The Iliad of Homer, Homer [reading fiction TXT] 📗

"Crinibus Iliades passis, peplumque ferebant

Suppliciter tristes, et tunsæ pectora palmis."

Ovid, Fast. iv. 454: "Et feriunt mœstæ pectora nuda manus." Silius, xii. 528. Petronius, ciii. p. 509, ed. Burm.: "Sparsis prosequi crinibus, aut nudatum pectus plangere;" cxv.: "Percussi semel iterumque pectus." See Westerhov, on Ter. Hec. ii. 3, 49; Northmore on Tryphiodor. 34; and Blomf. on Æsch. Choeph. 27.

"Hear, sister Nereïdes, that hearing ye may all well know what griefs are in my mind. Woe is me wretched! woe is me who have in an evil hour brought forth the bravest [of men], I who, after having borne a son, blameless and valiant, the chief of heroes, and he grew up 572 like a young tree: having reared him like a sapling in a fruitful spot of a field, I afterwards sent him forth in the curved ships to Ilium, to fight against the Trojans; but I shall not receive him again, having returned home to the palace of Peleus. But whilst he lives and beholds the light of the sun, he grieves, 573 nor can I, going to him, avail him aught. Yet will I go, that I may see my beloved son, and hear what grief comes upon him remaining away from the battle."

Thus having spoken, she left the cave; but they all went along with her, weeping, and the wave of the ocean was cleft around for them. 574 But when they reached fertile Troy, they in order ascended the shore, where the fleet ships of the Myrmidons were drawn up round swift Achilles. Then his venerable mother, shrilly wailing, stood near to him deeply lamenting, and took the head of her son, and, mourning, addressed to him winged words:

Footnote 572:(return) Ἀνέδραμον is used in the same way by Herodot. vii. 156, viii. 55; Theocrit. xviii. 29. It corresponds to our English phrase "to run up." Footnote 573:(return) I.e. he continues to do so, and will, till his death. Footnote 574:(return) Σφίσι is the dativus commodi.

"O son, why weepest thou, and what sorrow has come upon thy mind? Speak out, nor conceal it. Those things indeed are fulfilled for thee from Jove, as thou didst formerly pray, lifting up thy hands--that all the sons of the Greeks, wanting thee, should, be collected at the ships, and suffer disgraceful deeds."

But her swift-footed Achilles addressed, deeply groaning:

"Mother mine, these things indeed the Olympian king hath accomplished for me; but what pleasure is there in them to me, since Patroclus, my dear companion, is dead, whom I honoured beyond all my companions, equally with my own head? Him have I lost; and Hector, having slain him, has stripped off his mighty armour, a wonder to be seen, beautiful; which the other gods gave to Peleus, splendid gifts, on that day when they laid thee in the bed of a mortal man. Would that thou hadst dwelt there among the immortal marine inhabitants, and that Peleus had wedded a mortal spouse. But now [thou hast been wedded, to the end] that immeasurable grief may be upon thy mind for thy son slain, whom thou shalt not again receive, having returned home. Since even my mind urges me not to live nor have intercourse with men, unless Hector first lose his life, smitten by my spear, and pay the penalty for the slaughter 575 of Patroclus, the son of Menœtius."

But him Thetis in turn addressed, pouring forth tears: "Short-lived thou wilt be, O my son, as thou sayest, for fate is ready for thee immediately after Hector." Then, heavily sighing, swift-footed Achilles addressed her: "May I die then immediately, since it was not destined that I should aid my companion now slain; but he indeed hath perished far away from his native land, and longed for me to be an averter of his doom. But now 576--since I shall not return to my dear father-land, nor have been a preservation 577 to Patroclus, or to my other companions, who have been subdued in great numbers by noble Hector; but sit beside the ships, an useless weight on the earth, being such as is none of the brazen-mailed Achæans in war, though in council there are others superior; would that therefore contention might be extinguished from gods and men; and anger, which is wont to impel even the very wisest to be harsh; and which, much sweeter than distilling honey, like smoke, rises in the breasts of men; so now did Agamemnon, king of men, enrage me: but although greatly grieved, let us leave these things to pass by as done, subduing, from necessity, our own spirit within our bosoms: but now will I go, that I may find Hector, the destroyer of my dear friend, and I will accept death whensoever Jove and the other immortal gods shall please to accomplish it. For not even the might of Hercules escaped death, who was very dear to king Jove, the son of Saturn; but fate subdued him, and the grievous wrath of Juno. So also shall I lie, when I am dead, if a similar fate be destined for me; but now may I bear away illustrious glory, and compel some one of the Trojan women and deep-robed Dardanians to sigh frequently, wiping away the tears from her tender cheeks with both hands; and may they know that I have long ceased from battle. 578 Wherefore do not hinder me from the combat, although loving me, for thou wilt not persuade me."

