Page images
PDF
EPUB

Note, that in this version of the First Book of the Iliad,

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Iliad. Book I.

Μήνιν ἄειδε, θεὰ, Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος,
οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί' Αχαιοῖς ἄλγε ̓ ἔθηκεν,
πολλὰς δ ̓ ἐφθίμους ψυχὰς Αϊδι προΐαψεν
ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεύχε κύνεσσιν
οἰωνοισί τε πᾶσι· Διὸς δ ̓ ἐτελείετο βουλὴ,
ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ερίσαντε
Ατρείδης τε, ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν, καὶ δῖος Αχιλλεύς.

Τίς τ' ἄρ σφῶε θεῶν ἔριδι ξυνέηκε μάχεσθαι ; Λητοῦς καὶ Διὸς υἱός. ὁ γὰρ βασιλῆϊ χολωθεὶς νοῦσον ἀνὰ στρατὸν ὦρσε κακὴν, ὀλέκοντο δὲ λαοὶ, οὕνεκα τὸν Χρύσην ἠτίμησ ̓ ἀρητῆρα

5

10

Ατρείδης. ὁ γὰρ ἦλθε θοὰς ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν, λυσόμενός τε θύγατρα φέρων τ ̓ ἀπερείσι ̓ ἄποινα, στέμματ ̓ ἔχων ἐν χερσὶν ἑκηβόλου Απόλλωνος,

χρυσέῳ ἀνὰ σκήπτρῳ, καὶ λίσσετο πάντας Ἀχαιοὺς, Ατρείδα δὲ μάλιστα δύω, κοσμήτορε λαῶν·

15

Of Achilles, son of Peleus,
How the host of the Achaians
How the wraiths of stalwart heroes
Left themselves, for dogs to feed on,
Sing, O Goddess! how all-ruling
From the hour when, torn asunder,
Agamemnon, lord of heroes,

Who among the gods inflamed them,
'Twas the Son of Zeus with Leto.
Through the host a Plague he kindled,
For Atrides did dishonour
When to the Achaian vessels

For the ransom of his daughter.
On the gold-wrought staff of Phœbus.
Most of all the two Atridai,

how the deadly wrath arose; rued it with ten thousand woes; Hades gat before his day, and for every bird of prey, Zeus fulfilled his stedfast plan, they, the twain, to strive began, and Achilles, flower of man. that the fatal feud outbroke? Toward the King his anger woke ; and in thousands fell the folk. unto Chryses, man of prayer, store of endless gifts he bare In his hands the garlands were, Suppliant to the chiefs he spoke, the Commanders of the folk.

[ocr errors][merged small]

ὑμῖν μὲν θεοὶ δοῖεν Ολύμπια δώματ ̓ ἔχοντες ἐκπέρσαι Πριάμοιο πόλιν, εὖ δ' οἴκαδ ̓ ἱκέσθαι·

παῖδα δ ̓ ἑμοὶ λύσαί τε φίλην τά τ' ἄποινα δέχεσθαι,

20

ἀζόμενοι Διὸς υἱὸν ἑκηβόλον Απόλλωνα."

Ενθ' ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες ἐπευφήμησαν Αχαιοί αἰδεῖσθαί θ' ἱερῆα καὶ ἀγλαὸ δέχθαι ἄποινα· ἀλλ ̓ οὐκ Ατρείδῃ 'Αγαμέμνονι ἥνδανε θυμῷ,

ἀλλὰ κακῶς ἀφίει, κρατερὸν δ ̓ ἐπὶ μῦθον ἔτελλε·

[ocr errors]

Μή σε, γέρον, κοίλῃσιν ἐγὼ παρὰ νηυσὶ κιχείω ἢ νῦν δηθύνοντ ̓ ἡ ὕστερον αὖτις ἰόντα,

μή νύ τοι οὐ χραίσμῃ σκῆπτρον καὶ στέμμα θεοῖο.
τὴν δ ̓ ἐγὼ οὐ λύσω· πρίν μιν καὶ γῆρας ἔπεισιν
ἡμετέρῳ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ, ἐν Ἄργεϊ, τηλόθι πατρης,
ἰστὸν ἐποιχομένην καὶ ἐμὸν λέχος ἀντιόωσαν.

ἀλλ ̓ ἴθι, μή μ' ἐρέθιζε, σαώτερος ὥς κε νέηαι.”

Ὣς ἔφατ'· ἔδδεισεν δ ̓ ὁ γέρων καὶ ἐπείθετο μύθῳ.

βῆ δ ̓ ἀκέων παρὰ θῖνα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης,

πολλὰ δ ̓ ἔπειτ ̓ ἀπάνευθε κιὼν ἠρᾶθ ̓ ὁ γεραιός

Απόλλωνι ἄνακτι, τὸν ἠΰκομος τέκε Λητώ

“ Κλύθί μευ, ἀργυρότοξ, ὃς Χρύσην ἀμφιβέβηκας

Κίλλαν τε ζαθέην Τενέδοιό τε ἶφι ἀνάσσεις,

Σμινθεῦ· εἴποτέ τοι χαρίεντ' ἐπὶ νηὸν ἔρεψα,

ἢ εἰ δή ποτέ τοι κατὰ πίονα μηρί ̓ ἔκτα ταύρων ἠδ ̓ αἰγῶν, τόδε μοι κρῄῃνον ἐέλδωρ·

25

30

35

40

"Sons of Atreus, and your comrades,
May the gods, that hold Olympus,
Both to sack the town of Priam,
But release my darling daughter,
Venerating great Apollo,

Then Apollo's priest to honour
And to take the costly ransom:
And with speech full rude and scornful
Agamemnon, son of Atreus.
Nor in aftertime returning

Lest the staff should not avail thee,
For the maiden, at my palace
Till old age shall overtake her,
There she still shall ply the distaff,
If thou wouldst depart in safety,

So he spake. The old man trembled,
Silently he paced, and listened
When the camp lay all behind him,
To Apollo, Son of Leto,

"Thou, that Chryse still protectest,
And in holiest Killa; thou that
If mine hands for thy fair temple
And have burned, for thee, the thigh-bones
Hear me, silver-bowed Apollo!

stoutly greaved Achaians all!
grant it shall your host befall
and to see your homes again.
and my proffered gifts retain,
son of Zeus, far-darting Lord.
all th' Achaians gave accord,
one, one only said him nay,
drave the ancient man away;
"Neither, grey-beard, lag to-day,
be thou found about the strand,
nor the garland in thine hand.
there in Argos she shall stay,
from her father-land away.
there she still my bed shall share.
stir me not; begone, beware."
and obeyed. Along the shore
to the sea's tumultuous roar.
forth he poured his mind in prayer
Leto with the flowing hair.
that in Sminthe dost delight,
rulest Tenedos with might;
oftentimes have garlands wrought,
in their fat, of bull and goat;
hear, and answer what I pray;

« PreviousContinue »