ὣς ἔφατο κλαίουσ᾽, ἄλοχος δ᾽ οὔ πώ τι πέπυστο
Ἕκτορος: οὐ γάρ οἵ τις ἐτήτυμος ἄγγελος ἐλθὼν
ἤγγειλ᾽ ὅττί ῥά οἱ πόσις ἔκτοθι μίμνε πυλάων,
ἀλλ᾽ ἥ γ᾽ ἱστὸν ὕφαινε μυχῷ δόμου ὑψηλοῖο440
δίπλακα πορφυρέην, ἐν δὲ θρόνα ποικίλ᾽ ἔπασσε.
κέκλετο δ᾽ ἀμφιπόλοισιν ἐϋπλοκάμοις κατὰ δῶμα
ἀμφὶ πυρὶ στῆσαι τρίποδα μέγαν, ὄφρα πέλοιτο
Ἕκτορι θερμὰ λοετρὰ μάχης ἐκ νοστήσαντι
νηπίη, οὐδ᾽ ἐνόησεν ὅ μιν μάλα τῆλε λοετρῶν445
χερσὶν Ἀχιλλῆος δάμασε γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη.
κωκυτοῦ δ᾽ ἤκουσε καὶ οἰμωγῆς ἀπὸ πύργου:
τῆς δ᾽ ἐλελίχθη γυῖα, χαμαὶ δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε κερκίς:
ἣ δ᾽ αὖτις δμῳῇσιν ἐϋπλοκάμοισι μετηύδα:
δεῦτε δύω μοι ἕπεσθον, ἴδωμ᾽ ὅτιν᾽ ἔργα τέτυκται.450
αἰδοίης ἑκυρῆς ὀπὸς ἔκλυον, ἐν δ᾽ ἐμοὶ αὐτῇ
στήθεσι πάλλεται ἦτορ ἀνὰ στόμα, νέρθε δὲ γοῦνα
πήγνυται: ἐγγὺς δή τι κακὸν Πριάμοιο τέκεσσιν.
αἲ γὰρ ἀπ᾽ οὔατος εἴη ἐμεῦ ἔπος: ἀλλὰ μάλ᾽ αἰνῶς
δείδω μὴ δή μοι θρασὺν Ἕκτορα δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς455
μοῦνον ἀποτμήξας πόλιος πεδίον δὲ δίηται,
καὶ δή μιν καταπαύσῃ ἀγηνορίης ἀλεγεινῆς
ἥ μιν ἔχεσκ᾽, ἐπεὶ οὔ ποτ᾽ ἐνὶ πληθυῖ μένεν ἀνδρῶν,
ἀλλὰ πολὺ προθέεσκε, τὸ ὃν μένος οὐδενὶ εἴκων.
460
ὣς φαμένη μεγάροιο διέσσυτο μαινάδι ἴση
παλλομένη κραδίην: ἅμα δ᾽ ἀμφίπολοι κίον αὐτῇ
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πύργόν τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν ἷξεν ὅμιλον
ἔστη παπτήνασ᾽ ἐπὶ τείχεϊ, τὸν δὲ νόησεν
ἑλκόμενον πρόσθεν πόλιος: ταχέες δέ μιν ἵπποι
ἕλκον ἀκηδέστως κοίλας ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν.465
τὴν δὲ κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμῶν ἐρεβεννὴ νὺξ ἐκάλυψεν,
ἤριπε δ᾽ ἐξοπίσω, ἀπὸ δὲ ψυχὴν ἐκάπυσσε.
τῆλε δ᾽ ἀπὸ κρατὸς βάλε δέσματα σιγαλόεντα,
ἄμπυκα κεκρύφαλόν τε ἰδὲ πλεκτὴν ἀναδέσμην
κρήδεμνόν θ᾽, ὅ ῥά οἱ δῶκε χρυσῆ Ἀφροδίτη470
ἤματι τῷ ὅτε μιν κορυθαίολος ἠγάγεθ᾽ Ἕκτωρ
ἐκ δόμου Ἠετίωνος, ἐπεὶ πόρε μυρία ἕδνα.
notes
Andromache hears the wailing from the city walls while at home weaving and preparing a bath for Hector. Greatly disturbed, she asks two servants to investigate the cause. In a state of frenzy she rushes out to the tower with them and sees Hector's lifeless body being dragged behind Achilles' chariot. As she collapses she throws off her elaborate headdress.
