§18.70τῷ δὲ βαρὺ στενάχοντι παρίστατο πότνια μήτηρ, §18.71ὀξὺ δὲ κωκύσασα κάρη λάβε παιδὸς ἑοῖο, §18.72καί ῥʼ ὀλοφυρομένη ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §18.73τέκνον τί κλαίεις;
As he groaned heavily, his lady mother stood beside him, and crying out shrilly she took the head of her son, and mourning she spoke to him winged words: "My child, why do you weep?
τί δέ σε φρένας ἵκετο πένθος;
What grief has come upon your heart?
§18.74ἐξαύδα, μὴ κεῦθε·
Speak out, hide it not.
τὰ μὲν δή τοι τετέλεσται §18.75ἐκ Διός, ὡς ἄρα δὴ πρίν γʼ εὔχεο χεῖρας ἀνασχὼν §18.76πάντας ἐπὶ πρύμνῃσιν ἀλήμεναι υἷας Ἀχαιῶν §18.77σεῦ ἐπιδευομένους, παθέειν τʼ ἀεκήλια ἔργα. §18.78τὴν δὲ βαρὺ στενάχων προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς· §18.79μῆτερ ἐμή, τὰ μὲν ἄρ μοι Ὀλύμπιος ἐξετέλεσσεν· §18.80ἀλλὰ τί μοι τῶν ἦδος ἐπεὶ φίλος ὤλεθʼ ἑταῖρος §18.81Πάτροκλος, τὸν ἐγὼ περὶ πάντων τῖον ἑταίρων §18.82ἶσον ἐμῇ κεφαλῇ;
Those things indeed have been accomplished for you by Zeus, even as you prayed before, lifting up your hands, that all the sons of the Achaeans should be hemmed in at the ships' sterns, having need of you, and should suffer unseemly things." Then, groaning heavily, swift-footed Achilles spoke to her: "My mother, those things indeed the Olympian has accomplished for me; but what pleasure have I in them, since my dear companion is dead, Patroclus, whom I honored above all my companions, equal to my own life?
τὸν ἀπώλεσα, τεύχεα δʼ Ἕκτωρ §18.83δῃώσας ἀπέδυσε πελώρια θαῦμα ἰδέσθαι §18.84καλά· τὰ μὲν Πηλῆϊ θεοὶ δόσαν ἀγλαὰ δῶρα §18.85ἤματι τῷ ὅτε σε βροτοῦ ἀνέρος ἔμβαλον εὐνῇ.
Him have I lost, and Hector has slain him and stripped off his armor, massive, a wonder to behold, beautiful; which the gods gave as a glorious gift to Peleus on the day when they cast you into the bed of a mortal man.
§18.86αἴθʼ ὄφελες σὺ μὲν αὖθι μετʼ ἀθανάτῃς ἁλίῃσι §18.87ναίειν, Πηλεὺς δὲ θνητὴν ἀγαγέσθαι ἄκοιτιν.
Would that you had continued to dwell there among the immortal sea-goddesses, and that Peleus had taken to himself a mortal wife.
§18.88νῦν δʼ ἵνα καὶ σοὶ πένθος ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μυρίον εἴη §18.89παιδὸς ἀποφθιμένοιο, τὸν οὐχ ὑποδέξεαι αὖτις §18.90οἴκαδε νοστήσαντʼ, ἐπεὶ οὐδʼ ἐμὲ θυμὸς ἄνωγε §18.91ζώειν οὐδʼ ἄνδρεσσι μετέμμεναι, αἴ κε μὴ Ἕκτωρ §18.92πρῶτος ἐμῷ ὑπὸ δουρὶ τυπεὶς ἀπὸ θυμὸν ὀλέσσῃ, §18.93Πατρόκλοιο δʼ ἕλωρα Μενοιτιάδεω ἀποτίσῃ. §18.94τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε Θέτις κατὰ δάκρυ χέουσα· §18.95ὠκύμορος δή μοι τέκος ἔσσεαι, οἷʼ ἀγορεύεις· §18.96αὐτίκα γάρ τοι ἔπειτα μεθʼ Ἕκτορα πότμος ἑτοῖμος. §18.97τὴν δὲ μέγʼ ὀχθήσας προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς· §18.98αὐτίκα τεθναίην, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἄρʼ ἔμελλον ἑταίρῳ §18.99κτεινομένῳ ἐπαμῦναι· ὃ μὲν μάλα τηλόθι πάτρης §18.100ἔφθιτʼ, ἐμεῖο δὲ δῆσεν ἀρῆς ἀλκτῆρα γενέσθαι.
But now, it was so that you too might have countless grief in your heart for your son who is to perish, whom you shall never again welcome returning home, since my own spirit bids me not to live or to abide among men, unless Hector first, smitten by my spear, shall lose his life and pay the price for the spoiling of Patroclus, son of Menoetius." And Thetis spoke to him again, shedding tears: "Short-lived indeed, my child, you shall be, from what you say; for straightway after Hector your own doom is ready." Then, deeply moved, swift-footed Achilles spoke to her: "May I die straightway, since I was not, as it seems, to aid my companion as he was slain; he has perished far indeed from his native land, and had need of me to be a warder off of ruin.
§18.101νῦν δʼ ἐπεὶ οὐ νέομαί γε φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν, §18.102οὐδέ τι Πατρόκλῳ γενόμην φάος οὐδʼ ἑτάροισι §18.103τοῖς ἄλλοις, οἳ δὴ πολέες δάμεν Ἕκτορι δίῳ, §18.104ἀλλʼ ἧμαι παρὰ νηυσὶν ἐτώσιον ἄχθος ἀρούρης, §18.105τοῖος ἐὼν οἷος οὔ τις Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων §18.106ἐν πολέμῳ· ἀγορῇ δέ τʼ ἀμείνονές εἰσι καὶ ἄλλοι.
And now, since I go not back to my dear native land, nor was I any light of deliverance to Patroclus or to my other companions, who have been slain in great numbers by noble Hector, but sit here beside the ships, a useless burden on the earth, though I am such as is no other of the bronze-clad Achaeans in war, though in the assembly there are others better.
§18.107ὡς ἔρις ἔκ τε θεῶν ἔκ τʼ ἀνθρώπων ἀπόλοιτο §18.108καὶ χόλος, ὅς τʼ ἐφέηκε πολύφρονά περ χαλεπῆναι, §18.109ὅς τε πολὺ γλυκίων μέλιτος καταλειβομένοιο §18.110ἀνδρῶν ἐν στήθεσσιν ἀέξεται ἠΰτε καπνός· §18.111ὡς ἐμὲ νῦν ἐχόλωσεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων.
Would that strife might perish from among gods and from among men, and anger, which drives even a wise man to be harsh, and which, far sweeter than trickling honey, grows like smoke in the breasts of men; even as but now Agamemnon, king of men, angered me.
§18.112ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν προτετύχθαι ἐάσομεν ἀχνύμενοί περ, §18.113θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλον δαμάσαντες ἀνάγκῃ·
But we will let these things be as past and done, for all our grief, subduing by necessity the heart within our breasts.
§18.114νῦν δʼ εἶμʼ ὄφρα φίλης κεφαλῆς ὀλετῆρα κιχείω §18.115Ἕκτορα· κῆρα δʼ ἐγὼ τότε δέξομαι ὁππότε κεν δὴ §18.116Ζεὺς ἐθέλῃ τελέσαι ἠδʼ ἀθάνατοι θεοὶ ἄλλοι.
And now I will go, that I may find Hector, the slayer of my beloved friend; and my death I will accept at whatever time Zeus wills to accomplish it and the other immortal gods.
§18.117οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ βίη Ἡρακλῆος φύγε κῆρα, §18.118ὅς περ φίλτατος ἔσκε Διὶ Κρονίωνι ἄνακτι· §18.119ἀλλά ἑ μοῖρα δάμασσε καὶ ἀργαλέος χόλος Ἥρης.
For not even the mighty Heracles escaped death, who was most dear to lord Zeus, son of Cronos; but fate subdued him, and the grievous wrath of Hera.
§18.120ὣς καὶ ἐγών, εἰ δή μοι ὁμοίη μοῖρα τέτυκται, §18.121κείσομʼ ἐπεί κε θάνω· νῦν δὲ κλέος ἐσθλὸν ἀροίμην, §18.122καί τινα Τρωϊάδων καὶ Δαρδανίδων βαθυκόλπων §18.123ἀμφοτέρῃσιν χερσὶ παρειάων ἁπαλάων §18.124δάκρυʼ ὀμορξαμένην ἁδινὸν στοναχῆσαι ἐφείην, §18.125γνοῖεν δʼ ὡς δὴ δηρὸν ἐγὼ πολέμοιο πέπαυμαι·
So also I, if a like fate has been fashioned for me, shall lie low when I am dead; but now may I win glorious renown, and make many a one of the deep-bosomed Trojan and Dardanian women with both her hands to wipe the tears from her tender cheeks and groan aloud in close-thronged lament; and let them know that indeed too long have I kept aloof from war.
§18.126μὴ δέ μʼ ἔρυκε μάχης φιλέουσά περ· οὐδέ με πείσεις. §18.127τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα θεὰ Θέτις ἀργυρόπεζα· §18.128ναὶ δὴ ταῦτά γε τέκνον ἐτήτυμον οὐ κακόν ἐστι §18.129τειρομένοις ἑτάροισιν ἀμυνέμεν αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον.
Hold me not back from battle, though you love me; you shall not persuade me." Then the silver-footed goddess Thetis answered him: "Yes, indeed, my child, this that you say is true; it is no bad thing to ward off sheer destruction from your hard-pressed companions.
§18.130ἀλλά τοι ἔντεα καλὰ μετὰ Τρώεσσιν ἔχονται §18.131χάλκεα μαρμαίροντα· τὰ μὲν κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ §18.132αὐτὸς ἔχων ὤμοισιν ἀγάλλεται· οὐδέ ἕ φημι §18.133δηρὸν ἐπαγλαϊεῖσθαι, ἐπεὶ φόνος ἐγγύθεν αὐτῷ.
But your beautiful armor is held among the Trojans, all gleaming with bronze; this Hector of the flashing helm himself wears on his shoulders and exults in it; yet I tell you he shall not long triumph in it, for his own death is near.