The Iliad Read online

  The diphthongs oe and ae are both pronounced ee—Achaeans (a-kee’- unz), Phoebus (fee’-bus). The combination aer does not produce a diphthong: Laertes (lay-ur‘-teez); in other cases where these letters are sounded separately, a dieresis is used: Danaë (da’-nay-ee). The diphthong au is pronounced aw—Glaucus (glaw‘-kus)—but in name endings, Menelaus, for example, it is not a diphthong, and the vowels are pronounced separately (me-ne-lay’-us). Since his name is familiar to the English reader, we have thought it unnecessary to use the dieresis in similar cases. The ending in ous is similar: Pirithous (peye-ri‘-tho-us). The ending in eus is sounded like yoos—Odysseus (o- dis’-yoos), except in the case of the name of three rivers—Alpheus (al-fee‘-us), Peneus (pee-nee’- us) and Spercheus (spur-kee‘-us)—and that of the builder of the Trojan horse, Epeus (e-pee’-us) and the king of Lemnos, Euneus (yoo-nee’-us).

  All other vowel combinations are pronounced not as diphthongs but as separate vowels. The sequence ei is pronounced ee‘-i: Briseis (breye- see’-is); double o as oh-o: Deicoon (dee-i‘-koh-on). Similarly, oi is treated not as a diphthong but as two separate sounds—Oileus (oh-eel’-yoos), except in the case of Troilus, a name that has been fixed in this Latin spelling since Chaucer and is pronounced troy’-lus.

  Obviously we cannot claim complete consistency even within the limits we have imposed on the system. We have occasionally retreated in dismay before some cases where a Latinate form seemed grotesque. Ajax, for example, is a form familiar in English, but there are two men with his name, and when Homer speaks of them in the plural we have used the (Latinized) Greek plural form Aeantes in preference to Ajaxes or the Latin Aiaces. Where no Latin form exists, as in the case of Poseidon, we have used the transliterated Greek, and here again English usage escapes the trammels of our rules, for Poseidon is traditionally pronounced po-seye‘-don (not po-see’-i-don), and the same applies to the Pleiades (pleye’-a-deez). But we can claim to have reduced the unsightly dieresis to a minor factor and to have given the reader who comes to Homer for the first time a guide to pronunciation that will stand him or her in good stead when reading other poets who mention Greek names. We have also provided a Pronouncing Glossary of all the proper names in the text, which indicates stress and English vowel length.

  BOOK ONE

  The Rage of Achilles

  Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles,

  murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,

  hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls,

  great fighters’ souls, but made their bodies carrion,

  feasts for the dogs and birds,

  and the will of Zeus was moving toward its end.

  Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,

  Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles.

  What god drove them to fight with such a fury?

  Apollo the son of Zeus and Leto. Incensed at the king

  he swept a fatal plague through the army—men were dying

  and all because Agamemnon spurned Apollo’s priest.

  Yes, Chryses approached the Achaeans’ fast ships

  to win his daughter back, bringing a priceless ransom

  and bearing high in hand, wound on a golden staff,

  the wreaths of the god, the distant deadly Archer.

  He begged the whole Achaean army but most of all

  the two supreme commanders, Atreus’ two sons,

  “Agamemnon, Menelaus—all Argives geared for war!

  May the gods who hold the halls of Olympus give you

  Priam’s city to plunder, then safe passage home.

  Just set my daughter free, my dear one ... here,

  accept these gifts, this ransom. Honor the god

  who strikes from worlds away—the son of Zeus, Apollo!”

  And all ranks of Achaeans cried out their assent:

  “Respect the priest, accept the shining ransom!”

  But it brought no joy to the heart of Agamemnon.

  The king dismissed the priest with a brutal order

  ringing in his ears: “Never again, old man,

  let me catch sight of you by the hollow ships!

  Not loitering now, not slinking back tomorrow.

  The staff and the wreaths of god will never save you then.

  The girl—I won’t give up the girl. Long before that,

  old age will overtake her in my house, in Argos,

  far from her fatherland, slaving back and forth

  at the loom, forced to share my bed!

  Now go,

  don’t tempt my wrath—and you may depart alive.“

  The old man was terrified. He obeyed the order,

  turning, trailing away in silence down the shore

  where the battle lines of breakers crash and drag.

