Homer, Iliad, 24.22

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All heaven was mov'd, and Hermes will'd to go

By stealth to snatch him from th' insulting foe:

But Neptune this, and Pallas this denies,

And th' unrelenting empress of the skies:

E'er since that day implacable to Troy,

What time young Paris, simple shepherd boy,

Won by destructive lust (reward obscene)

Their charms rejected for the Cyprian queen.

But when the tenth celestial morning broke,

To heaven assembled, thus Apollo spoke:

‘Unpitying powers! how oft each holy fane

‘Has Hector ting'd with blood of victims slain?

‘And can ye still his cold remains pursue?

‘Still grudge his body to the Trojans' view?

‘Deny to consort, mother, son, and sire,

‘The last sad honours of a funeral fire?

‘Is then the dire Achilles all your care?

‘That iron heart, inflexibly severe;

‘A lion, not a man, who slaughters wide,

‘In strength of rage and impotence of pride,

‘Who hastes to murder with a savage joy,

‘Invades around, and breathes but to destroy.

‘Shame is not of his soul; nor understood,

‘The greatest evil and the greatest good.¹

‘Still for one loss he rages unresign'd,

‘Repugnant to the lot of all mankind;

‘To lose a friend, a brother, or a son,

‘Heaven dooms each mortal, and its will is done:

‘Awhile they sorrow, then dismiss their care;

‘Fate gives the wound, and man is born to bear.

‘But this insatiate the commission given

‘By fate, exceeds; and tempts the wrath of heaven:

‘Lo how his rage dishonest drags along

‘Hector's dead earth, insensible of wrong!

‘Brave though he be, yet by no reason aw'd,

‘He violates the laws of man and God!’

‘If equal honours by the partial skies

‘Are doom'd both heroes,’ (Juno thus replies,)

‘If Thetis' son must no distinction know,

‘Then hear, ye gods! the patron of the bow.

‘But Hector only boasts a mortal claim,

‘His birth deriving from a mortal dame:

‘Achilles of your own ethereal race

‘Springs from a goddess, by a man's embrace:

‘(A goddess by ourself to Peleus given,

‘A man divine, and chosen friend of heaven:)

‘To grace those nuptials, from the bright abode

‘Yourselves were present; where this minstrel-god

‘(Well-pleas'd to share the feast) amid the quire

‘Stood proud to hymn, and tune his youthful lyre.’

Iliad. Homer. London. 1863.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Current edition Experimental

English (Alexander Pope, 1720, ed. Watson, 1857) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Alexander Pope, 1720, ed. Watson, 1857))

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.) — 24.22 focus

ὣς ὃ μὲν Ἕκτορα δῖον ἀείκιζεν μενεαίνων·

τὸν δʼ ἐλεαίρεσκον μάκαρες θεοὶ εἰσορόωντες,

κλέψαι δʼ ὀτρύνεσκον ἐΰσκοπον ἀργεϊφόντην.

ἔνθʼ ἄλλοις μὲν πᾶσιν ἑήνδανεν, οὐδέ ποθʼ Ἥρῃ

οὐδὲ Ποσειδάωνʼ οὐδὲ γλαυκώπιδι κούρῃ,

ἀλλʼ ἔχον ὥς σφιν πρῶτον ἀπήχθετο Ἴλιος ἱρὴ

καὶ Πρίαμος καὶ λαὸς Ἀλεξάνδρου ἕνεκʼ ἄτης,

ὃς νείκεσσε θεὰς ὅτε οἱ μέσσαυλον ἵκοντο,

τὴν δʼ ᾔνησʼ ἥ οἱ πόρε μαχλοσύνην ἀλεγεινήν.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή ῥʼ ἐκ τοῖο δυωδεκάτη γένετʼ ἠώς,

καὶ τότʼ ἄρʼ ἀθανάτοισι μετηύδα Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων·

σχέτλιοί ἐστε θεοί, δηλήμονες· οὔ νύ ποθʼ ὑμῖν

Ἕκτωρ μηρίʼ ἔκηε βοῶν αἰγῶν τε τελείων;

τὸν νῦν οὐκ ἔτλητε νέκυν περ ἐόντα σαῶσαι

ᾗ τʼ ἀλόχῳ ἰδέειν καὶ μητέρι καὶ τέκεϊ ᾧ

καὶ πατέρι Πριάμῳ λαοῖσί τε, τοί κέ μιν ὦκα

ἐν πυρὶ κήαιεν καὶ ἐπὶ κτέρεα κτερίσαιεν.

