- 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-grc2:23.72-23.141
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-02
The ghost of Patroclus appears in Achilles' dream, pleading for a swift burial and requesting that their bones be placed together in the same urn when Achilles dies. Achilles tries to embrace his friend but the ghost vanishes; the next morning, the Achaeans gather wood from Mount Ida to prepare Patroclus' funeral pyre.
τῆλέ με εἴργουσι ψυχαὶ εἴδωλα καμόντων,
The spirits, the phantoms of the dead, keep me far away,
οὐδέ μέ πω μίσγεσθαι ὑπὲρ ποταμοῖο ἐῶσιν,
nor do they yet suffer me to join them beyond the river,
ἀλλʼ αὔτως ἀλάλημαι ἀνʼ εὐρυπυλὲς Ἄϊδος δῶ.
but I wander vainly through the wide-gated house of Hades.
καί μοι δὸς τὴν χεῖρʼ· ὀλοφύρομαι, οὐ γὰρ ἔτʼ αὖτις
And give me your hand, I pitifully entreat; for never again
νίσομαι ἐξ Ἀΐδαο, ἐπήν με πυρὸς λελάχητε.1
shall I return from Hades, once you have given me my share of fire.
οὐ μὲν γὰρ ζωοί γε φίλων ἀπάνευθεν ἑταίρων
For never more shall we sit apart from our dear comrades,
βουλὰς ἑζόμενοι βουλεύσομεν, ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ μὲν κὴρ
taking counsel together; but for me, the hateful fate
ἀμφέχανε στυγερή, ἥ περ λάχε γιγνόμενόν περ·
has yawned for me, which was appointed to me even at my birth.
καὶ δὲ σοὶ αὐτῷ μοῖρα, θεοῖς ἐπιείκελʼ Ἀχιλλεῦ,
And for you too, Achilles like to the gods, it is your doom
τείχει ὕπο Τρώων εὐηφενέων ἀπολέσθαι.
to perish beneath the wall of the wealthy Trojans.
ἄλλο δέ τοι ἐρέω καὶ ἐφήσομαι αἴ κε πίθηαι·
And another thing I will tell you and charge you, if you will obey:
μὴ ἐμὰ σῶν ἀπάνευθε τιθήμεναι2 ὀστέʼ Ἀχιλλεῦ,
lay not my bones apart from yours, Achilles,
ἀλλʼ ὁμοῦ ὡς ἐτράφημεν ἐν ὑμετέροισι δόμοισιν,
but let them lie together, even as we were reared in your house,
εὖτέ με τυτθὸν ἐόντα Μενοίτιος ἐξ Ὀπόεντος
when Menoetius brought me, while yet a little one, from Opoeis
ἤγαγεν ὑμέτερόνδʼ ἀνδροκτασίης ὕπο λυγρῆς,
to your home, because of a grievous manslaughter,
ἤματι τῷ ὅτε παῖδα κατέκτανον Ἀμφιδάμαντος
on the day when I slew the son of Amphidamas
νήπιος οὐκ ἐθέλων ἀμφʼ ἀστραγάλοισι χολωθείς·
in my folly, not willing it, in wrath over the dice.
ἔνθά με δεξάμενος ἐν δώμασιν ἱππότα Πηλεὺς
Then the horseman Peleus received me in his house,
ἔτραφέ τʼ ἐνδυκέως καὶ σὸν θεράποντʼ ὀνόμηνεν·
and reared me kindly and named me your squire;
ὣς δὲ καὶ ὀστέα νῶϊν ὁμὴ σορὸς ἀμφικαλύπτοι3
even so let one vessel enfold the bones of us both,
χρύσεος ἀμφιφορεύς, τόν τοι πόρε πότνια μήτηρ.
the golden urn that your lady mother gave you.”
τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς·
Then made answer to him Achilles, swift of foot:
τίπτέ μοι ἠθείη κεφαλὴ δεῦρʼ εἰλήλουθας
”Why, my beloved brother, have you come here,
καί μοι ταῦτα ἕκαστʼ ἐπιτέλλεαι; αὐτὰρ ἐγώ τοι
and charge me with each of these things? I will indeed
πάντα μάλʼ ἐκτελέω καὶ πείσομαι ὡς σὺ κελεύεις.
fulfill all for you, and obey even as you command.
