ἦ ῥα, καὶ ἐκ νεκροῖο ἐρύσσατο χάλκεον ἔγχος,
καὶ τό γ᾽ ἄνευθεν ἔθηχ᾽, ὃ δ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ὤμων τεύχε᾽ ἐσύλα
αἱματόεντ᾽: ἄλλοι δὲ περίδραμον υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,
οἳ καὶ θηήσαντο φυὴν καὶ εἶδος ἀγητὸν370
Ἕκτορος: οὐδ᾽ ἄρα οἵ τις ἀνουτητί γε παρέστη.
ὧδε δέ τις εἴπεσκεν ἰδὼν ἐς πλησίον ἄλλον:
ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δὴ μαλακώτερος ἀμφαφάασθαι
Ἕκτωρ ἢ ὅτε νῆας ἐνέπρησεν πυρὶ κηλέῳ.375
ὣς ἄρα τις εἴπεσκε καὶ οὐτήσασκε παραστάς.
τὸν δ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἐξενάριξε ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς,
στὰς ἐν Ἀχαιοῖσιν ἔπεα πτερόεντ᾽ ἀγόρευεν:
ὦ φίλοι Ἀργείων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες
ἐπεὶ δὴ τόνδ᾽ ἄνδρα θεοὶ δαμάσασθαι ἔδωκαν,
ὃς κακὰ πόλλ᾽ ἔρρεξεν ὅσ᾽ οὐ σύμπαντες οἱ ἄλλοι,380
εἰ δ᾽ ἄγετ᾽ ἀμφὶ πόλιν σὺν τεύχεσι πειρηθῶμεν,
ὄφρά κ᾽ ἔτι γνῶμεν Τρώων νόον ὅν τιν᾽ ἔχουσιν,
ἢ καταλείψουσιν πόλιν ἄκρην τοῦδε πεσόντος,
ἦε μένειν μεμάασι καὶ Ἕκτορος οὐκέτ᾽ ἐόντος.
ἀλλὰ τί ἤ μοι ταῦτα φίλος διελέξατο θυμός;385
κεῖται πὰρ νήεσσι νέκυς ἄκλαυτος ἄθαπτος
Πάτροκλος: τοῦ δ᾽ οὐκ ἐπιλήσομαι, ὄφρ᾽ ἂν ἔγωγε
ζωοῖσιν μετέω καί μοι φίλα γούνατ᾽ ὀρώρῃ:
εἰ δὲ θανόντων περ καταλήθοντ᾽ εἰν Ἀΐδαο
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ κεῖθι φίλου μεμνήσομ᾽ ἑταίρου.390
νῦν δ᾽ ἄγ᾽ ἀείδοντες παιήονα κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν
νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇσι νεώμεθα, τόνδε δ᾽ ἄγωμεν.
ἠράμεθα μέγα κῦδος: ἐπέφνομεν Ἕκτορα δῖον,
ᾧ Τρῶες κατὰ ἄστυ θεῷ ὣς εὐχετόωντο.
395
ἦ ῥα, καὶ Ἕκτορα δῖον ἀεικέα μήδετο ἔργα.
ἀμφοτέρων μετόπισθε ποδῶν τέτρηνε τένοντε
ἐς σφυρὸν ἐκ πτέρνης, βοέους δ᾽ ἐξῆπτεν ἱμάντας,
ἐκ δίφροιο δ᾽ ἔδησε, κάρη δ᾽ ἕλκεσθαι ἔασεν:
ἐς δίφρον δ᾽ ἀναβὰς ἀνά τε κλυτὰ τεύχε᾽ ἀείρας
μάστιξέν ῥ᾽ ἐλάαν, τὼ δ᾽ οὐκ ἀέκοντε πετέσθην.400
τοῦ δ᾽ ἦν ἑλκομένοιο κονίσαλος, ἀμφὶ δὲ χαῖται
κυάνεαι πίτναντο, κάρη δ᾽ ἅπαν ἐν κονίῃσι
κεῖτο πάρος χαρίεν: τότε δὲ Ζεὺς δυσμενέεσσι
δῶκεν ἀεικίσσασθαι ἑῇ ἐν πατρίδι γαίῃ.
