§11.496ἦ μιν ἀτιμάζουσιν ἀνʼ Ἑλλάδα τε Φθίην τε, §11.497οὕνεκά μιν κατὰ γῆρας ἔχει χεῖράς τε πόδας τε.
Or do they hold him in dishonor throughout Hellas and Phthia, because old age binds his hands and feet?
§11.498οὐ γὰρ ἐγὼν ἐπαρωγὸς ὑπʼ αὐγὰς ἠελίοιο, §11.499τοῖος ἐών, οἷός ποτʼ ἐνὶ Τροίῃ εὐρείῃ §11.500πέφνον λαὸν ἄριστον, ἀμύνων Ἀργείοισιν·
For I am no helper to him under the rays of the sun, being such a one as when once in wide Troy I slew the best of the host, protecting the Argives.
§11.501εἰ τοιόσδʼ ἔλθοιμι μίνυνθά περ ἐς πατέρος δῶ·
If, being such a one, I should return even for a little while to my father's house!
§11.502τῷ κέ τεῳ στύξαιμι μένος καὶ χεῖρας ἀάπτους, §11.503οἳ κεῖνον βιόωνται ἐέργουσίν τʼ ἀπὸ τιμῆς.
Then would I make my strength and my hands invincible terrible to any, who do him violence and debar him from honor.
§11.504ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον· §11.505ἦ τοι μὲν Πηλῆος ἀμύμονος οὔ τι πέπυσμαι, §11.506αὐτάρ τοι παιδός γε Νεοπτολέμοιο φίλοιο §11.507πᾶσαν ἀληθείην μυθήσομαι, ὥς με κελεύεις·
So he spoke, and I answering addressed him: "Of the noble Peleus indeed I have heard nothing, but of your dear son Neoptolemus I will tell you the whole truth, even as you bid me.
For I myself brought him in a hollow, well-balanced ship from Scyros to the well-greaved Achaeans.
§11.510ἦ τοι ὅτʼ ἀμφὶ πόλιν Τροίην φραζοίμεθα βουλάς, §11.511αἰεὶ πρῶτος ἔβαζε καὶ οὐχ ἡμάρτανε μύθων· §11.512Νέστωρ ἀντίθεος καὶ ἐγὼ νικάσκομεν οἴω.
Indeed, when we were taking counsel around the city of Troy, he was always the first to speak, and did not miss with his words; godlike Nestor and I alone surpassed him.
§11.513αὐτὰρ ὅτʼ ἐν πεδίῳ Τρώων μαρναίμεθα χαλκῷ, §11.514οὔ ποτʼ ἐνὶ πληθυῖ μένεν ἀνδρῶν οὐδʼ ἐν ὁμίλῳ, §11.515ἀλλὰ πολὺ προθέεσκε τὸ ὃν μένος οὐδενὶ εἴκων, §11.516πολλοὺς δʼ ἄνδρας ἔπεφνεν ἐν αἰνῇ δηιοτῆτι.
But when we fought with bronze in the plain of the Trojans, never would he remain in the crowd of men or in the throng, but would run far out in front, yielding in his strength to no one, and many men he slew in dread combat.
§11.517πάντας δʼ οὐκ ἂν ἐγὼ μυθήσομαι οὐδʼ ὀνομήνω, §11.518ὅσσον λαὸν ἔπεφνεν ἀμύνων Ἀργείοισιν, §11.519ἀλλʼ οἷον τὸν Τηλεφίδην κατενήρατο χαλκῷ, §11.520ἥρωʼ Εὐρύπυλον, πολλοὶ δʼ ἀμφʼ αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι §11.521Κήτειοι κτείνοντο γυναίων εἵνεκα δώρων.
All of them I could not tell or name, how great a host he slew, protecting the Argives; but only how he slew with the bronze the son of Telephus, the hero Eurypylus, and many of his Ceteian companions around him were slain because of gifts to a woman.
§11.522κεῖνον δὴ κάλλιστον ἴδον μετὰ Μέμνονα δῖον.
Him indeed I saw as the most beautiful after godlike Memnon.
§11.523αὐτὰρ ὅτʼ εἰς ἵππον κατεβαίνομεν, ὃν κάμʼ Ἐπειός, §11.524Ἀργείων οἱ ἄριστοι, ἐμοὶ δʼ ἐπὶ πάντα τέταλτο, §11.525ἠμὲν ἀνακλῖναι πυκινὸν λόχον ἠδʼ ἐπιθεῖναι, §11.526ἔνθʼ ἄλλοι Δαναῶν ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες §11.527δάκρυά τʼ ὠμόργνυντο τρέμον θʼ ὑπὸ γυῖα ἑκάστου· §11.528κεῖνον δʼ οὔ ποτε πάμπαν ἐγὼν ἴδον ὀφθαλμοῖσιν §11.529οὔτʼ ὠχρήσαντα χρόα κάλλιμον οὔτε παρειῶν §11.530δάκρυ ὀμορξάμενον· ὁ δέ γε μάλα πόλλʼ ἱκέτευεν §11.531ἱππόθεν ἐξέμεναι, ξίφεος δʼ ἐπεμαίετο κώπην §11.532καὶ δόρυ χαλκοβαρές, κακὰ δὲ Τρώεσσι μενοίνα.
But when we went down into the horse which Epeius fashioned, we, the best of the Argives, and to me everything was committed, both to open the dense ambush and to close it, there the other leaders and rulers of the Danaans wiped away tears, and the limbs of each trembled beneath them; but him I never at all saw with my eyes, either turning pale in his fair skin, or wiping away tears from his cheeks; but he eagerly besought me to let him go out of the horse, and he kept grasping the hilt of his sword and his bronze-weighted spear, and was meditating evils for the Trojans.
