Hermes Guides the Suitors and Achilles Is Remembered — Odyssey §24.1-24.69 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

Ἑρμῆς δὲ ψυχὰς Κυλλήνιος ἐξεκαλεῖτο

And Cyllenian Hermes called forth the souls

ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων· ἔχε δὲ ῥάβδον μετὰ χερσὶν

of the suitors; and he held in his hands his wand,

καλὴν χρυσείην, τῇ τʼ ἀνδρῶν ὄμματα θέλγει

beautiful and golden, with which he lulls the eyes of men

ὧν ἐθέλει, τοὺς δʼ αὖτε καὶ ὑπνώοντας ἐγείρει·

whomsoever he wills, and others again who are asleep he awakens.

τῇ ῥʼ ἄγε κινήσας, ταὶ δὲ τρίζουσαι ἕποντο¹.

With this he led them, stirring them, and they followed gibbering.

ὡς δʼ ὅτε νυκτερίδες μυχῷ ἄντρου θεσπεσίοιο

And as when bats in the depth of an awful cave

τρίζουσαι ποτέονται, ἐπεί κέ τις ἀποπέσῃσιν

fly gibbering, when one has fallen down

ὁρμαθοῦ ἐκ πέτρης, ἀνά τʼ ἀλλήλῃσιν ἔχονται,

from the cluster off the rock, and they cling to one another,

ὣς αἱ τετριγυῖαι ἅμʼ ἤϊσαν· ἦρχε δʼ ἄρα σφιν

so they went gibbering together; and Hermes the helper

Ἑρμείας ἀκάκητα κατʼ εὐρώεντα κέλευθα.

led them along the moldering paths.

πὰρ δʼ ἴσαν Ὠκεανοῦ τε ῥοὰς καὶ Λευκάδα πέτρην,

And they passed the streams of Oceanus and the Leucadian rock,

ἠδὲ παρʼ Ἠελίοιο πύλας καὶ δῆμον ὀνείρων

and by the gates of Helios and the land of dreams

ἤϊσαν· αἶψα δʼ ἵκοντο κατʼ ἀσφοδελὸν λειμῶνα,

they went; and quickly they came to the asphodel meadow,

ἔνθα τε ναίουσι ψυχαί, εἴδωλα καμόντων.

where dwell the souls, the phantoms of men outworn.

εὗρον δὲ ψυχὴν Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος

And they found the soul of Achilles, son of Peleus,

καὶ Πατροκλῆος καὶ ἀμύμονος Ἀντιλόχοιο

and of Patroclus, and of peerless Antilochus,

Αἴαντός θʼ, ὃς ἄριστος ἔην εἶδός τε δέμας τε

and of Ajax, who was the finest in form and stature

τῶν ἄλλων Δαναῶν μετʼ ἀμύμονα Πηλεΐδαο

of all the other Danaans after the peerless son of Peleus.

ὣς οἱ μὲν περὶ κεῖνον ὁμίλεον· ἀγχίμολον δὲ

So these were gathering about him, and near to them

ἤλυθʼ ἔπι ψυχὴ Ἀγαμέμνονος Ἀτρεΐδαο

came the soul of Agamemnon, son of Atreus,

ἀχνυμένη· περὶ δʼ ἄλλαι ἀγηγέραθʼ, ὅσσαι ἅμʼ αὐτῷ

sorrowing; and round him others were gathered, as many as

οἴκῳ ἐν Αἰγίσθοιο θάνον καὶ πότμον ἐπέσπον.

had died with him in the house of Aegisthus and met their fate.

τὸν προτέρη ψυχὴ προσεφώνεε Πηλεΐωνος·

And the soul of the son of Peleus addressed him first:

Ἀτρεΐδη, περὶ μέν σʼ ἔφαμεν Διὶ τερπικεραύνῳ

"Son of Atreus, we used to say that thou above all hero men

ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων φίλον ἔμμεναι ἤματα πάντα,

wast dear to Zeus who hurls the thunderbolt all thy days,

οὕνεκα πολλοῖσίν τε καὶ ἰφθίμοισιν ἄνασσες

because thou didst rule over many and mighty men

δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων, ὅθι πάσχομεν ἄλγεʼ Ἀχαιοί.

in the land of the Trojans, where we Achaeans suffered woes.

