Iliad

Nestor was sitting over his wine, but the cry of battle did not escape him, and he said to the son of Asklepios, "What, noble Machaon, is the meaning of all this? The shouts of men fighting by our ships grow stronger and stronger; stay here, therefore, and sit over your wine, while fair Hekamede heats you a bath and washes the clotted blood from off you. I will go at once to the look-out station and see what it is all about."

Νέστορα δʼ οὐκ ἔλαθεν ἰαχὴ πίνοντά περ ἔμπης,

ἀλλʼ Ἀσκληπιάδην ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

φράζεο δῖε Μαχᾶον ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα·

μείζων δὴ παρὰ νηυσὶ βοὴ θαλερῶν αἰζηῶν.

ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν νῦν πῖνε καθήμενος αἴθοπα οἶνον

εἰς ὅ κε θερμὰ λοετρὰ ἐϋπλόκαμος Ἑκαμήδη

θερμήνῃ καὶ λούσῃ ἄπο βρότον αἱματόεντα·

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐλθὼν τάχα εἴσομαι ἐς περιωπήν.

As he spoke he took up the shield of his son Thrasymedes that was lying in his tent, all gleaming with bronze, for Thrasymedes had taken his father's shield; he grasped his redoubtable bronze-shod spear, and as soon as he was outside saw the disastrous rout of the Achaeans who, now that their wall was overthrown, were fleeing pell-mell before the Trojans. As when there is a heavy swell upon the sea, but the waves are dumb - they keep their eyes on the watch for the quarter whence the fierce winds may spring upon them, but they stay where they are and set neither this way nor that, till some particular wind sweeps down from heaven to determine [ krinô ] them - even so did the old man ponder whether to make for the crowd of Danaans, or go in search of Agamemnon. In the end he deemed it best to go to the son of Atreus; but meanwhile the hosts were fighting and killing one another, and the hard bronze rattled on their bodies, as they thrust at one another with their swords and spears.

ὣς εἰπὼν σάκος εἷλε τετυγμένον υἷος ἑοῖο

κείμενον ἐν κλισίῃ Θρασυμήδεος ἱπποδάμοιο

χαλκῷ παμφαῖνον· ὃ δʼ ἔχʼ ἀσπίδα πατρὸς ἑοῖο.

εἵλετο δʼ ἄλκιμον ἔγχος ἀκαχμένον ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ,

στῆ δʼ ἐκτὸς κλισίης, τάχα δʼ εἴσιδεν ἔργον ἀεικὲς

τοὺς μὲν ὀρινομένους, τοὺς δὲ κλονέοντας ὄπισθε

Τρῶας ὑπερθύμους· ἐρέριπτο δὲ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν.

ὡς δʼ ὅτε πορφύρῃ πέλαγος μέγα κύματι κωφῷ

ὀσσόμενον λιγέων ἀνέμων λαιψηρὰ κέλευθα

αὔτως, οὐδʼ ἄρα τε προκυλίνδεται οὐδετέρωσε,

πρίν τινα κεκριμένον καταβήμεναι ἐκ Διὸς οὖρον,

ὣς ὃ γέρων ὅρμαινε δαϊζόμενος κατὰ θυμὸν

διχθάδιʼ, ἢ μεθʼ ὅμιλον ἴοι Δαναῶν ταχυπώλων,

ἦε μετʼ Ἀτρεΐδην Ἀγαμέμνονα ποιμένα λαῶν.

ὧδε δέ οἱ φρονέοντι δοάσσατο κέρδιον εἶναι

βῆναι ἐπʼ Ἀτρεΐδην. οἳ δʼ ἀλλήλους ἐνάριζον

μαρνάμενοι· λάκε δέ σφι περὶ χροῒ χαλκὸς ἀτειρὴς

νυσσομένων ξίφεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισι.

The wounded kings, the son of Tydeus, Odysseus, and Agamemnon son of Atreus, fell in Nestor as they were coming up from their ships - for theirs were drawn up some way from where the fighting was going on, being on the shore itself inasmuch as they had been beached first, while the wall had been built behind the hindermost. The stretch of the shore, wide though it was, did not afford room for all the ships, and the host was cramped for space, therefore they had placed the ships in rows one behind the other, and had filled the whole opening of the bay between the two points that formed it. The kings, leaning on their spears, were coming out to survey the fight, being in great anxiety, and when old Nestor met them they were filled with dismay. Then King Agamemnon said to him, "Nestor son of Neleus, honor to the Achaean name, why have you left the battle to come hither? I fear that what dread Hektor said will come true, when he vaunted among the Trojans saying that he would not return to Ilion till he had fired our ships and killed us; this is what he said, and now it is all coming true. Alas! others of the Achaeans, like Achilles, are in anger with me that they refuse to fight by the sterns of our ships."

Νέστορι δὲ ξύμβληντο διοτρεφέες βασιλῆες

πὰρ νηῶν ἀνιόντες ὅσοι βεβλήατο χαλκῷ

Τυδεΐδης Ὀδυσεύς τε καὶ Ἀτρεΐδης Ἀγαμέμνων.

πολλὸν γάρ ῥʼ ἀπάνευθε μάχης εἰρύατο νῆες

θῖνʼ ἔφʼ ἁλὸς πολιῆς· τὰς γὰρ πρώτας πεδίον δὲ

εἴρυσαν, αὐτὰρ τεῖχος ἐπὶ πρύμνῃσιν ἔδειμαν.

οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδʼ εὐρύς περ ἐὼν ἐδυνήσατο πάσας

αἰγιαλὸς νῆας χαδέειν, στείνοντο δὲ λαοί·

τώ ῥα προκρόσσας ἔρυσαν, καὶ πλῆσαν ἁπάσης

ἠϊόνος στόμα μακρόν, ὅσον συνεέργαθον ἄκραι.

τώ ῥʼ οἵ γʼ ὀψείοντες ἀϋτῆς καὶ πολέμοιο

ἔγχει ἐρειδόμενοι κίον ἀθρόοι· ἄχνυτο δέ σφι

θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν. ὃ δὲ ξύμβλητο γεραιὸς

Νέστωρ, πτῆξε δὲ θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν Ἀχαιῶν.

τὸν καὶ φωνήσας προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων·

ὦ Νέστορ Νηληϊάδη μέγα κῦδος Ἀχαιῶν

τίπτε λιπὼν πόλεμον φθισήνορα δεῦρʼ ἀφικάνεις;

δείδω μὴ δή μοι τελέσῃ ἔπος ὄβριμος Ἕκτωρ,

ὥς ποτʼ ἐπηπείλησεν ἐνὶ Τρώεσσʼ ἀγορεύων

μὴ πρὶν πὰρ νηῶν προτὶ Ἴλιον ἀπονέεσθαι

πρὶν πυρὶ νῆας ἐνιπρῆσαι, κτεῖναι δὲ καὶ αὐτούς.

κεῖνος τὼς ἀγόρευε· τὰ δὴ νῦν πάντα τελεῖται.

ὢ πόποι ἦ ῥα καὶ ἄλλοι ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοὶ

ἐν θυμῷ βάλλονται ἐμοὶ χόλον ὥς περ Ἀχιλλεὺς

οὐδʼ ἐθέλουσι μάχεσθαι ἐπὶ πρυμνῇσι νέεσσι.

Then Nestor horseman of Gerene answered, "It is indeed as you say; it is all coming true at this moment, and even Zeus who thunders from on high cannot prevent it. Fallen is the wall on which we relied as an impregnable bulwark both for us and our fleet. The Trojans are fighting stubbornly and without ceasing at the ships; look where you may you cannot see from what quarter the rout of the Achaeans is coming; they are being killed in a confused mass and the battle-cry ascends to heaven; let us think, if counsel [ noos ] can be of any use, what we had better do; but I do not advise our going into battle ourselves, for a man cannot fight when he is wounded."

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ·

ἦ δὴ ταῦτά γʼ ἑτοῖμα τετεύχαται, οὐδέ κεν ἄλλως

Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης αὐτὸς παρατεκτήναιτο.

τεῖχος μὲν γὰρ δὴ κατερήριπεν, ᾧ ἐπέπιθμεν

ἄρρηκτον νηῶν τε καὶ αὐτῶν εἶλαρ ἔσεσθαι·

οἳ δʼ ἐπὶ νηυσὶ θοῇσι μάχην ἀλίαστον ἔχουσι

νωλεμές· οὐδʼ ἂν ἔτι γνοίης μάλα περ σκοπιάζων

ὁπποτέρωθεν Ἀχαιοὶ ὀρινόμενοι κλονέονται,

ὡς ἐπιμὶξ κτείνονται, ἀϋτὴ δʼ οὐρανὸν ἵκει.

ἡμεῖς δὲ φραζώμεθʼ ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα

εἴ τι νόος ῥέξει· πόλεμον δʼ οὐκ ἄμμε κελεύω

δύμεναι· οὐ γάρ πως βεβλημένον ἐστὶ μάχεσθαι.

And King Agamemnon answered, "Nestor, if the Trojans are indeed fighting at the rear of our ships, and neither the wall nor the trench has served us - over which the Danaans toiled so hard, and which they deemed would be an impregnable bulwark both for us and our fleet - I see it must be the will of Zeus that the Achaeans should perish ingloriously here, far from Argos . I knew when Zeus was willing to defend us, and I know now that he is raising the Trojans to like honor with the gods, while us, on the other hand, he bas bound hand and foot. Now, therefore, let us all do as I say; let us bring down the ships that are on the beach and draw them into the water; let us make them fast to their mooring-stones a little way out, against the fall of night - if even by night the Trojans will desist from fighting; we may then draw down the rest of the fleet. There is no sense of nemesis in fleeing ruin even by night. It is better for a man that he should flee and be saved than be caught and killed."

τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων·

Νέστορ ἐπεὶ δὴ νηυσὶν ἔπι πρυμνῇσι μάχονται,

τεῖχος δʼ οὐκ ἔχραισμε τετυγμένον, οὐδέ τι τάφρος,

ᾗ ἔπι πολλὰ πάθον Δαναοί, ἔλποντο δὲ θυμῷ

ἄρρηκτον νηῶν τε καὶ αὐτῶν εἶλαρ ἔσεσθαι·

οὕτω που Διὶ μέλλει ὑπερμενέϊ φίλον εἶναι

νωνύμνους ἀπολέσθαι ἀπʼ Ἄργεος ἐνθάδʼ Ἀχαιούς.

ᾔδεα μὲν γὰρ ὅτε πρόφρων Δαναοῖσιν ἄμυνεν,

οἶδα δὲ νῦν ὅτε τοὺς μὲν ὁμῶς μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι

κυδάνει, ἡμέτερον δὲ μένος καὶ χεῖρας ἔδησεν.

ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ ὡς ἂν ἐγὼν εἴπω πειθώμεθα πάντες.

νῆες ὅσαι πρῶται εἰρύαται ἄγχι θαλάσσης

ἕλκωμεν, πάσας δὲ ἐρύσσομεν εἰς ἅλα δῖαν,

ὕψι δʼ ἐπʼ εὐνάων ὁρμίσσομεν, εἰς ὅ κεν ἔλθῃ

νὺξ ἀβρότη, ἢν καὶ τῇ ἀπόσχωνται πολέμοιο

Τρῶες· ἔπειτα δέ κεν ἐρυσαίμεθα νῆας ἁπάσας.

οὐ γάρ τις νέμεσις φυγέειν κακόν, οὐδʼ ἀνὰ νύκτα.

βέλτερον ὃς φεύγων προφύγῃ κακὸν ἠὲ ἁλώῃ.

Odysseus looked fiercely at him and said, "Son of Atreus, what are you talking about? Wretch, you should have commanded some other and baser army, and not been ruler over us to whom Zeus has allotted a life of hard fighting from youth to old age, till we every one of us perish. Is it thus that you would quit the city of Troy , to win which we have suffered so much hardship? Hold your peace, lest some other of the Achaeans hear you say what no man who knows how to give good counsel, no king over so great a host as that of the Argives should ever have let fall from his lips. I despise your judgment utterly for what you have been saying. Would you, then, have us draw down our ships into the water while the battle is raging, and thus play further into the hands of the conquering Trojans? It would be ruin; the Achaeans will not go on fighting when they see the ships being drawn into the water, but will cease attacking and keep turning their eyes towards them; your counsel, therefore, Sir leader, would be our destruction."

τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·

Ἀτρεΐδη ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων·

οὐλόμενʼ αἴθʼ ὤφελλες ἀεικελίου στρατοῦ ἄλλου

σημαίνειν, μὴ δʼ ἄμμιν ἀνασσέμεν, οἷσιν ἄρα Ζεὺς

ἐκ νεότητος ἔδωκε καὶ ἐς γῆρας τολυπεύειν

ἀργαλέους πολέμους, ὄφρα φθιόμεσθα ἕκαστος.

οὕτω δὴ μέμονας Τρώων πόλιν εὐρυάγυιαν

καλλείψειν, ἧς εἵνεκʼ ὀϊζύομεν κακὰ πολλά;

σίγα, μή τίς τʼ ἄλλος Ἀχαιῶν τοῦτον ἀκούσῃ

μῦθον, ὃν οὔ κεν ἀνήρ γε διὰ στόμα πάμπαν ἄγοιτο

ὅς τις ἐπίσταιτο ᾗσι φρεσὶν ἄρτια βάζειν

σκηπτοῦχός τʼ εἴη, καί οἱ πειθοίατο λαοὶ

τοσσοίδʼ ὅσσοισιν σὺ μετʼ Ἀργείοισιν ἀνάσσεις·

νῦν δέ σευ ὠνοσάμην πάγχυ φρένας, οἷον ἔειπες·

ὃς κέλεαι πολέμοιο συνεσταότος καὶ ἀϋτῆς

νῆας ἐϋσσέλμους ἅλαδʼ ἑλκέμεν, ὄφρʼ ἔτι μᾶλλον

Τρωσὶ μὲν εὐκτὰ γένηται ἐπικρατέουσί περ ἔμπης,

ἡμῖν δʼ αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος ἐπιρρέπῃ. οὐ γὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ

σχήσουσιν πόλεμον νηῶν ἅλα δʼ ἑλκομενάων,

ἀλλʼ ἀποπαπτανέουσιν, ἐρωήσουσι δὲ χάρμης.

ἔνθά κε σὴ βουλὴ δηλήσεται ὄρχαμε λαῶν.

Agamemnon answered, "Odysseus, your rebuke has stung me to the heart. I am not, however, ordering the Achaeans to draw their ships into the sea whether they will or no. Some one, it may be, old or young, can offer us better counsel which I shall rejoice to hear."

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων·

ὦ Ὀδυσεῦ μάλα πώς με καθίκεο θυμὸν ἐνιπῇ

ἀργαλέῃ· ἀτὰρ οὐ μὲν ἐγὼν ἀέκοντας ἄνωγα

νῆας ἐϋσσέλμους ἅλα δʼ ἑλκέμεν υἷας Ἀχαιῶν.

νῦν δʼ εἴη ὃς τῆσδέ γʼ ἀμείνονα μῆτιν ἐνίσποι

ἢ νέος ἠὲ παλαιός· ἐμοὶ δέ κεν ἀσμένῳ εἴη.

Then said Diomedes, "Such an one is at hand; he is not far to seek, if you will listen to me and not resent my speaking though I am younger than any of you. I am by lineage son to a noble sire, Tydeus, who lies buried at Thebes . For Portheus had three noble sons, two of whom, Agrios and Melas , abode in Pleuron and rocky Calydon. The third was the horseman Oeneus, my father's father, and he was the most valor [ aretê ] of them all. Oeneus remained in his own country, but my father (as Zeus and the other gods ordained it) migrated to Argos . He married into the family of Adrastos, and his house was one of great abundance, for he had large estates of fertile grain-growing land, with much orchard ground as well, and he had many sheep; moreover he excelled all the Argives in the use of the spear. You must yourselves have heard whether these things are true or no; therefore when I say well despise not my words as though I were a coward or of ignoble birth. I say, then, let us go to the fight as we needs must, wounded though we be. When there, we may keep out of the battle and beyond the range of the spears lest we get fresh wounds in addition to what we have already, but we can spur on others, who have been indulging their spleen and holding aloof from battle hitherto."

τοῖσι δὲ καὶ μετέειπε βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Διομήδης·

ἐγγὺς ἀνήρ· οὐ δηθὰ ματεύσομεν· αἴ κʼ ἐθέλητε

πείθεσθαι, καὶ μή τι κότῳ ἀγάσησθε ἕκαστος

οὕνεκα δὴ γενεῆφι νεώτατός εἰμι μεθʼ ὑμῖν·

πατρὸς δʼ ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ἐγὼ γένος εὔχομαι εἶναι

Τυδέος, ὃν Θήβῃσι χυτὴ κατὰ γαῖα καλύπτει.

πορθεῖ γὰρ τρεῖς παῖδες ἀμύμονες ἐξεγένοντο,

οἴκεον δʼ ἐν Πλευρῶνι καὶ αἰπεινῇ Καλυδῶνι

Ἄγριος ἠδὲ Μέλας, τρίτατος δʼ ἦν ἱππότα Οἰνεὺς

πατρὸς ἐμοῖο πατήρ· ἀρετῇ δʼ ἦν ἔξοχος αὐτῶν.

ἀλλʼ ὃ μὲν αὐτόθι μεῖνε, πατὴρ δʼ ἐμὸς Ἄργεϊ νάσθη

πλαγχθείς· ὡς γάρ που Ζεὺς ἤθελε καὶ θεοὶ ἄλλοι.

Ἀδρήστοιο δʼ ἔγημε θυγατρῶν, ναῖε δὲ δῶμα

ἀφνειὸν βιότοιο, ἅλις δέ οἱ ἦσαν ἄρουραι

πυροφόροι, πολλοὶ δὲ φυτῶν ἔσαν ὄρχατοι ἀμφίς,

πολλὰ δέ οἱ πρόβατʼ ἔσκε· κέκαστο δὲ πάντας Ἀχαιοὺς

ἐγχείῃ· τὰ δὲ μέλλετʼ ἀκουέμεν, εἰ ἐτεόν περ.

τὼ οὐκ ἄν με γένος γε κακὸν καὶ ἀνάλκιδα φάντες

μῦθον ἀτιμήσαιτε πεφασμένον ὅν κʼ ἐῢ εἴπω.

δεῦτʼ ἴομεν πόλεμον δὲ καὶ οὐτάμενοί περ ἀνάγκῃ.

ἔνθα δʼ ἔπειτʼ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἐχώμεθα δηϊοτῆτος

ἐκ βελέων, μή πού τις ἐφʼ ἕλκεϊ ἕλκος ἄρηται·

ἄλλους δʼ ὀτρύνοντες ἐνήσομεν, οἳ τὸ πάρος περ

θυμῷ ἦρα φέροντες ἀφεστᾶσʼ οὐδὲ μάχονται.

Thus did he speak; whereon they did even as he had said and set out, King Agamemnon leading the way.

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ἄρα τοῦ μάλα μὲν κλύον ἠδὲ πίθοντο·

βὰν δʼ ἴμεν, ἦρχε δʼ ἄρά σφιν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων.

