Mourning for Patroclus and the Plea of His Ghost — Homer, Iliad Book 23 (lines 1–71), Greek & English

ὣς οἳ μὲν στενάχοντο κατὰ πτόλιν· αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ

So they made lamentation through the city; but the Achaeans,

ἐπεὶ δὴ νῆάς τε καὶ Ἑλλήσποντον ἵκοντο,

when they were come to the ships and the Hellespont,

οἳ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐσκίδναντο ἑὴν ἐπὶ νῆα ἕκαστος,

scattered each one to his own ship.

Μυρμιδόνας δʼ οὐκ εἴα ἀποσκίδνασθαι Ἀχιλλεύς,

But the Myrmidons Achilles would not suffer to scatter,

ἀλλʼ ὅ γε οἷς ἑτάροισι φιλοπτολέμοισι μετηύδα·

but spoke among his war-loving companions:

Μυρμιδόνες ταχύπωλοι ἐμοὶ ἐρίηρες ἑταῖροι

”Myrmidons of the fleet steeds, my trusty companions,

μὴ δή πω ὑπʼ ὄχεσφι λυώμεθα μώνυχας ἵππους,

let us not yet loose our whole-hooved horses from their chariots,

ἀλλʼ αὐτοῖς ἵπποισι καὶ ἅρμασιν ἆσσον ἰόντες

but with horses and chariots themselves let us go near

Πάτροκλον κλαίωμεν· ὃ γὰρ γέρας ἐστὶ θανόντων.

and mourn Patroclus; for this is the due of the dead.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί κʼ ὀλοοῖο τεταρπώμεσθα¹ γόοιο,

But when we have had our fill of grievous wailing,

ἵππους λυσάμενοι δορπήσομεν ἐνθάδε πάντες.

we will loose our horses and all sup here.”

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ᾤμωξαν ἀολλέες, ἦρχε δʼ Ἀχιλλεύς.

So he spoke, and they wailed in a body, and Achilles led them.

οἳ δὲ τρὶς περὶ νεκρὸν ἐΰτριχας ἤλασαν ἵππους

And thrice about the corpse they drove their fair-maned horses,

μυρόμενοι· μετὰ δέ σφι Θέτις γόου ἵμερον ὦρσε.

mourning; and among them Thetis aroused desire for wailing.

δεύοντο ψάμαθοι, δεύοντο δὲ τεύχεα φωτῶν

Wet was the sand, and wet were the armor of the men

δάκρυσι· τοῖον γὰρ πόθεον μήστωρα φόβοιο.

with tears; for so great a master of rout they missed.

τοῖσι δὲ Πηλεΐδης ἁδινοῦ ἐξῆρχε γόοιο

And among them the son of Peleus led the vehement wailing,

χεῖρας ἐπʼ ἀνδροφόνους θέμενος στήθεσσιν ἑταίρου·

laying his manslaying hands upon the breast of his comrade:

χαῖρέ μοι ὦ Πάτροκλε καὶ εἰν Ἀΐδαο δόμοισι·

”Hail to you, Patroclus, even in the house of Hades;

πάντα γὰρ ἤδη τοι τελέω τὰ πάροιθεν ὑπέστην

for now I am bringing to fulfillment all that I promised you before,

Ἕκτορα δεῦρʼ ἐρύσας δώσειν κυσὶν ὠμὰ δάσασθαι,

that I would drag Hector here to give to dogs to devour raw,

δώδεκα δὲ προπάροιθε πυρῆς ἀποδειροτομήσειν

and that before your pyre I would cut the throats of twelve

Τρώων ἀγλαὰ τέκνα σέθεν κταμένοιο² χολωθείς.

glorious children of the Trojans, in my wrath for your slaying.”

ἦ ῥα καὶ Ἕκτορα δῖον ἀεικέα μήδετο ἔργα

He spoke, and devised shameful treatment for noble Hector,

πρηνέα πὰρ λεχέεσσι Μενοιτιάδαο τανύσσας

stretching him prone in the dust beside the bier of the son of Menoetius.

