Prayer to Athena and Hector's Rebuke of Paris — Homer, Iliad Book 6 (lines 271–336), Greek & English

271

πέπλον δʼ, ὅς τίς τοι χαριέστατος ἠδὲ μέγιστος

And the robe, whichever is most beautiful and largest to you

ἔστιν ἐνὶ μεγάρῳ καί τοι πολὺ φίλτατος αὐτῇ,

in the hall, and is far the dearest to yourself,

τὸν θὲς¹ Ἀθηναίης ἐπὶ γούνασιν ἠϋκόμοιο,

place that upon the knees of fair-haired Athena,

καί οἱ ὑποσχέσθαι δυοκαίδεκα βοῦς ἐνὶ νηῷ

and vow to her to sacrifice in her temple twelve

275

ἤνις ἠκέστας ἱερευσέμεν, αἴ κʼ ἐλεήσῃ

yearling, ungoaded heifers, if she will have pity on

ἄστύ τε καὶ Τρώων ἀλόχους καὶ νήπια τέκνα,

the city and the wives of the Trojans and their infant children,

αἴ κεν Τυδέος υἱὸν ἀπόσχῃ Ἰλίου ἱρῆς

if she will hold back the son of Tydeus from sacred Ilios,

ἄγριον αἰχμητὴν κρατερὸν μήστωρα φόβοιο.

that wild spearman, the mighty deviser of rout.

ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν πρὸς νηὸν Ἀθηναίης ἀγελείης

But go you to the temple of Athena, driver of the spoil,

280

ἔρχευ, ἐγὼ δὲ Πάριν μετελεύσομαι ὄφρα καλέσσω

while I will go after Paris, that I may summon him,

αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσʼ εἰπόντος ἀκουέμεν· ὥς κέ οἱ αὖθι

if he will be minded to hear my words. Would that the earth

γαῖα χάνοι·² μέγα γάρ μιν Ὀλύμπιος ἔτρεφε πῆμα

might gape for him on the spot! For a great bane did the Olympian rear him

Τρωσί τε καὶ Πριάμῳ μεγαλήτορι τοῖό τε παισίν.

for the Trojans, and for great-hearted Priam, and his children.

εἰ κεῖνόν γε ἴδοιμι κατελθόντʼ Ἄϊδος εἴσω

If I could but see him going down into the house of Hades,

285

φαίην κε φρένʼ ἀτέρπου ὀϊζύος ἐκλελαθέσθαι.

I should say that my heart had forgotten its joyless woe.”

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, ἣ δὲ μολοῦσα ποτὶ μέγαρʼ ἀμφιπόλοισι

So he spoke, and she went to the hall, and called to her handmaidens;

κέκλετο· ταὶ δʼ ἄρʼ ἀόλλισσαν κατὰ ἄστυ γεραιάς.

and they gathered the elder women throughout the city.

αὐτὴ δʼ ἐς θάλαμον κατεβήσετο κηώεντα,

But she herself went down into her fragrant chamber,

ἔνθʼ ἔσάν οἱ πέπλοι παμποίκιλα ἔργα γυναικῶν

where were her robes, richly embroidered, the handiwork of women

290

Σιδονίων, τὰς αὐτὸς Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδὴς

of Sidon, whom godlike Alexander himself

ἤγαγε Σιδονίηθεν ἐπιπλὼς εὐρέα πόντον,

had brought from Sidon, sailing over the wide sea,

τὴν ὁδὸν ἣν Ἑλένην περ ἀνήγαγεν εὐπατέρειαν·

on that journey on which he brought back Helen of noble lineage.

τῶν ἕνʼ ἀειραμένη Ἑκάβη φέρε δῶρον Ἀθήνῃ,

Of these Hecabe took one, and brought it as a gift for Athena,

ὃς κάλλιστος ἔην ποικίλμασιν ἠδὲ μέγιστος,

that one which was the most beautiful in its embroideries, and the largest,

295

ἀστὴρ δʼ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν· ἔκειτο δὲ νείατος ἄλλων.

and shone like a star; and it lay undermost of all.

