Rhapsōdia Beta- Book II
Argument:
In order to help Thetis as promised, Zeus sends a lying dream in the guise of Nestor to Agamemnon - if the Akhaian lord should attack the city of Troy, the dream says, then the Akhaioi shall sack the city. Zeus intends to convince Agamemnon and his army into attacking the Trojans so that he can empower the Asiatic defenders and push the Akhaians back to their ships -- and once they meet their breaking point, they will recall Akhilleus with honor. Encouraged by this lying god-sent sign, Agamemnon gathers his troops, but instead decides to test the courage and resolve of his men by telling them they are abandoning the siege and returning home. To his dismay, the men eagerly run for their ships, for they have grown weary of nine years of fighting. After an intervention by Here and Athene, Odysseus addresses the Akhaioi and shames them into continuing the siege.It is here that the poet engages in a time-honored tradition of epic: the catalogue. Asking for the aid of the Muses, Homer in true epic fashion catalogues the Akhaian forces: their homelands, their leaders and heroes worthy of note, their ships, and their numbers.
Debate has raged for millenia now as to the purpose and placement of the Catalogue, with the scholarly consensus before the mid-20th century A.D. being that a great part or majority or all of the Catalogue is a later written interpolation and has no place in the original singing of the poem -- i.e, no bard would attempt something so "artless" as a list of this kind. In the later part of the same century, some began to challenge the traditional ideas, and so offered the theory that, based on the prima facie observation that the Catalogue represents the pre-Dark Age Aegean and not the Iron Age of Homer, the Catalogue must be a hold-over from the original iterations of the song before Homer got around to singing it himself. Additionally, in regards to the question of "art", is it really so difficult to imagine the impressive skill which it takes to recite the whole Catalogue in the original from memory? Homer preps his audience by admitting to the daunting task ahead of him:
Tell me now, ye Mousai who on Olympos have their homes,
For ye are goddesses, and ye are at hand, and ye know all things,
While we merely hear of the rumor, and yet know nothing --
Who were the leaders of the Danaï and their kings?
But of the number of the commons I could not tell nor give name
Not if I had within me ten tongues, and even ten mouths
And the voice within me was unbreaking, and bronze were my heart,
Not if the the Mousai, daughters of Olympian Zeus the aigis-bearer
Did not recall to my mind who those were who came to Ilion.
The captains of each ships I shall tell, and the ships all in due order:
He then proceeds to sing it flawlessly. Would this not have merited much praise and applause? And would not the members of his audience, steeped in the deep pride their traditions and history demanded, raise a shout at their home city's mention, decorated as the place-names are with epithets like "heavenly", "lovely", "vine-shrouded". Frankly, it strikes me as difficult to find the form lacking in artistic or poetic skill.
After completing the tally of the Akhaioi, Homer details the defenders of Troy, especially mentioning the mightiest of the Trojans, king Priamos' eldest son and heir, Hektor.
And while yea the other gods and men, the horse-furnished lords,
Slumbered for the whole night, not was Zeus beholden to sweet sleep,
But tossed the god in his mind how to for Akhilleus
Do honor, and slay many by the ships of the Akhaioi.
And this in his heart the best plan seemed to be,
To send to Atreus' son Agamemnōn a destructive dream,
And calling the dream, with winged words he spake:
"Off with thee! Go, O destructive dream, upon the swift ships of the Akhaioi,
And having come to the tent of Agamemnōn, Atreus' son,
Very exactly all these things announce as I instruct thee:
Bid him arm the heads of the long-haired Akhaioi
With all speed, for the time is now that he may seize the wide-streeted city
Of the Trojans. For no longer on either side are they who on Olympos have their homes,
The deathless gods, and not are they divided in counsel. For she hath won all them over,
The goddess Hērē in her beseeching, and o'er the Trojans hath hung grief."
Thus spake he, and went then the dream when this command he heard.
And swiftly came he upon the swift ships of the Akhaioi,
And came he then upon Atreus' son Agamemnōn. And him he found
As he slept in his tent, and about him was poured ambrosial sleep.
And then stood the dream above his head unto Nēlēus' son in likeness,
Likened unto Nestōr, whom out of the elders yea very much did Agamemnon value.
As him the dream appeared to him, and then spake the godlike dream:
"Thou slumber'st, Atreus' son, Atreus who was a warlike tamer of horses.
It be not necessary for a wise counselor to slumber through the whole night,
A man to whom the men have been entrusted and so many things are now a care.
And now unto me hearken quickly: for I am a messenger of Zeus,
Who though from thee is far off, hath for thee great care and pity.
He biddeth thee arm the heads of the long-haired Akhaioi
With all speed, for the time is now that thou may'st seize the wide-streeted city
Of the Trojans. For no longer on either side are they who on Olympos have their homes,
The deathless gods, and not are they divided in counsel. For she hath won all them over,
The goddess Hērē in her beseeching, and o'er the Trojans hath hung grief
From Zeus. But thou shore this up in thy breast, nor thee let forgetfulness
Take hold, when sweet sleep which is honey to the mind lets thee go."
Thus having spoken, the dream got up and him he left there,
Thinking in his heart on things not fated to be brought about.
For he imagined that he would take Priamos' city even on that day,
Poor fool, nor did he know the things which Zeus had in mind.
For Zeus was still to bestow woes and wailings both
Upon the Trojans and the Danaï alike throughout their mighty fights.
And wakened he was from sleep, and the godlike voice still surrounded him.
He sat upright, and his soft khitōn he put on himself,
A garment fine and fair, and about him threw he on his great cloak,
And under his shining feet he bound fine sandals,
And about his shoulders threw he on his sword, silver-studded.
And taketh he the scepter belonging to his father, the scepter undecaying forever
With him, and he went alongside the ships of the bronze-clad Akhaioi.
And Dawn the goddess came forth upon great Olympos,
And to Zeus she announces the light of day, and to the other deathless.
But Agamemnōn did the clear-voiced heralds bid
To announce an assembly to the long-haired Akhaioi.
After they announced, yea they gathered very quickly.
But first the council of great-hearted elders he made sit
Alongside the Nestorian ship, Nestor, who is Pylos-born, and its king.
Once them he gathered, a shrewd design he put in motion:
"Harken unto me! In sleep to me a godlike dream came
Through the ambrosial night: and it very much as godlike Nestor
In appearance and in stature and in build it seemed near to be.
And stood it above my head and gave me this speech:
'Thou slumber'st, Atreus' son, Atreus who was a warlike tamer of horses.
It be not necessary for a wise counselor to slumber through the whole night,
A man to whom the men have been entrusted and so many things are now a care.
And now unto me hearken quickly: for I am a messenger of Zeus,
Who though from thee is far off, hath for thee great care and pity.
He biddeth thee arm the heads of the long-haired Akhaioi
With all speed, for the time is now that thou may'st seize the wide-streeted city
Of the Trojans. For no longer on either side are they who on Olympos have their homes,
The deathless gods, and not are they divided in counsel. For she hath won all them over,
The goddess Hērē in her beseeching, and o'er the Trojans hath hung grief
From Zeus. But thou shore this up in thy breast.'
Thus spake he,
And off he went flying, and me sweet sleep let be.
But come, if haply we shall arm the sons of the Akhaioi!
But first I shall with words test them, as is proper custom,
And them to flee upon their many-benched ships I shall bid.
But ye from one side, and then from another check them with words."
And yea, so spake he, and then sat down. And among them stood
Nestōr who yea was lord of Pylos, full of sand.
He to them was well-intentioned, and he proclaimed and among them spoke:
"O friends of Argos, leaders and indeed rulers all,
If another one of the Akhaioi had of this dream told tale,
Then a liar we would name him and to him we ought to turn our backs.
But now hath seen the dream, who boasts to be the best of the Akhaioi!
But come, if haply we shall arm the sons of the Akhaioi!"
Thus having spoken, from the council he led them to go,
And they stood up and obeyed the shepherd of the people,
They, the scepter-bearing kings. And the people went,
Just like swarms of honeybees thickly packed together
Fly out of hollowed rock, ever anew they come,
And in clusters light upon the blossoms of the spring.
Thither in crowds a plenty they take wing, and now flying over there --
Just so, in many swarms from their ships and huts
Lying on the deep-stretching beach, they marched in rows
And in squads went to the assembly. And along with them Rumor blazed,
Stirring them to go, she Zeus' messenger. And together they gathered.
In chaos was the assembly, and beneath them groaned the ground
As the people sat down, and a din arose. Nine heralds
Checked them by shouting, if ever they might from uproar
Keep them, and to give ear to the god-reared kings.
In haste sat the people, and stayed they in their seats,
Ceasing their clanging. And up lord Agamemnōn
Rose, holding his scepter which Hephaistos had wrought in making.
Hephaistos gave it to the son of Kronos, Zeus the lord,
And in turn Zeus gave it to his minister, Argus-Slayer;
And lord Hermeias gave it to Pelops horse-driver,
And again in turn Pelops gave it to Atreus, shepherd of people,
And Atreus upon dying left it to Thyestēs of many lambs,
And in turn again Thyestēs to Agamemnōn left it to bear,
That o'er many islands and all Argos he be lord.
Upon it he leaned, and words he addressed to the Argeioi:
"O friends, heroes, Danaoi, armsmen of Arēs,
Zeus son of Kronos hath me greatly bound in heavy destruction,
Unwavering he is, who before hath promised me and nodded assent
That, after sacking Ilion, I depart the well-walled city,
But now a wicked trick he hath planned for me and me he bids
To dishonored return to Argos, after much of my people I have slain.
Thus methinks it be ordained to be pleasing to Zeus the almighty,
Who yea hath razed the citadels of many cites to the ground,
And even yet shall too raze others. For his power is the greatest.
For if there be any shame, it is this -- and shameful for those hereafter to hear
That in vain thusly did so great and so vast a people of the Akhaioi
Wage an fruitless war and yea give battle
To lesser men, and that not was there e'er an end in sight:
For should we ever wish, both we Akhaioi and the Trojans
To, upon swearing solemn oaths, count up the forces of both sides,
The Trojans gather all whom they have at their hearthsides,
While we do by tens draw up battle array, we Akhaioi,
Then should we each choose a single Trojan to pour wine,
Many of those tens would lack a wine-pourer.
So much, I say, that we, the sons of the Akhaioi are greater
Than the Trojans, who live in that city! But allies
Of many cities they have, spear-fighting men all,
Who sorely thwart me and who will not allow me though I wish it
To destroy the well-housed city of Ilion!
Yea nine years of great Zeus have come and gone,
And yea the wood of our ships is rotten, and the moorings have loosened.
And methinks our wives and sweet children
Sit in our palaces waiting. And yet, the task
Is still yet unfulfilled, that for which we have come.
But come ye now, and what I shall say let us all obey:
Let us flee with our ships to the dear land of our fathers,
For no longer shall we take Troy of the wide streets."
Thus spake he, and the heart within their breasts he stirred,
All of the throng whosoever had not heard the council.
And set astir was the assembly just as the great swells of the waters
Of the sea of Ikarios, the swells which both Eurus and Notos
Upward drive, either one rushing from Father Zeus' clouds.
Or as when Zephyros rakes the wide field as he blows,
All a-bluster, he drives them on, and low doth he bow the ears of corn --
Just so was their assembly set astir. And with a cry of victory
Upon the ships they rushed, and underneath their feet the dust
Stood up, arising, and yea, to each other they gave orders
To set to work on the ships, to draw them into the awe-invoking sea,
And to clear the gangways. And the cry rose heavenward,
The cry of homeward-bound men taking away the supports from the ships.
And there would a homecoming beyond apportioned fate be done by the Argeioi
If not to Athēnaiē did Hērē say a thing or two:
"Alas! Thou, aigis-bearing Zeus' child, Atrytōnē, O Unwearied,
Should thus to their dear home, should to the land of their fathers
The Argeioi flee o'er the broad back of the sea,
They would to Priamos and the Trojans leave as a boon
Argeian Helenē, on whose account many Akhaioi
At Troy have perished, far from the dear land of their fathers.
But come now! Get thee to the people of the bronze-clad Akhaians!
With thy gentle words do thou check each wight,
Nor thou suffer them to draw into the sea their rolling ships!"
Thus spake she, and not did the goddess disobey her, she gleaming-eyed Athēnē,
And went she along the peaks of Olympos, darting all the way,
And swiftly came she to the swift ships of the Akhaioi.
