The Iliad
The Iliad BOOK IBOOK IIBOOK IIIBOOK IVBOOK VBOOK VIBOOK VIIBOOK VIIIBOOK IXBOOK XBOOK XIBOOK XIIBOOK XIIIBOOK XIVBOOK XVBOOK XVIBOOK XVIIBOOK XVIIIBOOK XIXBOOK XXBOOK XXIBOOK XXIIBOOK XXIIIBOOK XXIVCopyright
The Iliad
Homer
BOOK I
The quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles—Achilles withdraws
from the war, and sends his mother Thetis to ask Jove to help the
Trojans—Scene between Jove and Juno on Olympus.Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that
brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it
send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to
dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from
the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great
Achilles, first fell out with one another.And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It
was the son of Jove and Leto; for he was angry with the king and
sent a pestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the
son of Atreus had dishonoured Chryses his priest. Now Chryses had
come to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had
brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the
sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant's wreath, and he
besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus, who
were their chiefs."Sons of Atreus," he cried, "and all other Achaeans, may the
gods who dwell in Olympus grant you to sack the city of Priam, and
to reach your homes in safety; but free my daughter, and accept a
ransom for her, in reverence to Apollo, son of Jove."On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for
respecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but
not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly
away. "Old man," said he, "let me not find you tarrying about our
ships, nor yet coming hereafter. Your sceptre of the god and your
wreath shall profit you nothing. I will not free her. She shall
grow old in my house at Argos far from her own home, busying
herself with her loom and visiting my couch; so go, and do not
provoke me or it shall be the worse for you."The old man feared him and obeyed. Not a word he spoke, but
went by the shore of the sounding sea and prayed apart to King
Apollo whom lovely Leto had borne. "Hear me," he cried, "O god of
the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla and rulest
Tenedos with thy might, hear me oh thou of Sminthe. If I have ever
decked your temple with garlands, or burned your thigh-bones in fat
of bulls or goats, grant my prayer, and let your arrows avenge
these my tears upon the Danaans."Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. He came down
furious from the summits of Olympus, with his bow and his quiver
upon his shoulder, and the arrows rattled on his back with the rage
that trembled within him. He sat himself down away from the ships
with a face as dark as night, and his silver bow rang death as he
shot his arrow in the midst of them. First he smote their mules and
their hounds, but presently he aimed his shafts at the people
themselves, and all day long the pyres of the dead were
burning.For nine whole days he shot his arrows among the people, but
upon the tenth day Achilles called them in assembly—moved thereto
by Juno, who saw the Achaeans in their death-throes and had
compassion upon them. Then, when they were got together, he rose
and spoke among them."Son of Atreus," said he, "I deem that we should now turn
roving home if we would escape destruction, for we are being cut
down by war and pestilence at once. Let us ask some priest or
prophet, or some reader of dreams (for dreams, too, are of Jove)
who can tell us why Phoebus Apollo is so angry, and say whether it
is for some vow that we have broken, or hecatomb that we have not
offered, and whether he will accept the savour of lambs and goats
without blemish, so as to take away the plague from
us."With these words he sat down, and Calchas son of Thestor,
wisest of augurs, who knew things past present and to come, rose to
speak. He it was who had guided the Achaeans with their fleet to
Ilius, through the prophesyings with which Phoebus Apollo had
inspired him. With all sincerity and goodwill he addressed them
thus:—"Achilles, loved of heaven, you bid me tell you about the
anger of King Apollo, I will therefore do so; but consider first
and swear that you will stand by me heartily in word and deed, for
I know that I shall offend one who rules the Argives with might, to
whom all the Achaeans are in subjection. A plain man cannot stand
against the anger of a king, who if he swallow his displeasure now,
will yet nurse revenge till he has wreaked it. Consider, therefore,
whether or no you will protect me."And Achilles answered, "Fear not, but speak as it is borne in
upon you from heaven, for by Apollo, Calchas, to whom you pray, and
whose oracles you reveal to us, not a Danaan at our ships shall lay
his hand upon you, while I yet live to look upon the face of the
earth—no, not though you name Agamemnon himself, who is by far the
foremost of the Achaeans."Thereon the seer spoke boldly. "The god," he said, "is angry
neither about vow nor hecatomb, but for his priest's sake, whom
Agamemnon has dishonoured, in that he would not free his daughter
nor take a ransom for her; therefore has he sent these evils upon
us, and will yet send others. He will not deliver the Danaans from
this pestilence till Agamemnon has restored the girl without fee or
ransom to her father, and has sent a holy hecatomb to Chryse. Thus
we may perhaps appease him."With these words he sat down, and Agamemnon rose in anger.
His heart was black with rage, and his eyes flashed fire as he
scowled on Calchas and said, "Seer of evil, you never yet
prophesied smooth things concerning me, but have ever loved to
foretell that which was evil. You have brought me neither comfort
nor performance; and now you come seeing among Danaans, and saying
that Apollo has plagued us because I would not take a ransom for
this girl, the daughter of Chryses. I have set my heart on keeping
her in my own house, for I love her better even than my own wife
Clytemnestra, whose peer she is alike in form and feature, in
understanding and accomplishments. Still I will give her up if I
must, for I would have the people live, not die; but you must find
me a prize instead, or I alone among the Argives shall be without
one. This is not well; for you behold, all of you, that my prize is
to go elsewhither."And Achilles answered, "Most noble son of Atreus, covetous
beyond all mankind, how shall the Achaeans find you another prize?
