Book 18 (26) A black cloud of grief enwrapped Achilles, and with both his hands he took the dark dust [25] and strewed it over his head and defiled his fair face, and on his fragrant tunic the black ashes fell. And himself in the dust lay outstretched,

1
Book 18 (26) A black cloud of grief enwrapped
Achilles, and with both his hands he took the
dark dust 25 and strewed it over his head and
defiled his fair face, and on his fragrant tunic
the black ashes fell. And himself in the dust lay
outstretched, mighty in his mightiness, and with
his own hands he tore and marred his hair. And
the handmaidens, that Achilles and Patroclus had
got them as booty, shrieked aloud in anguish of
heart, 30 and ran forth around wise-hearted
Achilles, and all beat their breasts with their
hands, and the knees of each one were loosed
beneath her.
2
(86) Your wish has been brought to pass for you
75 by Zeus, as before you prayed, stretching
forth your hands, even that one and all the sons
of the Achaeans should be huddled at the sterns
of the ships in sore need of you, and should
suffer cruel things.(105) 91 For neither does
my heart bid me live on and abide among men,
unless Hector first, smitten by my spear, shall
lose his life, and pay back what he made spoil of
Patroclus.(133) These things will we let be as
past and done, for all our pain, curbing the
heart in our breasts, because we must. But now
will I go forth that I may attack the slayer of
the man I loved, 115 even on Hector for my
fate, I will accept it when Zeus will bring it to
pass, and the other immortal gods. For not even
the mighty Heracles escaped death, although he
was most dear to Zeus, son of Cronos, the king,
but fate overcame him, and the dread wrath of
Hera. 120 So also shall I, if a like fate
awaits me, lie low when I am dead.
3
(387) But now, Patroclus, seeing that I shall
pass beneath the earth after you, I will not give
you burial till I have brought here the armour
and the head of Hector, 335 your slayer, my
noble friend and of twelve glorious sons of the
Trojans will I cut the throats before your pyre
in my wrath (cholos) at your death.
4
Hephaestus (460) Truly then a dread and honoured
goddess is within my halls, 395 she that saved
me when pain came upon me after I had fallen afar
through the will of my shameless mother, who
wanted to hide me away by reason of my lameness.
Then I would have suffered woes in heart, had not
Eurynome and Thetis received me into their bosom
Eurynome, daughter of backward-flowing Oceanus.
400 With them then for nine years' space I
forged much cunning handiwork
5
Shield of Herakles(580) The folk were gathered
in the place of assembly for there a strife had
arisen, and two men were striving about the
blood-price of a slain man the one avowed to pay
all, 500 declaring his cause to the people, but
the other refused to accept anything and each
wanted to refer the issue to an arbiter.
Moreover, the folk were cheering both, showing
favour to this side and to that. And heralds held
back the folk, and the elders were sitting upon
polished stones in the sacred circle, 505
holding in their hands the staves of the
loud-voiced heralds. Therewith then would they
spring up and give judgment, each in turn. And in
the midst lay two talents of gold, to be given to
him whoever among them should utter the most
righteous judgement.ekphrasis
6
590 Therein furthermore the famed god of the
two strong arms cunningly wrought a dancing-floor
like the one in wide Cnossus that Daedalus
fashioned of old for fair-tressed Ariadne. There
were youths dancing and maidens of the price of
many cattle, holding their hands upon the wrists
one of the other. 595 Of these the maidens were
clad in fine linen, while the youths wore
well-woven tunics faintly glistening with oil
and the maidens had fair chaplets, and the youths
had daggers of gold hanging from silver baldrics.
Now would they run round with cunning feet 600
exceeding lightly, as when a potter sits by his
wheel that is fitted between his hands and makes
trial of it whether it will run and now again
would they run in rows toward each other. And a
great company stood around the lovely dance,
taking joy therein 605 and two tumblers
whirled up and down through the midst of them as
leaders in the dance.
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Book 22 (124) But now, seeing I have brought
the host to ruin in my blind folly, 105 I have
shame of the Trojans, and the Trojans' wives with
trailing robes, if perhaps some baser man may
say Hector, trusting in his own might, brought
ruin on the host. So will they say but for me
it would be better by far to meet Achilles man to
man and slay him, and so get home, 110 or
myself perish gloriously before the city.
9
The chase(188) Thereby they ran, one fleeing,
and one pursuing. In front a good man fled, but
one mightier far pursued him swiftly for it was
not for beast of sacrifice or for bull's hide
160 that they strove, such as are men's prizes
for swiftness of foot, but it was for the life of
horse-taming Hector that they ran. And as when
single-hoofed horses that are winners of prizes
course swiftly about the turning-points, and some
great prize is set forth, a tripod haply or a
woman, in honour of a warrior that is dead 165
even so these twain circled three times with
swift feet about the city of Priam and all the
gods gazed upon them. (248) But when for the
fourth time they were come to the springs, then
the Father lifted on high his golden scales,
210 and set therein two fates of grievous
death, one for Achilles, and one for horse-taming
Hector then he grasped the balance by the midst
and raised it and down sank the day of doom of
Hector, and departed unto Hades and Phoebus
Apollo left him.