ἐν κονίῃς· οἳ δʼ ἔντεʼ ἀφωπλίζοντο ἕκαστος

And they put off, each one of them, their gleaming armor

χάλκεα μαρμαίροντα, λύον δʼ ὑψηχέας ἵππους,

of bronze, and loosed their loud-neighing horses,

κὰδ δʼ ἷζον παρὰ νηῒ ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο

and sat down by the ship of the swift-footed son of Aeacus,

μυρίοι· αὐτὰρ ὃ τοῖσι τάφον μενοεικέα δαίνυ.

in their thousands; and he feasted them with an abundant funeral feast.

πολλοὶ μὲν βόες ἀργοὶ ὀρέχθεον ἀμφὶ σιδήρῳ

Many sleek bulls bellowed about the iron knife

σφαζόμενοι, πολλοὶ δʼ ὄϊες καὶ μηκάδες αἶγες·

as they were slaughtered, and many sheep and bleating goats;

πολλοὶ δʼ ἀργιόδοντες ὕες θαλέθοντες ἀλοιφῇ

and many white-tusked swine, rich with fat,

εὑόμενοι τανύοντο διὰ φλογὸς Ἡφαίστοιο·

were singed and stretched across the flame of Hephaestus;

πάντῃ δʼ ἀμφὶ νέκυν κοτυλήρυτον ἔρρεεν αἷμα.

and everywhere about the corpse the blood ran in cupfuls.

αὐτὰρ τόν γε ἄνακτα ποδώκεα Πηλεΐωνα

But the king, the swift-footed son of Peleus,

εἰς Ἀγαμέμνονα δῖον ἄγον βασιλῆες Ἀχαιῶν

the kings of the Achaeans led to noble Agamemnon,

σπουδῇ παρπεπιθόντες ἑταίρου χωόμενον κῆρ.

hardly persuading him, angered at heart as he was for his comrade.

οἳ δʼ ὅτε δὴ κλισίην Ἀγαμέμνονος ἷξον ἰόντες,

And when they were come to the hut of Agamemnon,

αὐτίκα κηρύκεσσι λιγυφθόγγοισι κέλευσαν

straightway they bade the clear-voiced heralds

ἀμφὶ πυρὶ στῆσαι τρίποδα μέγαν, εἰ πεπίθοιεν³

set a great tripod on the fire, if they might persuade

Πηλεΐδην λούσασθαι ἄπο βρότον αἱματόεντα.

the son of Peleus to wash away the bloody gore.

αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ ἠρνεῖτο στερεῶς, ἐπὶ δʼ ὅρκον ὄμοσσεν·

But he refused stubbornly, and swore an oath thereto:

οὐ μὰ Ζῆνʼ, ὅς τίς τε θεῶν ὕπατος καὶ ἄριστος,

”No, by Zeus, who is highest and best of gods,

οὐ θέμις ἐστὶ λοετρὰ καρήατος ἆσσον ἱκέσθαι

it is not right that water for washing should come near my head

πρίν γʼ ἐνὶ Πάτροκλον θέμεναι πυρὶ σῆμά τε χεῦαι

until I have laid Patroclus on the fire, and heaped him a barrow,

κείρασθαί τε κόμην, ἐπεὶ οὔ μʼ ἔτι δεύτερον ὧδε

and shorn my hair; for never again shall a second grief like this

ἵξετʼ ἄχος κραδίην ὄφρα ζωοῖσι μετείω.

reach my heart while I remain among the living.

ἀλλʼ ἤτοι νῦν μὲν στυγερῇ πειθώμεθα δαιτί·

But for now let us yield to the loathsome feast.

ἠῶθεν δʼ ὄτρυνον ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγάμεμνον

And with the dawn, king of men Agamemnon, give orders

ὕλην τʼ ἀξέμεναι παρά τε σχεῖν ὅσσʼ ἐπιεικὲς

to bring wood, and to provide all that is fitting

νεκρὸν ἔχοντα νέεσθαι ὑπὸ ζόφον ἠερόεντα,

for a dead man to have as he goes beneath the murky gloom,

ὄφρʼ ἤτοι τοῦτον μὲν ἐπιφλέγῃ ἀκάματον πῦρ

so that tireless fire may burn him

θᾶσσον ἀπʼ ὀφθαλμῶν, λαοὶ δʼ ἐπὶ ἔργα τράπωνται.

quickly out of our sight, and the people may turn to their tasks.”

