Hector's Prayer for His Son and Return to Battle with Paris — Homer, Iliad Book 6 (lines 466–529), Greek & English

466

ὣς εἰπὼν οὗ παιδὸς ὀρέξατο φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ·

So saying, glorious Hector stretched out his arms to his boy;

ἂψ δʼ ὃ πάϊς πρὸς κόλπον ἐϋζώνοιο τιθήνης

but the child shrunk back crying into the bosom of his fair-girdled nurse,

ἐκλίνθη ἰάχων πατρὸς φίλου ὄψιν ἀτυχθεὶς¹

affrighted at the sight of his dear father,

ταρβήσας χαλκόν τε ἰδὲ λόφον ἱππιοχαίτην,

dreading the bronze and the crest of horsehair,

470

δεινὸν ἀπʼ ἀκροτάτης κόρυθος νεύοντα νοήσας.

when he marked it waving dreadfully from the topmost crest of the helm.

ἐκ δʼ ἐγέλασσε πατήρ τε φίλος καὶ πότνια μήτηρ·

Then his dear father laughed aloud, and his honored mother;

αὐτίκʼ ἀπὸ κρατὸς κόρυθʼ εἵλετο φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ,

and straightway glorious Hector took the helm from his head,

καὶ τὴν μὲν κατέθηκεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ παμφανόωσαν·

and laid it all-gleaming upon the ground;

αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ ὃν φίλον υἱὸν ἐπεὶ κύσε πῆλέ τε χερσὶν

but when he had kissed his dear son and dandled him in his arms,

475

εἶπε δʼ ἐπευξάμενος Διί τʼ ἄλλοισίν τε θεοῖσι·

he spoke in prayer to Zeus and to the other gods:

Ζεῦ ἄλλοι τε θεοὶ δότε δὴ καὶ τόνδε γενέσθαι

“Zeus and you other gods, grant that this my child too may become

παῖδʼ ἐμὸν ὡς καὶ ἐγώ περ ἀριπρεπέα Τρώεσσιν,

preeminent among the Trojans, even as am I,

ὧδε βίην τʼ ἀγαθόν, καὶ Ἰλίου ἶφι ἀνάσσειν·

and in strength as valiant, and let him rule mightily over Ilios;

καί ποτέ τις εἴποι πατρός γʼ ὅδε πολλὸν ἀμείνων

and may some one say of him as he returns from war: ‘This man is far better than his father’;

480

ἐκ πολέμου ἀνιόντα· φέροι δʼ ἔναρα βροτόεντα

and may he bear home the bloody spoils

κτείνας δήϊον ἄνδρα, χαρείη δὲ φρένα μήτηρ.

of the foeman he has slain, and may his mother’s heart be glad.”

ὣς εἰπὼν ἀλόχοιο φίλης ἐν χερσὶν ἔθηκε

So saying, he laid his child in the hands of his dear wife;

παῖδʼ ἑόν· ἣ δʼ ἄρα μιν κηώδεϊ δέξατο κόλπῳ

and she took him to her fragrant bosom,

δακρυόεν γελάσασα· πόσις δʼ ἐλέησε νοήσας,

laughing through her tears; and her husband had pity on her when he saw it,

485

χειρί τέ μιν κατέρεξεν ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζε·

and he stroked her with his hand, and spoke to her, and called her by name, saying:

δαιμονίη μή μοί τι λίην ἀκαχίζεο θυμῷ·

“Dear wife, grieve not, I pray you, overmuch in your heart;

οὐ γάρ τίς μʼ ὑπὲρ αἶσαν ἀνὴρ Ἄϊδι προϊάψει·

for no man shall send me to Hades before my time;

μοῖραν δʼ οὔ τινά φημι πεφυγμένον ἔμμεναι ἀνδρῶν,

but as for fate, I deem there is no man that has escaped it,

οὐ κακὸν οὐδὲ μὲν ἐσθλόν, ἐπὴν τὰ πρῶτα γένηται.²

coward or brave, once he has been born.

490

ἀλλʼ εἰς οἶκον ἰοῦσα τὰ σʼ αὐτῆς ἔργα κόμιζε

Nay, go to the house, and busy yourself with your own tasks,

ἱστόν τʼ ἠλακάτην τε, καὶ ἀμφιπόλοισι κέλευε

the loom and the distaff, and bid your handmaids

ἔργον ἐποίχεσθαι· πόλεμος δʼ ἄνδρεσσι μελήσει

ply their work; but war shall be for men,

πᾶσι, μάλιστα δʼ ἐμοί, τοὶ Ἰλίῳ ἐγγεγάασιν.

for all, and most of all for me, of those who dwell in Ilios.”

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας κόρυθʼ εἵλετο φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ

So saying, glorious Hector took up his helmet with horsehair crest;

495

ἵππουριν· ἄλοχος δὲ φίλη οἶκον δὲ βεβήκει

and his dear wife went her way to her house,

ἐντροπαλιζομένη, θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέουσα.

oft turning back, and shedding big tears.

αἶψα δʼ ἔπειθʼ ἵκανε δόμους εὖ ναιετάοντας

And straightway she came to the well-built house

Ἕκτορος ἀνδροφόνοιο, κιχήσατο δʼ ἔνδοθι πολλὰς

of man-slaying Hector, and found therein many

ἀμφιπόλους, τῇσιν δὲ γόον πάσῃσιν ἐνῶρσεν.

handmaids, and in them all she aroused lamentation.

500

αἳ μὲν ἔτι ζωὸν γόον Ἕκτορα ᾧ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ·

So they wailed for Hector in his own house, while yet he lived;

οὐ γάρ μιν ἔτʼ ἔφαντο ὑπότροπον ἐκ πολέμοιο

for they deemed that he should no more come back from war,

ἵξεσθαι προφυγόντα μένος καὶ χεῖρας Ἀχαιῶν.

escaped from the fury and the hands of the Achaeans.

οὐδὲ Πάρις δήθυνεν ἐν ὑψηλοῖσι δόμοισιν,

Nor did Paris linger in his lofty house,

ἀλλʼ ὅ γʼ, ἐπεὶ κατέδυ κλυτὰ τεύχεα ποικίλα χαλκῷ,

but when he had put on his glorious armor, richly dight with bronze,

505

σεύατʼ ἔπειτʼ ἀνὰ ἄστυ ποσὶ κραιπνοῖσι πεποιθώς.

then he hasted through the city, trusting in his fleetness of foot.

ὡς δʼ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος³ ἀκοστήσας ἐπὶ φάτνῃ

And even as a stalled horse that has fed his fill at the manger

δεσμὸν ἀπορρήξας θείῃ πεδίοιο κροαίνων

breaks his halter and runs galloping clattering over the plain,

εἰωθὼς λούεσθαι ἐϋρρεῖος ποταμοῖο

being wont to bathe in the fair-flowing river,

κυδιόων· ὑψοῦ δὲ κάρη ἔχει, ἀμφὶ δὲ χαῖται

and exults; high does he bear his head, and about his shoulders

510

ὤμοις ἀΐσσονται· ὃ δʼ ἀγλαΐηφι πεποιθὼς

his mane flutters; and trusting in his glory

ῥίμφά ἑ γοῦνα φέρει μετά τʼ ἤθεα καὶ νομὸν ἵππων·

full lightly do his knees bear him to the haunts and pastures of mares;

ὣς υἱὸς Πριάμοιο Πάρις κατὰ Περγάμου ἄκρης

even so Priam’s son Paris, all-gleaming in his armor

τεύχεσι παμφαίνων ὥς τʼ ἠλέκτωρ ἐβεβήκει

like the gleaming sun, strode down from high Pergamus,

καγχαλόων, ταχέες δὲ πόδες φέρον· αἶψα δʼ ἔπειτα

laughing aloud, and his fleet feet bore him; and straightway then

515

Ἕκτορα δῖον ἔτετμεν ἀδελφεὸν εὖτʼ ἄρʼ ἔμελλε

he overtook his brother, noble Hector, even as he was about

στρέψεσθʼ ἐκ χώρης ὅθι ᾗ ὀάριζε γυναικί.

to turn back from the place where he had dallied with his wife.

