The Iliad

by Robert Fagels

  Today an illustrious son is born to rule the Argives ...

  Eurystheus, son of Sthenelus, descended of Perseus—

  so he is born of your own stock and immortal blood

  and it’s only right for him to rule the Argives!’

  With that, a stab of agony struck his deep heart.

  Suddenly seizing Ruin by her glossy oiled braids—

  he was furious, raging—now he swore his inviolate oath

  that never again would she return to Olympus’ starry skies,

  that maddening goddess, Ruin, Ruin who blinds us all.

  With that he whirled her round in his massive hand

  and flung her out of the brilliant, starry skies

  and she soon found herself in the world of men.

  But Zeus could never think of Ruin without a groan

  whenever he saw Heracles, his own dear son endure

  some shameful labor Eurystheus forced upon him.

  And so with me, I tell you!

  When tall Hector with that flashing helmet of his

  kept slaughtering Argives pinned against our ships—

  how could I once forget that madness, that frenzy,

  the Ruin that blinded me from that first day?

  But since I was blinded and Zeus stole my wits,

  I am intent on setting things to rights, at once:

  I’ll give that priceless ransom paid for friendship.

  Gear up for battle now! And rouse the rest of your armies!

  As for the gifts, here I am to produce them all,

  all that good Odysseus promised you in full,

  the other day, when he approached your tents.

  Or if you prefer, hold off a moment now ...

  much as your heart would spur you on to war.

  Aides will fetch that treasure trove from my ship,

  they’ll bring it here to you, so you can behold

  what hoards I’ll give to set your heart at peace.“

  But the swift runner Achilles broke in sharply—

  “Field marshal Atrides, lord of men Agamemnon,

  produce the gifts if you like, as you see fit,

  or keep them back, it’s up to you. But now—

  quickly, call up the wild joy of war at once!

  It’s wrong to malinger here with talk, wasting time—

  our great work lies all before us, still to do.

  Just as you see Achilles charge the front once more,

  hurling his bronze spear, smashing Troy’s battalions—

  so each of you remember to battle down your man!”

  But Odysseus fine at tactics answered firmly,

  “Not so quickly, brave as you are, godlike Achilles.

  Achaea’s troops are hungry: don’t drive them against Troy

  to fight the Trojans. It’s no quick skirmish shaping,

  once the massed formations of men begin to clash

  with a god breathing fury in both sides at once.

  No, command them now to take their food and wine

  by the fast ships—a soldier’s strength and nerve.

  No fighter can battle all day long, cut-and-thrust

  till the sun goes down, if he is starved for food.

  Even though his courage may blaze up for combat,

  his limbs will turn to lead before he knows it,

  thirst and hunger will overtake him quickly,

  his knees will cave in as the man struggles on.

  But the one who takes his fill of food and wine

  before he grapples enemies full force, dawn to dusk—

  the heart in his chest keeps pounding fresh with courage,

  nor do his legs give out till all break off from battle.

  Come, dismiss your ranks, have them make their meal.

  As for the gifts, let the king of men Agamemnon

  have the lot of them hauled amidst our muster,

  so all the troops can see the trove themselves

  and you, Achilles, you can warm your heart.

  And let the king stand up before the entire army,

  let Agamemnon swear to you his solemn, binding oath:

  he never mounted her bed, never once made love with her,

  the natural thing, my lord, men and women joined.

  And you, Achilles, show some human kindness too,

  in your own heart. Then, as a peace offering,

  let him present you a lavish feast in his tents

  so you won’t lack your just deserts at last.

  And you, great son of Atreus ...

  you be more just to others, from now on.

  It is no disgrace for a king to appease a man

  when the king himself was first to give offense.”

  The lord of men Agamemnon answered warmly,

  “Son of Laertes, I delight to hear your counsel!

  You have covered it all fairly, point by point.

  I’ll gladly swear your oath—the spirit moves me now—

  nor will I break that oath in the eyes of any god.

  But let Achilles remain here, for the moment,

  much as his heart would race him into war.

  The rest remain here too, all in strict formation,

  till the treasure trove is hauled forth from my tents

  and we can seal our binding oaths in blood.

  And you, Odysseus, I tell you, I command you:

  pick out young men, the best in our joint forces,

  bring forth the gifts from my ship, all we promised

  Achilles just the other day, and bring the women too.

  Here in the presence of our united armed contingents

  let Talthybius quickly prepare a wild boar for me—

  we must sacrifice to the Sun and Father Zeus.”

  But the swift runner Achilles interjected,

  “Field marshal Atrides, lord of men Agamemnon,

  better busy yourself with that some other time,

  when a sudden lull in the fighting lets us rest

  and the fury’s not such fire inside my heart.

  Now our men are lying mauled on the field—

  all that Hector the son of Priam overwhelmed

  when Zeus was handing Hector his high glory—

  but you, you and Odysseus urge us to a banquet!

  I, by god, I’d drive our Argives into battle now,

  starving, famished, and only then, when the sun goes down,

  lay on a handsome feast—once we’ve avenged our shame.

  Before then, for me at least, neither food nor drink

  will travel down my throat, not with my friend dead,

  there in my shelter, torn to shreds by the sharp bronze ...

  His feet turned to the door; stretched out for burial,

  round him comrades mourning.

  You talk of food?

  I have no taste for food—what I really crave

  is slaughter and blood and the choking groans of men!“

  But Odysseus, cool tactician, tried to calm him:

  “Achilles, son of Peleus, greatest of the Achaeans,

  greater than I, stronger with spears by no small edge—

  yet I might just surpass you in seasoned judgment

  by quite a lot, since I have years on you

  and I know the world much better ...

  So let your heart be swayed by what I say.

  Now fighting men will sicken of battle quickly:

  the more dead husks the bronze strews on the ground

  the sparser the harvest then, when Zeus almighty

  tips his scales and the tide of battle turns—

  the great steward on high who rules our mortal wars.

  You want the men to grieve for the dead by starving?

  Impossible. Too many falling, day after day—battalions!

  When could we find a breathing space from fasting?

  No. We must steel our hearts. Bury our dead,

  with tears for the day they die, not one day more
.

  And all those left alive, after the hateful carnage,

  remember food and drink—so all the more fiercely

  we can fight our enemies, nonstop, no mercy,

  durable as the bronze that wraps our bodies.

  Let no one hold back now, waiting further summons—

  these are your summons: pain and death to the man

  who skulks beside the ships! Now, all in a mass,

  drive hard against them—rousing battering war

  against these stallion-breaking Trojans!”

  He led an escort

  formed of the brave old soldier Nestor’s sons,

  Meges the son of Phyleus, Meriones and Thoas,

  Lycomedes the son of Creon, Melanippus too.

  Off they went to the tents of Agamemnon—

  a few sharp commands and the work was done.

  Seven tripods hauled from the tents, as promised,

  twenty burnished cauldrons, a dozen massive stallions.

  They quickly brought out women, flawless, skilled in crafts,

  seven, and Briseis in all her beauty made the eighth.

  Then Odysseus weighed out ten full bars of gold

  and led the princes back, laden with other gifts,

  and they set them down amid the meeting grounds.

  Agamemnon rose to his feet.

  The crier Talthybius, his voice clear as a god’s,

  holding the boar in his arms, flanked the great commander.

  And Atreus’ son drew forth the dagger always slung

  at his battle-sword’s big sheath, he cut some hairs

  from the boar’s head, first tufts to start the rite,

  and lifting up his arms to Zeus on high he prayed

  while the armies held fast to their seats in silence,

  all by rank and file, listening to their king.

  He scanned the vaulting skies as his voice rang in prayer:

  “Zeus be my witness first, the highest, best of gods!

  Then Earth, the Sun, and Furies stalking the world below

  to wreak revenge on the dead who broke their oaths—

  I swear I never laid a hand on the girl Briseis,

  I never forced her to serve my lust in bed

  or perform some other task ...

  Briseis remained untouched within my tents.

  True. If a word of what I say is falsely swom,

  may the gods deal out such blows to me, such agonies

  as they deal out to the men who break sworn oaths

  and take their names in vain!”

  On those terms

  he dragged his ruthless dagger across the boar’s throat.

  Talthybius whirled the carcass round about his head

  and slung it into the yawning gulf of the gray sea

  for swarming fish to eat. Then Prince Achilles stood

  and addressed the Argives keen for battle: “Father Zeus—

  great are the blinding frenzies you deal out to men!

  If not, I swear, Atrides could never have roused

  the fury in me, the rage that would not die,

  or wrenched the girl away against my will—

  stubborn, implacable man. But Zeus, somehow,

  was bent on this awesome slaughter of Achaeans.

  Go now, take your meat—the sooner to bring on war.”

  This brusque command dispersed the muster quickly.

  The contingents scattered, each to its own ship.

  Exultant Myrmidons took charge of the gifts

  and bore them off to their royal captain’s moorings.

  They stowed them safe in his shelters, settled the women

  and proud henchmen drove the teams to his herds.

  And so Briseis returned, like golden Aphrodite,

  but when she saw Patroclus lying torn by the bronze

  she flung herself on his body, gave a piercing cry

  and with both hands clawing deep at her breasts,

  her soft throat and lovely face, she sobbed,

  a woman like a goddess in her grief, “Patroclus—

  dearest joy of my heart, my harrowed, broken heart!

  I left you alive that day I left these shelters,

  now I come back to find you fallen, captain of armies!

  So grief gives way to grief, my life one endless sorrow!

  The husband to whom my father and noble mother gave me,

  I saw him torn by the sharp bronze before our city,

  and my three brothers—a single mother bore us:

  my brothers, how I loved you!—

  you all went down to death on the same day ...

  But you, Patroclus, you would not let me weep,

  not when the swift Achilles cut my husband down,

  not when he plundered the lordly Mynes’ city—

  not even weep! .No, again and again you vowed

  you’d make me godlike Achilles’ lawful, wedded wife,

  you would sail me west in your warships, home to Phthia

  and there with the Myrmidons hold my marriage feast.

  So now I mourn your death—I will never stop—

  you were always kind.”

  Her voice rang out in tears

  and the women wailed in answer, grief for Patroclus

  calling forth each woman’s private sorrows.

  But Achaea’s warlords clustered round Achilles,

  begging him to eat. He only spurned them, groaning,

  “I beg you-if any comrade will hear me out in this—

  stop pressing me now to glut myself with food and drink,

  now such painful grief has come and struck my heart!

  I’ll hold out till the sun goes down—enduring—

  fasting—despite your appeals.”

  His voice so firm

  that Achilles caused the other kings to scatter.

  But the two Atridae stayed, and good Odysseus,

  Nestor, Idomeneus, Phoenix the old charioteer,

  all trying to comfort Achilles deep in sorrow.

  But no comfort could reach the fighter’s heart

  till he went striding into the jaws of bloody war.

  The memories swept over him ...

  sighs heaved from his depths as Achilles burst forth,

  “Ah god, time and again, my doomed, my dearest friend,

  you would set before us a seasoned meal yourself,

  here in our tents, in your quick and expert way,

  when Argive forces rushed to fight the Trojans,

  stampeding those breakers of horses into rout.

  But now you lie before me, hacked to pieces here

  while the heart within me fasts from food and drink

  though stores inside are full—

  I’m sick with longing for you!

  There is no more shattering blow that I could suffer.

  Not even if I should learn of my own father’s death,

  who, this moment, is weeping warm tears in Phthia,

  I know it, bereft of a son as loved as this ...

  and here I am in a distant land, fighting Trojans,

  and all for that blood-chilling horror, Helen!—