ἀλλʼ ὀλοῷ Ἀχιλῆϊ θεοὶ βούλεσθʼ ἐπαρήγειν,

ᾧ οὔτʼ ἂρ φρένες εἰσὶν ἐναίσιμοι οὔτε νόημα

γναμπτὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι, λέων δʼ ὣς ἄγρια οἶδεν,

ὅς τʼ ἐπεὶ ἂρ μεγάλῃ τε βίῃ καὶ ἀγήνορι θυμῷ

εἴξας εἶσʼ ἐπὶ μῆλα βροτῶν ἵνα δαῖτα λάβῃσιν·

ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς ἔλεον μὲν ἀπώλεσεν, οὐδέ οἱ αἰδὼς

γίγνεται, ἥ τʼ ἄνδρας μέγα σίνεται ἠδʼ ὀνίνησι.

μέλλει μέν πού τις καὶ φίλτερον ἄλλον ὀλέσσαι

ἠὲ κασίγνητον ὁμογάστριον ἠὲ καὶ υἱόν·

ἀλλʼ ἤτοι κλαύσας καὶ ὀδυράμενος μεθέηκε·

τλητὸν γὰρ Μοῖραι θυμὸν θέσαν ἀνθρώποισιν.

αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ Ἕκτορα δῖον, ἐπεὶ φίλον ἦτορ ἀπηύρα,

ἵππων ἐξάπτων περὶ σῆμʼ ἑτάροιο φίλοιο

ἕλκει· οὐ μήν οἱ τό γε κάλλιον οὐδέ τʼ ἄμεινον.

μὴ ἀγαθῷ περ ἐόντι νεμεσσηθέωμέν οἱ ἡμεῖς·

κωφὴν γὰρ δὴ γαῖαν ἀεικίζει μενεαίνων.

τὸν δὲ χολωσαμένη προσέφη λευκώλενος Ἥρη·

εἴη κεν καὶ τοῦτο τεὸν ἔπος ἀργυρότοξε

εἰ δὴ ὁμὴν Ἀχιλῆϊ καὶ Ἕκτορι θήσετε τιμήν.

Ἕκτωρ μὲν θνητός τε γυναῖκά τε θήσατο μαζόν·

αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεύς ἐστι θεᾶς γόνος, ἣν ἐγὼ αὐτὴ

θρέψά τε καὶ ἀτίτηλα καὶ ἀνδρὶ πόρον παράκοιτιν

Πηλέϊ, ὃς περὶ κῆρι φίλος γένετʼ ἀθανάτοισι.

πάντες δʼ ἀντιάασθε θεοὶ γάμου· ἐν δὲ σὺ τοῖσι

δαίνυʼ ἔχων φόρμιγγα κακῶν ἕταρʼ, αἰὲν ἄπιστε.

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.) — 24.22 focus

Thus Achilles in his fury did foul despite unto goodly Hector; but the blessed gods had pity on him as they beheld him, and bestirred the keen-sighted Argeiphontes to steal away the corpse. 25 And the thing was pleasing unto all the rest, yet not unto Hera or Poseidon or the flashing-eyed maiden, but they continued even as when at the first sacred Ilios became hateful in their eyes and Priam and his folk, by reason of the sin of Alexander, for that he put reproach upon those goddesses when they came to his steading, 30 and gave precedence to her who furthered his fatal lustfulness. But when at length the twelfth morn thereafter was come, then among the immortals spake Phoebus Apollo:

Cruel are ye, O ye gods, and workers of bane. Hath Hector then never burned for you thighs of bulls and goats without blemish? 35 Him now have ye not the heart to save, a corpse though he be, for his wife to look upon and his mother and his child, and his father Priam and his people, who would forthwith burn him in the fire and pay him funeral rites. Nay, it is the ruthless Achilles, O ye gods, that ye are fain to succour, 40 him whose mind is nowise right, neither the purpose in his breast one that may be bent; but his heart is set on cruelty, even as a lion that at the bidding of his great might and lordly spirit goeth forth against the flocks of men to win him a feast; even so hath Achilles lost all pity, neither is shame in his heart, 45 the which harmeth men greatly and profiteth them withal. Lo, it may be that a man hath lost one dearer even than was this—a brother, that the selfsame mother bare, or haply a son; yet verily when he hath wept and wailed for him he maketh an end; for an enduring soul have the Fates given unto men. 50 But this man, when he hath reft goodly Hector of life, bindeth him behind his chariot and draggeth him about the barrow of his dear comrade; in sooth neither honour nor profit shall he have therefrom. Let him beware lest we wax wroth with him, good man though he be; for lo, in his fury he doth foul despite unto senseless clay.

55 Then stirred to anger spake to him white-armed Hera:

Even this might be as thou sayest, Lord of the silver bow, if indeed ye gods will vouchsafe like honour to Achilles and to Hector. Hector is but mortal and was suckled at a woman's breast, but Achilles is the child of a goddess that I mine own self 60 fostered and reared, and gave to a warrior to be his wife, even to Peleus, who was heartily dear to the immortals. And all of you, O ye gods, came to her marriage, and among them thyself too didst sit at the feast, thy lyre in thy hand, O thou friend of evil-doers, faithless ever.

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.) — 24.1 focus

1 The assembly [ agôn] now broke up and the people went their ways each to his own ship. There they made ready their supper, and then bethought them of the blessed boon of sleep; but Achilles still wept for thinking of his dear comrade, and sleep, before whom all things bow, could take no hold upon him. This way and that did he turn as he yearned after the might and manfulness of Patroklos; he thought of all they had done together, and all they had gone through both on the field of battle and on the waves of the weary sea. As he dwelt on these things he wept bitterly and lay now on his side, now on his back, and now face downwards, till at last he rose and went out as one distraught to wander upon the seashore. Then, when he saw dawn breaking over beach and sea, he yoked his horses to his chariot, and bound the body of Hektor behind it that he might drag it about. Thrice did he drag it round the tomb [ sêma] of the son of Menoitios, and then went back into his tent, leaving the body on the ground full length and with its face downwards. But Apollo would not suffer it to be disfigured, for he pitied the man, dead though he now was; therefore he shielded him with his golden aegis continually, that he might take no hurt while Achilles was dragging him.

22 Thus shamefully did Achilles in his fury dishonor Hektor; but the blessed gods looked down in pity from heaven, and urged Hermes, slayer of Argos , to steal the body. All were of this mind save only Hera, Poseidon, and Zeus' gray-eyed daughter,

26 who persisted in the hate which they had ever borne towards Ilion with Priam and his people; for they forgave not the wrong [ atê] done them by Alexander in disdaining the goddesses who came to him when he was in his sheepyards, and preferring her who had offered him a wanton to his ruin.

31 When, therefore, the morning of the twelfth day had now come, Phoebus Apollo spoke among the immortals saying, "You gods ought to be ashamed of yourselves; you are cruel and hard-hearted. Did not Hektor burn you thigh-bones of heifers and of unblemished goats? And now dare you not rescue even his dead body, for his wife to look upon, with his mother and child, his father Priam, and his people, who would forthwith commit him to the flames, and give him his due funeral rites? So, then, you would all be on the side of mad Achilles, who knows neither right nor ruth? He is like some savage lion that in the pride of his great strength [ biê] and spirit [ thumos] springs upon men's flocks and gorges on them. Even so has Achilles flung aside all pity, and all that decency [ aidôs] which at once so greatly banes yet greatly boons him that will heed it. man may lose one far dearer than Achilles has lost- a son, it may be, or a brother born from his own mother's womb; yet when he has mourned him and wept over him he will let him bide, for it takes much sorrow to kill a man; whereas Achilles, now that he has slain noble Hektor, drags him behind his chariot round the tomb [ sêma] of his comrade. It were better of him, and for him, that he should not do so, for brave though he be we gods may take it ill that he should vent his fury upon dead clay."

55 Hera spoke up in a rage. "This were well," she cried, "O lord of the silver bow, if you would give like honor [ timê] to Hektor and to Achilles; but Hektor was mortal and suckled at a woman's breast, whereas Achilles is the offspring of a goddess whom I myself reared and brought up. I married her to Peleus, who is above measure dear to the immortals; you gods came all of you to her wedding; you feasted along with them yourself and brought your lyre - false, and fond of low company, that you have ever been."

64 Then said Zeus, "Hera, be not so bitter. Their honor [ timê] shall not be equal, but of all that dwell in Ilion , Hektor was dearest to the gods, as also to myself, for his offerings never failed me. Never was my altar stinted of its dues, nor of the drink-offerings and savor of sacrifice which we claim of right. I shall therefore permit the body of mighty Hektor to be stolen; and yet this may hardly be without Achilles coming to know it, for his mother keeps night and day beside him. Let some one of you, therefore, send Thetis to me, and I will impart my counsel to her, namely that Achilles is to accept a ransom from Priam, and give up the body."

77 On this Iris fleet as the wind went forth to carry his message. Down she plunged into the dark sea [ pontos] midway between Samos and rocky Imbros; the waters hissed as they closed over her, and she sank into the bottom as the lead at the end of an ox-horn, that is sped to carry death to fishes. She found Thetis sitting in a great cave with the other sea-goddesses gathered round her; there she sat in the midst of them weeping for her noble son who was to fall far from his own land, on the fertile plains of Troy . Iris went up to her and said, "Rise Thetis; Zeus, whose counsels fail not, bids you come to him." And Thetis answered, "Why does the mighty god so bid me? I am in great grief [ akhos], and shrink from going in and out among the immortals. Still, I will go, and the word that he may speak shall not be spoken in vain."