We have no common store from which to take one. Those we took from
the cities have been awarded; we cannot disallow the awards that
have been made already. Give this girl, therefore, to the god, and
if ever Jove grants us to sack the city of Troy we will requite you
three and fourfold."Then Agamemnon said, "Achilles, valiant though you be, you
shall not thus outwit me. You shall not overreach and you shall not
persuade me. Are you to keep your own prize, while I sit tamely
under my loss and give up the girl at your bidding? Let the
Achaeans find me a prize in fair exchange to my liking, or I will
come and take your own, or that of Ajax or of Ulysses; and he to
whomsoever I may come shall rue my coming. But of this we will take
thought hereafter; for the present, let us draw a ship into the
sea, and find a crew for her expressly; let us put a hecatomb on
board, and let us send Chryseis also; further, let some chief man
among us be in command, either Ajax, or Idomeneus, or yourself, son
of Peleus, mighty warrior that you are, that we may offer sacrifice
and appease the anger of the god."Achilles scowled at him and answered, "You are steeped in
insolence and lust of gain. With what heart can any of the Achaeans
do your bidding, either on foray or in open fighting? I came not
warring here for any ill the Trojans had done me. I have no quarrel
with them. They have not raided my cattle nor my horses, nor cut
down my harvests on the rich plains of Phthia; for between me and
them there is a great space, both mountain and sounding sea. We
have followed you, Sir Insolence! for your pleasure, not ours—to
gain satisfaction from the Trojans for your shameless self and for
Menelaus. You forget this, and threaten to rob me of the prize for
which I have toiled, and which the sons of the Achaeans have given
me. Never when the Achaeans sack any rich city of the Trojans do I
receive so good a prize as you do, though it is my hands that do
the better part of the fighting. When the sharing comes, your share
is far the largest, and I, forsooth, must go back to my ships, take
what I can get and be thankful, when my labour of fighting is done.
Now, therefore, I shall go back to Phthia; it will be much better
for me to return home with my ships, for I will not stay here
dishonoured to gather gold and substance for you."And Agamemnon answered, "Fly if you will, I shall make you no
prayers to stay you. I have others here who will do me honour, and
above all Jove, the lord of counsel. There is no king here so
hateful to me as you are, for you are ever quarrelsome and
ill-affected. What though you be brave? Was it not heaven that made
you so? Go home, then, with your ships and comrades to lord it over
the Myrmidons. I care neither for you nor for your anger; and thus
will I do: since Phoebus Apollo is taking Chryseis from me, I shall
send her with my ship and my followers, but I shall come to your
tent and take your own prize Briseis, that you may learn how much
stronger I am than you are, and that another may fear to set
himself up as equal or comparable with me."The son of Peleus was furious, and his heart within his
shaggy breast was divided whether to draw his sword, push the
others aside, and kill the son of Atreus, or to restrain himself
and check his anger. While he was thus in two minds, and was
drawing his mighty sword from its scabbard, Minerva came down from
heaven (for Juno had sent her in the love she bore to them both),
and seized the son of Peleus by his yellow hair, visible to him
alone, for of the others no man could see her. Achilles turned in
amaze, and by the fire that flashed from her eyes at once knew that
she was Minerva. "Why are you here," said he, "daughter of
aegis-bearing Jove? To see the pride of Agamemnon, son of Atreus?
Let me tell you—and it shall surely be—he shall pay for this
insolence with his life."And Minerva said, "I come from heaven, if you will hear me,
to bid you stay your anger. Juno has sent me, who cares for both of
you alike. Cease, then, this brawling, and do not draw your sword;
rail at him if you will, and your railing will not be vain, for I
tell you—and it shall surely be—that you shall hereafter receive
gifts three times as splendid by reason of this present insult.
Hold, therefore, and obey.""Goddess," answered Achilles, "however angry a man may be, he
must do as you two command him. This will be best, for the gods
ever hear the prayers of him who has obeyed them."He stayed his hand on the silver hilt of his sword, and
thrust it back into the scabbard as Minerva bade him. Then she went
back to Olympus among the other gods, and to the house of
aegis-bearing Jove.But the son of Peleus again began railing at the son of
Atreus, for he was still in a rage. "Wine-bibber," he cried, "with
the face of a dog and the heart of a hind, you never dare to go out
with the host in fight, nor yet with our chosen men in ambuscade.
You shun this as you do death itself. You had rather go round and
rob his prizes from any man who contradicts you. You devour your
people, for you are king over a feeble folk; otherwise, son of
Atreus, henceforward you would insult no man. Therefore I say, and
swear it with a great oath—nay, by this my sceptre which shalt
sprout neither leaf nor shoot, nor bud anew from the day on which
it left its parent stem upon the mountains—for the axe stripped it
of leaf and bark, and now the sons of the Achaeans bear it as
judges and guardians of the decrees of heaven—so surely and
solemnly do I swear that hereafter they shall look fondly for
Achilles and shall not find him. In the day of your distress, when
your men fall dying by the murderous hand of Hector, you shall not
know how to help them, and shall rend your heart with rage for the
hour when you offered insult to the bravest of the
Achaeans."With this the son of Peleus dashed his gold-bestudded sceptre
on the ground and took his seat, while the son of Atreus was
beginning fiercely from his place upon the other side. Then uprose
smooth-tongued Nestor, the facile speaker of the Pylians, and the
words fell from his lips sweeter than honey. Two generations of men
born and bred in Pylos had passed away under his rule, and he was
now reigning over the third. With all sincerity and goodwill,
therefore, he addressed them thus:—"Of a truth," he said, "a great sorrow has befallen the
Achaean land. Surely Priam with his sons would rejoice, and the
Trojans be glad at heart if they could hear this quarrel between
you two, who are so excellent in fight and counsel. I am older than
either of you; therefore be guided by me. Moreover I have been the
familiar friend of men even greater than you are, and they did not
disregard my counsels. Never again can I behold such men as
Pirithous and Dryas shepherd of his people, or as Caeneus, Exadius,
godlike Polyphemus, and Theseus son of Aegeus, peer of the
immortals. These were the mightiest men ever born upon this earth:
mightiest were they, and when they fought the fiercest tribes of
mountain savages they utterly overthrew them. I came from distant
Pylos, and went about among them, for they would have me come, and
I fought as it was in me to do. Not a man now living could
withstand them, but they heard my words, and were persuaded by
them. So be it also with yourselves, for this is the more excellent
way. Therefore, Agamemnon, though you be strong, take not this girl
away, for the sons of the Achaeans have already given her to
Achilles; and you, Achilles, strive not further with the king, for
no man who by the grace of Jove wields a sceptre has like honour
with Agamemnon. You are strong, and have a goddess for your mother;
but Agamemnon is stronger than you, for he has more people under
him. Son of Atreus, check your anger, I implore you; end this
quarrel with Achilles, who in the day of battle is a tower of
strength to the Achaeans."And Agamemnon answered, "Sir, all that you have said is true,
but this fellow must needs become our lord and master: he must be
lord of all, king of all, and captain of all, and this shall hardly
be. Granted that the gods have made him a great warrior, have they
also given him the right to speak with railing?"Achilles interrupted him. "I should be a mean coward," he
cried, "were I to give in to you in all things. Order other people
about, not me, for I shall obey no longer. Furthermore I say—and
lay my saying to your heart—I shall fight neither you nor any man
about this girl, for those that take were those also that gave. But
of all else that is at my ship you shall carry away nothing by
force. Try, that others may see; if you do, my spear shall be
reddened with your blood."When they had quarrelled thus angrily, they rose, and broke
up the assembly at the ships of the Achaeans. The son of Peleus
went back to his tents and ships with the son of Menoetius and his
company, while Agamemnon drew a vessel into the water and chose a
crew of twenty oarsmen. He escorted Chryseis on board and sent
moreover a hecatomb for the god. And Ulysses went as
captain.These, then, went on board and sailed their ways over the
sea. But the son of Atreus bade the people purify themselves; so
they purified themselves and cast their filth into the sea. Then
they offered hecatombs of bulls and goats without blemish on the
sea-shore, and the smoke with the savour of their sacrifice rose
curling up towards heaven.Thus did they busy themselves throughout the host. But
Agamemnon did not forget the threat that he had made Achilles, and
called his trusty messengers and squires Talthybius and Eurybates.