Meanwhile Poseidon had kept no blind look-out, and came up to them in the semblance of an old man. He took Agamemnon's right hand in his own and said, "Son of Atreus, I take it Achilles is glad now that he sees the Achaeans routed and slain, for he is utterly without remorse - may he come to a bad end and heaven confound him. As for yourself, the blessed gods are not yet so bitterly angry with you but that the princes and counselors of the Trojans shall again raise the dust upon the plain, and you shall see them fleeing from the ships and tents towards their city."

οὐδʼ ἀλαοσκοπιὴν εἶχε κλυτὸς ἐννοσίγαιος,

ἀλλὰ μετʼ αὐτοὺς ἦλθε παλαιῷ φωτὶ ἐοικώς,

δεξιτερὴν δʼ ἕλε χεῖρʼ Ἀγαμέμνονος Ἀτρεΐδαο,

καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

Ἀτρεΐδη νῦν δή που Ἀχιλλῆος ὀλοὸν κῆρ

γηθεῖ ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φόνον καὶ φύζαν Ἀχαιῶν

δερκομένῳ, ἐπεὶ οὔ οἱ ἔνι φρένες οὐδʼ ἠβαιαί.

ἀλλʼ ὃ μὲν ὣς ἀπόλοιτο, θεὸς δέ ἑ σιφλώσειε·

σοὶ δʼ οὔ πω μάλα πάγχυ θεοὶ μάκαρες κοτέουσιν,

ἀλλʼ ἔτι που Τρώων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες

εὐρὺ κονίσουσιν πεδίον, σὺ δʼ ἐπόψεαι αὐτὸς

φεύγοντας προτὶ ἄστυ νεῶν ἄπο καὶ κλισιάων.

With this he raised a mighty cry of battle, and sped forward to the plain. The voice that came from his deep chest was as that of nine or ten thousand men when they are shouting in the thick of a fight, and it put fresh courage into the hearts of the Achaeans to wage war and do battle without ceasing.

ὣς εἰπὼν μέγʼ ἄϋσεν ἐπεσσύμενος πεδίοιο.

ὅσσόν τʼ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι

ἀνέρες ἐν πολέμῳ ἔριδα ξυνάγοντες Ἄρηος,

τόσσην ἐκ στήθεσφιν ὄπα κρείων ἐνοσίχθων

ἧκεν· Ἀχαιοῖσιν δὲ μέγα σθένος ἔμβαλʼ ἑκάστῳ

καρδίῃ, ἄληκτον πολεμίζειν ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι.

Hera of the golden throne looked down as she stood upon a peak of Olympus and her heart was gladdened at the sight of him who was at once her brother and her brother-in-law, hurrying hither and thither amid the fighting. Then she turned her eyes to Zeus as he sat on the topmost crests of many-fountained Ida, and loathed him. She set herself to think how she might trick his thinking [ noos ], and in the end she deemed that it would be best for her to go to Ida and array herself in rich attire, in the hope that Zeus might become enamored of her, and wish to embrace her. While he was thus engaged a sweet and careless sleep might be made to steal over his eyes and senses.

Ἥρη δʼ εἰσεῖδε χρυσόθρονος ὀφθαλμοῖσι

στᾶσʼ ἐξ Οὐλύμποιο ἀπὸ ῥίου· αὐτίκα δʼ ἔγνω

τὸν μὲν ποιπνύοντα μάχην ἀνὰ κυδιάνειραν

αὐτοκασίγνητον καὶ δαέρα, χαῖρε δὲ θυμῷ·

Ζῆνα δʼ ἐπʼ ἀκροτάτης κορυφῆς πολυπίδακος Ἴδης

ἥμενον εἰσεῖδε, στυγερὸς δέ οἱ ἔπλετο θυμῷ.

μερμήριξε δʼ ἔπειτα βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη

ὅππως ἐξαπάφοιτο Διὸς νόον αἰγιόχοιο·

ἥδε δέ οἱ κατὰ θυμὸν ἀρίστη φαίνετο βουλὴ

ἐλθεῖν εἰς Ἴδην εὖ ἐντύνασαν ἓ αὐτήν,

εἴ πως ἱμείραιτο παραδραθέειν φιλότητι

ᾗ χροιῇ, τῷ δʼ ὕπνον ἀπήμονά τε λιαρόν τε

χεύῃ ἐπὶ βλεφάροισιν ἰδὲ φρεσὶ πευκαλίμῃσι.

She went, therefore, to the room which her son Hephaistos had made her, and the doors of which he had cunningly fastened by means of a secret key so that no other god could open them. Here she entered and closed the doors behind her. She cleansed all the dirt from her fair body with ambrosia, then she anointed herself with olive oil, ambrosial, very soft, and scented specially for herself - if it were so much as shaken in the bronze-floored house of Zeus, the scent pervaded the universe of heaven and earth. With this she anointed her delicate skin, and then she plaited the fair ambrosial locks that flowed in a stream of golden tresses from her immortal head. She put on the wondrous robe which Athena had worked for her with consummate art, and had embroidered with manifold devices; she fastened it about her bosom with golden clasps, and she girded herself with a girdle that had a hundred tassels: then she fastened her earrings, three brilliant pendants with much charm radiating from them,

βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἐς θάλαμον, τόν οἱ φίλος υἱὸς ἔτευξεν

Ἥφαιστος, πυκινὰς δὲ θύρας σταθμοῖσιν ἐπῆρσε

κληῗδι κρυπτῇ, τὴν δʼ οὐ θεὸς ἄλλος ἀνῷγεν·

ἔνθʼ ἥ γʼ εἰσελθοῦσα θύρας ἐπέθηκε φαεινάς.

ἀμβροσίῃ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπὸ χροὸς ἱμερόεντος

λύματα πάντα κάθηρεν, ἀλείψατο δὲ λίπʼ ἐλαίῳ

ἀμβροσίῳ ἑδανῷ, τό ῥά οἱ τεθυωμένον ἦεν·

τοῦ καὶ κινυμένοιο Διὸς κατὰ χαλκοβατὲς δῶ

ἔμπης ἐς γαῖάν τε καὶ οὐρανὸν ἵκετʼ ἀϋτμή.

τῷ ῥʼ ἥ γε χρόα καλὸν ἀλειψαμένη ἰδὲ χαίτας

πεξαμένη χερσὶ πλοκάμους ἔπλεξε φαεινοὺς

καλοὺς ἀμβροσίους ἐκ κράατος ἀθανάτοιο.

ἀμφὶ δʼ ἄρʼ ἀμβρόσιον ἑανὸν ἕσαθʼ, ὅν οἱ Ἀθήνη

ἔξυσʼ ἀσκήσασα, τίθει δʼ ἐνὶ δαίδαλα πολλά·

χρυσείῃς δʼ ἐνετῇσι κατὰ στῆθος περονᾶτο.

ζώσατο δὲ ζώνῃ ἑκατὸν θυσάνοις ἀραρυίῃ,

ἐν δʼ ἄρα ἕρματα ἧκεν ἐϋτρήτοισι λοβοῖσι

through the pierced lobes of her ears, and threw a lovely new veil over her head. She bound her sandals on to her feet, and when she had finished making herself up in perfect order [ kosmos ], she left her room and called Aphrodite to come aside and speak to her. "My dear child," said she, "will you do what I am going to ask of you, or will refuse me because you are angry at my being on the Danaan side, while you are on the Trojan?"

τρίγληνα μορόεντα· χάρις δʼ ἀπελάμπετο πολλή.

κρηδέμνῳ δʼ ἐφύπερθε καλύψατο δῖα θεάων

καλῷ νηγατέῳ· λευκὸν δʼ ἦν ἠέλιος ὥς·

ποσσὶ δʼ ὑπὸ λιπαροῖσιν ἐδήσατο καλὰ πέδιλα.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ πάντα περὶ χροῒ θήκατο κόσμον

βῆ ῥʼ ἴμεν ἐκ θαλάμοιο, καλεσσαμένη δʼ Ἀφροδίτην

τῶν ἄλλων ἀπάνευθε θεῶν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε·

ἦ ῥά νύ μοί τι πίθοιο φίλον τέκος ὅττί κεν εἴπω,

ἦέ κεν ἀρνήσαιο κοτεσσαμένη τό γε θυμῷ,

οὕνεκʼ ἐγὼ Δαναοῖσι, σὺ δὲ Τρώεσσιν ἀρήγεις;

Zeus' daughter Aphrodite answered, "Hera, august queen of goddesses, daughter of mighty Kronos, say what you want, and I will do it for at once, if I can, and if it can be done at all."

τὴν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Διὸς θυγάτηρ Ἀφροδίτη·

Ἥρη πρέσβα θεὰ θύγατερ μεγάλοιο Κρόνοιο

αὔδα ὅ τι φρονέεις· τελέσαι δέ με θυμὸς ἄνωγεν,

εἰ δύναμαι τελέσαι γε καὶ εἰ τετελεσμένον ἐστίν.

Then Hera told her a lying tale and said, "I want you to endow me with some of those fascinating charms, the spells of which bring all things mortal and immortal to your feet. I am going to the world's end to visit Okeanos (from whom all we gods proceed) and mother Tethys: they received me in their house, took care of me, and brought me up, having taken me over from Rhaea when Zeus imprisoned great Kronos in the depths that are under earth and sea. I must go and see them that I may make peace between them; they have been quarreling, and are so angry that they have not slept with one another this long while; if I can bring them round and restore them to one another's embraces, they will be grateful to me and love me for ever afterwards."

τὴν δὲ δολοφρονέουσα προσηύδα πότνια Ἥρη·

δὸς νῦν μοι φιλότητα καὶ ἵμερον, ᾧ τε σὺ πάντας

δαμνᾷ ἀθανάτους ἠδὲ θνητοὺς ἀνθρώπους.

εἶμι γὰρ ὀψομένη πολυφόρβου πείρατα γαίης,

Ὠκεανόν τε θεῶν γένεσιν καὶ μητέρα Τηθύν,

οἵ μʼ ἐν σφοῖσι δόμοισιν ἐῢ τρέφον ἠδʼ ἀτίταλλον

δεξάμενοι Ῥείας, ὅτε τε Κρόνον εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς

γαίης νέρθε καθεῖσε καὶ ἀτρυγέτοιο θαλάσσης·

τοὺς εἶμʼ ὀψομένη, καί σφʼ ἄκριτα νείκεα λύσω·

ἤδη γὰρ δηρὸν χρόνον ἀλλήλων ἀπέχονται

εὐνῆς καὶ φιλότητος, ἐπεὶ χόλος ἔμπεσε θυμῷ.

εἰ κείνω ἐπέεσσι παραιπεπιθοῦσα φίλον κῆρ

εἰς εὐνὴν ἀνέσαιμι ὁμωθῆναι φιλότητι,

αἰεί κέ σφι φίλη τε καὶ αἰδοίη καλεοίμην.

Thereon laughter-loving Aphrodite said, "I cannot and must not refuse you, for you sleep in the arms of Zeus who is our king."

τὴν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε φιλομειδὴς Ἀφροδίτη·

οὐκ ἔστʼ οὐδὲ ἔοικε τεὸν ἔπος ἀρνήσασθαι·

Ζηνὸς γὰρ τοῦ ἀρίστου ἐν ἀγκοίνῃσιν ἰαύεις.

As she spoke she loosed from her bosom the curiously embroidered girdle into which all her charms had been wrought - love, desire, and that sweet flattery which steals the judgment [ noos ] even of the most prudent. She gave the girdle to Hera and said, "Take this girdle wherein all my charms reside and lay it in your bosom. If you will wear it I promise you that your errand, be it what it may, will not be bootless."

ἦ, καὶ ἀπὸ στήθεσφιν ἐλύσατο κεστὸν ἱμάντα

ποικίλον, ἔνθα δέ οἱ θελκτήρια πάντα τέτυκτο·

ἔνθʼ ἔνι μὲν φιλότης, ἐν δʼ ἵμερος, ἐν δʼ ὀαριστὺς

πάρφασις, ἥ τʼ ἔκλεψε νόον πύκα περ φρονεόντων.

τόν ῥά οἱ ἔμβαλε χερσὶν ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζε·

τῆ νῦν τοῦτον ἱμάντα τεῷ ἐγκάτθεο κόλπῳ

ποικίλον, ᾧ ἔνι πάντα τετεύχαται· οὐδέ σέ φημι

ἄπρηκτόν γε νέεσθαι, ὅ τι φρεσὶ σῇσι μενοινᾷς.

When she heard this Hera smiled, and still smiling she laid the girdle in her bosom.

ὣς φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη,

μειδήσασα δʼ ἔπειτα ἑῷ ἐγκάτθετο κόλπῳ.

Aphrodite now went back into the house of Zeus, while Hera darted down from the summits of Olympus . She passed over Pieria and fair Emathia , and went on and on till she came to the snowy ranges of the Thracian horsemen, over whose topmost crests she sped without ever setting foot to ground. When she came to Athos she went on over the, waves of the sea [ pontos ] till she reached Lemnos , the city of noble Thoas. There she met Sleep, own brother to Death, and caught him by the hand, saying, "Sleep, you who lord it alike over mortals and immortals, if you ever did me a service in times past, do one for me now, and I shall show gratitude [ kharis ] to you ever after. Close Zeus' keen eyes for me in slumber while I hold him clasped in my embrace, and I will give you a beautiful golden seat, that can never fall to pieces; my clubfooted son Hephaistos shall make it for you, and he shall give it a footstool for you to rest your fair feet upon when you are at table."

ἣ μὲν ἔβη πρὸς δῶμα Διὸς θυγάτηρ Ἀφροδίτη,

Ἥρη δʼ ἀΐξασα λίπεν ῥίον Οὐλύμποιο,

Πιερίην δʼ ἐπιβᾶσα καὶ Ἠμαθίην ἐρατεινὴν

σεύατʼ ἐφʼ ἱπποπόλων Θρῃκῶν ὄρεα νιφόεντα

ἀκροτάτας κορυφάς· οὐδὲ χθόνα μάρπτε ποδοῖιν·

ἐξ Ἀθόω δʼ ἐπὶ πόντον ἐβήσετο κυμαίνοντα,

Λῆμνον δʼ εἰσαφίκανε πόλιν θείοιο Θόαντος.

ἔνθʼ Ὕπνῳ ξύμβλητο κασιγνήτῳ Θανάτοιο,

ἔν τʼ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρὶ ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν·

Ὕπνε ἄναξ πάντων τε θεῶν πάντων τʼ ἀνθρώπων,

ἠμὲν δή ποτʼ ἐμὸν ἔπος ἔκλυες, ἠδʼ ἔτι καὶ νῦν

πείθευ· ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι ἰδέω χάριν ἤματα πάντα.

κοίμησόν μοι Ζηνὸς ὑπʼ ὀφρύσιν ὄσσε φαεινὼ

αὐτίκʼ ἐπεί κεν ἐγὼ παραλέξομαι ἐν φιλότητι.

δῶρα δέ τοι δώσω καλὸν θρόνον ἄφθιτον αἰεὶ

χρύσεον· Ἥφαιστος δέ κʼ ἐμὸς πάϊς ἀμφιγυήεις

τεύξειʼ ἀσκήσας, ὑπὸ δὲ θρῆνυν ποσὶν ἥσει,

τῷ κεν ἐπισχοίης λιπαροὺς πόδας εἰλαπινάζων.

Then Sleep answered, "Hera, great queen of goddesses, daughter of mighty Kronos, I would lull any other of the gods to sleep without compunction, not even excepting the waters of Okeanos from whom all of them proceed, but I dare not go near Zeus, nor send him to sleep unless he bids me. I have had one lesson already through doing what you asked me, on the day when Zeus' mighty son Herakles set sail from Ilion after having sacked the city of the Trojans. At your bidding I suffused my sweet self over the mind [ noos ] of aegis-bearing Zeus, and laid him to rest; meanwhile you hatched a plot against Herakles, and set the blasts of the angry winds beating upon the sea [ pontos ], till you took him to the goodly city of Cos away from all his friends. Zeus was furious when he awoke, and began hurling the gods about all over the house; he was looking more particularly for myself, and would have flung me down through space into the sea [ pontos ] where I should never have been heard of any more, had not Night who cows both men and gods protected me. I fled to her and Zeus left off looking for me in spite of his being so angry, for he did not dare do anything to displease Night. And now you are again asking me to do something on which I cannot venture."

τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσεφώνεε νήδυμος Ὕπνος·

Ἥρη πρέσβα θεὰ θύγατερ μεγάλοιο Κρόνοιο

ἄλλον μέν κεν ἔγωγε θεῶν αἰειγενετάων

ῥεῖα κατευνήσαιμι, καὶ ἂν ποταμοῖο ῥέεθρα

Ὠκεανοῦ, ὅς περ γένεσις πάντεσσι τέτυκται·

Ζηνὸς δʼ οὐκ ἂν ἔγωγε Κρονίονος ἆσσον ἱκοίμην

οὐδὲ κατευνήσαιμʼ, ὅτε μὴ αὐτός γε κελεύοι.

ἤδη γάρ με καὶ ἄλλο τεὴ ἐπίνυσσεν ἐφετμὴ

ἤματι τῷ ὅτε κεῖνος ὑπέρθυμος Διὸς υἱὸς

ἔπλεεν Ἰλιόθεν Τρώων πόλιν ἐξαλαπάξας.

ἤτοι ἐγὼ μὲν ἔλεξα Διὸς νόον αἰγιόχοιο

νήδυμος ἀμφιχυθείς· σὺ δέ οἱ κακὰ μήσαο θυμῷ

ὄρσασʼ ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἐπὶ πόντον ἀήτας,

καί μιν ἔπειτα Κόων δʼ εὖ ναιομένην ἀπένεικας

νόσφι φίλων πάντων. ὃ δʼ ἐπεγρόμενος χαλέπαινε

ῥιπτάζων κατὰ δῶμα θεούς, ἐμὲ δʼ ἔξοχα πάντων

ζήτει· καί κέ μʼ ἄϊστον ἀπʼ αἰθέρος ἔμβαλε πόντῳ,

εἰ μὴ Νὺξ δμήτειρα θεῶν ἐσάωσε καὶ ἀνδρῶν·

τὴν ἱκόμην φεύγων, ὃ δʼ ἐπαύσατο χωόμενός περ.

ἅζετο γὰρ μὴ Νυκτὶ θοῇ ἀποθύμια ἕρδοι.

νῦν αὖ τοῦτό μʼ ἄνωγας ἀμήχανον ἄλλο τελέσσαι.

And Hera said, "Sleep, why do you take such notions as those into your head? Do you think Zeus will be as anxious to help the Trojans, as he was about his own son? Come, I will marry you to one of the youngest of the Graces [ kharites ], and she shall be your own - Pasithea, whom you have always wanted to marry."

τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη·

Ὕπνε τί ἢ δὲ σὺ ταῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶ σῇσι μενοινᾷς;

ἦ φῂς ὣς Τρώεσσιν ἀρηξέμεν εὐρύοπα Ζῆν

ὡς Ἡρακλῆος περιχώσατο παῖδος ἑοῖο;

ἀλλʼ ἴθʼ, ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι Χαρίτων μίαν ὁπλοτεράων

δώσω ὀπυιέμεναι καὶ σὴν κεκλῆσθαι ἄκοιτιν.

Sleep was pleased when he heard this, and answered, "Then swear it to me by the dread waters of the river Styx; lay one hand on the bounteous earth, and the other on the sheen of the sea, so that all the gods who dwell down below with Kronos may be our witnesses, and see that you really do give me one of the youngest of the Graces [ kharites ] - Pasithea, whom I have always wanted to marry."

ὣς φάτο, χήρατο δʼ Ὕπνος, ἀμειβόμενος δὲ προσηύδα·

ἄγρει νῦν μοι ὄμοσσον ἀάατον Στυγὸς ὕδωρ,

χειρὶ δὲ τῇ ἑτέρῃ μὲν ἕλε χθόνα πουλυβότειραν,

τῇ δʼ ἑτέρῃ ἅλα μαρμαρέην, ἵνα νῶϊν ἅπαντες

μάρτυροι ὦσʼ οἳ ἔνερθε θεοὶ Κρόνον ἀμφὶς ἐόντες,

ἦ μὲν ἐμοὶ δώσειν Χαρίτων μίαν ὁπλοτεράων

Πασιθέην, ἧς τʼ αὐτὸς ἐέλδομαι ἤματα πάντα.

ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη,

Hera did as he had said. She swore, and invoked all the gods of the nether world, who are called Titans, to witness. When she had completed her oath, the two enshrouded themselves in a thick mist and sped lightly forward, leaving Lemnos and Imbros behind them. Presently they reached many-fountained Ida, mother of wild beasts, and Lectum where they left the sea to go on by land, and the tops of the trees of the forest soughed under the going of their feet. Here Sleep halted, and ere Zeus caught sight of him he climbed a lofty pine-tree - the tallest that reared its head towards heaven on all Ida. He hid himself behind the branches and sat there in the semblance of the sweet-singing bird that haunts the mountains and is called Khalkis by the gods, but men call it Kymindis. Hera then went to Gargaros, the topmost peak of Ida, and Zeus, driver of the clouds, set eyes upon her. As soon as he did so he became inflamed with the same passionate desire for her that he had felt when they had first enjoyed each other's embraces, and slept with one another without their dear parents knowing anything about it.

ὄμνυε δʼ ὡς ἐκέλευε, θεοὺς δʼ ὀνόμηνεν ἅπαντας

τοὺς ὑποταρταρίους οἳ Τιτῆνες καλέονται.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ὄμοσέν τε τελεύτησέν τε τὸν ὅρκον,

τὼ βήτην Λήμνου τε καὶ Ἴμβρου ἄστυ λιπόντε

ἠέρα ἑσσαμένω ῥίμφα πρήσσοντε κέλευθον.

Ἴδην δʼ ἱκέσθην πολυπίδακα μητέρα θηρῶν

Λεκτόν, ὅθι πρῶτον λιπέτην ἅλα· τὼ δʼ ἐπὶ χέρσου

βήτην, ἀκροτάτη δὲ ποδῶν ὕπο σείετο ὕλη.

ἔνθʼ Ὕπνος μὲν ἔμεινε πάρος Διὸς ὄσσε ἰδέσθαι

εἰς ἐλάτην ἀναβὰς περιμήκετον, ἣ τότʼ ἐν Ἴδῃ

μακροτάτη πεφυυῖα διʼ ἠέρος αἰθέρʼ ἵκανεν·

ἔνθʼ ἧστʼ ὄζοισιν πεπυκασμένος εἰλατίνοισιν

ὄρνιθι λιγυρῇ ἐναλίγκιος, ἥν τʼ ἐν ὄρεσσι

χαλκίδα κικλήσκουσι θεοί, ἄνδρες δὲ κύμινδιν.

Ἥρη δὲ κραιπνῶς προσεβήσετο Γάργαρον ἄκρον

Ἴδης ὑψηλῆς· ἴδε δὲ νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς.

ὡς δʼ ἴδεν, ὥς μιν ἔρως πυκινὰς φρένας ἀμφεκάλυψεν,

οἷον ὅτε πρῶτόν περ ἐμισγέσθην φιλότητι

He went up to her and said, "What do you want that you have come hither from Olympus - and that too with neither chariot nor horses to convey you?"

εἰς εὐνὴν φοιτῶντε, φίλους λήθοντε τοκῆας.

στῆ δʼ αὐτῆς προπάροιθεν ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν·

Ἥρη πῇ μεμαυῖα κατʼ Οὐλύμπου τόδʼ ἱκάνεις;

ἵπποι δʼ οὐ παρέασι καὶ ἅρματα τῶν κʼ ἐπιβαίης.

τὸν δὲ δολοφρονέουσα προσηύδα πότνια Ἥρη·

Then Hera told him a lying tale and said, "I am going to the world's end, to visit Okeanos, from whom all we gods proceed, and mother Tethys; they received me into their house, took care of me, and brought me up. I must go and see them that I may make peace between them: they have been quarreling, and are so angry that they have not slept with one another this long time. The horses that will take me over land and sea are stationed on the lowermost spurs of many-fountained Ida, and I have come here from Olympus on purpose to consult you. I was afraid you might be angry with me later on, if I went to the house of Okeanos without letting you know."

ἔρχομαι ὀψομένη πολυφόρβου πείρατα γαίης,

Ὠκεανόν τε θεῶν γένεσιν καὶ μητέρα Τηθύν,

οἵ με σφοῖσι δόμοισιν ἐῢ τρέφον ἠδʼ ἀτίταλλον·

τοὺς εἶμʼ ὀψομένη, καί σφʼ ἄκριτα νείκεα λύσω·

ἤδη γὰρ δηρὸν χρόνον ἀλλήλων ἀπέχονται

εὐνῆς καὶ φιλότητος, ἐπεὶ χόλος ἔμπεσε θυμῷ.

ἵπποι δʼ ἐν πρυμνωρείῃ πολυπίδακος Ἴδης

ἑστᾶσʼ, οἵ μʼ οἴσουσιν ἐπὶ τραφερήν τε καὶ ὑγρήν.

νῦν δὲ σεῦ εἵνεκα δεῦρο κατʼ Οὐλύμπου τόδʼ ἱκάνω,

μή πώς μοι μετέπειτα χολώσεαι, αἴ κε σιωπῇ

οἴχωμαι πρὸς δῶμα βαθυρρόου Ὠκεανοῖο.

And Zeus said, "Hera, you can choose some other time for paying your visit to Okeanos - for the present let us devote ourselves to love and to the enjoyment of one another. Never yet have I been so overpowered by passion neither for goddess nor mortal woman as I am at this moment for yourself - not even when I was in love with the wife of Ixion who bore me Peirithoos, peer of gods in counsel, nor yet with Danae the daintily-ankled daughter of Acrisius, who bore me the famed hero Perseus. Then there was the daughter of Phoenix, who bore me Minos and Rhadamanthus: there was Semele, and Alkmene in Thebes by whom I begot my lion-hearted son Herakles, while Semele became mother to Bacchus the comforter of humankind. There was queen Demeter again, and lovely Leto, and yourself - but with none of these was I ever so much enamored as I now am with you."

τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·

Ἥρη κεῖσε μὲν ἔστι καὶ ὕστερον ὁρμηθῆναι,

νῶϊ δʼ ἄγʼ ἐν φιλότητι τραπείομεν εὐνηθέντε.

οὐ γάρ πώ ποτέ μʼ ὧδε θεᾶς ἔρος οὐδὲ γυναικὸς

θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι περιπροχυθεὶς ἐδάμασσεν,

οὐδʼ ὁπότʼ ἠρασάμην Ἰξιονίης ἀλόχοιο,

ἣ τέκε Πειρίθοον θεόφιν μήστωρʼ ἀτάλαντον·

οὐδʼ ὅτε περ Δανάης καλλισφύρου Ἀκρισιώνης,

ἣ τέκε Περσῆα πάντων ἀριδείκετον ἀνδρῶν·

οὐδʼ ὅτε Φοίνικος κούρης τηλεκλειτοῖο,

ἣ τέκε μοι Μίνων τε καὶ ἀντίθεον Ῥαδάμανθυν·

οὐδʼ ὅτε περ Σεμέλης οὐδʼ Ἀλκμήνης ἐνὶ Θήβῃ,

ἥ ῥʼ Ἡρακλῆα κρατερόφρονα γείνατο παῖδα·

ἣ δὲ Διώνυσον Σεμέλη τέκε χάρμα βροτοῖσιν·

οὐδʼ ὅτε Δήμητρος καλλιπλοκάμοιο ἀνάσσης,

οὐδʼ ὁπότε Λητοῦς ἐρικυδέος, οὐδὲ σεῦ αὐτῆς,

ὡς σέο νῦν ἔραμαι καί με γλυκὺς ἵμερος αἱρεῖ.

Hera again answered him with a lying tale. "Most dread son of Kronos," she exclaimed, "what are you talking about? Would you have us enjoy one another here on the top of Mount Ida , where everything can be seen? What if one of the ever-living gods should see us sleeping together, and tell the others? It would be such a scandal that when I had risen from your embraces I could never show myself inside your house again; but if you are so minded, there is a room which your son Hephaistos has made me, and he has given it good strong doors; if you would so have it, let us go thither and lie down."

τὸν δὲ δολοφρονέουσα προσηύδα πότνια Ἥρη·

αἰνότατε Κρονίδη ποῖον τὸν μῦθον ἔειπες.

