"It is ever right for a man to speak what is just, and when he has spoken, not to vent the venomous sting of his tongue in anger.
§1143κεῖνος δʼ εἷς ἀπὸ πολλῶν §1144ταχθεὶς τῶνδʼ ἐφημοσύνᾳ §1145κοινὰν ἤνυσεν ἐς φίλους ἀρωγάν. §1146ὦ πταναὶ θῆραι χαροπῶν τʼ §1147ἔθνη θηρῶν, οὓς ὅδʼ ἔχει §1148χῶρος οὐρεσιβώτας, §1149μηκέτʼ ἀπʼ αὐλίων φυγᾷ §1150πηδᾶτʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἔχω χεροῖν §1151τὰν πρόσθεν βελέων ἀλκάν, §1152ὦ δύστανος ἐγὼ τανῦν,
He, chosen as one from many, under their command, achieved a common service for his friends." "O winged prey, and tribes of bright-eyed beasts which this mountain-feeding land nurtures, no longer leap in flight from your dens; for I do not hold in my hands the former strength of my arrows—O wretched that I am now!
But roam freely; this place is no longer dreaded, no longer a terror to you.
§1155ἕρπετε·
Come!
νῦν καλὸν §1156ἀντίφονον κορέσαι στόμα πρὸς χάριν §1157ἐμᾶς σαρκὸς αἰόλας· §1158ἀπὸ γὰρ βίον αὐτίκα λείψω.
Now is the time to sated your blood-avenging mouths on my dappled flesh, at your pleasure; for soon I shall leave this life behind.
§1160πόθεν γὰρ ἔσται βιοτά;
For whence shall come my sustenance?
τίς ὧδʼ ἐν αὔραις τρέφεται, §1161μηκέτι μηδενὸς κρατύνων ὅσα πέμπει βιόδωρος αἶα; §1162πρὸς θεῶν, εἴ τι σέβει ξένον, πέλασσον, §1163εὐνοίᾳ πάσᾳ πελάταν·
Who can be fed on empty air, when he no longer has power over any of the gifts that the life-giving earth sends forth?" "By the gods, if you have any respect for a stranger, draw near, draw near to one who approaches you with all goodwill!
But know, know well, that it lies within your power to escape this deadly fate.
§1167οἰκτρὰ γὰρ βόσκειν, ἀδαὴς δʼ §1168ἔχειν μυρίον ἄχθος, ὃ ξυνοικεῖ. §1170πάλιν πάλιν παλαιὸν ἄλγημʼ ὑπέμνασας, ὦ §1171λῷστε τῶν πρὶν ἐντόπων.
For it is a pitiful thing to feed this disease, and one cannot learn how to bear the countless burden that dwells with you." "Again, once again you have reminded me of my old pain, O noblest of those who have visited this place before.
§1172τί μʼ ὤλεσας;
Why have you ruined me?
τί μʼ εἴργασαι;
What have you done to me?
§1173τί τοῦτʼ ἔλεξας;
Why did you say this?
§1174εἰ σὺ τὰν ἐμοὶ στυγερὰν §1175Τρῳάδα γᾶν μʼ ἤλπισας ἄξειν. §1176τόδε γὰρ νοῶ κράτιστον. §1177ἀπό νύν με λείπετʼ ἤδη. §1178φίλα μοι, φίλα ταῦτα παρήγγειλας ἑκόντι τε πράσσειν.
If you expected to lead me to that Trojan land which is hateful to me." "For I think this is for the best." "Leave me now, at once!" "Pleasing to me, pleasing is this command you have given, and I am glad to obey.
§1179ἴωμεν ἴωμεν §1180ναὸς ἵνʼ ἡμῖν τέτακται. §1181μή, πρὸς ἀραίου Διός, ἔλθῃς, ἱκετεύω. §1182μετρίαζʼ. §1183ὦ ξένοι, μείνατε, πρὸς θεῶν. §1184τί θροεῖς;
Let us go, let us go to the place at the ship assigned to us." "Do not go, by Zeus of the curses, I implore you!" "Be moderate." "O strangers, remain, by the gods!" "What are you crying out?" "Alas, alas!
§1185αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, δαίμων δαίμων·
My fate, my cruel fate!
§1186ἀπόλωλʼ ὁ τάλας·
I am destroyed, wretched that I am!
O my foot, my foot, what shall I do with you in my life hereafter, miserable as I am?
§1190ὦ ξένοι, ἔλθετʼ ἐπήλυδες αὖθις. §1191τί ῥέξοντες ἀλλοκότῳ §1192γνώμᾳ τῶν πάρος, ὧν προύφαινες; §1193οὔτοι νεμεσητόν, §1194ἀλύοντα χειμερίῳ §1195λύπᾳ καὶ παρὰ νοῦν θροεῖν. §1196βᾶθί νυν, ὦ τάλαν, ὥς σε κελεύομεν. §1197οὐδέποτʼ οὐδέποτʼ, ἴσθι τόδʼ ἔμπεδον, §1198οὐδʼ εἰ πυρφόρος ἀστεροπητὴς §1199βροντᾶς αὐγαῖς μʼ εἶσι φλογίζων.
