§24.1Ἑρμῆς δὲ ψυχὰς Κυλλήνιος ἐξεκαλεῖτο §24.2ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων· ἔχε δὲ ῥάβδον μετὰ χερσὶν §24.3καλὴν χρυσείην, τῇ τʼ ἀνδρῶν ὄμματα θέλγει §24.4ὧν ἐθέλει, τοὺς δʼ αὖτε καὶ ὑπνώοντας ἐγείρει·
And Cyllenian Hermes called forth the souls of the suitors; and he held in his hands his wand, beautiful and golden, with which he lulls the eyes of men whomsoever he wills, and others again who are asleep he awakens.
§24.5τῇ ῥʼ ἄγε κινήσας, ταὶ δὲ τρίζουσαι ἕποντο.
With this he led them, stirring them, and they followed gibbering.
§24.6ὡς δʼ ὅτε νυκτερίδες μυχῷ ἄντρου θεσπεσίοιο §24.7τρίζουσαι ποτέονται, ἐπεί κέ τις ἀποπέσῃσιν §24.8ὁρμαθοῦ ἐκ πέτρης, ἀνά τʼ ἀλλήλῃσιν ἔχονται, §24.9ὣς αἱ τετριγυῖαι ἅμʼ ἤϊσαν· ἦρχε δʼ ἄρα σφιν §24.10Ἑρμείας ἀκάκητα κατʼ εὐρώεντα κέλευθα.
And as when bats in the depth of an awful cave fly gibbering, when one has fallen down from the cluster off the rock, and they cling to one another, so they went gibbering together; and Hermes the helper led them along the moldering paths.
§24.11πὰρ δʼ ἴσαν Ὠκεανοῦ τε ῥοὰς καὶ Λευκάδα πέτρην, §24.12ἠδὲ παρʼ Ἠελίοιο πύλας καὶ δῆμον ὀνείρων §24.13ἤϊσαν· αἶψα δʼ ἵκοντο κατʼ ἀσφοδελὸν λειμῶνα, §24.14ἔνθα τε ναίουσι ψυχαί, εἴδωλα καμόντων.
And they passed the streams of Oceanus and the Leucadian rock, and by the gates of Helios and the land of dreams they went; and quickly they came to the asphodel meadow, where dwell the souls, the phantoms of men outworn.
§24.15εὗρον δὲ ψυχὴν Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος §24.16καὶ Πατροκλῆος καὶ ἀμύμονος Ἀντιλόχοιο §24.17Αἴαντός θʼ, ὃς ἄριστος ἔην εἶδός τε δέμας τε §24.18τῶν ἄλλων Δαναῶν μετʼ ἀμύμονα Πηλεΐδαο
And they found the soul of Achilles, son of Peleus, and of Patroclus, and of peerless Antilochus, and of Ajax, who was the finest in form and stature of all the other Danaans after the peerless son of Peleus.
§24.19ὣς οἱ μὲν περὶ κεῖνον ὁμίλεον· ἀγχίμολον δὲ §24.20ἤλυθʼ ἔπι ψυχὴ Ἀγαμέμνονος Ἀτρεΐδαο §24.21ἀχνυμένη· περὶ δʼ ἄλλαι ἀγηγέραθʼ, ὅσσαι ἅμʼ αὐτῷ §24.22οἴκῳ ἐν Αἰγίσθοιο θάνον καὶ πότμον ἐπέσπον.
So these were gathering about him, and near to them came the soul of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, sorrowing; and round him others were gathered, as many as had died with him in the house of Aegisthus and met their fate.
§24.23τὸν προτέρη ψυχὴ προσεφώνεε Πηλεΐωνος· §24.24Ἀτρεΐδη, περὶ μέν σʼ ἔφαμεν Διὶ τερπικεραύνῳ §24.25ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων φίλον ἔμμεναι ἤματα πάντα, §24.26οὕνεκα πολλοῖσίν τε καὶ ἰφθίμοισιν ἄνασσες §24.27δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων, ὅθι πάσχομεν ἄλγεʼ Ἀχαιοί.
And the soul of the son of Peleus addressed him first: "Son of Atreus, we used to say that thou above all hero men wast dear to Zeus who hurls the thunderbolt all thy days, because thou didst rule over many and mighty men in the land of the Trojans, where we Achaeans suffered woes.
§24.28ἦ τʼ ἄρα καὶ σοὶ πρῶϊ παραστήσεσθαι ἔμελλεν §24.29μοῖρʼ ὀλοή, τὴν οὔ τις ἀλεύεται ὅς κε γένηται.
Yet surely to thee too was destructive fate to come early, which no one escapes of those who are born.
§24.30ὡς ὄφελες τιμῆς ἀπονήμενος, ἧς περ ἄνασσες, §24.31δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων θάνατον καὶ πότμον ἐπισπεῖν· §24.32τῷ κέν τοι τύμβον μὲν ἐποίησαν Παναχαιοί, §24.33ἠδέ κε καὶ σῷ παιδὶ μέγα κλέος ἤραʼ ὀπίσσω·
Would that, in the enjoyment of the honor of which thou wast lord, thou hadst met death and fate in the land of the Trojans; then would the whole host of the Achaeans have made thee a tomb, and for thy son too wouldst thou have won great glory for the future.
§24.34νῦν δʼ ἄρα σʼ οἰκτίστῳ θανάτῳ εἵμαρτο ἁλῶναι. §24.35τὸν δʼ αὖτε ψυχὴ προσεφώνεεν Ἀτρείδαο· §24.36ὄλβιε Πηλέος υἱέ, θεοῖς ἐπιείκελʼ Ἀχιλλεῦ, §24.37ὃς θάνες ἐν Τροίῃ ἑκὰς Ἄργεος· ἀμφὶ δέ σʼ ἄλλοι §24.38κτείνοντο Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν υἷες ἄριστοι, §24.39μαρνάμενοι περὶ σεῖο· σὺ δʼ ἐν στροφάλιγγι κονίης §24.40κεῖσο μέγας μεγαλωστί, λελασμένος ἱπποσυνάων.
