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.
notes
440 ἦ "he said," always signaling the end of a speech, this (third singular imperfect active) is the only form of ἠμί used by Homer –also found in line 302.
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 of 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. See Cunliffe sense 7, and LSJ III under νέος.
445 ἐφ᾽ . . . ἔχευε“poured over,” tmesis of ἐπιχέω.
446 ὤϊξε: third singular aorist active indicative of οἴγνυμι, of which Homer uses only aorist forms derived from ὤϊξα and the imperfect ὠΐγνυντο.
446 ἀπῶσεν: third singular aorist active indicative of ἀπωθέω.
446 ὀχῆας “bolts,” from ὀχεύς.
447 ἐς . . . ἄγαγε “led (accusative) in,” tmesis of εἰσάγω.
449 τήν: relative pronoun, of which the antecedent is κλισίην.
449 ἄνακτι: dative of interest.
450 κέρσαντες: aorist active participle nominative plural masculine from 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 ἀμφί “around (the hut),” adverbial.
453 μοῦνος = μόνος.
454 ἐπιρρήσσεσκον “would slam shut,” iterative imperfect of ἐπιρρήσσω. See Monro 48-9, and Smyth 1894. See under ἐπιρράσσω in LSJ.
455 ἀναοίγεσκον “would open,” iterative imperfect from ἀνοίγνυμι.
456 τῶν ἄλλων “(three) of the others,” that is, of the Achaeans, not to be taken with θυράων.
457 ᾦξε “opened (the door),” thirs singular aorist active indicative from οἴγνυμι.
459 ἵππων “the chariot,” the dual and plural of ἵππος can be used, by metonymy to mean “chariot.” See Cunliffe sense 3.
460 εἰλήλουθα “I have come to your aid,” first singular perfect active indicative of ἔρχομαι (LSJ ἔρχομαι A.III.4).
461 πατήρ: that is, Zeus.
461 ὄπασσεν “sent (accusative) to be (predicate accusative),” (Smyth 1613).
462 εἴσομαι: first singular future indicative of εἶμι.
463 νεμεσσητὸν δέ κεν εἴη “it would cause indignation for (accusative) to (infinitive).”
464 βροτούς: direct object of ἀγαπαζέμεν.
464 ἀγαπαζέμεν: present active infinitive.
465 τύνη: emphatic form of σύ.
466 ὑπέρ: “in the name of . . . ," with genitive. See Cunliffe sense 2.f, and LSJ A.II.3 under ὑπέρ.
467 λίσσεο: second singular present middle imperative of λίσσομαι.
467 οἱ “his,” dative of possession.
467 σὺν . . . ὀρίνῃς “you stir up,” second singular present active subjunctive of συνορίνω (tmesis).