Cremation of the Dead and Building of the Achaean Wall — Homer, Iliad Book 7 (lines 413–482), Greek & English

413

ἄψορρον δʼ Ἰδαῖος ἔβη προτὶ Ἴλιον ἱρήν.

And back Idaeus went to sacred Ilios.

οἳ δʼ ἕατʼ εἰν ἀγορῇ Τρῶες καὶ Δαρδανίωνες

And they sat in assembly, Trojans and Dardanians,

415

πάντες ὁμηγερέες, ποτιδέγμενοι ὁππότʼ ἄρʼ ἔλθοι¹

all gathered together, waiting for when Idaeus

Ἰδαῖος· ὃ δʼ ἄρʼ ἦλθε καὶ ἀγγελίην ἀπέειπε

should return; and he came and declared his message

στὰς ἐν μέσσοισιν· τοὶ δʼ ὁπλίζοντο μάλʼ ὦκα,

standing in their midst; and they armed themselves right quickly,

ἀμφότερον νέκυάς τʼ ἀγέμεν ἕτεροι δὲ μεθʼ ὕλην·²

both to bring the dead, and others to go for wood.

Ἀργεῖοι δʼ ἑτέρωθεν ἐϋσσέλμων ἀπὸ νηῶν

And the Argives on the other side from their well-timbered ships

420

ὀτρύνοντο νέκυς τʼ ἀγέμεν, ἕτεροι δὲ μεθʼ ὕλην.

roused themselves to bring the dead, and others to go for wood.

Ἠέλιος μὲν ἔπειτα νέον προσέβαλλεν ἀρούρας

Then the Sun was newly striking the fields

ἐξ ἀκαλαρρείταο βαθυρρόου Ὠκεανοῖο

from the softly-flowing, deep-streamed Ocean,

οὐρανὸν εἰσανιών· οἳ δʼ ἤντεον ἀλλήλοισιν.

ascending into heaven; and they met with one another.

ἔνθα διαγνῶναι χαλεπῶς ἦν ἄνδρα ἕκαστον·

There it was hard to recognize each man;

425

ἀλλʼ ὕδατι νίζοντες ἄπο βρότον αἱματόεντα

but washing off the bloody gore with water,

δάκρυα θερμὰ χέοντες ἀμαξάων ἐπάειραν.

and shedding warm tears, they lifted them onto the wagons.

οὐδʼ εἴα κλαίειν Πρίαμος μέγας· οἳ δὲ σιωπῇ

But great Priam did not allow them to weep; so in silence

νεκροὺς πυρκαϊῆς ἐπινήνεον ἀχνύμενοι κῆρ,

they piled the dead upon the pyre, sorrowing in heart,

ἐν δὲ πυρὶ πρήσαντες ἔβαν προτὶ Ἴλιον ἱρήν.

and having burned them with fire, they went back to sacred Ilios.

430

ὣς δʼ αὔτως ἑτέρωθεν ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοὶ

And in like manner on the other side the well-greaved Achaeans

νεκροὺς πυρκαϊῆς ἐπινήνεον ἀχνύμενοι κῆρ,

piled the dead upon the pyre, sorrowing in heart,

ἐν δὲ πυρὶ πρήσαντες ἔβαν κοίλας ἐπὶ νῆας.

and having burned them with fire, they went back to the hollow ships.

ἦμος δʼ οὔτʼ ἄρ πω ἠώς, ἔτι δʼ ἀμφιλύκη νύξ,³

And when it was not yet dawn, but still twilight of night,

τῆμος ἄρʼ ἀμφὶ πυρὴν κριτὸς ἔγρετο λαὸς Ἀχαιῶν,

then a chosen host of the Achaeans gathered about the pyre,

435

τύμβον δʼ ἀμφʼ αὐτὴν ἕνα ποίεον ἐξαγαγόντες

and they made a single barrow about it, rearing it

ἄκριτον ἐκ πεδίου, ποτὶ δʼ αὐτὸν τεῖχος ἔδειμαν

without distinction from the plain, and against it they built a wall

πύργους θʼ ὑψηλούς, εἶλαρ νηῶν τε καὶ αὐτῶν.

and high towers, a defense for the ships and themselves.

