GCSE Greek 25-26: Homer, Iliad VI (Verse B)

Cover

370-380

Greek

370-380
αἶψα δ’ ἔπειθ’ ἵκανε δόμους εὖ ναιετάοντας, 370
οὐδ’ εὗρ’ Ἀνδρομάχην λευκώλενον ἐν μεγάροισιν,
ἀλλ’ ἥ γε ξὺν παιδὶ καὶ ἀμφιπόλῳ ἐϋπέπλῳ
πύργῳ ἐφεστήκει γοόωσά τε μυρομένη τε.
Ἕκτωρ δ’ ὡς οὐκ ἔνδον ἀμύμονα τέτμεν ἄκοιτιν
ἔστη ἐπ’ οὐδὸν ἰών, μετὰ δὲ δμῳῇσιν ἔειπεν· 375
‘εἰ δ’ ἄγε μοι, δμῳαί, νημερτέα μυθήσασθε·
πῇ ἔβη Ἀνδρομάχη λευκώλενος ἐκ μεγάροιο;
ἠέ πῃ ἐς γαλόων ἢ εἰνατέρων ἐϋπέπλων
ἢ ἐς Ἀθηναίης ἐξοίχεται, ἔνθα περ ἄλλαι
Τρῳαὶ ἐϋπλόκαμοι δεινὴν θεὸν ἱλάσκονται;’ 380

PerseusParallel

370-380
Then he came swiftly to his well-founded house,
and he did not find white-armed Andromache in the halls,
But she, in fact, with her child and beautifully-robed servant
Was standing on the tower, both weeping and shedding tears.
But Hector, when he did not find his excellent wife indoors,
went and stood on the threshold and spoke with the slave-women:
“Come now, slave-women, tell me the truth,
To where has white armed Andromache gone from the hall?
Perhaps she has gone out somewhere to one of her husband’s sisters or the beautifully-robed wives of her husband’s brothers?
Or has she gone out to the temple of Athena where the other
lovely-haired Trojan women are appeasing the terrible goddess?”

381-398

Greek

381-398
τὸν δ’ αὖτ’ ὀτρηρὴ ταμίη πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν·
‘ Ἕκτορ, ἐπεὶ μάλ’ ἄνωγας ἀληθέα μυθήσασθαι,
οὔτέ πῃ ἐς γαλόων οὔτ’ εἰνατέρων ἐϋπέπλων
οὔτ’ ἐς Ἀθηναίης ἐξοίχεται, ἔνθά περ ἄλλαι
Τρῳαὶ ἐϋπλόκαμοι δεινὴν θεὸν ἱλάσκονται, 385
ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ πύργον ἔβη μέγαν Ἰλίου, οὕνεκ’ ἄκουσε
τείρεσθαι Τρῶας, μέγα δὲ κράτος εἶναι Ἀχαιῶν.
ἣ μὲν δὴ πρὸς τεῖχος ἐπειγομένη ἀφικάνει
μαινομένῃ ἐϊκυῖα· φέρει δ’ ἅμα παῖδα τιθήνη.’
ἦ ῥα γυνὴ ταμίη, ὃ δ ’ ἀπέσσυτο δώματος Ἕκτωρ 390
τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν αὖτις ἐϋκτιμένας κατ’ ἀγυιάς.
εὖτε πύλας ἵκανε διερχόμενος μέγα ἄστυ
Σκαιάς, τῇ ἄρ ’ ἔμελλε διεξίμεναι πεδίονδε,
ἔνθ’ ἄλοχος πολύδωρος ἐναντίη ἦλθε θέουσα
Ἀνδρομάχη, θυγάτηρ μεγαλήτορος Ἠετίωνος, 395
Ἠετίων, ὃς ἔναιεν ὑπὸ Πλάκῳ ὑληέσσῃ,
Θήβῃ Ὑποπλακίῃ, Κιλίκεσσ’ ἄνδρεσσιν ἀνάσσων·
τοῦ περ δὴ θυγάτηρ ἔχεθ’ Ἕκτορι χαλκοκορυστῇ.

PerseusParallel

381-398
Then the busy housekeeper addressed him in reply: ‘Hector, since you have ordered me firmly to tell the truth, she has not gone to any of the houses of her husband’s sisters or the beautifully-robed wives of her husband’s brothers, nor to the temple of Athena, where the other lovely-haired Trojan women are appeasing the terrible goddess, but she has gone to the great tower of Ilium, because she heard that the Trojans were being pressed hard, and that the might of the Achaeans was great. Indeed, hastening to the wall, she has arrived there like a mad woman; and a nurse is carrying her child with her.’ So spoke the lady housekeeper, and Hector sped away from the house back again along the same route down the well-built streets. When going through the great city he came to the Scaean Gates, by which he intended in fact to go out through to the plain, there his richly-dowered wife came running to meet him, Andromache, the daughter of great-hearted Eetion, Eetion who dwelt under wooded Placus in Thebe-under-Placus, ruling over the Cilician people; It was his daughter who was married to bronze-helmeted Hector.

399-413

Greek

399-413
ἥ οἱ ἔπειτ’ ἤντησ’, ἅμα δ’ ἀμφίπολος κίεν αὐτῇ
παῖδ’ ἐπὶ κόλπῳ ἔχουσ’ ἀταλάφρονα, νήπιον αὔτως, 400
Ἑκτορίδην ἀγαπητόν, ἀλίγκιον ἀστέρι καλῷ,
τόν ῥ’ Ἕκτωρ καλέεσκε Σκαμάνδριον, αὐτὰρ οἱ ἄλλοι
Ἀστυάνακτ’· οἶος γὰρ ἐρύετο Ἴλιον Ἕκτωρ.
ἤτοι ὃ μὲν μείδησεν ἰδὼν ἐς παῖδα σιωπῇ·
Ἀνδρομάχη δέ οἱ ἄγχι παρίστατο δάκρυ χέουσα, 405
ἔν τ’ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρὶ ἔπος τ’ ἔφατ’ ἔκ τ’ ὀνόμαζε·
‘δαιμόνιε, φθίσει σε τὸ σὸν μένος, οὐδ’ ἐλεαίρεις
παῖδά τε νηπίαχον καὶ ἔμ’ ἄμμορον, ἣ τάχα χήρη
σεῦ ἔσομαι· τάχα γάρ σε κατακτανέουσιν Ἀχαιοὶ
πάντες ἐφορμηθέντες· ἐμοὶ δέ κε κέρδιον εἴη 410
σεῦ ἀφαμαρτούσῃ χθόνα δύμεναι· οὐ γὰρ ἔτ’ ἄλλη
ἔσται θαλπωρή, ἐπεὶ ἂν σύ γε πότμον ἐπίσπῃς,
ἀλλ’ ἄχε’· οὐδέ μοι ἔστι πατὴρ καὶ πότνια μήτηρ.

PerseusParallel

399-413
She met him then, and together with her
came a servant holding the innocent child to her bosom, just a baby,
the beloved son of Hector, like a beautiful star,
whom indeed Hector used to call Scamandrios, but the others
Astyanax; for Hector alone was defending Ilium.
Indeed, looking at his son in silence, he smiled;
But Andromache stood beside him, nearby, shedding a tear,
and she clung then to his hand and spoke out and addressed him,
“Noble sir, your own strength will destroy you and you do not pity
Either your infant son or me, ill-fated, who will soon be bereaved of you;
for soon the Achaeans will kill you,
Having all attacked you; but for me it would be better
to go down into the earth when I have lost you; for no longer
will there be any other comfort, when you indeed meet your fate,
but sorrows. For I have no father or lady mother.