- 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-grc2:24.201-24.268
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
Hecuba vehemently tries to dissuade Priam from going alone to Achilles, but Priam refuses, stating that he heard the goddess's voice directly, and prepares a lavish ransom. He then fiercely rebukes his surviving, useless sons while ordering them to hasten the preparations for his departure.
ὤ μοι πῇ δή τοι φρένες οἴχονθʼ, ᾗς1 τὸ πάρος περ
”Ah me, whither indeed has gone your mind, for which you were formerly
ἔκλεʼ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπους ξείνους ἠδʼ οἷσιν ἀνάσσεις;
famous among stranger men and among those over whom you rule?
πῶς ἐθέλεις ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν ἐλθέμεν οἶος
How do you wish to go to the ships of the Achaeans alone,
ἀνδρὸς ἐς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὅς τοι πολέας τε καὶ ἐσθλοὺς
into the eyes of a man who has
υἱέας ἐξενάριξε· σιδήρειόν νύ τοι ἦτορ.
slain for you many and noble sons? Surely you have an iron heart.
εἰ γάρ σʼ αἱρήσει καὶ ἐσόψεται ὀφθαλμοῖσιν
For if he catches you and looks upon you with his eyes,
ὠμηστὴς καὶ ἄπιστος ἀνὴρ ὅ γε οὔ σʼ ἐλεήσει,
that man, raw-eating and faithless, will not pity you,
οὐδέ τί σʼ αἰδέσεται. νῦν δὲ κλαίωμεν ἄνευθεν
nor respect you at all. But now let us weep far away,
ἥμενοι ἐν μεγάρῳ· τῷ δʼ ὥς ποθι Μοῖρα κραταιὴ
sitting in the hall; but for him, in this way, I suppose, mighty Fate
γιγνομένῳ ἐπένησε λίνῳ, ὅτε μιν τέκον αὐτή,
spun with her thread at his birth, when I myself bore him,
ἀργίποδας κύνας ἆσαι ἑῶν ἀπάνευθε τοκήων
to glut swift-footed dogs far from his parents,
ἀνδρὶ πάρα κρατερῷ, τοῦ ἐγὼ μέσον ἧπαρ ἔχοιμι
beside a violent man, whose liver in the midst I wish I might
ἐσθέμεναι προσφῦσα·2 τότʼ ἄντιτα ἔργα γένοιτο
cling to and eat; then would deeds of
παιδὸς ἐμοῦ, ἐπεὶ οὔ ἑ κακιζόμενόν γε κατέκτα,
vengeance be done for my son, since he slew him while he was not playing the coward,
ἀλλὰ πρὸ Τρώων καὶ Τρωϊάδων βαθυκόλπων
but standing in front of the Trojans and deep-bosomed Trojan women,
ἑσταότʼ οὔτε φόβου μεμνημένον οὔτʼ ἀλεωρῆς.
mindful neither of fear nor of flight.”
τὴν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε γέρων Πρίαμος θεοειδής·
And to her in turn spoke the godlike old man Priam:
μή μʼ ἐθέλοντʼ ἰέναι κατερύκανε, μὴ δέ μοι αὐτὴ
”Do not hold me back when I wish to go, and do not you yourself
ὄρνις ἐνὶ μεγάροισι κακὸς πέλευ· οὐδέ με πείσεις.
become an ill-omened bird in my halls; you will not persuade me.
εἰ μὲν γάρ τίς μʼ ἄλλος ἐπιχθονίων ἐκέλευεν,
For if any other of those on earth had commanded me,
ἢ οἳ μάντιές εἰσι θυοσκόοι ἢ ἱερῆες,
whether they be seers who observe sacrifices or priests,
ψεῦδός κεν φαῖμεν καὶ νοσφιζοίμεθα μᾶλλον·
we would call it a lie and turn away from it all the more;
νῦν δʼ, αὐτὸς γὰρ ἄκουσα θεοῦ καὶ ἐσέδρακον ἄντην,
but now, since I myself heard the goddess and looked upon her face to face,
εἶμι καὶ οὐχ ἅλιον ἔπος ἔσσεται. εἰ δέ μοι αἶσα
I will go, and her word shall not be in vain. And if it is my fate
τεθνάμεναι παρὰ νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων
to die by the ships of the bronze-clad Achaeans,
βούλομαι· αὐτίκα γάρ με κατακτείνειεν Ἀχιλλεὺς
I wish it; for let Achilles slay me straightway,
ἀγκὰς ἑλόντʼ ἐμὸν υἱόν, ἐπὴν γόου ἐξ ἔρον εἵην.3
when once I have taken my son in my arms and have put away my desire for wailing.”
