§24.602καὶ γάρ τʼ ἠΰκομος Νιόβη ἐμνήσατο σίτου, §24.603τῇ περ δώδεκα παῖδες ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ὄλοντο §24.604ἓξ μὲν θυγατέρες, ἓξ δʼ υἱέες ἡβώοντες. §24.605τοὺς μὲν Ἀπόλλων πέφνεν ἀπʼ ἀργυρέοιο βιοῖο §24.606χωόμενος Νιόβῃ, τὰς δʼ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα, §24.607οὕνεκʼ ἄρα Λητοῖ ἰσάσκετο καλλιπαρῄῳ· §24.608φῆ δοιὼ τεκέειν, ἣ δʼ αὐτὴ γείνατο πολλούς· §24.609τὼ δʼ ἄρα καὶ δοιώ περ ἐόντʼ ἀπὸ πάντας ὄλεσσαν. §24.610οἳ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐννῆμαρ κέατʼ ἐν φόνῳ, οὐδέ τις ἦεν §24.611κατθάψαι, λαοὺς δὲ λίθους ποίησε Κρονίων· §24.612τοὺς δʼ ἄρα τῇ δεκάτῃ θάψαν θεοὶ Οὐρανίωνες. §24.613ἣ δʼ ἄρα σίτου μνήσατʼ, ἐπεὶ κάμε δάκρυ χέουσα. §24.614νῦν δέ που ἐν πέτρῃσιν ἐν οὔρεσιν οἰοπόλοισιν §24.615ἐν Σιπύλῳ, ὅθι φασὶ θεάων ἔμμεναι εὐνὰς §24.616νυμφάων, αἵ τʼ ἀμφʼ Ἀχελώϊον ἐρρώσαντο, §24.617ἔνθα λίθος περ ἐοῦσα θεῶν ἐκ κήδεα πέσσει. §24.618ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ καὶ νῶϊ μεδώμεθα δῖε γεραιὲ §24.619σίτου· ἔπειτά κεν αὖτε φίλον παῖδα κλαίοισθα §24.620Ἴλιον εἰσαγαγών· πολυδάκρυτος δέ τοι ἔσται. §24.621ἦ καὶ ἀναΐξας ὄϊν ἄργυφον ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεὺς §24.622σφάξʼ· ἕταροι δʼ ἔδερόν τε καὶ ἄμφεπον εὖ κατὰ κόσμον, §24.623μίστυλλόν τʼ ἄρʼ ἐπισταμένως πεῖράν τʼ ὀβελοῖσιν, §24.624ὄπτησάν τε περιφραδέως, ἐρύσαντό τε πάντα. §24.625Αὐτομέδων δʼ ἄρα σῖτον ἑλὼν ἐπένειμε τραπέζῃ §24.626καλοῖς ἐν κανέοισιν· ἀτὰρ κρέα νεῖμεν Ἀχιλλεύς. §24.627οἳ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον. §24.628αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος ἐξ ἔρον ἕντο, §24.629ἤτοι Δαρδανίδης Πρίαμος θαύμαζʼ Ἀχιλῆα §24.630ὅσσος ἔην οἷός τε· θεοῖσι γὰρ ἄντα ἐῴκει· §24.631αὐτὰρ ὃ Δαρδανίδην Πρίαμον θαύμαζεν Ἀχιλλεὺς §24.632εἰσορόων ὄψίν τʼ ἀγαθὴν καὶ μῦθον ἀκούων. §24.633αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τάρπησαν ἐς ἀλλήλους ὁρόωντες, §24.634τὸν πρότερος προσέειπε γέρων Πρίαμος θεοειδής· §24.635λέξον νῦν με τάχιστα διοτρεφές, ὄφρα καὶ ἤδη §24.636ὕπνῳ ὕπο γλυκερῷ ταρπώμεθα κοιμηθέντες· §24.637οὐ γάρ πω μύσαν ὄσσε ὑπὸ βλεφάροισιν ἐμοῖσιν §24.638ἐξ οὗ σῇς ὑπὸ χερσὶν ἐμὸς πάϊς ὤλεσε θυμόν, §24.639ἀλλʼ αἰεὶ στενάχω καὶ κήδεα μυρία πέσσω §24.640αὐλῆς ἐν χόρτοισι κυλινδόμενος κατὰ κόπρον. §24.641νῦν δὴ καὶ σίτου πασάμην καὶ αἴθοπα οἶνον §24.642λαυκανίης καθέηκα· πάρος γε μὲν οὔ τι πεπάσμην. §24.643ἦ ῥʼ, Ἀχιλεὺς δʼ ἑτάροισιν ἰδὲ δμῳῇσι κέλευσε §24.644δέμνιʼ ὑπʼ αἰθούσῃ θέμεναι καὶ ῥήγεα καλὰ §24.645πορφύρεʼ ἐμβαλέειν, στορέσαι τʼ ἐφύπερθε τάπητας, §24.646χλαίνας τʼ ἐνθέμεναι οὔλας καθύπερθεν ἕσασθαι. §24.647αἳ δʼ ἴσαν ἐκ μεγάροιο δάος μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχουσαι, §24.648αἶψα δʼ ἄρα στόρεσαν δοιὼ λέχεʼ ἐγκονέουσαι. §24.649τὸν δʼ ἐπικερτομέων προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς· §24.650ἐκτὸς μὲν δὴ λέξο γέρον φίλε, μή τις Ἀχαιῶν §24.651ἐνθάδʼ ἐπέλθῃσιν βουληφόρος, οἵ τέ μοι αἰεὶ §24.652βουλὰς βουλεύουσι παρήμενοι, ἣ θέμις ἐστί· §24.653τῶν εἴ τίς σε ἴδοιτο θοὴν διὰ νύκτα μέλαιναν, §24.654αὐτίκʼ ἂν ἐξείποι Ἀγαμέμνονι ποιμένι λαῶν, §24.655καί κεν ἀνάβλησις λύσιος νεκροῖο γένηται. §24.656ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ καὶ ἀτρεκέως κατάλεξον, §24.657ποσσῆμαρ μέμονας κτερεϊζέμεν Ἕκτορα δῖον, §24.658ὄφρα τέως αὐτός τε μένω καὶ λαὸν ἐρύκω. §24.659τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα γέρων Πρίαμος θεοειδής· §24.660εἰ μὲν δή μʼ ἐθέλεις τελέσαι τάφον Ἕκτορι δίῳ, §24.661ὧδέ κέ μοι ῥέζων Ἀχιλεῦ κεχαρισμένα θείης. §24.662οἶσθα γὰρ ὡς κατὰ ἄστυ ἐέλμεθα, τηλόθι δʼ ὕλη §24.663ἀξέμεν ἐξ ὄρεος, μάλα δὲ Τρῶες δεδίασιν. §24.664ἐννῆμαρ μέν κʼ αὐτὸν ἐνὶ μεγάροις γοάοιμεν, §24.665τῇ δεκάτῃ δέ κε θάπτοιμεν δαινῦτό τε λαός, §24.666ἑνδεκάτῃ δέ κε τύμβον ἐπʼ αὐτῷ ποιήσαιμεν, §24.667τῇ δὲ δυωδεκάτῃ πολεμίξομεν εἴ περ ἀνάγκη. §24.668τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς· §24.669ἔσται τοι καὶ ταῦτα γέρον Πρίαμʼ ὡς σὺ κελεύεις· §24.670σχήσω γὰρ πόλεμον τόσσον χρόνον ὅσσον ἄνωγας.
