dishonors him, who has taken away his prize and keeps it.
Zeus of the counsels, lord of Olympos, now do him honor.
So long put strength into the Trojans, until the Achaians
510 give my son his rights, and his honor is increased among them.”
She spoke thus. But Zeus who gathers the clouds made no answer
but sat in silence a long time. And Thetis, as she had taken
his knees, clung fast to them and urged once more her question:
“Bend your head and promise me to accomplish this thing,
515 or else refuse it; you have nothing to fear, that I may know
by how much I am the most dishonored of all gods.”
Deeply disturbed Zeus who gathers the clouds answered her:
“This is a disastrous matter when you set me in conflict
with Hera, and she troubles me with recriminations.
520 Since even as things are, forever among the immortals
she is at me and speaks of how I help the Trojans in battle.
Even so, go back again now, go away, for fear she
see us. I will look to these things that they be accomplished.
See then, I will bend my head that you may believe me.
525 For this among the immortal gods is the mightiest witness
I can give, and nothing I do shall be vain nor revocable
nor a thing unfulfilled when I bend my head in assent to it.”
He spoke, the son of Kronos, and nodded his head with the dark brows,
and the immortally anointed hair of the great god
530 swept from his divine head, and all Olympos was shaken.
So these two who had made their plans separated, and Thetis
leapt down again from shining Olympos into the sea’s depth,
but Zeus went back to his own house, and all the gods rose up
from their chairs to greet the coming of their father; not one had courage
535 to keep his place as the father advanced, but stood up to greet him.
Thus he took his place on the throne; yet Hera was not
ignorant, having seen how he had been plotting counsels
with Thetis the silver-footed, the daughter of the sea’s ancient,
and at once she spoke revilingly to Zeus son of Kronos:
540 “Treacherous one, what god has been plotting counsels with you?
Always it is dear to your heart in my absence to think of
secret things and decide upon them. Never have you patience
frankly to speak forth to me the thing that you purpose.”
Then to her the father of gods and men made answer:
545 “Hera, do not go on hoping that you will hear all my
thoughts, since these will be too hard for you, though you are my wife.
Any thought that it is right for you to listen to, no one
neither man nor any immortal shall hear it before you.
But anything that apart from the rest of the gods I wish to
550 plan, do not always question each detail nor probe me.”
Then the goddess the ox-eyed lady Hera answered:
“Majesty, son of Kronos, what sort of thing have you spoken?
Truly too much in time past I have not questioned nor probed you,
but you are entirely free to think out whatever pleases you.
555 Now, though, I am terribly afraid you were won over
by Thetis the silver-footed, the daughter of the sea’s ancient.
For early in the morning she sat beside you and took your
knees, and I think you bowed your head in assent to do honor
to Achilleus, and to destroy many beside the ships of the Achaians.”
560 Then in return Zeus who gathers the clouds made answer:
“Dear lady, I never escape you; you are always full of suspicion.
Yet thus you can accomplish nothing surely, but be more
distant from my heart than ever, and it will be the worse for you.
If what you say is true, then that is the way I wish it.
565 But go then, sit down in silence, and do as I tell you,
for fear all the gods, as many as are on Olympos, can do nothing
if I come close and lay my unconquerable hands upon you.”
He spoke, and the goddess the ox-eyed lady Hera was frightened
and went and sat down in silence wrenching her heart to obedience,
570 and all the Uranian gods in the house of Zeus were troubled.
Hephaistos the renowned smith rose up to speak among them,
to bring comfort to his beloved mother, Hera of the white arms:
“This will be a disastrous matter and not endurable
if you two are to quarrel thus for the sake of mortals
575 and bring brawling among the gods. There will be no pleasure
in the stately feast at all, since vile things will be uppermost.
And I entreat my mother, though she herself understands it,
to be ingratiating toward our father Zeus, that no longer
our father may scold her and break up the quiet of our feasting.
580 For if the Olympian who handles the lightning should be minded
to hurl us out of our places, he is far too strong for any.
Do you therefore approach him again with words made gentle,
and at once the Olympian will be gracious again to us.”
He spoke, and springing to his feet put a two-handled goblet
585 into his mother’s hands and spoke again to her once more:
“Have patience, my mother, and endure it, though you be saddened,
for fear that, dear as you are, I see you before my own eyes
struck down, and then sorry though I be I shall not be able
to do anything. It is too hard to fight against the Olympian.
590 There was a time once before now I was minded to help you,
and he caught me by the foot and threw me from the magic threshold,
and all day long I dropped helpless, and about sunset
I landed in Lemnos, and there was not much life left in me.
After that fall it was the Sintian men who took care of me.”
595 He spoke, and the goddess of the white arms Hera smiled at him,
and smiling she accepted the goblet out of her son’s hand.
