Phoenix's Appeal and the Story of His Youth — Homer, Iliad Book 9 (lines 425–499), Greek & English

425

νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇς, ἐπεὶ οὔ σφισιν ἥδέ γʼ ἑτοίμη

by the hollow ships, since this plan is not ready for them

ἣν νῦν ἐφράσσαντο ἐμεῦ ἀπομηνίσαντος·¹

which they have now devised while I am holding my wrath;

Φοῖνιξ δʼ αὖθι παρʼ ἄμμι μένων κατακοιμηθήτω,

But let Phoenix remain here with us and sleep,

ὄφρά μοι ἐν νήεσσι φίλην ἐς πατρίδʼ ἕπηται

so that he may follow me in my ships to my dear native land tomorrow,

αὔριον ἢν ἐθέλῃσιν· ἀνάγκῃ δʼ οὔ τί μιν ἄξω.

if he so wishes; but by force I will not take him.

430

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπῇ

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

μῦθον ἀγασσάμενοι· μάλα γὰρ κρατερῶς ἀπέειπεν·

marveling at his speech; for he had refused very vehemently.

ὀψὲ δὲ δὴ μετέειπε γέρων ἱππηλάτα Φοῖνιξ

At last the old horseman Phoenix spoke among them,

δάκρυʼ ἀναπρήσας· περὶ γὰρ δίε νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν·

letting his tears burst forth; for he feared exceedingly for the ships of the Achaeans:

εἰ μὲν δὴ νόστόν γε μετὰ φρεσὶ φαίδιμʼ Ἀχιλλεῦ

”If indeed, glorious Achilles, you are planning return

435

βάλλεαι, οὐδέ τι πάμπαν ἀμύνειν νηυσὶ θοῇσι

in your heart, and are not at all willing to ward off destructive fire

πῦρ ἐθέλεις ἀΐδηλον, ἐπεὶ χόλος ἔμπεσε θυμῷ,

from the swift ships, since anger has fallen upon your soul,

πῶς ἂν ἔπειτʼ ἀπὸ σεῖο φίλον τέκος αὖθι λιποίμην²

how then could I be left here without you, dear child,

οἶος; σοὶ δέ μʼ ἔπεμπε γέρων ἱππηλάτα Πηλεὺς

alone? To you the old horseman Peleus sent me,

ἤματι τῷ ὅτε σʼ ἐκ Φθίης Ἀγαμέμνονι πέμπε

on that day when he sent you from Phthia to Agamemnon,

440

νήπιον οὔ πω εἰδόθʼ ὁμοιΐου πολέμοιο

a child, knowing not yet of cruel war

οὐδʼ ἀγορέων, ἵνα τʼ ἄνδρες ἀριπρεπέες τελέθουσι.

nor of assemblies, where men win preeminence.

τοὔνεκά με προέηκε διδασκέμεναι τάδε πάντα,

Therefore he sent me forth to teach you all these things,

μύθων τε ῥητῆρʼ ἔμεναι πρηκτῆρά τε ἔργων.

to be a speaker of words and a doer of deeds.

ὡς ἂν ἔπειτʼ ἀπὸ σεῖο φίλον τέκος οὐκ ἐθέλοιμι

So then, dear child, I would not wish to be left behind

445

λείπεσθʼ, οὐδʼ εἴ κέν μοι ὑποσταίη θεὸς αὐτὸς³

without you, not even if a god himself should promise me

γῆρας ἀποξύσας θήσειν νέον ἡβώοντα,

to scrape off my old age and make me a young man in my youth,

οἷον ὅτε πρῶτον λίπον Ἑλλάδα καλλιγύναικα

such as I was when first I left Hellas of the fair women,

φεύγων νείκεα πατρὸς Ἀμύντορος Ὀρμενίδαο,

fleeing the quarrels with my father Amyntor, son of Ormenus,

ὅς μοι παλλακίδος περιχώσατο καλλικόμοιο,

who was furious with me because of his fair-haired concubine,

450

τὴν αὐτὸς φιλέεσκεν, ἀτιμάζεσκε δʼ ἄκοιτιν

whom he himself loved, but dishonored his wife, my mother.

μητέρʼ ἐμήν· ἣ δʼ αἰὲν ἐμὲ λισσέσκετο γούνων

And she continually entreated me by my knees

παλλακίδι προμιγῆναι, ἵνʼ ἐχθήρειε γέροντα.

to lie with the concubine first, so that she might loathe the old man.

