Chapter 23 twenty three

Hector came to the central gate and went under Zeus' beech.Here the women of Troy surrounded him, anxiously asking him for news of her husband, son, brother, and relatives.He couldn't answer everyone's questions one by one, but asked them to pray to the gods.Still, many have heard dire news from him.In a short while he came to his father's palace, a splendid building surrounded by vast halls supported by massive stone pillars, and containing fifty adjoining marble palaces.This is where the princes and their wives lived.On the other side of the inner court were twelve interconnected marble halls, where the king's daughters and sons-in-law lived.The palace is surrounded by tall walls, forming a strong acropolis.Here Hector met his kind mother, Hecuba, who was going to her favorite daughter, Laodike.The old queen came to her son in a hurry, held his hand, and asked him worriedly and lovingly: "Son, why did you leave the battlefield? It must be that the Greeks stepped up their siege, so you came back to pray to Zeus. I The most precious wine is brought to you, so that you may sacrifice to Zeus the All-Father and other gods, and refresh yourself with a sip. Wine is the best refreshment for a weary warrior. !"

Hector answered her: "Dear mother, I do not want wine, lest my limbs become weak. Nor do I want to impregnate the All-Father with unclean hands. Mother, I beseech you, take the noblest Go women to the temple of Athena with incense in hand, and offer her your richest garments, and promise her twelve fat cows, and beg her to protect us. Meanwhile I will call my brother Paris to the battle. Even if he were swallowed up by the earth, I would have no mercy on him, for he was born to destroy our whole city." A mother does what her son tells her to do.She went into the chamber, and drew out her beautiful silk gown, which Paris had brought from Sidon when he brought Helen back.She picked out a silk gown of the most beautiful and colorful designs, and led the noble women to the temple of Athena.Antenor's wife, Theano, Athena's priestess at Troy, opened the temple door to them.The women gathered around the statue of Athena and raised their hands in prayer to her.Theano took the silk robe from the queen, put it on the knee of the icon, and begged the daughter of Zeus: "Pallas Athena, protector of cities, most noble and greatest goddess, cut off Spear of Diomedes! Have mercy on the city, women, and children! Bless us, and we will sacrifice twelve fat bulls to you." But Pallas Athena refused their request.

Hector had come to the palace of Paris, which was near the palace of the king and Hector, both of whom lived alone.Hector held a spear in his hand, which was more than ten feet long.The junction of the bronze spearhead and the spear shaft is surrounded by a gold ring.He saw his brother Paris inspecting weapons in the room and repairing his stiff bow.Helen sat among her maids, going about her daily business.Hector looked at Paris with a sneer, and reprimanded him loudly: "It is a sin for you to sit here and live comfortably. Brother, there are so many people in the city because you are fighting outside the city. If you see someone at this time You may scold them for running away from battle. Come, help us defend the city before it is broken and burned by the enemy!"

Paris replied to him: "What you said is not unreasonable, brother, I am sitting here because of the sadness in my heart. Just now Helen encouraged me and asked me to go back to the battlefield; you go first, and I will come later!" Ketor was silent.Helen looked ashamed, and she said: "Brother, what a disaster I have brought! I would rather die in the sea before Paris and I come here! How I wish my husband could be brave now that disaster is upon us, and how I wish he would remember the humiliation and condemnation he has suffered.But he has no backbone, and his timidity must have dire consequences.And you, Hector, come in and rest for a while, the weight of war is upon your shoulders! " "No, Helen," replied Hector, "don't be so kind to ask me to rest, I must never rest."I must go back to the Trojans and fight.You must persuade Paris to come with me.Now I have to go back to the palace to visit my wife, son and servants. With that, Hector turned and left. But he didn't see his wife in the room. The maid told him: "When she heard that the Trojans were beaten and the Greeks were victorious, she left the palace, thinking Climb to the tower.The maid held the child and had to follow behind her.She was so anxious that she couldn't control herself. "

Hector hurried out into the streets of Troy.When he came to the central gate, his wife Andromache, daughter of Eetion, king of Thebes, came to meet him.The maid following her holds the boy Astyanacus in her arms. The father looked at his beautiful son and smiled silently, but Andromache, full of tears, held her husband's hand tenderly.she says: "True, you will die because of your bravery. But don't you pity your young child, or your soon-to-be widow's wife? Achilles killed my father, and Artemis' arrow shot My mother died, and all seven of my brothers were killed by Achilles. I have no family but you, Hector. To me, you are my father, my mother and my father. Brother, you stay on this tower! Order your troops to go to the hill covered with fig trees, because the wall there is unguarded, and it is easy for the enemy to break through. Three times, brave Argives: The two Ajax, the son of Atreus, Idomeneus, and Diomedes attacked there; perhaps the prophets enlightened them, perhaps they themselves discovered the weakly guarded place Hector looked at his wife lovingly and said, "My dear, I am also concerned about all this. But if I stay here, standing on the sidelines from a distance, then I will feel in front of the men, women and children of Troy. I am ashamed. There is always a voice in my heart ordering me to fight on the fiercest front. Although, I have a premonition that the city of Troy will be destroyed one day, and Priam and his people will also suffer. But compared to All this, and what makes me sadder is the thought of the pain you will suffer. The Danae will take you back, make you a servant, a slave; Water pours, and everyone who sees your tears will say, 'This is Hector's wife!'

Alas, thinking of these things, I am willing to die now! " As he spoke, he put out his hands to caress the child, but the child wept and pressed to the breast of the maid, for he was frightened at the sight of the bronze helmet and the flowing horsehair helm on his father's head.The father looked at the child and the mother with a smile, quickly took off his helmet and put it on the ground, then kissed his lovely son and shook him in his arms.He looked up to the sky and prayed to the gods: "Zeus and the gods! Let my son be like me and be an example to the Trojans! Let him be so strong that he will rule Troy so that the people will one day say: 'He is more powerful than me. His father was braver!' Let his mother be happy for him too!" Saying this, he placed his son in his wife's hands, who held the child in her arms and smiled with tears in her eyes.Hector touched his wife's cheeks and said: "Poor wife, don't be sad! No one dares to kill me against God's will, but no one can escape his own fate!" Put on the helmet and leave her.Andromache walked towards the palace, looking back frequently all the way, weeping sadly.

Paris, also passing through the city with his weapons of polished bronze, caught up with his brother, who was saying goodbye to his wife Andromache. "I've troubled you," said Paris loudly, "I'm late, haven't I?" But Hector replied kindly: "My brother, I must say that you are a brave man, But you were often behind, and you came back voluntarily. The Trojans suffered for you. It pains me to hear them speak of you with contempt. Well, we'll talk about that later. When we get the Greeks Let's talk about it again when we drive out of Troy, drink in the palace, and celebrate freedom!"