O strangers, come back to me once more!" "To do what, with a mind so different from those wishes you displayed before?" "It is not a matter for anger that a man, driven wild by storm-like pain, should speak even beyond his reason." "Come then, unhappy man, as we urge you." "Never, never—know this for certain— not even if the fire-bearing lord of lightning comes to consume me with the flames of his thunderbolts!
§1200ἐρρέτω Ἴλιον οἵ θʼ ὑπʼ ἐκείνῳ §1201πάντες ὅσοι τόδʼ ἔτλασαν ἐμοῦ ποδὸς ἄρθρον ἀπῶσαι. §1202ἀλλʼ, ὦ ξένοι, ἕν γέ μοι εὖχος ὀρέξατε. §1203ποῖον ἐρεῖς τόδʼ ἔπος; §1203aξίφος, εἴ ποθεν, §1204ἢ γένυν ἢ βελέων τι προπέμψατε. §1205ὡς τίνα δὴ ῥέξῃς παλάμαν ποτέ; §1206χρῶτʼ ἀπὸ πάντα καὶ ἄρθρα τέμω χερί· §1207φονᾷ φονᾷ νόος ἤδη. §1208τί ποτε; §1209πατέρα ματεύων. §1210ποῖ γᾶς; §1210aἐς Ἅιδου· §1211οὐ γάρ ἐστʼ ἐν φάει γʼ ἔτι. §1212ὦ πόλις, ὦ πατρία, §1213πῶς ἂν εἰσίδοιμʼ ἄθλιός σʼ ἀνήρ, §1214ὅς γε σὰν λιπὼν ἱερὰν §1215λιβάδʼ ἐχθροῖς ἔβαν Δαναοῖς §1216ἀρωγός·
Perish Ilium, and all those beneath its walls who dared to cast away this crippled foot of mine!" "But, O strangers, grant me at least one prayer." "What kind of word will you speak?" "A sword, if from anywhere, or an axe, or some weapon, send to me!" "So that you may perform what deed with your hand?" "To sever all my flesh and joints with my own hand; my mind now thirsts for blood, for blood!" "For what purpose?" "To seek my father." "Where on earth?" "To the house of Hades; for he is no longer in the light of day." "O city, O my fatherland, how I wish I could look upon you, wretched man that I am, I who left your sacred stream and went to help the hated Danaans!
ἔτʼ οὐδέν εἰμι. §1217ἐγὼ μὲν ἤδη καὶ πάλαι νεὼς ὁμοῦ §1218στείχων ἂν ἦ σοι τῆς ἐμῆς, εἰ μὴ πέλας §1219Ὀδυσσέα στείχοντα τόν τʼ Ἀχιλλέως §1220γόνον πρὸς ἡμᾶς δεῦρʼ ἰόντʼ ἐλεύσσομεν. §1221οὐκ ἂν φράσειας ἥντινʼ αὖ παλίντροπος §1222κέλευθον ἕρπεις ὧδε σὺν σπουδῇ ταχύς; §1223λύσων ὅσʼ ἐξήμαρτον ἐν τῷ πρὶν χρόνῳ. §1224δεινόν γε φωνεῖς· ἡ δʼ ἁμαρτία τίς ἦν; §1225ἣν σοὶ πιθόμενος τῷ τε σύμπαντι στρατῷ §1226ἔπραξας ἔργον ποῖον ὧν οὔ σοι πρέπον; §1227ἀπάταισιν αἰσχραῖς ἄνδρα καὶ δόλοις ἑλών.
Now I am nothing anymore." "For my part, I would have been on my way to my ship long ago, if I had not seen Odysseus walking nearby, and the son of Achilles coming here toward us." "Will you not tell me what path you are retracing, turning back and hastening here with such speed?" "To undo all the wrongs I committed in the time before." "You speak of something terrible; what was that error?" "The one which I committed when I obeyed you and the whole army." "What kind of deed did you perform that was unbefitting you?" "By capturing a man with shameful deceits and guiles." "Which man?
§1228τὸν ποῖον; ὤμοι·
Oh no!
μῶν τι βουλεύει νέον; §1230νέον μὲν οὐδέν, τῷ δὲ Ποίαντος τόκῳ, §1231τί χρῆμα δράσεις; ὥς μʼ ὑπῆλθέ τις φόβος.
Surely you are not planning something rash?" "Nothing rash; but to the son of Poeas—" "What thing will you do?
§1232παρʼ οὗπερ ἔλαβον τάδε τὰ τόξʼ, αὖθις πάλιν
How a certain fear steals over me!" "From whom I took this bow, back again—" "O Zeus!
§1233ὦ Ζεῦ, τί λέξεις;
What will you say?
οὔ τί που δοῦναι νοεῖς; §1234αἰσχρῶς γὰρ αὐτὰ κοὐ δίκῃ λαβὼν ἔχω. §1235πρὸς θεῶν, πότερα δὴ κερτομῶν λέγεις τάδε; §1236εἰ κερτόμησίς ἐστι τἀληθῆ λέγειν.
Surely you do not intend to give it back?" "For I hold it having taken it shamefully and not with justice." "By the gods, are you saying this to mock me?" "If speaking the truth is mockery." "What do you say, son of Achilles?