Homer, Iliad, 24.507

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He spake: Achilles sorrowfully thought

Of his own father. By the hand he took

640

The suppliant, and with gentle force removed

The old man from him. Both in memory

Of those they loved were weeping. The old king,

With many tears, and rolling in the dust

Before Achilles, mourned his gallant son.

645

Achilles sorrowed for his father's sake,

And then bewailed Patroclus, and the sound

Of lamentation filled the tent. At last

Achilles, when he felt his heart relieved

By tears, and that strong grief had spent its force,

650

Sprang from his seat; then lifting by the hand

The aged man, and pitying his white head

And his white chin, he spake these winged words:-

"Great have thy sufferings been, unhappy king!

How couldst thou venture to approach alone

655

The Grecian fleet, and show thyself to him

Who slew so many of thy valiant sons?

An iron heart is thine. But seat thyself,

And let us, though afflicted grievously,

Allow our woes to sleep awhile, for grief

660

Indulged can bring no good. The gods ordain

The lot of man to suffer, while themselves

Are free from care. Beside Jove's threshold stand

Two casks of gifts for man. One cask contains

The evil, one the good, and he to whom

665

The Thunderer gives them mingled sometimes falls

Into misfortune, and is sometimes crowned

With blessings. But the man to whom he gives

The evil only stands a mark exposed

To wrong, and, chased by grim calamity,

670

Wanders the teeming earth, alike unloved

By gods and men. So did the gods bestow

Munificent gifts on Peleus from his birth,

For eminent was he among mankind

For wealth and plenty; o'er the Myrmidons

675

He ruled, and, though a mortal, he was given

A goddess for a wife. Yet did the gods

Add evil to the good, for not to him

Was born a family of kingly sons

Within his house, successors to his reign.

680

One short-lived son is his, nor am I there

To cherish him in his old age; but here

Do I remain, far from my native land,

In Troy, and causing grief to thee and thine.

Of thee too, aged king, they speak, as one

685

Whose wealth was large in former days, when all

That Lesbos, seat of Macar, owns was thine,

And all in Phrygia and the shores that bound

The Hellespont; men said thou didst excel

All others in thy riches and thy sons.

690

But since the gods have brought this strife on thee

War and perpetual slaughter of brave men

Are round thy city. Yet be firm of heart,

Nor grieve forever. Sorrow for thy son

Will profit nought; it cannot bring the dead

695

To life again, and while thou dost afflict

Thyself for him fresh woes may fall on thee."

Iliad. Homer. Boston. 1870.

Current edition Experimental

English (William Cullen Bryant, 1870) (OCR draft) (English) (English (William Cullen Bryant, 1870))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Ἰλιάς Perseus (Homer. Homeri Opera, Volumes 1-2. Monro, D. B. (David Binning), editor; Allen, Thomas W. (Thomas William), editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908-1920.) — 24.507 focus

ὣς φάτο, τῷ δʼ ἄρα πατρὸς ὑφʼ ἵμερον ὦρσε γόοιο·

ἁψάμενος δʼ ἄρα χειρὸς ἀπώσατο ἦκα γέροντα.

τὼ δὲ μνησαμένω ὃ μὲν Ἕκτορος ἀνδροφόνοιο

κλαῖʼ ἁδινὰ προπάροιθε ποδῶν Ἀχιλῆος ἐλυσθείς,

510

αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς κλαῖεν ἑὸν πατέρʼ, ἄλλοτε δʼ αὖτε

Πάτροκλον· τῶν δὲ στοναχὴ κατὰ δώματʼ ὀρώρει.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥα γόοιο τετάρπετο δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς,

καί οἱ ἀπὸ πραπίδων ἦλθʼ ἵμερος ἠδʼ ἀπὸ γυίων,

αὐτίκʼ ἀπὸ θρόνου ὦρτο, γέροντα δὲ χειρὸς ἀνίστη

515

οἰκτίρων πολιόν τε κάρη πολιόν τε γένειον,

καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

ἆ δείλʼ, ἦ δὴ πολλὰ κάκʼ ἄνσχεο σὸν κατὰ θυμόν.

