Humanitext Reader

Homer · Iliad §14.224-14.298

Hera's Persuasion of Hypnos and Arrival at Mount Ida

Passage 125 of 226 · Greek

Summary

Leaving Aphrodite, Hera travels to Lemnos and persuades Hypnos, the god of sleep, to lull Zeus to sleep by promising him the hand of Pasithea, one of the Graces. The two journey to Mount Ida, where Hypnos conceals himself while Hera approaches Zeus and captivates him.

§14.224ἣ μὲν ἔβη πρὸς δῶμα Διὸς θυγάτηρ Ἀφροδίτη, §14.225Ἥρη δʼ ἀΐξασα λίπεν ῥίον Οὐλύμποιο,
Aphrodite, the daughter of Zeus, went to the house of Zeus, while Hera darted down and left the peak of Olympus.
§14.226Πιερίην δʼ ἐπιβᾶσα καὶ Ἠμαθίην ἐρατεινὴν §14.227σεύατʼ ἐφʼ ἱπποπόλων Θρῃκῶν ὄρεα νιφόεντα §14.228ἀκροτάτας κορυφάς· οὐδὲ χθόνα μάρπτε ποδοῖιν·
She set foot on Pieria and lovely Emathia, and sped over the snowy mountains of the horse-breeding Thracians, over their topmost peaks; and she did not touch the earth with her feet.
§14.229ἐξ Ἀθόω δʼ ἐπὶ πόντον ἐβήσετο κυμαίνοντα, §14.230Λῆμνον δʼ εἰσαφίκανε πόλιν θείοιο Θόαντος.
From Athos she stepped onto the billowing sea, and came to Lemnos, the city of divine Thoas.
§14.231ἔνθʼ Ὕπνῳ ξύμβλητο κασιγνήτῳ Θανάτοιο, §14.232ἔν τʼ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρὶ ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν· §14.233Ὕπνε ἄναξ πάντων τε θεῶν πάντων τʼ ἀνθρώπων, §14.234ἠμὲν δή ποτʼ ἐμὸν ἔπος ἔκλυες, ἠδʼ ἔτι καὶ νῦν §14.235πείθευ· ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι ἰδέω χάριν ἤματα πάντα.
There she met Sleep, the brother of Death; and she clasped him by the hand, and spoke and addressed him: "Sleep, lord of all gods and of all men, if ever you did hearken to my word, even now also obey me; and I will feel gratitude to you all my days.
§14.236κοίμησόν μοι Ζηνὸς ὑπʼ ὀφρύσιν ὄσσε φαεινὼ §14.237αὐτίκʼ ἐπεί κεν ἐγὼ παραλέξομαι ἐν φιλότητι.
Lull to sleep for me the shining eyes of Zeus beneath his brows, straightway when I shall have lain by his side in love.
§14.238δῶρα δέ τοι δώσω καλὸν θρόνον ἄφθιτον αἰεὶ §14.239χρύσεον· Ἥφαιστος δέ κʼ ἐμὸς πάϊς ἀμφιγυήεις §14.240τεύξειʼ ἀσκήσας, ὑπὸ δὲ θρῆνυν ποσὶν ἥσει, §14.241τῷ κεν ἐπισχοίης λιπαροὺς πόδας εἰλαπινάζων. §14.242τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσεφώνεε νήδυμος Ὕπνος· §14.243Ἥρη πρέσβα θεὰ θύγατερ μεγάλοιο Κρόνοιο §14.244ἄλλον μέν κεν ἔγωγε θεῶν αἰειγενετάων §14.245ῥεῖα κατευνήσαιμι, καὶ ἂν ποταμοῖο ῥέεθρα §14.246Ὠκεανοῦ, ὅς περ γένεσις πάντεσσι τέτυκται· §14.247Ζηνὸς δʼ οὐκ ἂν ἔγωγε Κρονίονος ἆσσον ἱκοίμην §14.248οὐδὲ κατευνήσαιμʼ, ὅτε μὴ αὐτός γε κελεύοι.
And gifts will I give you, a fair throne, imperishable forever, of gold; and my son Hephaestus, the limping god, shall fashion it with skill, and set a footstool beneath it for your feet, whereon you may rest your shining feet when you feast." Then sweet Sleep made answer to her, saying: "Hera, queenly goddess, daughter of great Cronos, any other of the everlasting gods I could easily lull to sleep, even the streams of the river Oceanus, who is the source of all; but to Zeus, the son of Cronos, I would not draw near, nor lull him to sleep, unless he himself should command me.