εἰ νῦν ἐν φιλότητι λιλαίεαι εὐνηθῆναι

Ἴδης ἐν κορυφῇσι, τὰ δὲ προπέφανται ἅπαντα·

πῶς κʼ ἔοι εἴ τις νῶϊ θεῶν αἰειγενετάων

εὕδοντʼ ἀθρήσειε, θεοῖσι δὲ πᾶσι μετελθὼν

πεφράδοι; οὐκ ἂν ἔγωγε τεὸν πρὸς δῶμα νεοίμην

ἐξ εὐνῆς ἀνστᾶσα, νεμεσσητὸν δέ κεν εἴη.

ἀλλʼ εἰ δή ῥʼ ἐθέλεις καί τοι φίλον ἔπλετο θυμῷ,

ἔστιν τοι θάλαμος, τόν τοι φίλος υἱὸς ἔτευξεν

Ἥφαιστος, πυκινὰς δὲ θύρας σταθμοῖσιν ἐπῆρσεν·

ἔνθʼ ἴομεν κείοντες, ἐπεί νύ τοι εὔαδεν εὐνή.

And Zeus answered, "Hera, you need not be afraid that either god or man will see you, for I will enshroud both of us in such a dense golden cloud, that the very sun for all his bright piercing beams shall not see through it."

τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·

Ἥρη μήτε θεῶν τό γε δείδιθι μήτέ τινʼ ἀνδρῶν

ὄψεσθαι· τοῖόν τοι ἐγὼ νέφος ἀμφικαλύψω

χρύσεον· οὐδʼ ἂν νῶϊ διαδράκοι Ἠέλιός περ,

οὗ τε καὶ ὀξύτατον πέλεται φάος εἰσοράασθαι.

With this the son of Kronos caught his wife in his embrace; whereon the earth sprouted them a cushion of young grass, with dew-bespangled lotus, crocus, and hyacinth, so soft and thick that it raised them well above the ground. Here they laid themselves down and overhead they were covered by a fair cloud of gold, from which there fell glittering dew-drops.

ἦ ῥα καὶ ἀγκὰς ἔμαρπτε Κρόνου παῖς ἣν παράκοιτιν·

τοῖσι δʼ ὑπὸ χθὼν δῖα φύεν νεοθηλέα ποίην,

λωτόν θʼ ἑρσήεντα ἰδὲ κρόκον ἠδʼ ὑάκινθον

πυκνὸν καὶ μαλακόν, ὃς ἀπὸ χθονὸς ὑψόσʼ ἔεργε.

τῷ ἔνι λεξάσθην, ἐπὶ δὲ νεφέλην ἕσσαντο

καλὴν χρυσείην· στιλπναὶ δʼ ἀπέπιπτον ἔερσαι.

Thus, then, did the sire of all things repose peacefully on the crest of Ida, overcome at once by sleep and love, and he held his spouse in his arms. Meanwhile Sleep made off to the ships of the Achaeans, to tell earth-encircling Poseidon, lord of the earthquake. When he had found him he said, "Now, Poseidon, you can help the Danaans with a will, and give them victory though it be only for a short time while Zeus is still sleeping. I have sent him into a sweet slumber, and Hera has beguiled him into going to bed with her."

ὣς ὃ μὲν ἀτρέμας εὗδε πατὴρ ἀνὰ Γαργάρῳ ἄκρῳ,

ὕπνῳ καὶ φιλότητι δαμείς, ἔχε δʼ ἀγκὰς ἄκοιτιν·

βῆ δὲ θέειν ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν νήδυμος Ὕπνος

ἀγγελίην ἐρέων γαιηόχῳ ἐννοσιγαίῳ·

ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱστάμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

πρόφρων νῦν Δαναοῖσι Ποσείδαον ἐπάμυνε,

καί σφιν κῦδος ὄπαζε μίνυνθά περ, ὄφρʼ ἔτι εὕδει

Ζεύς, ἐπεὶ αὐτῷ ἐγὼ μαλακὸν περὶ κῶμʼ ἐκάλυψα·

Ἥρη δʼ ἐν φιλότητι παρήπαφεν εὐνηθῆναι.

Sleep now departed and went his ways to and fro among humankind, leaving Poseidon more eager than ever to help the Danaans. He darted forward among the first ranks and shouted saying, "Argives, shall we let Hektor son of Priam have the triumph of taking our ships and covering himself with glory? This is what he says that he shall now do, seeing that Achilles is still in dudgeon at his ship; We shall get on very well without him if we keep each other in heart and stand by one another. Now, therefore, let us all do as I say. Let us each take the best and largest shield we can lay hold of, put on our helmets, and sally forth with our longest spears in our hands; will lead you on, and Hektor son of Priam, rage as he may, will not dare to hold out against us. If any good staunch warrior has only a small shield, let him hand it over to a worse man, and take a larger one for himself."

ὣς εἰπὼν ὃ μὲν ᾤχετʼ ἐπὶ κλυτὰ φῦλʼ ἀνθρώπων,

τὸν δʼ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἀνῆκεν ἀμυνέμεναι Δαναοῖσιν.

αὐτίκα δʼ ἐν πρώτοισι μέγα προθορὼν ἐκέλευσεν·

Ἀργεῖοι καὶ δʼ αὖτε μεθίεμεν Ἕκτορι νίκην

Πριαμίδῃ, ἵνα νῆας ἕλῃ καὶ κῦδος ἄρηται;

ἀλλʼ ὃ μὲν οὕτω φησὶ καὶ εὔχεται οὕνεκʼ Ἀχιλλεὺς

νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇσι μένει κεχολωμένος ἦτορ·

κείνου δʼ οὔ τι λίην ποθὴ ἔσσεται, εἴ κεν οἳ ἄλλοι

ἡμεῖς ὀτρυνώμεθʼ ἀμυνέμεν ἀλλήλοισιν.

ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ ὡς ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω πειθώμεθα πάντες·

ἀσπίδες ὅσσαι ἄρισται ἐνὶ στρατῷ ἠδὲ μέγισται

ἑσσάμενοι, κεφαλὰς δὲ παναίθῃσιν κορύθεσσι

κρύψαντες, χερσίν τε τὰ μακρότατʼ ἔγχεʼ ἑλόντες

ἴομεν· αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἡγήσομαι, οὐδʼ ἔτι φημὶ

Ἕκτορα Πριαμίδην μενέειν μάλα περ μεμαῶτα.

ὃς δέ κʼ ἀνὴρ μενέχαρμος, ἔχει δʼ ὀλίγον σάκος ὤμῳ,

χείρονι φωτὶ δότω, ὃ δʼ ἐν ἀσπίδι μείζονι δύτω.

Thus did he speak, and they did even as he had said. The son of Tydeus, Odysseus, and Agamemnon, wounded though they were, set the others in array, and went about everywhere effecting the exchanges of armor; the most valiant took the best armor, and gave the worse to the worse man. When they had donned their bronze armor they marched on with Poseidon at their head. In his strong hand he grasped his terrible sword, keen of edge and flashing like lightning; it is not the right thing [ themis ] to do, to come across it in the day of battle; all men quake for fear and keep away from it.

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ἄρα τοῦ μάλα μὲν κλύον ἠδὲ πίθοντο·

τοὺς δʼ αὐτοὶ βασιλῆες ἐκόσμεον οὐτάμενοί περ

Τυδεΐδης Ὀδυσεύς τε καὶ Ἀτρεΐδης Ἀγαμέμνων·

οἰχόμενοι δʼ ἐπὶ πάντας ἀρήϊα τεύχεʼ ἄμειβον·

ἐσθλὰ μὲν ἐσθλὸς ἔδυνε, χέρεια δὲ χείρονι δόσκεν.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ἕσσαντο περὶ χροῒ νώροπα χαλκὸν

βάν ῥʼ ἴμεν· ἦρχε δʼ ἄρά σφι Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων

δεινὸν ἄορ τανύηκες ἔχων ἐν χειρὶ παχείῃ

εἴκελον ἀστεροπῇ· τῷ δʼ οὐ θέμις ἐστὶ μιγῆναι

ἐν δαῒ λευγαλέῃ, ἀλλὰ δέος ἰσχάνει ἄνδρας.

Τρῶας δʼ αὖθʼ ἑτέρωθεν ἐκόσμει φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ.

Hektor on the other side set the Trojans in array. Thereon Poseidon and Hektor waged fierce war on one another - Hektor on the Trojan and Poseidon on the Argive side. Mighty was the uproar as the two forces met; the sea came rolling in towards the ships and tents of the Achaeans, but waves do not thunder on the shore more loudly when driven before the blast of Boreas, nor do the flames of a forest fire roar more fiercely when it is well alight upon the mountains, nor does the wind bellow with ruder music as it tears on through the tops of when it is blowing its hardest, than the terrible shout which the Trojans and Achaeans raised as they sprang upon one another.

δή ῥα τότʼ αἰνοτάτην ἔριδα πτολέμοιο τάνυσσαν

κυανοχαῖτα Ποσειδάων καὶ φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ,

ἤτοι ὃ μὲν Τρώεσσιν, ὃ δʼ Ἀργείοισιν ἀρήγων.

ἐκλύσθη δὲ θάλασσα ποτὶ κλισίας τε νέας τε

Ἀργείων· οἳ δὲ ξύνισαν μεγάλῳ ἀλαλητῷ.

