| Iliad of Homer BOOK I translation by Jamey Hecht, PhD Anger, sing, Goddess, of Peleus' son Achilles, ruinous That upon the Achaeans wrought myriad griefs, And threw thus into Hades many heroes' mighty souls; A prize for dogs it made of them, and supper for the vultures: The will of Zeus was being accomplished. From that point 5 Whereat they first began to stand apart, the pair of them feuding, Atreus' son the lord of men, and the divine Achilles. Which God was it, then, that threw them together in strife, To make them fight? The Son of Leto and Zeus, For He was angry with the king, and up through their encampment He traversed the army, scattering an horrible disease, and the people were dying. 10 This because Atreus' son had slighted one Chryses, though Apollo's very priest. He had come to the side of the swift Achaean ships, for to ransom his daughter, Laden with opulent rewards. Bearing in hand the branches interwoven Of the distant-shooting Apollo, that crowned a golden scepter, He beseeched all the Achaeans, most of all Atreus' two sons, 15 That ruled the people: "Atreus' sons, and other well-greaved Achaeans, To you may the Gods that have homes on Olympus grant it, To sack the city of Priam and safely return arriving home. But give to me my own dear child, and accept the ransom: 20 Respecting Apollo, the distant-shooting Son of Zeus." Then, Though all Achaeans else cried their loud approval, thus To reverence the priest and receive the shining ransom, Yet Agamemnon son of Atreus was not pleased in his heart, But he sent him away disgracefully, and made a speech of power to him: 25 "Do not, old man, let me find you beside these hollow ships, Neither tarrying now nor coming later on, lest your scepter And the fillets of the God fail to protect you. But return the girl I shall not: Sooner shall Old Age take her, in our own home far from the land of her fathers As she goes back and forth about the loom, and into my bed, to meet there. 30 But go! Nor provoke me further; that will be safer for you." He spoke thus, and the old man was afraid, and heeded his command. And he silently set out for the abundantly murmuring shoreline of the ocean, But when the old man had gone quite far from the army, he prayed 35 In earnest to the Lord Apollo, whom Leto bore, whose hair is beautiful: "Hear me, Lord of the silver bow, who walk about divine Chryse and Cilla, And reign in power over Tenedos: O Smintheus, if ever I covered with a lovely roof Your temple, or if indeed I ever burnt for you slices of fat and cutlets 40 From the thighs of bulls or of goats, fulfill for me this wish: let the Danaans Pay for my tears with Thine arrows." Thus he spoke praying, and Phoebus Apollo Heard him; and stepped from the head of the mountain Olympus, angry in His heart; He bore the bow upon His shoulders and a sheathed quiver; as He moved, 45 His arrows clanged upon His shoulders in His anger: and like the night He came. He had been seated far from the ships, but then into the middle of the camp He let fly a missile, and terrible became the clanging of the silver bow Taking first the mules, and then the shining dogs, and next the men themselves 50 He attacked with the bitter arrows, and shot them. And always there burned The close crowded pyres of corpses. Nine days the arrows of the God Flew up the army, and on the tenth day the people were called to assembly by Achilles: The White-armed Goddess Hera had emplaced in his mind this notion, 55 For She was distressed for the Danaans, as She saw them perishing. And so when they had gathered together, among them there stood up Achilles of the swift feet, and spoke to them: "Atreus' son, now I believe we shall be driven back, and return again homeward, if indeed We should escape death, if war and plague alike are to beset the Achaeans. 60 But come, let us ask some Mantis or holy man, or even Some interpreter of dreams, for a Dream, too, comes from Zeus, Who might tell us of Phoebus Apollo's anger, whether he holds us blameworthy For lack of some prayer, or hecatomb, or the smoke of some lamb or perfect goat, 65 If he should be willing to trade for this, and ward off from us the plague." |
|
 |
 |