§14.249ἤδη γάρ με καὶ ἄλλο τεὴ ἐπίνυσσεν ἐφετμὴ §14.250ἤματι τῷ ὅτε κεῖνος ὑπέρθυμος Διὸς υἱὸς §14.251ἔπλεεν Ἰλιόθεν Τρώων πόλιν ἐξαλαπάξας.
For already on another occasion your command made me wise, on the day when that high-hearted son of Zeus sailed from Ilium, having sacked the city of the Trojans.
§14.252ἤτοι ἐγὼ μὲν ἔλεξα Διὸς νόον αἰγιόχοιο §14.253νήδυμος ἀμφιχυθείς· σὺ δέ οἱ κακὰ μήσαο θυμῷ §14.254ὄρσασʼ ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἐπὶ πόντον ἀήτας, §14.255καί μιν ἔπειτα Κόων δʼ εὖ ναιομένην ἀπένεικας §14.256νόσφι φίλων πάντων.
Indeed, I lulled the mind of aegis-bearing Zeus, shedding myself sweet about him; but you devised evil in your heart against him, rousing the blasts of cruel winds over the sea, and then bore him away to well-inhabited Cos, far from all his friends.
ὃ δʼ ἐπεγρόμενος χαλέπαινε §14.257ῥιπτάζων κατὰ δῶμα θεούς, ἐμὲ δʼ ἔξοχα πάντων §14.258ζήτει· καί κέ μʼ ἄϊστον ἀπʼ αἰθέρος ἔμβαλε πόντῳ, §14.259εἰ μὴ Νὺξ δμήτειρα θεῶν ἐσάωσε καὶ ἀνδρῶν·
But he, when he awoke, was angry, casting the gods about his house, and me above all he sought; and he would have cast me from the upper air into the sea to be no more, had Night, the subduer of gods and men, not saved me.
§14.260τὴν ἱκόμην φεύγων, ὃ δʼ ἐπαύσατο χωόμενός περ. §14.261ἅζετο γὰρ μὴ Νυκτὶ θοῇ ἀποθύμια ἕρδοι.
To her I came in my flight, and he ceased, though he was angry; for he shrank from doing what would displease swift Night.
§14.262νῦν αὖ τοῦτό μʼ ἄνωγας ἀμήχανον ἄλλο τελέσσαι. §14.263τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη· §14.264Ὕπνε τί ἢ δὲ σὺ ταῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶ σῇσι μενοινᾷς;
Now again you bid me perform this other impossible thing." Then ox-eyed queenly Hera spoke to him again: "Sleep, why do you ponder these things in your heart?
§14.265ἦ φῂς ὣς Τρώεσσιν ἀρηξέμεν εὐρύοπα Ζῆν §14.266ὡς Ἡρακλῆος περιχώσατο παῖδος ἑοῖο;
Do you think that wide-seeing Zeus will aid the Trojans with such anger as he felt for Heracles, his own son?
§14.267ἀλλʼ ἴθʼ, ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι Χαρίτων μίαν ὁπλοτεράων §14.268δώσω ὀπυιέμεναι καὶ σὴν κεκλῆσθαι ἄκοιτιν. §14.270ὣς φάτο, χήρατο δʼ Ὕπνος, ἀμειβόμενος δὲ προσηύδα· §14.271ἄγρει νῦν μοι ὄμοσσον ἀάατον Στυγὸς ὕδωρ, §14.272χειρὶ δὲ τῇ ἑτέρῃ μὲν ἕλε χθόνα πουλυβότειραν, §14.273τῇ δʼ ἑτέρῃ ἅλα μαρμαρέην, ἵνα νῶϊν ἅπαντες §14.274μάρτυροι ὦσʼ οἳ ἔνερθε θεοὶ Κρόνον ἀμφὶς ἐόντες, §14.275ἦ μὲν ἐμοὶ δώσειν Χαρίτων μίαν ὁπλοτεράων §14.276Πασιθέην, ἧς τʼ αὐτὸς ἐέλδομαι ἤματα πάντα. §14.277ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη, §14.278ὄμνυε δʼ ὡς ἐκέλευε, θεοὺς δʼ ὀνόμηνεν ἅπαντας §14.279τοὺς ὑποταρταρίους οἳ Τιτῆνες καλέονται.
Nay, come, and I will give you one of the younger Graces to marry, and she shall be called your wife." So she spoke, and Sleep was glad, and made answer, saying: "Come now, swear to me by the inviolable water of Styx, and with one hand grasp the all-nourishing earth, and with the other the shimmering sea, so that all the gods below who are around Cronos may be our witnesses, that you will indeed give me one of the younger Graces, Pasithea, whom myself I desire all my days." So he spoke, and the white-armed goddess Hera did not disobey, but swore as he bade, and named all the gods beneath Tartarus, who are called Titans.
