Homer The Iliad Translated by Ian Johnston Homer The Iliad Translated by Ian Johnston Malaspina University-College Nanaimo, BC Canada Front Cover Illustration by Ian Crowe Richer Resources Publications Arlington, Virginia Homer The Iliad copyright © 2006 by Richer Resources Publications Second Edition (January 2007) Second Printing (May 2007) All rights reserved. Cover Art by Ian Crowe No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without express permission from the publisher except for brief excerpts in review. The full text of this volume is available for download on the web at: http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/homer/iliad_title.htm Reprint requests and requests for additional copies of this book can be addressed to Richer Resources Publications 1926 N. Woodrow Street Arlington, Virginia 22207 or via our website at: www.RicherResourcesPublications.com ISBN 978-0-9776269-0-8 Library of Congress Control Number 2006924334 Published by Richer Resources Publications Arlington, Virginia Printed by Replika Press Pvt Ltd. This translation is dedicated to my son Geoffrey (1974 - 1997) and to my grandson Fabian (b.1992) Generations of men are like the leaves. In winter, winds blow them down to earth, but then, when spring season comes again, budding wood grows more. And so with men– one generation grows, another dies away. (Iliad 6.181-5) Translator's Note This text uses the traditional Latinate spellings and common English equivalents for the Greek names, e.g., Achilles, Clytaemnestra, Achaeans, Menelaus, Hecuba, rather than modern renditions which strive to stay more closely to the Greek: Akhilleus, Klytaimnestra, Akhaians, Menelaos, Hekabe, and so on, with the exception of a very few names of gods—Cronos, Ouranos—and a few others (e.g., Idaios). And where there is a common English rendition of the name (e.g., Ajax, Troy, Teucer), I have used that. A dieresis over a vowel indicates that it is pronounced by itself (e.g., Coön rhymes with “go on” not with “goon,” Deïphobus is pronounced “Day-ee-phobus” not “Day-phobus” or “Dee-phobus”). In numbering the lines, the translator has usually included a short, indented line with the line above it, so that what looks like two partial lines counts as a single one. These numbers are approximately twenty- five to thirty percent higher than the numbers in the Greek text. The numbers inserted in the text indicate an explanatory note at the bottom of the page. These have been provided by the translator. Table of Contents Book 1: The Quarrel by the Ships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Book 2: Agamemnon’s Dream and the Catalogue of Ships . . . . . . . . 28 Book 3: Paris, Menelaus and Helen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Book 4: The Armies Clash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Book 5: Diomedes Goes to Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Book 6: Hector and Andromache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Book 7: Hector and Ajax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141 Book 8: The Trojans Have Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158 Book 9: Peace Offerings to Achilles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178 Book 10: A Night Raid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Book 11: The Achaeans Face Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224 Book 12: The Fight at the Barricade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252 Book 13: The Trojans Attack the Ships . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Book 14: Zeus Deceived . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Book 15: The Battle at the Ships . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314 Book 16: Patroclus Fights and Dies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340 Book 17: The Fight over Patroclus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .369 Book 18: The Arms of Achilles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396 Book 19: Achilles and Agamemnon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418 Book 20: Achilles Returns to Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .433 Book 21: Achilles Fights the River . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .451 Book 22: The Death of Hector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473 Book 23: The Funeral Games for Patroclus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .492 Book 24: Achilles and Priam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525 Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .556 Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .561 Book One The Quarrel by the Ships [The invocation to the Muse; Agamemnon insults Apollo; Apollo sends the plague onto the army; Achilles and Agamemnon quarrel; Calchas indicates what must be done to appease Apollo; Agamemnon takes Briseis from Achilles; Achilles prays to Thetis for revenge; Achilles meets Thetis; Chryseis is returned to her father; Thetis visits Zeus; the gods converse about the matter on Olympus; the banquet of the gods] S ing, Goddess, sing of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus— that murderous anger which condemned Achaeans to countless agonies and threw many warrior souls deep into Hades, leaving their dead bodies carrion food for dogs and birds— all in fulfillment of the will of Zeus. Start at the point where Agamemnon, son of Atreus, that king of men, quarreled with noble Achilles. Which of the gods incited these two men to fight? That god was Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto. 10 Angry with Agamemnon, he cast plague down onto the troops—deadly infectious evil. For Agamemnon had dishonoured the god's priest, Chryses, who'd come to the ships to find his daughter, Chryseis, bringing with him a huge ransom. In his hand he held up on a golden staff the scarf sacred to archer god Apollo. He begged Achaeans, above all the army's leaders, the two sons of Atreus: “Menelaus, Agamemnon, sons of Atreus, 2 0 all you well-armed Achaeans, may the gods on Olympus grant you wipe out Priam's city, and then return home safe and sound. Release my dear child to me. Take this ransom. Honour Apollo, far-shooting son of Zeus.” 8 All the Achaeans roared out their support: “Respect the priest. Take the generous ransom.” Displeased, Agamemnon dismissed Chryses roughly: “Old man, don't let me catch you by our hollow ships, sneaking back here today or later on. 30 Who cares about Apollo's scarf and staff? I'll not release the girl to you, no, not before she's grown old with me in Argos, far from home, working the loom, sharing my bed. Go away. If you want to get home safely, don't anger me.” The old man, afraid, obeyed his words, walked off in silence, along the shore by the tumbling, crashing surf. Some distance off, he prayed to lord Apollo, Leto's fair-haired child: “God with the silver bow, protector of Chryse, sacred Cilla, 40 mighty lord of Tenedos, Sminthean Apollo,1 hear my prayer: If I've ever pleased you with a holy shrine, or burned bones for you— bulls and goats well wrapped in fat— grant me my prayer. Force the Danaans to pay full price for my tears with your arrows.” So Chryses prayed. Phoebus Apollo heard him. He came down from Olympus top enraged, carrying on his shoulders bow and covered quiver, his arrows rattling in anger against his arm. 50 So the god swooped down, descending like the night. He sat some distance from the ships, shot off an arrow— the silver bow reverberating ominously. 1Sminthean is a special epithet given to Apollo. It seems to mean something like “killer of field mice.” Chryse is a small coastal town near Troy, where Chryses, the father of Chryseis, is a priest of Apollo. 9 First, the god massacred mules and swift-running dogs, then loosed sharp arrows in among the troops themselves. Thick fires burned the corpses ceaselessly. For nine days Apollo rained death down upon the troops. On the tenth, Achilles summoned an assembly. White-armed Hera put that thought into his mind, concerned for the Danaans, seeing them die. 60 The men gathered. The meeting came to order. Swift-footed Achilles rose to speak: “Son of Atreus, I fear we're being beaten back, forced home, if we aren't all going to be destroyed right here, with war and plague killing off Achaeans. Come now, let's ask some prophet, priest, interpreter of dreams—for dreams, too, come from Zeus— a man who might say why Apollo is so angry, whether he faults our prayers and offerings, whether somehow he'll welcome sacrificial smoke 70 from perfect lambs and goats, then rouse himself and release us from this plague.” Achilles spoke and took his seat. Then Calchas, Thestor's son, stood up before them all, the most astute interpreter of birds, who understood present, future, past. His skill in prophecy, Apollo's gift, had led Achaean ships to Troy. He addressed the troops, thinking of their common good: “Achilles, friend of Zeus, you ask me to explain Apollo's anger, the god who shoots from far. And I will speak. But first you listen to me. 80 Swear an oath that you will freely help me in word and deed. I think I may provoke someone who wields great power over Argives, a man who is obeyed by everyone. An angry king overpowers lesser men. Even if that day his anger is suppressed, 10