τὸν πρότερος προσέειπεν Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδής·

To him first spoke godlike Alexander, saying:

ἠθεῖʼ ἦ μάλα δή σε καὶ ἐσσύμενον κατερύκω

“Dear brother, verily I delay you in your haste

δηθύνων, οὐδʼ ἦλθον ἐναίσιμον ὡς ἐκέλευες;

by my lingering, and came not in due season as you bade.”

520

τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ·

To him then made answer Hector of the flashing helm:

δαιμόνιʼ οὐκ ἄν τίς τοι ἀνὴρ ὃς ἐναίσιμος εἴη

“Strange brother, no man that is fair-minded could

ἔργον ἀτιμήσειε⁴ μάχης, ἐπεὶ ἄλκιμός ἐσσι·

make light of your work in battle, for you are valiant;

ἀλλὰ ἑκὼν μεθιεῖς τε καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλεις· τὸ δʼ ἐμὸν κῆρ

but of your own choice you are slack, and care not; and my heart

ἄχνυται ἐν θυμῷ, ὅθʼ ὑπὲρ σέθεν αἴσχεʼ ἀκούω

is grieved within me when I hear shames concerning you

525

πρὸς Τρώων, οἳ ἔχουσι πολὺν πόνον εἵνεκα σεῖο.

from the lips of the Trojans, who have much sore toil because of you.

ἀλλʼ ἴομεν· τὰ δʼ ὄπισθεν ἀρεσσόμεθʼ, αἴ κέ ποθι Ζεὺς

But let us go; these things we will make good hereafter, if Zeus

δώῃ ἐπουρανίοισι θεοῖς αἰειγενέτῃσι

grant to the heavenly gods that are for ever,

κρητῆρα στήσασθαι ἐλεύθερον ἐν μεγάροισιν

to set up a bowl of freedom in our halls,

ἐκ Τροίης ἐλάσαντας ἐϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιούς.

when we have driven out from the land of Troy the well-greaved Achaeans.”

Syntax notes4 items

6.468ὄψιν ἀτυχθείς
'ὄψιν' (sight, appearance) functions as an accusative of specification (or respect) modifying the passive participle 'ἀτυχθείς' (frightened, bewildered). It indicates the specific aspect (the sight of his father) that caused the child's fright.
6.489ἐπὴν τὰ πρῶτα γένηται
'ἐπὴν' (from 'ἐπεί' + 'ἄν') is used with the subjunctive 'γένηται' to form a temporal-conditional clause meaning 'once/as soon as.' 'τὰ πρῶτα' functions adverbially as 'first' or 'at the very first,' so the phrase means 'once he has first been born' (i.e., from the moment of birth).
6.506ὡς δʼ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος
This marks the beginning of a classic Homeric extended simile, comparing Paris to a runaway stallion. The structure shifts fluidly between subjunctive and indicative verbs (e.g., subjunctive 'θείῃ', participle 'κροαίνων', indicatives 'ἔχει', 'ἀΐσσονται', 'φέρει'), presenting a vivid and dynamic sequence of actions that ultimately connects back to Paris in line 512.
6.521οὐκ ἄν τίς τοι ἀνὴρ ... ἔργον ἀτιμήσειε
The potential optative 'ἄν' + 'ἀτιμήσειε' expresses a hypothetical statement ('no man would make light of...'). The relative clause 'ὃς ἐναίσιμος εἴη' (whoever is fair-minded) also uses the optative 'εἴη' due to assimilation to the optative of the main clause.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.466-6.529