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ἄρα τοῦ μάλα μὲν κλύον ἠδὲ πίθοντο.

So he spoke, and they readily heard him and obeyed.

ἐσσυμένως δʼ ἄρα δόρπον ἐφοπλίσσαντες ἕκαστοι

Then with speed they made ready each their supper

δαίνυντʼ, οὐδέ τι θυμὸς ἐδεύετο δαιτὸς ἐΐσης.

and feasted, nor did their hearts lack anything of the equal feast.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος ἐξ ἔρον ἕντο,

But when they had put away from them the desire for drink and food,

οἳ μὲν κακκείοντες ἔβαν κλισίην δὲ ἕκαστος,

they went each to his hut to lie down,

Πηλεΐδης δʼ ἐπὶ θινὶ πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης

but the son of Peleus on the shore of the loud-resounding sea

κεῖτο βαρὺ στενάχων πολέσιν μετὰ Μυρμιδόνεσσιν

lay groaning heavily, among the many Myrmidons,

ἐν καθαρῷ, ὅθι κύματʼ ἐπʼ ἠϊόνος κλύζεσκον·

in a clean place where the waves washed against the shore.

εὖτε τὸν ὕπνος ἔμαρπτε λύων μελεδήματα θυμοῦ

When sleep seized him, loosening the cares of his heart,

νήδυμος ἀμφιχυθείς· μάλα γὰρ κάμε φαίδιμα γυῖα

sweet sleep poured all about him; for his glorious limbs were sore weary

Ἕκτορʼ ἐπαΐσσων προτὶ Ἴλιον ἠνεμόεσσαν·

with chasing Hector toward windy Ilios;

ἦλθε δʼ ἐπὶ ψυχὴ Πατροκλῆος δειλοῖο

then there came to him the spirit of unhappy Patroclus,

πάντʼ αὐτῷ μέγεθός τε καὶ ὄμματα κάλʼ ἐϊκυῖα⁴

in all things like him, in stature and fair eyes

καὶ φωνήν, καὶ τοῖα περὶ χροῒ εἵματα ἕστο·

and voice, and like garments were those he wore about his body;

στῆ δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν·

and he stood above his head and spoke to him, saying:

εὕδεις, αὐτὰρ ἐμεῖο λελασμένος ἔπλευ Ἀχιλλεῦ.

”You sleep, Achilles, and have forgotten me.

οὐ μέν μευ ζώοντος ἀκήδεις, ἀλλὰ θανόντος·

Not when I was alive were you unmindful of me, but now that I am dead;

θάπτέ με ὅττι τάχιστα πύλας Ἀΐδαο περήσω.

bury me with all speed, so that I may pass inside the gates of Hades.”

Syntax notes4 items

23.10τεταρπώμεσθα
The first-person plural reduplicated second aorist subjunctive middle of τέρπω. Paired with ἐπεί κε, it functions like a future perfect in a temporal clause, meaning "when we have had our fill of (wailing)," prior to the future action of the main clause.
23.23σέθεν κταμένοιο
A genitive absolute construction consisting of σέθεν, the epic form of the second-person singular genitive pronoun (equal to σοῦ), and κταμένοιο, the non-thematic aorist middle participle of κτείνω with a passive sense. It expresses the cause of the following participle χολωθείς ("angered at your being slain").
23.40εἰ πεπίθοιεν
The conjunction εἰ followed by πεπίθοιεν, the third-person plural reduplicated aorist active optative of πείθω (used transitively/causatively). It expresses a wish, expectation, or trial: "in the hope that they might persuade" or "to see if they could persuade."
23.66ἐϊκυῖα
The perfect active participle, feminine singular nominative, of ἔοικα ("to be like"), agreeing with the preceding feminine noun ψυχή ("spirit"). The subsequent accusatives μέγεθος ("stature") and ὄμματα ("eyes") are accusatives of specification, meaning "like him in stature and beautiful eyes."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:23.1-23.71