πῶς ἔτλης ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν ἐλθέμεν οἶος

ἀνδρὸς ἐς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὅς τοι πολέας τε καὶ ἐσθλοὺς

520

υἱέας ἐξενάριξα; σιδήρειόν νύ τοι ἦτορ.

ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ κατʼ ἄρʼ ἕζευ ἐπὶ θρόνου, ἄλγεα δʼ ἔμπης

ἐν θυμῷ κατακεῖσθαι ἐάσομεν ἀχνύμενοί περ·

οὐ γάρ τις πρῆξις πέλεται κρυεροῖο γόοιο·

ὡς γὰρ ἐπεκλώσαντο θεοὶ δειλοῖσι βροτοῖσι

525

ζώειν ἀχνυμένοις· αὐτοὶ δέ τʼ ἀκηδέες εἰσί.

δοιοὶ γάρ τε πίθοι κατακείαται ἐν Διὸς οὔδει

δώρων οἷα δίδωσι κακῶν, ἕτερος δὲ ἑάων·

ᾧ μέν κʼ ἀμμίξας δώῃ Ζεὺς τερπικέραυνος,

ἄλλοτε μέν τε κακῷ ὅ γε κύρεται, ἄλλοτε δʼ ἐσθλῷ·

530

ᾧ δέ κε τῶν λυγρῶν δώῃ, λωβητὸν ἔθηκε,

καί ἑ κακὴ βούβρωστις ἐπὶ χθόνα δῖαν ἐλαύνει,

φοιτᾷ δʼ οὔτε θεοῖσι τετιμένος οὔτε βροτοῖσιν.

ὣς μὲν καὶ Πηλῆϊ θεοὶ δόσαν ἀγλαὰ δῶρα

ἐκ γενετῆς· πάντας γὰρ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπους ἐκέκαστο

535

ὄλβῳ τε πλούτῳ τε, ἄνασσε δὲ Μυρμιδόνεσσι,

καί οἱ θνητῷ ἐόντι θεὰν ποίησαν ἄκοιτιν.

ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ καὶ τῷ θῆκε θεὸς κακόν, ὅττί οἱ οὔ τι

παίδων ἐν μεγάροισι γονὴ γένετο κρειόντων,

ἀλλʼ ἕνα παῖδα τέκεν παναώριον· οὐδέ νυ τόν γε

540

γηράσκοντα κομίζω, ἐπεὶ μάλα τηλόθι πάτρης

ἧμαι ἐνὶ Τροίῃ, σέ τε κήδων ἠδὲ σὰ τέκνα.

καὶ σὲ γέρον τὸ πρὶν μὲν ἀκούομεν ὄλβιον εἶναι·

ὅσσον Λέσβος ἄνω Μάκαρος ἕδος ἐντὸς ἐέργει

καὶ Φρυγίη καθύπερθε καὶ Ἑλλήσποντος ἀπείρων,

545

τῶν σε γέρον πλούτῳ τε καὶ υἱάσι φασὶ κεκάσθαι.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί τοι πῆμα τόδʼ ἤγαγον Οὐρανίωνες

αἰεί τοι περὶ ἄστυ μάχαι τʼ ἀνδροκτασίαι τε.

ἄνσχεο, μὴ δʼ ἀλίαστον ὀδύρεο σὸν κατὰ θυμόν·

οὐ γάρ τι πρήξεις ἀκαχήμενος υἷος ἑῆος,

550

οὐδέ μιν ἀνστήσεις, πρὶν καὶ κακὸν ἄλλο πάθῃσθα.

Translations (7)

Iliad Perseus (Homer. The Iliad, Volume 1-2. Murray, A. T. (Augustus Taber), translator. London: William Heinmann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1924-1925.) — 24.507 focus

So spake he, and in Achilles he roused desire to weep for his father; and he took the old man by the hand, and gently put him from him. So the twain bethought them of their dead, and wept; the one for man-slaying Hector wept sore, 510 the while he grovelled 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. But when goodly Achilles had had his fill of lamenting, and the longing therefor had departed from his heart and limbs, 515 forthwith then he sprang from his seat, and raised the old man by his hand, pitying his hoary head and hoary beard; and he spake and addressed him with winged words:

Ah, unhappy man, full many in good sooth are the evils thou hast endured in thy soul. How hadst thou the heart to come alone to the ships of the Achaeans, 520 to meet the eyes of me that have slain thy sons many and valiant? Of iron verily is thy heart. But come, sit thou upon a seat, and our sorrows will we suffer to lie quiet in our hearts, despite our pain; for no profit cometh of chill lament. 525 For on this wise have the gods spun the thread for wretched mortals, that they should live in pain; and themselves are sorrowless. For two urns are set upon the floor of Zeus of gifts that he giveth, the one of ills, the other of blessings. To whomsoever Zeus, that hurleth the thunderbolt, giveth a mingled lot, 530 that man meeteth now with evil, now with good; but to whomsoever he giveth but of the baneful, him he maketh to be reviled of man, and direful madness driveth him over the face of the sacred earth, and he wandereth honoured neither of gods nor mortals. Even so unto 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 Howbeit even upon him the gods brought evil, in that there nowise sprang up in his halls offspring of princely sons, but he begat one only son, doomed to an untimely fate. Neither may I tend him as he groweth old, seeing that far, far from mine own country I abide in the land of Troy, vexing thee and thy children. And of thee, old sire, we hear that of old thou wast blest; how of all that toward the sea Lesbos, the seat of Macar, encloseth, 545 and Phrygia in the upland, and the boundless Hellespont, over all these folk, men say, thou, old sire, wast preeminent by reason of thy wealth and thy sons. Howbeit from the time when the heavenly gods brought upon thee this bane, ever around thy city are battles and slayings of men. Bear thou up, neither wail ever ceaselessly in thy heart; for naught wilt thou avail by grieving for thy son, 550 neither wilt thou bring him back to life; ere that shalt thou suffer some other ill.

Iliad Perseus (Homer. The Iliad of Homer, rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Butler, Samuel, 1835-1902, translator. London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1898.) — 24.468 focus

468 With these words Hermes went back to high Olympus . Priam sprang from his chariot to the ground, leaving Idaios where he was, in charge of the mules and horses. The old man went straight into the house where Achilles, loved of the gods, was sitting. There he found him with his men seated at a distance from him: only two, the hero Automedon, and Alkimos of the race of Ares, were busy in attendance about his person, for he had but just done eating and drinking,

475 and the table was still there. King Priam entered without their seeing him, and going right up to Achilles he clasped his knees and kissed the dread murderous hands that had slain so many of his sons.

480 As when some cruel spite [ atê] has befallen a man that he should have killed some one in his own country, and must flee to a great man's protection in a land [ dêmos] of strangers, and all marvel who see him, even so did Achilles marvel as he beheld Priam. The others looked one to another and marveled also, but Priam besought Achilles saying, "Think of your father, O Achilles like unto the gods, who is such even as I am, on the sad threshold of old age. It may be that those who dwell near him harass him, and there is none to keep war and ruin from him. Yet when he hears of you being still alive, he is glad, and his days are full of hope that he shall see his dear son come home to him from Troy ; but I, wretched man that I am, had the bravest in all Troy for my sons, and there is not one of them left. I had fifty sons when the Achaeans came here; nineteen of them were from a single womb, and the others were borne to me by the women of my household. The greater part of them has fierce Ares laid low, and Hektor, him who was alone left, him who was the guardian of the city and ourselves, him have you lately slain; therefore I am now come to the ships of the Achaeans to ransom his body from you with a great ransom. Fear, O Achilles, the wrath of heaven; think on your own father and have compassion upon me, who am the more pitiable, for I have steeled myself as no man yet has ever steeled himself before me, and have raised to my lips the hand of him who slew my son."

507 Thus spoke Priam, and the heart of Achilles yearned as he bethought him of his father. He took the old man's hand and moved him gently away. The two wept bitterly - Priam, as he lay at Achilles' feet, weeping for Hektor, and Achilles now for his father and now for Patroklos, till the house was filled with their lamentation. But when Achilles was now sated with grief

