilles, remembering his mourning for Patroclus, defiles Hector's corpse by dragging it behind his chariot. Witnessing this, Hector's parents and the Trojans fall into deep lamentation, while his wife Andromache, still unaware of his death, waits for his return at home.
κεῖται πὰρ νήεσσι νέκυς ἄκλαυτος ἄθαπτος
Patroclus lies by the ships, a corpse unwept, unburied;
Πάτροκλος· τοῦ δʼ οὐκ ἐπιλήσομαι, ὄφρʼ ἂν ἔγωγε
him I shall never forget, so long as I
ζωοῖσιν μετέω καί μοι φίλα γούνατʼ ὀρώρῃ·
remain among the living and my dear knees can move.
εἰ δὲ θανόντων1 περ καταλήθοντʼ εἰν Ἀΐδαο
And even if in the house of Hades men forget the dead,
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ κεῖθι φίλου μεμνήσομʼ ἑταίρου.
yet even there I shall remember my beloved companion.
νῦν δʼ ἄγʼ ἀείδοντες παιήονα κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν
But now, come, singing a paean, youths of the Achaeans,
νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇσι νεώμεθα, τόνδε δʼ ἄγωμεν.
let us return to the hollow ships, and let us bring him.
ἠράμεθα μέγα κῦδος· ἐπέφνομεν Ἕκτορα δῖον,
We have won great glory; we have slain noble Hector,
ᾧ Τρῶες κατὰ ἄστυ θεῷ ὣς εὐχετόωντο.
to whom the Trojans throughout the city prayed as to a god.
ἦ ῥα, καὶ Ἕκτορα δῖον ἀεικέα μήδετο ἔργα.
He spoke, and devised foul deeds for noble Hector.
ἀμφοτέρων μετόπισθε ποδῶν τέτρηνε τένοντε
He pierced the tendons of both his feet behind,
ἐς σφυρὸν ἐκ πτέρνης, βοέους δʼ ἐξῆπτεν ἱμάντας,
from heel to ankle, and fastened straps of ox-hide,
ἐκ δίφροιο δʼ ἔδησε, κάρη δʼ ἕλκεσθαι ἔασεν·
and bound them to the chariot, and let the head be dragged.
ἐς δίφρον δʼ ἀναβὰς ἀνά τε κλυτὰ τεύχεʼ ἀείρας
Then, mounting the chariot and lifting up the glorious armor,
μάστιξέν ῥʼ ἐλάαν, τὼ δʼ οὐκ ἀέκοντε πετέσθην.
he lashed the horses to a gallop, and they flew nothing loath.
τοῦ δʼ ἦν ἑλκομένοιο κονίσαλος, ἀμφὶ δὲ χαῖται
As he was dragged, a cloud of dust rose, and his dark hair
κυάνεαι πίτναντο, κάρη δʼ ἅπαν ἐν κονίῃσι
was streamed out, and his head, once so beautiful, lay all
κεῖτο πάρος χαρίεν· τότε δὲ Ζεὺς δυσμενέεσσι
in the dust; for then Zeus granted to his enemies
δῶκεν ἀεικίσσασθαι ἑῇ ἐν πατρίδι γαίῃ.
to defile him in his own native land.
ὣς τοῦ μὲν κεκόνιτο κάρη ἅπαν· ἣ δέ νυ μήτηρ
Thus was his head all covered with dust; and his mother
τίλλε κόμην, ἀπὸ δὲ λιπαρὴν ἔρριψε καλύπτρην
tore her hair, and threw far away her bright veil,
τηλόσε, κώκυσεν δὲ μάλα μέγα παῖδʼ ἐσιδοῦσα·
and wailed right loudly as she looked upon her son.
ᾤμωξεν δʼ ἐλεεινὰ πατὴρ φίλος, ἀμφὶ δὲ λαοὶ
And his dear father moaned piteously, and around them the people
κωκυτῷ τʼ εἴχοντο καὶ οἰμωγῇ κατὰ ἄστυ.
were lost in wailing and lamentation throughout the city.
