The Iliad, Book VI [The Price of Honor]

^{translated from the ancient Greek by Emily Wilson}

Then noble Hector reached towards his son. 
The baby wailed and wiggled back to snuggle 
into his well-groomed nurse’s lap and dress. 
The child was scared by how his father looked, 
shocked at the terrifying horsehair plume 
that nodded at the top part of his helmet. 
His loving father and his mother laughed. 
Hector immediately took off his helmet. 
and put it on the ground. It glittered brightly. 
Then glorious Hector kissed his darling son 
and took him in his arms to rock and cuddle 
and prayed to Zeus and all the other gods,

“Zeus and you other gods, please let my son 
be just like me—admired among the Trojans, 
strong and successful on the battlefield, 
and powerful enough to rule in Troy. 
I hope they say when he comes back from war, 
‘This man is so much better than his father.’ 
I hope he kills an enemy of ours 
and brings his bloodstained arms and armor back, 
and makes his mother happy.’” 

                                                     With these words, 
he gave his son to his beloved wife. 
She let him snuggle in her perfumed dress, 
and tearfully she smiled. Her husband noticed 
and pitied her. He took her by the hand 
and said to her, 

                              “Strange woman! Come on now, 
you must not be too sad on my account. 
No man can send me to the house of Hades 
before my time. No man can get away 
from destiny, first set for us at birth, 
however cowardly or brave he is. 
Go home and do the things you have to do. 
Work on your loom and spindle and instruct 
the slaves to do their household work as well. 
War is a task for men—for every man 
born here in Troy, but most especially, me.” 

When he had finished speaking, glorious Hector 
picked up his helmet with its horsehair plume. 
His loving wife set off for home, but kept 
twisting and turning back to look at him. 
More and more tears kept flooding down her face. 
Quickly she reached the rich and well-built house 
of Hector, killer of men, and there she found 
a multitude of women slaves inside. 
She prompted all of them to start lamenting, 
and so they grieved in his own house for Hector 
while he was still alive. They knew that he 
would never come back home again from war. 
He would not get away from fierce Greek hands.