For even fair-haired Niobe bethought her of food, she whose twelve children perished in her halls, six daughters and six lusty sons. The sons Apollo slew with his silver bow, wroth with Niobe, and the daughters Artemis, she who showers arrows; because Niobe matched herself with fair-cheeked Leto, saying that Leto bore but two, while she herself had borne many; and so those two, though they were but two, destroyed them all. For nine days they lay in their blood, and there was none to bury them, for the son of Cronos turned the folk to stone; but on the tenth day the heavenly gods buried them. And Niobe bethought her of food, when she was weary of shedding tears. And now somewhere among the rocks, in the lonely mountains in Sipylus, where men say are the resting places of the goddesses, the nymphs who dance along the Achelous, there, though she is stone, she broods over her sorrows sent by the gods. But come, let us two also, noble old man, think of food; and thereafter you may weep for your dear son when you have brought him to Ilium; many tears shall he cost you. So spoke swift Achilles, and springing up he slew a white sheep; and his companions flayed it and made it ready in goodly order, and sliced it cunningly and pierced it with spits, and roasted it carefully and drew all off. Then Automedon took bread and dealt it out on the table in fair baskets, while Achilles dealt the meat. And they reached forth their hands to the good things set before them. But when they had put from them the desire for food and drink, then Dardanian Priam marvelled at Achilles, how great he was and of what manner; for he was like the gods to look upon. And Achilles marvelled at Dardanian Priam, beholding his noble aspect and listening to his words. But when they had gazed their fill at one another, godlike Priam the old man was the first to speak: "Seat me now with all speed, O fostered of Zeus, that even now we may lull ourselves to sleep and have joy of sweet slumber; for never yet have my eyes closed beneath my eyelids since my son lost his life beneath your hands, but evermore I groan and brood over my myriad sorrows, wallowing in the dirt in the closed places of my courtyard. But now I have tasted food and have let the bright wine pass down my throat; before this I had tasted nothing." He spoke, and Achilles bade his companions and handmaids to set beds beneath the portico and to cast on them fair purple blankets, and to spread rugs above, and to put on them thick cloaks for clothing. And the maids went out of the hall with torches in their hands, and busily spread two beds with all speed. Then with mocking words swift-footed Achilles spoke to him: "Lie outside, my dear old man, lest some counselor of the Achaeans come hither, such as ever sit by me to take counsel, as is meet; if one of them should see you through the swift, dark night, he would straightway tell it to Agamemnon, shepherd of the host, and so there should be delay in the giving up of the dead. But come, tell me this and declare it truly: for how many days do you purpose to make funeral for noble Hector, so that for so long I may myself abide and hold back the host?" Then godlike Priam the old man answered him: "If you indeed wish me to accomplish the burial of noble Hector, by doing thus, Achilles, you would do me a welcome favor. For you know how we are pent within the city, and far is the wood to fetch from the mountain, and the Trojans are sore afraid. For nine days we would wail for him in our halls, and on the tenth day bury him and the folk should feast, and on the eleventh day we would make a mound over him, and on the twelfth day we will fight, if need be." Then swift-footed noble Achilles spoke to him again: "This too shall be as you bid, old Priam; for I will hold back the battle for such time as you command."