τῷ δὲ μάλιστʼ ἄρʼ ἔην ἐναλίγκιον ὡς εἰ2 ἅπασα
And it was most like to this, as if all
Ἴλιος ὀφρυόεσσα πυρὶ σμύχοιτο κατʼ ἄκρης.
beetling Ilium were burning with fire from its summit.
λαοὶ μέν ῥα γέροντα μόγις ἔχον ἀσχαλόωντα
The people indeed could scarcely hold back the sorrowing old man,
ἐξελθεῖν μεμαῶτα πυλάων Δαρδανιάων.
eager as he was to go forth from the Dardanian gates.
πάντας δʼ ἐλλιτάνευε κυλινδόμενος κατὰ κόπρον,
He entreated them all, rolling in the mire,
ἐξονομακλήδην ὀνομάζων ἄνδρα ἕκαστον·
calling upon each man by name:
σχέσθε φίλοι, καί μʼ οἶον ἐάσατε κηδόμενοί περ
”Hold, friends, and let me go alone, anxious though you are,
ἐξελθόντα πόληος ἱκέσθʼ ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν.
to go forth from the city and reach the ships of the Achaeans.
λίσσωμʼ ἀνέρα τοῦτον ἀτάσθαλον ὀβριμοεργόν,
Let me pray to this insolent man, worker of violent deeds,
ἤν πως ἡλικίην αἰδέσσεται ἠδʼ ἐλεήσῃ
if perchance he may feel shame before my age and pity
γῆρας· καὶ δέ νυ τῷ γε πατὴρ τοιόσδε τέτυκται
my old age; for he too has a father like me,
Πηλεύς, ὅς μιν ἔτικτε καὶ ἔτρεφε πῆμα γενέσθαι
Peleus, who begot him and reared him to be a bane to the Trojans;
Τρωσί· μάλιστα δʼ ἐμοὶ περὶ πάντων ἄλγεʼ ἔθηκε.
but most of all to me above all others has he brought sorrow.
τόσσους γάρ μοι παῖδας ἀπέκτανε τηλεθάοντας·
For so many of my sons in their flower has he slain;
τῶν πάντων οὐ τόσσον ὀδύρομαι ἀχνύμενός περ
yet for them all, grieved though I am, I mourn not so much
ὡς ἑνός, οὗ3 μʼ ἄχος ὀξὺ κατοίσεται Ἄϊδος εἴσω,
as for this one, sharp grief for whom will bring me down to the house of Hades,
Ἕκτορος· ὡς ὄφελεν θανέειν ἐν χερσὶν ἐμῇσι·
even Hector. Would that he had died in my arms;
τώ κε κορεσσάμεθα κλαίοντέ τε μυρομένω τε
then we would have sated ourselves with weeping and mourning,
μήτηρ θʼ, ἥ μιν ἔτικτε δυσάμμορος, ἠδʼ ἐγὼ αὐτός.
both his mother who bore him to her sorrow, and I myself.”
ὣς ἔφατο κλαίων, ἐπὶ δὲ στενάχοντο πολῖται·
Thus he spoke weeping, and the citizens wailed therewith;
Τρῳῇσιν δʼ Ἑκάβη ἁδινοῦ ἐξῆρχε γόοιο·
and among the Trojan women Hecabe led the thronging lament:
τέκνον ἐγὼ δειλή· τί νυ βείομαι4 αἰνὰ παθοῦσα
”My child, unhappy me! why should I live in my sore suffering
σεῦ ἀποτεθνηῶτος; ὅ μοι νύκτάς τε καὶ ἦμαρ
now that you are dead? You who night and day
εὐχωλὴ κατὰ ἄστυ πελέσκεο, πᾶσί τʼ ὄνειαρ
were my pride throughout the city, and a blessing to all
Τρωσί τε καὶ Τρῳῇσι κατὰ πτόλιν, οἵ σε θεὸν ὣς
Trojans and Trojan women in the town, who greeted you
δειδέχατʼ· ἦ γὰρ καί σφι μάλα μέγα κῦδος ἔησθα
as a god; for indeed you were their very great glory
ζωὸς ἐών· νῦν αὖ θάνατος καὶ μοῖρα κιχάνει.
while you lived; but now death and fate have overtaken you.”