513 and had unburdened the bitterness of his sorrow, he left his seat and raised the old man by the hand, in pity for his white hair and beard; then he said, "Unhappy man, you have indeed been greatly daring; how could you venture to come alone to the ships of the Achaeans, and enter the presence of him who has slain so many of your brave sons? You must have iron courage: sit now upon this seat, and for all our grief we will hide our sorrows in our hearts, for weeping will not avail us. The immortals know no care, yet the lot they spin for man is full of sorrow; on the floor of Zeus' palace there stand two urns, the one filled with evil gifts, and the other with good ones. He for whom Zeus the lord of thunder mixes the gifts he sends, will meet now with good and now with evil fortune; but he to whom Zeus sends none but evil gifts will be pointed at by the finger of scorn, the hand of famine will pursue him to the ends of the world, and he will go up and down the face of the earth, respected neither by gods nor men. Even so did it befall Peleus; the gods endowed him with all good things from his birth upwards, for he reigned over the Myrmidons excelling all men in prosperity [olbos] and wealth, and mortal though he was they gave him a goddess for his bride. But even on him too did heaven send misfortune, for there is no race of royal children born to him in his house, save one son who is doomed to die all untimely; nor may I take care of him now that he is growing old, for I must stay here at Troy to be the bane of you and your children. And you too, O Priam, I have heard that you were aforetime happy [ olbios]. They say that in wealth and plenitude of offspring you surpassed all that is in Lesbos , the realm of Makar to the northward, Phrygia that is more inland, and those that dwell upon the great Hellespont ; but from the day when the dwellers in heaven sent this evil upon you, war and slaughter have been about your city continually.

549 Bear up against it, and let there be some intervals in your sorrow. Mourn as you may for your brave son, you will take nothing by it. You cannot raise him from the dead, ere you do so yet another sorrow shall befall you."

552 And Priam answered, "O king, bid me not be seated, while Hektor is still lying uncared for in your tents, but accept the great ransom which I have brought you, and give him to me at once that I may look upon him. May you prosper with the ransom and reach your own land in safety, seeing that you have suffered me to live and to look upon the light of the sun."

559 Achilles looked at him sternly and said, "Vex me, sir, no longer; I am of myself minded to give up the body of Hektor. My mother, daughter of the old man of the sea, came to me from Zeus to bid me deliver it to you. Moreover I know well, O Priam, and you cannot hide it, that some god has brought you to the ships of the Achaeans, for else, no man however strong and in his prime would dare to come to our host; he could neither pass our guard unseen, nor draw the bolt of my gates thus easily; therefore, provoke me no further, lest I err against the word of Zeus, and suffer you not, suppliant though you are, within my tents."

English (Butler, rev. Nagy et al., 2020) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Butler, rev. Nagy et al., 2020)) — 24.507 focus

a longing to cry in lament [ goos] for his own father. 508 He touched the old man’s hand and moved him gently away. 509 And they both remembered. One of them remembered Hector the man-killer [510] and cried for him, shedding tears thick and fast as he lay near the feet of Achilles. 511 As for Achilles, he was crying for his own father at one moment, and then, at the very next moment, 512 he would be crying for Patroklos. And the sounds of lament rose up all over the dwelling. But when Achilles was now sated with grief and had unburdened the bitterness of his sorrow, [515] he left his seat and raised the old man by the hand, in pity for his white hair and beard; then he said, “Unhappy man, you have indeed been greatly daring; how could you venture to come alone to the ships of the Achaeans, [520] and enter the presence of him who has slain so many of your brave sons? You must have iron courage: sit now upon this seat, and for all our grief we will hide our sorrows in our hearts, for weeping will not avail us. The immortals know no care, [525] yet the lot they spin for man is full of sorrow; on the floor of Zeus’ palace there stand two urns, the one filled with evil gifts, and the other with good ones. He for whom Zeus the lord of thunder mixes the gifts he sends, [530] will meet now with good and now with evil fortune; but he to whom Zeus sends none but evil gifts will be pointed at by the finger of scorn, the hand of famine will pursue him to the ends of the world, and he will go up and down the face of the earth, respected neither by gods nor men. Even so did it befall Peleus; [535] the gods endowed him with all good things from his birth upwards, for he reigned over the Myrmidons excelling all men in prosperity [ olbos] and wealth, and mortal though he was they gave him a goddess for his bride. But even on him too did heaven send misfortune, for there is no race of royal children born to him in his house, [540] save one son who is doomed to die all untimely [ pan-a-(h)ō-rios = ‘the most unseasonal of them all’]; nor may I take care of him now that he is growing old, for I must stay here at Troy to be the bane of you and your children. And you too, O Priam, I have heard that you were formerly happy [ olbios]. They say that in wealth and plenitude of offspring you surpassed all that is in Lesbos, the realm of Makar to the northward, [545] Phrygia that is more inland, and those that dwell upon the great Hellespont; but from the day when the dwellers in heaven sent this evil upon you, war and slaughter have been about your city continually. Bear up against it, and let there be some intervals in your sorrow. Mourn as you may for your brave son, [550] you will take nothing by it. You cannot raise him from the dead, before you do so yet another sorrow shall befall you.”