notes
Achilles strips the armor, and other Greeks stab Hector's lifeless body. Achilles at first urges an immediate assault on the city but, remembering that Patroclus lies unburied back by the ships, suggests they return singing a song of thanksgiving, since they have killed the main Trojan champion. Achilles attaches Hector's corpse to the back of his chariot with ox-hide straps threaded through its pierced ankles and sets off, dragging the body behind.
Achilles’ bloody armor, stripped off the dead body of yet another warrior, lies to one side, and the Myrmidons crowd around, desultorily stabbing Hector’s corpse. His voice is still in our ears, but now Hector is something like a grotesque tourist attraction. [read full essay]
367: ἦ: “he spoke,” 3rd sg impf. > ἠμί (Goodell 383).
368: τό: “and this,” ἔγχος. ἔθηχ᾽: = ἔθηκε. ὃ δ᾽: Achilles.
369: περίδραμον: “ran up and stood around,” aor. > περιτρέχω, only here in Homer (de Jong).
370: οἳ καὶ: “who also,” relative. καί emphasizes the fact that the relative clause contains an addition to the information contained in the main clause (de Jong).
371: οὐδ᾽ ἄρα οἵ τις ἀνουτητί γε παρέστη: “not one stood by without stabbing.” The litotes gives the statement a somewhat sardonic tone. οἵ: “beside him,” “him,” dat. governed by παρ- in compound παρ-ίστημι (Monro 145.6), the accent is due to the following τις. τις: “anyone.” παρέστη: 3rd sg. aor. > παρ-ίστημι.
372: τις εἴπεσκεν: “many a man would say,” -σκ- indicates iterative aor. (Monro 48–49), τις and the verb suggest that the one speech which is quoted represents many similar speeches (de Jong). ἐς: “at.”
373: ἦ μάλα δὴ: see 22.229. μαλακώτερος ἀμφαφάασθαι: “(Hector is) softer to handle,” i.e. easier to wound, explanatory (epexegetical) infinitives with μαλακώτερος (Goodell 565).
374: Ἕκτωρ: supply a linking verb ἐστί. ἢ: “than,” following μαλακώτερος. ἐνέπρησεν: aor. > ἐμ-πίμπρημι, a verb unattested in the present. πυρὶ κηλέῳ: dat. of means.
375: τις εἴπεσκε: see line 372. οὐτήσασκε: “(each) would stab,” “wound,” another iterative aor. with -σκ-. παραστάς: aor. ptc. > παρίστημι.
379: ἐπεὶ δὴ: “since in fact,” δή indicates that what Achilles says is evident to both himself and his addressees (de Jong). ἔδωκαν: i.e. allowed, 3rd pl. aor. > δίδωμι.
380: ὃς: relative. κακὰ πόλλ᾽ … ὅσ᾽ οὐ: “many evils, as many as all the rest did not do,” i.e. “more evils than all the rest.” ἔρρεξεν: aor. > ῥέζω.
381: εἰ δ᾽ ἄγετε: “now come…,” εἰ with an imperative (usually in connection with ἄγε/ ἄγετε) functions as an interjection. πειρηθῶμεν: “let us make trial of,” “attack,” hortatory subj., aor. pass. with mid. sense > πειράω, supply gen. object Τρώων.
382: ὄφρά κ’… γνῶμεν: “so that we may know” (Monro 287.1.b). νόον ὅν τιν᾽ ἔχουσιν: lit. “the mind of the Trojans, whichever they have,” proleptic use of νόον. ἔτι: “further,” as the next step (Monro).
