by Homer
they first drew back the heads of the sacrificial animals and cut their throats, and flayed them,
and cut out the thighbones and covered them over with fat460
they had made into double folds, and placed raw flesh upon them;
the old man burned these on a cleft-stick and over them poured in libation
dark-gleaming wine; and the youths beside him held sacrificial forks in hand.
Then when the thighbones had been consumed by fire and they had tasted the entrails,
they cut up the other parts and pierced them through on spits
and roasted them with care, and then drew off all the pieces.
And when they had ceased their work and prepared their meal,
they feasted, nor did any man’s appetite lack his due portion.
And when they had put away desire for eating and drinking,
the young men filled mixing bowls brimful with wine,470
and after pouring libations in each cup, distributed it to all;
then all day long they sought the favor of the god in dance and song,
the young Achaean men beautifully singing a hymn of praise,
celebrating the god who works from afar; and the god rejoiced in his heart as he listened.
When the sun sank and dusk came on,
then they laid down to sleep by the stern lines of their ship;
and when dawn, born of the morning, shone forth her fingers of rosy light,
then they sailed out for the broad army of the Achaeans.
And to them Apollo who works from afar sent a following wind.
They stepped the mast and spread the glistening sails,480
and the wind blew gusts in the middle of the sail, and around
the cutwater the bow-wave, shimmering dark, sang loud as the ship proceeded.
She swept over the swell, making her course.
And when they arrived at the broad army of the Achaeans,
they dragged the dark ship ashore
high on the sand, and splayed long struts beneath,
and themselves scattered to their ships and shelters.
But, he, sitting idle by his fast-running ships, remained full of wrath—
the Zeus-descended son of Peleus, Achilles of the swift feet;
never did he go to the assembly where men win glory,490
never to war, but consumed his own heart,
biding his time there; yet he yearned for the war shout and battle.
But when at length the twelfth dawn arose,
then all the gods who live forever went to Olympus
together, with Zeus as their leader; and Thetis did not neglect her son’s
directives, and she rose from the heaving surface of the sea,
and at dawn ascended to towering Olympus.
She found the far-thundering son of Cronus sitting apart from the others
on the topmost peak of ridged Olympus;
and she sat before him and clasped his knees500
with her left hand, and with her right took hold of him beneath his chin,
and in supplication addressed lord Zeus, the son of Cronus:
“Father Zeus, if ever among the immortals I helped you
by word or by deed, accomplish this wish for me:
honor my son, who was born short-lived beyond all men,
and yet now the lord of men Agamemnon has
dishonored him; he holds his prize, having seized it, he personally taking it.
Do you now revenge him, Olympian Zeus, all-devising;
give strength to the Trojans until that time the Achaeans
recompense my son and exalt him with honor.”510
So she spoke; but Zeus who gathers the clouds did not answer her,
but sat silent a long while. And as she had clasped his knees, so Thetis
now held on, clinging closely, and beseeched him again:
“Promise me faithfully, and nod your assent,
or refuse me—you have nothing to fear—so that I may learn
how much I am of all gods the most dishonored.”
Greatly troubled, Zeus who gathers the clouds addressed her:
“This is a deadly business, when you set me up to quarrel
with Hera, when she will harass me with words of abuse.
As it is, she is always quarreling with me in the presence of the immortal gods,520
and maintains, as you know, that I help the Trojans in battle.
Now go back, lest Hera notice anything;
I will make these matters my concern, to bring them to accomplishment.
Come, I will my bow my head for you, so that you may be convinced;
for among immortals this is the greatest
testament of my determination; for not revocable, nor false,
nor unfulfilled is anything to which I have bowed my head.”
The son of Cronus spoke, and nodded with his blue-black brows,
the ambrosial mane of the lord god swept forward
from his immortal head; and he shook great Olympus.530
Thus the two parted after conspiring; and she
sprang into the deep salt sea from shining Olympus,
and Zeus went to his home; and all the gods rose as a body
from their seats before their father; nor did any dare
remain seated as he approached, but all stood to meet him.
So he took his seat there upon his throne; nor did Hera
fail to perceive at a glance that silver-footed
Thetis, the daughter of the old man of the sea, had conspired with him.
Straightway she addressed Zeus, the son of Cronus, with taunting words:
“Which of the gods now, O cunning schemer, has conspired with you?540
Always you love being away from me, mulling over your secrets
to make your decisions. Never yet to me
have you willingly dared state what you are thinking.”
Then the father of gods and men answered her:
“Hera, do not hope to know all my thoughts;
they will be hard for you, although you are my wife.
However, that which is fitting for you to hear, no other,
of gods or men, will know before you;
but that which I may wish to consider apart from the gods—
do not press me about each and every thing, nor make inquiry.”550
Then answered him the ox-eyed lady Hera:
“Most dread son of Cronus, what sort of word have you spoken?