βῆ δʼ ἰέναι, πολλαὶ δὲ μετεσσεύοντο γεραιαί.

And she set forth to go, and many elder women hastened after her.

αἱ δʼ ὅτε νηὸν ἵκανον Ἀθήνης ἐν πόλει ἄκρῃ,

And when they came to the temple of Athena on the citadel,

τῇσι θύρας ὤϊξε Θεανὼ καλλιπάρῃος

Theano of the fair cheeks opened the doors for them,

Κισσηῒς ἄλοχος Ἀντήνορος ἱπποδάμοιο·

daughter of Cisseus, wife of Antenor, tamer of horses;

300

τὴν γὰρ Τρῶες ἔθηκαν Ἀθηναίης ἱέρειαν.

for the Trojans had made her priestess of Athena.

αἳ δʼ ὀλολυγῇ πᾶσαι Ἀθήνῃ χεῖρας ἀνέσχον·

Then with crying all of them lifted up their hands to Athena;

ἣ δʼ ἄρα πέπλον ἑλοῦσα Θεανὼ καλλιπάρῃος

and Theano of the fair cheeks took the robe

θῆκεν Ἀθηναίης ἐπὶ γούνασιν ἠϋκόμοιο,

and laid it on the knees of fair-haired Athena,

εὐχομένη δʼ ἠρᾶτο Διὸς κούρῃ μεγάλοιο·

and with prayer made supplication to the daughter of great Zeus:

305

πότνιʼ Ἀθηναίη ἐρυσίπτολι δῖα θεάων

“Lady Athena, protectress of the city, fairest among goddesses,

ἆξον δὴ ἔγχος Διομήδεος, ἠδὲ καὶ αὐτὸν

break now the spear of Diomedes, and grant also that he himself

πρηνέα δὸς πεσέειν Σκαιῶν προπάροιθε πυλάων,

may fall headlong before the Scaean gates;

ὄφρά τοι αὐτίκα νῦν δυοκαίδεκα βοῦς ἐνὶ νηῷ

so that we may now immediately sacrifice to you in your temple twelve

ἤνις ἠκέστας ἱερεύσομεν, αἴ κʼ ἐλεήσῃς

yearling, ungoaded heifers, if you will have pity on

310

ἄστύ τε καὶ Τρώων ἀλόχους καὶ νήπια τέκνα.

the city and the wives of the Trojans and their infant children.”

ὣς ἔφατʼ εὐχομένη, ἀνένευε δὲ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.

So she spoke praying, but Pallas Athena denied the prayer.

ὣς αἳ μέν ῥʼ εὔχοντο Διὸς κούρῃ μεγάλοιο,

Thus they made prayer to the daughter of great Zeus;

Ἕκτωρ δὲ πρὸς δώματʼ Ἀλεξάνδροιο βεβήκει

but Hector had gone to the beautiful palace of Alexander,

καλά, τά ῥʼ αὐτὸς ἔτευξε σὺν ἀνδράσιν οἳ τότʼ ἄριστοι

which he himself had built with the men who were then the best

315

ἦσαν ἐνὶ Τροίῃ ἐριβώλακι τέκτονες ἄνδρες,

carpenters in deep-soil Troy;

οἵ οἱ ἐποίησαν θάλαμον καὶ δῶμα καὶ αὐλὴν

these had made him his chamber and hall and court

ἐγγύθι τε Πριάμοιο καὶ Ἕκτορος ἐν πόλει ἄκρῃ.

near to those of Priam and Hector on the citadel.

ἔνθʼ Ἕκτωρ εἰσῆλθε Διῒ φίλος, ἐν δʼ ἄρα χειρὶ

There entered Hector, dear to Zeus, and in his hand

ἔγχος ἔχʼ ἑνδεκάπηχυ· πάροιθε δὲ λάμπετο δουρὸς

he held a spear of eleven cubits, and before him shone the bronze point

320

αἰχμὴ χαλκείη, περὶ δὲ χρύσεος θέε πόρκης.

of the spear, and a ring of gold ran round it.

