Homer, Iliad XXII 1-37

Once inside the city walls the Trojans, sweating and winded, slake their thirst. As the Achaeans draw near, Hector remains outside the walls. Apollo reveals himself to Achilles. Achilles turns away and races across the plain toward Troy, where he is observed by king Priam.

In Book 22 Homer builds toward an intense climactic scene, the death of Hector. From the opening tableau, with Hector waiting alone before the city walls as Achilles races across the plain toward him, through the brilliant portrayal of the duel itself, to Hector’s poignant death and its grim aftermath, we witness destruction rolling ever closer to a warrior and a civilization we have come to admire.  [read full essay]

1: ὣς οἳ μὲν: “thus they ...,” ὅ, ἥ, τό is rarely a “pure article,” and instead generally has a demonstrative function in Homer (Monro 256). κατὰ: “throughout,” “in,” extensive in sense (Monro 212.1). πεφυζότες: pf. act. ptc. > φεύγω, Att. πεφευγότες.

2: ἱδρῶ ἀπεψύχοντο: “they let their sweat cool down,” i.e. “dried off their sweat” (de Jong). ἱδρῶ: = acc. sg. > ἱδρώς, Att. ἱδρῶτα. πίον: unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. > πίνω (Monro 69).

3: κεκλιμένοι: pf. mid. ptc. > κλίνω. καλῇσιν ἐπάλξεσιν: dat. of place where. An ἔπαλξις is defensive structure, a shelter, bastion, bulwark, or trench.

4: ἆσσον: "nearer," governs a gen. object (τείχεος). ἴσαν: 3rd pl. impf. > εἶμι, Att. ᾖσαν. σάκε᾽ ὤμοισι κλίναντες: in the attitude of readiness to receive an attack (Monro). σάκε᾽: = σάκεα, uncontracted neut. pl. acc. ὤμοισι: dat. of place where. κλίναντες: aor. act. ptc. > κλίνω.

5: αὐτοῦ: “there,” “in this very place,” adverb > αὐτός (Goodell 228.a). μεῖναι: “for remaining,” so that he remained (Monro), aor. inf. > μένω. ὀλοιὴ: = ὀλοὴ.

6: Ἰλίου προπάροιθε: the preposition comes after the word it governs.  

7: προσηύδα: “began to address,” here specifying the beginning of an ongoing action (the so-called inchoative imperfect) (Monro 70).

8: υἱὲ: vocative, direct address. ποσὶν: dat. pl. of means > πούς (Goodell 526.a).

9: αὐτὸς: “(you) yourself,” intensive, 2nd sg. ἐὼν: concessive participle, “though…,” = Att. ὤν.

10: ἔγνως: 2nd sg. root aor. > γιγνώσκω. ὡς: “that….” σὺ δ᾽ ἀσπερχὲς μενεαίνεις: parenthetical—“in the hot fury of your pursuit.” σύ is repeated to mark the opposition to the preceding clause: “you have not recognized me—(on the contrary) you pursue with unslackened ardor.” (Monro)

11: νύ: = νῦν. τοι: “for you,” σοι with μέλει. οὔ τι: “not at all,” τι is an adverbial acc. (Goodell 540). πόνος: of the “distress” of battle, as elsewhere (Monro). οὓς: relative pronoun whose antecedent is Τρώων.

12: δή τοι: “you know,” “in fact.” ἄλεν: 3rd pl. aor. pass. > εἴλω, Att. ἄλησαν (Monro 42), “were shut in.” λιάσθης: 2nd sg. aor. dep. pass. > λιάζομαι.

13: οὐ μέν: “not,” emphatic denial. κτενέεις: uncontracted fut. > κτείνω. τοι: “to you,” = σοι, dat. sg. pers. pron. (Monro 98). οὔ τοι μόρσιμός εἰμι: “I am not fated for you,” i.e. fate does not give me to you to kill (Monro).

14: ὀχθήσας: “becoming greatly vexed,” ingressive aor. ptc. (Goodell 464). πόδας: “in foot,” acc. of respect is common after an adj., here ὠκὺς (Goodell 537).

15: ἔβλαψας: “you foiled me” (Monro). ὀλοώτατε: vocative superlative adj.

16: τρέψας: nom. sg. aor. ptc. > τρέπω.

16–17: κ᾽… γαῖαν ὀδὰξ εἷλον: “would have taken the ground with their teeth,” i.e. “would have bitten the dust,” past contrary-to-fact construction (aor. indicative + κε/ἄν), with implied protasis (if Apollo hadn’t turned Achilles away from the wall), 3rd pl. aor. > αἱρέω (de Jong; see Goodell 467.c).

17: πρὶν: “before they came,” governs an inf., translated as a finite verb (Goodell 568). Ἴλιον: acc. place to which without preposition (Goodell 533).

18: νῦν δ᾽: “but as it is,” “but now," commonly follows past potential and contrary-to-fact conditions to return the reader to what is, in fact, true. ἀφείλεο: “take (x) away from (y)” + double acc., = ἀφείλε(σ)ο, 2nd sg. aor. mid. > ἀφ-αιρέω. τοὺς δὲ: “and these (Trojans),” demonstrative (Monro 256). σάωσας: unaugmented 2nd sg. aor. (not a ptc.) (Monro 69).