  And moving off to a safe distance, over and over

  the old priest prayed to the son of sleek-haired Leto,

  lord Apollo, “Hear me, Apollo! God of the silver bow

  who strides the walls of Chryse and Cilia sacrosanct—

  lord in power of Tenedos—Smintheus, god of the plague!

  If I ever roofed a shrine to please your heart,

  ever burned the long rich bones of bulls and goats

  on your holy altar, now, now bring my prayer to pass.

  Pay the Danaans back—your arrows for my tears!”

  His prayer went up and Phoebus Apollo heard him.

  Down he strode from Olympus’ peaks, storming at heart

  with his bow and hooded quiver slung across his shoulders.

  The arrows clanged at his back as the god quaked with rage,

  the god himself on the march and down he came like night.

  Over against the ships he dropped to a knee, let fly a shaft

  and a terrifying clash rang out from the great silver bow.

  First he went for the mules and circling dogs but then,

  launching a piercing shaft at the men themselves,

  he cut them down in droves—

  and the corpse-fires burned on, night and day, no end in sight.

  Nine days the arrows of god swept through the army.

  On the tenth Achilles called all ranks to muster—

  the impulse seized him, sent by white-armed Hera

  grieving to see Achaean fighters drop and die.

  Once they’d gathered, crowding the meeting grounds,

  the swift runner Achilles rose and spoke among them:

  “Son of Atreus, now we are beaten back, I fear,

  the long campaign is lost. So home we sail ...

  if we can escape our death—if war and plague

  are joining forces now to crush the Argives.

  But wait: let us question a holy man,

  a prophet, even a man skilled with dreams—

  dreams as well can come our way from Zeus—

  come, someone to tell us why Apollo rages so,

  whether he blames us for a vow we failed, or sacrifice.

  If only the god would share the smoky savor of lambs

  and full-grown goats, Apollo might be willing, still,

  somehow, to save us from this plague.”

  So he proposed

  and down he sat again as Calchas rose among them,

  Thestor’s son, the clearest by far of all the seers so

  who scan the flight of birds. He knew all things that are,

  all things that are past and all that are to come,

  the seer who had led the Argive ships to Troy

  with the second sight that god Apollo gave him.

  For the armies’ good the seer began to speak:

  “Achilles, dear to Zeus ...

  you order me to explain Apollo’s anger,

  the distant deadly Archer? I will tell it all.

  But strike a pact with me, swear you will defend me

  with all your heart, with words and strength of hand.

  For there is a man I will enrag
e—I see it now—

  a powerful man who lords it over all the Argives,

  one the Achaeans must obey ... A mighty king,

  raging against an inferior, is too strong.

  Even if he can swallow down his wrath today,

  still he will nurse the burning in his chest

  until, sooner or later, he sends it bursting forth.

  Consider it closely, Achilles. Will you save me?”

  And the matchless runner reassured him: “Courage!

  Out with it now, Calchas. Reveal the will of god,

  whatever you may know. And I swear by Apollo

  dear to Zeus, the power you pray to, Calchas,

  when you reveal god’s will to the Argives—no one,

  not while I am alive and see the light on earth, no one

  will lay his heavy hands on you by the hollow ships.

  None among all the armies. Not even if you mean

  Agamemnon here who now claims to be, by far,

  the best of the Achaeans.”

  The seer took heart

  and this time he spoke out, bravely: “Beware—

  he casts no blame for a vow we failed, a sacrifice.

  The god’s enraged because Agamemnon spurned his priest,

  he refused to free his daughter, he refused the ransom.

  That’s why the Archer sends us pains and he will send us more

  and never drive this shameful destruction from the Argives,

  not till we give back the girl with sparkling eyes

  to her loving father—no price, no ransom paid—

  and carry a sacred hundred bulls to Chryse town.

  Then we can calm the god, and only then appease him.”

  So he declared and sat down. But among them rose

  the fighting son of Atreus, lord of the far-flung kingdoms,

  Agamemnon—furious, his dark heart filled to the brim,

  blazing with anger now, his eyes like searing fire.

  With a sudden, killing look he wheeled on Calchas first:

  “Seer of misery! Never a word that works to my advantage!