τὸν δʼ εὗρʼ ἐν θαλάμῳ περικαλλέα τεύχεʼ ἕποντα

And he found him in his chamber, busy with his beautiful armor,

ἀσπίδα καὶ θώρηκα, καὶ ἀγκύλα τόξʼ ἁφόωντα·

his shield and breastplate, and handling his curved bow;

Ἀργείη δʼ Ἑλένη μετʼ ἄρα δμῳῇσι γυναιξὶν

and Argive Helen sat among her handmaidens,

ἧστο καὶ ἀμφιπόλοισι περικλυτὰ ἔργα κέλευε.

and appointed to them their glorious handiworks.

325

τὸν δʼ Ἕκτωρ νείκεσσεν ἰδὼν αἰσχροῖς ἐπέεσσι·

At him Hector, when he saw him, mocked with words of shame:

δαιμόνιʼ οὐ μὲν καλὰ χόλον τόνδʼ ἔνθεο θυμῷ,

“Strange man, you do not well to nurse this anger in your heart;

λαοὶ μὲν φθινύθουσι περὶ πτόλιν αἰπύ τε τεῖχος

the people are perishing as they fight about the city and the steep wall,

μαρνάμενοι· σέο δʼ εἵνεκʼ ἀϋτή τε πτόλεμός τε

and because of you the battle cry and war

ἄστυ τόδʼ ἀμφιδέδηε· σὺ δʼ ἂν μαχέσαιο καὶ ἄλλῳ,

blaze about this city; and you would yourself fight with another

330

ὅν τινά που μεθιέντα ἴδοις³ στυγεροῦ πολέμοιο.

whomever you might see shrinking from hateful war.

ἀλλʼ ἄνα μὴ τάχα ἄστυ πυρὸς δηΐοιο θέρηται.

But arise, lest soon the city be burned with raging fire.”

τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπεν Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδής·

To him in turn godlike Alexander spoke:

Ἕκτορ ἐπεί με κατʼ αἶσαν ἐνείκεσας οὐδʼ ὑπὲρ αἶσαν,

“Hector, since you have chided me fairly, and not beyond measure,

τοὔνεκά τοι ἐρέω· σὺ δὲ σύνθεο καί μευ ἄκουσον·

therefore will I tell you; and do you mark what I say and hear me.

335

οὔ τοι ἐγὼ Τρώων τόσσον χόλῳ οὐδὲ νεμέσσι

I was not sitting in my chamber out of anger or resentment toward the Trojans,

ἥμην ἐν θαλάμῳ, ἔθελον δʼ ἄχεϊ προτραπέσθαι.

but I was minded to yield myself to my sorrow.

Syntax notes3 items

6.271πέπλον ... τὸν θὲς
The accusative noun πέπλον placed at the very beginning of the sentence is picked up again by the demonstrative pronoun τὸν (accusative) in line 273 after the intervening relative clause (ὅς... αὐτῇ). This structure is a type of anacoluthon (or prolepsis) used to emphasize the main object before it is heavily modified.
6.281ὥς κέ οἱ αὖθι / γαῖα χάνοι
The conjunction ὥς combined with the particle κέ (equivalent to ἄν) and the optative χάνοι expresses an unattainable wish ('would that the earth might gape for him'). In Homeric Greek, ὡς + ἄν/κε with the optative can be used in independent clauses to express a strong wish.
6.329σὺ δʼ ἂν μαχέσαιο καὶ ἄλλῳ, / ὅν τινά που μεθιέντα ἴδοις
The combination of the optative with ἄν in the main clause (ἂν μαχέσαιο) and the optative in the relative clause (ἴδοις) accompanied by the participle μεθιέντα. This forms a potential conditional construction ('you would fight with any other man, whomsoever you might see shrinking from war'), serving as a contrast to rebuke Paris's own inactivity.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.271-6.336