383–384: ἢ … ἦε: “whether … or,” in apposition, introducing an alternative indirect question with the indicative.
383: πόλιν ἄκρην: “the acropolis.” To abandon it was to desert the city entirely. Cp. 24.383 ff. (Monro). τοῦδε πεσόντος: gen. abs., “now that this man has fallen.”
384: μεμάασι: “they are eager,” 3rd pl. > μέμονα, reduplicated perf. with pres. sense (Monro 36.5). καὶ … ἐόντος: “although…,” gen. absolute, concessive in force.
385: τί ἤ: “why indeed?” see 22.122. μοι: “with me.” φίλος: “my own,” “my dear,” as often, this adj. carries the meaning of a possessive.
386–387: note the forceful lack of connectives (a figure called asyndeton).
387: τοῦ δ᾽: Patroclus, genitive with verb of forgetting (Goodell 511.b). ἐπιλήσομαι: fut. > ἐπιλανθάνομαι. ὄφρ᾽: “as long as,” conditional temporal clause with ἄν + subj. (μετέω and ὀρώρῃ in the next line).
388: μετέω: 1st sg. pres. subj. > μέτειμι, “am among” + dat. μοι φίλα γούνατ’ ὀρώρῃ: “my limbs have power to move.” ὀρώρῃ: 3rd sg. pf. subj. > ὄρνυμι. The pf. ὄρωρα means “move, stir oneself.” See LSJ s.v. ὄρνυμι A.1
389: The subject of καταλήθοντ(αι) is indefinite: “they forget” (Benner). “Men forget,” to be taken closely with εἰν Ἀΐδαο: “if the dead forget their dead, so will not I” (Monro).
390: καὶ κεῖθι: “even there,” -θι indicates place where, i.e. when Achilles is dead. μεμνήσομ’: = μεμνήσομαι, “will remember” + gen., fut. > μιμνήσκομαι.
391: νῦν δ’ ἄγ’: introduces imperatives and hortatory constructions (see 22.174). παιήονα: a paean, a song of thanksgiving, cp. 1.473 (Monro).
392: νεώμεθα … ἄγωμεν: “let us go and bring,” hortatory subjunctives.
393: ἠράμεθα: “we have carried off,” i.e. “we have won,” aor. mid. > αἴρω (Att. ἀείρω). ἠράμεθα … ἐπέφνομεν: the asyndeton is expressive and adds weight to ἐπέφνομεν. As the scholiast notes, the use of the plural “makes the victory a common one, in a typically Greek way” (de Jong). ἐπέφνομεν: 1st pl. reduplicated aorist > θείνω (Monro 36.5).
394: ᾧ: “to whom,” obj of εὐχετόωντο. κατὰ: “throughout” (Monro 212.1). θεῷ ὣς: “as if to a god,” “like a god,” anastrophe. εὐχετόωντο: “prayed to” + dat., unaugmented impf. > εὐχετάομαι (= εὔχομαι).—
395: ἦ: “he spoke,” 3rd sg impf. > ἠμί (Goodell 383). ἀεικέα … ἔργα: “disfiguring deeds,” it does not so much imply wrong deeds (for Achilles to commit) as shameful deeds (for Hector to suffer) (de Jong). μήδετο: “devised (+ acc) for (+ acc),” governs a double acc., unaugmented dep. mid. impf. (Goodell 534).
396–398: “He pierced the tendons of both feet at the back from heel to ankle, attached straps of ox-hide (to the pierced feet), bound (the straps) to his chariot, and let the head drag (over the ground)” (de Jong).
396: τέτρηνε: unaugmented aor. > τετραίνω. τένοντε: dual acc.
397: ἐξῆπτεν: impf. > ἐξ-άπτω.
398: κάρη: acc. sg. neut.
399: ἀναβὰς: nom. sg. aor. ptc. > ἀναβαίνω. ἀνά … ἀείρας: tmesis, aor. ptc. > ἀναίρω, ἀνά often means “up and off” or “off.”