ὣς ἔφατο κλαίουσʼ, ἄλοχος δʼ οὔ πώ τι πέπυστο
Thus she spoke weeping, but his wife had as yet heard nothing
Ἕκτορος· οὐ γάρ οἵ τις ἐτήτυμος ἄγγελος ἐλθὼν
of Hector; for no true messenger had come to her
ἤγγειλʼ ὅττί ῥά οἱ πόσις ἔκτοθι μίμνε πυλάων,
to tell her that her husband remained outside the gates,
ἀλλʼ ἥ γʼ ἱστὸν ὕφαινε μυχῷ δόμου ὑψηλοῖο
but she was weaving a web in the inner chamber of her lofty house,
δίπλακα πορφυρέην, ἐν δὲ θρόνα ποικίλʼ ἔπασσε.
a double purple mantle, and inseparably was she embroidering varied flowers.
κέκλετο δʼ ἀμφιπόλοισιν ἐϋπλοκάμοις κατὰ δῶμα
And she called to her fair-tressed handmaids through the house
ἀμφὶ πυρὶ στῆσαι τρίποδα μέγαν, ὄφρα πέλοιτο
to set a great tripod on the fire, that there might be
Ἕκτορι θερμὰ λοετρὰ μάχης ἐκ νοστήσαντι
a warm bath for Hector when he returned from battle—
νηπίη, οὐδʼ ἐνόησεν ὅ μιν μάλα τῆλε λοετρῶν
foolish one! and she knew not that far from all baths
χερσὶν Ἀχιλλῆος δάμασε γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη.
flashing-eyed Athena had vanquished him by the hands of Achilles.
κωκυτοῦ δʼ ἤκουσε καὶ οἰμωγῆς ἀπὸ πύργου·
But she heard the wailing and the mourning from the wall,
τῆς δʼ ἐλελίχθη γυῖα, χαμαὶ δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε κερκίς·
and her limbs spun, and the shuttle fell from her hand to the ground.
ἣ δʼ αὖτις δμῳῇσιν ἐϋπλοκάμοισι μετηύδα·
Then she spoke again among her fair-tressed handmaids:
δεῦτε δύω μοι ἕπεσθον, ἴδωμʼ ὅτινʼ ἔργα τέτυκται.
”Come, two of you follow me, let me see what deeds have been done.”
- 22.389θανόντων
The genitive θανόντων serves as the object of the verb καταλήθοντʼ (for καταλήθονται, middle voice "forget"), which governs the genitive. It is translated as "even if they (people) forget the dead." Although it is grammatically possible to take it as a genitive absolute ("even if the dead forget"), the contrast with Achilles' vow in the next line to not forget his friend makes the objective reading more natural.
- 22.410ὡς εἰ
The conjunction phrase ὡς εἰ ("as if") is used with the optative σμύχοιτο to express a hypothetical comparison. It correlates with the impersonal expression in the main clause τῷ δʼ ... ἔην ἐναλίγκιον ("it was most like to this...").
- 22.425οὗ
The antecedent of the relative pronoun οὗ is ἑνός ("one") in the preceding line. The noun Ἕκτορος ("of Hector") at the beginning of the next line stands in apposition to ἑνός, clarifying who that "one" is. This enjambment heightens the poetic and emotional emphasis.
- 22.431βείομαι
Combined with the interrogative pronoun τί ("how"), βείομαι is the subjunctive (or future) of the verb βίομαι ("to live"), functioning here as a deliberative subjunctive ("how shall I live?").