οὔτε θαλάσσης κῦμα τόσον βοάᾳ ποτὶ χέρσον

ποντόθεν ὀρνύμενον πνοιῇ Βορέω ἀλεγεινῇ·

οὔτε πυρὸς τόσσός γε ποτὶ βρόμος αἰθομένοιο

οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃς, ὅτε τʼ ὤρετο καιέμεν ὕλην·

οὔτʼ ἄνεμος τόσσόν γε περὶ δρυσὶν ὑψικόμοισι

ἠπύει, ὅς τε μάλιστα μέγα βρέμεται χαλεπαίνων,

ὅσση ἄρα Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν ἔπλετο φωνὴ

δεινὸν ἀϋσάντων, ὅτʼ ἐπʼ ἀλλήλοισιν ὄρουσαν.

Hektor first aimed his spear at Ajax, who was turned full towards him, nor did he miss his aim. The spear struck him where two bands passed over his chest - the band of his shield and that of his silver-studded sword - and these protected his body. Hektor was angry that his spear should have been hurled in vain, and withdrew under cover of his men. As he was thus retreating, Ajax son of Telamon struck him with a stone, of which there were many lying about

Αἴαντος δὲ πρῶτος ἀκόντισε φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ

ἔγχει, ἐπεὶ τέτραπτο πρὸς ἰθύ οἱ, οὐδʼ ἀφάμαρτε,

τῇ ῥα δύω τελαμῶνε περὶ στήθεσσι τετάσθην,

ἤτοι ὃ μὲν σάκεος, ὃ δὲ φασγάνου ἀργυροήλου·

τώ οἱ ῥυσάσθην τέρενα χρόα. χώσατο δʼ Ἕκτωρ,

ὅττί ῥά οἱ βέλος ὠκὺ ἐτώσιον ἔκφυγε χειρός,

ἂψ δʼ ἑτάρων εἰς ἔθνος ἐχάζετο κῆρʼ ἀλεείνων.

τὸν μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἀπιόντα μέγας Τελαμώνιος Αἴας

under the men's feet as they fought - brought there to give support to the ships' sides as they lay on the shore. Ajax caught up one of them and struck Hektor above the rim of his shield close to his neck; the blow made him spin round like a top and reel in all directions. As an oak falls headlong when uprooted by the lightning flash of father Zeus, and there is a terrible smell of brimstone - no man can help being dismayed if he is standing near it, for a thunderbolt is a very awful thing - even so did Hektor fall to earth and bite the dust. His spear fell from his hand, but his shield and helmet were made fast about his body, and his bronze armor rang about him.

χερμαδίῳ, τά ῥα πολλὰ θοάων ἔχματα νηῶν

πὰρ ποσὶ μαρναμένων ἐκυλίνδετο, τῶν ἓν ἀείρας

στῆθος βεβλήκει ὑπὲρ ἄντυγος ἀγχόθι δειρῆς,

στρόμβον δʼ ὣς ἔσσευε βαλών, περὶ δʼ ἔδραμε πάντῃ.

ὡς δʼ ὅθʼ ὑπὸ πληγῆς πατρὸς Διὸς ἐξερίπῃ δρῦς

πρόρριζος, δεινὴ δὲ θεείου γίγνεται ὀδμὴ

ἐξ αὐτῆς, τὸν δʼ οὔ περ ἔχει θράσος ὅς κεν ἴδηται

ἐγγὺς ἐών, χαλεπὸς δὲ Διὸς μεγάλοιο κεραυνός,

ὣς ἔπεσʼ Ἕκτορος ὦκα χαμαὶ μένος ἐν κονίῃσι·

χειρὸς δʼ ἔκβαλεν ἔγχος, ἐπʼ αὐτῷ δʼ ἀσπὶς ἑάφθη

καὶ κόρυς, ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ βράχε τεύχεα ποικίλα χαλκῷ.

The sons of the Achaeans came running with a loud cry towards him, hoping to drag him away, and they showered their darts on the Trojans, but none of them could wound him before he was surrounded and covered by the princes Polydamas, Aeneas, Agenor, Sarpedon leader of the Lycians, and noble Glaukos: of the others, too, there was not one who was unmindful of him, and they held their round shields over him to cover him. His comrades then lifted him off the ground and bore him away from the battle [ ponos ] to the place where his horses stood waiting for him at the rear of the fight with their driver and the chariot; these then took him towards the city groaning and in great pain. When they reached the ford of the air stream of Xanthos , begotten of Immortal Zeus, they took him from off his chariot and laid him down on the ground; they poured water over him, and as they did so he breathed again and opened his eyes. Then kneeling on his knees he vomited blood, but soon fell back on to the ground, and his eyes were again closed in darkness for he was still stunned by the blow.

οἳ δὲ μέγα ἰάχοντες ἐπέδραμον υἷες Ἀχαιῶν

ἐλπόμενοι ἐρύεσθαι, ἀκόντιζον δὲ θαμειὰς

αἰχμάς· ἀλλʼ οὔ τις ἐδυνήσατο ποιμένα λαῶν

οὐτάσαι οὐδὲ βαλεῖν· πρὶν γὰρ περίβησαν ἄριστοι

Πουλυδάμας τε καὶ Αἰνείας καὶ δῖος Ἀγήνωρ

Σαρπηδών τʼ ἀρχὸς Λυκίων καὶ Γλαῦκος ἀμύμων.

τῶν δʼ ἄλλων οὔ τίς εὑ ἀκήδεσεν, ἀλλὰ πάροιθεν

ἀσπίδας εὐκύκλους σχέθον αὐτοῦ. τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ἑταῖροι

χερσὶν ἀείραντες φέρον ἐκ πόνου, ὄφρʼ ἵκεθʼ ἵππους

ὠκέας, οἵ οἱ ὄπισθε μάχης ἠδὲ πτολέμοιο

ἕστασαν ἡνίοχόν τε καὶ ἅρματα ποικίλʼ ἔχοντες·

οἳ τόν γε προτὶ ἄστυ φέρον βαρέα στενάχοντα.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ πόρον ἷξον ἐϋρρεῖος ποταμοῖο

Ξάνθου δινήεντος, ὃν ἀθάνατος τέκετο Ζεύς,

ἔνθά μιν ἐξ ἵππων πέλασαν χθονί, κὰδ δέ οἱ ὕδωρ

χεῦαν· ὃ δʼ ἀμπνύνθη καὶ ἀνέδρακεν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν,

ἑζόμενος δʼ ἐπὶ γοῦνα κελαινεφὲς αἷμʼ ἀπέμεσσεν·

αὖτις δʼ ἐξοπίσω πλῆτο χθονί, τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε

νὺξ ἐκάλυψε μέλαινα· βέλος δʼ ἔτι θυμὸν ἐδάμνα.

When the Argives saw Hektor leaving the field, they took heart and set upon the Trojans yet more furiously. Ajax fleet son of Oileus began by springing on Satnios son of Enops and wounding him with his spear: a fair naiad nymph had borne him to Enops

Ἀργεῖοι δʼ ὡς οὖν ἴδον Ἕκτορα νόσφι κιόντα

μᾶλλον ἐπὶ Τρώεσσι θόρον, μνήσαντο δὲ χάρμης.

ἔνθα πολὺ πρώτιστος Ὀϊλῆος ταχὺς Αἴας

Σάτνιον οὔτασε δουρὶ μετάλμενος ὀξυόεντι

Ἠνοπίδην, ὃν ἄρα νύμφη τέκε νηῒς ἀμύμων

as he was herding cattle by the banks of the river Satnioeis. The son of Oileus came up to him and struck him in the flank so that he fell, and a fierce fight between Trojans and Danaans raged round his body. Polydamas son of Panthoos drew near to avenge him, and wounded Prothoenor son of Areilykos on the right shoulder; the terrible spear went right through his shoulder, and he clutched the earth as he fell in the dust. Polydamas vaunted loudly over him saying, "Again I take it that the spear has not sped in vain from the strong hand of the son of Panthoos; an Argive has caught it in his body, and it will serve him for a staff as he goes down into the house of Hades."

Ἤνοπι βουκολέοντι παρʼ ὄχθας Σατνιόεντος.

τὸν μὲν Ὀϊλιάδης δουρὶ κλυτὸς ἐγγύθεν ἐλθὼν

οὖτα κατὰ λαπάρην· ὃ δʼ ἀνετράπετʼ, ἀμφὶ δʼ ἄρʼ αὐτῷ

Τρῶες καὶ Δαναοὶ σύναγον κρατερὴν ὑσμίνην.

τῷ δʼ ἐπὶ Πουλυδάμας ἐγχέσπαλος ἦλθεν ἀμύντωρ

Πανθοΐδης, βάλε δὲ Προθοήνορα δεξιὸν ὦμον

υἱὸν Ἀρηϊλύκοιο, διʼ ὤμου δʼ ὄβριμον ἔγχος

ἔσχεν, ὃ δʼ ἐν κονίῃσι πεσὼν ἕλε γαῖαν ἀγοστῷ.

Πουλυδάμας δʼ ἔκπαγλον ἐπεύξατο μακρὸν ἀΰσας·

οὐ μὰν αὖτʼ ὀΐω μεγαθύμου Πανθοΐδαο

χειρὸς ἄπο στιβαρῆς ἅλιον πηδῆσαι ἄκοντα,

ἀλλά τις Ἀργείων κόμισε χροΐ, καί μιν ὀΐω

αὐτῷ σκηπτόμενον κατίμεν δόμον Ἄϊδος εἴσω.

The Argives were stung by grief [ akhos ] on account of this boasting. Ajax son of Telamon was more angry than any, for the man had fallen close be, him; so he aimed at Polydamas as he was retreating, but Polydamas saved himself by swerving aside and the spear struck Arkhelokhos son of Antenor, for heaven counseled his destruction; it struck him where the head springs from the neck at the top joint of the spine, and severed both the tendons at the back of the head. His head, mouth, and nostrils reached the ground long before his legs and knees could do so, and Ajax shouted to Polydamas saying, "Think, Polydamas, and tell me truly whether this man is not as well worth killing as Prothoenor was: he seems rich, and of rich family, a brother, it may be, or son of the horseman Antenor, for he is very like him."

ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀργείοισι δʼ ἄχος γένετʼ εὐξαμένοιο·

Αἴαντι δὲ μάλιστα δαΐφρονι θυμὸν ὄρινε

τῷ Τελαμωνιάδῃ· τοῦ γὰρ πέσεν ἄγχι μάλιστα.

καρπαλίμως δʼ ἀπιόντος ἀκόντισε δουρὶ φαεινῷ.

Πουλυδάμας δʼ αὐτὸς μὲν ἀλεύατο κῆρα μέλαιναν

λικριφὶς ἀΐξας, κόμισεν δʼ Ἀντήνορος υἱὸς

Ἀρχέλοχος· τῷ γάρ ῥα θεοὶ βούλευσαν ὄλεθρον.

τόν ῥʼ ἔβαλεν κεφαλῆς τε καὶ αὐχένος ἐν συνεοχμῷ,

νείατον ἀστράγαλον, ἀπὸ δʼ ἄμφω κέρσε τένοντε·

τοῦ δὲ πολὺ προτέρη κεφαλὴ στόμα τε ῥῖνές τε

οὔδεϊ πλῆντʼ ἤ περ κνῆμαι καὶ γοῦνα πεσόντος.

Αἴας δʼ αὖτʼ ἐγέγωνεν ἀμύμονι Πουλυδάμαντι·

φράζεο Πουλυδάμα καί μοι νημερτὲς ἐνίσπες

ἦ ῥʼ οὐχ οὗτος ἀνὴρ Προθοήνορος ἀντὶ πεφάσθαι

ἄξιος; οὐ μέν μοι κακὸς εἴδεται οὐδὲ κακῶν ἔξ,

ἀλλὰ κασίγνητος Ἀντήνορος ἱπποδάμοιο

ἢ πάϊς· αὐτῷ γὰρ γενεὴν ἄγχιστα ἐῴκει.

But he knew well who it was, and the Trojans were greatly vexed with grief [ akhos ]. Akamas then bestrode his brother's body and wounded Promakhos the Boeotian with his spear, for he was trying to drag his brother's body away. Akamas vaunted loudly over him saying, " Argive archers, braggarts that you are, toil [ ponos ] and suffering shall not be for us only, but some of you too shall fall here as well as ourselves. See how Promakhos now sleeps, vanquished by my spear; payment for my brother's blood has not long delayed; a man, therefore, may well be thankful if he leaves a kinsman in his house behind him to avenge his fall."

ἦ ῥʼ εὖ γιγνώσκων, Τρῶας δʼ ἄχος ἔλλαβε θυμόν.

ἔνθʼ Ἀκάμας Πρόμαχον Βοιώτιον οὔτασε δουρὶ

ἀμφὶ κασιγνήτῳ βεβαώς· ὃ δʼ ὕφελκε ποδοῖιν.

τῷ δʼ Ἀκάμας ἔκπαγλον ἐπεύξατο μακρὸν ἀΰσας·

Ἀργεῖοι ἰόμωροι ἀπειλάων ἀκόρητοι

οὔ θην οἴοισίν γε πόνος τʼ ἔσεται καὶ ὀϊζὺς

ἡμῖν, ἀλλά ποθʼ ὧδε κατακτενέεσθε καὶ ὔμμες.

φράζεσθʼ ὡς ὑμῖν Πρόμαχος δεδμημένος εὕδει

ἔγχει ἐμῷ, ἵνα μή τι κασιγνήτοιό γε ποινὴ

δηρὸν ἄτιτος ἔῃ· τὼ καί κέ τις εὔχεται ἀνὴρ

γνωτὸν ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἀρῆς ἀλκτῆρα λιπέσθαι.

His taunts gave grief [ akhos ] to the Argives, and Peneleos was more enraged than any of them. He sprang towards Akamas, but Akamas did not stand his ground, and he killed Ilioneus son of the rich flock-master Phorbas, whom Hermes had favored and endowed with greater wealth than any other of the Trojans. Ilioneus was his only son, and Peneleos now wounded him in the eye under his eyebrows, tearing the eye-ball from its socket: the spear went right through the eye into the nape of the neck, and he fell, stretching out both hands before him. Peneleos then drew his sword and smote him on the neck, so that both head and helmet came tumbling down to the ground with the spear still sticking in the eye; he then held up the head, as though it had been a poppy-head, and showed it to the Trojans, vaunting over them as he did so. "Trojans," he cried, "bid the father and mother of noble Ilioneus make moan for him in their house, for the wife also of Promakhos son of Alegenor will never be gladdened by the coming of her dear husband - when we Argives return with our ships from Troy ."

ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀργείοισι δʼ ἄχος γένετʼ εὐξαμένοιο·

Πηνέλεῳ δὲ μάλιστα δαΐφρονι θυμὸν ὄρινεν·

ὁρμήθη δʼ Ἀκάμαντος· ὃ δʼ οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν ἐρωὴν

Πηνελέωο ἄνακτος· ὃ δʼ οὔτασεν Ἰλιονῆα

υἱὸν Φόρβαντος πολυμήλου, τόν ῥα μάλιστα

Ἑρμείας Τρώων ἐφίλει καὶ κτῆσιν ὄπασσε·

τῷ δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπὸ μήτηρ μοῦνον τέκεν Ἰλιονῆα.

τὸν τόθʼ ὑπʼ ὀφρύος οὖτα κατʼ ὀφθαλμοῖο θέμεθλα,

ἐκ δʼ ὦσε γλήνην· δόρυ δʼ ὀφθαλμοῖο διὰ πρὸ

καὶ διὰ ἰνίου ἦλθεν, ὃ δʼ ἕζετο χεῖρε πετάσσας

ἄμφω· Πηνέλεως δὲ ἐρυσσάμενος ξίφος ὀξὺ

αὐχένα μέσσον ἔλασσεν, ἀπήραξεν δὲ χαμᾶζε

αὐτῇ σὺν πήληκι κάρη· ἔτι δʼ ὄβριμον ἔγχος

ἦεν ἐν ὀφθαλμῷ· ὃ δὲ φὴ κώδειαν ἀνασχὼν

πέφραδέ τε Τρώεσσι καὶ εὐχόμενος ἔπος ηὔδα·

εἰπέμεναί μοι Τρῶες ἀγαυοῦ Ἰλιονῆος

πατρὶ φίλῳ καὶ μητρὶ γοήμεναι ἐν μεγάροισιν·

οὐδὲ γὰρ ἣ Προμάχοιο δάμαρ Ἀλεγηνορίδαο

ἀνδρὶ φίλῳ ἐλθόντι γανύσσεται, ὁππότε κεν δὴ

ἐκ Τροίης σὺν νηυσὶ νεώμεθα κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν.

As he spoke fear fell upon them, and every man looked round about to see whither he might flee for safety.

ὣς φάτο, τοὺς δʼ ἄρα πάντας ὑπὸ τρόμος ἔλλαβε γυῖα,

πάπτηνεν δὲ ἕκαστος ὅπῃ φύγοι αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον.

Tell me now, O Muses that dwell on Olympus , who was the first of the Argives to bear away blood-stained spoils after Poseidon lord of the earthquake had turned the fortune of war. Ajax son of Telamon was first to wound Hyrtios son of Gyrtios, leader of the staunch Mysians. Antilokhos killed Phalces and Mermerus, while Meriones slew Morys and Hippotion, Teucer also killed Prothoon and Periphetes. The son of Atreus then wounded Hyperenor shepherd of his people, in the flank, and the bronze point made his entrails gush out as it tore in among them; on this his life-breath [ psukhê ] came hurrying out of him at the place where he had been wounded, and his eyes were closed in darkness. Ajax son of Oileus killed more than any other, for there was no man so fleet as he to pursue fleeing foes when Zeus had spread panic among them.

ἔσπετε νῦν μοι Μοῦσαι Ὀλύμπια δώματʼ ἔχουσαι

ὅς τις δὴ πρῶτος βροτόεντʼ ἀνδράγριʼ Ἀχαιῶν

ἤρατʼ, ἐπεί ῥʼ ἔκλινε μάχην κλυτὸς ἐννοσίγαιος.

Αἴας ῥα πρῶτος Τελαμώνιος Ὕρτιον οὖτα

Γυρτιάδην Μυσῶν ἡγήτορα καρτεροθύμων·

Φάλκην δʼ Ἀντίλοχος καὶ Μέρμερον ἐξενάριξε·

Μηριόνης δὲ Μόρυν τε καὶ Ἱπποτίωνα κατέκτα,

Τεῦκρος δὲ Προθόωνά τʼ ἐνήρατο καὶ Περιφήτην·

Ἀτρεΐδης δʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειθʼ Ὑπερήνορα ποιμένα λαῶν

οὖτα κατὰ λαπάρην, διὰ δʼ ἔντερα χαλκὸς ἄφυσσε

δῃώσας· ψυχὴ δὲ κατʼ οὐταμένην ὠτειλὴν

ἔσσυτʼ ἐπειγομένη, τὸν δὲ σκότος ὄσσε κάλυψε.

πλείστους δʼ Αἴας εἷλεν Ὀϊλῆος ταχὺς υἱός·

οὐ γάρ οἵ τις ὁμοῖος ἐπισπέσθαι ποσὶν ἦεν

ἀνδρῶν τρεσσάντων, ὅτε τε Ζεὺς ἐν φόβον ὄρσῃ.