Humanitext Reader

Homer · Iliad §16.1-16.72

Patroclus Pleading with Achilles and Receiving His Armor

Passage 140 of 226 · Greek

Summary

Patroclus, weeping, pleads with Achilles about the dire situation of the Achaeans and begs to enter the battle wearing Achilles' armor. Achilles, though still harboring resentment against Agamemnon, relents and permits Patroclus to lead the Myrmidons into battle clad in his own armor.

§16.1ὣς οἳ μὲν περὶ νηὸς ἐϋσσέλμοιο μάχοντο· §16.2Πάτροκλος δʼ Ἀχιλῆϊ παρίστατο ποιμένι λαῶν §16.3δάκρυα θερμὰ χέων ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος, §16.4ἥ τε κατʼ αἰγίλιπος πέτρης δνοφερὸν χέει ὕδωρ.
Thus they fought around the well-benched ship; Patroclus stood by Achilles, shepherd of the host, shedding hot tears like a spring of dark water, which pours its dark water down a steep cliff.
§16.5τὸν δὲ ἰδὼν ᾤκτιρε ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς, §16.6καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §16.7τίπτε δεδάκρυσαι Πατρόκλεες, ἠΰτε κούρη §16.8νηπίη, ἥ θʼ ἅμα μητρὶ θέουσʼ ἀνελέσθαι ἀνώγει §16.9εἱανοῦ ἁπτομένη, καί τʼ ἐσσυμένην κατερύκει, §16.10δακρυόεσσα δέ μιν ποτιδέρκεται, ὄφρʼ ἀνέληται· §16.11τῇ ἴκελος Πάτροκλε τέρεν κατὰ δάκρυον εἴβεις.
Seeing him, swift-footed noble Achilles pitied him, and spoke to him, uttering winged words: "Why are you in tears, Patroclus, like a foolish little girl who runs along with her mother and begs to be picked up, clinging to her dress, and holding her back as she hurries, and looks up at her tearfully, until she is picked up; like her, Patroclus, you let fall the tender tear.
§16.12ἠέ τι Μυρμιδόνεσσι πιφαύσκεαι, ἢ ἐμοὶ αὐτῷ, §16.13ἦέ τινʼ ἀγγελίην Φθίης ἐξέκλυες οἶος;
Do you have some news to declare to the Myrmidons, or to myself, or have you alone heard some tidings from Phthia?
§16.14ζώειν μὰν ἔτι φασὶ Μενοίτιον Ἄκτορος υἱόν, §16.15ζώει δʼ Αἰακίδης Πηλεὺς μετὰ Μυρμιδόνεσσι; §16.16τῶν κε μάλʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἀκαχοίμεθα τεθνηώτων.
They say that Menoetius, Actor's son, still lives, and Peleus, Aeacus' son, lives among the Myrmidons; if both of these were dead, we would grieve indeed.
§16.17ἦε σύ γʼ Ἀργείων ὀλοφύρεαι, ὡς ὀλέκονται §16.18νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇσιν ὑπερβασίης ἕνεκα σφῆς;
Or do you pity the Argives, because they are perishing by the hollow ships because of their own transgression?
§16.19ἐξαύδα, μὴ κεῦθε νόῳ, ἵνα εἴδομεν ἄμφω. §16.20τὸν δὲ βαρὺ στενάχων προσέφης Πατρόκλεες ἱππεῦ· §16.21ὦ Ἀχιλεῦ Πηλῆος υἱὲ μέγα φέρτατʼ Ἀχαιῶν §16.22μὴ νεμέσα· τοῖον γὰρ ἄχος βεβίηκεν Ἀχαιούς.
Speak out, hide it not in your mind, so that we both may know." Then, groaning heavily, did you speak, Patroclus the horseman: "O Achilles, son of Peleus, far the mightiest of the Achaeans, be not angry; for such great grief has overcome the Achaeans.
§16.23οἳ μὲν γὰρ δὴ πάντες, ὅσοι πάρος ἦσαν ἄριστοι, §16.24ἐν νηυσὶν κέαται βεβλημένοι οὐτάμενοί τε.
For indeed all those who were formerly the best, lie by the ships, struck by arrows or wounded by spears.
§16.25βέβληται μὲν ὃ Τυδεΐδης κρατερὸς Διομήδης, §16.26οὔτασται δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς δουρικλυτὸς ἠδʼ Ἀγαμέμνων, §16.27βέβληται δὲ καὶ Εὐρύπυλος κατὰ μηρὸν ὀϊστῷ.
