Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE ILIAD: BOOK 6. HEKTOR AND ANDROMACHE, by HOMER


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE ILIAD: BOOK 6. HEKTOR AND ANDROMACHE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Hektor turned / back from his house with speed
Last Line: Went home, shedding hot tears.
Subject(s): Mythology - Classical; Trojan War


Hektor turn'd
Back from his house with speed, by the same way
Thro' the fair-builded streets, across the town,
And so to the Skaian Gates wherethro' he must go
Out to the plain; and there his fruitful wife
Came running to him, even Andromache
Daughter of Eetion of the mighty heart,
Who under leafy Plakos used to dwell,
In Thebe below Plakos: he was King
Of the Kilikians, and mail-clad Hektor had
His daughter to wife. She came to meet him now,
And with her came her woman, who on her breast
Had the young child, the tender innocent,
Hektor's beloved, beautiful as a star,
Whom he had nam'd Skamander, but the rest
Called Astyanax, seeing his father alone
Was saviour of Troy. And Hektor smiled and lookt,
Saying nothing; but Andromache stood
Close to him weeping, and took his hand in hers
And spake to him, saying, 'Lord, this might of thine
Destroys thee. Pity him, thy little child,
And me the unhappy, thy widow very soon.
For very soon the Greeks will set on thee
And slay thee; better then that I were laid
Under the earth if thou wert gone, for then
There would be no more joy, but only sorrow
For me, if thou should'st die. Father nor mother
Have I now. Great Achilles slew my father
When he laid waste the many-peopled town,
High-gated Thebe of the Kilikians.
And there he slew Eetion, but forebore
To spoil him, for of that he was ashamed,
So burn'd him in his wrought harness, and rais'd
A barrow over him where all about
The Oreads, children of Zeus, made elm-trees grow.
I had seven brothers within our house,
And these too on that same day were sent down
To the house of Hell, when Achilles the swift-footed
Slew all of them among the shambling kine
And woolly flocks. Then with the other spoil
He brought my mother here, my mother, a queen
Once under leafy Plakos, but let her go
Presently for great ransom. And then she fell
Struck in her father's house by Artemis
The Huntress. Hektor, so it is thou art
Father, mother, brother, as well as lord
And loving husband to me. Pity me now
And stay here on the tower for fear to make
The child an orphan and a widow of me!
And bid our people stand by the fig-tree,
There where the city may be entered best,
And where the wall lies weakest to assault.
Three times the best of them have made essay
At that point with the Aiantes and renown'd
Idomeneus, and Atreus's two sons,
And the great son of Tydeus, as if some man
Skill'd in soothsay had given word of it,
Or their own wit had led them find it out.'
Then said great Hektor of the gleaming mail,
'Wife, all these things are heavy on my soul,
But I have terrible fear to be ashamed
Before the Trojans and their long-robed wives
If I should be a coward and shirk the war.
That my heart will not suffer. I have learn'd
Nobility, ever to be the first
Fighting among the Trojans, for to win
Fame for my father and myself. And yet
I know this very well, the day shall come
When holy Troy shall fall, Priam shall fall,
And the people of Priam of the goodly spear;
But not the Trojans' grief that is to come
Afflicts me, nor yet Hekabe's, nor yet
King Priam's grief, not yet my brothers' grief,
The many and brave who must lie in the dust
Before their enemies, so much as thine
When some mail'd Greek shall take thee wailing away
And reive thy freedom from thee, and set thee down
In Argos, to some other woman's loom,
Or water-carrying from Messeis belike
Or Hypereia under harsh duress
Driven by heavy need. Then, seeing thy tears,
Some one may say, "This woman was the wife
Of Hektor, once the first man in the battle
Of the horse-taming Trojans when men fought
Round about Troy." So thou wilt hear them say,
And weep again for need of such a man
As I was to keep off the day of chains.
May I be dead and the earth heapt on me
Before I hear thee cry and know thee a slave.'
So saying, noble Hektor opened his arms
To take the child, but whimpering he held back
Upon the breast of his fair-girdled nurse,
Afraid to see his father look so grim,
Afraid of the mail and nodding dreadful crest
Topping his helm. His father and mother laught,
And then Hektor took off his helm and laid it
Shining upon the ground, and kist his son,
And lift him in his arms, praying the while
To Zeus and all the Gods, 'Zeus, all ye Gods,
Grant to this child of mine that he may be
Even as his father, excellent in Troy,
As brave as he, a mighty king in Troy,
So that men say who see him coming home
From battle-faring, "This was a better man
Than even his father was." Grant him the spoils
Of war, grant him to slay his enemy,
And make his mother glad because of him.'
So said, he put the child back in the arms
Of his dear wife who in her fragrant breast
Received him, smiling in the midst of tears;
Which pitying he saw, and stroked her cheek,
Speaking again to her. 'Let not thy heart
Be too much troubled, my love; there is no man
Shall drive me down to Hell against my fate.
But who shall avoid his fate, once he is born,
Coward or high of heart? Now hie thee home,
Set-to at loom or distaff, busy thyself,
And bid thy maids be busy. As for war,
That is the men's affair: and it is mine
Chiefest of all in Troy.'
Having so said,
Great Hektor took his plumed helm, and she,
His gentle wife, with many a backward look
Went home, shedding hot tears.





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