- 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-grc2:24.738-24.804
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
After Andromache, Hecabe, and Helen offer their bitter laments for Hector, the Trojans, under Priam's instruction, gather wood and solemnly perform the cremation and burial rites for their fallen hero.
Ἕκτορος ἐν παλάμῃσιν ὀδὰξ ἕλον ἄσπετον οὖδας.1
...bit the boundless earth with their teeth under the hands of Hector.
οὐ γὰρ μείλιχος ἔσκε πατὴρ τεὸς ἐν δαῒ λυγρῇ·
For your father was not gentle in grievous battle;
τὼ καί μιν λαοὶ μὲν ὀδύρονται κατὰ ἄστυ,
therefore the people wail for him throughout the city,
ἀρητὸν δὲ τοκεῦσι γόον καὶ πένθος ἔθηκας
and you have brought unutterable lamentation and grief upon your parents,
Ἕκτορ· ἐμοὶ δὲ μάλιστα λελείψεται ἄλγεα λυγρά.
Hector; but for me most of all will grievous pains be left.
οὐ γάρ μοι θνῄσκων λεχέων ἐκ χεῖρας ὄρεξας,
For in your dying you did not stretch out your hands to me from our bed,
οὐδέ τί μοι εἶπες πυκινὸν ἔπος, οὗ τέ κεν αἰεὶ
nor did you speak any wise word to me, which I might have ever
μεμνῄμην2 νύκτάς τε καὶ ἤματα δάκρυ χέουσα.
remembered night and day, shedding tears.
ὣς ἔφατο κλαίουσʼ, ἐπὶ δὲ στενάχοντο γυναῖκες.
So she spoke weeping, and the women lamented in accompaniment.
τῇσιν δʼ αὖθʼ Ἑκάβη ἁδινοῦ ἐξῆρχε γόοιο·
And among them in turn Hecabe led the vehement wailing:
Ἕκτορ ἐμῷ θυμῷ πάντων πολὺ φίλτατε παίδων,
”Hector, far dearest of all my children to my heart,
ἦ μέν μοι ζωός περ ἐὼν φίλος ἦσθα θεοῖσιν·
truly while you lived you were dear to the gods;
οἳ δʼ ἄρα σεῦ κήδοντο καὶ ἐν θανάτοιό περ αἴσῃ.
and they cared for you even in the doom of death.
ἄλλους μὲν γὰρ παῖδας ἐμοὺς πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεὺς
For other of my sons swift-footed Achilles
πέρνασχʼ ὅν τινʼ ἕλεσκε πέρην ἁλὸς ἀτρυγέτοιο,
would sell, whomsoever he took, beyond the unresting sea,
ἐς Σάμον ἔς τʼ Ἴμβρον καὶ Λῆμνον ἀμιχθαλόεσσαν·
to Samos and Imbros and Lemnos shrouded in smoke;
σεῦ δʼ ἐπεὶ ἐξέλετο ψυχὴν ταναήκεϊ χαλκῷ,
but when he had taken away your life with the long-edged bronze,
πολλὰ ῥυστάζεσκεν ἑοῦ περὶ σῆμʼ ἑτάροιο
many times he dragged you about the tomb of his comrade
Πατρόκλου, τὸν ἔπεφνες· ἀνέστησεν δέ μιν οὐδʼ ὧς.
Patroclus, whom you slew; yet even so he did not raise him up.
νῦν δέ μοι ἑρσήεις καὶ πρόσφατος ἐν μεγάροισι
And now all dewy and fresh you lie for me in the halls,
κεῖσαι, τῷ ἴκελος ὅν τʼ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων
like to one whom Apollo of the silver bow
οἷς ἀγανοῖσι βέλεσσιν ἐποιχόμενος κατέπεφνεν.
has visited and slain with his gentle shafts.”
ὣς ἔφατο κλαίουσα, γόον δʼ ἀλίαστον ὄρινε.
So she spoke weeping, and aroused relentless lamentation.