ἦ καὶ φωριαμῶν ἐπιθήματα κάλʼ ἀνέῳγεν·
He spoke, and opened the beautiful lids of the chests;
ἔνθεν δώδεκα μὲν περικαλλέας ἔξελε πέπλους,
thence he took out twelve beautiful robes,
δώδεκα δʼ ἁπλοΐδας χλαίνας, τόσσους δὲ τάπητας,
and twelve single-cloaks, and as many coverlets,
τόσσα δὲ φάρεα λευκά, τόσους δʼ ἐπὶ τοῖσι χιτῶνας.
and as many white cloaks, and as many tunics besides.
χρυσοῦ δὲ στήσας ἔφερεν δέκα πάντα τάλαντα,
And he weighed and brought out ten talents of gold in all,
ἐκ δὲ δύʼ αἴθωνας τρίποδας, πίσυρας δὲ λέβητας,
and two gleaming tripods, and four cauldrons,
ἐκ δὲ δέπας περικαλλές, ὅ οἱ Θρῇκες πόρον ἄνδρες
and a very beautiful cup, which Thracian men
ἐξεσίην ἐλθόντι μέγα κτέρας· οὐδέ νυ τοῦ περ
had given him when he went on an embassy, a great treasure; not even of this
φείσατʼ ἐνὶ μεγάροις ὃ γέρων, περὶ δʼ ἤθελε θυμῷ
did the old man spare in his halls, but he wished
λύσασθαι φίλον υἱόν. ὃ δὲ Τρῶας μὲν ἅπαντας
exceedingly in his heart to ransom his beloved son. And he
αἰθούσης ἀπέεργεν ἔπεσσʼ αἰσχροῖσιν ἐνίσσων·
drove all the Trojans away from the portico, chiding them with shameful words:
ἔρρετε λωβητῆρες ἐλεγχέες· οὔ νυ καὶ ὑμῖν
”Away, you disgraceful wretches! Is there not
οἴκοι ἔνεστι γόος, ὅτι μʼ ἤλθετε κηδήσοντες;
indeed wailing for you too at home, that you have come to trouble me?
ἦ ὀνόσασθʼ ὅτι μοι Κρονίδης Ζεὺς ἄλγεʼ ἔδωκε
Do you think light of it, that Zeus, son of Cronos, has brought grief upon me,
παῖδʼ ὀλέσαι τὸν ἄριστον; ἀτὰρ γνώσεσθε καὶ ὔμμες·
to lose my noblest son? But you too shall know it;
ῥηΐτεροι γὰρ μᾶλλον Ἀχαιοῖσιν δὴ ἔσεσθε
for you will be much easier for the Achaeans
κείνου τεθνηῶτος ἐναιρέμεν. αὐτὰρ ἔγωγε
to slay, now that he is dead. But for my part,
πρὶν ἀλαπαζομένην τε πόλιν κεραϊζομένην τε
before I see with my eyes the city plundered and
ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδεῖν βαίην δόμον Ἄϊδος εἴσω.
sacked, may I go into the house of Hades.”
ἦ καὶ σκηπανίῳ δίεπʼ ἀνέρας· οἳ δʼ ἴσαν ἔξω
He spoke, and drove the men with his staff; and they went out
σπερχομένοιο γέροντος· ὃ δʼ υἱάσιν οἷσιν ὁμόκλα
before the hastening old man; and he called out to his sons,
νεικείων Ἕλενόν τε Πάριν τʼ Ἀγάθωνά τε δῖον
chiding them: Helenus and Paris and noble Agathon,
Πάμμονά τʼ Ἀντίφονόν τε βοὴν ἀγαθόν τε Πολίτην
and Pammon and Antiphonus and Polites, good at the war-cry,
Δηΐφοβόν τε καὶ Ἱππόθοον καὶ δῖον Ἀγαυόν·
and Deiphobus and Hippothous and noble Agavus.
