Menelaus's Challenge and Nestor's Rebuke — Homer, Iliad Book 7 (lines 72–139), Greek & English

ἢ αὐτοὶ παρὰ νηυσὶ δαμείετε¹ ποντοπόροισιν.

or until ye yourselves are slain by your ocean-faring ships.

ὑμῖν δʼ ἐν γὰρ ἔασιν ἀριστῆες Παναχαιῶν·

For among you are the chief men of all the Achaeans;

τῶν νῦν ὅν τινα θυμὸς ἐμοὶ μαχέσασθαι ἀνώγει

whomever of these now his spirit bids to fight with me,

δεῦρʼ ἴτω ἐκ πάντων πρόμος ἔμμεναι Ἕκτορι δίῳ.

let him come hither from among you all to be a champion against noble Hector.

ὧδε δὲ μυθέομαι, Ζεὺς δʼ ἄμμʼ ἐπιμάρτυρος ἔστω·

And thus I declare, and let Zeus be our witness:

εἰ μέν κεν ἐμὲ κεῖνος ἕλῃ ταναήκεϊ χαλκῷ,

if he shall slay me with his long-edged bronze,

τεύχεα συλήσας φερέτω κοίλας ἐπὶ νῆας,

let him strip off my armor and carry it to the hollow ships,

σῶμα δὲ οἴκαδʼ ἐμὸν δόμεναι² πάλιν, ὄφρα πυρός με

but my body let him give back to my home, that of fire

Τρῶες καὶ Τρώων ἄλοχοι λελάχωσι θανόντα.

the Trojans and the wives of the Trojans may make me, in death, a sharer.

εἰ δέ κʼ ἐγὼ τὸν ἕλω, δώῃ δέ μοι εὖχος Ἀπόλλων,

But if I shall slay him, and Apollo gives me glory,

τεύχεα σύλησας οἴσω προτὶ Ἴλιον ἱρήν,

I will strip off his armor and carry it to sacred Ilios,

καὶ κρεμόω προτὶ νηὸν Ἀπόλλωνος ἑκάτοιο,

and I will hang it upon the temple of Apollo who strikes from afar,

τὸν δὲ νέκυν ἐπὶ νῆας ἐϋσσέλμους ἀποδώσω,

but his corpse I will give back to the well-benched ships,

ὄφρά ἑ ταρχύσωσι κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοί,

that the long-haired Achaeans may bury him,

σῆμά τέ οἱ χεύωσιν ἐπὶ πλατεῖ Ἑλλησπόντῳ.

and heap up a mound for him by the wide Hellespont.

καί ποτέ τις εἴπῃσι καὶ ὀψιγόνων ἀνθρώπων

And some one of men born late shall say,

νηῒ πολυκλήϊδι πλέων ἐπὶ οἴνοπα πόντον·

as he sails in his many-benched ship over the wine-dark sea:

ἀνδρὸς μὲν τόδε σῆμα πάλαι κατατεθνηῶτος,

‘This is the mound of a man who died long ago,

ὅν ποτʼ ἀριστεύοντα κατέκτανε φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ.

whom once as he fought bravely illustrious Hector slew.’

ὥς ποτέ τις ἐρέει· τὸ δʼ ἐμὸν κλέος οὔ ποτʼ ὀλεῖται.

Thus some one shall say; and my fame shall never perish.”

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπῇ·

So he spoke, and they all became hushed in silence;

αἴδεσθεν μὲν ἀνήνασθαι, δεῖσαν δʼ ὑποδέχθαι·

they were ashamed to refuse, yet feared to accept.

ὀψὲ δὲ δὴ Μενέλαος ἀνίστατο καὶ μετέειπε

But at length Menelaus stood up and spoke among them,

νείκει ὀνειδίζων, μέγα δὲ στεναχίζετο θυμῷ·

reproaching them with chiding words, and groaned aloud in his heart:

ὤ μοι ἀπειλητῆρες Ἀχαιΐδες οὐκέτʼ Ἀχαιοί·

“Ah me, ye boasters, Achaean women, no longer Achaean men!