93 The goddess took her dark veil, than which there can be no robe more somber, and went forth with fleet Iris leading the way before her. The waves of the sea opened them a path, and when they reached the shore they flew up into the heavens, where they found the all-seeing son of Kronos with the blessed gods that live for ever assembled near him. Athena gave up her seat to her, and she sat down by the side of father Zeus. Hera then placed a fair golden cup in her hand, and spoke to her in words of comfort, whereon Thetis drank and gave her back the cup; and the sire of gods and men was the first to speak.

English (Butler, rev. Nagy et al., 2020) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Butler, rev. Nagy et al., 2020)) — 24.22 focus

Thus shamefully did Achilles in his fury dishonor great Hector; but the blessed gods looked down in pity from heaven, and urged clear-sighted Hermes, slayer of Argos, to steal the body. [25] All were of this mind save only Hera, Poseidon, and Zeus’ owl-vision daughter, who persisted in the hate which they had ever borne towards Ilion with Priam and his people; for they forgave not the wrong [ atē] done them by Alexandros 29 who blamed [made neikos against] the goddesses [Hera and Athena], when they came to his courtyard, [30] but he praised her [Aphrodite] who gave him the baneful pleasure of sex.

When the morning of the twelfth day had now come, Phoebus Apollo spoke among the immortals saying, “You gods ought to be ashamed of yourselves; you are cruel and hard-hearted. Did not Hector burn you thigh-bones of heifers and of unblemished goats? [35] And now dare you not rescue even his dead body, for his wife to look upon, with his mother and child, his father Priam, and his people, who would right then and there commit him to the flames, and give him his due funeral rites? So, then, you would all be on the side of mad Achilles? [40] His thinking [ phrenes] is not right and his sense of noos 41 is not flexible within his breast, but like a lion he knows savage ways. 42 —a lion that yields to its strength [ biē] and overweening thūmos, 43 and goes after the sheep of men, in order to get a feast [ dais]. Even so has Achilles flung aside all pity, [45] and all that decency [ aidōs] which at once so greatly hurts yet greatly benefits anyone who abides by it. 46 For a man could easily lose someone else who is more phílos, 47 either a brother from the same womb or even a son; yet when he has mourned him and wept over him he will let him bide, for it takes much sorrow to kill a man; [50] whereas Achilles, now that he has slain noble Hector, drags him behind his chariot round the tomb [ sēma] of his comrade. It were better of him, and for him, that he should not do so, for brave though he be we gods may take it ill that he should vent his fury upon dead clay.”

[55] Hera of the white arms spoke up in a rage. “This were well,” she cried, “O lord of the silver bow, if you would give like honor [ tīmē] to Hector and to Achilles; but Hector was mortal and suckled at a woman’s breast, whereas Achilles is the offspring of a goddess [60] whom I myself reared and brought up. I married her to Peleus, who is above measure dear to the immortals; 62 and all you gods attended the wedding. And you too were feasting among them 63 and you had your lyre with you— false, and fond of low company, that you have ever been.”

English (William Cullen Bryant, 1870) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (William Cullen Bryant, 1870)) — 24.22 focus

So in his anger did Achilles treat

Unworthily the noble Hector's corse.

The blessed gods themselves with pity looked

Upon the slain, and bade the vigilant one,

The Argus-queller, bear him thence by stealth.

This counsel pleased the immortals all, except

Juno and Neptune and the blue-eyed maid,

And these persisted in their wrath. To them

Ilium, the hallowed city, and its king,

Priam, and all his people, from the first

Were hateful; 't was for Alexander's fault,

Affronting the two goddesses what time

They sought his cottage, and preferring her

Who ministered to his calamitous love.

But now, when the twelfth morning from that day

Arose, Apollo spake among the gods: -

"Cruel are ye, O gods, and prone to wrong.

For was not Hector wont before your shrines

To burn the thighs of chosen bulls and goats?

And now that he is dead ye venture not

To rescue him, and let his wife and son

And mother and King Priam look again

Upon his face. Soon would they light the pile,

And burn the dead, and pay the funeral rite.

Ye seek to favor, O ye gods, that pest,

Achilles, in whose breast there dwells no love

Of justice, nor a temper to be moved

By prayers, but who delights in savage deeds.

And as a lion, conscious of vast strength

And scornful of resistance, falls upon

The shepherd's flock, and slays for his repast,

Thus with Achilles neither mercy dwells

Nor shame, which often profits, often harms

Mankind. For when another man has met

A greater grief than he, - has lost, perchance,

A brother or a son, - he dries at length

His tears, and ceases to lament; for fate

Bestows the power to suffer patiently.

But this Achilles, after he has spoiled

The godlike Hector of his life in war,

Hath bound him to his chariot, and hath dragged

The corse around his dear companion's tomb.

Unseemly is the deed, and small will be

The good it brings him. Brave although he be,

We may be angry with him when he thus

Insults a portion of insensible earth."

The white-armed Juno was incensed, and spake:

"So mightst thou say, God of the silver bow,

Were equal honor to Achilles due

And Hector. Hector is a mortal man,

And suckled at a woman's breast. Not so

Achilles; he was born of one of us,

A goddess whom I nurtured and brought up

And gave to Peleus. Ye were present all,

Ye gods, when they were wedded. Thou wert there

To share the marriage banquet, harp in hand,

Thou plotter with the vile, thou faithless one!"

English (Thomas Hobbes, 1667, ed. Molesworth 1843) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Hobbes, 1667, ed. Molesworth 1843)) — 24.22 focus

And griev'd to see Achilles show such spite ;

And some of them advised Mercury

To steal away the body from his sight.

To this the other Gods did all agree,

But Neptune, Juno, Pallas, angry were

With Priam and with Troy, for Paris' sake,

For that he Venus did so much prefer,

And of the others small account did make.

Thus pass'd it then. But twelve days after, came

Apollo to the Gods in council set,

And said, Ye Gods unjust, you are to blame.

What sacrifice did Hector e'er forget,

That to his father, mother, wife, and son,

That for his death lament, he must not come,

And buried be, since he is dead and gone,

And have a funeral in Ilium ?

But to Achilles' fury you give way,

Whose breast is void of all humanity.

As lions on men's cattle love to prey;

Savage and proud on men so falleth he,

Asham'd of nothing. Though another man,

That had a loving brother lost, or son,

When he has wept a while, give over can,

And bear the ill that cannot be undone ;

But he with Hector's death is not content,

But drags his body at his chariot,

Not caring how we may the same resent.

He'll find at last 'twere better he had not

Upon the senseless earth have shown such spite.

To this in anger Juno then replied,

If equal they had been, you had said right,

But that they equal are it is denied.

For Hector was a mortal woman's son ;

Achilles' mother a great Goddess is,

Thetis, that nurs'd was and brought up by none

But by myself. The Gods can witness this,

Who, when I made her noble Peleus' bride,

Came to the wedding all, and you too then

Were with your fiddle there well satisfied,

Perfidious God, companion of mean men.

English (George Chapman, 1611, ed. Hooper 1857) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (George Chapman, 1611, ed. Hooper 1857)) — 24.22 focus

which threat Achilles cruelly

Had us'd in fury. But now Heaven let fall a general eye

Of pity on him; the blest Gods persuaded Mercury,

Their good observer, to his stealth; and every Deity

Stood pleas'd with it; Juno except, green Neptune, and the Maid

Grac'd with the blue eyes, all their hearts stood hatefully appaid

Long since, and held it, as at first, to Priam, Ilion,

And all his subjects, for the rape of his licentious son,

Proud Paris, that despis'd these Dames in their divine access

Made to his cottage, and prais'd Her that his sad wantonness

So costly nourish'd. The twelfth morn now shin'd on the delay

Of Hector's rescue, and then spake the Deity of the Day

Thus to th' Immortals: " Shameless Gods, authors of ill ye are

To suffer ill. Hath Hector's life at all times show'd his care

Of all your rights, in burning thighs of beeves and goats to you,

And are your cares no more of him? Vouchsafe ye not even now,

Even dead, to keep him, that his wife, his mother, and his son,

Father, and subjects, may be mov'd to those deeds he hath done,

See'ng you preserve him that serv'd you, and sending to their hands

His person for the rites of fire? Achilles, that withstands

All help to others, you can help; one that hath neither heart

Nor soul within him that will move or yield to any part

That fits a man, but lion-like, uplandish, and mere wild,

Slave to his pride, and all his nerves being naturally compil'd

Of eminent strength, stalks out and preys upon a silly sheep.

And so fares this man, that fit ruth that now should draw so deep

In all the world being lost in him, and shame, a quality

Of so much weight that both it helps and hurts excessively

Men in their manners, is not known, nor hath the power to be,

In this man's being. Other men a greater loss than he

Have undergone, a son, suppose, or brother of one womb,

Yet, after dues of woes and tears, they bury in his tomb

All their deplorings. Fates have given to all that are true men

True manly patience; but this man so soothes his bloody vein

That no blood serves it, he must have divine-soul'd Hector bound

To his proud chariot, and danc'd in a most barbarous round

About his loved friend's sepulchre, when he is slain. 'Tis vile,

And draws no profit after it. But let him now awhile

Mark but our angers; his is spent; let all his strength take heed

It tempts not our wraths; he begets in this outrageous deed

The dull earth with his fury's hate." White-wristed Juno said,

Being much incens'd, "This doom is one that thou wouldst have obey'd,

Thou bearer of the silver bow, that we in equal care

And honour should hold Hector's worth with him that claims a share

In our deservings. Hector suck'd a mortal woman's breast,

Aeacides a Goddess's; ourself had interest

Both in his infant nourishment, and bringing up with state,

And to the human Peleus we gave his bridal mate,

Because he had th' Immortals' love. To celebrate the feast

Of their high nuptials, every God was glad to be a guest,

And thou fedd'st of thy father's cates, touching thy harp in grace

Of that beginning of our friend, whom thy perfidious face,

In his perfection, blusheth not to match with Priam's son,

O thou that to betray and shame art still companion!"

