PRIAM PETITIONS ACHILLES FOR THE BODY OF HIS SON.;
FROM THE GREEK OF HOMER.
LD man, a god hath hither | As when a man, by cruel fate pursued,
been thy guide:
In his own land hath shed another's blood,
Hermes I am, and sent to And, flying, seeks beneath some wealthy house
A foreign refuge, wondering, all behold,
Father of all, to bring thee On godlike Priam so with wonder gazed
Achilles; wonder seized th' attendants all,
I now return, nor to Achilles' And one to other looked. Then Priam thus
To Peleus' son his
his suppliant speech ad-
dressed :
eyes
Will I appear:
not a god
To greet a mortal in the sight "Think, great Achilles, rival of the gods,
of all. But go thou in and clasp Achilles' knees, And supplicate him for his father's sake, His fair-haired mother's and his child's, that so Thy words may stir an answer in his heart." stir an answer in his heart."
Thus saying, Hermes to Olympus' heights
Returned; and Priam from his chariot sprang,
And left Idæus there, in charge to keep
The horses and the mules, while he himself
Entered the dwelling straight where wont to
Achilles, loved of heaven. The chief he found
Within, his followers seated all apart;
Two only in his presence ministered,
The brave Automedon and Alcimus,
A warrior bold; scarce ended the repast
Of food and wine; the table still was set.
Great Priam entered unperceived of all,
And, standing by Achilles, with his arms
Embraced his knees, and kissed those fearful
hands,
Upon thy father, e'en as I myself
Upon the threshold of unjoyous age;
And haply he from them that dwell around
May suffer wrong, with no protector near
To give him aid; yet he, rejoicing, knows
That thou still livst, and day by day may
To see his son returning safe from Troy;
While I, all hapless, that have many sons-
The best and bravest through the breadth of
Begotten, deem that none are left me now.
Fifty there were when came the sons of
Greece,
Nineteen the offspring of a single womb;
The rest the women of my household bore.
Of these have many by relentless Mars
Been laid in dust; but he, my only one,
The city's and his brethren's sole defence-
He, bravely fighting in his country's cause,
Hector, but lately by thy hand hath fall'n.
On his behalf I venture to approach
Blood-stained, which many of his sons had The Grecian ships; for his release to thee
To make my prayer, and priceless ransom pay.
Then thou, Achilles, reverence the gods,
And for thy father's sake look pitying down
On me, more needing pity, since I bear
Such grief as never man on earth hath
borne,
Who stoop to kiss the hand that slew my
Thus, as he spoke, within Achilles' breast
Fond mem'ry of his father rose; he touched
The old man's hand and gently put him by.
Then wept they both, by various mem'ries
stirred:
One, prostrate at Achilles' feet, bewailed
His warrior son; Achilles for his sire
And for Patroclus wept-his comrade dear;
And through the house their weeping loud
was heard.
But when Achilles had indulged his grief And eased the yearning of his heart and limbs,
Uprising, with his hand the aged sire,
Pitying his hoary head and hoary beard,
He raised, and thus with gentle words ad-
dressed:
To live in woe, while they from cares are free.
Two coffers lie beside the door of Jove
With gifts for man-one good, the other ill
To whom from each the lord of lightning
gives,
Him sometimes evil, sometimes good, befalls;
To whom the ill alone, him foul disgrace
And grinding misery o'er the earth pursue:
By god and man alike despised he roams.
Thus from his birth the gods to Peleus gave
Excellent gifts; with wealth and substance
blessed
Above his fellows; o'er the Myrmidons
He ruled with sovereign sway; and Heaven
bestowed
On him, a mortal, an immortal bride.
Yet this of ill was mingled in his lot-
That in his house no rising race he saw
Of future kings; one only son he had—
One doomed to early death. Nor is it
To tend my father's age, but far from home
Thee and thy sons in Troy I vex with war.
Much have we heard, too, of thy former
wealth;
Alas, what sorrows, poor old man, are Above what Lesbos northward, Macar's thine!
How couldst thou venture to the Grecian Contains, and Upper Phrygia, and the shores
To whom in answer Priam, godlike sire:
Tell me not yet, illustrious chief, to sit
While Hector lies uncared for in the tent,
But let me quickly go, that with mine
I may behold my son; and thou accept
The ample treasures which we tender thee:
Mayst thou enjoy them and in safety reach
Thy native land, since thou hast spared my
life
Then led the herald of the old man in
And bade him sit, and from the polished
The costly ransom took of Hector's head. Two robes they left, and one well-woven vest,
To clothe the corpse and send with honor home.
Then to the female slaves he gave command And bidst me still behold the light of To wash the body and anoint with oil
To whom Achilles thus with stern regard :
"Old man, incense me not; I mean myself
To give thee back thy son, for here of late,
Despatched by Jove, my goddess-mother
The daughter of the aged ocean-god;
And thee too, Priam, well I know some god-
I cannot err-hath guided to our ships:
No mortal, though in venturous youth, would
dare
Apart, that Priam might not see his son, Lest his grieved heart its passion unrestrained Should utter, and Achilles, roused to wrath, His suppliant slay and Jove's command transgress.
When they had washed the body, and with oil
Anointed, and around it wrapped the robe
And vest, Achilles lifted up the dead
With his own hands and laid him on the
couch,
Which to the polished wain his followers raised.
Our camp to enter, nor could hope to pass
Unnoticed by the watch, nor easily
Remove the ponderous bar that guards our Then, groaning, on his friend by name he
doors.
But stir not up my anger in my grief,
"Forgive, Patroclus; be not wroth with me Lest, suppliant though thou be, within my If in the realm of darkness thou shouldst
I brook thee not and Jove's command trans- That godlike Hector to his father's arms,
He said; the old man trembled and obeyed. A fitting share for thee I set aside."
Then to the doorway with a lion's spring
Achilles rushed; not unaccompanied :
With him Automedon and Alcimus,
His two attendants of his followers all
Next to the lost Patroclus best-esteemed;
They from the yoke the mules and horses
loosed,
This said, Achilles to the tent returned;
On the carved couch from whence he rose he
Beside the wall, and thus to Priam spoke :
"Old man, thy son, according to thy prayer, Is given thee back; upon the couch he lies; Thyself shalt see him at the dawn of day.
Meanwhile, the evening meal demands our
Not fair-haired Niobe abstained from food
And I desire what I have long desired—
Rest, only rest.
When in the house her children lay in 'Tis hard to toil, when toil is almost vain,
death-
In barren ways;
Six beauteous daughters and six stalwart 'Tis hard to sow, and never garner grain
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