"Go," said he, "to the tent of Achilles, son of Peleus; take
Briseis by the hand and bring her hither; if he will not give her I
shall come with others and take her—which will press him
harder."He charged them straightly further and dismissed them,
whereon they went their way sorrowfully by the seaside, till they
came to the tents and ships of the Myrmidons. They found Achilles
sitting by his tent and his ships, and ill-pleased he was when he
beheld them. They stood fearfully and reverently before him, and
never a word did they speak, but he knew them and said, "Welcome,
heralds, messengers of gods and men; draw near; my quarrel is not
with you but with Agamemnon who has sent you for the girl Briseis.
Therefore, Patroclus, bring her and give her to them, but let them
be witnesses by the blessed gods, by mortal men, and by the
fierceness of Agamemnon's anger, that if ever again there be need
of me to save the people from ruin, they shall seek and they shall
not find. Agamemnon is mad with rage and knows not how to look
before and after that the Achaeans may fight by their ships in
safety."Patroclus did as his dear comrade had bidden him. He brought
Briseis from the tent and gave her over to the heralds, who took
her with them to the ships of the Achaeans—and the woman was loth
to go. Then Achilles went all alone by the side of the hoar sea,
weeping and looking out upon the boundless waste of waters. He
raised his hands in prayer to his immortal mother, "Mother," he
cried, "you bore me doomed to live but for a little season; surely
Jove, who thunders from Olympus, might have made that little
glorious. It is not so. Agamemnon, son of Atreus, has done me
dishonour, and has robbed me of my prize by force."As he spoke he wept aloud, and his mother heard him where she
was sitting in the depths of the sea hard by the old man her
father. Forthwith she rose as it were a grey mist out of the waves,
sat down before him as he stood weeping, caressed him with her
hand, and said, "My son, why are you weeping? What is it that
grieves you? Keep it not from me, but tell me, that we may know it
together."Achilles drew a deep sigh and said, "You know it; why tell
you what you know well already? We went to Thebe the strong city of
Eetion, sacked it, and brought hither the spoil. The sons of the
Achaeans shared it duly among themselves, and chose lovely Chryseis
as the meed of Agamemnon; but Chryses, priest of Apollo, came to
the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and brought with
him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of
Apollo, wreathed with a suppliant's wreath, and he besought the
Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus who were their
chiefs."On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for
respecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but
not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly
away. So he went back in anger, and Apollo, who loved him dearly,
heard his prayer. Then the god sent a deadly dart upon the Argives,
and the people died thick on one another, for the arrows went
everywhither among the wide host of the Achaeans. At last a seer in
the fulness of his knowledge declared to us the oracles of Apollo,
and I was myself first to say that we should appease him. Whereon
the son of Atreus rose in anger, and threatened that which he has
since done. The Achaeans are now taking the girl in a ship to
Chryse, and sending gifts of sacrifice to the god; but the heralds
have just taken from my tent the daughter of Briseus, whom the
Achaeans had awarded to myself."Help your brave son, therefore, if you are able. Go to
Olympus, and if you have ever done him service in word or deed,
implore the aid of Jove. Ofttimes in my father's house have I heard
you glory in that you alone of the immortals saved the son of
Saturn from ruin, when the others, with Juno, Neptune, and Pallas
Minerva would have put him in bonds. It was you, goddess, who
delivered him by calling to Olympus the hundred-handed monster whom
gods call Briareus, but men Aegaeon, for he is stronger even than
his father; when therefore he took his seat all-glorious beside the
son of Saturn, the other gods were afraid, and did not bind him.
Go, then, to him, remind him of all this, clasp his knees, and bid
him give succour to the Trojans. Let the Achaeans be hemmed in at
the sterns of their ships, and perish on the sea-shore, that they
may reap what joy they may of their king, and that Agamemnon may
rue his blindness in offering insult to the foremost of the
Achaeans."Thetis wept and answered, "My son, woe is me that I should
have borne or suckled you. Would indeed that you had lived your
span free from all sorrow at your ships, for it is all too brief;
alas, that you should be at once short of life and long of sorrow
above your peers: woe, therefore, was the hour in which I bore you;
nevertheless I will go to the snowy heights of Olympus, and tell
this tale to Jove, if he will hear our prayer: meanwhile stay where
you are with your ships, nurse your anger against the Achaeans, and
hold aloof from fight. For Jove went yesterday to Oceanus, to a
feast among the Ethiopians, and the other gods went with him. He
will return to Olympus twelve days hence; I will then go to his
mansion paved with bronze and will beseech him; nor do I doubt that
I shall be able to persuade him."On this she left him, still furious at the loss of her that
had been taken from him. Meanwhile Ulysses reached Chryse with the
hecatomb. When they had come inside the harbour they furled the
sails and laid them in the ship's hold; they slackened the
forestays, lowered the mast into its place, and rowed the ship to
the place where they would have her lie; there they cast out their
mooring-stones and made fast the hawsers. They then got out upon
the sea-shore and landed the hecatomb for Apollo; Chryseis also
left the ship, and Ulysses led her to the altar to deliver her into
the hands of her father. "Chryses," said he, "King Agamemnon has
sent me to bring you back your child, and to offer sacrifice to
Apollo on behalf of the Danaans, that we may propitiate the god,
who has now brought sorrow upon the Argives."So saying he gave the girl over to her father, who received
her gladly, and they ranged the holy hecatomb all orderly round the
altar of the god. They washed their hands and took up the
barley-meal to sprinkle over the victims, while Chryses lifted up
his hands and prayed aloud on their behalf. "Hear me," he cried, "O
god of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla, and
rulest Tenedos with thy might. Even as thou didst hear me aforetime
when I prayed, and didst press hardly upon the Achaeans, so hear me
yet again, and stay this fearful pestilence from the
Danaans."Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. When they had
done praying and sprinkling the barley-meal, they drew back the
heads of the victims and killed and flayed them. They cut out the
thigh-bones, wrapped them round in two layers of fat, set some
pieces of raw meat on the top of them, and then Chryses laid them
on the wood fire and poured wine over them, while the young men
stood near him with five-pronged spits in their hands. When the
thigh-bones were burned and they had tasted the inward meats, they
cut the rest up small, put the pieces upon the spits, roasted them
till they were done, and drew them off: then, when they had
finished their work and the feast was ready, they ate it, and every
man had his full share, so that all were satisfied. As soon as they
had had enough to eat and drink, pages filled the mixing-bowl with
wine and water and handed it round, after giving every man his
drink-offering.Thus all day long the young men worshipped the god with song,
hymning him and chaunting the joyous paean, and the god took
pleasure in their voices; but when the sun went down, and it came
on dark, they laid themselves down to sleep by the stern cables of
the ship, and when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn,
appeared they again set sail for the host of the Achaeans. Apollo
sent them a fair wind, so they raised their mast and hoisted their
white sails aloft. As the sail bellied with the wind the ship flew
through the deep blue water, and the foam hissed against her bows
as she sped onward. When they reached the wide-stretching host of
the Achaeans, they drew the vessel ashore, high and dry upon the
sands, set her strong props beneath her, and went their ways to
their own tents and ships.But Achilles abode at his ships and nursed his anger. He went
not to the honourable assembly, and sallied not forth to fight, but
gnawed at his own heart, pining for battle and the
war-cry.Now after twelve days the immortal gods came back in a body
to Olympus, and Jove led the way. Thetis was not unmindful of the
charge her son had laid upon her, so she rose from under the sea
and went through great heaven with early morning to Olympus, where
she found the mighty son of Saturn sitting all alone upon its
topmost ridges. She sat herself down before him, and with her left
hand seized his knees, while with her right she caught him under
the chin, and besought him, saying:—"Father Jove, if I ever did you service in word or deed among
the immortals, hear my prayer, and do honour to my son, whose life
is to be cut short so early. King Agamemnon has dishonoured him by
taking his prize and keeping her. Honour him then yourself,
Olympian lord of counsel, and grant victory to the Trojans, till
the Achaeans give my son his due and load him with riches in
requital."Jove sat for a while silent, and without a word, but Thetis
still kept firm hold of his knees, and besought him a second time.
"Incline your head," said she, "and promise me surely, or else deny
me—for you have nothing to fear—that I may learn how greatly you
disdain me."At this Jove was much troubled and answered, "I shall have
trouble if you set me quarrelling with Juno, for she will provoke
me with her taunting speeches; even now she is always railing at me
before the other gods and accusing me of giving aid to the Trojans.
Go back now, lest she should find out. I will consider the matter,
and will bring it about as you wish. See, I incline my head that
you may believe me. This is the most solemn promise that I can give
to any god. I never recall my word, or deceive, or fail to do what
I say, when I have nodded my head."As he spoke the son of Saturn bowed his dark brows, and the
ambrosial locks swayed on his immortal head, till vast Olympus
reeled.When the pair had thus laid their plans, they parted—Jove to
his house, while the goddess quitted the splendour of Olympus, and
plunged into the depths of the sea. The gods rose from their seats,
before the coming of their sire. Not one of them dared to remain
sitting, but all stood up as he came among them. There, then, he
took his seat. But Juno, when she saw him, knew that he and the old
merman's daughter, silver-footed Thetis, had been hatching
mischief, so she at once began to upbraid him. "Trickster," she
cried, "which of the gods have you been taking into your counsels
now? You are always settling matters in secret behind my back, and
have never yet told me, if you could help it, one word of your
intentions.""Juno," replied the sire of gods and men, "you must not
expect to be informed of all my counsels. You are my wife, but you
would find it hard to understand them. When it is proper for you to
hear, there is no one, god or man, who will be told sooner, but
when I mean to keep a matter to myself, you must not pry nor ask
questions.""Dread son of Saturn," answered Juno, "what are you talking
about? I? Pry and ask questions? Never. I let you have your own way
in everything. Still, I have a strong misgiving that the old
merman's daughter Thetis has been talking you over, for she was
with you and had hold of your knees this self-same morning. I
believe, therefore, that you have been promising her to give glory
to Achilles, and to kill much people at the ships of the
Achaeans.""Wife," said Jove, "I can do nothing but you suspect me and
find it out. You will take nothing by it, for I shall only dislike
you the more, and it will go harder with you. Granted that it is as
you say; I mean to have it so; sit down and hold your tongue as I
bid you for if I once begin to lay my hands about you, though all
heaven were on your side it would profit you nothing."On this Juno was frightened, so she curbed her stubborn will
and sat down in silence. But the heavenly beings were disquieted
throughout the house of Jove, till the cunning workman Vulcan began
to try and pacify his mother Juno. "It will be intolerable," said
he, "if you two fall to wrangling and setting heaven in an uproar
about a pack of mortals. If such ill counsels are to prevail, we
shall have no pleasure at our banquet. Let me then advise my
mother—and she must herself know that it will be better—to make
friends with my dear father Jove, lest he again scold her and
disturb our feast. If the Olympian Thunderer wants to hurl us all
from our seats, he can do so, for he is far the strongest, so give
him fair words, and he will then soon be in a good humour with
us."As he spoke, he took a double cup of nectar, and placed it in
his mother's hand. "Cheer up, my dear mother," said he, "and make
the best of it. I love you dearly, and should be very sorry to see
you get a thrashing; however grieved I might be, I could not help,
for there is no standing against Jove. Once before when I was
trying to help you, he caught me by the foot and flung me from the
heavenly threshold. All day long from morn till eve, was I falling,
till at sunset I came to ground in the island of Lemnos, and there
I lay, with very little life left in me, till the Sintians came and
tended me."Juno smiled at this, and as she smiled she took the cup from
her son's hands. Then Vulcan drew sweet nectar from the
mixing-bowl, and served it round among the gods, going from left to
right; and the blessed gods laughed out a loud applause as they saw
him bustling about the heavenly mansion.Thus through the livelong day to the going down of the sun
they feasted, and every one had his full share, so that all were
satisfied. Apollo struck his lyre, and the Muses lifted up their
sweet voices, calling and answering one another. But when the sun's
glorious light had faded, they went home to bed, each in his own
abode, which lame Vulcan with his consummate skill had fashioned
for them. So Jove, the Olympian Lord of Thunder, hied him to the
bed in which he always slept; and when he had got on to it he went
to sleep, with Juno of the golden throne by his side.
BOOK II
Jove sends a lying dream to Agamemnon, who thereon calls the
chiefs in assembly, and proposes to sound the mind of his army—In
the end they march to fight—Catalogue of the Achaean and Trojan
forces.
Now the other gods and the armed warriors on the plain slept
soundly, but Jove was wakeful, for he was thinking how to do honour
to Achilles, and destroyed much people at the ships of the
Achaeans. In the end he deemed it would be best to send a lying
dream to King Agamemnon; so he called one to him and said to it,
"Lying Dream, go to the ships of the Achaeans, into the tent of
Agamemnon, and say to him word for word as I now bid you. Tell him
to get the Achaeans instantly under arms, for he shall take Troy.
There are no longer divided counsels among the gods; Juno has
brought them to her own mind, and woe betides the Trojans."
The dream went when it had heard its message, and soon
reached the ships of the Achaeans. It sought Agamemnon son of
Atreus and found him in his tent, wrapped in a profound slumber. It
hovered over his head in the likeness of Nestor, son of Neleus,
whom Agamemnon honoured above all his councillors, and
said:—
"You are sleeping, son of Atreus; one who has the welfare of
his host and so much other care upon his shoulders should dock his
sleep. Hear me at once, for I come as a messenger from Jove, who,
though he be not near, yet takes thought for you and pities you. He
bids you get the Achaeans instantly under arms, for you shall take
Troy. There are no longer divided counsels among the gods; Juno has
brought them over to her own mind, and woe betides the Trojans at
the hands of Jove. Remember this, and when you wake see that it
does not escape you."
The dream then left him, and he thought of things that were,
surely not to be accomplished. He thought that on that same day he
was to take the city of Priam, but he little knew what was in the
mind of Jove, who had many another hard-fought fight in store alike
for Danaans and Trojans. Then presently he woke, with the divine
message still ringing in his ears; so he sat upright, and put on
his soft shirt so fair and new, and over this his heavy cloak. He
bound his sandals on to his comely feet, and slung his
silver-studded sword about his shoulders; then he took the
imperishable staff of his father, and sallied forth to the ships of
the Achaeans.
The goddess Dawn now wended her way to vast Olympus that she
might herald day to Jove and to the other immortals, and Agamemnon
sent the criers round to call the people in assembly; so they
called them and the people gathered thereon. But first he summoned
a meeting of the elders at the ship of Nestor king of Pylos, and
when they were assembled he laid a cunning counsel before
them.
"My friends," said he, "I have had a dream from heaven in the
dead of night, and its face and figure resembled none but Nestor's.
It hovered over my head and said, 'You are sleeping, son of Atreus;
one who has the welfare of his host and so much other care upon his
shoulders should dock his sleep. Hear me at once, for I am a
messenger from Jove, who, though he be not near, yet takes thought
for you and pities you. He bids you get the Achaeans instantly
under arms, for you shall take Troy. There are no longer divided
counsels among the gods; Juno has brought them over to her own
mind, and woe betides the Trojans at the hands of Jove. Remember
this.' The dream then vanished and I awoke. Let us now, therefore,
arm the sons of the Achaeans. But it will be well that I should
first sound them, and to this end I will tell them to fly with
their ships; but do you others go about among the host and prevent
their doing so."
He then sat down, and Nestor the prince of Pylos with all
sincerity and goodwill addressed them thus: "My friends," said he,
"princes and councillors of the Argives, if any other man of the
Achaeans had told us of this dream we should have declared it
false, and would have had nothing to do with it. But he who has
seen it is the foremost man among us; we must therefore set about
getting the people under arms."
With this he led the way from the assembly, and the other
sceptred kings rose with him in obedience to the word of Agamemnon;
but the people pressed forward to hear. They swarmed like bees that
sally from some hollow cave and flit in countless throng among the
spring flowers, bunched in knots and clusters; even so did the
mighty multitude pour from ships and tents to the assembly, and
range themselves upon the wide-watered shore, while among them ran
Wildfire Rumour, messenger of Jove, urging them ever to the fore.
Thus they gathered in a pell-mell of mad confusion, and the earth
groaned under the tramp of men as the people sought their places.
Nine heralds went crying about among them to stay their tumult and
bid them listen to the kings, till at last they were got into their
several places and ceased their clamour. Then King Agamemnon rose,
holding his sceptre. This was the work of Vulcan, who gave it to
Jove the son of Saturn. Jove gave it to Mercury, slayer of Argus,
guide and guardian. King Mercury gave it to Pelops, the mighty
charioteer, and Pelops to Atreus, shepherd of his people. Atreus,
when he died, left it to Thyestes, rich in flocks, and Thyestes in
his turn left it to be borne by Agamemnon, that he might be lord of
all Argos and of the isles. Leaning, then, on his sceptre, he
addressed the Argives.
"My friends," he said, "heroes, servants of Mars, the hand of
heaven has been laid heavily upon me. Cruel Jove gave me his solemn
promise that I should sack the city of Priam before returning, but
he has played me false, and is now bidding me go ingloriously back
to Argos with the loss of much people. Such is the will of Jove,
who has laid many a proud city in the dust, as he will yet lay
others, for his power is above all. It will be a sorry tale
hereafter that an Achaean host, at once so great and valiant,
battled in vain against men fewer in number than themselves; but as
yet the end is not in sight. Think that the Achaeans and Trojans
have sworn to a solemn covenant, and that they have each been
numbered—the Trojans by the roll of their householders, and we by
companies of ten; think further that each of our companies desired
to have a Trojan householder to pour out their wine; we are so
greatly more in number that full many a company would have to go
without its cup-bearer. But they have in the town allies from other
places, and it is these that hinder me from being able to sack the
rich city of Ilius. Nine of Jove's years are gone; the timbers of
our ships have rotted; their tackling is sound no longer. Our wives
and little ones at home look anxiously for our coming, but the work
that we came hither to do has not been done. Now, therefore, let us
all do as I say: let us sail back to our own land, for we shall not
take Troy."
With these words he moved the hearts of the multitude, so
many of them as knew not the cunning counsel of Agamemnon. They
surged to and fro like the waves of the Icarian Sea, when the east
and south winds break from heaven's clouds to lash them; or as when
the west wind sweeps over a field of corn and the ears bow beneath
the blast, even so were they swayed as they flew with loud cries
towards the ships, and the dust from under their feet rose
heavenward. They cheered each other on to draw the ships into the
sea; they cleared the channels in front of them; they began taking
away the stays from underneath them, and the welkin rang with their
glad cries, so eager were they to return.
Then surely the Argives would have returned after a fashion
that was not fated. But Juno said to Minerva, "Alas, daughter of
aegis-bearing Jove, unweariable, shall the Argives fly home to
their own land over the broad sea, and leave Priam and the Trojans
the glory of still keeping Helen, for whose sake so many of the
Achaeans have died at Troy, far from their homes? Go about at once
among the host, and speak fairly to them, man by man, that they
draw not their ships into the sea."
Minerva was not slack to do her bidding. Down she darted from
the topmost summits of Olympus, and in a moment she was at the
ships of the Achaeans. There she found Ulysses, peer of Jove in
counsel, standing alone. He had not as yet laid a hand upon his
ship, for he was grieved and sorry; so she went close up to him and
said, "Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, are you going to fling
yourselves into your ships and be off home to your own land in this
way? Will you leave Priam and the Trojans the glory of still
keeping Helen, for whose sake so many of the Achaeans have died at
Troy, far from their homes? Go about at once among the host, and
speak fairly to them, man by man, that they draw not their ships
into the sea."
Ulysses knew the voice as that of the goddess: he flung his
cloak from him and set off to run. His servant Eurybates, a man of
Ithaca, who waited on him, took charge of the cloak, whereon
Ulysses went straight up to Agamemnon and received from him his
ancestral, imperishable staff. With this he went about among the
ships of the Achaeans.
Whenever he met a king or chieftain, he stood by him and
spoke him fairly. "Sir," said he, "this flight is cowardly and
unworthy. Stand to your post, and bid your people also keep their
places. You do not yet know the full mind of Agamemnon; he was
sounding us, and ere long will visit the Achaeans with his
displeasure. We were not all of us at the council to hear what he
then said; see to it lest he be angry and do us a mischief; for the
pride of kings is great, and the hand of Jove is with them."
But when he came across any common man who was making a
noise, he struck him with his staff and rebuked him, saying,
"Sirrah, hold your peace, and listen to better men than yourself.
You are a coward and no soldier; you are nobody either in fight or
council; we cannot all be kings; it is not well that there should
be many masters; one man must be supreme—one king to whom the son
of scheming Saturn has given the sceptre of sovereignty over you
all."
Thus masterfully did he go about among the host, and the
people hurried back to the council from their tents and ships with
a sound as the thunder of surf when it comes crashing down upon the
shore, and all the sea is in an uproar.
The rest now took their seats and kept to their own several
places, but Thersites still went on wagging his unbridled tongue—a
man of many words, and those unseemly; a monger of sedition, a
railer against all who were in authority, who cared not what he
said, so that he might set the Achaeans in a laugh. He was the
ugliest man of all those that came before Troy—bandy-legged, lame
of one foot, with his two shoulders rounded and hunched over his
chest. His head ran up to a point, but there was little hair on the
top of it. Achilles and Ulysses hated him worst of all, for it was
with them that he was most wont to wrangle; now, however, with a
shrill squeaky voice he began heaping his abuse on Agamemnon. The
Achaeans were angry and disgusted, yet none the less he kept on
brawling and bawling at the son of Atreus.
"Agamemnon," he cried, "what ails you now, and what more do
you want? Your tents are filled with bronze and with fair women,
for whenever we take a town we give you the pick of them. Would you
have yet more gold, which some Trojan is to give you as a ransom
for his son, when I or another Achaean has taken him prisoner? or
is it some young girl to hide and lie with? It is not well that
you, the ruler of the Achaeans, should bring them into such misery.
Weakling cowards, women rather than men, let us sail home, and
leave this fellow here at Troy to stew in his own meeds of honour,
and discover whether we were of any service to him or no. Achilles
is a much better man than he is, and see how he has treated
him—robbing him of his prize and keeping it himself. Achilles takes
it meekly and shows no fight; if he did, son of Atreus, you would
never again insult him."
Thus railed Thersites, but Ulysses at once went up to him and
rebuked him sternly. "Check your glib tongue, Thersites," said be,
"and babble not a word further. Chide not with princes when you
have none to back you. There is no viler creature come before Troy
with the sons of Atreus. Drop this chatter about kings, and neither
revile them nor keep harping about going home. We do not yet know
how things are going to be, nor whether the Achaeans are to return
with good success or evil. How dare you gibe at Agamemnon because
the Danaans have awarded him so many prizes? I tell you,
therefore—and it shall surely be—that if I again catch you talking
such nonsense, I will either forfeit my own head and be no more
called father of Telemachus, or I will take you, strip you stark
naked, and whip you out of the assembly till you go blubbering back
to the ships."
On this he beat him with his staff about the back and
shoulders till he dropped and fell a-weeping. The golden sceptre
raised a bloody weal on his back, so he sat down frightened and in
pain, looking foolish as he wiped the tears from his eyes. The
people were sorry for him, yet they laughed heartily, and one would
turn to his neighbour saying, "Ulysses has done many a good thing
ere now in fight and council, but he never did the Argives a better
turn than when he stopped this fellow's mouth from prating further.
He will give the kings no more of his insolence."
Thus said the people. Then Ulysses rose, sceptre in hand, and
Minerva in the likeness of a herald bade the people be still, that
those who were far off might hear him and consider his council. He
therefore with all sincerity and goodwill addressed them
thus:—
"King Agamemnon, the Achaeans are for making you a by-word
among all mankind. They forget the promise they made you when they
set out from Argos, that you should not return till you had sacked
the town of Troy, and, like children or widowed women, they murmur
and would set off homeward. True it is that they have had toil
enough to be disheartened. A man chafes at having to stay away from
his wife even for a single month, when he is on shipboard, at the
mercy of wind and sea, but it is now nine long years that we have
been kept here; I cannot, therefore, blame the Achaeans if they
turn restive; still we shall be shamed if we go home empty after so
long a stay—therefore, my friends, be patient yet a little longer
that we may learn whether the prophesyings of Calchas were false or
true.
"All who have not since perished must remember as though it
were yesterday or the day before, how the ships of the Achaeans
were detained in Aulis when we were on our way hither to make war
on Priam and the Trojans. We were ranged round about a fountain
offering hecatombs to the gods upon their holy altars, and there
was a fine plane-tree from beneath which there welled a stream of
pure water. Then we saw a prodigy; for Jove sent a fearful serpent
out of the ground, with blood-red stains upon its back, and it
darted from under the altar on to the plane-tree. Now there was a
brood of young sparrows, quite small, upon the topmost bough,
peeping out from under the leaves, eight in all, and their mother
that hatched them made nine. The serpent ate the poor cheeping
things, while the old bird flew about lamenting her little ones;
but the serpent threw his coils about her and caught her by the
wing as she was screaming. Then, when he had eaten both the sparrow
and her young, the god who had sent him made him become a sign; for
the son of scheming Saturn turned him into stone, and we stood
there wondering at that which had come to pass. Seeing, then, that
such a fearful portent had broken in upon our hecatombs, Calchas
forthwith declared to us the oracles of heaven. 'Why, Achaeans,'
said he, 'are you thus speechless? Jove has sent us this sign, long
in coming, and long ere it be fulfilled, though its fame shall last
for ever. As the serpent ate the eight fledglings and the sparrow
that hatched them, which makes nine, so shall we fight nine years
at Troy, but in the tenth shall take the town.' This was what he
said, and now it is all coming true. Stay here, therefore, all of
you, till we take the city of Priam."
On this the Argives raised a shout, till the ships rang again
with the uproar. Nestor, knight of Gerene, then addressed them.
"Shame on you," he cried, "to stay talking here like children, when
you should fight like men. Where are our covenants now, and where
the oaths that we have taken? Shall our counsels be flung into the
fire, with our drink-offerings and the right hands of fellowship
wherein we have put our trust? We waste our time in words, and for
all our talking here shall be no further forward. Stand, therefore,
son of Atreus, by your own steadfast purpose; lead the Argives on
to battle, and leave this handful of men to rot, who scheme, and
scheme in vain, to get back to Argos ere they have learned whether
Jove be true or a liar. For the mighty son of Saturn surely
promised that we should succeed, when we Argives set sail to bring
death and destruction upon the Trojans. He showed us favourable
signs by flashing his lightning on our right hands; therefore let
none make haste to go till he has first lain with the wife of some
Trojan, and avenged the toil and sorrow that he has suffered for
the sake of Helen. Nevertheless, if any man is in such haste to be
at home again, let him lay his hand to his ship that he may meet
his doom in the sight of all. But, O king, consider and give ear to
my counsel, for the word that I say may not be neglected lightly.
Divide your men, Agamemnon, into their several tribes and clans,
that clans and tribes may stand by and help one another. If you do
this, and if the Achaeans obey you, you will find out who, both
chiefs and peoples, are brave, and who are cowards; for they will
vie against the other. Thus you shall also learn whether it is
through the counsel of heaven or the cowardice of man that you
shall fail to take the town."
And Agamemnon answered, "Nestor, you have again outdone the
sons of the Achaeans in counsel. Would, by Father Jove, Minerva,
and Apollo, that I had among them ten more such councillors, for
the city of King Priam would then soon fall beneath our hands, and
we should sack it. But the son of Saturn afflicts me with bootless
wranglings and strife. Achilles and I are quarrelling about this
girl, in which matter I was the first to offend; if we can be of
one mind again, the Trojans will not stave off destruction for a
day. Now, therefore, get your morning meal, that our hosts join in
fight. Whet well your spears; see well to the ordering of your
shields; give good feeds to your horses, and look your chariots
carefully over, that we may do battle the livelong day; for we
shall have no rest, not for a moment, till night falls to part us.
The bands that bear your shields shall be wet with the sweat upon
your shoulders, your hands shall weary upon your spears, your
horses shall steam in front of your chariots, and if I see any man
shirking the fight, or trying to keep out of it at the ships, there
shall be no help for him, but he shall be a prey to dogs and
vultures."
Thus he spoke, and the Achaeans roared applause. As when the
waves run high before the blast of the south wind and break on some
lofty headland, dashing against it and buffeting it without
ceasing, as the storms from every quarter drive them, even so did
the Achaeans rise and hurry in all directions to their ships. There
they lighted their fires at their tents and got dinner, offering
sacrifice every man to one or other of the gods, and praying each
one of them that he might live to come out of the fight. Agamemnon,
king of men, sacrificed a fat five-year-old bull to the mighty son
of Saturn, and invited the princes and elders of his host. First he
asked Nestor and King Idomeneus, then the two Ajaxes and the son of
Tydeus, and sixthly Ulysses, peer of gods in counsel; but Menelaus
came of his own accord, for he knew how busy his brother then was.
They stood round the bull with the barley-meal in their hands, and
Agamemnon prayed, saying, "Jove, most glorious, supreme, that
dwellest in heaven, and ridest upon the storm-cloud, grant that the
sun may not go down, nor the night fall, till the palace of Priam
is laid low, and its gates are consumed with fire. Grant that my
sword may pierce the shirt of Hector about his heart, and that full
many of his comrades may bite the dust as they fall dying round
him."
Thus he prayed, but the son of Saturn would not fulfil his
prayer. He accepted the sacrifice, yet none the less increased
their toil continually. When they had done praying and sprinkling
the barley-meal upon the victim, they drew back its head, killed
it, and then flayed it. They cut out the thigh-bones, wrapped them
round in two layers of fat, and set pieces of raw meat on the top
of them. These they burned upon the split logs of firewood, but
they spitted the inward meats, and held them in the flames to cook.
When the thigh-bones were burned, and they had tasted the inward
meats, they cut the rest up small, put the pieces upon spits,
roasted them till they were done, and drew them off; then, when
they had finished their work and the feast was ready, they ate it,
and every man had his full share, so that all were satisfied. As
soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, Nestor, knight of
Gerene, began to speak. "King Agamemnon," said he, "let us not stay
talking here, nor be slack in the work that heaven has put into our
hands. Let the heralds summon the people to gather at their several
ships; we will then go about among the host, that we may begin
fighting at once."
Thus did he speak, and Agamemnon heeded his words. He at once
sent the criers round to call the people in assembly. So they
called them, and the people gathered thereon. The chiefs about the
son of Atreus chose their men and marshalled them, while Minerva
went among them holding her priceless aegis that knows neither age
nor death. From it there waved a hundred tassels of pure gold, all
deftly woven, and each one of them worth a hundred oxen. With this
she darted furiously everywhere among the hosts of the Achaeans,
urging them forward, and putting courage into the heart of each, so
that he might fight and do battle without ceasing. Thus war became
sweeter in their eyes even than returning home in their ships. As
when some great forest fire is raging upon a mountain top and its
light is seen afar, even so as they marched the gleam of their
armour flashed up into the firmament of heaven.
They were like great flocks of geese, or cranes, or swans on
the plain about the waters of Cayster, that wing their way hither
and thither, glorying in the pride of flight, and crying as they
settle till the fen is alive with their screaming. Even thus did
their tribes pour from ships and tents on to the plain of the
Scamander, and the ground rang as brass under the feet of men and
horses. They stood as thick upon the flower-bespangled field as
leaves that bloom in summer.
As countless swarms of flies buzz around a herdsman's
homestead in the time of spring when the pails are drenched with
milk, even so did the Achaeans swarm on to the plain to charge the
Trojans and destroy them.
The chiefs disposed their men this way and that before the
fight began, drafting them out as easily as goatherds draft their
flocks when they have got mixed while feeding; and among them went
King Agamemnon, with a head and face like Jove the lord of thunder,
a waist like Mars, and a chest like that of Neptune. As some great
bull that lords it over the herds upon the plain, even so did Jove
make the son of Atreus stand peerless among the multitude of
heroes.
And now, O Muses, dwellers in the mansions of Olympus, tell
me—for you are goddesses and are in all places so that you see all
things, while we know nothing but by report—who were the chiefs and
princes of the Danaans? As for the common soldiers, they were so
that I could not name every single one of them though I had ten
tongues, and though my voice failed not and my heart were of bronze
within me, unless you, O Olympian Muses, daughters of aegis-bearing
Jove, were to recount them to me. Nevertheless, I will tell the
captains of the ships and all the fleet together.
Peneleos, Leitus, Arcesilaus, Prothoenor, and Clonius were
captains of the Boeotians. These were they that dwelt in Hyria and
rocky Aulis, and who held Schoenus, Scolus, and the highlands of
Eteonus, with Thespeia, Graia, and the fair city of Mycalessus.
They also held Harma, Eilesium, and Erythrae; and they had Eleon,
Hyle, and Peteon; Ocalea and the strong fortress of Medeon; Copae,
Eutresis, and Thisbe the haunt of doves; Coronea, and the pastures
of Haliartus; Plataea and Glisas; the fortress of Thebes the less;
holy Onchestus with its famous grove of Neptune; Arne rich in
vineyards; Midea, sacred Nisa, and Anthedon upon the sea. From
these there came fifty ships, and in each there were a hundred and
twenty young men of the Boeotians.
Ascalaphus and Ialmenus, sons of Mars, led the people that
dwelt in Aspledon and Orchomenus the realm of Minyas. Astyoche a
noble maiden bore them in the house of Actor son of Azeus; for she
had gone with Mars secretly into an upper chamber, and he had lain
with her. With these there came thirty ships.
The Phoceans were led by Schedius and Epistrophus, sons of
mighty Iphitus the son of Naubolus. These were they that held
Cyparissus, rocky Pytho, holy Crisa, Daulis, and Panopeus; they
also that dwelt in Anemorea and Hyampolis, and about the waters of
the river Cephissus, and Lilaea by the springs of the Cephissus;
with their chieftains came forty ships, and they marshalled the
forces of the Phoceans, which were stationed next to the Boeotians,
on their left.
Ajax, the fleet son of Oileus, commanded the Locrians. He was
not so great, nor nearly so great, as Ajax the son of Telamon. He
was a little man, and his breastplate was made of linen, but in use
of the spear he excelled all the Hellenes and the Achaeans. These
dwelt in Cynus, Opous, Calliarus, Bessa, Scarphe, fair Augeae,
Tarphe, and Thronium about the river Boagrius. With him there came
forty ships of the Locrians who dwell beyond Euboea.