Thereafter beginning from the left he poured drinks for the other
gods, dipping up from the mixing bowl the sweet nectar.
But among the blessed immortals uncontrollable laughter
600 went up as they saw Hephaistos bustling about the palace.
Thus thereafter the whole day long until the sun went under
they feasted, nor was anyone’s hunger denied a fair portion,
nor denied the beautifully wrought lyre in the hands of Apollo
nor the antiphonal sweet sound of the Muses singing.
605 Afterward when the light of the flaming sun went under
they went away each one to sleep in his home where
for each one the far-renowned strong-handed Hephaistos
had built a house by means of his craft smanship and cunning.
Zeus the Olympian and lord of the lightning went to
610 his own bed, where always he lay when sweet sleep came on him.
Going up to the bed he slept and Hera of the gold throne beside him.
BOOK TWO
Now the rest of the gods, and men who were lords of chariots,
slept night long, but the ease of sleep came not upon Zeus
who was pondering in his heart how he might bring honor
to Achilleus, and destroy many beside the ships of the Achaians.
5 Now to his mind this thing appeared to be the best counsel,
to send evil Dream to Atreus’ son Agamemnon.
He cried out to the dream and addressed him in winged words:
“Go forth, e
vil Dream, beside the swift ships of the Achaians.
Make your way to the shelter of Atreus’ son Agamemnon;
10 speak to him in words exactly as I command you.
Bid him arm the flowing-haired Achaians for battle
in all haste; since now he might take the wide-wayed city
of the Trojans. For no longer are the gods who live on Olympos
arguing the matter, since Hera forced them all over
15 by her supplication, and evils are in store for the Trojans.”
So he spoke, and Dream listened to his word and descended.
Lightly he came down beside the swift ships of the Achaians
and came to Agamemnon the son of Atreus. He found him
sleeping within his shelter in a cloud of immortal slumber.
20 Dream stood then beside his head in the likeness of Nestor,
Neleus’ son, whom Agamemnon honored beyond all
elders beside. In Nestor’s likeness the divine Dream spoke to him:
“Son of wise Atreus breaker of horses, are you sleeping?
He should not sleep night long who is a man burdened with counsels
25 and responsibility for a people and cares so numerous.
Listen quickly to what I say, since I am a messenger
of Zeus, who far away cares much for you and is pitiful.
Zeus bids you arm the flowing-haired Achaians for battle
in all haste; since now you might take the wide-wayed city
30 of the Trojans. For no longer are the gods who live on Olympos
arguing the matter, since Hera forced them all over
by her supplication, and evils are in store for the Trojans
from Zeus. Keep this thought in your heart then, let not forgetfulness
take you, after you are released from the kindly sweet slumber.”
35 So he spoke and went away, and left Agamemnon
there, believing things in his heart that were not to be accomplished.
For he thought that on that very day he would take Priam’s city;
fool, who knew nothing of all the things Zeus planned to accomplish,
Zeus, who yet was minded to visit tears and sufferings
40 on Trojans and Danaäns alike in the strong encounters.
Agamemnon awoke from sleep, the divine voice drifting
around him. He sat upright and put on his tunic,
beautiful, fresh woven, and threw the great mantle over it.
Underneath his shining feet he bound the fair sandals
45 and across his shoulders slung the sword with the nails of silver,
and took up the scepter of his fathers, immortal forever.
Thus he went beside the ships of the bronze-armored Achaians.
Now the goddess Dawn drew close to tall Olympos
with her message of light to Zeus and the other immortals.
50 But Agamemnon commanded his clear-voiced heralds to summon
by proclamation to assembly the flowing-haired Achaians,
and the heralds made their cry and the men were assembled swiftly.
First he held a council session of the high-hearted princes
beside the ship of Nestor, the king of the race of Pylos.
55 Summoning these he compacted before them his close counsel:
“Hear me, friends: in my sleep a Dream divine came to me
through the immortal night, and in appearance and stature
and figure it most closely resembled splendid Nestor.
It came and stood above my head and spoke a word to me:
60 ‘Son of wise Atreus breaker of horses, are you sleeping?
He should not sleep night long who is a man burdened with counsels
and responsibility for a people and cares so numerous.
Now listen quickly to what I say, since I am a messenger
from Zeus, who far away cares much for you and is pitiful.
65 Zeus bids you arm the flowing-haired Achaians for battle
in all haste; since now you might take the wide-wayed city
of the Trojans. For no longer are the gods who live on Olympos
arguing the matter, since Hera has forced them all over
by her supplication, and evils are in store for the Trojans
70 by Zeus’ will. Keep this within your heart.’ So speaking
the Dream went away on wings, and sweet sleep released me.
