Homer, Iliad XXII 289-336

Hector's spear finds its mark but bounces off Achilles' shield. Hector asks Deiphobus for another, but when Deiphobus is nowhere to be seen Hector realizes that Athena has deceived him and that the gods are calling him to his death. Resolving to die courageously, he draws his sword and charges at Achilles. Achilles, his divine armor gleaming, aims his spear at the vulnerable spot and drives it through Hector's neck. 

The moment towards which Homer has been drawing us since at least Book Fifteen has now arrived. Hector’s death is the dramatic climax of the poem and, true to his practice, the poet holds the moment and marks its importance with similes. [read full essay]

291: ἀπεπλάγχθη: “glanced off of” + gen., 3rd sg. aor. pass. > ἀποπλάζω, a verb found only in the aor. pass. σάκεος: gen. of separation.

292: ὅττι: = ὅτι, “because.” οἱ: “his” = αὐτῷ.

293: στῆ δὲ κατηφήσας: “he stood there downcast.” στῆ: unaugmented 3rd sg. root aor. > ἵστημι. ἄλλ᾽: = ἄλλο, “another.”  

294–295: ᾔτεε explains ἐκάλει, hence the asyndeton (Monro).

294: ἐκάλει: “he called (by name)” + acc., = ἐκάλε-ε, impf. μακρὸν: “loudly,” adverbial acc.

295: ᾔτεε: impf. > αἰτέω with a double acc., “asked x (acc.) for y (acc.).” ὃ δ᾽: “but this one,” Deiphobus. οὔ τί: “not at all.” οἱ: dat. obj. of ἐγγύθεν. ἦεν: 3rd sg. impf. > εἰμί, Att. ἦν.

296: ἔγνω: 3rd sg. aor. > γιγνώσκω. ᾗσιν ἐνὶ φρεσὶ: “in his mind.” ᾗσιν: = ἑῇσιν,  fem. dat. pl. > ἑός. ἐνὶ: = ἐν.

297: ἦ μάλα δή: “quite truly now.” θάνατόνδε: “to death,” -δε implies place to which (Monro 335.2).

298: ἐφάμην: “I thought,” 1st sg. impf. > φημί (see 22.247). Δηΐφοβον … ἥρωα: acc. subject of inf. παρεῖναι: inf. > πάρ-ειμι.

299: ὅ μὲν: “this one,” supply ἐστί. ἐν: “within”

300: μοι: dat. obj. of ἐγγύθεν (“near me”) or possessive dat. pers. pronoun (“my death”).

301: ἀλέη: predicate, add linking ἐστἰ (“there is no escape”). ἦ γάρ ῤα πάλαι … ἦεν: “since indeed, it seems, this was long since dearer.” ἄρα + impf. ( > εἰμί) indicates that the predestination of an event is realized ex post facto” (de Jong on 356). τό γε: “this,” i.e. Hector’s death. φίλτερον: “dearer,” comparative > φίλος.

302: Ζηνί τε καὶ … υἷι: “to Zeus and the … son.” πάρος γε: “previously at least,” see 301.

303: πρόφρονες: “with forward mind,” i.e. “energetic(ally).” As often the nom. adj. is best translated as an adverb. εἰρύατο: plpf. > ἐρύω, “had drawn … (from danger),” i.e. “had rescued,” see 6.403 for a similar use.

304: μὴ μὰν … ἀπολοίμην: “Truly may I not perish,” aor. opt. of wish > ἀπόλλυμι. μάν (= μήν) has an assertive force. ἀσπουδί: “without an effort,” tamely (Monro).

305: μέγα ῥέξας τι: “having done something great,” nom. sg. aor. ptc. > ῥέζω. This sentiment is in direct contrast to ἀσπουδί above. ἐσσομένοισι: “for (those) to come,” people in the future, fut. ptc. > εἰμί. See 6.358 for Helen’s similar awareness. πυθέσθαι: aor. inf. of purpose (Goodell 565.a).

306: εἰρύσσατο: aor. mid. > ἐρύω, “draw, unsheathe” a sword.

307: τό: “which,” relative. τέτατο: “was suspended,” unaugmented intransitive plpf. mid. > τείνω.

308: ἀλεὶς: “gathering himself together,” “having contracted his body,” nom. aor. pass. ptc. > εἴλω, here deponent. See LSJ s.v. εἴλω I.B.2. ὥς τε … ὅς τε: “just as an eagle who,” epic τε in both the simile and the dependent relative clause (Monro 332.b).

309: εἶσιν: 3rd sg. pres. > εἶμι (Goodell 385).

310: πτῶκα: “cowering” (πτήσσω): πτώξ is also used as a substantive to denote a hare (17.676) (Monro).

311: ὣς: “so,” closing the simile from 308.

312: ὁρμήθη: “rushed,” intransitive use of the aor. pass. μένεος: gen. > μένος. ἐμπλήσατο: "filled with" + gen., aor. mid. > ἐμ-πίπλημι.

313: ἀγρίου: to be scanned ἀγγρίοο (Monro). πρόσθεν κάλυψε: lit. “put (acc.) over as a covering in front of (gen.),” πρόσθεν governs the gen. στέρνοιο.

314: κόρυθι: dat. governed by ἐπί of ἐπι-νεύω (Monro 145.6). Shaking the helmet plume, like brandishing a spear, serves to intimidate the opponent (de Jong). 

315: περισσείοντο: "waved," in an intimidating fashion, impf. pass. > περι-σείομαι.

