- 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-grc2:24.671-24.737
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
After the agreement with Achilles, Priam is guided by Hermes to secretly escape the Greek camp and bring Hector's body back to Troy. The city falls into deep mourning, and his wife Andromache laments his death, anticipating the destruction of Troy and their tragic fate.
ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἐπὶ καρπῷ χεῖρα γέροντος
So he spoke, and took the old man’s right hand by the wrist,
ἔλλαβε δεξιτερήν, μή πως δείσειʼ1 ἐνὶ θυμῷ.
lest he should fear in his heart.
οἳ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐν προδόμῳ δόμου αὐτόθι κοιμήσαντο
So they slept there in the forecourt of the house,
κῆρυξ καὶ Πρίαμος πυκινὰ φρεσὶ μήδεʼ ἔχοντες,
the herald and Priam, keeping wise counsels in their minds;
αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς εὗδε μυχῷ κλισίης ἐϋπήκτου·
but Achilles slept in the innermost corner of his well-built hut,
τῷ δὲ Βρισηῒς παρελέξατο καλλιπάρῃος.
and by his side lay fair-cheeked Briseis.
ἄλλοι μέν ῥα θεοί τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἱπποκορυσταὶ
Now the other gods and men, lords of chariots,
εὗδον παννύχιοι μαλακῷ δεδμημένοι ὕπνῳ·
slept all night through, vanquished by gentle sleep;
ἀλλʼ οὐχ Ἑρμείαν ἐριούνιον ὕπνος ἔμαρπτεν
but sleep seized not Hermes, the helper,
ὁρμαίνοντʼ ἀνὰ θυμὸν ὅπως Πρίαμον βασιλῆα
as he turned over in his mind how he might conduct king Priam
νηῶν ἐκπέμψειε λαθὼν ἱεροὺς πυλαωρούς.
forth from the ships, unmarked by the sacred gate-keepers.
στῆ δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν·
He stood above his head and spoke to him, saying:
ὦ γέρον οὔ νύ τι σοί γε μέλει κακόν, οἷον ἔθʼ εὕδεις
”Old man, you have then no thought of any evil, that you sleep thus
ἀνδράσιν ἐν δηΐοισιν, ἐπεί σʼ εἴασεν Ἀχιλλεύς.
among enemy men, since Achilles has spared you.
καὶ νῦν μὲν φίλον υἱὸν ἐλύσαο, πολλὰ δʼ ἔδωκας·
Now indeed you have ransomed your dear son, and have paid a great price;
σεῖο δέ κε ζωοῦ2 καὶ τρὶς τόσα δοῖεν ἄποινα
but for your own life the sons you have left behind would have to pay
παῖδες τοὶ μετόπισθε λελειμμένοι, αἴ κʼ Ἀγαμέμνων
three times as much ransom, if Agamemnon, son of Atreus,
γνώῃ σʼ Ἀτρεΐδης, γνώωσι δὲ πάντες Ἀχαιοί.
should know of you, and all the Achaeans know.”
ὣς ἔφατʼ, ἔδεισεν δʼ ὃ γέρων, κήρυκα δʼ ἀνίστη.
So he spoke, and the old man was afraid, and aroused the herald.
τοῖσιν δʼ Ἑρμείας ζεῦξʼ ἵππους ἡμιόνους τε,
Then for them Hermes yoked the horses and mules,
ῥίμφα δʼ ἄρʼ αὐτὸς ἔλαυνε κατὰ στρατόν, οὐδέ τις ἔγνω.
and himself drove them swiftly through the camp, and no man knew.
ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ πόρον ἷξον ἐϋρρεῖος ποταμοῖο
But when they came to the ford of the fair-flowing river,
Ξάνθου δινήεντος, ὃν ἀθάνατος τέκετο Ζεύς,
eddying Xanthus, begotten of immortal Zeus,
Ἑρμείας μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἀπέβη πρὸς μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον,
then Hermes departed to high Olympus,
Ἠὼς δὲ κροκόπεπλος ἐκίδνατο πᾶσαν ἐπʼ αἶαν,
and Dawn of the saffron robe was spreading over all the earth.