ἦ τʼ ἄρα καὶ σοὶ πρῶϊ παραστήσεσθαι ἔμελλεν

Yet surely to thee too was destructive fate to come early,

μοῖρʼ ὀλοή, τὴν οὔ τις ἀλεύεται ὅς κε γένηται.

which no one escapes of those who are born.

ὡς ὄφελες τιμῆς ἀπονήμενος, ἧς περ ἄνασσες,

Would that, in the enjoyment of the honor of which thou wast lord,

δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων θάνατον καὶ πότμον ἐπισπεῖν²·

thou hadst met death and fate in the land of the Trojans;

τῷ κέν τοι τύμβον μὲν ἐποίησαν Παναχαιοί,

then would the whole host of the Achaeans have made thee a tomb,

ἠδέ κε καὶ σῷ παιδὶ μέγα κλέος ἤραʼ ὀπίσσω·

and for thy son too wouldst thou have won great glory for the future.

νῦν δʼ ἄρα σʼ οἰκτίστῳ θανάτῳ εἵμαρτο ἁλῶναι.

But now, as it seems, it was thy fate to be overtaken by a most pitiable death."

τὸν δʼ αὖτε ψυχὴ προσεφώνεεν Ἀτρείδαο·

And to him the soul of the son of Atreus spoke in turn:

ὄλβιε Πηλέος υἱέ, θεοῖς ἐπιείκελʼ Ἀχιλλεῦ,

"Happy son of Peleus, Achilles like to the gods,

ὃς θάνες ἐν Τροίῃ ἑκὰς Ἄργεος· ἀμφὶ δέ σʼ ἄλλοι

who didst die at Troy far from Argos; and about thee others,

κτείνοντο Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν υἷες ἄριστοι,

the best of the sons of the Trojans and Achaeans, were slain,

μαρνάμενοι περὶ σεῖο· σὺ δʼ ἐν στροφάλιγγι κονίης

fighting for thee; and thou in the whirl of dust

κεῖσο μέγας μεγαλωστί, λελασμένος ἱπποσυνάων.

didst lie mighty in thy mightiness, forgetful of thy horsemanship.

ἡμεῖς δὲ πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐμαρνάμεθʼ· οὐδέ κε πάμπαν

But we fought the whole day through, nor should we ever

παυσάμεθα πτολέμου, εἰ μὴ Ζεὺς λαίλαπι παῦσεν.

have stayed from fight, had not Zeus stayed us with a tempest.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί σʼ ἐπὶ νῆας ἐνείκαμεν ἐκ πολέμοιο,

But when we had borne thee to the ships from the war,

κάτθεμεν ἐν λεχέεσσι, καθήραντες χρόα καλὸν

we laid thee on a bed, having cleansed thy fair flesh

ὕδατί τε λιαρῷ καὶ ἀλείφατι· πολλὰ δέ σʼ ἀμφὶ

with warm water and ointment; and round thee many

δάκρυα θερμὰ χέον Δαναοὶ κείροντό τε χαίτας.

hot tears did the Danaans shed, and they cut their hair.

μήτηρ δʼ ἐξ ἁλὸς ἦλθε σὺν ἀθανάτῃς ἁλίῃσιν

And thy mother came from the sea with the immortal nymphs of the deep,

ἀγγελίης ἀΐουσα· βοὴ δʼ ἐπὶ πόντον ὀρώρει

when she heard the tidings; and a cry arose over the sea,

θεσπεσίη, ὑπὸ δὲ τρόμος ἔλλαβε πάντας Ἀχαιούς·

wondrous, and trembling took hold of all the Achaeans;

καί νύ κʼ ἀναΐξαντες ἔβαν κοίλας ἐπὶ νῆας,

and now they would have sprang up and fled to the hollow ships,

εἰ μὴ ἀνὴρ κατέρυκε³ παλαιά τε πολλά τε εἰδώς,

had not a man held them back, one who knew much of old,

Νέστωρ, οὗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἀρίστη φαίνετο βουλή·

Nestor, whose counsel had shown itself best before too;

ὅ σφιν ἐϋφρονέων ἀγορήσατο καὶ μετέειπεν·

who with good intent addressed them and spoke among them:

ἴσχεσθʼ, Ἀργεῖοι, μὴ φεύγετε, κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν·

'Hold, Argives, flee not, ye youths of the Achaeans!