There she found Odysseus, Zeus' peer in counsel,
As he stood. And not did he make ready his well-benched, black ship,
Since a grief hath come upon him, upon his heart and soul.
And standing nearby, she spoke to him, she gleaming-eyed Athēnē:
"God-born son of Laërtēs, many-wiled Odysseus,
Shall thus to your dear home, should to the land of your fathers
Flee, falling upon your many-benched ships,
Would ye to Priamos and the Trojans leave as a boon
Argeian Helenē, on whose account many Akhaioi
At Troy have perished, far from the dear land of your fathers?
But come now! Get thee to the people of the Akhaians, rest no more!
With thy gentle words do thou check each wight,
Nor thou suffer them to draw into the sea their rolling ships!"
Thus spake she, and he recognized the voice of the goddess speaking,
And he went to run, and from him his cloak he threw, which a herald
Did gather up, Eurybatēs, an Ithakan who attended him.
And straightaway to Atreus' son Agamemnōn he came
And taketh he the scepter belonging to his father, the scepter undecaying forever
With him, and he went alongside the ships of the bronze-clad Akhaioi.
And so when some king and outstanding man among them he met,
Him with gentle words he checked as he stood at his side:
"Good sir, not be it seemly for thee to be a coward, under the sway of fear,
But seat thou thyself and make the other men sit,
For not so surely dost thou know what sort of mind hath Atreus' son,
For now he tests us, and forthwith shall make it hard for the sons of the Akhaioi.
In the council did we not all harken unto what he spake?
Let him not grow wroth and work ill upon the sons of the Akhaioi!
Great is the heart of him among the god-born kings,
And his plunder comes from Zeus, and him loveth Zeus the counselor."
And when some man of the people he would see, and some crier find,
Him with his scepter he would herd and upbraid with his speech:
"Good sir, stay still and set thee down there and unto the speech of others harken,
Others who are mightier than thee, for thou art unwarlike and unmighty!
Neither in war art thou counted as valued, nor in the council.
In no way will all of us Akhaioi each be a king here.
It is not useful for there to be many lords -- let there be one lord!
One king, to whom giveth Kronos' son, Kronos of crooked counsel,
The scepter and, yea, the laws laid down, so he may advise all the rest."
So thus did he lord about and range through the army. And they assembly-ward
Back again went from their ships and huts
With a roar, just as when the swells of the much-resounding sea
Upon the great seashore thunders, and the sea crashes.
While the others sat down and stayed they in their seats,
Thersitēs, alone of them, still scolded by shouting, his speech measureless,
Who had such words in his heart to make disorder and, yea, much of it.
In vain did he raise strife against the kings, for it was in no orderly way,
But whatever seemed to him to be mirthful to the Argeioi.
He was the ugliest man to have come under Ilion's walls:
Just as an all-destructive fire burns up a boundless forest
On a mountain's peaks, and far off doth appear the blaze --
Just so, as they came the sheen of their divinely bright bronze
Did burst with such radiance as it went heavenward through the air.
And just as there are many tribes of winged fowl,
Or of wild geese, or of cranes, or of long-necked swans
Who about the Asian plain around the stream of Kaüster
Hither and thither fly, glorying in their pinions,
Making a din when they perch, and resoundeth all the plain --
Just so there are as many tribes which from their ships and tents
Poured forth into the plain of Skamander, and the earth
-- Terrible to hear -- echoed under their feet and horses.
Halted they upon the plain of Skamander, all abloom with flowers,
Their forces countless as the leaves and flowers born in spring.
Just as there are many tribes of dense-milling flies,
Which about the farmstead hover, buzzing in a herd
In springtide when milk wets and splashes the buckets --
Such was the numbered count of the long-haired Akhaioi
Who before the Trojans' eyes did stand, yearning to tear them asunder.
And just as the wide-reaching herd of goats the goatherds
Easily separates when in the pasture they mingle --
Just so, the leaders marshaled their men on this side and on that
To go into battle, and amidst them was lord Agamemnōn,
Who in eyes and face seemed like unto Zeus who delights in thunder,
Like unto Arēs' was his waist, and his breast was like unto Poseidon's.
Just like when a bull stands out greatly from the rest
Of the flock, for he surpasses the gathering kine.
Upon such a one as the son of Atreus did Zeus on that day
Grant excellence among his many men and make him outstanding among heroes.
Tell me now, ye Mousai who on Olympos have their homes,
For ye are goddesses, and ye are at hand, and ye know all things,
While we merely hear of the rumor, and yet know nothing --
Who were the leaders of the Danaï and their kings?
But of the number of the commons I could not tell nor give name
Not if I had within me ten tongues, and even ten mouths
And the voice within me was unbreaking, and bronze were my heart,
Not if the the Mousai, daughters of Olympian Zeus the aigis-bearer
Did not recall to my mind who those were who came to Ilion.
The captains of each ships I shall tell, and the ships all in due order:
Of the Boiōtians, Peneleōs and Lēïtos were captains,
And Arkesilaos and Prothoënōr and Klonios,
Those who in Hyriē dwell, and in Aulis full of rocks,
And in Skhoinos, and Skōlos, and many-peaked Eteōnos,
Thespeia and Graia, and wide-pastured Mykalēssos;
As well as those who about Harme dwell, and in Eilesion, and Erythrai,
As well as those who hold Eleōn and yea Hylē and Peteōn,
Ōkalea and Medeōn, a well-built city,
And Kōpai, and Eutrēsis, and dove-haunted Thisbē;
As well as those who dwell in Korōneia and grassy Haliartos,
As well as those who hold Plataia and dwell in Glisās;
As well as those who hold Lower-Thēbai, a well-built city,
And Onkhēstos, the holy grove of shining Posidēōn;
As well as those who hold vine-rich Arnē, and Mideia
And Nisa most holy, and Anthēdon lying at land's edge.
Of these fifty ships came, and on each one
A hundred and twenty young men of the Boiotians went.
And there were those who at Asplēdōn dwell, and at Minyeian Orkhomenos,
O'er whom ruled Askalaphos and Ialmenos, sons of Arēs,
Whom Astyokhē bore at the palace of Aktōr, son of Azeus,
After the revered maid went up that night to her upper chamber,
And conceived for mighty Arēs, for he lay beside her in secret --
With these came thirty hollow ships all in rows.
And then came those who o'er the Phōkēoi rule, Skhedios and Epistrophos,
Sons of Iphitos, great-hearted son of Naubolos.
They are those who hold Kyparissos and Pythō, full of rocks,
And Krisa, a holy place, and Daulis, and Panopēus,
As well came those who around Anemōreia and Hyampolis dwell,
And who alongside the banks of the divine Kēphisos river dwell,
And those who hold Linaia, at the font of the Kephisos.
And with these together forty black ships followed.
And there they busied about and drew up the Phōkēoi's battle-line,
And next to the Boiōtoi, hard by on their left, made they ready their arms.
And o'er the Lokroi ruled the son of Oïlēos, swift Aias
The Lesser, for not so great was he as Telamōnian Aias,
But far lesser he was. Small he was, in leather doublet clad,
In spear-cast he outstripped all Hellen's children and the Akhaioi.
They were those who at Kynos dwell, at Opus and Kalliaros
And Bēssa and Skarphē and Augeai the lovely,
And Tarphē and Thronion, which lies about the streams of Boagrios.
And with Aias together forty black ships followed
Of the Lokri, those who dwell across from holy Euboiē.
And those who Euboia hold, the Abantes who breathe wrath,
And they hold Khalkis and Eiretria and many-vintaged Histiaia,
And Kērinthos hard by the sea, and the steep city of Dios,
And they hold Karystos, and yea at Styra they dwell,
And o'er them ruled Elephēnōr, scion of Arēs,
Khalkōdōn's great-hearted son, leader of the Abantes.
And with him the Abantes followed, fleet of foot and long-haired behind,
Spearmen eager with ashen weapons outstretched
To rend the armor of their foes, armor which lies upon the breasts.
And with Elephēnōr together forty black ships followed.
And those who Athēnai hold, a well-built city she,
The haunt of great-hearted Erekhtheus, whom queenly Athēnē
Fostered, she Zeus' daughter, after the zea-giving farmland bore him,
And set him then she at Athēns in her own rich temple.
And there him they appease with bulls and with rams,
Rites the youths of the Athēnaioi observe, celebrated yearly.
Ruling them was the son of Peteos, Menestheus.
What other man born upon this earth was like unto him
In arranging horse and shield-bearing foot into battle?
Yea, Nestōr did vie with him, for he was the elder of them.
And with Menetheus together fifty black ships followed.
And Aias of Salamis did lead twelve ships,
And set them in his march where stood the shield-wall of the Athēnaioi.
And those who Argos hold and Tiryns the well-walled,
And Hermionē and Asinē, which hold a deep gulf,
And Troizēn and Ēïonai and vine-rich Epidauros.
And those who hold Aigina and Masēs, they the sons of the Akhaioi,
O'er whom ruled he who was mighty in the war-cry, Diomēdēs,
And Sthenelos, wide-renowned Kapanēus' dear son.
And with them Euryalos came, a third wight, like unto a god,
Mēkisteos' son, who in turn was son of lord Talaus.
And o'er them all ruled he who was mighty in the war-cry, Diomēdēs.
And with them together fifty black ships followed.
And those who Mykēnai held, a well-built city of old,
And wealthy Korinth and well-built Kleōnai,
Who at Orneiai dwelt and at Araithyreë the lovely,
And at Sikyōn, where Adrēstos reigned first as king.
And those who Hyperēsiē held and steep Gonoessa,
And Pellēnē, and yea about Aigion they dwelt.
And throughout all of Aigialos, and about Helikē the broad.
And o'er these hundred ships ruled lord Agamemnōn,
The son of Atreus -- and together with him by far the most and best
Men followed, while he himself among them donned his gleaming bronze
And thus was exalted in glory, and was preëminent amongst all his warriors
On account of being the best by far, and leading the most men.
And those who at Bouprasion and Ēlis the heavenly dwelt,
As far as Hyrminē and Myrsinos, which lie at the sea's edge,
And rocky Ōleniē and Alēsion enclosed within
And o'er them four leaders reigned, and with each man
Ten swift ships followed, and many Epeioi embarked thereon.
O'er these men both Amphimakhos and Thalpios took the lead,
Aktōr's grandsons both, sons either of Kteatos, or of Eurytos,
And o'er them ruled Amarynkeus and mighty Diōrēs.
And o'er the fourth company ruled Polyxeinos who seemeth like a god,
Son of lord Agasthenēs, who in turn was the son of Augēius.
And those who come from Doulikhios and Ekhinai, the holy isles,
Which lie facing opposite across the saltsea of Ēlis,
And there are those whom Megēs ruled, he a peer of Arēs,
Megēs, the son of Phyleus, he whom Phyleus reared, a horse rider dear to Zeus,
Megēs who once quit Doulikhion when he with his father grew wroth.
And with him together forty black ships followed.
And then Odysseus came, leading the great-hearted Kephallēnes
Those who Ithaka held and Nēritos of leaf-waving trees,
And who at Krokyleia dwelt and Aigilips the jagged.
And those who Zakynthos hold and those who about Samos dwelt,
And those who the mainland hold and yea the lands facing the islands.
And o'er them Odysseus ruled, who of Zeus was peer in counsel.
And with him together followed twelve ships, all prows painted red.
And the Aitōloi Thoas did lead, he Andraimon's son,
And those who at Pleurōn dwelt and Ōlenos and yea, Pylēnē
And Khalkis near the sea, as well as Kalydōn the rocky.
For great-hearted Oinēus' sons were no more,
Nor did he himself still live, and dead was fair-haired Meleāgros,
To whom all command was given to lord o'er the Aitōloi,
And with Thoas together forty black ships followed.
And o'er the Krētoi Idomeneus, famed for his spear, was leader,
And those who Knōsos held and Gortys the well-walled,
Lyktos and Milētos and Lykastos white with chalk,
And Phaistos and Rhytios, cities well-dwelt,
And all the others who dwelt on Krētē of a hundred cities.
And o'er them Idomeneus, famed for his spear, was leader,
As well was Mērionēs, peer of Enyalios the man-slayer.
And with them together eighty black ships followed.