οἳ δʼ εἰς ἄστυ ἔλων οἰμωγῇ τε στοναχῇ τε
And they with wailing and groaning drove the horses to the city,
ἵππους, ἡμίονοι δὲ νέκυν φέρον. οὐδέ τις ἄλλος
and the mules bore the dead. Nor was any other
ἔγνω πρόσθʼ ἀνδρῶν καλλιζώνων τε γυναικῶν,
aware of them, either of men or of fair-girdled women;
ἀλλʼ ἄρα Κασσάνδρη ἰκέλη χρυσῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ
but Cassandra, like to golden Aphrodite,
Πέργαμον εἰσαναβᾶσα φίλον πατέρʼ εἰσενόησεν
went up to Pergamus and marked her dear father
ἑσταότʼ ἐν δίφρῳ, κήρυκά τε ἀστυβοώτην·
standing in the car, and the herald, the town-crier.
τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ἐφʼ ἡμιόνων ἴδε κείμενον ἐν λεχέεσσι·
And she saw him who lay upon the bed on the mule-cart;
κώκυσέν τʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειτα γέγωνέ τε πᾶν κατὰ ἄστυ·
then she uttered a shriek, and cried aloud throughout all the town:
ὄψεσθε Τρῶες καὶ Τρῳάδες Ἕκτορʼ ἰόντες,
”Come, Trojans, men and women, and look upon Hector,
εἴ ποτε καὶ ζώοντι μάχης ἐκνοστήσαντι
if ever you rejoiced when he came back alive from battle;
χαίρετʼ, ἐπεὶ μέγα χάρμα πόλει τʼ ἦν παντί τε δήμῳ.
for he was a great joy to the city and to all the folk.”
ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδέ τις αὐτόθʼ ἐνὶ πτόλεϊ λίπετʼ ἀνὴρ
So she spoke, and no man was left there in the city,
οὐδὲ γυνή· πάντας γὰρ ἀάσχετον ἵκετο πένθος·
nor any woman, for unbearable grief came upon them all;
ἀγχοῦ δὲ ξύμβληντο πυλάων νεκρὸν ἄγοντι.
and near the gates they met Priam as he brought the dead.
πρῶται τόν γʼ ἄλοχός τε φίλη καὶ πότνια μήτηρ
First of all his dear wife and queenly mother
τιλλέσθην ἐπʼ ἄμαξαν ἐΰτροχον ἀΐξασαι
flung themselves upon the well-wheeled wagon,
ἁπτόμεναι κεφαλῆς· κλαίων δʼ ἀμφίσταθʼ ὅμιλος.
and tore their hair, touching his head; and the throng stood around them weeping.
καί νύ κε δὴ πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα
And now the whole day long until the setting of the sun
Ἕκτορα δάκρυ χέοντες ὀδύροντο πρὸ πυλάων,
they would have wailed for Hector with shedding of tears before the gates,
εἰ μὴ ἄρʼ ἐκ δίφροιο γέρων λαοῖσι μετηύδα·3
had not the old man from his car spoken to the folk:
εἴξατέ μοι οὐρεῦσι διελθέμεν· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
”Yield me passage for the mules to go through; and thereafter
ἄσεσθε κλαυθμοῖο, ἐπὴν ἀγάγωμι δόμον δέ.
you shall satisfy yourselves with weeping, when I have brought him home.”
ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δὲ διέστησαν καὶ εἶξαν ἀπήνῃ.
So he spoke, and they parted and gave passage to the wagon.
οἳ δʼ ἐπεὶ εἰσάγαγον κλυτὰ δώματα, τὸν μὲν ἔπειτα
And when they had brought him to the glorious house,
τρητοῖς ἐν λεχέεσσι θέσαν, παρὰ δʼ εἷσαν ἀοιδοὺς
they laid him on a corded bed, and set by him singers
θρήνων ἐξάρχους, οἵ τε στονόεσσαν ἀοιδὴν
to lead the dirge, who wailed a doleful song,
οἳ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐθρήνεον, ἐπὶ δὲ στενάχοντο γυναῖκες.
and the women groaned in accompaniment.
