Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-08-08
Hours With Homer
Book |. A Literal Translation by
6. MdClean. Phi. D.

ANA SOAAAll1l ( FFCCAl
Agamemnon and Achilles:
And so, having thus spoken, ne
sat down, and there stood UP for
them the warrior, Agsmemnon-
the wide ruling son of Atreus-en-
ragged and his diaphram ii. c. his
heart) black all around with rage,
and his eyes were like blazing fire.
Looking fiercely, he first OF ali ad-
dressed Kalchas:
20 prophet OF ills, never yet hast
thou spoken to me the thing that
is good. Always it is a delight to
thee in thy heart to prophesy calam-
tiles (see l Kings 22 ~, but agood
word thou hast never yet at all
spoken, nor brought to pass Ii. C.,
nothing god in word or work ever
comes from thee). And now,
p~rophesyjng in the presence of the
Danai, thou declarest that evident
ly on this account the Far-darter
causes troubles for them, because |
was not willing to accept a splen-
did ransom for the maiden Chry-
seis, since | much prefer to have
herself at home. For, indeed, now
| prefer her to Klytemnestra, the
welded partner of my bed, since
she is not inferior-neithcr in
statue nor in form, neither in
mind nor in accomplishments ii.
c., neither in physical o in
mental ~graces). But even thus
am willing to give her back, if this
at least be better; for wish my
people to be safe rather than 10 per-
ish. But do thou at once make
ready for me a prize, in order that
l may not be the only one of the
Argives without a prize, for this
is not seemly (much less fair).
For ye all see this-that the prize
which belongs to me is going else
where
And the noble Achilles, swift as
to his feet answered him:
30 most glorious son of Aureus,
most avaricious of all; this cannot
be, for how then can the large-heart-
ed Achaeans give a prize to thee ?
We no longer anywhere know of
undistrubed treasuers lying in abun-
dance (from which thou highest
be easily rccompcnscd for the loss
of tfz price, What things we
have pkndered from cities, these
have been distr ibuted, and, really,
it is not seemly that the people
(bc askcd) to collect these things
over again (for a second distribu-
tion). But do thou now let her go
according to the will of the god /;
and we Achaeans will recompense
thee. threefold, yea, fourfold, if ever
Zeus will grant Ito us) to utterly
sack the we'll walled Trojan city,
Then the prince, Agamemnon,
answering him, said:
do not thus, although thou art
brave, o god-like Achilles, cherish
deception in thy heart, since thou
canst neither uver-rcach nor per-
suade me. Dost thou wish, indeed,
that thou myself shouldst have a
prize, whist |, on the contrary, sit
thus destitute, and dost thou bid
me give her up2 But if the large
hearted Achaeans will, indeed, give
a prize suiting it to my taste Tit.
mind, so that there will be an
equivalent Git is well). But if
they do not give it, then |, my
self, will 60 and seize either thy
prize or that of Ajax, or | shall
seize and lead away that of Ulysses
and he to whom | come will be
angry, think. But these matters
we will think over at another time.
Come now, and let US draw a black
ship to the divine Ii. e. boundless)
sea, and let us collect into it row.
ers in suitable numbers, and let us
put q hccatomb into it, and let us
cause the beautiful, checked Chry-
seis herself to embark. Then let
someone, a prudent man, be COM
mander, either Ajax or Idomeneus
or the mighty Ulysses, or thou thy
self, son cf Peleus, most terrible Of
all men, in order that, by offering
a sacrifice, thou mayest reconcile
the Far-darter to u.s.
Then, straightway, Achilles,
swift as to his feet, looking fiercelJ
addressed him:
'Ah me, thou clothed III impu-
dence, cunning minded one, how
can any of the Achaeans obey thy
words either to go on a journey OF
t o fight bravely with men? For
came not hither to fight ID account
of Trojan spearmcn, since they are
o guilty toward me Ii. e., have
done me no wrong), for never ye
drove they off my oxen, nor, il
truth, my horses, and never die
thew law waste the crODs in Pithfs