τῇσι δʼ ἔπειθʼ Ἑλένη τριτάτη ἐξῆρχε γόοιο·
And among them then Helen was the third to lead the wailing:
Ἕκτορ ἐμῷ θυμῷ δαέρων πολὺ φίλτατε πάντων,
”Hector, far dearest of all my husband’s brothers to my heart,
ἦ μέν μοι πόσις ἐστὶν Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδής,
truly my husband is godlike Alexander,
ὅς μʼ ἄγαγε Τροίηνδʼ· ὡς πρὶν ὤφελλον ὀλέσθαι.3
who brought me to Troy; would that I had perished before!
ἤδη γὰρ νῦν μοι τόδε εἰκοστὸν ἔτος ἐστὶν
For now indeed this is the twentieth year for me
ἐξ οὗ κεῖθεν ἔβην καὶ ἐμῆς ἀπελήλυθα πάτρης·
since I went thence and have been gone from my native land;
ἀλλʼ οὔ πω σεῦ ἄκουσα κακὸν ἔπος οὐδʼ ἀσύφηλον·
yet never yet did I hear from you an evil word or a harsh one;
ἀλλʼ εἴ τίς με καὶ ἄλλος ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἐνίπτοι
nay, if any other in the halls upbraided me,
δαέρων ἢ γαλόων ἢ εἰνατέρων εὐπέπλων,
of my husband’s brothers or sisters or his brothers’ fair-robed wives,
ἢ ἑκυρή, ἑκυρὸς δὲ πατὴρ ὣς ἤπιος αἰεί,
or his mother—but his father was ever gentle as a father—
ἀλλὰ σὺ τὸν ἐπέεσσι παραιφάμενος κατέρυκες4
yet you would turn them with words and restrain them
σῇ τʼ ἀγανοφροσύνῃ καὶ σοῖς ἀγανοῖς ἐπέεσσι.
by your gentleness of spirit and your gentle words.
τὼ σέ θʼ ἅμα κλαίω καὶ ἔμʼ ἄμμορον ἀχνυμένη κῆρ·
Therefore I weep at once for you and for my luckless self, grieving in heart;
οὐ γάρ τίς μοι ἔτʼ ἄλλος ἐνὶ Τροίῃ εὐρείῃ
for no longer is there any other in wide Troy
ἤπιος οὐδὲ φίλος, πάντες δέ με πεφρίκασιν.
gentle or kind to me, but all men shudder at me.”
ὣς ἔφατο κλαίουσʼ, ἐπὶ δʼ ἔστενε δῆμος ἀπείρων.
So she spoke weeping, and the countless throng lamented in accompaniment.
λαοῖσιν δʼ ὃ γέρων Πρίαμος μετὰ μῦθον ἔειπεν·
And among the folk the old man Priam spoke, saying:
ἄξετε νῦν Τρῶες ξύλα ἄστυ δέ, μὴ δέ τι θυμῷ
”Bring wood now, Trojans, to the city, and fear not in your hearts
δείσητʼ Ἀργείων πυκινὸν λόχον· ἦ γὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς
any close ambush of the Argives; for Achilles
πέμπων μʼ ὧδʼ ἐπέτελλε μελαινάων ἀπὸ νηῶν
in sending me forth from the black ships laid this charge upon me,
μὴ πρὶν πημανέειν πρὶν δωδεκάτη μόλῃ ἠώς.
that he would do us no hurt until the twelfth dawn should come.”
ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ὑπʼ ἀμάξῃσιν βόας ἡμιόνους τε
So he spoke, and they yoked oxen and mules to the wagons,
ζεύγνυσαν, αἶψα δʼ ἔπειτα πρὸ ἄστεος ἠγερέθοντο.
and straightway gathered before the city.
ἐννῆμαρ μὲν τοί γε ἀγίνεον ἄσπετον ὕλην·
For nine days they brought boundless store of wood;
ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ δεκάτη ἐφάνη φαεσίμβροτος ἠώς,
but when the tenth dawn that brings light to mortals appeared,
καὶ τότʼ ἄρʼ ἐξέφερον θρασὺν Ἕκτορα δάκρυ χέοντες,
then indeed they carried forth brave Hector, shedding tears,
ἐν δὲ πυρῇ ὑπάτῃ νεκρὸν θέσαν, ἐν δʼ ἔβαλον πῦρ.
and laid the dead on the top of the pyre, and cast fire thereon.