But now, as it seems, it was thy fate to be overtaken by a most pitiable death." And to him the soul of the son of Atreus spoke in turn: "Happy son of Peleus, Achilles like to the gods, who didst die at Troy far from Argos; and about thee others, the best of the sons of the Trojans and Achaeans, were slain, fighting for thee; and thou in the whirl of dust didst lie mighty in thy mightiness, forgetful of thy horsemanship.
§24.41ἡμεῖς δὲ πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐμαρνάμεθʼ· οὐδέ κε πάμπαν §24.42παυσάμεθα πτολέμου, εἰ μὴ Ζεὺς λαίλαπι παῦσεν.
But we fought the whole day through, nor should we ever have stayed from fight, had not Zeus stayed us with a tempest.
§24.43αὐτὰρ ἐπεί σʼ ἐπὶ νῆας ἐνείκαμεν ἐκ πολέμοιο, §24.44κάτθεμεν ἐν λεχέεσσι, καθήραντες χρόα καλὸν §24.45ὕδατί τε λιαρῷ καὶ ἀλείφατι· πολλὰ δέ σʼ ἀμφὶ §24.46δάκρυα θερμὰ χέον Δαναοὶ κείροντό τε χαίτας.
But when we had borne thee to the ships from the war, we laid thee on a bed, having cleansed thy fair flesh with warm water and ointment; and round thee many hot tears did the Danaans shed, and they cut their hair.
§24.47μήτηρ δʼ ἐξ ἁλὸς ἦλθε σὺν ἀθανάτῃς ἁλίῃσιν §24.48ἀγγελίης ἀΐουσα· βοὴ δʼ ἐπὶ πόντον ὀρώρει §24.49θεσπεσίη, ὑπὸ δὲ τρόμος ἔλλαβε πάντας Ἀχαιούς· §24.50καί νύ κʼ ἀναΐξαντες ἔβαν κοίλας ἐπὶ νῆας, §24.51εἰ μὴ ἀνὴρ κατέρυκε παλαιά τε πολλά τε εἰδώς, §24.52Νέστωρ, οὗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἀρίστη φαίνετο βουλή· §24.53ὅ σφιν ἐϋφρονέων ἀγορήσατο καὶ μετέειπεν· §24.54ἴσχεσθʼ, Ἀργεῖοι, μὴ φεύγετε, κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν·
And thy mother came from the sea with the immortal nymphs of the deep, when she heard the tidings; and a cry arose over the sea, wondrous, and trembling took hold of all the Achaeans; and now they would have sprang up and fled to the hollow ships, had not a man held them back, one who knew much of old, Nestor, whose counsel had shown itself best before too; who with good intent addressed them and spoke among them: 'Hold, Argives, flee not, ye youths of the Achaeans!
§24.55μήτηρ ἐξ ἁλὸς ἥδε σὺν ἀθανάτῃς ἁλίῃσιν §24.56ἔρχεται, οὗ παιδὸς τεθνηότος ἀντιόωσα. §24.57ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἔσχοντο φόβου μεγάθυμοι Ἀχαιοί·
This is his mother coming from the sea with the immortal nymphs of the deep, to meet her dead son.' So he spoke, and the great-hearted Achaeans stayed their flight.
§24.58ἀμφὶ δέ σʼ ἔστησαν κοῦραι ἁλίοιο γέροντος §24.59οἴκτρʼ ὀλοφυρόμεναι, περὶ δʼ ἄμβροτα εἵματα ἕσσαν.
And around thee stood the daughters of the old man of the sea, wailing piteously, and they clothed thee in immortal garments.
§24.60Μοῦσαι δʼ ἐννέα πᾶσαι ἀμειβόμεναι ὀπὶ καλῇ §24.61θρήνεον· ἔνθα κεν οὔ τινʼ ἀδάκρυτόν γʼ ἐνόησας §24.62Ἀργείων· τοῖον γὰρ ὑπώρορε Μοῦσα λίγεια.
And the Muses, nine in all, replying to one another with sweet voice, lamented; there wouldst thou have seen no man of the Argives without tears, so deeply did the clear-voiced Muse stir them.
§24.63ἑπτὰ δὲ καὶ δέκα μέν σε ὁμῶς νύκτας τε καὶ ἦμαρ §24.64κλαίομεν ἀθάνατοί τε θεοὶ θνητοί τʼ ἄνθρωποι· §24.65ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῃ δʼ ἔδομεν πυρί, πολλὰ δέ σʼ ἀμφὶ §24.66μῆλα κατεκτάνομεν μάλα πίονα καὶ ἕλικας βοῦς.
For seventeen nights and days alike did we weep for thee, both immortal gods and mortal men; and on the eighteenth day we gave thee to the fire, and around thee we slaughtered many fat sheep and crumpled-horned cattle.
§24.67καίεο δʼ ἔν τʼ ἐσθῆτι θεῶν καὶ ἀλείφατι πολλῷ §24.68καὶ μέλιτι γλυκερῷ· πολλοὶ δʼ ἥρωες Ἀχαιοὶ §24.69τεύχεσιν ἐρρώσαντο πυρὴν πέρι καιομένοιο,
And thou wast burned in the garments of the gods and in much ointment and sweet honey; and many Achaean heroes moved in their armor about the pyre as thou wast burning,