§11.533ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ Πριάμοιο πόλιν διεπέρσαμεν αἰπήν, §11.534μοῖραν καὶ γέρας ἐσθλὸν ἔχων ἐπὶ νηὸς ἔβαινεν §11.535ἀσκηθής, οὔτʼ ἂρ βεβλημένος ὀξέι χαλκῷ §11.536οὔτʼ αὐτοσχεδίην οὐτασμένος, οἷά τε πολλὰ §11.537γίγνεται ἐν πολέμῳ· ἐπιμὶξ δέ τε μαίνεται Ἄρης. §11.538ὣς ἐφάμην, ψυχὴ δὲ ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο §11.539φοίτα μακρὰ βιβᾶσα κατʼ ἀσφοδελὸν λειμῶνα, §11.540γηθοσύνη ὅ οἱ υἱὸν ἔφην ἀριδείκετον εἶναι.
But when we had sacked the lofty city of Priam, he went on board his ship having his share and a noble prize, unscathed, neither struck by the sharp bronze nor wounded in close fight, as often happens in war; for Ares rages indiscriminately." So I spoke, and the spirit of the swift-footed grandson of Aeacus departed, taking long strides across the asphodel meadow, rejoicing because I said that his son was illustrious.
And the other spirits of the dead who had perished stood sorrowing, and each asked of their griefs.
§11.543οἴη δʼ Αἴαντος ψυχὴ Τελαμωνιάδαο §11.544νόσφιν ἀφεστήκει, κεχολωμένη εἵνεκα νίκης, §11.545τήν μιν ἐγὼ νίκησα δικαζόμενος παρὰ νηυσὶ §11.546τεύχεσιν ἀμφʼ Ἀχιλῆος· ἔθηκε δὲ πότνια μήτηρ. §11.547παῖδες δὲ Τρώων δίκασαν καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.
Only the spirit of Ajax, son of Telamon, stood aloof, angry because of the victory which I won over him, contending by the ships for the arms of Achilles; his lady mother set them as a prize, and the sons of the Trojans and Pallas Athena judged the contest.
§11.548ὡς δὴ μὴ ὄφελον νικᾶν τοιῷδʼ ἐπʼ ἀέθλῳ·
How I wish I had not won in such a contest!
§11.549τοίην γὰρ κεφαλὴν ἕνεκʼ αὐτῶν γαῖα κατέσχεν, §11.550Αἴανθʼ, ὃς πέρι μὲν εἶδος, πέρι δʼ ἔργα τέτυκτο §11.551τῶν ἄλλων Δαναῶν μετʼ ἀμύμονα Πηλεΐωνα.
For such a man did the earth cover because of those arms, Ajax, who in form and in deeds surpassed all the other Danaans after the noble son of Peleus.
§11.552τὸν μὲν ἐγὼν ἐπέεσσι προσηύδων μειλιχίοισιν· §11.553Αἶαν, παῖ Τελαμῶνος ἀμύμονος, οὐκ ἄρʼ ἔμελλες §11.554οὐδὲ θανὼν λήσεσθαι ἐμοὶ χόλου εἵνεκα τευχέων §11.555οὐλομένων;
Him I addressed with soothing words: "Ajax, son of noble Telamon, were you not then, even in death, to forget your anger against me for the sake of those cursed arms?
τὰ δὲ πῆμα θεοὶ θέσαν Ἀργείοισι, §11.556τοῖος γάρ σφιν πύργος ἀπώλεο· σεῖο δʼ Ἀχαιοὶ §11.557ἶσον Ἀχιλλῆος κεφαλῇ Πηληϊάδαο §11.558ἀχνύμεθα φθιμένοιο διαμπερές· οὐδέ τις ἄλλος §11.559αἴτιος, ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς Δαναῶν στρατὸν αἰχμητάων §11.560ἐκπάγλως ἤχθηρε, τεῒν δʼ ἐπὶ μοῖραν ἔθηκεν.
The gods made them a bane to the Argives, since such a tower as you perished; and the Achaeans mourn for you dead just as we do for the head of Achilles, son of Peleus, unceasingly; nor is anyone else to blame, but Zeus hated the host of Danaan spearmen exceedingly, and upon you he laid your fate.
§11.561ἀλλʼ ἄγε δεῦρο, ἄναξ, ἵνʼ ἔπος καὶ μῦθον ἀκούσῃς §11.562ἡμέτερον· δάμασον δὲ μένος καὶ ἀγήνορα θυμόν. §11.563ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μʼ οὐδὲν ἀμείβετο, βῆ δὲ μετʼ ἄλλας §11.564ψυχὰς εἰς Ἔρεβος νεκύων κατατεθνηώτων.
But come hither, lord, that you may hear our word and speech; subdue your wrath and your proud spirit." So I spoke, but he answered me nothing, and went among the other spirits into Erebus of the dead who had perished.
§11.565ἔνθα χʼ ὅμως προσέφη κεχολωμένος, ἤ κεν ἐγὼ τόν· §11.566ἀλλά μοι ἤθελε θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλοισι §11.567τῶν ἄλλων ψυχὰς ἰδέειν κατατεθνηώτων.
There nevertheless he would have spoken to me, angry though he was, or I to him, but the heart in my dear breast wished to see the spirits of the other dead.
§11.568ἔνθʼ ἦ τοι Μίνωα ἴδον, Διὸς ἀγλαὸν υἱόν,
There indeed I saw Minos, the glorious son of Zeus,