Trojan Old Men

Lines 156–160

neither be left here to be a bane to us and to our children after us.

οὐ νέμεσις Τρῶας καὶ ἐϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιοὺς τοιῇδʼ ἀμφὶ γυναικὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἄλγεα πάσχειν· αἰνῶς ἀθανάτῃσι θεῇς εἰς ὦπα ἔοικεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὧς τοίη περ ἐοῦσʼ ἐν νηυσὶ νεέσθω, μηδʼ ἡμῖν τεκέεσσί τʼ ὀπίσσω πῆμα λίποιτο.

Lattimore commentary

Helen, for all her beauty, is never physically described in the poem, except for these side comments. As her appearance and presence can only be traced to the action of the divine, the old men of Troy (and Priam) cannot hold her responsible.

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algea pascho

Psychological Vocabulary

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