  Always misery warms your heart, your prophecies—

  never a word of profit said or brought to pass.

  Now, again, you divine god’s will for the armies,

  bruit it about, as fact, why the deadly Archer

  multiplies our pains: because I, I refused

  that glittering price for the young girl Chryseis.

  Indeed, I prefer her by far, the girl herself,

  I want her mine in my own house! I rank her higher

  than Clytemnestra, my wedded wife—she’s nothing less

  in build or breeding, in mind or works of hand.

  But I am willing to give her back, even so,

  if that is best for all. What I really want

  is to keep my people safe, not see them dying.

  But fetch me another prize, and straight off too,

  else I alone of the Argives go without my honor.

  That would be a disgrace. You are all witness,

  look—my prize is snatched away!”

  But the swift runner

  Achilles answered him at once, “Just how, Agamemnon,

  great field marshal ... most grasping man alive,

  how can the generous Argives give you prizes now?

  I know of no troves of treasure, piled, lying idle,

  anywhere. Whatever we dragged from towns we plundered,

  all’s been portioned out. But collect it, call it back

  from the rank and file? That would be the disgrace.

  So return the girl to the god, at least for now.

  We Achaeans will pay you back, three, four times over,

  if Zeus will grant us the gift, somehow, someday,

  to raze Troy’s massive ramparts to the ground.”

  But King Agamemnon countered, “Not so quickly,

  brave as you are, godlike Achilles—trying to cheat me.

  Oh no, you won’t get past me, take me in that way!

  What do you want? To cling to your own prize

  while I sit calmly by—empty-handed here?

  Is that why you order me to give her back?

  No—if our generous Argives will give me a prize,

  a match for my desires, equal to what I’ve lost,

  well and good. But if they give me nothing

  I will take a prize myself—your own, or Ajax’

  or Odysseus’ prize—I’ll commandeer her myself

  and let that man I go to visit choke with rage!

  Enough. We’ll deal with all this later, in due time.

  Now come, we haul a black ship down to the bright sea,

  gather a decent number of oarsmen along her locks

  and put aboard a sacrifice, and Chryseis herself,

  in all her beauty ... we embark her too.

  Let one of the leading captains take command.

  Ajax, Idomeneus, trusty Odysseus or you, Achilles,

  you—the most violent man alive—so you can perform

  the rites for us and calm the god yourself.”

  A dark glance

  and the headstrong runner answered him in kind: “Shameless—

  armored in shamelessness—always shrewd with greed!

  How could any Argive soldier obey your orders,

  freely and gladly do your sailing for you

  or fight your enemies, full force? Not I, no.

  It wasn’t Trojan spearmen who brought me here to fight.

  The Trojans never did me damage, not in the least,

  they never stole my cattle or my horses, never

  in Phthia where the rich soil breeds strong men

  did they lay waste my crops. How could they?

  Look at the endless miles that lie between us ...

  shadowy mountain ranges, seas that surge and thunder.

  No, you colossal, shameless—we all followed you,

  to please you, to fight for you, to win your honor

  back from the Trojans—Menelaus and you, you dog-face!

  What do you care? Nothing. You don’t look right or left.

  And now you threaten to strip me of my prize in person—

  the one I fought for long and hard, and sons of Achaea

  handed her to me.

  My honors never equal yours,

  whenever we sack some wealthy Trojan stronghold—

  my arms bear the brunt of the raw, savage fighting,

  true, but when it comes to dividing up the plunder

  the lion’s share is yours, and back I go to my ships,

  clutching some scrap, some pittance that I love,

  when I have fought to exhaustion.

  No more now—

  back I go to Phthia. Better that way by far,

  to journey home in the beaked ships of war.

  I have no mind to linger here disgraced,

  brimming your cup and piling up your plunder.“

  But the lord of men Agamemnon shot back,

  “Desert, by all means—if the spirit drives you home!

  I will never beg you to stay, not on my account.

  Never—others will take my side and do me honor,

  Zeus above all, whose wisdom rules the world.

  You—I hate you most of all the warlords

  loved by the gods. Always dear to your heart,

  strife, yes, and battles, the bloody grind of war.

  What if you are a great soldier? That’s just a gift of god.