ἀλλά μοι ἆσσον στῆθι· μίνυνθά περ ἀμφιβαλόντε
But stand closer to me; though it be but for a little space let us clasp each other
ἀλλήλους ὀλοοῖο τεταρπώμεσθα γόοιο.
and have our fill of grievous wailing.”
ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ὠρέξατο χερσὶ φίλῃσιν
So saying, he reached out with his hands,
οὐδʼ ἔλαβε· ψυχὴ δὲ κατὰ χθονὸς ἠΰτε καπνὸς
but clasped him not; and the spirit like a vapor was gone
ᾤχετο τετριγυῖα· ταφὼν δʼ ἀνόρουσεν Ἀχιλλεὺς
beneath the earth, squeaking; and Achilles sprang up in amaze
χερσί τε συμπλατάγησεν, ἔπος δʼ ὀλοφυδνὸν ἔειπεν·
and beat his hands together, and spoke a word of wailing:
ὢ πόποι ἦ ῥά τίς ἐστι καὶ εἰν Ἀΐδαο δόμοισι
”Ah, look you, there is indeed even in the house of Hades
ψυχὴ καὶ εἴδωλον, ἀτὰρ φρένες οὐκ ἔνι πάμπαν·4
a spirit and a phantom, but there is no mind in it at all;
παννυχίη γάρ μοι Πατροκλῆος δειλοῖο
for all night long the spirit of unhappy Patroclus
ψυχὴ ἐφεστήκει γοόωσά τε μυρομένη τε,
has stood over me, wailing and mourning,
καί μοι ἕκαστʼ ἐπέτελλεν, ἔϊκτο δὲ θέσκελον αὐτῷ.
and charged me with each thing, and was wondrously like his own self.”
ὣς φάτο, τοῖσι δὲ πᾶσιν ὑφʼ ἵμερον ὦρσε γόοιο·
So he spoke, and in them all aroused desire for lamentation;
μυρομένοισι δὲ τοῖσι φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠὼς
and rosy-fingered Dawn appeared to them as they made lament
ἀμφὶ νέκυν ἐλεεινόν. ἀτὰρ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
about the piteous corpse. But the lord Agamemnon
οὐρῆάς τʼ ὄτρυνε καὶ ἀνέρας ἀξέμεν ὕλην
sent forth mules and men from the huts on every side to fetch wood;
πάντοθεν ἐκ κλισιῶν· ἐπὶ δʼ ἀνὴρ ἐσθλὸς ὀρώρει
and a valiant man was set over them,
Μηριόνης θεράπων ἀγαπήνορος Ἰδομενῆος.
Meriones, the squire of kindly Idomeneus.
οἳ δʼ ἴσαν ὑλοτόμους πελέκεας ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες
So they went holding in their hands axes for cutting wood
σειράς τʼ εὐπλέκτους· πρὸ δʼ ἄρʼ οὐρῆες κίον αὐτῶν.
and well-woven ropes; and before them went the mules.
πολλὰ δʼ ἄναντα κάταντα πάραντά τε δόχμιά τʼ ἦλθον·
And many an uphill and downhill, and side-hill and winding way they traversed;
ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ κνημοὺς προσέβαν πολυπίδακος Ἴδης,
but when they came to the spurs of many-fountained Ida,
αὐτίκʼ ἄρα δρῦς ὑψικόμους ταναήκεϊ χαλκῷ
straightway they began to fell tall-foliaged oaks with the long-edged bronze,
τάμνον ἐπειγόμενοι· ταὶ δὲ μεγάλα κτυπέουσαι
hastefully; and the trees with a great crash
πῖπτον· τὰς μὲν ἔπειτα διαπλήσσοντες Ἀχαιοὶ
fell; then the Achaeans split them asunder
ἔκδεον ἡμιόνων· ταὶ δὲ χθόνα ποσσὶ δατεῦντο5
and bound them to the mules; and these tore up the earth with their feet,
ἐλδόμεναι πεδίοιο διὰ ῥωπήϊα πυκνά.
eager to reach the plain, through the thick brushwood.