19: ῥηϊδίως: “with a light heart” (Monro). οὔ τι: “not at all,” τι is adverbial acc. (Goodell 540).

20: ἂν τισαίμην … εἴ παρείη: “I would take vengeance on you, if power should be at my command,” future-less-vivid condition (εἰ + opt., ἄν + opt.) referring to something that is not possible yet is imaginable for a moment (de Jong; see Monro 311). σ’ τισαίμην: “take vengeance on” + acc. pers., = τεισαίμην. The manuscripts print τισαίμην instead of the correct τεισαίμην (aor. mid. opt. > τίνω) due to iotacism. μοι … παρείη: dat. of possession (Goodell 524.a).

21: ὣς εἰπὼν: “speaking thus,” a formulaic way to round off a speech and lead into action. προτὶ: = πρός. μέγα φρονέων: “high-spirited,” the expression refers to a mixture of fighting spirit and confidence. One may hesitate whether to take as adverb (“with a high pitch of resolve”) or as object (“with high thoughts in mind”) (de Jong). ἐβεβήκει: 3rd sg. plpf. > βαίνω, probably not anterior to the main action but rather preterite, “went.”

22: ὥς θ᾽: “just as…,” θ᾽= τε, elided before a rough breathing, an example of “epic” τε used in similes and generalizing statements (Monro 332.b). ὄχεσφιν: equivalent to a dat. singular. The suffix -φι often is instrumental or locative in force, but may, as here, substitute as a general dative.

23: ὅς: “who," relative. ῥά: = ἄρα. τε: see line 22. θέῃσι: “runs,” 3rd sg. pres. subj. > θέω, thematic subjunctive with athematic ending. τιταινόμενος: “at full stride” (Monro). πεδίοιο: “on the plain,” Homeric 2nd decl. gen. sg., gen. of place within which (Goodell 515).

24: ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς: “so Achilles…,” closes the simile. λαιψηρὰ: with πόδας and γούνατα, the second noun fixing the gender (Monro).

25: τὸν δ᾽: “this one,” i.e. Achilles (see line 18). ἴδεν: aor. unaugmented > εἶδον, which supplies the aorist of ὁράω (Goodell 391). ὀφθαλμοῖσι: dat. of means, Homeric dat. pl. (Goodell 526.a).

26: παμφαίνοντα: acc. sg. ptc., to be taken closely with ἐπεσσύμενον, “glittering as he rushed on.” ὥς τ’: “just as…,” simile with epic τε (see line 22) (Monro 332.b). ἐπεσσύμενον: "rushing, hurrying over" + gen., pf. pass. ptc. > ἐπισεύω.

27: ὀπώρης: “during the (late) summer,” “during harvest season,” gen. of time within which (Goodell 515). εἶσιν: 3rd sg. > εἶμι (Goodell 385). δέ οἱ: “and its.” οἱ is the dative pronoun, indicating possession.

28: ἀμολγῷ: dat. of time when (Goodell 527.c).

29: ὅν: “which…,” i.e. the star, ἀστέρα. τε: epic τε in generalizing statement (Monro 332.b). κύν’: = κύν(α), acc. predicate, i.e. Sirius, known as the “Dog star.” καλέουσι: “call (x) (y)” + double acc. (Goodell 534).

30: λαμπρότατος: superlative adj. ὅ: “it,” the star. μὲν … δέ marks an antithesis: though it is very bright, it is an evil sign. τε: epic τε in generalizing statement (Monro 332.b). τέτυκται: “is made,” “is” + nom. pred. (here neuter), pf. pass. > τεύχω (Monro 28).

32: ὣς: “so,” closing the simile from line 26. τοῦ: “this one’s,” demonstrative pronoun referring to Achilles. χαλκὸς: (bronze) armor. θέοντος: “(while) running,” or “as he was running,” cirumstantial ptc. > θέω (Goodell 583).

33: ᾤμωξεν: aor. > οἰμώζω. ὅ γε: still Priam. χερσὶν: dat. pl. of means > χείρ (Goodell 526.a).

34: ἀνασχόμενος: “raising (his hands),” aor. mid. ptc. > ἀν-έχω. μέγα: “loudly,” “greatly,” cognate accusative adjective, translated as an adverb (Goodell 536.b). ἐγεγώνει: “was shouting,” 3rd sg. plpf. >  perf. γέγωνα, plpf. in form but imperfect in sense (Smyth 1952.a).

36: ἑστήκει: “had stopped,” “was standing,” intr. plpf. > ἴστημι. μεμαὼς: "eager," pf. act. ptc. > μέμονα, with pres. sense (Monro 36.5). Ἀχιλῆϊ: “with…,” dat. with verb of fighting (Monro 144).

37: προσηύδα: = προσηύδαε, 3rd sg. inchoative impf. with double acc. (Monro 70), “began to address (+ acc.).” ἐλεεινὰ: internal accusative functioning as an adverb (Goodell 536.b), either “piteously,” (in the view of observers), or “in an attempt to arouse compassion” (from Hector). See ἐλέησον (22.59) and οἴκτιστον (22.76). ὀρεγνύς: "stretching out," "extending," nom. sg. pres. ptc. > ὀρέγνυμι.