ἐν δʼ αὐτοῖσι πύλας ἐνεποίεον εὖ ἀραρυίας,

And in them they made close-fitting gates,

ὄφρα διʼ αὐτάων ἱππηλασίη ὁδὸς εἴη·

so that through them there might be a way for driving horses;

440

ἔκτοσθεν δὲ βαθεῖαν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τάφρον ὄρυξαν

and outside they dug a deep ditch along it,

εὐρεῖαν μεγάλην, ἐν δὲ σκόλοπας κατέπηξαν.

wide and great, and in it they planted palisades.

ὣς οἳ μὲν πονέοντο κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοί·

Thus they labored, the long-haired Achaeans;

οἳ δὲ θεοὶ πὰρ Ζηνὶ καθήμενοι ἀστεροπητῇ

and the gods sitting by Zeus, the lord of lightning,

θηεῦντο μέγα ἔργον Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων.

marveled at the great work of the bronze-clad Achaeans.

445

τοῖσι δὲ μύθων ἦρχε Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων·

And among them Poseidon, the shaker of earth, began to speak:

Ζεῦ πάτερ, ἦ ῥά τίς ἐστι βροτῶν ἐπʼ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν

”Father Zeus, is there any mortal on the boundless earth

ὅς τις ἔτʼ ἀθανάτοισι νόον καὶ μῆτιν ἐνίψει;

who will still declare his mind and counsel to the immortals?

οὐχ ὁράᾳς ὅτι δʼ αὖτε κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοὶ

Do you not see how again the long-haired Achaeans

τεῖχος ἐτειχίσσαντο νεῶν ὕπερ, ἀμφὶ δὲ τάφρον

have built a wall for their ships, and driven a ditch

450

ἤλασαν, οὐδὲ θεοῖσι δόσαν κλειτὰς ἑκατόμβας;

around it, and have not given glorious hecatombs to the gods?

τοῦ δʼ ἤτοι κλέος ἔσται ὅσον τʼ ἐπικίδναται ἠώς·

Its fame shall be as far as the dawn is scattered;

τοῦ δʼ ἐπιλήσονται τὸ ἐγὼ καὶ Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων

and they will forget that which I and Phoebus Apollo

ἥρῳ Λαομέδοντι πολίσσαμεν ἀθλήσαντε.

built with labor for the hero Laomedon.”

τὸν δὲ μέγʼ ὀχθήσας προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·

And greatly troubled, cloud-gathering Zeus spoke to him:

455

ὢ πόποι ἐννοσίγαιʼ εὐρυσθενές, οἷον ἔειπες.

”Ah me, shaker of earth, wide of power, what a thing you have said!

ἄλλός κέν τις τοῦτο θεῶν δείσειε⁴ νόημα,

Some other of the gods might fear this thought,

ὃς σέο πολλὸν ἀφαυρότερος χεῖράς τε μένος τε·

who is much weaker than you in hand and might;

σὸν δʼ ἤτοι κλέος ἔσται ὅσον τʼ ἐπικίδναται ἠώς.

but your fame shall be as far as the dawn is scattered.

ἄγρει μὰν ὅτʼ ἂν αὖτε κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοὶ

Go to now, whensoever the long-haired Achaeans

460

οἴχωνται σὺν νηυσὶ φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν

shall depart with their ships to their dear native land,

τεῖχος ἀναρρήξας τὸ μὲν εἰς ἅλα πᾶν καταχεῦαι,

break down the wall and sweep it all into the sea,

αὖτις δʼ ἠϊόνα μεγάλην ψαμάθοισι καλύψαι,

and cover the great beach again with sand,

ὥς κέν τοι μέγα τεῖχος ἀμαλδύνηται Ἀχαιῶν.

so that the great wall of the Achaeans may be wiped out.”

ὣς οἳ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον,

Thus they spoke such things to one another;

465

δύσετο δʼ ἠέλιος, τετέλεστο δὲ ἔργον Ἀχαιῶν,

and the sun set, and the work of the Achaeans was finished;

βουφόνεον δὲ κατὰ κλισίας καὶ δόρπον ἕλοντο.

and they slaughtered oxen by the huts and took supper.

νῆες δʼ ἐκ Λήμνοιο παρέσταν οἶνον ἄγουσαι

And many ships arrived from Lemnos carrying wine,

πολλαί, τὰς προέηκεν Ἰησονίδης Εὔνηος,

sent by Euneus, son of Jason,

τόν ῥʼ ἔτεχʼ Ὑψιπύλη ὑπʼ Ἰήσονι ποιμένι λαῶν.

whom Hypsipyle bore to Jason, shepherd of the people.

470

χωρὶς δʼ Ἀτρεΐδῃς Ἀγαμέμνονι καὶ Μενελάῳ

And separately, to the sons of Atreus, Agamemnon and Menelaus,

δῶκεν Ἰησονίδης ἀγέμεν μέθυ χίλια μέτρα.

the son of Jason gave a thousand measures of wine to bring.

ἔνθεν οἰνίζοντο κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοί,

From there the long-haired Achaeans bought wine,

ἄλλοι μὲν χαλκῷ, ἄλλοι δʼ αἴθωνι σιδήρῳ,

some with bronze, some with gleaming iron,

ἄλλοι δὲ ῥινοῖς, ἄλλοι δʼ αὐτῇσι βόεσσιν,

some with hides, some with cattle itself,

475

ἄλλοι δʼ ἀνδραπόδεσσι· τίθεντο δὲ δαῖτα θάλειαν.

and some with slaves, and they set a rich feast.

παννύχιοι μὲν ἔπειτα κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοὶ

Then all night long the long-haired Achaeans

δαίνυντο, Τρῶες δὲ κατὰ πτόλιν ἠδʼ ἐπίκουροι·

feasted, and the Trojans and their allies in the city;

παννύχιος δέ σφιν κακὰ μήδετο μητίετα Ζεὺς

and all night long wise Zeus planned evil against them,

σμερδαλέα κτυπέων· τοὺς δὲ χλωρὸν δέος ᾕρει·

thundering terribly; and pale fear seized them;

480

οἶνον δʼ ἐκ δεπάων χαμάδις χέον, οὐδέ τις ἔτλη

and they poured wine from cups onto the ground, nor did anyone dare

πρὶν πιέειν πρὶν λεῖψαι⁵ ὑπερμενέϊ Κρονίωνι.

to drink before he made a libation to the almighty son of Cronos.

κοιμήσαντʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειτα καὶ ὕπνου δῶρον ἕλοντο.

Then they lay down and took the gift of sleep.

Syntax notes5 items

7.415ὁππότʼ ἄρʼ ἔλθοι
Optative of indirect question (oblique optative) following a secondary tense context, representing anticipation.
7.418ἀμφότερον νέκυάς τʼ ἀγέμεν ἕτεροι δὲ μεθʼ ὕλην
The adverbial ἀμφότερον introduces two distinct purposes (gathering the dead and fetching wood), with ἕτεροι δέ marking the division of labor.
7.433ἦμος δʼ οὔτʼ ἄρ πω ἠώς, ἔτι δʼ ἀμφιλύκη νύξ
A correlative construction ἦμος... τῆμος ('when... then') specifying the precise temporal point of pre-dawn twilight.
7.456ἄλλός κέν τις τοῦτο θεῶν δείσειε
Potential optative with κέν expressing a hypothetical situation or potentiality in the present.
7.481πρὶν πιέειν πρὶν λεῖψαι
Double πρὶν with infinitives, emphasizing a strict temporal and logical sequence: they did not drink before they had poured a libation.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.413-7.482