400: μάστιξέν ῥ’ ἐλάαν: “he whipped (the horses) to make them go,” "whipped his steeds to a run" (Benner). ἐλάαν: pres. inf. > ἐλαύνω, here a loosely attached inf. of purpose (Goodell 565). τὼ … οὐκ ἀέκοντε πετέσθην: “these two (horses) sped on not unwillingly,” dual nom. with impf. 3rd pers. dual.
401: τοῦ … ἦν ἑλκομένοιο κονίσαλος: “there was a cloud of dust of him (Hector) as he was dragged,” i.e. “a cloud of dust arose created by him being dragged.” ἀμφὶ δὲ: “and round (about),” adverbial.
402: πίτναντο: “streamed,” impf. > πίτνημι.
402–403: ἅπαν … χαρίεν: modify neuter κάρη. πάρος χαρίεν: “formerly beautiful.”
403: κεῖτο: impf. > κεῖμαι. δυσμενέεσσι δῶκεν: “gave (him) to the enemy.”
404: ἀεικίσσασθαι: “to disfigure, abuse” a loosely attached aor. mid. infinitive of purpose (Goodell 565). ἑῇ: “his,” Hector’s, possessive > ἑός.
vocabulary
ἠμί, impf. ἦ: to say, speak. ἦ καί is used after a speech that is reported, where the same subject is continued for the following verb.
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.
νεκρός –οῦ ὁ: a dead body, corpse
ἐρύω: to drag, pull, tear; draw up, raise, balance
χάλκεος: of bronze, bronze
ἔγχος –εος τό: spear, lance
ἄνευθε: without; far away (+gen)
ὦμος ὤμου ὁ: shoulder (with the upper arm)
τεῦχος –εος τό: (pl.) arms, armour
συλάω: to strip off
αἱματόεις: bloody, covered with blood
περιτρέχω, aor. περίδραμον: to run up from every side
Ἀχαιός: Achaian
θεάομαι or θηέομαι, aor. θηήσαντο: to gaze in wonder at, admire370
φυή: growth, stature
ἀγητός: admirable, wondrous
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
ἀνουτητί: adv. without dealing a wound
παρίστημι: to make to stand
πλησίος –α –ον: near, close to
πόποι: alas!
μαλακός: soft, gentle
ἀμφαφάομαι, inf. ἀμφαφάεσθαι: to handle
ἐμπρήθω, impf. ἐνέπρηθον, fut. ἐμπρήσειν, aor. ἐνέπρησε(ν): to set fire to, burn
κήλεος: burning, blazing
οὐτάω: to wound, hurt, hit375
ἐξεναρίζω, aor. ἐξενάριξε(ν): to strip of armor, despoil; to lay low
ποδαρκής –ές: swiftfooted, epithet of Achilles
δῖος –α –ον: divine, noble, illustrious; marvelous, magnificent
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.
πτερόεις πτερόεσσα πτερόεν: feathered, winged
ἀγορεύω, aor. ἀγόρευσε: to speak, say, tell
φίλος –η –ον: friend; loved, beloved, dear
Ἀργεῖος –η –ον: of/from Argos, Argive
ἡγήτωρ –ορος ὁ: a leader, commander, chief
ἠδέ: and
μέδων –οντος ὁ: leader, counselor, commander
δαμάζω: to overpower, tame, conquer, subdue
ῥέζω: to do, perform, offer380
σύμπας –πᾶσα –πᾶν: all together, all at once, all in a body
ἄγε: come! come on! well!