τῇσιν δʼ Ἀνδρομάχη λευκώλενος ἦρχε γόοιο
And among them white-armed Andromache led the wailing,
Ἕκτορος ἀνδροφόνοιο κάρη μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχουσα·
holding in her hands the head of Hector, slayer of men:
ἆνερ ἀπʼ αἰῶνος νέος ὤλεο, κὰδ δέ με χήρην
”My husband, young in years you have perished from life, and leave me
λείπεις ἐν μεγάροισι· πάϊς δʼ ἔτι νήπιος αὔτως
a widow in your halls; and our child is still but a babe,
ὃν τέκομεν σύ τʼ ἐγώ τε δυσάμμοροι, οὐδέ μιν οἴω
the child of you and me, ill-fated ones, and I think not
ἥβην ἵξεσθαι·4 πρὶν γὰρ πόλις ἥδε κατʼ ἄκρης
he will grow to manhood. For before that this city
πέρσεται· ἦ γὰρ ὄλωλας ἐπίσκοπος, ὅς τέ μιν αὐτὴν
will be wasted utterly; for you have perished, its watcher,
ῥύσκευ, ἔχες δʼ ἀλόχους κεδνὰς καὶ νήπια τέκνα,
who guarded the city and kept safe its noble wives and little children.
αἳ δή τοι τάχα νηυσὶν ὀχήσονται γλαφυρῇσι,
These, I ween, will right soon be carried away in the hollow ships,
καὶ μὲν ἐγὼ μετὰ τῇσι· σὺ δʼ αὖ τέκος ἢ ἐμοὶ αὐτῇ
and I among them; and you, my child, will
ἕψεαι, ἔνθά κεν ἔργα ἀεικέα ἐργάζοιο
either follow with me, where you shall work unseemly tasks,
ἀθλεύων πρὸ ἄνακτος ἀμειλίχου, ἤ τις Ἀχαιῶν
laboring before the face of a harsh master, or else some Achaean
ῥίψει χειρὸς ἑλὼν ἀπὸ πύργου λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον
shall seize you by the arm and hurl you from the wall, a grievous death,
χωόμενος, ᾧ δή που ἀδελφεὸν ἔκτανεν Ἕκτωρ
in wrath because Hector slew his brother, or his father, or his
ἢ πατέρʼ ἠὲ καὶ υἱόν, ἐπεὶ μάλα πολλοὶ Ἀχαιῶν
son; since very many of the Achaeans...
- 24.672δείσειʼ
Elided form of δείσειε (aorist optative third-person singular). Introduced by the conjunction μή ("lest"), it forms a clause of purpose or fear. The subject is the preceding γέροντος (the old man), meaning "lest he should fear in his heart."
- 24.686σεῖο ... ζωοῦ
σεῖο is the genitive pronoun modifying ἄποινα ("ransom for you"), and ζωοῦ is the adjective ("living") agreeing with it. Together, they form a genitive construction carrying a conditional nuance ("if you were kept alive").
- 24.713καί νύ κε ... ὀδύροντο ... εἰ μὴ ... μετηύδα
A contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. The apodosis features the particle κε with the imperfect indicative ὀδύροντο, and the protasis features εἰ μή with the imperfect indicative μετηύδα. It expresses a past unreal condition: "and now they would have gone on lamenting... had not the old man spoken."
- 24.727οὐδέ μιν οἴω ἥβην ἵξεσθαι
An accusative with infinitive construction. The pronoun in the accusative μιν ("him", referring to Hector's son Astyanax) serves as the subject of the future infinitive ἵξεσθαι ("to reach"), dependent on the verb οἴω ("I think"). Thus: "nor do I think he will reach manhood."