And Tlepolemos, son of Herakles who was both noble and great,
Who from Rhodos did lead nine ships of the lordly Rhodioi.
Who about Rhodos dwelt, divied into divisions three,
At Lindos and Ielysos, and chalk-white Kameiros:
And o'er these Tlepolemos, renowned in his spear, ruled,
Whom Astyokheia bore to mighty Herakleeies,
Whom he led from Ephyre, from the river Selleis,
When he razed many cities of god-reared warriors.
And when Tlepolemos had grown in a well-built megaron,
Then the dear brother of his own father's mother he slew,
Yea how old he had grown, Likymnios, scion of Ares!
So forthwith ships he built, and much of the people he gathered
And went in flight upon the sea. For they threatened him, they the other
Sons and grandsons of mighty Herakleeies.
But then he went to Rhodos, wandering and suffering pains.
In three parts they were settled there in tribes, and yea were loved
By Zeus, who o'er both gods and men ruleth,
And o'er them divine wealth hath poured down the son of Kronos.
Nireus led from Syme three well-keeled ships,
Nireus, son of Aglaie and lord Kharops,
Nireus, the most fair man who came under Ilion's walls
Of all the Akhaioi after the peerless son of Peleus,
But he was easily tired, and few men followed him.
And then those who held Nisyros and Krapathos and Kasos
And Kos, city of Eurypylos, and the Kalydnian isles,
O'er which ruled Pheidippos and Antiphos,
Both sons of the lord Thessalos, son of Herakles.
And with them thirty hollow ships sailed in a row.
And now those who at Pelasgian Argos dwelt,
Those who at Alos, and Alope, and Trekhis,
And those who held Phthie and Hellas, the land of fair women,
And the men who are called Myrmidons and Hellenes and Akhaioi,
And o'er these fifty ships was Akhilleus lord.
But they were not mindful of an ill-sounding war,
For not was the man who led them amongst the ranks.
For laid he amongst his ships, swift-footed, godlike Akhilleus,
Angered over the girl, the lovely-haired daughter of Brises,
Whom from Lyrnessos he had snatched after toiling much.
For Lyrnessos he had utterly razed, as well as the walls of Thebai,
And down he cast Mynes and Epistrophos, both spearmen,
Sons both of lord Euenos, son in turn of Selepos.
And for her did Akhilleus lay grieving, but soon would he rise up.
And those who held Phylake and Pyrasos the flow'ry,
Shrine of Demeter, and who held Iton, mother of flocks,
And hard-by-the-sea Antron and grassy-bedded Pteleos,
O'er which Protesilaos the warlike ruled,
While he yet lived -- for then hath the black earth held him fast.
And after his wife had torn her cheeks in mourning, at Phylake was left,
And her home half-finished. And him did a Dardanian warrior slay,
As he leapt down from his ship, the first by far of the Akhaioi.
And it was not that his men were leaderless, but they yearned for their lord,
For them did Podarkes lead, scion of Ares,
Son of Iphikles, son of Phylakos, rich in flocks,
The brother of great-hearted Protesilaos.
And the younger born. And the other was the elder and the better,
The hero Protesilaos the warlike. And not did the men
Lack any leader, yet they longed for the noble man who once was.
And together with him forty black ships followed.
And those who dwelt at Pherai, hard by by Lake Boibeis,
And at Boibes and Glaphyrai, and well-built Iaolkos,
O'er whom ruled the dear child of Admetos with eleven ships,
Eumelos he, whom Alkestis, godlike among women, bore for Admetos,
She, most excellent of all the daughters of Pelias.
And those who at Methone and Thaumakie dwelt
And who held Meliboia and Olizon the jagged,
O'er whom Philoktetes ruled, well-known in the bow.
With seven ships. And on each ship fifty rowers
Embarked, who knew well the bow and how to with prowess fight.
But on an isle he lies now, suffering great pains,
On holy Lemnos, where the sons of the Akhaioi left him,
Toiling because of the bite of a baleful water-snake.
And there he lay grieving, but soon would they remember him,
They the Argeioi alongside their ships would recall lord Philoktetes.
And it was not that his men were leaderless, but they yearned for their lord,
For Medon marshaled them, bastard son of Oileus,
Whom Rhene bore to Oileus, sacker of cities.
And those who hold Trikke and Ithome the rocky,
And those who hold Oikhalie, city of Eurytos the Oikhalian
O'er whom ruled the two sons of Asklepios,
The two good healers, Podaleirios and yea, Makhaon.
And with them thirty hollow ships sailed in a row.
And those who held Ormenios, and the font Hypereia,
And those who held Asterion and Titanos' white crests,
O'er which ruled Eurypylos, the preeminent son of Euaimon.
And with him together forty black ships followed.
And those who held Argissa and about Gyrtone dwelt,
And Orthe, and Elone and the white city of Oloosson,
O'er whom ruled Polypoites the steadfast in battle,
Son of Peirithoos, whom immortal Zeus begat,
Polypoites, whom glorious Hippodameia bore for Peirithoos
On the day when he made the shaggy centaurs pay,
And them from Pelion he drove and brought them to Aithikes.
And not alone was he, but with him together was Leonteus, scion of Ares,
Son of high-hearted Koronos, son of Kainus.
And with him together forty black ships followed.
Gouneus from Kyphos led two and twenty ships.
And with him the Enienes followed and the Peraiboi, steadfast in battle.
And those who about wintry Dodone built their homes,
And those who about the lovely farmland of Titaressos dwelt,
Which floweth his fair-flowing waters into Peneion,
Yet not doth he with the silver-eddied Peneion mingle,
But above those waters these flow just like olive oil,
For his is a branch of the dread Styx, the waters of oath.
And the Magnetes had as ruler Prothoos, son of Tenthredon,
Those who about Peneion and Pelion the wood-waving
Dwelt, and o'er which Prothoos the swift ruled,
And with him together forty black ships followed.
These were the leaders of the Danaoi and their lords.
And who of these was the best, sing to me, O Mousa,
Of the men and of their horses, those who with the sons of Atreus followed:
The mares by far the best were of the son of Pheres,
Those whom Eumelos drove, swift as birds,
Alike in coloring, alike in age, as if a straight line went across their backs,
Mounts which silver-bowed Apollo reared in Pereie,
Both of them mares, both bearing the panic of Ares.
Of all the men, the best by far was Telamonian Aias,
While Akhilleus waxed his wrath, for he was by far the best
As were the horses which bore him, the peerless son of Peleus.
But beside the beaked and sea-faring ships
Did he lie down, while he raged against Agamemnon, shepherd of men,
The son of Atreus. And his men on the surf of the sea
In the diskos took delight, and in casting their darts,
And shooting their bows. And their mounts alongside their cars did each
On clover feed and on the marsh-grown celery
All while at the ready they stood. And the covered chariots sat
In the huts of their lords, and for their lord, beloved by Ares, they longed,
And though wildly here and there they roamed, not did the men fight.
And then they went as if by fire were all the land swept up,
And the earth below their feet groaned, as it does when Zeus, thunder-delighting,
Doth rage as he did when he smote the ground about Typhoeus' feet
At Arimoi, where men say lieth Typhoeus' bed.
And just so beneath their feet did groan the earth,
As they marched upon her. And swift did they pass o'er the plain.
And to the Trojans as a messenger came wind-footed Iris
From Zeus, aigis-bearer, with report most grievous.
And the Trojans were speaking in council at the doors of Priamos.
And all were assembled, the young and the old,
And, standing hard-by, spake she, she swift of foot Iris,
And made she her voice like unto the son of Priamos, Polites --
Who was a look-out for the Trojans, for he trusted in the fleetness of his feet,
And would sit at the topmost part of old Aisyetes' tomb,
Waiting for whene'er the Akhaioi would make a start from their ships --
And appearing as him, to Priamos she spake, she swift of foot Iris:
"Old sir, ever are indecisive words dear to thee,
As if we were now at peace -- but war un-abating hath arisen!
Yea, in very many battles of men hath I joined before,
But ne'er before upon such a host as this hath I laid mine eyes,
For exceedingly like the leaves or the sands of the seashore
Do they march across the plain to fight afore the city!
Hektor, to thee before all others I give command, and do thou this:
For many are there about the great city of Priamos, many allies,
And strange are the tongues of the men upon this wide-reaching earth.
Let each man make sign to those o'er whom ruleth he,
And let him lead them forth once he hath marshaled them, his own citizens."
Thus spake she, and Hektor did not fail to recognize the goddess' words,
And forthwith he broke up the assembly and to the walls he raced.
And ope'd were all the gates, and from them the men filed out,
Both the infantry and the horse. And loud was the din which arose.
There standeth before the city a steep mound
In the plain apart, with parts leveling off here and there
Which mortal men hath long since called Batieia,
But the deathless the tomb of Myrine the very nimble,
And there it was then the Trojans and yea, their allies, divvied up.
And o'er the Trojans of the city ruled mighty Hektor of the flashing helm,
He the son of Priamos. And together with him very many and the best
Men armed themselves and yearned for their spears.
O'er the Dardanoi ruleth the noble son of Ankhises,
Aineias, whom for Ankhises the goddess Aphrodite gave birth,
For on Ide's peaks the goddess with a mortal man did lay,
And not along was Aineias, but together with him were the two sons of Antenor,
Arkhelokhos and Akamas, well-skilled in all sorts of warcraft.
And those who at Zeleia dwelt under the utmost peak of Ide,
Wealthy men, they drink the dark water of Aisepos,
Trojans of the countrysides, o'er whom ruled Lykaon's radiant son,
Pandaros, to whom a bow once Apollo himself gifted.
And those who held Adresteia and the neighborhood of Apaisos,
And those who held Pityeia and the steep mountain of Tereie,
O'er whom ruled Adrestos and Amphios, armed with a linen cuirass,
Both sons of Merops the Percotian, who bested all men
In knowing divination, and not them, his sons, would he suffer
To go off to baneful war; but the two of them in no wise
Did heed him, for the dark spirits of black death did onward drive them.
And those who around Perkotes and Praktion dwelt,
And held Sestos and Abydos and heavenly Arisbes,
O'er which ruled Hyrtakos' son, Asios, chieftain of men,
Asios, Hyrtakos' son, whom his horses had borne from Arisbe,
His tawny and towering horses from the river Selleis.
And Hippothoos led the tribes of spear-bearing Pelasgoi,
Those who at large-clodded Larisa did dwell,
O'er which ruleth Hippothoos and Pylaios, scion of Ares,
Both the two of them sons of Lethos the Pelasgian, son of Teutamos.
And then the Theikai, whom Akamas led and Peiroos the hero,
So great are they whom the swift-flowing Hellepsont engirdeth.
And Euphemos, leader of the Kikonian warlords,
He the son of Troizenos, son of god-born Keas.
And then Pyraikhmes led the Paiones of the crooked bows,
Afar have they come from Amydon, from the wide-flowing Axios,
The Axios, whence the fairest water spreadeth o'er the earth.
O'er the Paphlagones ruleth Pylaimeneos of the shaggy breast,
Who came from Enetoi, whence live the race of wild asses.
And those who held Kytoros and about Sesamon dwelt,
And they who about the river Parthenios dwell in glorious homes,
And at Kromna and Aigialos and lofty Erythinoi.
And then o'er the Halizones Odios and Epistrophos ruled,
Afar have they come from Alybes, where silver hath its birthplace.
And o'er the Mysai Khromis ruled as well as Ennomos, bird-reader.
But not with his birdsigns did he ward off the dark spirits death sent,
For fell he at the hands of swift-footed Aiakos' grandson
In the river, where Akhilleus was despoiling the Trojans and others.
And Phorkys led the Phrygai, as well as Askanios the godlike,
And afar have they come from Askanie, and they yearned to fight in battle.
And o'er the Meioi ruled Mesthles and Antiphos,
Sons both of Talimeneos whom the nymph of Lake Gygaie bore,
And they the Meiones led, a people born beneath Tmolos.
And Nastes ruled o'er the Karoi who make rude speech,
Those who hold Miletos and Mount Phthires, dense with leaves,
And the river Maiander and Mykale's lofty peaks.
And o'er these ruled Amphimakhos and Nastes,
Nastes and Amphimakhos were the glorious sons of Nomion,
Who, donned all in gold came to war like a maid,
Ah! Poor lad, not did he guard against baneful ruin,
But fell he at the hands of swift-footed Aiakos' grandson
In the river, and the gold did warlike Akhilleus take as spoil.
And Sarpedon ruled o'er the Lykioi, and Glaukos the excellent as well,
And afar have they come from Lykie, from the eddying Xanthos.
ὉΜHΡΟΥ ἸΛIAΣ - ῬAΨΩΔIA A' - Homer's The Iliad - The Song of Ilion Book I
Slumbered for the whole night, not was Zeus beholden to sweet sleep,
But tossed the god in his mind how to for Akhilleus
Do honor, and slay many by the ships of the Akhaioi.
And this in his heart the best plan seemed to be,
To send to Atreus' son Agamemnōn a destructive dream,
And calling the dream, with winged words he spake:
"Off with thee! Go, O destructive dream, upon the swift ships of the Akhaioi,
And having come to the tent of Agamemnōn, Atreus' son,
Very exactly all these things announce as I instruct thee:
Bid him arm the heads of the long-haired Akhaioi
With all speed, for the time is now that he may seize the wide-streeted city
Of the Trojans. For no longer on either side are they who on Olympos have their homes,
The deathless gods, and not are they divided in counsel. For she hath won all them over,
The goddess Hērē in her beseeching, and o'er the Trojans hath hung grief."
Thus spake he, and went then the dream when this command he heard.
And swiftly came he upon the swift ships of the Akhaioi,
And came he then upon Atreus' son Agamemnōn. And him he found
As he slept in his tent, and about him was poured ambrosial sleep.
And then stood the dream above his head unto Nēlēus' son in likeness,
Likened unto Nestōr, whom out of the elders yea very much did Agamemnon value.
As him the dream appeared to him, and then spake the godlike dream:
 |
| Nestor Appearing In A Dream To Agamemnon, after a painting by Fuseli |
"Thou slumber'st, Atreus' son, Atreus who was a warlike tamer of horses.
It be not necessary for a wise counselor to slumber through the whole night,
A man to whom the men have been entrusted and so many things are now a care.
And now unto me hearken quickly: for I am a messenger of Zeus,
Who though from thee is far off, hath for thee great care and pity.
He biddeth thee arm the heads of the long-haired Akhaioi
With all speed, for the time is now that thou may'st seize the wide-streeted city
Of the Trojans. For no longer on either side are they who on Olympos have their homes,
The deathless gods, and not are they divided in counsel. For she hath won all them over,
The goddess Hērē in her beseeching, and o'er the Trojans hath hung grief
From Zeus. But thou shore this up in thy breast, nor thee let forgetfulness
Take hold, when sweet sleep which is honey to the mind lets thee go."
Thus having spoken, the dream got up and him he left there,
Thinking in his heart on things not fated to be brought about.
For he imagined that he would take Priamos' city even on that day,
Poor fool, nor did he know the things which Zeus had in mind.
For Zeus was still to bestow woes and wailings both
Upon the Trojans and the Danaï alike throughout their mighty fights.
And wakened he was from sleep, and the godlike voice still surrounded him.
He sat upright, and his soft khitōn he put on himself,
A garment fine and fair, and about him threw he on his great cloak,
And under his shining feet he bound fine sandals,
And about his shoulders threw he on his sword, silver-studded.
And taketh he the scepter belonging to his father, the scepter undecaying forever
With him, and he went alongside the ships of the bronze-clad Akhaioi.
And Dawn the goddess came forth upon great Olympos,
And to Zeus she announces the light of day, and to the other deathless.
But Agamemnōn did the clear-voiced heralds bid
To announce an assembly to the long-haired Akhaioi.
After they announced, yea they gathered very quickly.
But first the council of great-hearted elders he made sit
Alongside the Nestorian ship, Nestor, who is Pylos-born, and its king.
Once them he gathered, a shrewd design he put in motion:
"Harken unto me! In sleep to me a godlike dream came
Through the ambrosial night: and it very much as godlike Nestor
In appearance and in stature and in build it seemed near to be.
And stood it above my head and gave me this speech:
'Thou slumber'st, Atreus' son, Atreus who was a warlike tamer of horses.
It be not necessary for a wise counselor to slumber through the whole night,
A man to whom the men have been entrusted and so many things are now a care.
And now unto me hearken quickly: for I am a messenger of Zeus,
Who though from thee is far off, hath for thee great care and pity.
He biddeth thee arm the heads of the long-haired Akhaioi
With all speed, for the time is now that thou may'st seize the wide-streeted city
Of the Trojans. For no longer on either side are they who on Olympos have their homes,
The deathless gods, and not are they divided in counsel. For she hath won all them over,
The goddess Hērē in her beseeching, and o'er the Trojans hath hung grief
From Zeus. But thou shore this up in thy breast.'
Thus spake he,
And off he went flying, and me sweet sleep let be.
But come, if haply we shall arm the sons of the Akhaioi!
But first I shall with words test them, as is proper custom,
And them to flee upon their many-benched ships I shall bid.
But ye from one side, and then from another check them with words."
And yea, so spake he, and then sat down. And among them stood
Nestōr who yea was lord of Pylos, full of sand.
He to them was well-intentioned, and he proclaimed and among them spoke:
"O friends of Argos, leaders and indeed rulers all,
If another one of the Akhaioi had of this dream told tale,
Then a liar we would name him and to him we ought to turn our backs.
But now hath seen the dream, who boasts to be the best of the Akhaioi!
But come, if haply we shall arm the sons of the Akhaioi!"
Thus having spoken, from the council he led them to go,
And they stood up and obeyed the shepherd of the people,
They, the scepter-bearing kings. And the people went,
Just like swarms of honeybees thickly packed together
Fly out of hollowed rock, ever anew they come,
And in clusters light upon the blossoms of the spring.
Thither in crowds a plenty they take wing, and now flying over there --
Just so, in many swarms from their ships and huts
Lying on the deep-stretching beach, they marched in rows
And in squads went to the assembly. And along with them Rumor blazed,
Stirring them to go, she Zeus' messenger. And together they gathered.
In chaos was the assembly, and beneath them groaned the ground
As the people sat down, and a din arose. Nine heralds
Checked them by shouting, if ever they might from uproar
Keep them, and to give ear to the god-reared kings.
In haste sat the people, and stayed they in their seats,
Ceasing their clanging. And up lord Agamemnōn
Rose, holding his scepter which Hephaistos had wrought in making.
Hephaistos gave it to the son of Kronos, Zeus the lord,
And in turn Zeus gave it to his minister, Argus-Slayer;
And lord Hermeias gave it to Pelops horse-driver,
And again in turn Pelops gave it to Atreus, shepherd of people,
And Atreus upon dying left it to Thyestēs of many lambs,
And in turn again Thyestēs to Agamemnōn left it to bear,
That o'er many islands and all Argos he be lord.
Upon it he leaned, and words he addressed to the Argeioi:
 |
| Agamemnon Advises the Greeks, Crispijn van de Passe, 1613 |
"O friends, heroes, Danaoi, armsmen of Arēs,
Zeus son of Kronos hath me greatly bound in heavy destruction,
Unwavering he is, who before hath promised me and nodded assent
That, after sacking Ilion, I depart the well-walled city,
But now a wicked trick he hath planned for me and me he bids
To dishonored return to Argos, after much of my people I have slain.
Thus methinks it be ordained to be pleasing to Zeus the almighty,
Who yea hath razed the citadels of many cites to the ground,
And even yet shall too raze others. For his power is the greatest.
For if there be any shame, it is this -- and shameful for those hereafter to hear
That in vain thusly did so great and so vast a people of the Akhaioi
Wage an fruitless war and yea give battle
To lesser men, and that not was there e'er an end in sight:
For should we ever wish, both we Akhaioi and the Trojans
To, upon swearing solemn oaths, count up the forces of both sides,
The Trojans gather all whom they have at their hearthsides,
While we do by tens draw up battle array, we Akhaioi,
Then should we each choose a single Trojan to pour wine,
Many of those tens would lack a wine-pourer.
So much, I say, that we, the sons of the Akhaioi are greater
Than the Trojans, who live in that city! But allies
Of many cities they have, spear-fighting men all,
Who sorely thwart me and who will not allow me though I wish it
To destroy the well-housed city of Ilion!
Yea nine years of great Zeus have come and gone,
And yea the wood of our ships is rotten, and the moorings have loosened.
And methinks our wives and sweet children
Sit in our palaces waiting. And yet, the task
Is still yet unfulfilled, that for which we have come.
But come ye now, and what I shall say let us all obey:
Let us flee with our ships to the dear land of our fathers,
For no longer shall we take Troy of the wide streets."
Thus spake he, and the heart within their breasts he stirred,
All of the throng whosoever had not heard the council.
And set astir was the assembly just as the great swells of the waters
Of the sea of Ikarios, the swells which both Eurus and Notos
Upward drive, either one rushing from Father Zeus' clouds.
Or as when Zephyros rakes the wide field as he blows,
All a-bluster, he drives them on, and low doth he bow the ears of corn --
Just so was their assembly set astir. And with a cry of victory
Upon the ships they rushed, and underneath their feet the dust
Stood up, arising, and yea, to each other they gave orders
To set to work on the ships, to draw them into the awe-invoking sea,
And to clear the gangways. And the cry rose heavenward,
The cry of homeward-bound men taking away the supports from the ships.
And there would a homecoming beyond apportioned fate be done by the Argeioi
If not to Athēnaiē did Hērē say a thing or two:
"Alas! Thou, aigis-bearing Zeus' child, Atrytōnē, O Unwearied,
Should thus to their dear home, should to the land of their fathers
The Argeioi flee o'er the broad back of the sea,
They would to Priamos and the Trojans leave as a boon
Argeian Helenē, on whose account many Akhaioi
At Troy have perished, far from the dear land of their fathers.
But come now! Get thee to the people of the bronze-clad Akhaians!
With thy gentle words do thou check each wight,
Nor thou suffer them to draw into the sea their rolling ships!"
Thus spake she, and not did the goddess disobey her, she gleaming-eyed Athēnē,
And went she along the peaks of Olympos, darting all the way,
And swiftly came she to the swift ships of the Akhaioi.
There she found Odysseus, Zeus' peer in counsel,
As he stood. And not did he make ready his well-benched, black ship,
Since a grief hath come upon him, upon his heart and soul.
And standing nearby, she spoke to him, she gleaming-eyed Athēnē:
"God-born son of Laërtēs, many-wiled Odysseus,
Shall thus to your dear home, should to the land of your fathers
Flee, falling upon your many-benched ships,
Would ye to Priamos and the Trojans leave as a boon
Argeian Helenē, on whose account many Akhaioi
At Troy have perished, far from the dear land of your fathers?
But come now! Get thee to the people of the Akhaians, rest no more!
With thy gentle words do thou check each wight,
Nor thou suffer them to draw into the sea their rolling ships!"
Thus spake she, and he recognized the voice of the goddess speaking,
And he went to run, and from him his cloak he threw, which a herald
Did gather up, Eurybatēs, an Ithakan who attended him.
And straightaway to Atreus' son Agamemnōn he came
And taketh he the scepter belonging to his father, the scepter undecaying forever
With him, and he went alongside the ships of the bronze-clad Akhaioi.
And so when some king and outstanding man among them he met,
Him with gentle words he checked as he stood at his side:
"Good sir, not be it seemly for thee to be a coward, under the sway of fear,
But seat thou thyself and make the other men sit,
For not so surely dost thou know what sort of mind hath Atreus' son,
For now he tests us, and forthwith shall make it hard for the sons of the Akhaioi.
In the council did we not all harken unto what he spake?
Let him not grow wroth and work ill upon the sons of the Akhaioi!
Great is the heart of him among the god-born kings,
And his plunder comes from Zeus, and him loveth Zeus the counselor."
And when some man of the people he would see, and some crier find,
Him with his scepter he would herd and upbraid with his speech:
"Good sir, stay still and set thee down there and unto the speech of others harken,
Others who are mightier than thee, for thou art unwarlike and unmighty!
Neither in war art thou counted as valued, nor in the council.
In no way will all of us Akhaioi each be a king here.
It is not useful for there to be many lords -- let there be one lord!
One king, to whom giveth Kronos' son, Kronos of crooked counsel,
The scepter and, yea, the laws laid down, so he may advise all the rest."
So thus did he lord about and range through the army. And they assembly-ward
Back again went from their ships and huts
With a roar, just as when the swells of the much-resounding sea
Upon the great seashore thunders, and the sea crashes.
