Hector's Speech and the Trojan Watchfires on the Plain — Homer, Iliad Book 8 (lines 494–565), Greek & English

494

ἔγχος ἔχʼ ἑνδεκάπηχυ· πάροιθε δὲ λάμπετο δουρὸς

He held a spear of eleven cubits; and before him shone the spear’s

495

αἰχμὴ χαλκείη, περὶ δὲ χρύσεος θέε πόρκης,

bronze point, and around it ran a golden ring.

τῷ¹ ὅ γʼ ἐρεισάμενος ἔπεα Τρώεσσι μετηύδα·

Leaning upon this, he spoke words among the Trojans:

κέκλυτέ μευ Τρῶες καὶ Δάρδανοι ἠδʼ ἐπίκουροι·

”Hear me, Trojans, Dardanians, and allies.

νῦν ἐφάμην νῆάς τʼ ὀλέσας καὶ πάντας Ἀχαιοὺς

Just now I thought that, having destroyed the ships and all the Achaeans,

ἂψ ἀπονοστήσειν προτὶ Ἴλιον ἠνεμόεσσαν·

I should return back to windy Ilium.

500

ἀλλὰ πρὶν κνέφας ἦλθε, τὸ νῦν ἐσάωσε μάλιστα

But before that darkness came, which now has chiefly saved

Ἀργείους καὶ νῆας ἐπὶ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης.

the Argives and their ships upon the beach of the sea.

ἀλλʼ ἤτοι νῦν μὲν πειθώμεθα νυκτὶ μελαίνῃ

But indeed let us now yield to black night

δόρπά τʼ ἐφοπλισόμεσθα· ἀτὰρ καλλίτριχας ἵππους

and prepare our supper; and the fair-maned horses

λύσαθʼ ὑπὲξ ὀχέων, παρὰ δέ σφισι βάλλετʼ ἐδωδήν·

loose from beneath the chariots, and set food before them.

505

ἐκ πόλιος δʼ ἄξεσθε βόας καὶ ἴφια μῆλα

And from the city bring cattle and goodly sheep

καρπαλίμως, οἶνον δὲ μελίφρονα οἰνίζεσθε

quickly, and get honey-hearted wine

σῖτόν τʼ ἐκ μεγάρων, ἐπὶ δὲ ξύλα πολλὰ λέγεσθε,

and bread from your homes, and gather moreover abundant wood,

ὥς κεν παννύχιοι μέσφʼ ἠοῦς ἠριγενείης

so that all night long, until early-born dawn,

καίωμεν πυρὰ πολλά, σέλας δʼ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἵκῃ,

we may burn many fires, and the gleam may reach to heaven,

510

μή πως καὶ διὰ νύκτα κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοὶ

lest somehow even by night the long-haired Achaeans

φεύγειν ὁρμήσωνται ἐπʼ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.

make haste to flee over the broad back of the sea.

μὴ μὰν ἀσπουδί γε νεῶν ἐπιβαῖεν ἕκηλοι,

Let them not indeed embark on their ships at their ease without a struggle,

ἀλλʼ ὥς τις τούτων γε βέλος καὶ οἴκοθι πέσσῃ²

but so that many a one of them may nurse a wound even at home,

βλήμενος ἢ ἰῷ ἢ ἔγχεϊ ὀξυόεντι

smitten either by an arrow or by a sharp spear as he leaps upon his ship,

515

νηὸς ἐπιθρῴσκων, ἵνα τις στυγέῃσι καὶ ἄλλος

so that others also may dread to bring

Τρωσὶν ἐφʼ ἱπποδάμοισι φέρειν πολύδακρυν Ἄρηα.

tearful war against the horse-taming Trojans.

κήρυκες δʼ ἀνὰ ἄστυ Διῒ φίλοι ἀγγελλόντων

And let the heralds dear to Zeus proclaim throughout the city

παῖδας πρωθήβας πολιοκροτάφους τε γέροντας

that youths in their prime and gray-templed old men

λέξασθαι περὶ ἄστυ θεοδμήτων ἐπὶ πύργων·

gather around the city upon the god-built towers;

520

θηλύτεραι δὲ γυναῖκες ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἑκάστη

and let the women, the gentler sex, in their halls each

πῦρ μέγα καιόντων· φυλακὴ δέ τις ἔμπεδος ἔστω

burn a great fire; and let there be a constant watch,

μὴ λόχος εἰσέλθῃσι πόλιν λαῶν ἀπεόντων.

lest an ambush enter the city while the host is away.

ὧδʼ ἔστω Τρῶες μεγαλήτορες ὡς ἀγορεύω·

Thus let it be, great-hearted Trojans, as I say;

μῦθος δʼ ὃς μὲν νῦν ὑγιὴς³ εἰρημένος ἔστω,

let the word which is now sound be spoken,

525

τὸν δʼ ἠοῦς Τρώεσσι μεθʼ ἱπποδάμοις ἀγορεύσω.

and another I will speak tomorrow among the horse-taming Trojans.

ἔλπομαι εὐχόμενος Διί τʼ ἄλλοισίν τε θεοῖσιν

I hope with prayer to Zeus and the other gods

ἐξελάαν ἐνθένδε κύνας κηρεσσιφορήτους,

to drive out from here these dogs borne by fate,

οὓς κῆρες φορέουσι μελαινάων ἐπὶ νηῶν.

whom the fates brought upon their black ships.

ἀλλʼ ἤτοι ἐπὶ νυκτὶ φυλάξομεν ἡμέας αὐτούς,

But indeed for the night we will guard ourselves,

530

πρῶϊ δʼ ὑπηοῖοι σὺν τεύχεσι θωρηχθέντες

and in the morning at dawn, armed in our harness,

νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇσιν ἐγείρομεν ὀξὺν Ἄρηα.

we will rouse sharp war at the hollow ships.

εἴσομαι εἴ κέ μʼ ὁ Τυδεΐδης κρατερὸς Διομήδης

I shall know whether the strong Diomedes, son of Tydeus,

πὰρ νηῶν πρὸς τεῖχος ἀπώσεται, ἤ κεν ἐγὼ τὸν

will thrust me back from the ships to the wall, or whether I

χαλκῷ δῃώσας ἔναρα βροτόεντα φέρωμαι.

shall slay him with the bronze and bear away his bloody spoils.

535

αὔριον ἣν ἀρετὴν διαείσεται, εἴ κʼ ἐμὸν ἔγχος

Tomorrow he shall know his own valor, if he can withstand

μείνῃ ἐπερχόμενον· ἀλλʼ ἐν πρώτοισιν ὀΐω

my spear’s onset; but among the foremost, I think,

κείσεται οὐτηθείς, πολέες δʼ ἀμφʼ αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι

he shall lie wounded, and many comrades around him,

ἠελίου ἀνιόντος ἐς αὔριον· εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼν ὣς

as the sun rises tomorrow. For would that I

εἴην ἀθάνατος καὶ ἀγήρως ἤματα πάντα,

were immortal and ageless for all days,

540

τιοίμην δʼ ὡς τίετʼ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἀπόλλων,

and honored even as Athena and Apollo are honored,

ὡς νῦν ἡμέρη ἥδε κακὸν φέρει Ἀργείοισιν.

as surely as now this day brings evil to the Argives.”

ὣς Ἕκτωρ ἀγόρευʼ, ἐπὶ δὲ Τρῶες κελάδησαν.

So Hector spoke, and the Trojans shouted assent.

