by Homer
Maira and Oreithyia and Amatheia of the lovely hair,
and the others who in the depths of the sea were daughters of Nereus.
And the silvery cave was filled with them; and all together50
beat their breasts. And Thetis led the lament:
“Hear me, sister Nereids, so that all of you
may know well as you listen, how many are the sorrows in my heart.
Ay me, wretched I am—ay me, unhappy bearer of the noblest son,
since I bore a son, blameless and strong,
outstanding among warriors, who shot up like a young shoot,
and having nurtured him like a growing tree on the high ground of an orchard
I sent him forth with the curved ships to Ilion,
to go to battle against the Trojans; him I shall not welcome again
returned home into the house of Peleus.60
So long as he lives and sees the sun’s light,
he has sorrow, nor can I help him at all by going to him.
But come, so that I may see my beloved child and hear of
what sorrow has come to him while he stayed away from the fighting.”
So speaking she left the cave; and her sisters went with her
in tears, and the swell of the sea broke around them.
And when they reached the rich soil of Troy,
up onto the shore of the sea they went, up one after the other, where the ships
of the Myrmidons had been drawn up, close-pressed round swift Achilles.
And his lady mother stood beside him as he groaned deeply,70
and keenly wailing she held her son’s head,
and in lament spoke winged words:
“Child, why do you cry? What sorrow has reached your heart?
Speak out, do not hide it. Those things have been accomplished for you
through Zeus, as at that time before you prayed with uplifted hands,
that all the sons of the Achaeans be pinned against the sterns of their ships
and for want of you suffer deeds that shamed them.”
Then groaning deeply swift-footed Achilles answered her:
“Mother mine, these things the Olympian indeed fulfilled for me;
but what pleasure do I have in them, since my beloved companion died,80
Patroclus, whom I revered beyond all companions,
as equal to my own life? I have lost him, and after slaying him Hector
stripped the stupendous armor, a wonder to behold,
a thing of beauty; the armor the gods gave to Peleus as splendid gifts
on that day, when they placed you in the bed of a mortal man.
Would that you had made your home with the immortal goddesses of the sea,
and Peleus had taken to himself a mortal wife.
But as it is, for you too there must be grief immeasurable in heart
for the death of your son, whom you will not receive again
returned to home, since my spirit does not bid me90
to go on living nor take my part among men, unless, before all else,
Hector, beaten beneath my spear, lose his life,
and pay the penalty for making prey of Menoetius’ son Patroclus.”
Then in turn Thetis spoke to him as she shed her tear:
“Then you will die soon, my child, from what you say;
for your fate is prepared straightway after Hector’s.”
Then greatly troubled swift-footed Achilles spoke to her:
“Straightway may I die, since I was not destined to help my companion
as he was killed; and a very long way from his fatherland
he perished, and lacked me to be his defender against harm.100
Now since I am not returning to my beloved fatherland,
nor was I in any way salvation’s light to Patroclus, nor to my other
companions, who have been broken in their number by shining Hector,
but sat beside the ships a useless burden on the earth,
I who am such as no other of the bronze-clad Achaeans
is in battle; though in the assembly there are others better—
would that strife perish from gods and men,
and anger, which incites even a man of sense to violence,
and which, far sweeter than dripping honey,
wells like smoke in the breast of men,110
as Agamemnon lord of men then angered me.
But let us leave these things in the past for all our distress,
subduing the spirit in our own breasts by necessity;
for now I am setting out to find the destroyer of a dear life—
Hector. I will take death at that time when
Zeus and the other deathless gods wish to accomplish it.
For even the mighty Heracles did not escape from death,
for all that he was dearest to lord Zeus the son of Cronus,
but fate broke him and the hard anger of Hera;
so I too, if the same fate has been prepared for me,120
shall lie when I have died. But now let me win outstanding glory,
and drive some woman of Troy, or deep-breasted Dardan woman,
wiping with both hands from her soft cheeks
the thick-falling tears, to moan aloud,
and may they know that I stayed too long from fighting.
Do not detain me from battle though you love me; you will not persuade me.”
Then answered him Thetis of the silver feet:
“Yes, all these things, my child, you have spoken truly; nor is it shameful
to ward off sheer destruction from your afflicted comrades.
Yet your beautiful armor is held among the Trojans,130
the brazen, glittering armor. Hector of the shimmering helm
exults in this, wearing it on his own shoulders; but I do not think
he will exult in it for long, since his slaughter is near at hand.
But do not enter in the strife of battle,
until you see me returned here with your own eyes;
for at dawn I shall come back with the rising of the sun
carrying splendid armor from lord Hephaestus.”