And Priam the godlike answered, “

English (Alexander Pope, 1720, ed. Watson, 1857) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Alexander Pope, 1720, ed. Watson, 1857)) — 24.507 focus

These words soft pity in the chief inspire,

Touch'd with the dear remembrance of his sire.

635

Then with his hand (as prostrate still he lay)

The old man's cheek he gently turn'd away.

Now each by turns indulged the gush of woe;

And now the mingled tides together flow:

This low on earth, that gently bending o'er,

640

A father one, and one a son deplore:

But great Achilles different passions rend,

And now his sire he mourns, and now his friend.

Th' infectious softness through the heroes ran;

One universal solemn shower began;

645

They bore as heroes, but they felt as man.

Satiate at length with unavailing woes,

From the high throne divine Achilles rose;

The reverend monarch by the hand he rais'd;

On his white beard and form majestic gaz'd,

650

Not unrelenting: then serene began

With words to soothe the miserable man:

‘Alas! what weight of anguish hast thou known,

‘Unhappy prince! thus guardless and alone

‘To pass through foes, and thus undaunted face

655

‘The man whose fury has destroy'd thy race!

‘Heaven sure has arm'd thee with a heart of steel,

‘A strength proportion'd to the woes you feel.

‘Rise then: let reason mitigate our care:

‘To mourn, avails not: man is born to bear.

660

‘Such is, alas! the gods' severe decree;

‘They, only they, are blest, and only free.

‘Two urns by Jove's high throne have ever stood,

‘The source of evil one, and one of good;

‘From thence the cup of mortal man he fills,

665

‘Blessings to these, to those distributes ills;

‘To most he mingles both: the wretch decreed

‘To taste the bad, unmix'd, is curs'd indeed:

‘Pursued by wrongs, by meagre famine driven,

‘He wanders, outcast both of earth and heaven.

670

‘The happiest taste not happiness sincere,

‘But find the cordial draught is dash'd with care.

‘Who more than Peleus shone in wealth and power?

‘What stars concurring bless'd his natal hour!

‘A realm, a goddess, to his wishes given,

675

‘Graced by the gods with all the gifts of heaven!

‘One evil, yet, o'ertakes his latest day;

‘No race succeeding to imperial sway:

‘An only son! and he (alas!) ordain'd

‘To fall untimely in a foreign land!

680

‘See him, in Troy, the pious care decline

‘Of his weak age, to live the curse of thine!

‘Thou too, old man, hast happier days beheld;

‘In riches once, in children once excell'd;

‘Extended Phrygia own'd thy ample reign,

685

‘And all fair Lesbos' blissful seats contain,

‘And all wide Hellespont's unmeasur'd main.

‘But since the god his hand has pleas'd to turn,

‘And fill thy measure from his bitter urn,

‘What sees the sun, but hapless heroes' falls?

690

‘War, and the blood of men, surround thy walls!

‘What must be, must be. Bear thy lot, nor shed

‘These unavailing sorrows o'er the dead;

‘Thou canst not call him from the Stygian shore,

‘But thou, alas! may'st live to suffer more!’

695

English (Thomas Hobbes, 1667, ed. Molesworth 1843) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Hobbes, 1667, ed. Molesworth 1843)) — 24.507 focus

This said, Achilles wept. And from his knee,

With his, the hands of Priam gently mov'd ;

485

And then aloud they both lamented. He

For Peleus, and Patroclus whom he lov'd,

And Priam for his own calamity,

And through the house were heard to sigh and groan.

Achilles, when his fit of tears was laid,

490

And eased was his heart, came from his throne,

And rais'd th' old man that on his knees yet staid,

And to him spake. Alas, old man, said he,

You much have suffer'd, and your pain I feel.

