“Dear boy, you call to mind how much we suffered, with strong, unyielding hearts, in distant lands when we were sailing over misty seas, led by Achilles on a hunt for spoils, and when we fought around the mighty city of Priam. Our best warriors were killed. Ajax lies dead there, and there lies Achilles; there lies his godlike friend and guide, Patroclus;110 my own strong, matchless son lies dead there too, Antilochus, who fought and ran so well. More pain, more grief—our sufferings increased. Who could recount so many, many losses? If you stayed here five years and kept on asking how many
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