Struck is mighty Diomedes, Tydeus' son, and wounded is Odysseus, famous with the spear, and Agamemnon, and Eurypylus too is struck with an arrow in the thigh.
§16.28τοὺς μέν τʼ ἰητροὶ πολυφάρμακοι ἀμφιπένονται §16.29ἕλκεʼ ἀκειόμενοι· σὺ δʼ ἀμήχανος ἔπλευ Ἀχιλλεῦ.
Over them the physicians skilled in many herbs are busy, healing their wounds; but you, Achilles, remain unyielding.
§16.30μὴ ἐμέ γʼ οὖν οὗτός γε λάβοι χόλος, ὃν σὺ φυλάσσεις §16.31αἰναρέτη·
May no such anger seize me, at least, as this which you cherish, you of fatal valor!
τί σευ ἄλλος ὀνήσεται ὀψίγονός περ §16.32αἴ κε μὴ Ἀργείοισιν ἀεικέα λοιγὸν ἀμύνῃς;
What other man of after days will have profit of you, if you do not ward off shameful ruin from the Argives?
§16.33νηλεές, οὐκ ἄρα σοί γε πατὴρ ἦν ἱππότα Πηλεύς, §16.34οὐδὲ Θέτις μήτηρ· γλαυκὴ δέ σε τίκτε θάλασσα §16.35πέτραι τʼ ἠλίβατοι, ὅτι τοι νόος ἐστὶν ἀπηνής.
Pitiless one, your father was not the horseman Peleus, nor Thetis your mother; but the gray sea bore you, and the towering cliffs, because your mind is unyielding.
§16.36εἰ δέ τινα φρεσὶ σῇσι θεοπροπίην ἀλεείνεις §16.37καί τινά τοι πὰρ Ζηνὸς ἐπέφραδε πότνια μήτηρ, §16.38ἀλλʼ ἐμέ περ πρόες ὦχʼ, ἃμα δʼ ἄλλον λαὸν ὄπασσον §16.39Μυρμιδόνων, ἤν πού τι φόως Δαναοῖσι γένωμαι.
But if in your heart you are avoiding some prophecy, and your noble mother has told you something from Zeus, yet at least send me forth quickly, and give me the rest of the host of the Myrmidons, if so be I may prove a light of deliverance to the Danaans.
§16.40δὸς δέ μοι ὤμοιιν τὰ σὰ τεύχεα θωρηχθῆναι, §16.41αἴ κʼ ἐμὲ σοὶ ἴσκοντες ἀπόσχωνται πολέμοιο §16.42Τρῶες, ἀναπνεύσωσι δʼ Ἀρήϊοι υἷες Ἀχαιῶν §16.43τειρόμενοι· ὀλίγη δέ τʼ ἀνάπνευσις πολέμοιο.
And give me your armor to buckle on my shoulders, if so be the Trojans, taking me for you, may hold back from battle, and the warlike sons of the Achaeans may win breathing space, weary though they are; and breathing space in war is brief.
§16.44ῥεῖα δέ κʼ ἀκμῆτες κεκμηότας ἄνδρας ἀϋτῇ §16.45ὤσαιμεν προτὶ ἄστυ νεῶν ἄπο καὶ κλισιάων. §16.46ὣς φάτο λισσόμενος μέγα νήπιος· ἦ γὰρ ἔμελλεν §16.47οἷ αὐτῷ θάνατόν τε κακὸν καὶ κῆρα λιτέσθαι.
And easily might we that are fresh drive men that are weary back to the city, away from the ships and huts, with our war-cry." So he spoke, pleading, great fool that he was; for indeed he was to pray for his own evil death and doom.
§16.48τὸν δὲ μέγʼ ὀχθήσας προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς· §16.49ὤ μοι διογενὲς Πατρόκλεες οἷον ἔειπες·
Then, deeply moved, swift-footed Achilles spoke to him: "Ah me, Patroclus, sprung from Zeus, what a thing you have said!
§16.50οὔτε θεοπροπίης ἐμπάζομαι ἥν τινα οἶδα, §16.51οὔτέ τί μοι πὰρ Ζηνὸς ἐπέφραδε πότνια μήτηρ· §16.52ἀλλὰ τόδʼ αἰνὸν ἄχος κραδίην καὶ θυμὸν ἱκάνει, §16.53ὁππότε δὴ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἀνὴρ ἐθέλῃσιν ἀμέρσαι §16.54καὶ γέρας ἂψ ἀφελέσθαι, ὅ τε κράτεϊ προβεβήκῃ·
Neither do I care for any prophecy that I know of, nor has my noble mother told me anything from Zeus; but this bitter grief comes upon my heart and soul, when a man wishes to rob his equal, and take back the prize because he surpasses him in power.
§16.55αἰνὸν ἄχος τό μοί ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ πάθον ἄλγεα θυμῷ.
A bitter grief is this to me, since I have suffered woes in my heart.