But how alone durst you to come to me,

495

That slew your sons, unless your heart be steel ?

But come, sit down. In vain lamenting is,

The hurt that's done tears cannot take away,

Since so 'tis ordered by the Gods in bliss,

That men shall live in pain, and they in joy.

500

Two barrels in his cellar Jove has still,

Of gifts to be bestow'd on mortal wights,

One full of good, the other full of ill.

And usually to mingle them delights.

For they that only ill receive from Jove,

505

Exposed always are to injury,

And begging up and down the world shall rove,

And both by Gods and men despised be.

So Peleus at the first receiv'd much good,

And did in wealth his neighbours all surpass,

510

And with his subjects in great honour stood,

And joined in wedlock to a Goddess was.

But after this the ill unto him came,

To leave no child behind him to succeed,

But only me that so short-lived am,

515

And from him live to vex you and your seed.

And you, O Priam, once were rich, they say,

And all that was in Lesbos did enjoy,

And over all the Hellespont did sway,

And that all Phrygia did you obey,

520

And with great store of children bless'd you were.

But now, you only fights and slaughter see,

And patiently you Hector's death must bear.

He cannot with your tears revived be ;

Much sooner you may suffer greater ill.

525

English (George Chapman, 1611, ed. Hooper 1857) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (George Chapman, 1611, ed. Hooper 1857)) — 24.507 focus

This mov'd tears, his father's name did stand,

Mention'd by Priam, in much help to his compassion,

And mov'd Aeacides so much he could not look upon

The weeping father. With his hand he gently put away

His grave face. Calm remission now did mutually display

455

Her pow'r in either's heaviness. Old Priam, to record

His son's death and his deathsman see, his tears and bosom pour'd

Before Achilles; at his feet he laid his reverend head.

Achilles' thoughts, now with his sire, now with his friend, were fed.

Betwixt both sorrow fill'd the tent. But now Aeacides

460

(Satiate at all parts with the ruth of their calamities)

Start up, and up he rais'd the king. His milk-white head and beard

With pity he beheld, and said: "Poor man, thy mind is scar'd

With much affliction. How durst thy person thus alone

Venture on his sight that hath slain so many a worthy son,

465

And so dear to thee? Thy old heart is made of iron. Sit,

And settle we our woes, though huge, for nothing profits it.

Cold mourning wastes but our lives' heats. The Gods have destinate

That wretched mortals must live sad; 'tis the Immortal State

Of Deity that lives secure. Two tuns of gifts there lie

470

In Jove's gate, one of good, one ill, that our mortality

Maintain, spoil, order; which when Jove doth mix to any man,

One while he frolics, one while mourns. If of his mournful can

A man drinks only, only wrongs he doth expose him to,

Sad hunger in th' abundant earth doth toss him to and fro,

475

Respected nor of Gods nor men. The mix'd cup Peleus drank

Even from his birth; Heaven blest his life; he liv'd not that could thank

¹²

The Gods for such rare benefits as set forth his estate.

He reign'd among his Myrmidons most rich, most fortunate,

And, though a mortal, had his bed deck'd with a deathless dame.

480

And yet, with all this good, one ill God mix'd, that takes all name

From all that goodness; his name now, whose preservation here

Men count the crown of their most good, not bless'd with pow'r to bear

One blossom but myself, and I shaken as soon as blown;

Nor shall I live to cheer his age, and give nutrition

485

To him that nourish'd me. Far off my rest is set in Troy

To leave thee restless and thy seed; thyself that did enjoy,

As we have heard, a happy life, what Lesbos doth contain,

In times past being a bless'd man's seat, what the unmeasur'd main

Of Hellespontus, Phrygia, holds, are all said to adorn

490

Thy empire, wealth and sons enow, but, when the Gods did turn

Thy blest state to partake with bane, war and the bloods of men

Circled thy city, never clear. Sit down and suffer then,

Mourn not inevitable things; thy tears can spring no deeds

To help thee, nor recall thy son; impatience ever breeds

495

Ill upon ill, makes worst things worse, and therefore sit." He said :

English (William Cowper, 1791, ed. Southey) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (William Cowper, 1791, ed. Southey)) — 24.507 focus

So saying, he waken'd in his soul regret

Of his own Sire; softly he placed his hand

On Priam's hand, and push'd him gently away.