Footnote 575:(return) Ελώρια is the more usual form, but ἔλωρα is recognized by Hesychius. "If correct," Kennedy says, "it may be explained by the existence of ἔλωρον from ἔλωρ (Hesych. t.i. p. 1186, from Il. v. 488), signifying the price of slaughter, by the same analogy as θρέπτρον (iv. 478) the price of nutrition." Footnote 576:(return) Observe the long hyperbaton, resulting from the excitement of the speaker. Footnote 577:(return) Literally, "light." Footnote 578:(return) I.e. they shall find out the difference when I make my appearance

Him then the silver-footed goddess Thetis answered: "Certainly this is true, O son, nor is it an evil thing to avert utter destruction from our friends when afflicted. But thy beautiful arms, brazen and shining, are detained among the Trojans, which crest-tossing Hector himself, having on his shoulders, boasts of: yet I suspect that he will not long glory in them, for death is near to him. But do thou by no means enter the slaughter of Mars before thou beholdest me with thine eyes coming hither. For at dawn I will return with the rising sun, bearing beautiful armour from king Vulcan."

Thus having spoken, she turned round from her son, and being turned, addressed her marine sisters: "Enter ye now the broad bosom of the deep, about to behold the marine old man, and the mansions of my sire, and tell him all things; but I go to lofty Olympus, to Vulcan, the skilful artist, to try if he is willing to give my son illustrious, glittering armour."

Thus she spoke, but they immediately sank beneath the wave of the sea. But Thetis, the silver-footed goddess, again departed to Olympus, that she might bear the illustrious armour to her beloved son. Her, on the one hand, her feet bore towards Olympus: but the Greeks, flying with a heaven-sent uproar from man-slaughtering Hector, reached the ships and the Hellespont. Nor had the well-greaved Greeks drawn off the dead body of Patroclus, the attendant of Achilles, out of the reach of weapons; for now again both infantry and cavalry pursued him, and Hector, the son of Priam, like unto a flame in violence. Thrice did illustrious Hector seize him behind by the feet, eager to draw him away, and loudly shouted to the Trojans; and thrice did the two Ajaces, clad in impetuous might, forcibly repulse him from the corse; whilst he, with steady purpose, ever relying on his might, sometimes charged through the crowd, and sometimes again stopped, loudly shouting; but never retreated altogether. But as night-watching 579 shepherds are by no means able to drive away from a carcase a tawny lion, greatly hungering; so were the two warriors, the Ajaces, unable to drive away Hector, the son of Priam, from the body. And now indeed would he have dragged it off, and obtained great glory, had not fleet wind-footed Iris come as a messenger to the son of Peleus, running down from Olympus, that he should arm himself unknown to Jove and the other gods; for Juno sent her forth; and standing near, she addressed to him winged words:

Footnote 579:(return) Cf. Luke ii. 8, with the notes of Wetstein and Kypke. Although ἄγραυλοι may simply mean "dwelling in the fields," as in Apollon. Rh. iv. 317, it is better to follow the interpretation of Hesychius: Οἱ ἐν ἀγροῖς διανυκτερεύοντες. But cf. Alberti, t.i. p. 64.

"Arise, son of Peleus, most terrible of all men; defend Patroclus, for whom 580 a dire contest is maintained before the ships. But they are slaughtering each other, the one party fighting for the slain corpse, whilst the other, the Trojans, rush on, that they may drag him away to wind-swept Ilium; and above all, illustrious Hector desires to seize him, for his mind prompts him to fix his head upon stakes, having cut it from the tender neck. But up, nor lie longer; but let reverence 581 touch thy soul, that Patroclus should be a source of delight to Trojan dogs. A disgrace would be to thee, if the dead body should come at all defiled."

Footnote 580:(return) I.e. for whose body. Footnote 581:(return) "Σέβας is commonly rendered pudor, nearly synonymous with αἰδώς. Its meaning is however more forcible, viz. esteem it as an act of impiety to abandon the body to insult."--Kennedy.

But her noble, swift-footed Achilles, then answered: "Which of the gods, O goddess Iris, sent thee as a messenger tome?"

But him fleet, wind-footed Iris, again addressed: "Juno sent me forth, the glorious spouse of Jove, nor does the lofty-throned son of Saturn know it, nor any other of the immortals who inhabit snowy Olympus."

But her swift-footed Achilles answering, addressed: "And how can I go to the slaughter? for they possess my armour. Besides, my dear mother does not permit me to be armed, before that with my eyes I behold her coming, for she hath promised that she will bear me beautiful armour from Vulcan. But I indeed know not of another, whose splendid armour I could put on, 582 except the shield of Ajax, son of Telamon."

Footnote 582: