[Footnote 571: In illustration of this custom of mourners, cf.
Virg. AEn. i. 484:--

"Crinibus Iliades passis, peplumque ferebant
Suppliciter tristes, et tunsae pectora palmis."

Ovid, Fast. iv. 454: "Et feriunt moestae pectora nuda manus."
Silius, xii. 528. Petronius, ciii. p. 509, ed. Burm.: "Sparsis
prosequi crinibus, aut nudatum pectus plangere;" cxv.: "Percussi
semel iterumque pectus." See Westerhov, on Ter. Hec. ii. 3, 49;
Northmore on Tryphiodor. 34; and Blomf. on AEsch. Choeph. 27.]

"Hear, sister Nereides, that hearing ye may all well know what griefs
are in my mind. Woe is me wretched! woe is me who have in an evil hour
brought forth the bravest [of men], I who, after having borne a son,
blameless and valiant, the chief of heroes, and he grew up[572] like a
young tree: having reared him like a sapling in a fruitful spot of a
field, I afterwards sent him forth in the curved ships to Ilium, to
fight against the Trojans; but I shall not receive him again, having
returned home to the palace of Peleus. But whilst he lives and beholds
the light of the sun, he grieves,[573] nor can I, going to him, avail
him aught. Yet will I go, that I may see my beloved son, and hear what
grief comes upon him remaining away from the battle."

Thus having spoken, she left the cave; but they all went along with her,
weeping, and the wave of the ocean was cleft around for them.[574] But
when they reached fertile Troy, they in order ascended the shore, where
the fleet ships of the Myrmidons were drawn up round swift Achilles.
Then his venerable mother, shrilly wailing, stood near to him deeply
lamenting, and took the head of her son, and, mourning, addressed to him
winged words:

[Footnote 572: [Greek: Anedramon] is used in the same way by
Herodot. vii. 156, viii. 55; Theocrit. xviii. 29. It corresponds
to our English phrase "to run up."]

[Footnote 573: _I.e._ he continues to do so, and will, till his
death.]

[Footnote 574: [Greek: Sphisi] is the dativus commodi.]

"O son, why weepest thou, and what sorrow has come upon thy mind? Speak
out, nor conceal it. Those things indeed are fulfilled for thee from
Jove, as thou didst formerly pray, lifting up thy hands--that all the
sons of the Greeks, wanting thee, should, be collected at the ships, and
suffer disgraceful deeds."

But her swift-footed Achilles addressed, deeply groaning:

"Mother mine, these things indeed t