Transcript Book 18 (26) A black cloud of grief enwrapped Achilles,... took the dark dust [25] and strewed it over his...

Book 18 (26) A black cloud of grief enwrapped Achilles, and with both his hands he
took the dark dust [25] and strewed it over his head and defiled his fair face, and on his
fragrant tunic the black ashes fell. And himself in the dust lay outstretched, mighty in
his mightiness, and with his own hands he tore and marred his hair. And the
handmaidens, that Achilles and Patroclus had got them as booty, shrieked aloud in
anguish of heart, [30] and ran forth around wise-hearted Achilles, and all beat their
breasts with their hands, and the knees of each one were loosed beneath her.
(86) Your wish has been brought to pass for you [75] by Zeus, as before you prayed,
stretching forth your hands, even that one and all the sons of the Achaeans should be
huddled at the sterns of the ships in sore need of you, and should suffer cruel things.
(105) [91] For neither does my heart bid me live on and abide among men, unless
Hector first, smitten by my spear, shall lose his life, and pay back what he made spoil of
Patroclus.
(133) These things will we let be as past and done, for all our pain, curbing the heart in
our breasts, because we must. But now will I go forth that I may attack the slayer of the
man I loved, [115] even on Hector; for my fate, I will accept it when Zeus will bring it
to pass, and the other immortal gods. For not even the mighty Heracles escaped death,
although he was most dear to Zeus, son of Cronos, the king, but fate overcame him, and
the dread wrath of Hera. [120] So also shall I, if a like fate awaits me, lie low when I
am dead.
(387) But now, Patroclus, seeing
that I shall pass beneath the earth
after you, I will not give you burial
till I have brought here the armour
and the head of Hector, [335] your
slayer, my noble friend; and of
twelve glorious sons of the Trojans
will I cut the throats before your
pyre in my wrath (cholos) at your
death.
Hephaestus
(460) Truly then a dread and honoured goddess is within my halls, [395] she that saved
me when pain came upon me after I had fallen afar through the will of my shameless
mother, who wanted to hide me away by reason of my lameness. Then I would have
suffered woes in heart, had not Eurynome and Thetis received me into their bosom —
Eurynome, daughter of backward-flowing Oceanus. [400] With them then for nine
years' space I forged much cunning handiwork
Shield of Herakles
(580) The folk were gathered in the place of assembly; for there a strife had arisen,
and two men were striving about the blood-price of a slain man; the one avowed to
pay all, [500] declaring his cause to the people, but the other refused to accept
anything; and each wanted to refer the issue to an arbiter. Moreover, the folk were
cheering both, showing favour to this side and to that. And heralds held back the
folk, and the elders were sitting upon polished stones in the sacred circle, [505]
holding in their hands the staves of the loud-voiced heralds. Therewith then would
they spring up and give judgment, each in turn. And in the midst lay two talents of
gold, to be given to him whoever among them should utter the most righteous
judgement.
ekphrasis
[590] Therein furthermore the famed god of the two strong arms cunningly wrought a
dancing-floor like the one in wide Cnossus that Daedalus fashioned of old for fairtressed Ariadne. There were youths dancing and maidens of the price of many cattle,
holding their hands upon the wrists one of the other. [595] Of these the maidens were
clad in fine linen, while the youths wore well-woven tunics faintly glistening with oil;
and the maidens had fair chaplets, and the youths had daggers of gold hanging from
silver baldrics. Now would they run round with cunning feet [600] exceeding lightly, as
when a potter sits by his wheel that is fitted between his hands and makes trial of it
whether it will run; and now again would they run in rows toward each other. And a
great company stood around the lovely dance, taking joy therein; [605] and two
tumblers whirled up and down through the midst of them as leaders in the dance.
Book 22
(124) But now, seeing I have brought the host to ruin in my blind folly, [105] I have
shame of the Trojans, and the Trojans' wives with trailing robes, if perhaps some
baser man may say: ‘Hector, trusting in his own might, brought ruin on the host.’ So
will they say; but for me it would be better by far to meet Achilles man to man and
slay him, and so get home, [110] or myself perish gloriously before the city.
The chase
(188) Thereby they ran, one fleeing, and one pursuing. In front a good man fled,
but one mightier far pursued him swiftly; for it was not for beast of sacrifice or
for bull's hide [160] that they strove, such as are men's prizes for swiftness of
foot, but it was for the life of horse-taming Hector that they ran. And as when
single-hoofed horses that are winners of prizes course swiftly about the turningpoints, and some great prize is set forth, a tripod haply or a woman, in honour of
a warrior that is dead; [165] even so these twain circled three times with swift
feet about the city of Priam; and all the gods gazed upon them.
(248) But when for the fourth time they were come to the springs, then the
Father lifted on high his golden scales, [210] and set therein two fates of grievous
death, one for Achilles, and one for horse-taming Hector; then he grasped the
balance by the midst and raised it; and down sank the day of doom of Hector,
and departed unto Hades; and Phoebus Apollo left him.