ἦ μὲν δὴ λώβη τάδε γʼ ἔσσεται αἰνόθεν αἰνῶς

Surely this will be a grievous disgrace, worse and worse,

εἰ μή τις Δαναῶν νῦν Ἕκτορος ἀντίος εἶσιν.

if no one of the Danaans now goes to face Hector.

ἀλλʼ ὑμεῖς μὲν πάντες ὕδωρ καὶ γαῖα γένοισθε

Nay, may ye all turn to water and earth,

100

ἥμενοι αὖθι ἕκαστοι ἀκήριοι ἀκλεὲς αὔτως·

sitting there each of you heartless, utterly inglorious.

τῷδε δʼ ἐγὼν αὐτὸς θωρήξομαι· αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε

Against this man I myself will arm; but from on high

νίκης πείρατʼ ἔχονται ἐν ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν.

the issues of victory are held by the immortal gods.”

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας κατεδύσετο τεύχεα καλά.

So he spoke, and put on his beautiful armor.

ἔνθά κέ τοι Μενέλαε φάνη βιότοιο τελευτὴ³

Then, O Menelaus, would the end of life have appeared to thee

105

Ἕκτορος ἐν παλάμῃσιν, ἐπεὶ πολὺ φέρτερος ἦεν,

at the hands of Hector, since he was far stronger,

εἰ μὴ ἀναΐξαντες ἕλον βασιλῆες Ἀχαιῶν,

had not the kings of the Achaeans started up and seized thee,

αὐτός τʼ Ἀτρεΐδης εὐρὺ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων

and the son of Atreus himself, wide-ruling Agamemnon,

δεξιτερῆς ἕλε χειρὸς ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν·

taken thee by the right hand, and spoken, and addressed thee:

ἀφραίνεις Μενέλαε διοτρεφές, οὐδέ τί σε χρὴ

“Thou art mad, Menelaus, nurtured by Zeus, and thou hast no need

110

ταύτης ἀφροσύνης·⁴ ἀνὰ δὲ σχέο κηδόμενός περ,

of this folly; hold back, though grieved,

μηδʼ ἔθελʼ ἐξ ἔριδος σεῦ ἀμείνονι φωτὶ μάχεσθαι

do not wish out of rivalry to fight with a man better than thou,

Ἕκτορι Πριαμίδῃ, τόν τε στυγέουσι καὶ ἄλλοι.

with Hector, son of Priam, whom others also dread.

καὶ δʼ Ἀχιλεὺς τούτῳ γε μάχῃ ἔνι κυδιανείρῃ

Even Achilles shrinks to meet him in the glorious battle,

ἔρριγʼ ἀντιβολῆσαι, ὅ περ σέο πολλὸν ἀμείνων.

who is far better than thou.

115

ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν νῦν ἵζευ ἰὼν μετὰ ἔθνος ἑταίρων,

But go now and sit among the host of thy comrades,

τούτῳ δὲ πρόμον ἄλλον ἀναστήσουσιν Ἀχαιοί.

and against him the Achaeans will raise up another champion.

εἴ περ ἀδειής τʼ ἐστὶ καὶ εἰ μόθου ἔστʼ ἀκόρητος,

Even if he is fearless and insatiable of combat,

φημί μιν ἀσπασίως γόνυ κάμψειν,⁵ αἴ κε φύγῃσι

I say he will gladly bend his knee to rest, if he escapes

δηΐου ἐκ πολέμοιο καὶ αἰνῆς δηϊοτῆτος.

from the hostile war and grim combat.”

120

ὣς εἰπὼν παρέπεισεν ἀδελφειοῦ φρένας ἥρως

So speaking, the hero turned his brother’s mind,

αἴσιμα παρειπών, ὃ δʼ ἐπείθετο· τοῦ μὲν ἔπειτα

advising what was right, and he obeyed. Then

γηθόσυνοι θεράποντες ἀπʼ ὤμων τεύχεʼ ἕλοντο·

his joyful squires took the armor from his shoulders.

Νέστωρ δʼ Ἀργείοισιν ἀνίστατο καὶ μετέειπεν·

And Nestor stood up and spoke among the Argives:

ὢ πόποι ἦ μέγα πένθος Ἀχαιΐδα γαῖαν ἱκάνει.

