THE ILIAD (oops!) OF HOMER (continued)

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Critical Analysis #1

THE ILIAD (oops!) OF HOMER (continued)

Kurt Rhys
Junior Member

since 2001-05-08

Posts 23

0 posted 2001-05-12 01:13 AM

"Sons of Atreus, and you other Akhaians of the strong greaves,
To you may the gods having their homes on Olympos give leave
To plunder the city of Priam and journey homeward whole,
But may you let loose my dear daughter to me and receive the toll,
While honoring Apollo of the far-shot who is Zeus's son."
       Then all the rest of the Akhaians cried consent as one,
To rev'rence the priest and to accept the glittering toll;
Yet Atreus's son Agamemnon was not pleased within his soul,
But hatefully he drove him off and laid upon him a harsh command:
"Never, oldster, by our hollow ships, may I find you near at hand,
Not loafing now nor returning hereafter again,
For fear that the staff and the god's bands not shelter you then.
Her I won't let loose of; aging will first upon her pound
From inside of our own dwelling, in Argos, far from her native ground,
While pacing in front of the loom and appearing before my bed.
But go, don't anger me, so you will be safer returning instead."
       That said, the aged man began to fear his speech and to wander
Off in silence alongside the ocean-beach in its thunder.
And thereafter the oldster wandered far away, deeply in prayer
To sovereign Apollo, begot of Leto the lovely of hair:
"Hear me, O Silverbowman, who stands at Khryse bestriding
And at holy Killa, and your might in Tenedos presiding.
O Smintheus, if ever I've roofed you a temple that pleases,
Ever off of bulls and of goats burnt you fatty thigh pieces,
Well then, please accomplish for me at once this desire:
May the Danaans pay for my tears by your arrows' ire."
       So said he in prayer, and was heard by Apollo the Flashing,
Whom, heart full of anger, down Olympos's peaks started dashing,
Bearing on his shoulders the bow, and the quiver close-ended,
Shafts clanging on the shoulders while the angry one wended
His way and descended in manner as the coming of night;
Then he sat at a farness from the ships and sent an arrow in flight,
And dread was the clang begot of the silver bow's resound.
Now first he went after the mules and the swiftly moving hounds,
But then shot at the men themselves a piercing arrow hitting.
And the corpse-fires in multitude burned on unremitting.

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