§16.56κούρην ἣν ἄρα μοι γέρας ἔξελον υἷες Ἀχαιῶν, §16.57δουρὶ δʼ ἐμῷ κτεάτισσα πόλιν εὐτείχεα πέρσας, §16.58τὴν ἂψ ἐκ χειρῶν ἕλετο κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων §16.59Ἀτρεΐδης ὡς εἴ τινʼ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην.
The girl whom the sons of the Achaeans chose out for me as a prize, and whom I won with my own spear when I sacked the well-walled city, her has lord Agamemnon, son of Atreus, taken back from my hands, as though I were some unhonored vagabond.
§16.60ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν προτετύχθαι ἐάσομεν· οὐδʼ ἄρα πως ἦν §16.61ἀσπερχὲς κεχολῶσθαι ἐνὶ φρεσίν· ἤτοι ἔφην γε §16.62οὐ πρὶν μηνιθμὸν καταπαυσέμεν, ἀλλʼ ὁπότʼ ἂν δὴ §16.63νῆας ἐμὰς ἀφίκηται ἀϋτή τε πτόλεμός τε.
But we will let these things be as past; it was not, indeed, possible to remain angry forever in one's heart; yet surely I said that I would not lay aside my wrath until the war-cry and the battle should reach my own ships.
§16.64τύνη δʼ ὤμοιιν μὲν ἐμὰ κλυτὰ τεύχεα δῦθι, §16.65ἄρχε δὲ Μυρμιδόνεσσι φιλοπτολέμοισι μάχεσθαι, §16.66εἰ δὴ κυάνεον Τρώων νέφος ἀμφιβέβηκε §16.67νηυσὶν ἐπικρατέως, οἳ δὲ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης §16.68κεκλίαται, χώρης ὀλίγην ἔτι μοῖραν ἔχοντες §16.69Ἀργεῖοι, Τρώων δὲ πόλις ἐπὶ πᾶσα βέβηκε §16.70θάρσυνος· οὐ γὰρ ἐμῆς κόρυθος λεύσσουσι μέτωπον §16.71ἐγγύθι λαμπομένης· τάχα κεν φεύγοντες ἐναύλους §16.72πλήσειαν νεκύων, εἴ μοι κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
But do you buckle my glorious armor on your shoulders, and lead the war-loving Myrmidons to the fight, if indeed the dark cloud of the Trojans has surrounded the ships in full force, and the Argives are penned in against the shore of the sea, having now but a narrow strip of land, while the whole city of the Trojans has come out bold of heart; for they do not see the front of my helmet gleaming near; soon would they flee and fill the water-courses with dead, if lord Agamemnon [were kindly disposed] to me.

Notes

  1. §16.7ἠΰτε κούρη — A long simile comparing Patroclus' tears to a young girl begging her mother to be picked up (lines 7–10). The verbs in the simile (ἀνώγει, κατερύκει, ποτιδέρκεται) describe the actions of the child clinging to her mother.
  2. §16.20προσέφης — An apostrophe where the narrator (the poet) directly addresses Patroclus in the second person singular (προσέφης "you spoke"). This poetic device enhances the reader's sympathy and foreshadows his tragic destiny.
  3. §16.59ἀτίμητον μετανάστην — Meaning "an unhonored immigrant/outcast." It refers to a stranger of low social standing who has no land or legal protection in Achaean society and cannot defend himself against insults. Achilles feels deeply insulted by Agamemnon's confiscation of Briseis, equating it to being treated like such an outcast.
  4. §16.71εἴ μοι κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων — The protasis starting in line 72, "if lord Agamemnon [were kindly disposed] to me," lacks an explicit verb (such as ἤπια εἰδείη "had kindly feelings"). This represents either an ellipsis of a common formulaic expression or an aposiopesis reflecting Achilles' intense emotional state.

Cite this passage

Homer, Iliad §16.1-16.72. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:16.1-16.72

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