§14.280αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ὄμοσέν τε τελεύτησέν τε τὸν ὅρκον, §14.281τὼ βήτην Λήμνου τε καὶ Ἴμβρου ἄστυ λιπόντε §14.282ἠέρα ἑσσαμένω ῥίμφα πρήσσοντε κέλευθον.
But when she had sworn and completed her oath, the two went on, leaving the city of Lemnos and Imbros, clad in mist, swiftly accomplishing their journey.
§14.283Ἴδην δʼ ἱκέσθην πολυπίδακα μητέρα θηρῶν §14.284Λεκτόν, ὅθι πρῶτον λιπέτην ἅλα· τὼ δʼ ἐπὶ χέρσου §14.285βήτην, ἀκροτάτη δὲ ποδῶν ὕπο σείετο ὕλη.
And they came to many-fountained Ida, mother of wild beasts, to Lectum, where first they left the sea; and the two walked upon dry land, and the topmost forest shook beneath their feet.
§14.286ἔνθʼ Ὕπνος μὲν ἔμεινε πάρος Διὸς ὄσσε ἰδέσθαι §14.287εἰς ἐλάτην ἀναβὰς περιμήκετον, ἣ τότʼ ἐν Ἴδῃ §14.288μακροτάτη πεφυυῖα διʼ ἠέρος αἰθέρʼ ἵκανεν·
There Sleep remained, before the eyes of Zeus should see him, climbing up into a tall pine-tree, which then on Ida, growing tallest, reached through the mist into the upper air.
§14.289ἔνθʼ ἧστʼ ὄζοισιν πεπυκασμένος εἰλατίνοισιν §14.290ὄρνιθι λιγυρῇ ἐναλίγκιος, ἥν τʼ ἐν ὄρεσσι §14.291χαλκίδα κικλήσκουσι θεοί, ἄνδρες δὲ κύμινδιν.
There he sat, hidden by the pine branches, like the clear-voiced bird that in the mountains the gods call chalcis, and men cymindis.
§14.292Ἥρη δὲ κραιπνῶς προσεβήσετο Γάργαρον ἄκρον §14.293Ἴδης ὑψηλῆς· ἴδε δὲ νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς.
But Hera swiftly went to Gargarus, the peak of lofty Ida; and Zeus, the cloud-gatherer, saw her.
§14.294ὡς δʼ ἴδεν, ὥς μιν ἔρως πυκινὰς φρένας ἀμφεκάλυψεν, §14.295οἷον ὅτε πρῶτόν περ ἐμισγέσθην φιλότητι §14.296εἰς εὐνὴν φοιτῶντε, φίλους λήθοντε τοκῆας.
And as he saw her, so love enveloped his wise heart, even as when they first lay together in love, going to the couch, without the knowledge of their dear parents.
§14.297στῆ δʼ αὐτῆς προπάροιθεν ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν· §14.298Ἥρη πῇ μεμαυῖα κατʼ Οὐλύμπου τόδʼ ἱκάνεις;
And he stood before her, and spoke and addressed her: "Hera, with what desire do you come hither from Olympus?"

Notes

  1. 14.235ἰδέω — Subjunctive form (Homeric ἰδέω for εἰδῶ in the phrase χάριν εἰδέναι). Used with the particle κέ (κε) to express a confident expectation or future intention ("I shall feel gratitude always").
  2. 14.248ὅτε μὴ αὐτός γε κελεύοι — Conditional clause with the optative (ὅτε μή + optative). It expresses a generalized or cautious exception/condition: "except when he himself should command."
  3. 14.258καί κέ μʼ ἄϊστον ἀπʼ αἰθέρος ἔμβαλε πόντῳ — A past contrary-to-fact condition. The apodosis features the particle κέ with the aorist indicative (ἔμβαλε), while the protasis in the following line (14.259) uses εἰ μή with the aorist indicative (ἐσάωσε): "and he would have cast me from the upper air into the sea, had Night not saved me."

Cite this passage

Homer, Iliad §14.224-14.298. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:14.224-14.298

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