English (William Cowper, 1791, ed. Southey) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (William Cowper, 1791, ed. Southey)) — 24.22 focus

While he, indulging thus his wrath, disgraced

Brave Hector, the Immortals, at that sight

With pity moved, exhorted Mercury

The watchful Argicide, to steal him thence.

That counsel pleased the rest, but neither pleased

Juno, nor Neptune, nor the blue-eyed maid.

They still, as at the first, held fast their hate

Of sacred Troy, detested Priam still,

And still his people, mindful of the crime

Of Paris, who when to his rural hut

They came, those Goddesses affronting, praise

And admiration gave to Her alone

Who with vile lusts his preference repaid.

But when the twelfth ensuing morn arose,

Apollo, then, the Immortals thus address'd.

Ye Gods, your dealings now injurious seem

And cruel. Was not Hector wont to burn

Thighs of fat goats and bullocks at your shrines?

Whom now, though dead, ye cannot yet endure

To rescue, that Andromache once more

Might view him, his own mother, his own son,

His father and the people, who would soon

Yield him his just demand, a funeral fire.

But, oh ye Gods! your pleasure is alone

To please Achilles, that pernicious Chief,

Who neither right regards, nor owns a mind

That can relent, but as the lion, urged

By his own dauntless heart and savage force,

Invades without remorse the rights of man,

That he may banquet on his herds and flocks,

So Peleus' son all pity from his breast

Hath driven, and shame, man's blessing or his curse.

For whosoever hath a loss sustain'd

Still dearer, whether of his brother born

From the same womb, or even of his son,

When he hath once bewail'd him, weeps no more,

For fate itself gives man a patient mind.

Yet Peleus' son, not so contented, slays

Illustrious Hector first, then drags his corse

In cruel triumph at his chariot-wheels

Around Patroclus' tomb; but neither well

He acts, nor honourably to himself,

Who may, perchance, brave though he be, incur

Our anger, while to gratify revenge

He pours dishonour thus on senseless clay.

To whom, incensed, Juno white-arm'd replied.

And be it so; stand fast this word of thine,

God of the Silver bow! if ye account

Only such honour to Achilles due

As Hector claims; but Hector was by birth

Mere man, and suckled at a woman's breast.

Not such Achilles; him a Goddess bore,

Whom I myself nourish'd, and on my lap

Fondled, and in due time to Peleus gave

In marriage, to a Chief beloved in heaven

Peculiarly; ye were yourselves, ye Gods!

Partakers of the nuptial feast, and thou

Wast present also with thine harp in hand,

Thou comrade of the vile! thou faithless ever!

Notes on the current edition

Iliad

1. Shame, as Cowper gives it, is “man's blessing or his curse;” “his blessing,” says his note on the passage, “if he is properly influenced by it; his curse in its consequences, if he is deaf to its dictates.” Hesiod borrows Homer's words in his Works and Days, B. i. 316.

New Alexandria Commentaries

Douglas Frame

analysis of the significance of nóos and néomai in the speech of Diomedes

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analysis of the significance of nóos and néomai in the speech of Diomedes

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brief analysis of the importance of ‘returning’ in this scene

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cited as evidence for the well recognized notion that Priam’s ransom of Hector in Iliad XXIV is represented as a journey to the underworld and a consequent “return to life”

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reference to same lines in similar thematic connection in Il. XXIV.328

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reference to location and time (sunset) of Herme’s meeting with Priam, the tomb if Ilus. Indication of Priam’s ransom of Hector as a to the underworld and consequent ‘return to life’ [MRBTP: 'ff']

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quoted and translated; analysis of the role of nóos in the encounter between Priam and Hermes

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quoted and translated; analysis of the role of nóos in the encounter between Priam and Hermes

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quoted and translated; analysis of the role of nóos in the encounter between Priam and Hermes

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quoted and translated; analysis of the role of nóos in the encounter between Priam and Hermes

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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.