τῇ πιθόμην καὶ ἔρεξα· πατὴρ δʼ ἐμὸς αὐτίκʼ ὀϊσθεὶς

I obeyed her and did so; and my father straightway suspected it

πολλὰ κατηρᾶτο, στυγερὰς δʼ ἐπεκέκλετʼ Ἐρινῦς,

and cursed me many times, and invoked the hateful Erinyes,

455

μή ποτε γούνασιν οἷσιν ἐφέσσεσθαι φίλον υἱὸν⁴

that never should a beloved son, born of me,

ἐξ ἐμέθεν γεγαῶτα· θεοὶ δʼ ἐτέλειον ἐπαρὰς

sit upon his knees; and the gods fulfilled his curses,

Ζεύς τε καταχθόνιος καὶ ἐπαινὴ Περσεφόνεια.

even Zeus of the underworld and dread Persephone.

ἔνθʼ ἐμοὶ οὐκέτι πάμπαν ἐρητύετʼ ἐν φρεσὶ θυμὸς

Then my heart was no longer at all restrained within me

πατρὸς χωομένοιο κατὰ μέγαρα στρωφᾶσθαι.

to linger in the halls of my angry father.

ἦ μὲν πολλὰ ἔται καὶ ἀνεψιοὶ ἀμφὶς ἐόντες

Indeed, many kinsmen and cousins surrounding me

465

αὐτοῦ λισσόμενοι κατερήτυον ἐν μεγάροισι,

sought to restrain me there in the halls by their entreaties,

πολλὰ δὲ ἴφια μῆλα καὶ εἰλίποδας ἕλικας βοῦς

and they slaughtered many fat sheep and shambling, crook-horned cattle,

ἔσφαζον, πολλοὶ δὲ σύες θαλέθοντες ἀλοιφῇ

and many rich pigs with fat

εὑόμενοι τανύοντο διὰ φλογὸς Ἡφαίστοιο,

were singed and stretched over the flame of Hephaestus,

πολλὸν δʼ ἐκ κεράμων μέθυ πίνετο τοῖο γέροντος.

and much wine from the jars of that old man was drunk.

470

εἰνάνυχες δέ μοι ἀμφʼ αὐτῷ παρὰ νύκτας ἴαυον·

For nine nights they slept around me, through the nights;

οἳ μὲν ἀμειβόμενοι φυλακὰς ἔχον, οὐδέ ποτʼ ἔσβη

and changing off they kept watch, nor was the fire ever quenched,

πῦρ, ἕτερον μὲν ὑπʼ αἰθούσῃ εὐερκέος αὐλῆς,

one under the portico of the well-fenced courtyard,

ἄλλο δʼ ἐνὶ προδόμῳ, πρόσθεν θαλάμοιο θυράων.

and another in the vestibule, before the doors of the chamber.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ δεκάτη μοι ἐπήλυθε νὺξ ἐρεβεννή,

But when indeed the tenth dark night came upon me,

475

καὶ τότʼ ἐγὼ θαλάμοιο θύρας πυκινῶς ἀραρυίας

even then I burst the closely-fitting doors of my chamber

ῥήξας ἐξῆλθον, καὶ ὑπέρθορον ἑρκίον αὐλῆς

and went forth, and leaped over the fence of the courtyard

ῥεῖα, λαθὼν φύλακάς τʼ ἄνδρας δμῳάς τε γυναῖκας.

easily, escaping the notice of the guards and the serving-women.

φεῦγον ἔπειτʼ ἀπάνευθε διʼ Ἑλλάδος εὐρυχόροιο,

Then I fled far away through wide Hellas,

Φθίην δʼ ἐξικόμην ἐριβώλακα μητέρα μήλων

and came to fertile Phthia, mother of sheep,

480

ἐς Πηλῆα ἄναχθʼ· ὃ δέ με πρόφρων ὑπέδεκτο,

to king Peleus; and he received me with a willing heart,

καί μʼ ἐφίλησʼ ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φιλήσῃ

and loved me as a father loves his son,

μοῦνον τηλύγετον πολλοῖσιν ἐπὶ κτεάτεσσι,

an only son, born in his old age, heir to many possessions;

καί μʼ ἀφνειὸν ἔθηκε, πολὺν δέ μοι ὤπασε λαόν·

and he made me wealthy, and gave me much people;

ναῖον δʼ ἐσχατιὴν Φθίης Δολόπεσσιν ἀνάσσων.

and I dwelt on the frontier of Phthia, ruling over the Dolopes.

