§6.403Ἀστυάνακτʼ· οἶος γὰρ ἐρύετο Ἴλιον Ἕκτωρ.
Astyanax; for Hector alone defended Ilios.
§6.404ἤτοι ὃ μὲν μείδησεν ἰδὼν ἐς παῖδα σιωπῇ· §6.405Ἀνδρομάχη δέ οἱ ἄγχι παρίστατο δάκρυ χέουσα, §6.406ἔν τʼ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρὶ ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζε· §6.407δαιμόνιε φθίσει σε τὸ σὸν μένος, οὐδʼ ἐλεαίρεις §6.408παῖδά τε νηπίαχον καὶ ἔμʼ ἄμμορον, ἣ τάχα χήρη §6.409σεῦ ἔσομαι· τάχα γάρ σε κατακτανέουσιν Ἀχαιοὶ §6.410πάντες ἐφορμηθέντες· ἐμοὶ δέ κε κέρδιον εἴη §6.411σεῦ ἀφαμαρτούσῃ χθόνα δύμεναι· οὐ γὰρ ἔτʼ ἄλλη §6.412ἔσται θαλπωρὴ ἐπεὶ ἂν σύ γε πότμον ἐπίσπῃς §6.413ἀλλʼ ἄχεʼ· οὐδέ μοι ἔστι πατὴρ καὶ πότνια μήτηρ.
Verily he smiled in silence as he looked upon his child; but Andromache stood close by his side weeping, and she clung to his hand, and spoke to him, and called him by name, saying: “Dear husband, your own courage will destroy you, nor have you pity on your infant child and my unhappy self, who soon shall be your widow; for soon will the Achaeans slay you, all setting upon you; and for me it would be better to go down into the earth, if I lose you; for no other comfort shall be mine when you have met your fate, but only grief; nor have I father or honored mother.
§6.414ἤτοι γὰρ πατέρʼ ἁμὸν ἀπέκτανε δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς, §6.415ἐκ δὲ πόλιν πέρσεν Κιλίκων εὖ ναιετάουσαν §6.416Θήβην ὑψίπυλον· κατὰ δʼ ἔκτανεν Ἠετίωνα, §6.417οὐδέ μιν ἐξενάριξε, σεβάσσατο γὰρ τό γε θυμῷ, §6.418ἀλλʼ ἄρα μιν κατέκηε σὺν ἔντεσι δαιδαλέοισιν §6.419ἠδʼ ἐπὶ σῆμʼ ἔχεεν· περὶ δὲ πτελέας ἐφύτευσαν §6.420νύμφαι ὀρεστιάδες κοῦραι Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο.
For my father was slain by noble Achilles, and he utterly laid waste the well-peopled city of the Cilicians, even high-gated Thebe; and he slew Eëtion, yet he despoiled him not, for he had awe of that in his heart, but he burned him in his richly dight armor, and heaped over him a barrow; and all about it elms were planted by the mountain nymphs, daughters of Zeus who bears the aegis.
§6.421οἳ δέ μοι ἑπτὰ κασίγνητοι ἔσαν ἐν μεγάροισιν §6.422οἳ μὲν πάντες ἰῷ κίον ἤματι Ἄϊδος εἴσω· §6.423πάντας γὰρ κατέπεφνε ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς §6.424βουσὶν ἐπʼ εἰλιπόδεσσι καὶ ἀργεννῇς ὀΐεσσι.
And the seven brothers that were mine in our halls, they all on the same day went down into the house of Hades; for all of them did fleet-footed noble Achilles slay amid their shambling kine and white-fleeced sheep.
§6.425μητέρα δʼ, ἣ βασίλευεν ὑπὸ Πλάκῳ ὑληέσσῃ, §6.426τὴν ἐπεὶ ἂρ δεῦρʼ ἤγαγʼ ἅμʼ ἄλλοισι κτεάτεσσιν, §6.427ἂψ ὅ γε τὴν ἀπέλυσε λαβὼν ἀπερείσιʼ ἄποινα, §6.428πατρὸς δʼ ἐν μεγάροισι βάλʼ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα.
And my mother, who was queen beneath wooded Placus, her, when he had brought her hither with the rest of the spoil, he set free again, when he had taken ransom past counting; but in her father's halls Artemis the archer smote her.
§6.429Ἕκτορ ἀτὰρ σύ μοί ἐσσι πατὴρ καὶ πότνια μήτηρ §6.430ἠδὲ κασίγνητος, σὺ δέ μοι θαλερὸς παρακοίτης·
Hector, nay, you are to me father and honored mother and brother, and you are my strong husband.
§6.431ἀλλʼ ἄγε νῦν ἐλέαιρε καὶ αὐτοῦ μίμνʼ ἐπὶ πύργῳ, §6.432μὴ παῖδʼ ὀρφανικὸν θήῃς χήρην τε γυναῖκα·
But come now, have pity, and remain here on the tower, make not your child an orphan and your wife a widow.
