ὡς ἔφαθ', οἳ δὲ διέστησαν, καὶ εἶξαν ἀπήνῃ:
οἱ δ' ἐπεὶ εἰσάγαγον κλυτὰ δώματα, τὸν μὲν ἔπειτα
τρητοῖς ἒν λεχέεσσι θέσαν: παρὰ δ' εἷσαν ἀοιδοὺς
θρήνους: ἐξάρχοὺς οἵ τε στονόεσσαν ἀοιδήν
οἱ μὲν ὰρ' άρ' ἐθρήνεον. ἐπὶ δὲ στενάχοντο γυναῖκες:
τῇσιν δ' Ἀνδρομάχῃ λευκώλενος ἦρχε γόοιο:
Ἕκτορος ἀνδροφόνοιο κάρη μετα χερσὶν ἔχουσα:
ἆνερ. ἀπ' αἰῶνος νέος ὤλεο: καδ δ’ έμε χήρην
λείπεις ἐν μεγάροισι: πάϊς δέ τε. νήπιος αὕτως
ὃν τέκομεν σύ τ' ἐγώ τε δυσάμμοροι: οὐδέ μιν οἴω
ἥβην ΐξεσθαι: πρὶν γὰρ πόλις ἥδε κατ' ἄκρης
πέρσεται: ῆ γὰρ όλωλας ἐπίσκοπος. ὅς τέ μιν αὐτὴν
ῥύσκευ, ἔχες δ' ἀλόχους κεδνὰς καὶ νήπια τέκνα:
αἳ δή τοι τάχα νηυσὶν ὀχήσονται γλαφυρῇσι:
καὶ μὲν ἐγὼ μετὰ τῇσι: σὺ δ' αὖ τέκος, ἢ ἐμοὶ αὐτῇ
ἕψεαι: ἔνθά κεν ἔργα, ἀεικέα ἐργάζοιο
ἀθλεύων προ ἄνακτος ἀμειλίχου. ἤ τις Ἀχαιῶν
ῥίψει χειρὸς ἑλὼν ἀπο πύργου λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον
χωόμενος. ᾧ δή που ἀδελφεὸν ἔκτανεν Ἕκτωρ.
ἢ πατέρ'. ἠὲ καὶ υἱὸν. ἐπεὶ μάλα πολλοὶ Ἀχαιῶν
Ἕκτορος ἐν παλάμῃσιν ὀδὰξ ἕλον ἄσπετον οῦδας.
οὐ γὰρ μείλιχος ἔσκε πατὴρ τεὸς ἐν δάϊ λυγρῇ:
τῶ καί μιν λαοὶ μὲν ὀδύρονται κατὰ ἄστυ,
ἀρητὸν δὲ τοκεῦσι γόον καὶ πένθος ἔθηκας
Ἕκτορ: ἐμοὶ δὲ μάλιστα λελείψεται ἄλγεα λυγρά:
οὐ γάρ μοι θνῄσκων. λεχέων ἐκ χεῖρας ὄρεξας.
οὐδε τί μοι εἶπες πυκινὸν ἔπος. οὗ τέ κεν αἰεὶ
μεμνήμην νύκτάς τε καὶ ἤματα δάκρυ χέουσα:
So spake he, and they stood apart and made way for the waggon. But the others, when they had brought him to the glorious house, laid him on a corded bedstead, and by his side set singers, leaders of the dirge, who led the song of lamentation—they chanted the dirge, and thereat the women made lament. And amid these white-armed Andromache led the wailing, holding in her arms the while the head of man-slaying Hector: "Husband, perished from out of life art thou, yet in thy youth, and leavest me a widow in thy halls; and thy son is still but a babe, the son born of thee and me in our haplessness; neither do I deem that he will come to manhood, for ere that shall this city be wasted utterly. For thou hast perished that didst watch thereover, thou that didst guard it, and keep safe its noble wives and little children. These, I ween, shall soon be riding upon the hollow ships, and I among them; and thou, my child, shalt follow with me to a place where thou shalt labour at unseemly tasks, toiling before the face of some ungentle master, or else some Achaean shall seize thee by the arm and hurl thee from the wall, a woeful death, being wroth for that Hector slew his brother haply, or his father, or his son, seeing that full many Achaeans at the hands of Hector have bitten the vast earth with their teeth; for nowise gentle was thy father in woeful war. Therefore the folk wail for him throughout the city, and grief unspeakable and sorrow hast thou brought upon thy parents, Hector; and for me beyond all others shall grievous woes be left. For at thy death thou didst neither stretch out thy hands to me from thy bed, nor speak to me any word of wisdom whereon I might have pondered night and day with shedding of tears."