485

καί σε τοσοῦτον ἔθηκα θεοῖς ἐπιείκελʼ Ἀχιλλεῦ,

And I reared you to be such as you are, Achilles peer of gods,

ἐκ θυμοῦ φιλέων, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐθέλεσκες ἅμʼ ἄλλῳ

loving you from my heart, since you would not go with another

οὔτʼ ἐς δαῖτʼ ἰέναι οὔτʼ ἐν μεγάροισι πάσασθαι,

either to a feast or to eat in the halls,

πρίν γʼ ὅτε δή σʼ ἐπʼ ἐμοῖσιν ἐγὼ γούνεσσι καθίσσας

until I set you upon my knees

ὄψου τʼ ἄσαιμι προταμὼν καὶ οἶνον ἐπισχών.

and satisfied you with meat, carving it first, and held the wine to your lips.

490

πολλάκι μοι κατέδευσας ἐπὶ στήθεσσι χιτῶνα

Often did you wet the tunic upon my chest,

οἴνου ἀποβλύζων ἐν νηπιέῃ ἀλεγεινῇ.

sputtering out the wine in your troublesome infancy.

ὣς ἐπὶ σοὶ μάλα πολλὰ πάθον καὶ πολλὰ μόγησα,

Thus did I suffer much and toil much for you,

τὰ φρονέων⁵ ὅ μοι οὔ τι θεοὶ γόνον ἐξετέλειον

thinking that the gods would not bring any offspring to completion from me;

ἐξ ἐμεῦ· ἀλλὰ σὲ παῖδα θεοῖς ἐπιείκελʼ Ἀχιλλεῦ

but you, Achilles peer of gods, I made my son,

495

ποιεύμην, ἵνα μοί ποτʼ ἀεικέα λοιγὸν ἀμύνῃς.

so that you might one day ward off unseemly ruin from me.

ἀλλʼ Ἀχιλεῦ δάμασον θυμὸν μέγαν· οὐδέ τί σε χρὴ

But, Achilles, tame your mighty soul; it is not right for you

νηλεὲς ἦτορ ἔχειν· στρεπτοὶ δέ τε καὶ θεοὶ αὐτοί,

to have a pitiless heart. Even the gods themselves may be turned,

τῶν περ καὶ μείζων ἀρετὴ τιμή τε βίη τε.

whose virtue, honor, and might are yet greater.

καὶ μὲν τοὺς θυέεσσι καὶ εὐχωλῇς ἀγανῇσι

And indeed men turn them with sacrifices and gentle prayers,

Syntax notes5 items

9.426ἐμεῦ ἀπομηνίσαντος
A genitive absolute construction consisting of the personal pronoun ἐμεῦ and the aorist participle ἀπομηνίσαντος, meaning "while I am nursing my wrath."
9.434εἰ μὲν δὴ νόστόν γε... βάλλεαι... πῶς ἂν ἔπειτʼ ἀπὸ σεῖο... λιποίμην
A conditional structure with a present indicative in the protasis (βάλλεαι) and an optative with ἄν in the apodosis (πῶς ἂν ... λιποίμην, §9.437), forming a rhetorical question that expresses a strong subjective impossibility or refusal ("how could I possibly be left behind?").
9.444ὡς ἂν ἔπειτʼ ἀπὸ σεῖο... οὐκ ἐθέλοιμι λείπεσθʼ, οὐδʼ εἴ κέν μοι ὑποσταίη θεὸς αὐτὸς
The apodosis ὡς ... οὐκ ἐθέλοιμι λείπεσθʼ (optative with ἄν, expressing a strong disinclination or determination) is combined with the concessive protasis οὐδʼ εἴ κέν ... ὑποσταίη (εἰ κεν with optative), meaning "not even if a god himself should promise me..."
9.455μή ποτε γούνασιν οἷσιν ἐφέσσεσθαι φίλον υἱὸν
An infinitive clause introduced by the verb of cursing κατηρᾶτο (§9.454), functioning as an indirect command or object clause with the negative particle μή, indicating the content of the curse: "that a beloved son should never sit on his knees."
9.493τὰ φρονέων
The participle φρονέων ("thinking/bearing in mind") takes the ὅ clause (ὅ μοι οὔ τι θεοὶ γόνον ἐξετέλειον, functioning as ὅτι) as its object, meaning "thinking/knowing that the gods were not bringing any offspring of mine to completion."

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

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.425-9.499