§24.671ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἐπὶ καρπῷ χεῖρα γέροντος §24.672ἔλλαβε δεξιτερήν, μή πως δείσειʼ ἐνὶ θυμῷ. §24.673οἳ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐν προδόμῳ δόμου αὐτόθι κοιμήσαντο §24.674κῆρυξ καὶ Πρίαμος πυκινὰ φρεσὶ μήδεʼ ἔχοντες, §24.675αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς εὗδε μυχῷ κλισίης ἐϋπήκτου· §24.676τῷ δὲ Βρισηῒς παρελέξατο καλλιπάρῃος. §24.677ἄλλοι μέν ῥα θεοί τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἱπποκορυσταὶ §24.678εὗδον παννύχιοι μαλακῷ δεδμημένοι ὕπνῳ· §24.679ἀλλʼ οὐχ Ἑρμείαν ἐριούνιον ὕπνος ἔμαρπτεν §24.680ὁρμαίνοντʼ ἀνὰ θυμὸν ὅπως Πρίαμον βασιλῆα §24.681νηῶν ἐκπέμψειε λαθὼν ἱεροὺς πυλαωρούς. §24.682στῆ δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν· §24.683ὦ γέρον οὔ νύ τι σοί γε μέλει κακόν, οἷον ἔθʼ εὕδεις §24.684ἀνδράσιν ἐν δηΐοισιν, ἐπεί σʼ εἴασεν Ἀχιλλεύς. §24.685καὶ νῦν μὲν φίλον υἱὸν ἐλύσαο, πολλὰ δʼ ἔδωκας· §24.686σεῖο δέ κε ζωοῦ καὶ τρὶς τόσα δοῖεν ἄποινα §24.687παῖδες τοὶ μετόπισθε λελειμμένοι, αἴ κʼ Ἀγαμέμνων §24.688γνώῃ σʼ Ἀτρεΐδης, γνώωσι δὲ πάντες Ἀχαιοί. §24.689ὣς ἔφατʼ, ἔδεισεν δʼ ὃ γέρων, κήρυκα δʼ ἀνίστη. §24.690τοῖσιν δʼ Ἑρμείας ζεῦξʼ ἵππους ἡμιόνους τε, §24.691ῥίμφα δʼ ἄρʼ αὐτὸς ἔλαυνε κατὰ στρατόν, οὐδέ τις ἔγνω. §24.692ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ πόρον ἷξον ἐϋρρεῖος ποταμοῖο §24.693Ξάνθου δινήεντος, ὃν ἀθάνατος τέκετο Ζεύς, §24.694Ἑρμείας μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἀπέβη πρὸς μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον, §24.695Ἠὼς δὲ κροκόπεπλος ἐκίδνατο πᾶσαν ἐπʼ αἶαν, §24.696οἳ δʼ εἰς ἄστυ ἔλων οἰμωγῇ τε στοναχῇ τε §24.697ἵππους, ἡμίονοι δὲ νέκυν φέρον.
So he spoke, and took the old man's right hand by the wrist, lest he should fear in his heart. So they slept there in the forecourt of the house, the herald and Priam, keeping wise counsels in their minds; but Achilles slept in the innermost corner of his well-built hut, and by his side lay fair-cheeked Briseis. Now the other gods and men, lords of chariots, slept all night through, vanquished by gentle sleep; but sleep seized not Hermes, the helper, as he turned over in his mind how he might conduct king Priam forth from the ships, unmarked by the sacred gate-keepers. He stood above his head and spoke to him, saying: "Old man, you have then no thought of any evil, that you sleep thus among enemy men, since Achilles has spared you. Now indeed you have ransomed your dear son, and have paid a great price; but for your own life the sons you have left behind would have to pay three times as much ransom, if Agamemnon, son of Atreus, should know of you, and all the Achaeans know." So he spoke, and the old man was afraid, and aroused the herald. Then for them Hermes yoked the horses and mules, and himself drove them swiftly through the camp, and no man knew. But when they came to the ford of the fair-flowing river, eddying Xanthus, begotten of immortal Zeus, then Hermes departed to high Olympus, and Dawn of the saffron robe was spreading over all the earth. And they with wailing and groaning drove the horses to the city, and the mules bore the dead.
