ἦ καὶ ἀναΐξας ἐριούνιος ἅρμα καὶ ἵππους440

καρπαλίμως μάστιγα καὶ ἡνία λάζετο χερσίν,

ἐν δʼ ἔπνευσʼ ἵπποισι καὶ ἡμιόνοις μένος ἠΰ.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ πύργους τε νεῶν καὶ τάφρον ἵκοντο,

οἳ δὲ νέον περὶ δόρπα φυλακτῆρες πονέοντο,

τοῖσι δʼ ἐφʼ ὕπνον ἔχευε διάκτορος ἀργεϊφόντης445

πᾶσιν, ἄφαρ δʼ ὤϊξε πύλας καὶ ἀπῶσεν ὀχῆας,

ἐς δʼ ἄγαγε Πρίαμόν τε καὶ ἀγλαὰ δῶρʼ ἐπʼ ἀπήνης.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ κλισίην Πηληϊάδεω ἀφίκοντο

ὑψηλήν, τὴν Μυρμιδόνες ποίησαν ἄνακτι

δοῦρʼ ἐλάτης κέρσαντες· ἀτὰρ καθύπερθεν ἔρεψαν450

λαχνήεντʼ ὄροφον λειμωνόθεν ἀμήσαντες·

ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ μεγάλην αὐλὴν ποίησαν ἄνακτι

σταυροῖσιν πυκινοῖσι· θύρην δʼ ἔχε μοῦνος ἐπιβλὴς

εἰλάτινος, τὸν τρεῖς μὲν ἐπιρρήσσεσκον Ἀχαιοί,

τρεῖς δʼ ἀναοίγεσκον μεγάλην κληῗδα θυράων455

τῶν ἄλλων· Ἀχιλεὺς δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπιρρήσσεσκε καὶ οἶος·

δή ῥα τόθʼ Ἑρμείας ἐριούνιος ᾦξε γέροντι,

ἐς δʼ ἄγαγε κλυτὰ δῶρα ποδώκεϊ Πηλεΐωνι,

ἐξ ἵππων δʼ ἀπέβαινεν ἐπὶ χθόνα φώνησέν τε·

ὦ γέρον ἤτοι ἐγὼ θεὸς ἄμβροτος εἰλήλουθα460

Ἑρμείας· σοὶ γάρ με πατὴρ ἅμα πομπὸν ὄπασσεν.

ἀλλʼ ἤτοι μὲν ἐγὼ πάλιν εἴσομαι, οὐδʼ Ἀχιλῆος

ὀφθαλμοὺς εἴσειμι· νεμεσσητὸν δέ κεν εἴη

ἀθάνατον θεὸν ὧδε βροτοὺς ἀγαπαζέμεν ἄντην·

τύνη δʼ εἰσελθὼν λαβὲ γούνατα Πηλεΐωνος,465

καί μιν ὑπὲρ πατρὸς καὶ μητέρος ἠϋκόμοιο

λίσσεο καὶ τέκεος, ἵνα οἱ σὺν θυμὸν ὀρίνῃς.

    440  : 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > ἠμί.

    440  ἀναΐξας: “having jumped up onto (accusative)” (LSJ ἀναΐσσω 2).

    440 ἅρμα καὶ ἵππους: “chariot and horses” is hendiadys (Smyth 3025) for “horse-drawn chariot.”

    442  ἐν … ἔπνευσ(ε): “breathed (acc.) into,” tmesis > ἐμπνἐω.

    443  πύργους τε νεῶν καὶ τάφρον: “the towers and trench of the ships” refers to the fortifications defending the Achaean ships.

    444  νέον: “just then,” adverbial (LSJ νέος III).

    445  ἐφ᾽ … ἔχευε: “poured over,” tmesis > ἐπιχέω.

    446  ὤϊξε: 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > οἴγω.

    446  ἀπῶσεν: 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ἀπωθέω.

    446  ὀχῆας: “bolts,” > ὀχεύς.

    447  ἐς … ἄγαγε: “led (accusative) in,” tmesis > εἰσάγω.

    449  τὴν: rel. pron., the antecedent of which is κλισίην.

    449  ἄνακτι: dative of interest.

    450  κέρσαντες: masc. nom. pl. aor. act. ptc. > κείρω.

    450  καθύπερθεν ἔρεψαν: “they roofed (the hut),” literally, “they covered with a roof from above.” The hut has a thatched roof, as is explained in the following line.

    452  ἀμφὶ: “around (the hut),” adverbial.

    453  μοῦνος: μόνος.

    454  ἐπιρρήσσεσκον: “would slam shut,” iterative impf. (Smyth 1894) > ἐπιρράσσω.

    455  ἀναοίγεσκον: “would open,” iterative impf. > ἀνοίγνυμι.

    456  τῶν ἄλλων: “(three) of the others,” that is, of the Achaeans, not to be taken with θυράων.

    457  ᾦξε: “opened (the door),” 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > οἴγω.

    459  ἵππων: “the chariot,” the plural (dual) of ἵππος can be used, by metonymy (Smyth 3033), to mean “chariot.”

    460  εἰλήλουθα: “I have come to your aid,” 1st sing. pf. act. indic. > ἔρχομαι (LSJ ἔρχομαι A.III.4).

    461  πατὴρ: that is, Zeus.

    461  ὄπασσεν: “sent (acc.) to be (pred. acc.),” (Smyth 1613).

    462  εἴσομαι: 1st sing. fut. mid. indic. > εἶμι.

    463  νεμεσσητὸν δέ κεν εἴη: “it would cause indignation for (acc.) to (infin.).”

    464  βροτοὺς: dir. obj. of ἀγαπαζέμεν.

    464  ἀγαπαζέμεν: pres. act. infin.

    465  τύνη: emphatic form of σύ.

    466  ὑπὲρ: “in the name of …,” with genitive (LSJ ὑπέρ A.II.3).

    467  λίσσεο: 2nd sing. pres. mid. imperat. > λίσσομαι.

    467  οἱ: “his,” dative of possession.

    467  σὺν … ὀρίνῃς: “you stir up,” 2nd sing. pres. act. subj., tmesis > συνορίνω.

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    Suggested Citation

    Thomas Van Nortwick and Geoffrey Steadman, Homer: Iliad 6 and 22. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-947822-11-5.https://dcc.dickinson.edu/homer-iliad/homer-iliad-xxiv-440-467