“Alas, indeed a great grief comes upon the Achaean land!

125

ἦ κε μέγʼ οἰμώξειε γέρων ἱππηλάτα Πηλεὺς

Surely the old horseman Peleus would groan aloud,

ἐσθλὸς Μυρμιδόνων βουληφόρος ἠδʼ ἀγορητής,

the noble counselor and orator of the Myrmidons,

ὅς ποτέ μʼ εἰρόμενος μέγʼ ἐγήθεεν ᾧ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ

who once in his house questioned me and rejoiced greatly,

πάντων Ἀργείων ἐρέων γενεήν τε τόκον τε.

asking of the lineage and birth of all the Argives.

τοὺς νῦν εἰ πτώσσοντας ὑφʼ Ἕκτορι πάντας ἀκούσαι,⁶

If he should now hear of them all cowering before Hector,

130

πολλά κεν ἀθανάτοισι φίλας ἀνὰ χεῖρας ἀείραι

many times would he lift up his hands to the immortal gods,

θυμὸν ἀπὸ μελέων δῦναι δόμον Ἄϊδος εἴσω.

praying that his soul might leave his limbs and enter the house of Hades.

αἲ γὰρ Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον

Would, O father Zeus and Athena and Apollo,

ἡβῷμʼ ὡς ὅτʼ ἐπʼ ὠκυρόῳ Κελάδοντι μάχοντο

that I were young, as when by rapid Keladon fought

ἀγρόμενοι Πύλιοί τε καὶ Ἀρκάδες ἐγχεσίμωροι

the gathered Pylians and Arcadians eager with spears,

135

Φειᾶς πὰρ τείχεσσιν Ἰαρδάνου ἀμφὶ ῥέεθρα.

by the walls of Pheia, about the streams of Iardanos.

τοῖσι δʼ Ἐρευθαλίων πρόμος ἵστατο ἰσόθεος φὼς

And before them stood Ereuthalion as champion, a godlike man,

τεύχεʼ ἔχων ὤμοισιν Ἀρηϊθόοιο ἄνακτος

bearing on his shoulders the armor of king Areïthous,

δίου Ἀρηϊθόου, τὸν ἐπίκλησιν κορυνήτην

of noble Areïthous, whom by the name of mace-bearer

ἄνδρες κίκλησκον καλλίζωνοί τε γυναῖκες

men and fair-girdled women were wont to call.”

Syntax notes6 items

7.72δαμείετε
Second-person plural aorist passive subjunctive (Epic form). It is introduced by the conjunction εἰς ὅ κεν in line 7.71 ("until..."), presenting one of the two possible outcomes of the war envisioned by Hector (either the Achaeans capture Troy, or they are slain by their ships).
7.79δόμεναι
Infinitive (Epic form equivalent to the aorist δοῦναι) functioning as an imperative (imperative infinitive). Although there is no accusative subject, the context indicates a demand addressed to the opponent (the Achaeans).
7.104ἔνθά κέ τοι Μενέλαε φάνη βιότοιο τελευτὴ
The apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. The particle κέ (equivalent to ἄν) is used with the past indicative φάνη, meaning "then the end of life would have appeared to thee (if ... had not ...)." The protasis is found in line 7.106 (εἰ μὴ ... ἕλον).
7.109οὐδέ τί σε χρὴ ταύτης ἀφροσύνης
The impersonal verb χρή normally takes an accusative and an infinitive, but here it is used in the sense of "there is need of something for someone" (akin to χρεώ ἐστί τινος), taking the accusative σε ("for thee") and the genitive ἀφροσύνης ("of this folly").
7.118γόνυ κάμψειν
The phrase "to bend the knee" is a metaphorical idiom meaning "to sit down to rest" or "to find relief" after intense combat or labor.
7.129τοὺς νῦν εἰ πτώσσοντας ὑφʼ Ἕκτορι πάντας ἀκούσαι
A protasis of a future less vivid conditional sentence (εἰ with the optative ἀκούσαι), whose apodosis is in line 7.130 (πολλά κεν ... ἀείραι, with κεν and the optative). It expresses a future or present possibility, meaning "if he should hear..., he would lift...".

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.72-7.139