While the others sat down and stayed they in their seats,
Thersitēs, alone of them, still scolded by shouting, his speech measureless,
Who had such words in his heart to make disorder and, yea, much of it.
In vain did he raise strife against the kings, for it was in no orderly way,
But whatever seemed to him to be mirthful to the Argeioi.
He was the ugliest man to have come under Ilion's walls:
He was bowlegged, and lame in one foot, and both his shoulders
Were hunched over his breast. And above this,
Pointed was his head, and scanty did the hair grow there.
And most hateful to Akhilleus above all was this man, and, yea, to Odysseus,
For with these two he was wont to wrangle. Now and again to godlike Agamemnōn
He speaks, shouting sharp blame. And him did the Akhaioi
Regard with full wrath and for him kept resentment in their hearts.
And so, bawling loudly, Agamemnōn he doth wrangle with his speech:
"Son of Atreus, dost thou again have some complaint? What now dost thou lack?
Full are thine huts with bronze, many are the women of thine,
Whom thou hast made off with for thine hut, whom for thee we Akhaioi
To thee first among before us do give, whenever a citadel we did take!
And yet, now is it gold thou lack'st, which someone might to thee bear
From Ilion, one of the Trojans, the horse-masters, as ransom for his son,
Whom I captured and carried off, or someone else of the Akhaioi?
Or is it a new woman, so thou mayest couple with her in lovemaking,
Some woman thou shalt keep far from others? Nay, it beseemeth not
The man who rules to lead to misery the sons of the Akhaioi!
O weaklings! Blameworthy bastards! Ye women of Akhaia, no longer men,
Homeward let us with our ships go, and him let us allow
To stay here at Troy to devour his prizes, so he may see
What yea indeed what aid we doth afford him -- or not!
And now Akhilleus, a far better wight than he,
He hath dishonored -- for he took her, he has his prize, he took her!
But surely there is not any anger in the heart of Akhilleus -- how careless! --
Else now, Atreus' son, mayhaps for the last time thou didst insult someone!"
Thus spake he while wrangling at the shepherd of the people, Agamemnōn,
Yon Thersitēs. And next to him quickly stood godlike Odysseus
And at him under his brow he looked and upbraided him with a hard speech:
"O Thersitēs, confused of speech thou art, although a shrill speaker!
Check thyself, and wish not, as thou art, to strive with the kings!
For there be not, so say I, any other mortal more base than thee,
Who together with Atreus' son came under Ilion's walls!
Therefore, not shouldst thou have the names of the kings upon thy lips when
Haranguing, and thy protests thou shouldst not bear forth, nor look towards home,
Nor how do we rightly know how things as these shall truly come to pass.
Whether it be good or ill that we return home, we the sons of the Akhaioi.
And so now against Atreus' son Agamemnōn, shepherd of people,
Thou dost keep protesting, because to him so many gifts they give,
They the fighting Danaoi. And thou in thy taunting dost harangue him!
But I shall speak out to thee, and this word will be brought to pass,
If still yet thee playing the fool I find thee as thou dost now,
Then no longer shall Odysseus' head on his shoulders remain,
Let him never be called Tēlemakhos' father ever again,
If I do not lay into thee and strip off thine own garments,
And thy cloak and yea thy tunic, that which enfolds thy shameful self,
And thee thyself wailing back to the swift ships I send off,
When I beat thee from this assembly with shaming blows!"
Thus spake he, and with his scepter the man's back and yea, his shoulders
He struck. The man doubled over and a fat tear he shed,
And a bruise blood-red raised and spread out upon his back
Under the golden scepter's blow. And so he sat down and grew afraid,
And, while smarting and looking about uselessly, wiped away the tear.
And about the bull they stood round, and the barley they took up,
And amidst them he spoke in prayer, he lord Agamemnōn:
"Thou Zeus -- most honored and greatest stormcloud-clad god abiding
In the heavens: let not the sun plunge and go into the darkness
Before I headlong cast down the hall of Priamos
Into smoke-begrimed ruin, and burn the doors with dreadful fire,
And rend Hektōr's khiton about his breast
With bronze 'til it be cleft. And may his many comrades about him
Headlong fall among the dust and bite the earth!"
Thus spake he, and not yet would the son of Kronos fulfill his prayer,
But nay, accepted he the holy off'ring, while unhappy toil waxeth he.
And then when they prayed and the barley-grain they cast forth,
They drew back the victims' heads first and cut; and then they flayed them,
And their flanks they cut and with fat they covered them,
A two-fold layer of fat they made and upon it placed the raw pieces.
And these on sticks stripped of leaves they kindled
And the innards they pierced and held o'er the flame of Hēphaistos,
And when the thighs he wholly burnt and the entrails they tasted,
And yea they cut up the rest and upon spits they pierced,
And they burned them thoroughly, and drew off all the spits.
And when they ceased from toil and made ready the feast,
They feasted, and not did their spirits lack anything of the equal feast.
And when desire of drink and food they sent away,
Yea for them began he a speech, he the Gerēnian driver of horses, Nestōr:
"Son of Atreus, most honored lord of men, Agamemnōn,
No longer let us now and here speak back and forth, and no longer
Let us hold off from our task, which yea the god hath put into our hands!
But come now! Let the heralds of the bronze-clad Akhaioi
In their proclamation summon the men amongst their ships,
And let us in crowded entourage amongst the wide army of the Akhaioi
Go, so that swifter may we stir up sharp Arēs!"
Thus spake he, and not did he disobey, he lord of men Agamemnōn.
Forthwith the heralds of clear voice he bade
To summon to war the long-haired Akhaioi,
And when they summoned them, yea gathered they most quickly.
And all about the son of Atreus the god-born kings
Rushed and divvied up the men, and among them was gleaming-eyed Athēnē,
Bearing the highly-prized aigis, ageless and deathless,
With a hundred tassels -- all gold -- hanging below,
All well-woven, each one worth a hekatomb.
With it the goddess flashed as she darted amidst the ranks of the Akhaioi,
Urging them onward -- and in the breast of each she raised
His heart to war unceasingly and yea to fight.
And in their eyes war became sweeter than to return
In their hollow ships to the dear land of their fathers.
 |
| Thersites, H.C. Selous |
And so, bawling loudly, Agamemnōn he doth wrangle with his speech:
"Son of Atreus, dost thou again have some complaint? What now dost thou lack?
Full are thine huts with bronze, many are the women of thine,
Whom thou hast made off with for thine hut, whom for thee we Akhaioi
To thee first among before us do give, whenever a citadel we did take!
And yet, now is it gold thou lack'st, which someone might to thee bear
From Ilion, one of the Trojans, the horse-masters, as ransom for his son,
Whom I captured and carried off, or someone else of the Akhaioi?
Or is it a new woman, so thou mayest couple with her in lovemaking,
Some woman thou shalt keep far from others? Nay, it beseemeth not
The man who rules to lead to misery the sons of the Akhaioi!
O weaklings! Blameworthy bastards! Ye women of Akhaia, no longer men,
Homeward let us with our ships go, and him let us allow
To stay here at Troy to devour his prizes, so he may see
What yea indeed what aid we doth afford him -- or not!
And now Akhilleus, a far better wight than he,
He hath dishonored -- for he took her, he has his prize, he took her!
But surely there is not any anger in the heart of Akhilleus -- how careless! --
Else now, Atreus' son, mayhaps for the last time thou didst insult someone!"
Thus spake he while wrangling at the shepherd of the people, Agamemnōn,
Yon Thersitēs. And next to him quickly stood godlike Odysseus
And at him under his brow he looked and upbraided him with a hard speech:
"O Thersitēs, confused of speech thou art, although a shrill speaker!
Check thyself, and wish not, as thou art, to strive with the kings!
For there be not, so say I, any other mortal more base than thee,
Who together with Atreus' son came under Ilion's walls!
Therefore, not shouldst thou have the names of the kings upon thy lips when
Haranguing, and thy protests thou shouldst not bear forth, nor look towards home,
Nor how do we rightly know how things as these shall truly come to pass.
Whether it be good or ill that we return home, we the sons of the Akhaioi.
And so now against Atreus' son Agamemnōn, shepherd of people,
Thou dost keep protesting, because to him so many gifts they give,
They the fighting Danaoi. And thou in thy taunting dost harangue him!
But I shall speak out to thee, and this word will be brought to pass,
If still yet thee playing the fool I find thee as thou dost now,
Then no longer shall Odysseus' head on his shoulders remain,
Let him never be called Tēlemakhos' father ever again,
If I do not lay into thee and strip off thine own garments,
And thy cloak and yea thy tunic, that which enfolds thy shameful self,
And thee thyself wailing back to the swift ships I send off,
When I beat thee from this assembly with shaming blows!"
Thus spake he, and with his scepter the man's back and yea, his shoulders
He struck. The man doubled over and a fat tear he shed,
And a bruise blood-red raised and spread out upon his back
Under the golden scepter's blow. And so he sat down and grew afraid,
And, while smarting and looking about uselessly, wiped away the tear.
 |
| Odysseus Strikes Thersites, illustrator unknown |
The men, annoyed as they were at him, merrily laughed,
And each one when he saw the sight spake unto his fellow beside him:
"Oh my! Yea, hath Odysseus already wrought many noble things,
Both in taking the lead in good counsel and arming his men for war;
But now this thing is the best he hath done for the Argeioi,
For this foul slanderer, this rash-talker of the assembly he hath checked!
Surely not shall his manly heart yet again compel him
To wrangle with the kings using reproachful words!"
Thus spake the crowd. And up stood the sacker of cities, Odysseus,
Wielding his scepter, while beside him flashing gleaming-eyed Athēnē,
Appearing like unto a herald, bid the people be silent,
So that together in front and furthest back, they the sons of the Akhaioi,
Might harken unto his words and saieth he his thought besides:
"O Atreus' son, now indeed do the Akhaioi wish thee, O my lord,
To be the most craven in the eyes of all mortal men!
Nor do they fulfill the promise for thee which they swore,
As they said, coming thitherward from horse-pastured Argos,
That, once thou hast sacked Ilion the well-walled, they return home.
For just like little children and widowed wives,
To each other they wail to return back home!
Yea in truth, there is toil for a man distressing to return home,
And any of us staying for even a single month away from our wives
Is distraught in his many-benched ship, yea the man whom storms
In wintertide may shut in, as well as the rising sea.
But for us a ninth year's mark is now rolling by,
And here we stand. Yea, not am I offended that the Akhaioi
Are distraught alongside their beaked ships; but yet, likewise
Is it shameful to remain overlong or to return empty-handed.
Endure, friends! And wait for a time until we may learn
Either what Kalkhas divines to be true or not.
For yea we well know in our hearts and ye all
Are witnesses, those whom the black doom of death hath not come to bear.
'Twas like yesterday or the day before, when at Aulis the ships of the Akhaioi
Gathered to bring ill to Priamos and the Trojans,
And around a spring we stood, and offered upon the holy altar
For the deathless gods hekatombs without blemish
Under a lovely plane tree whence ran shining water.
Then there appeared a great sign: a serpent, deep blood-red on his back,
Fearful to look upon, which the Olympian himself sent into the daylight --
From beneath the platform it slithered, and to the plane tree it darted forward.
And there were a sparrow's nestlings, a bird's young,
On the topmost bough, and underneath the leaves they cowered,
Eight of them, and the mother was the ninth, she who bore her young.
And there that serpent piteously devoured them as they shrilly cried.
And the mother flitted about lamenting her dear hatchlings,
And around her it wrapped his coils and seized her at the wing as she shrieked.
But when it had eaten up the babies of the sparrow and her herself,
It the god had showed to us as a clear sign, the same god who made it appear,
Stone then did he make the creature, he the son of Kronos of crooked counsel.
And there we stood, amazed at what had been wrought for us.
So therefore, the dire portents of the gods interrupted the hekatombs,
And Kalkhas forthwith interpreting the godsign did address us:
And each one when he saw the sight spake unto his fellow beside him:
"Oh my! Yea, hath Odysseus already wrought many noble things,
Both in taking the lead in good counsel and arming his men for war;
But now this thing is the best he hath done for the Argeioi,
For this foul slanderer, this rash-talker of the assembly he hath checked!
Surely not shall his manly heart yet again compel him
To wrangle with the kings using reproachful words!"
Thus spake the crowd. And up stood the sacker of cities, Odysseus,
Wielding his scepter, while beside him flashing gleaming-eyed Athēnē,
Appearing like unto a herald, bid the people be silent,
So that together in front and furthest back, they the sons of the Akhaioi,
Might harken unto his words and saieth he his thought besides:
"O Atreus' son, now indeed do the Akhaioi wish thee, O my lord,
To be the most craven in the eyes of all mortal men!
Nor do they fulfill the promise for thee which they swore,
As they said, coming thitherward from horse-pastured Argos,
That, once thou hast sacked Ilion the well-walled, they return home.
For just like little children and widowed wives,
To each other they wail to return back home!
Yea in truth, there is toil for a man distressing to return home,
And any of us staying for even a single month away from our wives
Is distraught in his many-benched ship, yea the man whom storms
In wintertide may shut in, as well as the rising sea.
But for us a ninth year's mark is now rolling by,
And here we stand. Yea, not am I offended that the Akhaioi
Are distraught alongside their beaked ships; but yet, likewise
Is it shameful to remain overlong or to return empty-handed.
Endure, friends! And wait for a time until we may learn
Either what Kalkhas divines to be true or not.
For yea we well know in our hearts and ye all
Are witnesses, those whom the black doom of death hath not come to bear.
'Twas like yesterday or the day before, when at Aulis the ships of the Akhaioi
Gathered to bring ill to Priamos and the Trojans,
And around a spring we stood, and offered upon the holy altar
For the deathless gods hekatombs without blemish
Under a lovely plane tree whence ran shining water.
Then there appeared a great sign: a serpent, deep blood-red on his back,
Fearful to look upon, which the Olympian himself sent into the daylight --
From beneath the platform it slithered, and to the plane tree it darted forward.
And there were a sparrow's nestlings, a bird's young,
On the topmost bough, and underneath the leaves they cowered,
Eight of them, and the mother was the ninth, she who bore her young.
And there that serpent piteously devoured them as they shrilly cried.
And the mother flitted about lamenting her dear hatchlings,
And around her it wrapped his coils and seized her at the wing as she shrieked.
But when it had eaten up the babies of the sparrow and her herself,
It the god had showed to us as a clear sign, the same god who made it appear,
Stone then did he make the creature, he the son of Kronos of crooked counsel.
And there we stood, amazed at what had been wrought for us.
So therefore, the dire portents of the gods interrupted the hekatombs,
And Kalkhas forthwith interpreting the godsign did address us:
'Why pray have ye grown silent, ye long-haired Akhaioi?
For to us hath he shown this sign, he counselor Zeus,
His sign late in coming and late in fulfilling, and his glory shall never be destroyed.
So did the snake eat up the babies of the sparrow and her herself,
Eight of them, and the mother was the ninth, she who bore her young.
So thus we for as many years shall war about the city there,
And in the tenth we shall take the city of the wide streets.'
"And so he addressed us. And yea, now all is coming to an end!
But come! All ye stand fast, ye well-greaved Akhaioi,
Here where ye are until we take the great city of Priamos."
Thus spake he, and the Argeioi greatly shouted, and about their ships
Echoed the din of the shouts of the Akhaioi, which praised
The fearful speech of Odysseus, a godlike man.
And then also spake among them was the Gerēnian driver of horses, Nestōr:
But come! All ye stand fast, ye well-greaved Akhaioi,
Here where ye are until we take the great city of Priamos."
Thus spake he, and the Argeioi greatly shouted, and about their ships
Echoed the din of the shouts of the Akhaioi, which praised
The fearful speech of Odysseus, a godlike man.
And then also spake among them was the Gerēnian driver of horses, Nestōr:
"My my! Yea how ye are unto the likes of boys who hold meetings,
And like boys care not one whit for any warlike feats!
What then shall become of our covenants and our oaths?
Into the fire then let our plans be thrown, and the counsels of men,
The libations of unmixed wine, and our right hands wherein we hold trust.
For in vain do we quarrel with words and by no means
Can we find the right ploy, though much time we have been here.
And thou, Atreus' son, as thou still art, hold to thine unbending plan
And lead the Argeioi in their mighty bouts.
And let them perish the one or two of them, who among the Akhaioi
Make their plans aloof from us -- there shall not be any accomplishment for these,
Who plot that we to Argos return before we know whether it be a lie
What Zeus aigis-bearer hath promised us or if it be not.
Therefore I say that given hath he his full assent, he Kronos' son,
On the day, the very one when upon their swift-faring ships came
The Argeioi bearing slaughter and dark doom for the Trojans,
For he hurled lightning on our right, showing omens boding good.
Let no man go home full sail and return there
Before he hath lain down beside a wife of the Trojans,
And he hath been paid for the moaning and groaning about Helen.
And if any should exceedingly wish to depart for home,
Let him ready his ship, well-benched and black,
So that before all his death and fate he may meet.
But lord, thou thyself take counsel and harken unto another,
And not shall my words be cast aside, the words I utter.
Separate the men according to tribes and clans, O Agamemnōn,
So that clan may succor clan and tribe may succor tribe.
And if thou shouldst do thusly and if thee the Akhaioi should obey,
Then thou shalt know who is a cowards among the lords and among thy people,
And who remains noble. For they shall fight for each themselves.
And thou shalt know if thou shalt not sack the city because of the gods' doing,
Or if it be because of the cowardice of thy men and their folly in war."
And him in answer he spake forth, he lord Agamemnōn:
"Yea indeed, as before thou art, old man, prevailing o'er the sons of the Akhaioi!
For if, O Zeus the Father, and Athēnaiē, and Apollōn,
I had in my retinue ten such counselors of the Akhaioi as this man,
Then yea swift would the city of lord Priamos bow low
At our hands, having been both taken and laid to ruin.
But to me hath aigis-bearing Zeus, Kronos' son, given pain,
As me he casts into fruitless arguments and quarrels!
For Akhilleus and I fought on account of the maid
Each with words butting head against head, and I was first to anger.
And if ever as one we shall take counsel again, then no longer
Shall there be any defense against evil for the Trojans, not in the least.
And now go, ye men, to thy noonday meal, so we may engage in Arēs!
Let each sharpen well his spear! Let each take up well his shield!
Let each give well the feed to his horses, swift of hoof!
Let each, in seeing to his chariot, think well of war,
So that all day long may we strive in hateful Arēs!
For there shall be no ceasing from fighting -- not in the least --
Until the coming night part the fury of men.
Runneth wet with sweat about his breast shall be the broad strap
Of the shield covering him whole, and his hands about his spear grow weary.
Runneth wet with sweat shall be his horse, pulling the well-polished car.
And he whom I shall espy far off from battle wishing
To remain beside the beaked ships, then there shall be not
A hope for him to escape the dogs and yea, the birds!"
Thus spake he, and the men loudly shouted -- as when the swells
Crash upon a lofty crag, when driveth the whipping Notos
Against the rocky outcropp which n'er the swells leave unblown,
The swells driven by all the winds, when they blow here and there.
Standing up, they rise, scattering amongst their ships,
And made they fire in their tents, and their meal they took.
And some to one, some to another of the ever-living gods made sacrifice,
Praying each that he escape both death and the toil of Arēs.
And a bull he did sacrifice, he the lord of men Agamemnōn,
A fat bull of five years for the overmighty son of Kronos,
And he called the elders, the foremost of the Akhaian host,
Nestōr first of all, and king Idomeneus,
And then both two Aiases, and the son of Tydeus,
And then the sixth, Odysseus, a counselor in value as great as Zeus.
And unbidden came to him he who excels at the war-cry, Menelaos,
For knew he in his heart how his brother toiled.
And like boys care not one whit for any warlike feats!
What then shall become of our covenants and our oaths?
Into the fire then let our plans be thrown, and the counsels of men,
The libations of unmixed wine, and our right hands wherein we hold trust.
For in vain do we quarrel with words and by no means
Can we find the right ploy, though much time we have been here.
And thou, Atreus' son, as thou still art, hold to thine unbending plan
And lead the Argeioi in their mighty bouts.
And let them perish the one or two of them, who among the Akhaioi
Make their plans aloof from us -- there shall not be any accomplishment for these,
Who plot that we to Argos return before we know whether it be a lie
What Zeus aigis-bearer hath promised us or if it be not.
Therefore I say that given hath he his full assent, he Kronos' son,
On the day, the very one when upon their swift-faring ships came
The Argeioi bearing slaughter and dark doom for the Trojans,
For he hurled lightning on our right, showing omens boding good.
Let no man go home full sail and return there
Before he hath lain down beside a wife of the Trojans,
And he hath been paid for the moaning and groaning about Helen.
And if any should exceedingly wish to depart for home,
Let him ready his ship, well-benched and black,
So that before all his death and fate he may meet.
But lord, thou thyself take counsel and harken unto another,
And not shall my words be cast aside, the words I utter.
Separate the men according to tribes and clans, O Agamemnōn,
So that clan may succor clan and tribe may succor tribe.
And if thou shouldst do thusly and if thee the Akhaioi should obey,
Then thou shalt know who is a cowards among the lords and among thy people,
And who remains noble. For they shall fight for each themselves.
And thou shalt know if thou shalt not sack the city because of the gods' doing,
Or if it be because of the cowardice of thy men and their folly in war."
And him in answer he spake forth, he lord Agamemnōn:
"Yea indeed, as before thou art, old man, prevailing o'er the sons of the Akhaioi!
For if, O Zeus the Father, and Athēnaiē, and Apollōn,
I had in my retinue ten such counselors of the Akhaioi as this man,
Then yea swift would the city of lord Priamos bow low
At our hands, having been both taken and laid to ruin.
But to me hath aigis-bearing Zeus, Kronos' son, given pain,
As me he casts into fruitless arguments and quarrels!
For Akhilleus and I fought on account of the maid
Each with words butting head against head, and I was first to anger.
And if ever as one we shall take counsel again, then no longer
Shall there be any defense against evil for the Trojans, not in the least.
And now go, ye men, to thy noonday meal, so we may engage in Arēs!
Let each sharpen well his spear! Let each take up well his shield!
Let each give well the feed to his horses, swift of hoof!
Let each, in seeing to his chariot, think well of war,
So that all day long may we strive in hateful Arēs!
For there shall be no ceasing from fighting -- not in the least --
Until the coming night part the fury of men.
Runneth wet with sweat about his breast shall be the broad strap
Of the shield covering him whole, and his hands about his spear grow weary.
Runneth wet with sweat shall be his horse, pulling the well-polished car.
And he whom I shall espy far off from battle wishing
To remain beside the beaked ships, then there shall be not
A hope for him to escape the dogs and yea, the birds!"
Thus spake he, and the men loudly shouted -- as when the swells
Crash upon a lofty crag, when driveth the whipping Notos
Against the rocky outcropp which n'er the swells leave unblown,
The swells driven by all the winds, when they blow here and there.
Standing up, they rise, scattering amongst their ships,
And made they fire in their tents, and their meal they took.
And some to one, some to another of the ever-living gods made sacrifice,
Praying each that he escape both death and the toil of Arēs.
And a bull he did sacrifice, he the lord of men Agamemnōn,
A fat bull of five years for the overmighty son of Kronos,
And he called the elders, the foremost of the Akhaian host,
Nestōr first of all, and king Idomeneus,
And then both two Aiases, and the son of Tydeus,
And then the sixth, Odysseus, a counselor in value as great as Zeus.
And unbidden came to him he who excels at the war-cry, Menelaos,
For knew he in his heart how his brother toiled.
 |
| A garlanded bull is led to sacrifice. |
And about the bull they stood round, and the barley they took up,
And amidst them he spoke in prayer, he lord Agamemnōn:
"Thou Zeus -- most honored and greatest stormcloud-clad god abiding
In the heavens: let not the sun plunge and go into the darkness
Before I headlong cast down the hall of Priamos
Into smoke-begrimed ruin, and burn the doors with dreadful fire,
And rend Hektōr's khiton about his breast
With bronze 'til it be cleft. And may his many comrades about him
Headlong fall among the dust and bite the earth!"
Thus spake he, and not yet would the son of Kronos fulfill his prayer,
But nay, accepted he the holy off'ring, while unhappy toil waxeth he.
And then when they prayed and the barley-grain they cast forth,
They drew back the victims' heads first and cut; and then they flayed them,
And their flanks they cut and with fat they covered them,
A two-fold layer of fat they made and upon it placed the raw pieces.
And these on sticks stripped of leaves they kindled
And the innards they pierced and held o'er the flame of Hēphaistos,
And when the thighs he wholly burnt and the entrails they tasted,
And yea they cut up the rest and upon spits they pierced,
And they burned them thoroughly, and drew off all the spits.
And when they ceased from toil and made ready the feast,
They feasted, and not did their spirits lack anything of the equal feast.
And when desire of drink and food they sent away,
Yea for them began he a speech, he the Gerēnian driver of horses, Nestōr:
"Son of Atreus, most honored lord of men, Agamemnōn,
No longer let us now and here speak back and forth, and no longer
Let us hold off from our task, which yea the god hath put into our hands!
But come now! Let the heralds of the bronze-clad Akhaioi
In their proclamation summon the men amongst their ships,
And let us in crowded entourage amongst the wide army of the Akhaioi
Go, so that swifter may we stir up sharp Arēs!"
Thus spake he, and not did he disobey, he lord of men Agamemnōn.
Forthwith the heralds of clear voice he bade
To summon to war the long-haired Akhaioi,
And when they summoned them, yea gathered they most quickly.
And all about the son of Atreus the god-born kings
Rushed and divvied up the men, and among them was gleaming-eyed Athēnē,
Bearing the highly-prized aigis, ageless and deathless,
With a hundred tassels -- all gold -- hanging below,
All well-woven, each one worth a hekatomb.
With it the goddess flashed as she darted amidst the ranks of the Akhaioi,
Urging them onward -- and in the breast of each she raised
His heart to war unceasingly and yea to fight.
And in their eyes war became sweeter than to return
In their hollow ships to the dear land of their fathers.
 |
| The Lemnian Athena clad in the aigis. |
Just as an all-destructive fire burns up a boundless forest
On a mountain's peaks, and far off doth appear the blaze --
Just so, as they came the sheen of their divinely bright bronze
Did burst with such radiance as it went heavenward through the air.
And just as there are many tribes of winged fowl,
Or of wild geese, or of cranes, or of long-necked swans
Who about the Asian plain around the stream of Kaüster
Hither and thither fly, glorying in their pinions,
Making a din when they perch, and resoundeth all the plain --
Just so there are as many tribes which from their ships and tents
Poured forth into the plain of Skamander, and the earth
-- Terrible to hear -- echoed under their feet and horses.
Halted they upon the plain of Skamander, all abloom with flowers,
Their forces countless as the leaves and flowers born in spring.
Just as there are many tribes of dense-milling flies,
Which about the farmstead hover, buzzing in a herd
In springtide when milk wets and splashes the buckets --
Such was the numbered count of the long-haired Akhaioi
Who before the Trojans' eyes did stand, yearning to tear them asunder.
And just as the wide-reaching herd of goats the goatherds
Easily separates when in the pasture they mingle --
Just so, the leaders marshaled their men on this side and on that
To go into battle, and amidst them was lord Agamemnōn,
Who in eyes and face seemed like unto Zeus who delights in thunder,
Like unto Arēs' was his waist, and his breast was like unto Poseidon's.
Just like when a bull stands out greatly from the rest
Of the flock, for he surpasses the gathering kine.
Upon such a one as the son of Atreus did Zeus on that day
Grant excellence among his many men and make him outstanding among heroes.
Tell me now, ye Mousai who on Olympos have their homes,
For ye are goddesses, and ye are at hand, and ye know all things,
While we merely hear of the rumor, and yet know nothing --
Who were the leaders of the Danaï and their kings?
But of the number of the commons I could not tell nor give name
Not if I had within me ten tongues, and even ten mouths
And the voice within me was unbreaking, and bronze were my heart,
Not if the the Mousai, daughters of Olympian Zeus the aigis-bearer
Did not recall to my mind who those were who came to Ilion.
The captains of each ships I shall tell, and the ships all in due order:
Of the Boiōtians, Peneleōs and Lēïtos were captains,
And Arkesilaos and Prothoënōr and Klonios,
Those who in Hyriē dwell, and in Aulis full of rocks,
And in Skhoinos, and Skōlos, and many-peaked Eteōnos,
Thespeia and Graia, and wide-pastured Mykalēssos;
As well as those who about Harme dwell, and in Eilesion, and Erythrai,
As well as those who hold Eleōn and yea Hylē and Peteōn,
Ōkalea and Medeōn, a well-built city,
And Kōpai, and Eutrēsis, and dove-haunted Thisbē;
As well as those who dwell in Korōneia and grassy Haliartos,
As well as those who hold Plataia and dwell in Glisās;
As well as those who hold Lower-Thēbai, a well-built city,
And Onkhēstos, the holy grove of shining Posidēōn;
As well as those who hold vine-rich Arnē, and Mideia
And Nisa most holy, and Anthēdon lying at land's edge.
Of these fifty ships came, and on each one
A hundred and twenty young men of the Boiotians went.
And there were those who at Asplēdōn dwell, and at Minyeian Orkhomenos,
O'er whom ruled Askalaphos and Ialmenos, sons of Arēs,
Whom Astyokhē bore at the palace of Aktōr, son of Azeus,
After the revered maid went up that night to her upper chamber,
And conceived for mighty Arēs, for he lay beside her in secret --
With these came thirty hollow ships all in rows.
And then came those who o'er the Phōkēoi rule, Skhedios and Epistrophos,
Sons of Iphitos, great-hearted son of Naubolos.
They are those who hold Kyparissos and Pythō, full of rocks,
And Krisa, a holy place, and Daulis, and Panopēus,
As well came those who around Anemōreia and Hyampolis dwell,
And who alongside the banks of the divine Kēphisos river dwell,
And those who hold Linaia, at the font of the Kephisos.
And with these together forty black ships followed.
And there they busied about and drew up the Phōkēoi's battle-line,
And next to the Boiōtoi, hard by on their left, made they ready their arms.
And o'er the Lokroi ruled the son of Oïlēos, swift Aias
The Lesser, for not so great was he as Telamōnian Aias,
But far lesser he was. Small he was, in leather doublet clad,
In spear-cast he outstripped all Hellen's children and the Akhaioi.
They were those who at Kynos dwell, at Opus and Kalliaros
And Bēssa and Skarphē and Augeai the lovely,
And Tarphē and Thronion, which lies about the streams of Boagrios.
And with Aias together forty black ships followed
Of the Lokri, those who dwell across from holy Euboiē.
And those who Euboia hold, the Abantes who breathe wrath,
And they hold Khalkis and Eiretria and many-vintaged Histiaia,
And Kērinthos hard by the sea, and the steep city of Dios,
And they hold Karystos, and yea at Styra they dwell,
And o'er them ruled Elephēnōr, scion of Arēs,
Khalkōdōn's great-hearted son, leader of the Abantes.
And with him the Abantes followed, fleet of foot and long-haired behind,
Spearmen eager with ashen weapons outstretched
To rend the armor of their foes, armor which lies upon the breasts.
And with Elephēnōr together forty black ships followed.
And those who Athēnai hold, a well-built city she,
The haunt of great-hearted Erekhtheus, whom queenly Athēnē
Fostered, she Zeus' daughter, after the zea-giving farmland bore him,
And set him then she at Athēns in her own rich temple.
And there him they appease with bulls and with rams,
Rites the youths of the Athēnaioi observe, celebrated yearly.
Ruling them was the son of Peteos, Menestheus.
What other man born upon this earth was like unto him
In arranging horse and shield-bearing foot into battle?
Yea, Nestōr did vie with him, for he was the elder of them.
And with Menetheus together fifty black ships followed.
And Aias of Salamis did lead twelve ships,
And set them in his march where stood the shield-wall of the Athēnaioi.
And those who Argos hold and Tiryns the well-walled,
And Hermionē and Asinē, which hold a deep gulf,
And Troizēn and Ēïonai and vine-rich Epidauros.
And those who hold Aigina and Masēs, they the sons of the Akhaioi,
O'er whom ruled he who was mighty in the war-cry, Diomēdēs,
And Sthenelos, wide-renowned Kapanēus' dear son.
And with them Euryalos came, a third wight, like unto a god,
Mēkisteos' son, who in turn was son of lord Talaus.
And o'er them all ruled he who was mighty in the war-cry, Diomēdēs.
And with them together fifty black ships followed.
And those who Mykēnai held, a well-built city of old,
And wealthy Korinth and well-built Kleōnai,
Who at Orneiai dwelt and at Araithyreë the lovely,
And at Sikyōn, where Adrēstos reigned first as king.
And those who Hyperēsiē held and steep Gonoessa,
And Pellēnē, and yea about Aigion they dwelt.
And throughout all of Aigialos, and about Helikē the broad.
And o'er these hundred ships ruled lord Agamemnōn,
The son of Atreus -- and together with him by far the most and best
Men followed, while he himself among them donned his gleaming bronze
And thus was exalted in glory, and was preëminent amongst all his warriors
On account of being the best by far, and leading the most men.
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| The Lions' Gate at Mycenae. The Cyclopean rocks and imposing walkway (flanked by a wall on either side so one is almost totally boxed in should the gate be closed) put the impressive status of the Mycenaean kings of the Argolid on display to any visitor or invader. |
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| Reconstruction of a Mycenaean heavy-infantryman. Plate armor of this sort, like the Dendra panopoly (above), is dated from a few centuries before the fall of Troy and the Mycenaeans, but pieces of such a suit have been found at modern-day Hisarlk (Troy), and descriptions of such armor appear in Homer (Aias' tower shield and the boars' tusk helm) |
And those who at Bouprasion and Ēlis the heavenly dwelt,
As far as Hyrminē and Myrsinos, which lie at the sea's edge,
And rocky Ōleniē and Alēsion enclosed within
And o'er them four leaders reigned, and with each man
Ten swift ships followed, and many Epeioi embarked thereon.
O'er these men both Amphimakhos and Thalpios took the lead,
Aktōr's grandsons both, sons either of Kteatos, or of Eurytos,
And o'er them ruled Amarynkeus and mighty Diōrēs.
And o'er the fourth company ruled Polyxeinos who seemeth like a god,
Son of lord Agasthenēs, who in turn was the son of Augēius.
And those who come from Doulikhios and Ekhinai, the holy isles,
Which lie facing opposite across the saltsea of Ēlis,
And there are those whom Megēs ruled, he a peer of Arēs,
Megēs, the son of Phyleus, he whom Phyleus reared, a horse rider dear to Zeus,
Megēs who once quit Doulikhion when he with his father grew wroth.
And with him together forty black ships followed.
And then Odysseus came, leading the great-hearted Kephallēnes
Those who Ithaka held and Nēritos of leaf-waving trees,
And who at Krokyleia dwelt and Aigilips the jagged.
And those who Zakynthos hold and those who about Samos dwelt,
And those who the mainland hold and yea the lands facing the islands.
And o'er them Odysseus ruled, who of Zeus was peer in counsel.
And with him together followed twelve ships, all prows painted red.
And the Aitōloi Thoas did lead, he Andraimon's son,
And those who at Pleurōn dwelt and Ōlenos and yea, Pylēnē
And Khalkis near the sea, as well as Kalydōn the rocky.
For great-hearted Oinēus' sons were no more,
Nor did he himself still live, and dead was fair-haired Meleāgros,
To whom all command was given to lord o'er the Aitōloi,
And with Thoas together forty black ships followed.
And o'er the Krētoi Idomeneus, famed for his spear, was leader,
And those who Knōsos held and Gortys the well-walled,
Lyktos and Milētos and Lykastos white with chalk,
And Phaistos and Rhytios, cities well-dwelt,
And all the others who dwelt on Krētē of a hundred cities.
And o'er them Idomeneus, famed for his spear, was leader,
As well was Mērionēs, peer of Enyalios the man-slayer.
And with them together eighty black ships followed.
And Tlepolemos, son of Herakles who was both noble and great,
Who from Rhodos did lead nine ships of the lordly Rhodioi.
Who about Rhodos dwelt, divied into divisions three,
At Lindos and Ielysos, and chalk-white Kameiros:
And o'er these Tlepolemos, renowned in his spear, ruled,
Whom Astyokheia bore to mighty Herakleeies,
Whom he led from Ephyre, from the river Selleis,
When he razed many cities of god-reared warriors.