Certainly before now I have neither pressed you, nor made inquiry,
and entirely without interference you devise whatever you want.
But now my heart is terribly afraid lest
silver-footed Thetis, daughter of the old man of the sea, won you over;
for at dawn she came to your side and clasped your knees.
And I suspect you pledged faithfully to her that you would honor
Achilles, and destroy many by the ships of the Achaeans.”
Then in answer Zeus who gathers the clouds addressed her:560
“What possesses you? You always suspect something, I never get past you.
Nonetheless, you can accomplish nothing at all, but will only be
further from my heart—and it will be the worse for you.
If this is the way things are—then you may be sure this is the way that pleases me.
Sit down and be silent, and obey my word,
lest the gods in Olympus, as many as there are, be of no avail to you against me
as I close in, when I lay my unassailable hands upon you.”
Thus he spoke and the ox-eyed lady Hera was afraid,
and she sat down in silence, bending her own heart into submission;
and throughout the house of Zeus the heavenly gods were troubled.570
To them Hephaestus, famed for his art, began to speak,
comforting his dear mother, white-armed Hera:
“To be sure this will be a deadly business, not to be born,
if you two quarrel this way for the sake of mortals,
carrying on this jabbering among the gods; nor
will there be any pleasure from our noble feast if unseemliness prevails.
I advise my mother, sensible as she is,
to be agreeable to our dear father Zeus, so that our father
will not reproach us again, and throw our feast into disorder.
For what if the Olympian wielder of lightning wished to580
blast us from our seats—for he is much the strongest.
Rather address him with gentle words;
then straightway will the Olympian be favorable to us.”
Thus he spoke, and springing to his feet placed a double-handled cup
in his dear mother’s hands, and addressed her:
“Endure, my mother, and restrain yourself, distressed though you be,
lest, dear as you are, I with my own eyes see you
struck down; then for all my grief I will have no power
to help you; for it is painful to oppose the Olympian.
For at another time before this, when I was trying to ward him from you,590
he grabbed me by the foot and cast me from the threshold of heaven;
the whole day I drifted down, and as the sun set
I dropped on Lemnos, and there was but little life still in me.
It was there the Sintian men quickly ministered to me after my fall.”
So he spoke and Hera, goddess of the white arms, smiled
and smiling accepted the cup from her son’s hand.
Then to all the other gods, serving to the right,
he poured sweet nectar like wine, drawing from a mixing bowl;
and unquenchable laughter broke out among the blessed gods
as they watched Hephaestus bustling through the halls.600
Then all day long until the sun went down,
they feasted, nor was the appetite of any stinted of fair portion—
nor stinted of the beautifully wrought lyre, which Apollo held,
or of the Muses, who sang, one following the other, with lovely voice.
Then when the sun’s bright light went down,
they left to go to bed, each in his own house,
where the famous crook-legged god,
Hephaestus, had made a house for each with skillful understanding.
Olympian Zeus, wielder of lightning, went to his bed
where he was wont to retire when sweet sleep came to him;610
here mounting his bed, he went to sleep, with Hera of the golden throne beside him.
2.ILIÁDOS B
So the other gods as well as chariot-fighting men
slept through the night; but no sweet sleep held Zeus,
and in his mind he pondered how he might bring honor to
Achilles, and destroy a multitude beside the ships of the Achaeans.
And this plan seemed to his mind the best—
to send to Atreus’ son Agamemnon ruinous Dream.
And calling out, he addressed him with winged words:
“Come, ruinous Dream, go to the swift ships of the Achaeans;
enter the shelter of Agamemnon, Atreus’ son,
utter every word exactly as I charge.10
Bid him arm the long-haired Achaeans
in full force; for now he might take the wide-wayed city
of the Trojans; no longer are the immortal dwellers of Olympus
divided—she has bent all to her will,
has Hera, with her entreaties—and we grant him to win this triumph.”
So he spoke; and Dream set out when he heard the command,
and swiftly reached the swift ships of the Achaeans,
then made his way to the son of Atreus, Agamemnon; and found him
sleeping in his shelter, immortal slumber poured around him.
And Dream stood above his head in the likeness of Nestor,20
son of Neleus, whom of all the elders Agamemnon most esteemed;
and in this likeness divine Dream addressed him:
“You sleep, son of Atreus, skilled breaker of horses;
a man of counsel should not sleep night long,
a man to whom his people turn, and who has so many cares.
Now, in all haste, mark me; I am a messenger of Zeus,
who, though far away, takes great thought for and pities you.