Come then, let us see if we can arm the sons of the Achaians.
Yet first, since it is the right way, I will make trial of them
by words, and tell them even to flee in their benched vessels.
75 Do you take stations here and there, to check them with orders.”
He spoke thus, and sat down again, and among them rose up
Nestor, he who ruled as a king in sandy Pylos.
He in kind intention toward all stood forth and addressed them:
“Friends, who are leaders of the Argives and keep their counsel,
80 had it been any other Achaian who told of this dream
we should have called it a lie and we might rather have turned from it.
Now he who claims to be the best of the Achaians has seen it.
Come then, let us see if we can arm the sons of the Achaians.”
So he spoke and led the way departing from the council,
85 and the rest rose to their feet, the scattered kings, obeying
the shepherd of the people, and the army thronged behind them.
Like the swarms of clustering bees that issue forever
in fresh bursts from the hollow in the stone, and hang like
bunched grapes as they hover beneath the flowers in springtime
90 fluttering in swarms together this way and that way,
so the many nations of men from the ships and the shelters
along the front of the deep sea beach marched in order
by companies to the assembly, and Rumor walked blazing among them,
Zeus’ messenger, to hasten them along. Thus they were assembled
95 and the place of their assembly was shaken, and the earth groaned
as the people took their positions and there was tumult. Nine heralds
shouting set about putting them in order, to make them cease their
clamor and listen to the kings beloved of Zeus. The people
took their seats in sober fashion and were marshaled in their places
100 and gave over their clamoring. Powerful Agamemnon
stood up holding the scepter Hephaistos had wrought him carefully.
Hephaistos gave it to Zeus the king, the son of Kronos,
and Zeus in turn gave it to the courier Argeïphontes,
and lord Hermes gave it to Pelops, driver of horses,
105 and Pelops again gave it to Atreus, the shepherd of the people.
Atreus dying left it to Thyestes of the rich flocks,
and Thyestes left it in turn to Agamemnon to carry
and to be lord of many islands and over all Argos.
Leaning upon this scepter he spoke and addressed the Argives:
110 “Fighting men and friends, O Danaäns, henchmen of Ares:
Zeus son of Kronos has caught me fast in bitter futility.
He is hard; who before this time promised me and consented
that I might sack strong-walled Ilion and sail homeward.
Now he has devised a vile deception, and bids me go back
115 to Argos in dishonor having lost many of my people.
Such is the way it will be pleasing to Zeus, who is too strong,
who before now has broken the crests of many cities
and will break them again, since his power is beyond all others.
And this shall be a thing of shame for the men hereafter
120 to be told, that so strong, so great a host of Achaians
carried on and fought in vain a war that was useless
against men fewer than the
y, with no accomplishment shown for it;
since if both sides were to be willing, Achaians and Trojans,
to cut faithful oaths of truce, and both to be numbered,
125 and the Trojans were to be counted by those with homes in the city,
while we were to be allotted in tens, we Achaians,
and each one of our tens chose a man of Troy to pour wine for it,
still there would be many tens left without a wine steward.
By so much I claim we sons of the Achaians outnumber
130 the Trojans—those who live in the city; but there are companions
from other cities in their numbers, wielders of the spear, to help them,
who drive me hard back again and will not allow me,
despite my will, to sack the well-founded stronghold of Ilion.
And now nine years of mighty Zeus have gone by, and the timbers
135 of our ships have rotted away and the cables are broken
and far away our own wives and our young children
are sitting within our halls and wait for us, while still our work here
stays forever unfinished as it is, for whose sake we came hither.
Come then, do as I say, let us all be won over; let us
140 run away with our ships to the beloved land of our fathers
since no longer now shall we capture Troy of the wide ways.”
So he spoke, and stirred up the passion in the breast of all those
who were within that multitude and listened to his counsel.
And the assembly was shaken as on the sea the big waves
145 in the main by Ikaria, when the south and south-east winds
driving down from the clouds of Zeus the father whip them.
As when the west wind moves across the grain deep standing,
boisterously, and shakes and sweeps it till the tassels lean, so
all of that assembly was shaken, and the men in tumult
150 swept to the ships, and underneath their feet the dust lifted
and rose high, and the men were all shouting to one another
to lay hold on the ships and drag them down to the bright sea.
They cleaned out the keel channels and their cries hit skyward
as they made for home and snatched the props from under the vessels.
155 Then for the Argives a homecoming beyond fate might have
been accomplished, had not Hera spoken a word to Athene:
“For shame, now, Atrytone, daughter of Zeus of the aegis.
As things are, the Argives will take flight homeward over
the wide ridges of the sea to the land of their fathers,
The Iliad of Homer Page 12