And when Tlepolemos had grown in a well-built megaron,
Then the dear brother of his own father's mother he slew,
Yea how old he had grown, Likymnios, scion of Ares!
So forthwith ships he built, and much of the people he gathered
And went in flight upon the sea. For they threatened him, they the other
Sons and grandsons of mighty Herakleeies.
But then he went to Rhodos, wandering and suffering pains.
In three parts they were settled there in tribes, and yea were loved
By Zeus, who o'er both gods and men ruleth,
And o'er them divine wealth hath poured down the son of Kronos.
Nireus led from Syme three well-keeled ships,
Nireus, son of Aglaie and lord Kharops,
Nireus, the most fair man who came under Ilion's walls
Of all the Akhaioi after the peerless son of Peleus,
But he was easily tired, and few men followed him.
And then those who held Nisyros and Krapathos and Kasos
And Kos, city of Eurypylos, and the Kalydnian isles,
O'er which ruled Pheidippos and Antiphos,
Both sons of the lord Thessalos, son of Herakles.
And with them thirty hollow ships sailed in a row.
And now those who at Pelasgian Argos dwelt,
Those who at Alos, and Alope, and Trekhis,
And those who held Phthie and Hellas, the land of fair women,
And the men who are called Myrmidons and Hellenes and Akhaioi,
And o'er these fifty ships was Akhilleus lord.
But they were not mindful of an ill-sounding war,
For not was the man who led them amongst the ranks.
For laid he amongst his ships, swift-footed, godlike Akhilleus,
Angered over the girl, the lovely-haired daughter of Brises,
Whom from Lyrnessos he had snatched after toiling much.
For Lyrnessos he had utterly razed, as well as the walls of Thebai,
And down he cast Mynes and Epistrophos, both spearmen,
Sons both of lord Euenos, son in turn of Selepos.
And for her did Akhilleus lay grieving, but soon would he rise up.
And those who held Phylake and Pyrasos the flow'ry,
Shrine of Demeter, and who held Iton, mother of flocks,
And hard-by-the-sea Antron and grassy-bedded Pteleos,
O'er which Protesilaos the warlike ruled,
While he yet lived -- for then hath the black earth held him fast.
And after his wife had torn her cheeks in mourning, at Phylake was left,
And her home half-finished. And him did a Dardanian warrior slay,
As he leapt down from his ship, the first by far of the Akhaioi.
And it was not that his men were leaderless, but they yearned for their lord,
For them did Podarkes lead, scion of Ares,
Son of Iphikles, son of Phylakos, rich in flocks,
The brother of great-hearted Protesilaos.
And the younger born. And the other was the elder and the better,
The hero Protesilaos the warlike. And not did the men
Lack any leader, yet they longed for the noble man who once was.
And together with him forty black ships followed.
And those who dwelt at Pherai, hard by by Lake Boibeis,
And at Boibes and Glaphyrai, and well-built Iaolkos,
O'er whom ruled the dear child of Admetos with eleven ships,
Eumelos he, whom Alkestis, godlike among women, bore for Admetos,
She, most excellent of all the daughters of Pelias.
And those who at Methone and Thaumakie dwelt
And who held Meliboia and Olizon the jagged,
O'er whom Philoktetes ruled, well-known in the bow.
With seven ships. And on each ship fifty rowers
Embarked, who knew well the bow and how to with prowess fight.
But on an isle he lies now, suffering great pains,
On holy Lemnos, where the sons of the Akhaioi left him,
Toiling because of the bite of a baleful water-snake.
And there he lay grieving, but soon would they remember him,
They the Argeioi alongside their ships would recall lord Philoktetes.
And it was not that his men were leaderless, but they yearned for their lord,
For Medon marshaled them, bastard son of Oileus,
Whom Rhene bore to Oileus, sacker of cities.
And those who hold Trikke and Ithome the rocky,
And those who hold Oikhalie, city of Eurytos the Oikhalian
O'er whom ruled the two sons of Asklepios,
The two good healers, Podaleirios and yea, Makhaon.
And with them thirty hollow ships sailed in a row.
And those who held Ormenios, and the font Hypereia,
And those who held Asterion and Titanos' white crests,
O'er which ruled Eurypylos, the preeminent son of Euaimon.
And with him together forty black ships followed.
And those who held Argissa and about Gyrtone dwelt,
And Orthe, and Elone and the white city of Oloosson,
O'er whom ruled Polypoites the steadfast in battle,
Son of Peirithoos, whom immortal Zeus begat,
Polypoites, whom glorious Hippodameia bore for Peirithoos
On the day when he made the shaggy centaurs pay,
And them from Pelion he drove and brought them to Aithikes.
And not alone was he, but with him together was Leonteus, scion of Ares,
Son of high-hearted Koronos, son of Kainus.
And with him together forty black ships followed.
Gouneus from Kyphos led two and twenty ships.
And with him the Enienes followed and the Peraiboi, steadfast in battle.
And those who about wintry Dodone built their homes,
And those who about the lovely farmland of Titaressos dwelt,
Which floweth his fair-flowing waters into Peneion,
Yet not doth he with the silver-eddied Peneion mingle,
But above those waters these flow just like olive oil,
For his is a branch of the dread Styx, the waters of oath.
And the Magnetes had as ruler Prothoos, son of Tenthredon,
Those who about Peneion and Pelion the wood-waving
Dwelt, and o'er which Prothoos the swift ruled,
And with him together forty black ships followed.
These were the leaders of the Danaoi and their lords.
And who of these was the best, sing to me, O Mousa,
Of the men and of their horses, those who with the sons of Atreus followed:
The mares by far the best were of the son of Pheres,
Those whom Eumelos drove, swift as birds,
Alike in coloring, alike in age, as if a straight line went across their backs,
Mounts which silver-bowed Apollo reared in Pereie,
Both of them mares, both bearing the panic of Ares.
Of all the men, the best by far was Telamonian Aias,
While Akhilleus waxed his wrath, for he was by far the best
As were the horses which bore him, the peerless son of Peleus.
But beside the beaked and sea-faring ships
Did he lie down, while he raged against Agamemnon, shepherd of men,
The son of Atreus. And his men on the surf of the sea
In the diskos took delight, and in casting their darts,
And shooting their bows. And their mounts alongside their cars did each
On clover feed and on the marsh-grown celery
All while at the ready they stood. And the covered chariots sat
In the huts of their lords, and for their lord, beloved by Ares, they longed,
And though wildly here and there they roamed, not did the men fight.
And then they went as if by fire were all the land swept up,
And the earth below their feet groaned, as it does when Zeus, thunder-delighting,
Doth rage as he did when he smote the ground about Typhoeus' feet
At Arimoi, where men say lieth Typhoeus' bed.
And just so beneath their feet did groan the earth,
As they marched upon her. And swift did they pass o'er the plain.
And to the Trojans as a messenger came wind-footed Iris
From Zeus, aigis-bearer, with report most grievous.
And the Trojans were speaking in council at the doors of Priamos.
And all were assembled, the young and the old,
And, standing hard-by, spake she, she swift of foot Iris,
And made she her voice like unto the son of Priamos, Polites --
Who was a look-out for the Trojans, for he trusted in the fleetness of his feet,
And would sit at the topmost part of old Aisyetes' tomb,
Waiting for whene'er the Akhaioi would make a start from their ships --
And appearing as him, to Priamos she spake, she swift of foot Iris:
"Old sir, ever are indecisive words dear to thee,
As if we were now at peace -- but war un-abating hath arisen!
Yea, in very many battles of men hath I joined before,
But ne'er before upon such a host as this hath I laid mine eyes,
For exceedingly like the leaves or the sands of the seashore
Do they march across the plain to fight afore the city!
Hektor, to thee before all others I give command, and do thou this:
For many are there about the great city of Priamos, many allies,
And strange are the tongues of the men upon this wide-reaching earth.
Let each man make sign to those o'er whom ruleth he,
And let him lead them forth once he hath marshaled them, his own citizens."
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| Iris |
Thus spake she, and Hektor did not fail to recognize the goddess' words,
And forthwith he broke up the assembly and to the walls he raced.
And ope'd were all the gates, and from them the men filed out,
Both the infantry and the horse. And loud was the din which arose.
There standeth before the city a steep mound
In the plain apart, with parts leveling off here and there
Which mortal men hath long since called Batieia,
But the deathless the tomb of Myrine the very nimble,
And there it was then the Trojans and yea, their allies, divvied up.
And o'er the Trojans of the city ruled mighty Hektor of the flashing helm,
He the son of Priamos. And together with him very many and the best
Men armed themselves and yearned for their spears.
O'er the Dardanoi ruleth the noble son of Ankhises,
Aineias, whom for Ankhises the goddess Aphrodite gave birth,
For on Ide's peaks the goddess with a mortal man did lay,
And not along was Aineias, but together with him were the two sons of Antenor,
Arkhelokhos and Akamas, well-skilled in all sorts of warcraft.
And those who at Zeleia dwelt under the utmost peak of Ide,
Wealthy men, they drink the dark water of Aisepos,
Trojans of the countrysides, o'er whom ruled Lykaon's radiant son,
Pandaros, to whom a bow once Apollo himself gifted.
And those who held Adresteia and the neighborhood of Apaisos,
And those who held Pityeia and the steep mountain of Tereie,
O'er whom ruled Adrestos and Amphios, armed with a linen cuirass,
Both sons of Merops the Percotian, who bested all men
In knowing divination, and not them, his sons, would he suffer
To go off to baneful war; but the two of them in no wise
Did heed him, for the dark spirits of black death did onward drive them.
And those who around Perkotes and Praktion dwelt,
And held Sestos and Abydos and heavenly Arisbes,
O'er which ruled Hyrtakos' son, Asios, chieftain of men,
Asios, Hyrtakos' son, whom his horses had borne from Arisbe,
His tawny and towering horses from the river Selleis.
And Hippothoos led the tribes of spear-bearing Pelasgoi,
Those who at large-clodded Larisa did dwell,
O'er which ruleth Hippothoos and Pylaios, scion of Ares,
Both the two of them sons of Lethos the Pelasgian, son of Teutamos.
And then the Theikai, whom Akamas led and Peiroos the hero,
So great are they whom the swift-flowing Hellepsont engirdeth.
And Euphemos, leader of the Kikonian warlords,
He the son of Troizenos, son of god-born Keas.
And then Pyraikhmes led the Paiones of the crooked bows,
Afar have they come from Amydon, from the wide-flowing Axios,
The Axios, whence the fairest water spreadeth o'er the earth.
O'er the Paphlagones ruleth Pylaimeneos of the shaggy breast,
Who came from Enetoi, whence live the race of wild asses.
And those who held Kytoros and about Sesamon dwelt,
And they who about the river Parthenios dwell in glorious homes,
And at Kromna and Aigialos and lofty Erythinoi.
And then o'er the Halizones Odios and Epistrophos ruled,
Afar have they come from Alybes, where silver hath its birthplace.
And o'er the Mysai Khromis ruled as well as Ennomos, bird-reader.
But not with his birdsigns did he ward off the dark spirits death sent,
For fell he at the hands of swift-footed Aiakos' grandson
In the river, where Akhilleus was despoiling the Trojans and others.
And Phorkys led the Phrygai, as well as Askanios the godlike,
And afar have they come from Askanie, and they yearned to fight in battle.
And o'er the Meioi ruled Mesthles and Antiphos,
Sons both of Talimeneos whom the nymph of Lake Gygaie bore,
And they the Meiones led, a people born beneath Tmolos.
And Nastes ruled o'er the Karoi who make rude speech,
Those who hold Miletos and Mount Phthires, dense with leaves,
And the river Maiander and Mykale's lofty peaks.
And o'er these ruled Amphimakhos and Nastes,
Nastes and Amphimakhos were the glorious sons of Nomion,
Who, donned all in gold came to war like a maid,
Ah! Poor lad, not did he guard against baneful ruin,
But fell he at the hands of swift-footed Aiakos' grandson
In the river, and the gold did warlike Akhilleus take as spoil.
And Sarpedon ruled o'er the Lykioi, and Glaukos the excellent as well,
And afar have they come from Lykie, from the eddying Xanthos.
ὉΜHΡΟΥ ἸΛIAΣ - ῬAΨΩΔIA A' - Homer's The Iliad - The Song of Ilion Book I
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