οὐδέ τις ἄλλος §24.698ἔγνω πρόσθʼ ἀνδρῶν καλλιζώνων τε γυναικῶν, §24.699ἀλλʼ ἄρα Κασσάνδρη ἰκέλη χρυσῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ §24.700Πέργαμον εἰσαναβᾶσα φίλον πατέρʼ εἰσενόησεν §24.701ἑσταότʼ ἐν δίφρῳ, κήρυκά τε ἀστυβοώτην· §24.702τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ἐφʼ ἡμιόνων ἴδε κείμενον ἐν λεχέεσσι· §24.703κώκυσέν τʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειτα γέγωνέ τε πᾶν κατὰ ἄστυ· §24.704ὄψεσθε Τρῶες καὶ Τρῳάδες Ἕκτορʼ ἰόντες, §24.705εἴ ποτε καὶ ζώοντι μάχης ἐκνοστήσαντι §24.706χαίρετʼ, ἐπεὶ μέγα χάρμα πόλει τʼ ἦν παντί τε δήμῳ. §24.707ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδέ τις αὐτόθʼ ἐνὶ πτόλεϊ λίπετʼ ἀνὴρ §24.708οὐδὲ γυνή· πάντας γὰρ ἀάσχετον ἵκετο πένθος· §24.709ἀγχοῦ δὲ ξύμβληντο πυλάων νεκρὸν ἄγοντι. §24.710πρῶται τόν γʼ ἄλοχός τε φίλη καὶ πότνια μήτηρ §24.711τιλλέσθην ἐπʼ ἄμαξαν ἐΰτροχον ἀΐξασαι §24.712ἁπτόμεναι κεφαλῆς· κλαίων δʼ ἀμφίσταθʼ ὅμιλος. §24.713καί νύ κε δὴ πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα §24.714Ἕκτορα δάκρυ χέοντες ὀδύροντο πρὸ πυλάων, §24.715εἰ μὴ ἄρʼ ἐκ δίφροιο γέρων λαοῖσι μετηύδα· §24.716εἴξατέ μοι οὐρεῦσι διελθέμεν· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα §24.717ἄσεσθε κλαυθμοῖο, ἐπὴν ἀγάγωμι δόμον δέ. §24.718ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δὲ διέστησαν καὶ εἶξαν ἀπήνῃ. §24.719οἳ δʼ ἐπεὶ εἰσάγαγον κλυτὰ δώματα, τὸν μὲν ἔπειτα §24.720τρητοῖς ἐν λεχέεσσι θέσαν, παρὰ δʼ εἷσαν ἀοιδοὺς §24.721θρήνων ἐξάρχους, οἵ τε στονόεσσαν ἀοιδὴν §24.722οἳ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐθρήνεον, ἐπὶ δὲ στενάχοντο γυναῖκες. §24.723τῇσιν δʼ Ἀνδρομάχη λευκώλενος ἦρχε γόοιο §24.724Ἕκτορος ἀνδροφόνοιο κάρη μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχουσα· §24.725ἆνερ ἀπʼ αἰῶνος νέος ὤλεο, κὰδ δέ με χήρην §24.726λείπεις ἐν μεγάροισι· πάϊς δʼ ἔτι νήπιος αὔτως §24.727ὃν τέκομεν σύ τʼ ἐγώ τε δυσάμμοροι, οὐδέ μιν οἴω §24.728ἥβην ἵξεσθαι·
Nor was any other aware of them, either of men or of fair-girdled women; but Cassandra, like to golden Aphrodite, went up to Pergamus and marked her dear father standing in the car, and the herald, the town-crier. And she saw him who lay upon the bed on the mule-cart; then she uttered a shriek, and cried aloud throughout all the town: "Come, Trojans, men and women, and look upon Hector, if ever you rejoiced when he came back alive from battle; for he was a great joy to the city and to all the folk." So she spoke, and no man was left there in the city, nor any woman, for unbearable grief came upon them all; and near the gates they met Priam as he brought the dead. First of all his dear wife and queenly mother flung themselves upon the well-wheeled wagon, and tore their hair, touching his head; and the throng stood around them weeping. And now the whole day long until the setting of the sun they would have wailed for Hector with shedding of tears before the gates, had not the old man from his car spoken to the folk: "Yield me passage for the mules to go through; and thereafter you shall satisfy yourselves with weeping, when I have brought him home." So he spoke, and they parted and gave passage to the wagon. And when they had brought him to the glorious house, they laid him on a corded bed, and set by him singers to lead the dirge, who wailed a doleful song, and the women groaned in accompaniment. And among them white-armed Andromache led the wailing, holding in her hands the head of Hector, slayer of men: "My husband, young in years you have perished from life, and leave me a widow in your halls; and our child is still but a babe, the child of you and me, ill-fated ones, and I think not he will grow to manhood.
πρὶν γὰρ πόλις ἥδε κατʼ ἄκρης §24.729πέρσεται· ἦ γὰρ ὄλωλας ἐπίσκοπος, ὅς τέ μιν αὐτὴν §24.730ῥύσκευ, ἔχες δʼ ἀλόχους κεδνὰς καὶ νήπια τέκνα, §24.731αἳ δή τοι τάχα νηυσὶν ὀχήσονται γλαφυρῇσι, §24.732καὶ μὲν ἐγὼ μετὰ τῇσι· σὺ δʼ αὖ τέκος ἢ ἐμοὶ αὐτῇ §24.733ἕψεαι, ἔνθά κεν ἔργα ἀεικέα ἐργάζοιο §24.734ἀθλεύων πρὸ ἄνακτος ἀμειλίχου, ἤ τις Ἀχαιῶν §24.735ῥίψει χειρὸς ἑλὼν ἀπὸ πύργου λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον §24.736χωόμενος, ᾧ δή που ἀδελφεὸν ἔκτανεν Ἕκτωρ §24.737ἢ πατέρʼ ἠὲ καὶ υἱόν, ἐπεὶ μάλα πολλοὶ Ἀχαιῶν
For before that this city will be wasted utterly; for you have perished, its watcher, who guarded the city and kept safe its noble wives and little children. These, I ween, will right soon be carried away in the hollow ships, and I among them; and you, my child, will either follow with me, where you shall work unseemly tasks, laboring before the face of a harsh master, or else some Achaean shall seize you by the arm and hurl you from the wall, a grievous death, in wrath because Hector slew his brother, or his father, or his son; since very many of the Achaeans...