ἦμος δʼ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,
And when early-born, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,
τῆμος ἄρʼ ἀμφὶ πυρὴν κλυτοῦ Ἕκτορος ἔγρετο λαός.
then gathered the folk about the pyre of glorious Hector.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ἤγερθεν ὁμηγερέες τʼ ἐγένοντο
But when they were gathered and came together,
πρῶτον μὲν κατὰ πυρκαϊὴν σβέσαν αἴθοπι οἴνῳ
first they quenched with gleaming wine
πᾶσαν, ὁπόσσον ἐπέσχε πυρὸς μένος· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
all the burning, as far as the force of the fire had gone; and thereafter
ὀστέα λευκὰ λέγοντο κασίγνητοί θʼ ἕταροί τε
his brothers and comrades gathered the white bones,
μυρόμενοι, θαλερὸν δὲ κατείβετο δάκρυ παρειῶν.
mourning, and the big tear flowed down their cheeks.
καὶ τά γε χρυσείην ἐς λάρνακα θῆκαν ἑλόντες
And they took them and laid them in a golden chest,
πορφυρέοις πέπλοισι καλύψαντες μαλακοῖσιν.
wrapping them in soft purple robes.
αἶψα δʼ ἄρʼ ἐς κοίλην κάπετον θέσαν, αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε
And straightway they laid it in a hollow grave, and from above
πυκνοῖσιν λάεσσι κατεστόρεσαν μεγάλοισι·
covered it with great stones closely set;
ῥίμφα δὲ σῆμʼ ἔχεαν, περὶ δὲ σκοποὶ ἥατο πάντῃ,
and swiftly they heaped the mound, and sentries sat around on every side,
μὴ πρὶν ἐφορμηθεῖεν ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοί.
lest the well-greaved Achaeans should set upon them before the time.
χεύαντες δὲ τὸ σῆμα πάλιν κίον· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
And when they had heaped the mound, they went back; and thereafter
εὖ συναγειρόμενοι δαίνυντʼ ἐρικυδέα δαῖτα
being well gathered together they feasted on a glorious feast
δώμασιν ἐν Πριάμοιο διοτρεφέος βασιλῆος.
in the palace of Priam, the king nurtured of Zeus.
ὣς οἵ γʼ ἀμφίεπον τάφον Ἕκτορος ἱπποδάμοιο.
Thus they held the funeral of Hector, tamer of horses.
- 24.738Ἕκτορος ἐν παλάμῃσιν ὀδὰξ ἕλον ἄσπετον οὖδας
This clause receives the plural subject "many Achaeans" from the unfinished thought in the previous line (§24.737). The phrase "to bite the boundless earth with one's teeth" (ὀδὰξ ἑλεῖν οὖδας) is a traditional Homeric formulaic expression for falling in battle.
- 24.744οὗ τέ κεν αἰεὶ μεμνῄμην
The optative μεμνῄμην accompanied by the modal particle κεν expresses a past unfulfilled potential or hypothetical result ("which I would have always remembered"). The relative pronoun οὗ takes the noun ἔπος ("word") in the preceding clause as its antecedent.
- 24.764ὡς πρὶν ὤφελλον ὀλέσθαι
This construction expresses a strong, unfulfilled wish in the past ("would that I had perished before"). Such unfulfilled wishes are expressed by using the past indicative form of ὀφείλω (here 1st person singular ὤφελλον) with an infinitive (here the aorist infinitive ὀλέσθαι). The introductory ὡς serves as an emphatic particle to strengthen the wish.
- 24.771ἀλλὰ σὺ τὸν ἐπέεσσι παραιφάμενος κατέρυκες
This serves as the apodosis to the conditional optative clause starting at §24.768 (εἴ τίς ... ἐνίπτοι, "if anyone upbraided me"). Instead of a potential optative, the indicative past (κατέρυκες) is employed to present Hector's past interventions as a repeated, historical fact. The conjunction ἀλλά at the beginning of the apodosis is apodotic, emphasizing the contrast with the preceding hypothetical insults ("on the contrary, you used to restrain them").