10
(309) 260 Then with an angry glance from
beneath his brows Achilles, swift of foot, spoke
to him Hector, talk not to me, you madman, of
covenants. As between lions and men there are no
oaths of faith, nor do wolves and lambs have
hearts of concord but are evil-minded continually
one against the other, 265 even so is it not
possible for you and me to be friends, neither
shall there be oaths between us till one or the
other shall have fallen.
11
(350) And Hector knew all in his heart, and
spoke, saying This is the end. The gods have
called me to my death. For I deemed that the
warrior Deiphobus was at hand, but he is within
the wall, and Athene has beguiled me. 300 Now
is evil death near, and no more far from me,
neither is there way of escape. So of old was it
the pleasure of Zeus, and of the son of Zeus, the
god that smites afar, even of them that formerly
used to help me with ready hearts but now has my
doom come upon me. No, but not without a struggle
let me die, neither ingloriously, 305 but in
the working of some great deed for the hearing of
men that are yet to be.(419) I know you well,
and anticipate what will be, neither was it to be
that I should persuade you truly the heart in
your breast is of iron. Think now in case I bring
the wrath of the gods upon you on the day when
Paris and Phoebus Apollo shall slay you, 360
great though you are, at the Scaean gate.
12
Book 24(26) Thus Achilles in his fury did foul
despite to 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 to all
the rest, yet not to Hera or Poseidon or the
flashing-eyed maiden, but they continued just as
when at first sacred Ilium became hateful in
their eyes and Priam and his folk, because of the
folly (atê) of Alexander, for he put reproach
upon those goddesses when they came to his
choice, 30 and gave precedence to her who
furthered his fatal lustfulness.
13
(592) In Achilles he roused desire to weep for
his father and he took the old man by the hand,
and gently put him beside him. So the two thought
of their dead, and wept the one for man-slaying
Hector wept sore, 510 while he huddled 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.
14
Achilles(615) For two urns are set upon the
floor of Zeus of gifts that he gives, the one of
ills, the other of blessings. To whomsoever Zeus,
that hurls the thunderbolt, gives a mingled lot,
530 that man meets now with evil, now with
good . . . Even so to 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 And also upon him the gods
brought evil, in that there hardly sprang up in
his halls offspring of princely sons, but he had
one only son, doomed to an untimely fate. Neither
may I tend him as he grows old, seeing that far,
far from my own country I abide in the land of
Troy, vexing you and your children.
15
(707) But for this present let us bethink us of
supper. For even the fair-haired Niobe bethought
her of meat, although twelve children perished in
her halls, six daughters and six lusty sons.
605 The sons Apollo slew with shafts from his
silver bow, being angry at Niobe, and the
daughters the archer Artemis, for Niobe had
matched her with fair-cheeked Leto, saying that
the goddess had borne but two, while she herself
was mother to many wherefore they, for all they
were but two, destroyed them all. 610 For nine
days' space they lay in their blood, nor was
there any to bury them, for the son of Cronos
turned the folk to stones then on the tenth day
the gods of heaven buried them and Niobe thought
of meat, for she was wearied with the shedding of
tears. And now somewhere amid the rocks, on the
lonely mountains, 615 on Sipylus, where, men
say, are the couching-places of goddesses, even
of the nymphs that range swiftly in the dance
about Achelous, there, although a stone, she
broods over her woes sent by the gods. But come,
let us two likewise, noble old sire, think of
meat.
16
(776) 660 If you indeed are willing that I
accomplish for goodly Hector his burial, then in
doing this, O Achilles, act according to my wish.
You know how we are pent within the city, and far
is it to fetch wood from the mountain, and the
Trojans are sore afraid. 665 For nine days'
space will we wail for him in our halls, and on
the tenth will we make his funeral, and the folk
shall feast, and on the eleventh will we heap a
barrow over him, and on the twelfth will we do
battle, if so be we must.Thus shall this also
be aged Priam, even as you would have it 670
for I will hold back the battle for such time as
you bid.
17
Andromache to Astyanax(862) And you, my child,
will follow with me to a place where you will
labour at unseemly tasks, toiling before the face
of some ungentle master, or else some Achaean
shall seize you by the arm 735 and hurl you
from the wall, a woeful death, being angry
because Hector perhaps slew his brother, or his
father, or his son, since many Achaeans at the
hands of Hector have bitten the vast earth with
their teeth for hardly gentle was your father in
woeful war.
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