οἳ δʼ ἵππους μὲν λῦσαν ὑπὸ ζυγοῦ ἱδρώοντας,

And they loosed their sweating horses from beneath the yoke,

δῆσαν δʼ ἱμάντεσσι παρʼ ἅρμασιν οἷσιν ἕκαστος·

and bound them with halters beside their own chariots;

545

ἐκ πόλιος δʼ ἄξοντο βόας καὶ ἴφια μῆλα

and from the city they brought cattle and goodly sheep

καρπαλίμως, οἶνον δὲ μελίφρονα οἰνίζοντο,

quickly, and got honey-hearted wine,

σῖτόν τʼ ἐκ μεγάρων, ἐπὶ δὲ ξύλα πολλὰ λέγοντο.

and bread from their homes, and gathered moreover abundant wood.

κνίσην δʼ ἐκ πεδίου ἄνεμοι φέρον οὐρανὸν εἴσω.

And the winds bore the savor from the plain up into heaven.

οἳ δὲ μέγα φρονέοντες ἐπὶ πτολέμοιο γεφύρας⁴

And they, with high spirits, sat all night long

εἴατο παννύχιοι, πυρὰ δέ σφισι καίετο πολλά.

in the passageways of war, and many fires burned for them.

555

ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄστρα φαεινὴν ἀμφὶ σελήνην

Even as when in heaven the stars around the gleaming moon

φαίνετʼ ἀριπρεπέα, ὅτε τʼ ἔπλετο νήνεμος αἰθήρ·

shine clear, when the air is windless,

ἔκ τʼ ἔφανεν πᾶσαι σκοπιαὶ καὶ πρώονες ἄκροι

and all the lookouts and sharp peaks and glens

καὶ νάπαι· οὐρανόθεν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπερράγη⁵ ἄσπετος αἰθήρ,

appear; and from heaven the boundless ether breaks open,

πάντα δὲ εἴδεται ἄστρα, γέγηθε δέ τε φρένα ποιμήν·

and all the stars are seen, and the shepherd rejoices in his heart;

560

τόσσα μεσηγὺ νεῶν ἠδὲ Ξάνθοιο ῥοάων

so many were the fires of the Trojans burning before Ilium,

Τρώων καιόντων πυρὰ φαίνετο Ἰλιόθι πρό.

between the ships and the streams of Xanthus.

χίλιʼ ἄρʼ ἐν πεδίῳ πυρὰ καίετο, πὰρ δὲ ἑκάστῳ

A thousand fires were burning in the plain, and beside each

εἴατο πεντήκοντα σέλᾳ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο.

sat fifty men in the light of the burning fire.

ἵπποι δὲ κρῖ λευκὸν ἐρεπτόμενοι καὶ ὀλύρας

And the horses, champing white barley and spelt,

565

ἑσταότες παρʼ ὄχεσφιν ἐΰθρονον Ἠῶ μίμνον.

standing by their chariots, awaited beautiful-throned Dawn.

Syntax notes5 items

8.496τῷ
The dative of the demonstrative pronoun ὁ (referring here to the spear, ἔγχος), expressing support or reliance in combination with the participle ἐρεισάμενος ("leaning upon it").
8.513πέσσῃ
The third-person singular subjunctive of πέσσω ("to digest" or "to cook"), used here metaphorically in the sense of "nursing" or "enduring" a wound at home. The subjunctive is introduced by ὡς, establishing a clause of purpose or result.
8.524ὑγιής
The adjective ὑγιής ("healthy" or "sound") combined with μῦθος, meaning "a sound counsel" or "a fitting plan for now." It is contrasted with the following δέ clause, which refers to a further plan to be announced at dawn.
8.553πτολέμοιο γεφύρας
A characteristically Homeric expression, "the bridges of war," referring not to actual river bridges but to the open spaces or pathways on the battlefield between the opposing camps.
8.558ὑπερράγη
The third-person singular aorist passive indicative of the compound verb ὑπορρήγνυμι (or ὑπερρήγνυμι), meaning "breaks open from below / above." It depicts the dramatic scene where the heavy cloud cover suddenly breaks apart to reveal the endless starlit sky.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.494-8.565