316: ἃς: relative, antecedent is ἔθειραι. ἵει: = ἵε-ε, 3rd sg. impf. > ἵημι. λόφον ἀμφὶ: = ἀμφὶ λόφον. θαμειάς: used predicatively, “set thick” (Monro).

317: οἷος δ᾽… ὣς: “as … so,” a simile. ἀστὴρ … ἕσπερος: “the evening star,” the planet Venus appearing low in the western sky at sunset. εἶσι: 3rd sg. pres. > εἶμι. νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ: dat. time when (Goodell 527.c).

318: ἵσταται: 3rd sg. pres. mid. > ἵστημι.

319: αἰχμῆς … εὐήκεος: gen. source governed by the prefix ἀπ- of ἀπέλαμπε, “it shined,” a rare impersonal use of this verb. ἣν: relative, antecedent αἰχμῆς.

320: δεξιτερῇ: dat. of means, with χείρ understood.

321: εἰσορόων: nom. sg. ptc. > εἰσορῶν. ὅπῃ εἴξειε μάλιστα: “where it (Hector’ body) might give way,” i.e. “where it would offer least resistance” or “where it would offer most space.” εἴξειε is an oblique optative depending on εἰσορόων (“looking on and asking himself where…” (de Jong).

322–4: “the rest of his body the bronze armor as good as completely covered … but flesh showed where the collar-bones separate the neck from the shoulders, the gullet, where loss of life is quickest” (de Jong).

322: τοῦ δὲ: “(as for the rest) of this one,” i.e. Hector, depending on ἄλλο. καὶ ἄλλο τόσον μὲν … δ’: “as for the rest (of him), so much … but,” i.e. “as for the rest of his body, (the armor covered) so much of his flesh.” ἄλλο is an acc. of respect which introduces the subordinate τόσον clause. καί is adverbial. ἔχε: “protected,” “covered,” 3rd sg. with neut. pl. subject.

323: τὰ: relative, acc. obj. of ἐνάριξε. Πατρόκλοιο βίην: “mighty Patroclus,” a common Homeric periphrasis. ἐνάριξε: “stripped (acc.) off of (+ acc.),” this verb governs a double acc. κατακτάς: nom. aor. ptc. > κατακτείνω.

324: φαίνετο: “it (flesh) appeared,” “showed,” understand χρώς from 322. ᾗ: “where,” “in which place,” dat. sg. fem. of the relative pronoun (Goodell 236). κληΐδες … ἔχουσι: “collarbone separates.” αὐχέν᾽: "neck," = αὐχένα. acc. sg. obj.

325: λαυκανίην: “the neck,” re-stating αὐχέν᾽. ἵνα τε: “where… (is),” epic τε in generalizing statement (Monro 332.b).

326: τῇ: “in this (place),” “there,” dat. sg. demonstrative pronoun, correlative with ᾗ in 234. ἐπὶ οἷ μεμαῶτ’: “(Hector) rushing upon him,” i.e. upon Achilles. οἷ: dat. sg. personal pronoun, here used reflexively (as indicated by the accent), = ἑαυτῷ. μεμαῶτ’: = μεμαῶτ(α), acc.

328: ἀπ᾽… τάμε: “cut off,” so-called tmesis, aor. > ἀποτέμνω.

329: ὄφρα … προτιείποι: “so as to make him say something,” this is a special use of ὄφρα, to express the natural consequences expected in circumstances. Scholars adhering to the normal use of ὄφρα + subj. in a purpose clause have suggest that the gods or fate are arranging these events, but no gods are mentioned in the present scene (de Jong; see Monro 307).

330: ἤριπε: “crashed down (to the ground),” intransitive aor. > ἐρείπω.

331: Ἕκτορ: vocative direct address. που: “I suppose.” ἔφης: “you thought that (you),” impf. > φημί + acc. subj. and inf. (see 22.280). Πατροκλῆα: acc. obj. of ptc. ἐξεναρίζων, which here means simply “slay” rather than specifically “rob of arms” (see 323).

332: σῶς: “safe,” predicate nominative in indirect discourse with no change in subject. ἔσσεσθαι: fut. dep. mid. inf. > εἰμί. οὐδὲν: “not at all,” an adverbial acc. ὀπίζεο: “you did not at all reckon with me,” = ὀπίζε(σ)ο, unaugmented 2nd sg. dep. mid. impf. This is the only instance the verb has a human rather than divine object (de Jong).

333: τοῖο: “of him,” = τοῦ, best taken as objective genitive with ἀοσσητὴρ (“of him a champion,” see 15.254), though gen. with ἄνευθεν (“apart from him”) with anastrophe is also possible. ἀοσσητὴρ: Achilles is referring to how he stayed by the ships as Patroclus fought and died in battle. μέγ᾽: “far,” “by far,” “greatly,” adv. acc. ἄνευθεν: “in the background,” explained by νηυσὶν ἔπι κ.τ.λ. (Monro)

334: ἔπι: “beside,” anastrophe. λελείμμην: “I had been left,” i.e. “I stayed,” plpf. pass. > λείπω.

335: ὅς: “(I) who,” relative. τοι: = σοι, “your (knees),” possessive dat. sg. pronoun (see 22.122). γούνατ’ ἔλυσα: “I loosened your knees,” i.e., gravely wounded or killed.

336: τὸν δὲ: “but this one,” Patroclus, in contrast with σὲ μὲν.