ὄφρα: in order that; as long as, until
Τρῶες: Trojans
νόος: mind, perception
καταλείπω, fut. καταλείψουσι, 2nd aor. κάλλιπον: to leave behind, abandon
ἄκρος –α –ον: uttermost, topmost, highest, at the top, end, edge, or surface of; πόλις ἄκρη, ἄκρη πόλις, 'upper city' (=ἀκρόπολις)
μέμαα, perf.: to be eager, rush on impetuously. μεμαότες: eager
τίη: why? wherefore?385
διαλέγω διαλέξω ἐδιάλεξω ἐδιάλεχα ἐδιάλεγμαι ἐδιαλέχθην: to pick out one from another, to pick out
νέκυς -υος ὁ: a dead body, a corpse, corse
ἄκλαυστος –ον: unwept
ἄθαπτος –ον: unburied
Πάτροκλος: Patroclus, son of Menoetius and Opus and comrade of Achilles. He is slain by Hector.
ἐπιλανθάνομαι, fut. ἐπιλήσομαι: to forget (+gen)
ζωός or ζώς: alive, living
μέτειμι: be among; (+dat and gen) have a share in
γόνυ, gen. γόνατος or γούνατος: knee
ὄρνυμι: to stir, stir up
καταλήθομαι: to forget utterly
ᾍδης, gen. Ἀίδεω and Ἄϊδος, dat. Ἄϊδι, Ἀϊδωνῆι: Hades, god of the unseen lower world. His realm is the home of the dead, and in the Iliad it is beneath the earth, while in the Odyssey Odysseus sails to it, across Oceanus, and finds in it a faint, ghostly imitation of life on earth.
ἀτάρ: but, yet390
ἐκεῖθι: there, in that place
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: a comrade, companion, mate
ἀείδω, impf. ἄειδον: to sing
παιήων –ονος ὁ: song of thanksgiving, paean
κόρος or κοῦρος -ου ὁ: boy, young man
γλαφυρός -ά, -όν: hollow, hollowed
νέομαι: to go
κῦδος -εος τό: glory, renown
θείνω, aor. ἔπεφνον, πέφνε, inf. πεφνέμεν: to strike, beat, wound; to batter, kill (only in forms with redupl. πεφ-)
ἄστυ ἄστεος τό: a city, town
εὐχετάομαι, inf. εὐετάασθαι: to pray
ἀεικής: unseemly, shameful; adv. ἀικῶς, in an unseemly way, horribly395
μήδομαι, aor. μήσατο: to contrive, plan
μετόπισθε: from behind, backwards, back + gen.
τετραίνω, aor. τέτρηνε: to bore through, pierce
τένων –οντος ὁ: tendon
σφυρόν: the ankle
πτέρνη: heel
βόειος: of oxhide
ἐξάπτω, impf. ἐξῆπτεν: to attach
ἱμάς –άντος ὁ: a strap
δίφρος: footboard of a chariot, chariot box, chariot; stool, low seat
κάρη κρατός τό: head
ἕλκω: to draw, drag
ἀναβαίνω: to go up, mount, to go up to
κλυτός –ή –όν: famed, glorious, magnificent
ἀείρω: to lift, heave, raise up
μαστίζω, aor. μάστιξεν: to whip400
ἀέκων –ουσα –ον: against one's will, unwilling
πέτομαι, 2nd aor. ἔπτατο, aor. partic. πταμένη: to fly, speed on
κονίσαλος: a cloud of dust
χαίτη: (pl.) hair, mane
κυάνεος: dark-blue, dark, black
πίτνημι, impf. pass. πίτναντο: to spread out, float
κονία or κονίη: dust, a cloud of dust
πάρος: before, formerly
χαρίεις –ίεσσα –ίεν: graceful, beautiful, pleasing; superl. χαριέστατος
Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus, son of Cronus, the husband and brother of Hera and the wisest and mightiest of the gods.
δυσμενής –ές: hostile, evil-minded; (pl.) enemies
ἀεικίζω, fut. ἀεικιῶ, aor. subj. ἀεικίσσωσι, aor. mid. inf. ἀεικίσσασθαι: to treat unseemly, insult, disfigure
ἑός ἑή ἑόν: his, her own
γαῖα –ας ἡ: a land, country