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In the speech of Apollo here, Ι.24.032–054, there is a compressed retelling of unseemly deeds committed by Achilles. At Ι.24.050–052, the god condemns especially the violence of Achilles, and he points to the hero’s dragging the corpse of Hector, I.24.050–052, around the sēma ‘tomb’ of Patroklos, I.24.051. In this context of condemning the hero’s violence, the god compares him to a ravenous lion at I.24.041–043. The wild beast is driven by its wild instincts, described here as its biē ‘force, violence, strength’ and its thūmos ‘heart’, I.24.042, as it lunges to devour the sheep that it is attacking, and here the word dais ‘portion (of meat)’ is used in referring to the meat of its prey, I.24.43. There is an irony here in the use of the word dais, since this word is closely connected to stories about Achilles: see the comments on I.07.319–322, I.19.044, I.19.179–180. The picturing of a ravenous lion that is lunging for the meat of its prey is comparable to the use of the word sōma at I.03.023 and I.18.161: what is pictured in both these contexts is a carcass that is being devoured by a ravenous lion that holds on to it and won’t let go. Here is what I said about such contexts in Point 6 of the anchor comment for I.23.184–191: for wild animals, the sōma is something that must be saved for devouring, while for humans the sōma is something that must be saved from being devoured by wild animals. See also the comment on I.22.346–348, where I analyze other comparisons of Achilles to lions.

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evidence for Zenodotus’ alternate reading οἰωνοῖσι τε δαῖτα (Athenaeus Epitome 12f) at Il. I.5

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In the speech of Hērā here, Ι.24.055–063, we see a reference to a primal story that is connected to the Judgment of Paris. It is the story about the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the mortal and immortal parents-to-be of Achilles. As we read in the plot-summary of the Cypria in Proclus 102.13–19 (ed. Allen 1912), there was eris ‘strife’ at the feast celebrating the marriage of Thetis and Peleus. It was the Will of Zeus that Eris ‘Strife’ personified would bring about a neikos ‘quarrel’ among the gods that would ultimately result in the Trojan War (Proclus 102.14/15 on Eris/neikos). Hērā notes that even Apollo attended the wedding, singing at the feast, Ι.24.062–063.

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In the speech of Zeus here, Ι.24.064–076, an elaborate plan leads to a most elaborate plot for the conclusion of the Iliad.

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Köhnken’s argument for inclusion of Odysseus in the dual construction preceding I.09.192, citing this passage and criticism of it

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On this expression, see the comment at O.01.342.

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Zeus tells Thetis to tell Achilles that the gods are angry at him and want him to release to Priam the body of Hector. In this case, the Will of Zeus becomes an unambiguous moral force for the maintenance of ritual correctness in the post-heroic age.

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Thetis conveys the Will of Zeus to her son. Her role here in Iliad 24 is symmetrical with her role in Iliad 1.

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See the anchor comment at O.07.256.

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See the anchor comment at O.07.256.

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In speaking to Priam, the god Hermes disguises himself as a therapōn of Achilles. It is as if he were the spirit of the dead Patroklos, the other self of Achilles himself.

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See again the comment on I.24.393.

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Leonard Muellner

analysis of Apollo’s words on Achilles as echoing earlier lines concerning persons whose actions incur mēnis

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comment on blood-relatives as more philoi than friends (as in this line) in the context of analyzing Ajax’s speech to Achilles in I.09, assuming that friends are more valuable than blood-relatives

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Achilles’ apparent continuing of his antisocial behavior and refusal to let go after losing and mourning someone philos (comparison with situation in I.09.) vs. his immediate acquiescence to Thetis’ request (from Zeus)

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comment of the workings of the principle of closure in the Iliad (esp. I.24), here regarding the Marriage of Peleus and Thetis

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analysis of philotēs and timē going together with this passage as an example [MRBTP: 'ff']

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analysis of Thetis’ speech to Achilles for the three things (food, sex, and death) that are central to his philotēs/solidarity with his fellow humans

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analysis of Achilles’ decision to ransom Hektor as a reconfirmation of his solidarity with Zeus

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analysis of the language affirming the rules of reciprocal exchange in Achilles’ ransoming Hektor/receiving Priam (Zeus’ words), with particular comment on endukeōs

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analysis of thuoskoos as not a particularly prestigious occupation, in the context of analyzing Odysseus’ response to Leodes in O.22.321

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postulation of the preservation, only in connection with Hector, of a phrase which might have once been hieratic (posis eukhomai/Vedic pátir … ohase), in the context of the analysis of the development of Greek posis compared with Vedic pati-

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in a list of passages with eukhesthai + infinitive (aorist)

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analysis of the attestations of eukhesthai + aorist infinitive (and the series to which this verse belongs)

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analysis of the traditionality of the collocation of eukhesthai and spendein

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analysis of the ambiguity in the meaning of eukhesthai in this verse (‘make a wish,’ ‘pledge, promise,’ ‘boast’), discussion of Benveniste’s analysis of the collocations of spendein and eukhesthai