Then having so spoken she took herself away from her son,
and turned to speak to her sisters of the sea:
“All of you now make your way into the broad gulf of ocean,140
to see the old man of the sea and the halls of our father,
and to tell him everything; and I am going to high Olympus,
to the side of Hephaestus, famed for his skill, to see if he might be willing
to give to my son glorious gleaming armor.”
So she spoke; and they at once plunged beneath the ocean swell;
and she, the goddess Thetis of the silver feet, went again to Olympus,
so that she might carry splendid armor to her beloved son.
Her feet brought her to Olympus; meanwhile the Achaeans
fleeing with inhuman shouts before man-slaughtering Hector
reached their ships and the Hellespont.150
But Patroclus—the strong-greaved Achaeans could not drag
the body of Achilles’ henchman out from under the flying spears and arrow shafts;
for again the Trojan host and horses came upon him,
as did Hector son of Priam, like fire in fighting spirit.
Three times shining Hector seized the body by the feet from behind,
determined to drag it off, and shouted loud to spur the Trojans.
And three times the two Aiantes, mantled in their fierce courage,
beat him from the corpse. But steadfastly trusting in his battle prowess
Hector would now spring forth through the press of battle, now again
take his stand and cry aloud, nor fell back at all;160
but as from a carcass rustic herdsmen fail to drive away
a tawny lion in his great hunger,
so the two Aiantes, fully armed, wer
e not able
to frighten Hector son of Priam from the corpse.
And indeed he would have dragged it away and won for himself glory everlasting,
had not swift Iris with feet like the wind come to the son of Peleus
as messenger, racing from Olympus with word to prepare for battle,
in secret from Zeus and the other gods; for Hera it was who sent her;
and standing close to him she spoke her winged words:
“Rise up, son of Peleus, most terrifying of men;170
protect Patroclus, for whose sake the dread fighting
is under way before the ships—they are killing one another,
both those who fight to defend the body of he who died,
and the Trojans who rush to haul it off to windy Ilion.
Above all others shining Hector
is bent on dragging it away; and his heart is urgent to impale the head
upon spiked stakes, cut from its tender neck.
Come, rise up, don’t lie still; shame be on your heart,
should Patrocluos become a plaything for Trojan dogs.
Yours the dishonor, if he comes mutilated to the dead.”180
Then answered her swift-footed godlike Achilles:
“Divine Iris, which of the gods sent you as messenger to me?”
Then in turn swift Iris with feet like the wind addressed him:
“Hera sent me, the glorious wife of Zeus;
nor does the high-throned son of Cronus know, nor any other
of the immortals, who dwell about snow-clad Olympus.”
Then answering her spoke swift-footed Achilles:
“How then am I to go among the tumult? For those others have my armor.
And my beloved mother forbade me arm for battle
before I see her coming with my own eyes;190
for she pledged to bring splendid armor from Hephaestus.
And I do not know who else’s illustrious arms I might put on,
unless it be the great shield of Telamonian Ajax.
But he too, I think, is engaged among the frontline fighters,
wreaking havoc with his spear around Patroclus who lies dead.”
Then in turn swift Iris with feet like the wind addressed him:
“We too well know that they hold your glorious armor.
But go as you are to the ditch and show yourself to the Trojans,
perhaps in dread of you they might retreat from fighting,
the Trojans, and the warrior sons of the Achaeans draw breath200
in their extremity; for respite in war is brief.”
So speaking swift-footed Iris departed;
and Achilles beloved of Zeus arose. And Athena
cast the tasseled aegis about his mighty shoulders;
she, shining among goddesses, encircled round his head a cloud of
gold, and from it blazed bright-shining fire.
And as when smoke rising from a city reaches the clear high air
from a distant island, which enemy men fight round,
and they the whole day long are pitted in hateful warfare
around their city walls, but with the sun’s setting210
the beacon fires blaze, torch upon torch, and flaring upward
the glare becomes visible to those who live around,
in the hope that they might come with ships as allies against destruction,
so from Achilles’ head the radiance reached the clear high air.
And going away from the wall he stood at the ditch, nor did he mix with
the Achaeans; for he observed his mother’s knowing command.
And standing there he shouted, and from the distance Pallas Athena
cried out too; unspeakable was the uproar he incited in the Trojans.
As when a clarion voice is heard, when cries the trumpet
of life-destroying enemies who surround a city,220
such then was the clarion voice of Aeacides.
And when they heard the brazen voice of Aeacides,
the spirit in man each was thrown in turmoil; the horses with their fine manes
wheeled their chariots back, for in their hearts they forebode distress to come,
and the charioteers were struck from their senses, when they saw the weariless
terrible fire above the head of Peleus’ great-hearted son
blazing; and this the gleaming-eyed goddess Athena caused to blaze.
Three times across the ditch godlike Achilles cried his great cry,
and three times the Trojans and their illustrious allies were thrown in panic.
Then and there perished twelve outstanding men230
upon their own chariots and spears. And the Achaeans
with relief pulled Patroclus out from under the missiles,
and laid him on a litter; and his beloved companions stood around it
weeping, and with them followed swift-footed Achilles
shedding hot tears, when he looked upon his trusted comrade
lying on the bier, torn with sharp bronze,
whom he had sent forth with horses and chariots
into war, but did not welcome him returned home again.
And ox-eyed lady Hera caused the tireless sun
to return, unwilling, into the streams of Ocean;240
the sun set, and the glorious Achaeans ceased
from the powerful din of battle and all-leveling war.
The Trojans in their turn on the other side, withdrawing from the
mighty combat released their swift horses from under their chariots,
and gathered into assembly before taking thought for supper;
and the assembly took place with them standing upright, nor did any man dare
to take his seat; for trembling held them all, because Achilles
had appeared; he who for a long time had abandoned the painful battle.
And to them Poulydamas, wise son of Panthoös,
was first to speak to the assembly; he alone looked both forward and behind him;250
he was Hector’s comrade, and born in the same night,
but the one greatly excelled in speech, and the other in the spear;
he with wise intent gave counsel to them and spoke:
“Consider well, my friends; I for my part urge
you now to go to the city, and not await the bright dawn
on the open plain beside the ships; we are far from our ramparts.
As long as that man harbored wrath at noble Agamemnon,
so long were the Achaeans easier to fight;
I myself used to welcome sleeping by the swift ships at night,
with the hope we would seize these double-ended ships.260
But now terribly I dread the swift-footed son of Peleus;
such is the reckless might of that one’s spirit, he will not wish
to remain upon the plain, in this middle ground where Achaeans and Trojans
both share between them battle’s fury,
but he will fight for our city and our women.
Come, let us go to the city, be persuaded by me; for this is how it will be.
Now ambrosial night has curbed the swift-footed son of Peleus;
but if he finds us here
tomorrow when he rises under arms, well will a man come to know him;
and gladly will he make his way to sacred Ilion—270
he who escapes; but the dogs and vultures will devour many
of the Trojans—but may this word never come to my hearing.
If you will be persuaded by my words, painful though they are,
this night we will harbor our strength in the place of assembly,
and our high walls and gates and the doors fitted to them—
the long, well-honed, barred doors—will guard our city;
and in early morning, having armed in our weapons with the dawn,
we will take up position along the ramparts. The worse for him, if he chooses
/>
to come from his ships to do battle around our walls;
he will go back to the ships, when he has given his high-necked horses280
their fill of running roundabout, as he roams beneath the city walls.
Even his courage will not permit him to storm inside,
nor will he ever sack our city. Before that the sleek dogs will devour him.”
Then looking at him from beneath his brows spoke Hector of the shimmering helm:
“Poulydamas, these things you declare are no longer pleasing to me,
you who bid us go back to cower down in the city.
Or have you all not had your fill of being penned inside the walls?
In days before, the city of Priam, as all men born of earth
were wont to say, was rich in gold, rich in bronze—
by now the splendid treasures have vanished from our houses,290
and many possessions went for sale to Phrygia and lovely Maeonia,
since mighty Zeus conceived hatred for us.
And now, at this time when the son of devious Cronus grants me
to win glory by the ships and drive the Achaeans to the sea—
you fool, no longer disclose such thoughts among the people!
None of the Trojans will obey you, for I will not allow it.
But come, let us all be persuaded to do as I say.
Take your meal now at your posts throughout the army
and be mindful of your watches and each of you be alert;
and whoever of the Trojans is excessively distressed for his possessions,300
let him gather them together and give them to the people to consume as common stock;
better that one of them have profit of them than the Achaeans;
and in early morning, having armed in our weapons with the dawn,
by the hollow ships we shall awaken cutting war.
And if in fact Achilles the godlike has stirred himself to action by his ships,
the worse it will be for him, if he so chooses, for I will not
flee from him out of this grievous war, but I will strongly
face him—we shall see whether he will win great glory, or I.
Enyalios the god of war is impartial; and often he kills the one who kills.”
Thus declared Hector, and the Trojans shouted their applause,310
the fools, for Pallas Athena took their wits away;
all assented to Hector as he devised disaster,
but none to Poulydamas, who thought out excellent counsel.
Then they took their meal throughout the army; but the Achaeans
through all the night groaned aloud as they mourned Patroclus.