The poet uses language often found in battle scenes to describe the brutal impact of Hector’s death on his wife. This kind of metaphor surfaces in her characterization first in Book Six, when Homer uses the participle ἐντροπαλιζομένη, “turning around again and again,” otherwise reserved for retreating warriors or hunted animals, to describe Andromache as she reluctantly leaves Hector at the city gates (6.496). [read full essay]
437: κλαίουσ᾽: = κλαίουσα nom. fem. pres. ptc. οὔ πώ τι: “not yet at all,” τι is adverbial (de Jong). πέπυστο: plpf. mid. > πυνθάνομαι, here used absolutely.
438: Ἕκτορος: “Hector’s (wife),” it seems best to connect the genitive Ἕκτορος with ἄλοχος rather than with πέπυστο, which usually introduces a genitive + participle, and ἄλοχος Ἕκτορος is a highly effective circumlocution. οἵ: “to her,” ind. object of ἤγγειλε, with accent from enclitic τις. ἐτήτυμος ἄγγελος ἐλθὼν: “coming as a truth-telling messenger.” ἄγγελος is used predicatively in Homer. ἐτήτυμος: “sure,” i.e. authentic. She first heard only the wailing (line 447), and feared the worst (455 ff.) (Monro).
439: ἤγγειλ᾽: = ἤγγειλε, 3rd sg aor. > ἀγγέλλω. ὅττι: = ὅτι, “that…,” introducing indirect discourse (Goodell 622). οἱ: “her,” possessive dative personal pronoun (Monro 143.1).
440: μυχῷ: “in an inner room” + gen., locative dative without preposition.
441: ἐν δὲ θρόνα ποικίλ’ ἔπασσε: “and she wove colorful flowery decorations in it,” (de Jong).
442: κέκλετο: “urged,” “commanded,” “exhorted” + dat. and inf., reduplicated aor. dep. mid > κέλομαι (Monro 36).
443: ἀμφὶ πυρὶ: “about the fire,” place where. στῆσαι: transitive aor. inf. > ἵστημι.
443–446: ὄφρα πέλοιτο: “so that there might be,” purpose clause, with optative (aor. dep. mid. > πέλομαι) after past tense κέκλετο (Monro 307).
444: Ἕκτορι: “for Hector,” dat. of interest (Goodell 523). μάχης ἐκ: = ἐκ μάχης, anastrophe.
445: ὅ: “that…,” = ὅτι, introducing ind. discourse (LSJ s.v. ὅς IV.1; Goodell 622). λοετρῶν: gen. of separation with τῆλε (Goodell 509.a).
446: χερσὶν: dat. pl. of means > χείρ.
447: κωκυτοῦ καὶ οἰμωγῆς: gen. with verb of hearing (Monro 151.d), see lines 407–409. δ᾽ ἤκουσε: “but she began to hear,” a strong adversative, perhaps an inceptive aorist (Goodell 464).
448: τῆς δ’ ἐλελίχθη γυῖα: “her limbs quivered.” ἐλέλιχθη: 3rd sg. aor. pass. > ἐλελίζω, plural subject. οἱ: either possessive dat. personal pronoun with κερκίς, or dat. of interest with ἔκπεσε. ἔκπεσε: aor. > ἐκπίπτω.
449: ἣ δ᾽: “and this one,” Andromache. μετηύδα: “addressed” + dat., 3rd sg. impf. > μεταυδάω.
450: δεῦτε: “come on,” this is originally an imperative (“come here”), but has weakened to a particle. ἕπεσθον: “you two follow,” dual 2nd pl. imperative, δύω is voc. direct address. ἴδωμ’: = ἴδωμαι, “let me see,” 1st sg. hortatory subj. Note the asyndeton. ὅτιν’ ἔργα τέτυκται: “what deeds have been done,” i.e. “what’s happened,” pf. pass. > τεύχω, 3rd sg. with neut. pl. subject.