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analysis of the versatility of poetic technique to report prayers (invocation, grant of favor, request of favor)

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analysis of the section I of the classification of the attestations of eukhesthai + dative (consistent inflection but apparently irregular metrical position of eukhesthai)

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in a list of examples of eukhesthai + dative (sacral)

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analysis of the development of the meaning of Latin spendō, in the context of analyzing the development of uoueō/eukhesthai

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example of a transformation of the themes in a prayer, in the context of the analysis of composition by theme in prayers, which can be amplified or minimized according to circumstances

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comment on eukhomenos and epos being traditionally and syntactically bound together, despite the separate existence of epos ēuda# as in this verse

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example of a transformation of the themes in a prayer, in the context of the analysis of composition by theme in prayers, which can be amplified or minimized according to circumstances

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comment on overlap between Hermes and Athena (here, Athena’s wearing Hermes’ sandals), in the context of analyzing her reminding of Hermes in O.13.221ff.

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comparison of Greek formulas for asking a person’s identity with Avestan and Indic parallels, as well as genos eukhesthai einai formulas

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comparison of Greek formulas for asking a person’s identity with Avestan and Indic parallels, as well as genos eukhesthai einai formulas

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Richard Martin

Zeus' directive for Thetis to transmit to Achilles (24.75) is the third of four instances of pukinon epos in the Iliad (7.375, 11.788, 24.75, 24.744). When applied to speech, the adjective pukinon carries the sense of language that is dense with meaning and filled with urgency (Martin 1993:35).

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The address that Hekabe makes to Priam as he leaves for Achilles' tent is explicitly presented in the language of lament ("she wailed [kōkusen], and answered with a muthos," 24.200). The speech starts with desperate rebukes of Priam's folly in going—a tone comparable to Andromakhe's lament at 24.743-45, chiding Hektor for not consoling her. Even more explicit is the call for others to join in her mourning, a theme found in Greek lament tradition. Hekabe concludes with a dramatization of her anger and grief: she could eat the liver of Achilles; only such violence would offer requital. In sum, the speech laments both her son, now dead, and her husband, whom she does not expect to see alive again (Martin 1993:87-88).

Given the male, heroic in-group orientation of the word muthos and its association with powerful self-presentation, it would seem to be a social taboo for women to employ this kind of speech. But both Hekabe and Helen, who also addresses Priam with a muthos at 3.166-80, are in fact enacting laments in the speeches labeled with this word. They fulfill an expected performance role, using a recognized genre of muthos as memory, but they are presented as doing so at unexpected times, to create dramatic effect (Martin 1993:87).

Helen's use is equally marked. When Priam on the wall asks her to name a hero below (3.166), she delays this identification and in her reply uses the language of lament, recalling her former home and wishing she had died when she followed Paris to Troy (3.171-80). The poet's use of the line Τὸν δ' Ελένη μύθοισιν ἀμείβετο, δῖα γυναικῶν keys an audience by the use of the word muthos to a graceful enactment of desire in the context of lament (Martin 1993:88).

These lamentations by Helen and Hekabe fulfill the conditions for performance found throughout the analysis of the three muthos genres: they are acts of self-presentation with an emphasis on extension and detail, in a public setting. It is, as well, the genre of lament in the context of larger memories that finally unites Achilles in thought with Priam and effects the closure of the Iliad, both men remembering their losses (Martin 1993:87).

References

Martin, R. P. 1993. The Language of Heroes: Speech and Performance in the Iliad. Ithaca.

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Zeus' full divine rhetoric shows itself in the muthos he makes to Thetis at 24.104-19. The subservience of the other Olympians emerges in details that contrast with the scene in Book 1: Hera serves Thetis now, instead of being a distant dissenter (contrast Hephaistos' service to her at 1.585-94). Zeus begins gently, recalling Thetis' anguish, something he himself knows. If the audience has been prepared to accept Zeus' sympathy as authentic, they have also been privileged to hear his earlier motives for summoning Thetis: he cannot let Hermes steal the corpse because the nymph is night and day beside her son (24.71-73), so he must convince her to persuade Achilles. When Zeus faces Thetis, he explains his motives much differently: "They urge the keen-sighted slayer of Argos to steal, but I grant this glory to Achilles, keeping safe your respect and affection in later time" (24.109-10). The audience is left wondering which version is more like the truth—who is being kept in the dark, Hera or Thetis? This is a paradigm for heroic rhetoric as well: through the depiction of muthos speeches among the gods, Homer illustrates the role of politic fiction in the poetics of power (Martin 1993:58-59).

For the ideal of Zeus' muthos commands, see the comment on Iliad 8.5-27.

References

Martin, R. P. 1993. The Language of Heroes: Speech and Performance in the Iliad. Ithaca.

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Homer Iliad 24.22

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