ἐννέα τοῖς ὃ γεραιὸς ὁμοκλήσας ἐκέλευε·
To these nine the old man called and gave his command:
σπεύσατέ μοι κακὰ τέκνα κατηφόνες· αἴθʼ ἅμα πάντες
”Hurry for me, evil children, my disgraces! Would that you all together
Ἕκτορος ὠφέλετʼ ἀντὶ θοῇς ἐπὶ νηυσὶ πεφάσθαι.4
had been slain at the swift ships instead of Hector!
ὤ μοι ἐγὼ πανάποτμος, ἐπεὶ τέκον υἷας ἀρίστους
Ah, wretched me, since I fathered the noblest sons
Τροίῃ ἐν εὐρείῃ, τῶν δʼ οὔ τινά φημι λελεῖφθαι,
in wide Troy, of whom I say not one is left,
Μήστορά τʼ ἀντίθεον καὶ Τρωΐλον ἱππιοχάρμην
godlike Mestor, and Troilus who fought from his chariot,
Ἕκτορά θʼ, ὃς θεὸς ἔσκε μετʼ ἀνδράσιν, οὐδὲ ἐῴκει
and Hector, who was a god among men, nor did he seem
ἀνδρός γε θνητοῦ πάϊς ἔμμεναι ἀλλὰ θεοῖο.
to be the son of a mortal man, but of a god.
τοὺς μὲν ἀπώλεσʼ Ἄρης, τὰ δʼ ἐλέγχεα πάντα λέλειπται
Those Ares has destroyed, but these disgraces are all left,
ψεῦσταί τʼ ὀρχησταί τε χοροιτυπίῃσιν ἄριστοι
liars and dancers, champions of the choral dance,
ἀρνῶν ἠδʼ ἐρίφων ἐπιδήμιοι ἁρπακτῆρες.
robbers of lambs and kids from their own people.
οὐκ ἂν δή μοι ἄμαξαν ἐφοπλίσσαιτε τάχιστα,
Will you not indeed quickly get ready a wagon for me,
ταῦτά τε πάντʼ ἐπιθεῖτε, ἵνα πρήσσωμεν ὁδοῖο;5
and put all these things upon it, so that we may make progress on our journey?”
ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ἄρα πατρὸς ὑποδείσαντες ὁμοκλὴν
So he spoke, and they, fearing the chiding of their father,
ἐκ μὲν ἄμαξαν ἄειραν ἐΰτροχον ἡμιονείην
brought out the well-wheeled mule-wagon,
καλὴν πρωτοπαγέα, πείρινθα δὲ δῆσαν ἐπʼ αὐτῆς,
beautiful and newly built, and bound the wicker basket upon it;
κὰδ δʼ ἀπὸ πασσαλόφι ζυγὸν ᾕρεον ἡμιόνειον
and down from the peg they took the mule-yoke,
- 24.201ᾗς
The relative pronoun ᾗς (dative plural feminine) has φρένες (mind, wits) as its antecedent, functioning as a dative of possession or respect. It means 'the wits for/by which you were formerly famous (ἔκλε᾽ = ἐκλέεο)'.
- 24.212τοῦ ἐγὼ μέσον ἧπαρ ἔχοιμι / ἐσθέμεναι προσφῦσα
The optative of wish ἔχοιμι is followed by the infinitive of purpose ἐσθέμεναι (to eat). The nominative feminine singular participle προσφῦσα (clinging to, fastening upon) agrees with the subject Hecuba (ἐγώ), expressing her intense desire for vengeance against Achilles.
- 24.227ἐπὴν γόου ἐξ ἔρον εἵην
In the temporal clause introduced by ἐπήν, the aorist optative εἵην (from ἐξίημι, here 1st person singular or epic optative) is used to match the optative of wish/command in the main clause κατακτείνειεν. γόου is a genitive of separation or object with the verb, meaning 'when I have let out/satisfied my desire for wailing.'
- 24.254ὠφέλετʼ ἀντὶ θοῇς ἐπὶ νηυσὶ πεφάσθαι
The construction ὤφελον (here 2nd person plural ὠφέλετε) with the perfect passive infinitive πεφάσθαι (from θείνω, 'to slay') expresses an unfulfilled wish in the past: 'would that you had been slain... (but you were not).'
- 24.264ἵνα πρήσσωμεν ὁδοῖο
The verb πρήσσω (to accomplish, make way) is construed with the partitive genitive of space/way ὁδοῖο, meaning 'so that we may make progress on our journey.'