451: ὀπὸς: “voice,” gen. (> unattested nom.) with verb of hearing (Monro 151.d). ἔκλυον: 1st sg. impf. with aorist sense. ἐμοὶ αὐτῇ/στήθεσι: “in me myself, in my chest,” i.e. “in my own chest,” intensified both by ἐμοὶ (vs. enclitic μοι) and by the intensive pronoun αὐτή.
452: πάλλεται ἦτορ ἀνὰ στόμα: “my heart is leaping up to my mouth.” ἀνὰ στόμα: i.e. as though it would come out at my mouth (Monro). νέρθε = ἔνερθε, “up from below.”
453: πήγνυται: “are frozen,” “are locked,” pres. pass. γοῦνα is the neuter pl. subject. ἐγγὺς … τέκεσσιν: “near the children.”
454: αἲ γὰρ ἀπ' οὔατος εἴη ἐμεῦ ἔπος: “may my word be away from my ear,” i.e. “may what I now say not become true,” εἰ/αἴ γάρ + opt. of wish (Goodell 476).
455–456: μὴ … δίηται: “lest … put to flight,” clause of fearing, aor. mid. subj. > δίω (Goodell 610). μοι: ethical dative (Goodell 523).
456: ἀποτμήξας: “cutting off from” + gen., nom. sg. aor. ptc. πόλιος: gen. governed by ἀπο- of ἀποτμήξας.
457: καὶ δή: “and indeed (also),” introduces something similar in kind to what has preceded, but stronger in degree, and marks a kind of climax (de Jong). μιν καταπαύσῃ: “made him cease from” + gen., continuing the fearing clause, 3rd sg. aor. subj. Achilles is still subject. ἀλεγεινῆς: “unhappy,” because the cause of his death (Monro); “that causes me distress,” because it carries Hector into battle (Benner, following scholia).
458: ἥ: “which…,” relative, i.e. ἀγηνορίης.
458–459: ἔχεσκ᾽, προθέεσκε: iterative impf. > ἔχω (= ἔχεσκε) and > προθέω, note that Andromache already uses a past tense to describe Hector. ἐπεὶ: “(I say this) since…”
459: πολὺ: “often,” “much,” adverbial acc. τὸ ὃν μένος οὐδενὶ εἴκων: “yielding in that mighty spirit of his to no one” (Benner). τὸ ὃν μένος: acc. of specification. εἴκων: “retiring before,” “yielding to” + dat., nom. sg. pres. ptc.
460: μεγάροιο διέσσυτο: “she rushed through the palace,” μεγάροιο is a genitive governed by the διά- of διέσσυτο, impf. dep. mid. > διασεύομαι.
461: κραδίην: “in her heart,” acc. of respect with παλλομένη, “vibrating, palpitating, quivering.” See LSJ s.v. πάλλω II. ἄμα … αύτῇ: “along with (her) herself.”
462: πύργον, ὅμιλον: acc. of direction without preposition. ἷξεν: aor. > ἵκω.
463: ἔστη: 3rd sg. root aor. > ἵστημι. τὸν δὲ: “and … this one,” Hector.
464: πόλιος: gen. > πόλις, Att. πόλεως, obj. of πρόσθεν.
466: κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμῶν: “down over her eyes,” (Monro 213.2).
467: ἤριπε: “crashed down,” aor. > ἐρείπω, an expressive verb used of the fall of dead warriors and trees. ἀπὸ … ἐκάπυσσε: “breathed out (her ψυχή),” > ἀποκαπύω in so-called tmesis.
468: κρατὸς: gen. > κάρη. βάλε: unaugmented aor. > βάλλω. δέσματα: “headgear” (Monro); a general word, to which ἄμπυκα (line 469), etc., are in apposition. Apparently the poet gives here the complete head-dress of a Homeric woman (Benner).
469: ἄμπυκα seems to indicate the same as στεφάνη, a metal diadem, especially of gold (Benner); a “diadem” of metal, hence the epithet χρυσάμπυκες, applied to the Muses (Hesiod, Theogony 916) and Seasons (Homeric Hymn 6.5) (Monro). τε ἰδὲ: “both … and.” πλεκτὴν ἀναδέσμην: “plaited band,” probably a thick band passing round the head behind the ears, represented on some Etruscan monuments of the archaic style (Monro, following Helbig).