(309) [260] Then with an angry glance from beneath his brows Achilles, swift of foot,
spoke to him: “Hector, talk not to me, you madman, of covenants. As between lions
and men there are no oaths of faith, nor do wolves and lambs have hearts of concord
but are evil-minded continually one against the other, [265] even so is it not possible for
you and me to be friends, neither shall there be oaths between us till one or the other
shall have fallen.
(350) And Hector knew all in his heart, and spoke, saying: “This is the end. The gods
have called me to my death. For I deemed that the warrior Deiphobus was at hand, but
he is within the wall, and Athene has beguiled me. [300] Now is evil death near, and no
more far from me, neither is there way of escape. So of old was it the pleasure of Zeus,
and of the son of Zeus, the god that smites afar, even of them that formerly used to help
me with ready hearts; but now has my doom come upon me. No, but not without a
struggle let me die, neither ingloriously, [305] but in the working of some great deed for
the hearing of men that are yet to be.”
(419) I know you well, and anticipate what will be, neither was it to be that I should
persuade you; truly the heart in your breast is of iron. Think now in case I bring the
wrath of the gods upon you on the day when Paris and Phoebus Apollo shall slay you,
[360] great though you are, at the Scaean gate.
Book 24
(26) Thus Achilles in his fury did foul despite to goodly Hector; but the blessed gods
had pity on him as they beheld him, and bestirred the keen-sighted Argeiphontes to steal
away the corpse. [25] And the thing was pleasing to all the rest, yet not to Hera or
Poseidon or the flashing-eyed maiden, but they continued just as when at first sacred
Ilium became hateful in their eyes and Priam and his folk, because of the folly (atê) of
Alexander, for he put reproach upon those goddesses when they came to his choice,
[30] and gave precedence to her who furthered his fatal lustfulness.
(592) In Achilles he roused desire to weep for his father; and he took the old man by the
hand, and gently put him beside him. So the two thought of their dead, and wept; the
one for man-slaying Hector wept sore, [510] while he huddled at Achilles' feet, but
Achilles wept for his own father, and now again for Patroclus; and the sound of their
moaning went up through the house.
Achilles:
(615) For two urns are set upon the floor of Zeus of gifts that he gives, the one of ills,
the other of blessings. To whomsoever Zeus, that hurls the thunderbolt, gives a mingled
lot, [530] that man meets now with evil, now with good; . . . Even so to Peleus did the
gods give glorious gifts [535] from his birth; for he excelled all men in good estate and
in wealth, and was king over the Myrmidons, and to him that was but a mortal the gods
gave a goddess to be his wife. [540] And also upon him the gods brought evil, in that
there hardly sprang up in his halls offspring of princely sons, but he had one only son,
doomed to an untimely fate. Neither may I tend him as he grows old, seeing that far, far
from my own country I abide in the land of Troy, vexing you and your children.
(707) But for this present let us bethink us of supper. For even the fair-haired Niobe
bethought her of meat, although twelve children perished in her halls, six daughters and
six lusty sons. [605] The sons Apollo slew with shafts from his silver bow, being angry
at Niobe, and the daughters the archer Artemis, for Niobe had matched her with faircheeked Leto, saying that the goddess had borne but two, while she herself was mother
to many; wherefore they, for all they were but two, destroyed them all. [610] For nine
days' space they lay in their blood, nor was there any to bury them, for the son of
Cronos turned the folk to stones; then on the tenth day the gods of heaven buried them;
and Niobe thought of meat, for she was wearied with the shedding of tears. And now
somewhere amid the rocks, on the lonely mountains, [615] on Sipylus, where, men say,
are the couching-places of goddesses, even of the nymphs that range swiftly in the
dance about Achelous, there, although a stone, she broods over her woes sent by the
gods. But come, let us two likewise, noble old sire, think of meat.
(776) [660] “If you indeed are willing that I accomplish for goodly Hector
his burial, then in doing this, O Achilles, act according to my wish. You
know how we are pent within the city, and far is it to fetch wood from the
mountain, and the Trojans are sore afraid. [665] For nine days' space will we
wail for him in our halls, and on the tenth will we make his funeral, and the
folk shall feast, and on the eleventh will we heap a barrow over him, and on
the twelfth will we do battle, if so be we must.”
“Thus shall this also be aged Priam, even as you would have it; [670] for I
will hold back the battle for such time as you bid.”
Andromache to Astyanax:
(862) And you, my child, will follow with me to a place where you will labour at
unseemly tasks, toiling before the face of some ungentle master, or else some
Achaean shall seize you by the arm [735] and hurl you from the wall, a woeful
death, being angry because Hector perhaps slew his brother, or his father, or his
son, since many Achaeans at the hands of Hector have bitten the vast earth with
their teeth; for hardly gentle was your father in woeful war.