§6.433λαὸν δὲ στῆσον παρʼ ἐρινεόν, ἔνθα μάλιστα §6.434ἀμβατός ἐστι πόλις καὶ ἐπίδρομον ἔπλετο τεῖχος.
And post your host by the wild fig tree, where the city is easiest to scale, and the wall is most open to assault.
§6.435τρὶς γὰρ τῇ γʼ ἐλθόντες ἐπειρήσανθʼ οἱ ἄριστοι §6.436ἀμφʼ Αἴαντε δύω καὶ ἀγακλυτὸν Ἰδομενῆα §6.437ἠδʼ ἀμφʼ Ἀτρεΐδας καὶ Τυδέος ἄλκιμον υἱόν· §6.438ἤ πού τίς σφιν ἔνισπε θεοπροπίων ἐῢ εἰδώς, §6.439ἤ νυ καὶ αὐτῶν θυμὸς ἐποτρύνει καὶ ἀνώγει. §6.440τὴν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε μέγας κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ· §6.441ἦ καὶ ἐμοὶ τάδε πάντα μέλει γύναι· ἀλλὰ μάλʼ αἰνῶς §6.442αἰδέομαι Τρῶας καὶ Τρῳάδας ἑλκεσιπέπλους,
For thrice at that point did their bravest make onset and try it, they that are about the two Aiantes and far-famed Idomeneus, and about the sons of Atreus and the valiant son of Tydeus; either some one well skilled in soothsaying told them, or their own heart drives them on and bids them.” To her then made answer great Hector of the flashing helm: “I too, my wife, have all these things in mind; but I feel dread shame before the Trojans, and the Trojan women with trailing robes, if like a coward I shrink aside from the war.
§6.443αἴ κε κακὸς ὣς νόσφιν ἀλυσκάζω πολέμοιο· §6.444οὐδέ με θυμὸς ἄνωγεν, ἐπεὶ μάθον ἔμμεναι ἐσθλὸς §6.445αἰεὶ καὶ πρώτοισι μετὰ Τρώεσσι μάχεσθαι §6.446ἀρνύμενος πατρός τε μέγα κλέος ἠδʼ ἐμὸν αὐτοῦ.
Nor does my own heart suffer me, since I have learned to be valiant always and to fight among the foremost Trojans, striving to win my father's great glory and my own.
§6.447εὖ γὰρ ἐγὼ τόδε οἶδα κατὰ φρένα καὶ κατὰ θυμόν· §6.448ἔσσεται ἦμαρ ὅτʼ ἄν ποτʼ ὀλώλῃ Ἴλιος ἱρὴ §6.449καὶ Πρίαμος καὶ λαὸς ἐϋμμελίω Πριάμοιο.
For well I know this in my mind and heart: the day shall come when sacred Ilios shall perish, and Priam, and the people of Priam of the goodly ashen spear.
§6.450ἀλλʼ οὔ μοι Τρώων τόσσον μέλει ἄλγος ὀπίσσω, §6.451οὔτʼ αὐτῆς Ἑκάβης οὔτε Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος §6.452οὔτε κασιγνήτων, οἵ κεν πολέες τε καὶ ἐσθλοὶ §6.453ἐν κονίῃσι πέσοιεν ὑπʼ ἀνδράσι δυσμενέεσσιν, §6.454ὅσσον σεῦ, ὅτε κέν τις Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων §6.455δακρυόεσσαν ἄγηται ἐλεύθερον ἦμαρ ἀπούρας·
Yet not so much does the grief of the Trojans hereafter touch me, nor Hecabe's own, nor king Priam's, nor my brothers', who many and brave shall fall in the dust beneath the hands of their foemen, as does your grief, when some bronze-clad Achaean shall lead you away weeping, tearing from you the day of freedom.
§6.456καί κεν ἐν Ἄργει ἐοῦσα πρὸς ἄλλης ἱστὸν ὑφαίνοις, §6.457καί κεν ὕδωρ φορέοις Μεσσηΐδος ἢ Ὑπερείης §6.458πόλλʼ ἀεκαζομένη, κρατερὴ δʼ ἐπικείσετʼ ἀνάγκη·
Then in Argos you shall weave the web at another's bidding, and carry water from Messëis or Hypereia, sore against your will, and strong necessity shall lie upon you.
§6.459καί ποτέ τις εἴπῃσιν ἰδὼν κατὰ δάκρυ χέουσαν· §6.460Ἕκτορος ἥδε γυνὴ ὃς ἀριστεύεσκε μάχεσθαι §6.461Τρώων ἱπποδάμων ὅτε Ἴλιον ἀμφεμάχοντο. §6.462ὥς ποτέ τις ἐρέει· σοὶ δʼ αὖ νέον ἔσσεται ἄλγος §6.463χήτεϊ τοιοῦδʼ ἀνδρὸς ἀμύνειν δούλιον ἦμαρ.
And some one shall say as he looks at you weeping: ‘This is the wife of Hector, who was ever the bravest in battle of the horse-taming Trojans, when they fought about Ilios.’ So shall some one say hereafter; and to you there shall be fresh grief in lack of such a husband to ward off the day of bondage.