Remembrance melted both. Rolling before

Achilles' feet, Priam his son deplored

640

Wide-slaughtering Hector, and Achilles wept

By turns his father, and by turns his friend

Patroclus; sounds of sorrow fill'd the tent.

But when, at length satiate, Achilles felt

His heart from grief, and all his frame relieved,

645

Upstarting from his seat, with pity moved

Of Priam's silver locks and silver beard,

He raised the ancient father by his hand,

Whom in wing'd accents kind he thus bespake.

Wretched indeed! ah what must thou have felt!

650

How hast thou dared to seek alone the fleet

Of the Achaians, and his face by whom

So many of thy valiant sons have fallen ?

Thou hast an heart of iron, terrour-proof.

Come—sit beside me—Let us, if we may,

655

Great mourners both, bid sorrow sleep awhile.

There is no profit of our sighs and tears;

For thus, exempt from care themselves, the Gods

Ordain man's miserable race to mourn.

Fast by the threshold of Jove's courts are placed

660

Two casks, one stored with evil, one with good,

From which the God dispenses as he wills.

For whom the glorious Thunderer mingles both,

He leads a life checquer'd with good and ill

Alternate; but to whom he gives unmixt

665

The bitter cup, he makes that man a curse,

His name becomes a by-word of reproach,

His strength is hunger-bitten, and he walks

The blessed earth, unblest, go where he may.

So was my father Peleus at his birth

670

Nobly endow'd with plenty and with wealth

Distinguish'd by the Gods past all mankind,

Lord of the Myrmidons, and, though a man,

Yet match'd from heaven with an immortal bride.

But even him the Gods afflict, a son

675

Refusing him, who might possess his throne

Hereafter; for myself, his only heir,

Pass as a dream, and while I live, instead

Of solacing his age, here sit, before

Your distant walls, the scourge of thee and thine.

680

Thee also, ancient Priam, we have heard

Reported, once possessor of such wealth

As neither Lesbos, seat of Macar, owns,

Nor Eastern Phrygia, nor yet all the ports

Of Hellespont, but thou didst pass them all

685

In riches, and in number of thy sons.

But since the Powers of Heaven brought on thy land

This fatal war, battle and deeds of death

Always surround the city where thou reign'st.

Cease, therefore, from unprofitable tears,

690

Which, ere they raise thy son to life again,

Shall, doubtless, find fresh cause for which to flow.

New Alexandria Commentaries

Douglas Frame

reference to time (sunrise) of Priam’s return from the ransom of Hector. Indication of a journey to the underworld and consequent ‘return to life’ [MRBTP: 'ff']

source

Gregory Nagy

The Iliad ends with the funeral of Hector, not of Achilles. And it is Hector, not Achilles, who is lamented at the end. But it is Achilles who makes it all happen, since he has transcended his rage and has shown mercy to an old father. The tears of Priam had made Achilles think of his own old father, of his own ancestors—and of Patroklos, who embodied the glories of the ancestors. Achilles was looking bad at the beginning of Iliad 23 and even at the beginning of Iliad 24, but he looks very good by the time Iliad 24 comes to a close.

draft js image error Mourners lament as Hector’s corpse is laid out in preparation for the funeral that closes Iliad Rhapsody 24. Copperplate etching (1795) by Tommaso Piroli, after a drawing (1793) by John Flaxman. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

source

analysis of EPEISE read as epei sé (non-enclitic) as opposed to epei se (enclitic), according to Herodian

source

Leonard Muellner

the difficulty of exchange in I.24 (in contrast to that proposed by Chryses in I.01) and need for the divine intervention of Hermes, here especially to avoid being noticed by Agamemnon

source

analysis of the teleology of Achilles’ mēnis and enacting his humanness in Achilles’ partaking of food, sleeping with a woman (here), and sharing in kēdea (Hektor’s funeral)

source

the difficulty of exchange in I.24 (in contrast to that proposed by Chryses in I.01) and need for the divine intervention of Hermes, here especially to avoid being noticed by Agamemnon

source

Homer Iliad 24.507

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