He bids you arm the long-haired Achaeans
in full force; for now you might take the wide-wayed city
of the Trojans; no longer are the immortal dwellers of Olympus30
divided—she has bent all to her will,
has Hera, with her entreaties—and woes are latched upon the Trojans,
sent from Zeus. Hold this firm in your mind and do not let forgetfulness
take you, once sleep with its honeyed thoughts releases you.”
So speaking he went away, and left Agamemnon there
thinking over in his heart these things that were not to be;
for he supposed he would take Priam’s city on that day—
fool, he knew not those deeds that Zeus devised;
for Zeus intended to inflict woe and groaning sorrow
on both Trojans and Danaans, through the mighty combat.40
He woke from sleep and the divine voice flowed around him.
He sat upright and donned his soft tunic,
fresh and fine, and cast his great cloak round him,
and beneath his smooth feet he bound his splendid sandals;
and then he cast about his shoulders his silver-studded sword,
took up the scepter of his fathers, imperishable, eternal,
and with this set out along the ships of the bronze-clad Achaeans.
Dawn the goddess set her foot on high Olympus,
heralding light of day to Zeus and the immortals;
and to the clear-voiced heralds Agamemnon gave commands50
to summon to assembly the long-haired Achaeans.
They made the summons and with all speed the men assembled.
But first Agamemnon held a council of great-hearted elders
beside the ship of Nestor, king of the Pylians.
And having called these men together, he laid out his clever plan:
“Listen friends; divine Dream came to me in my sleep
through the immortal night; to godlike Nestor
in appearance and size and physique was he most wonderfully like!
He stood above my head and spoke this speech to me:
‘You sleep, son of Atreus, skilled breaker of horses;60
a man of counsel should not sleep night long,
a man to whom his people turn, and who has so many cares.
Now, in all haste, mark me; I am a messenger of Zeus
who, though far away, takes great thought for and pities you.
He bids you arm the long-haired Achaeans
in full force; for now you might take the wide-wayed city
of the Trojans; no longer are the immortal dwellers of Olympus
divided—she has bent all to her will,
has Hera, with her entreaties—and woes are latched upon the Trojans,
sent from Zeus; hold this firm in your mind.’ Speaking thus,70
he left, flying away, and sweet sleep released me.
Come, let us arm the sons of the Achaeans—
but first I will test them with a speech, which is my right,
and I will order them to flee with their many-benched ships;
you, on all sides, check them with your words.”
Having said all this, he then sat down; and among them rose
Nestor, lord of Pylos by the sandy shore.
He with wise regard for them spoke and addressed them:
“Oh friends, leaders and counselors of the Argives—
if any other of the Achaeans had told of this dream then80
we
would deem it a delusion and stay clear of it;
as it is, he who saw it claims to be the best by far of the Achaeans.
Come—let us see if we can arm the sons of the Achaeans.”
Thus speaking, he led the departure from the council,
and they rose at his bidding and obeyed the shepherd of the people,
they the scepter-bearing kings. And the army host surged after them;
as when there goes a swarm of densely buzzing bees
streaming ever anew from a hollowed rock,
in clusters like grapes, zipping toward spring flowers
in a throng on the wing, hither and thither—90
so the many troops of men from the ships and shelters
marched before the broad seashore
in throngs to the assembly; and blazing in their midst Rumor
urged them on, Zeus’ envoy; and so they gathered.
The assembly was thrown into disorder, the earth groaned beneath
the men as they were seated, there was a roar of voices from the throng.
Nine heralds bellowing were trying to restrain them, to make them
cease their shouting and listen to the Zeus-cherished kings.
With difficulty the men were seated, settled in their seats,
and ceased their clamor. Then rose lord Agamemnon,100
holding his scepter; this Hephaestus had toiled to make;
Hephaestus gave it to Zeus, the lord, the son of Cronus,
then Zeus gave it to Hermes, the messenger and slayer of Argos,
and lord Hermes gave it to Pelops, driver of horses,
then Pelops in turn gave it to Atreus, shepherd of the people;
and Atreus on dying left it to Thyestes, rich with many sheep,
and Thyestes in turn left it to Agamemnon to carry about,
and to be lord of many islands and of all Argos.
Propped on this, Agamemnon addressed the Argives with his words:
“O friends, Danaan warriors, companions of Ares,110
greatly has Zeus the son of Cronus entangled me in grave delusion;
hard he is, who before promised me and pledged
that I would return home after sacking well-walled Troy.
But as it is, he devised base deception, and he bids me
go back to Argos in dishonor, since I have destroyed a multitude of my men.
This, it seems, must please Zeus, supreme in might,
who has brought to ruin the citadels of many cities,
and will destroy yet more; for his is the greatest power.
And this is a disgrace even for future men to hear of—
that in this way, to no purpose, so great and so numerous a host of Achaeans120