470: θ᾽: = τε, “and.” ὅ: “which,” neuter acc. sg. οἱ: = αὐτῇ, dat. sg. ind. obj., 3rd pers. pronoun > ἑ.
471: ἤματι τῷ: “on that day,” = ἐκείνῳ τῷ ἤματι, dat. of time when (Goodell 527.c). μιν: Andromache, = αὐτήν. ἠγάγεθ᾽: “led her (in matrimony),” aor. mid. > ἄγω, the verb with middle voice often describes when men marry women and lead them home (LSJ s.v. ἄγω B.2).
472: πόρε: “gave, furnished” 3rd sg. aor. > *πόρω, assumed present of the aor. act. ἔπορον and pf. pass. πέπρωμαι.
vocabulary
κλαίω, opt. κλαίοισθα, impf. κλαῖε, fut. κλαύσομαι, κλαύονται: to weep, lament, wail
ἄλοχος -ου ἡ: wife
πω: ever, yet
Ἕκτωρ: Hector, the most distinguished warrior of the Trojans, son of Priam and Hecabe, and husband of Andromache.
οἱ (enclitic, dat. 3rd pers. pron.): (to) him, (to) her
ἐτήτυμος: true
ἄγγελος –ου ὁ: a messenger, envoy
ἄρα, ῥά (enclit.), ἄρ, ῥ᾿: so, then, as you know, you know, it seems. Very often it marks an action as natural, or reminds of something recently said. It also marks transitions.
πόσις –ιος ὁ, dat. πόσεϊ, acc. pl. πόσιας: husband
ἔκτοθι: adv. out of, outside (+gen)
μίμνω: to stay, stand fast, remain
πύλη –ης ἡ: one wing of a pair of double gates; (pl.) gate
ἱστός -οῦ ὁ: anything set upright: ship's mast; beam of a loom; loom440
ὑφαίνω: to weave
μυχός: the innermost part of a house
δόμος -ου, ὁ: a house, home
ὑψηλός –ή –όν: high, lofty, high-raised
δίπλαξ: double folded
πορφύρεος: dark-gleaming, dark, purple
θρόνον: flowers embroidered on cloth, patterns
ποικίλος –η –ον: many-coloured, variegated, artistically wrought
πάσσω πάσω ἔπασα ––– πέπασμαι ἐπάσθην: to sprinkle; to weave
κέλομαι, aor. (ἐ)κέκλετο: to urge on, bid, command; freq. with dative.
ἀμφίπολος -ον: servant, handmaid
εὐπλόκαμος: having lovely locks, curled (usu. of goddesses and women)
δῶμα –ατος τό: a house
τρίπους or τρίπος τρίποδος ὁ: a tripod
ὄφρα: in order that; as long as, until
πέλω and πέλομαι, aor. as pres. ἔπλεο, ἔπλετο: to be
θερμός: hot, warm
λουτρόν: a bath, bathing place
νοστέω : to return home, return, go back
νήπιος -α -ον: infantile, childish, silly, ignorant, without foresight445
νοέω, aor. ἐνόησε: to perceive, observe, look, devise, plan
μιν: him, her, it
τῆλε: at a distance, far off, far away
λοετρόν: bath
Ἀχιλλεύς -έως or -ῆος ὁ: Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, leader of the Myrmidons and Hellenes in Thessaly, the mightiest warrior before Troy, and the principal hero of the Iliad.
δαμάζω: to overpower, tame, conquer, subdue
γλαυκῶπις -ιδος: gleaming eyed, epithet of Athena
Ἀθήνη and Ἀθηναίη: Athena
κωκυτός: a moaning, wailing
οἰμωγή: lamentation
πύργος –ου ὁ : tower, turreted surrounding wall; (fig.) rampart, defense, defender
ἐλελίζω: to whirl round
γυῖον -ου, τό: a limb
χαμαί: on the earth, on the ground
ἐκπίπτω, aor. ἔκπεσε: to fall from
κερκίς –ίδος ἡ: a shuttle, a long rod or needle, to which the "shot-thread" or weft was fastened.