πάντες δʼ ὑλοτόμοι φιτροὺς φέρον· ὡς γὰρ ἀνώγει
And all the wood-cutters carried logs; for so bade
Μηριόνης θεράπων ἀγαπήνορος Ἰδομενῆος.
Meriones, the squire of kindly Idomeneus.
κὰδ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπʼ ἀκτῆς βάλλον ἐπισχερώ, ἔνθʼ ἄρʼ Ἀχιλλεὺς
And down they cast them on the shore, one after another, where Achilles
φράσσατο Πατρόκλῳ μέγα ἠρίον ἠδὲ οἷ αὐτῷ.
designed a great barrow for Patroclus and for himself.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πάντῃ παρακάββαλον ἄσπετον ὕλην
But when they had cast down on every side the boundless store of wood,
ἥατʼ ἄρʼ αὖθι μένοντες ἀολλέες. αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς
they sat down there, keeping together in a body. But Achilles
αὐτίκα Μυρμιδόνεσσι φιλοπτολέμοισι κέλευσε
straightway bade the war-loving Myrmidons
χαλκὸν ζώννυσθαι, ζεῦξαι δʼ ὑπʼ ὄχεσφιν ἕκαστον
gird on their bronze, and yoke each one
ἵππους· οἳ δʼ ὄρνυντο καὶ ἐν τεύχεσσιν ἔδυνον,
his horses to the chariots; and they arose and harness themselves in their armor,
ἂν δʼ ἔβαν ἐν δίφροισι παραιβάται ἡνίοχοί τε,
and mounted their chariots, both warriors and charioteers;
πρόσθε μὲν ἱππῆες, μετὰ δὲ νέφος εἵπετο πεζῶν
first went the horsemen, and after them followed a cloud of foot-soldiers,
μυρίοι· ἐν δὲ μέσοισι φέρον Πάτροκλον ἑταῖροι.
in their thousands; and in the midst his companions carried Patroclus.
θριξὶ δὲ πάντα νέκυν καταείνυσαν, ἃς ἐπέβαλλον
And all the corpse they covered with the hair that they cut off
κειρόμενοι· ὄπιθεν δὲ κάρη ἔχε δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς
and cast upon it; and behind them noble Achilles held the head,
ἀχνύμενος· ἕταρον γὰρ ἀμύμονα πέμπʼ Ἄϊδος δέ.
grieving; for he was sending his peerless comrade to the house of Hades.
οἳ δʼ ὅτε χῶρον ἵκανον ὅθί σφισι πέφραδʼ Ἀχιλλεὺς
And when they came to the place that Achilles had appointed them,
κάτθεσαν, αἶψα δέ οἱ μενοεικέα νήεον ὕλην.
they set him down, and quickly heaped up for him an abundant store of wood.
ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ ἄλλʼ ἐνόησε ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς·
Then again another thing did Achilles, swift of foot, devise:
στὰς ἀπάνευθε πυρῆς ξανθὴν ἀπεκείρατο χαίτην,
standing apart from the pyre he sheared his golden hair,
- 23.76ἐπήν με πυρὸς λελάχητε
The subjunctive λελάχητε is a reduplicated aorist of λαγχάνω with a causative meaning ("to make one share in"), taking the genitive πυρός and accusative με. Here it means "once you have given me my share of fire (consigned me to the fire)".
- 23.83τιθήμεναι
An Aeolic-Homeric form of the aorist infinitive, used here as an imperative (imperative infinitive) to express a request ("do not lay").
- 23.91ἀμφικαλύπτοι
Optative of wish ("may it enfold"), expressing a strong desire. It is followed by the relative clause τόν τοι πόρε.
- 23.104ἀτὰρ φρένες οὐκ ἔνι πάμπαν
ἔνι stands for ἔνεστι ("is within"). φρένες here refers to "conscious mind" or "wit", emphasizing that ghosts in the underworld lack active consciousness.
- 23.121δατεῦντο
Imperfect of δατέομαι ("divide, portion out"). Here it figuratively means that the mules "tore up" or "measured/traversed" the earth with their feet as they ran.