Meanwhile, Hector entered Troy through the Scaean Gate. Immediately women and children surrounded him and began to ask about their husbands and fathers. But Hector did not tell them anything; he only told them to pray to the Olympian gods. Hector hurried to Priam's palace. His mother Hecabe met Hector in the palace; she wanted to bring wine to Hector so that he would strengthen his strength, but Hector refused. He asked his mother to convene the Trojan women so that they would quickly bring a rich veil as a gift to Pallas Athena, make great sacrifices to the goddess and beg her to tame the ferocious Diomedes. Hekabe immediately fulfilled her son’s request. He quickly went to the halls of Paris.
Hector caught Paris while he was calmly inspecting his weapons; Elena, who had been kidnapped by him, was also here; she distributed work among the maids. Hector began to reproach Paris for sitting idly at home at a time when death threatened all the Trojans. Paris answered Hector that he was preparing for battle, that the beautiful Helen was forcing him to enter the battlefield. Elena turned with friendly words to Hector and asked him to sit down and rest from his abusive exploits, while she reproached her husband Paris for his carelessness, for the fact that he did not feel shame. Elena also complained that so many troubles were sent to Troy because of her, but not through her fault, but through the fault of Paris. But Hector refused to rest in Paris’s house; he was in a hurry to see his wife and son before he returned to battle again. Hector did not know whether he would be able to see his wife and son again, whether he would return alive from the battle, or whether the gods promised him to die at the hands of the Greeks.
Hector went to his palace, but did not find Andromache and her son there. The maids told Hector that his wife, having learned that the Greeks were pushing back the Trojans, had conquered the city walls with her son and was standing there, shedding tears.
Hector quickly left his palace and hurried to the Skeian Gate. At the very gate he met Andromache, behind her a maid was carrying Hector’s little son, Astyanax; The beautiful child was like the first morning star. She took Hector Andromache by the hand and, shedding tears, said:
- Oh, my husband! Your courage will destroy you. You don't feel sorry for me or your son. Soon I will be a widow, the Greeks will kill you. It’s better for me not to live, Hector, without you. After all, I have no one but you. After all, you are everything to me - father, mother, and husband. Oh, have mercy on me and my son! Do not go into battle, order the Trojan soldiers to stand by the fig tree, because only there can the walls of Troy be destroyed.
But helmet-shining Hector answered his wife like this:
- All this worries me. But it would be a great shame for me to remain outside the walls of Troy and not participate in the battle. No, I must fight ahead of everyone for the glory of my father. I know for sure that the day will come when sacred Troy will perish. But this is not what saddens me, what saddens me is your fate, the fact that some Greek will take you captive, and there in a foreign land you will be a slave, weaving for a foreign woman and carrying water for her. They will see you crying there and say: “This is the wife of Hector, who surpassed all the Trojan heroes in strength and courage,” and then your sadness will become even stronger. No, it’s better that they kill me before I see how they take you captive, than that I hear your cry.
Having said this, Hector approached his son and wanted to hug him, but little Astyanax clung to the nanny’s chest with a cry; he was frightened by the horse’s mane fluttering on Hector’s helmet. Andromache and Hector smiled tenderly at the baby. Hector took off his helmet, laid it on the ground, took Astyanax in his arms and kissed him. Hector raised his son high to the sky and thus prayed to the thunderer Zeus and all the immortal gods:
- Oh, Zeus, and you, immortal gods! I pray you, send that my son will be as famous among the citizens as I am. May he be mighty and may he reign in Troy. Let them someday say about him, when he returns from battle, that he surpasses his father in courage. May he crush his enemies and bring joy to his mother’s heart.
So Hector prayed to the gods. Then he gave Astyanax to his wife. Andromache pressed her son to her chest and smiled at him through her tears. Hector was touched, he affectionately hugged Andromache and said to her:
“Don’t be so sad, Andromache.” None of the heroes will send me to the kingdom of gloomy Hades against the dictates of fate. No one escapes his fate: neither the brave nor the coward. Go home, beloved, take up weaving, yarn, and look after the maids. And we, men, will take care of military affairs, and I will take care of them most of all.
Hector put on his helmet and quickly went to the Skei Gate. Andromache also went home, but she often turned around and watched through her tears as Hector walked away. When she returned home, crying, all the maids cried with her: they did not hope that Hector would return home unharmed from the battle. Paris caught up with Hector at the Skei Gate. He hurried into battle, sparkling with copper armor.
“My brother,” Hector told him, “I know that no just person can help but appreciate your exploits, but you are often reluctant to go into battle. I am often tormented when I hear the Trojans scolding you. But let's hurry quickly to the troops.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru