The Iliad of Homer - Homer

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hoary Sovereign, here arrived At early dawn to practise on thee, Jove!685 I noticed her a suitress at thy knees, And much misdeem or promise-bound thou stand'st To Thetis past recall, to exalt her son, And Greeks to slaughter thousands at the ships.

      To whom the cloud-assembler God, incensed.690

       Ah subtle! ever teeming with surmise,

       And fathomer of my concealed designs,

       Thy toil is vain, or (which is worse for thee,)

       Shall but estrange thee from mine heart the more.

       And be it as thou sayest—I am well pleased695

       That so it should be. Be advised, desist,

       Hold thou thy peace. Else, if my glorious hands

       Once reach thee, the Olympian Powers combined

       To rescue thee, shall interfere in vain.

      He said—whom Juno, awful Goddess, heard700

       Appall'd, and mute submitted to his will.

       But through the courts of Jove the heavenly Powers

       All felt displeasure; when to them arose

       Vulcan, illustrious artist, who with speech

       Conciliatory interposed to sooth705

       His white-armed mother Juno, Goddess dread.

      Hard doom is ours, and not to be endured,

       027 If feast and merriment must pause in heaven

       While ye such clamor raise tumultuous here

       For man's unworthy sake: yet thus we speed710

       Ever, when evil overpoises good.

       But I exhort my mother, though herself

       Already warn'd, that meekly she submit

       To Jove our father, lest our father chide

       More roughly, and confusion mar the feast.715

       For the Olympian Thunderer could with ease

       Us from our thrones precipitate, so far

       He reigns to all superior. Seek to assuage

       His anger therefore; so shall he with smiles

       Cheer thee, nor thee alone, but all in heaven.720

      So Vulcan, and, upstarting, placed a cup

       Full-charged between his mother's hands, and said,

      My mother, be advised, and, though aggrieved,

       Yet patient; lest I see thee whom I love

       So dear, with stripes chastised before my face,725

       Willing, but impotent to give thee aid.[37] Who can resist the Thunderer? Me, when once I flew to save thee, by the foot he seized And hurl'd me through the portal of the skies. "From morn to eve I fell, a summer's day,"730 And dropped, at last, in Lemnos. There half-dead The Sintians found me, and with succor prompt And hospitable, entertained me fallen.

      So He; then Juno smiled, Goddess white-arm'd,

       And smiling still, from his unwonted hand[38]735 Received the goblet. He from right to left Rich nectar from the beaker drawn, alert Distributed to all the powers divine. 028 Heaven rang with laughter inextinguishable Peal after peal, such pleasure all conceived740 At sight of Vulcan in his new employ.

      So spent they in festivity the day,

       And all were cheered; nor was Apollo's harp

       Silent, nor did the Muses spare to add

       Responsive melody of vocal sweets.745

       But when the sun's bright orb had now declined,

       Each to his mansion, wheresoever built

       By the lame matchless Architect, withdrew.[39] Jove also, kindler of the fires of heaven, His couch ascending as at other times750 When gentle sleep approach'd him, slept serene, With golden-sceptred Juno at his side.

      The first book contains the preliminaries to the commencement of serious action. First, the visit of the priest of Apollo to ransom his captive daughter, the refusal of Agamemnon to yield her up, and the pestilence sent by the god upon the Grecian army in consequence. Secondly, the restoration, the propitiation of Apollo, the quarrel of Agamemnon and Achilles, and the withdrawing of the latter from the Grecian army. Thirdly, the intercession of Thetis with Jupiter; his promise, unwillingly given, to avenge Achilles; and the assembly of the gods, in which the promise is angrily alluded to by Juno, and the discussion peremptorily checked by Jupiter. The poet, throughout this book, maintains a simple, unadorned style, but highly descriptive, and happily adapted to the nature of the subject.—Felton.

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      Jupiter, in pursuance of his purpose to distress the Grecians in answer to the prayer of Thetis, deceives Agamemnon by a dream. He, in consequence of it, calls a council, the result of which is that the army shall go forth to battle. Thersites is mutinous, and is chastised by Ulysses. Ulysses, Nestor, and Agamemnon, harangue the people; and preparation is made for battle. An exact account follows of the forces on both sides.

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      [1]All night both Gods and Chiefs equestrian slept, But not the Sire of all. He, waking soon, Mused how to exalt Achilles, and destroy No few in battle at the Grecian fleet. This counsel, at the last, as best he chose5 And likeliest; to dispatch an evil Dream To Agamemnon's tent, and to his side The phantom summoning, him thus addressed.

      Haste, evil Dream! Fly to the Grecian fleet,

       And, entering royal Agamemnon's tent,10

       His ear possess thou thus, omitting nought

       Of all that I enjoin thee. Bid him arm

       His universal host, for that the time

       When the Achaians shall at length possess

       Wide Ilium, hath arrived. The Gods above15

       No longer dwell at variance. The request

       Of Juno hath prevail'd; now, wo to Troy!

       So charged, the Dream departed. At the ships

       Well-built arriving of Achaia's host,

       He Agamemnon, son of Atreus, sought.20

       032 Him sleeping in his tent he found, immersed

       In soft repose ambrosial. At his head

       The shadow stood, similitude exact

       Of Nestor, son of Neleus; sage, with whom

       In Agamemnon's thought might none compare.25

       His form assumed, the sacred Dream began.

      Oh son of Atreus the renown'd in arms

       And in the race! Sleep'st thou? It ill behoves

       To sleep all night the man of high employ,

      

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