αὖθις: back, back again
δμῳή -ῆς ἡ: female slave, maid
μεταυδάω, impf. μετηύδα: to speak among
δεῦτε: hither! come on! come here!450
τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make ready, make, build, work
αἰδοῖος: revered, honored, modest
ἑκυρή: mother-in-law
ὄψ ὀπός ἡ: a voice
κλύω, 2nd aor. ἔκλουν and κλύον, imperat. κλῦθι, κλῦτε, κέκλυτε: to hear, listen to (+gen)
στῆθος –εος τό: the breast, chest
πάλλω, aor. πῆλε: to brandish, shake, cast (of lots), toss
ἦτορ -ορος τό: the heart
ἔνερθε: from beneath, up from below
γόνυ, gen. γόνατος or γούνατος: knee
πήγνυμι, aor. ἔπηξε or πάγε: to make fast, stick, dig in, plant in, fix
ἐγγύς: near, nigh, at hand
Πρίαμος: Priam, son of Laomedon. King of Troy.
τέκος -εος τό: a child
οὖς οὔατος τό: ear
αἰνός –ή –όν: dread, dire, grim
δείδω, aor. (ἔ)δεισεν, perf. δείδοικα, perf. imperat. δείδιθι, perf. partic. δειδιότες, plpf. ἐδείδιμεν: to fear, be afraid455
θρασύς –εῖα –ύ: bold, spirited, courageous, confident
δῖος –α –ον: divine, noble, illustrious; marvelous, magnificent
ἀποτμήγω, aor. partic. ἀποτμήξας: to cut off
πεδίον –ου τό: a plain
δίω: to flee; mid. to scare away, chase
καταπαύω, fut. inf. καταπαυσέμεν, aor. subj. καταπαύσῃ: to make stop, check, stay, cease
ἀγηνορίη: manliness, valor, boldness, pride
ἀλεγεινός: painful, woeful, grievous, troublesome
πληθύς –ύος ἡ: a throng, a crowd, multitude, host
προθέω, iterat. impf. προθέεσκε: to run forward, rush to the front
ἑός ἑή ἑόν: his, her own
μένος –εος τό: might, force, strength, prowess, courage
εἴκω, imperat. εἶκε, partic. εἴκων, aor. opt. εἴξειε, aor. partic. εἴξας: to give way, yield
μέγαρον –ου τό: large room, main hall (in the center) of the house; pl. dwelling, house, palace.460
διασεύομαι, 2nd aor. διέσσυτο: to rush through
μαινάς –άδος: a mad woman
καρδίη: heart
κίω: to go
ἀτάρ: but, yet
ἵκω: to come to
ὅμιλος –ου ὁ: any assembled crowd, a throng of people
παπταίνω: to look earnestly, gaze
ἕλκω: to draw, drag465
πρόσθεν: before, in front
ἀκήδεστος –ον: uncared for, unburied; adv. mercilessly
κοῖλος -η -ον : hollow, hollowed
Ἀχαιός: Achaian
ἐρεβεννός: dark, gloomy
καλύπτω, aor. (ἐ)κάλυψε(ν): to cover with
ἐρείπω, 2nd aor. ἤριπε(ν), aor. partic. ἐριπών: to dash down; instrans. to fall
ἐξοπίσω: backwards, back again
καπύω: breathe forth
κράς: the head
δέσμα –ατος τό: headband
σιγαλόεις: gleaming
ἄμπυξ –υκος ὁ ἡ: diadem
κεκρύφαλος: a cap of cloth, which confined the hair
ἰδέ: and
πλεκτός: plaited, twisted
ἀναδέσμη: fillet
κρήδεμνον: a veil, headdress470
χρύσε(ι)ος –η –ον: golden, of gold
Ἀφροδίτη: Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus and goddess of love and beauty. She supports the Trojan cause.
ἦμαρ –ατος τό: day
κορυθαίολος: crest-waving, gleaming-crested
Ἠετίων, -ωνος: Eetion, king of Hypoplacian Theba near Troy, father of Hector's wife Andromache; slain by Achilles on the capture of Theba.
πόρω: to furnish, give, grant, bestow; pass. it is decreed by fate, it is destined, it is doomed
μυρίος –α –ον: numberless, countless, infinite
ἕδνον: gifts, which were originally paid by the suitor to the bride's father.