μήτηρ ἐξ ἁλὸς ἥδε σὺν ἀθανάτῃς ἁλίῃσιν

This is his mother coming from the sea with the immortal nymphs of the deep,

ἔρχεται, οὗ παιδὸς τεθνηότος ἀντιόωσα.

to meet her dead son.'

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἔσχοντο φόβου μεγάθυμοι Ἀχαιοί·

So he spoke, and the great-hearted Achaeans stayed their flight.

ἀμφὶ δέ σʼ ἔστησαν κοῦραι ἁλίοιο γέροντος

And around thee stood the daughters of the old man of the sea,

οἴκτρʼ ὀλοφυρόμεναι, περὶ δʼ ἄμβροτα εἵματα ἕσσαν.

wailing piteously, and they clothed thee in immortal garments.

Μοῦσαι δʼ ἐννέα πᾶσαι ἀμειβόμεναι ὀπὶ καλῇ

And the Muses, nine in all, replying to one another with sweet voice,

θρήνεον· ἔνθα κεν οὔ τινʼ ἀδάκρυτόν γʼ ἐνόησας⁴

lamented; there wouldst thou have seen no man of the Argives

Ἀργείων· τοῖον γὰρ ὑπώρορε Μοῦσα λίγεια.

without tears, so deeply did the clear-voiced Muse stir them.

ἑπτὰ δὲ καὶ δέκα μέν σε ὁμῶς νύκτας τε καὶ ἦμαρ

For seventeen nights and days alike

κλαίομεν ἀθάνατοί τε θεοὶ θνητοί τʼ ἄνθρωποι·

did we weep for thee, both immortal gods and mortal men;

ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῃ δʼ ἔδομεν πυρί, πολλὰ δέ σʼ ἀμφὶ

and on the eighteenth day we gave thee to the fire, and around thee

μῆλα κατεκτάνομεν μάλα πίονα καὶ ἕλικας βοῦς.

we slaughtered many fat sheep and crumpled-horned cattle.

καίεο δʼ ἔν τʼ ἐσθῆτι θεῶν καὶ ἀλείφατι πολλῷ

And thou wast burned in the garments of the gods and in much ointment

καὶ μέλιτι γλυκερῷ· πολλοὶ δʼ ἥρωες Ἀχαιοὶ

and sweet honey; and many Achaean heroes

τεύχεσιν ἐρρώσαντο πυρὴν πέρι καιομένοιο,

moved in their armor about the pyre as thou wast burning,

Syntax notes4 items

§§24.5ταὶ δὲ τρίζουσαι ἕποντο
The demonstrative pronoun (article used as pronoun) ταὶ refers to the feminine noun ψυχάς (souls) in the preceding lines. The participle τρίζουσαι (gibbering/squeaking) describes the thin, bat-like shrieking of the dead.
§§24.30ὡς ὄφελες... ἐπισπεῖν
The combination of ὡς with ὄφελες (second person singular aorist of ὀφείλω) followed by the infinitive ἐπισπεῖν (in line 31) expresses an unattainable wish in the past ('would that you had met...').
§§24.50καί νύ κʼ ἀναΐξαντες ἔβαν... εἰ μὴ ἀνὴρ κατέρυκε
A past contrafactual conditional sentence. The apodosis (line 50) features the particle κʼ (κε) with the past indicative ἔβαν, while the protasis (line 51) uses εἰ μὴ with the past indicative κατέρυκε, meaning 'and now they would have fled, had not a man held them back'.
§§24.61ἔνθα κεν οὔ τινʼ ἀδάκρυτόν γʼ ἐνόησας
The combination of the particle κεν with the past indicative ἐνόησας expresses a past potential or the apodosis of an implied conditional ('there you would have seen no one without tears [had you been there]').

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:24.1-24.69