The Iliad, Homer [big screen ebook reader .txt] 📗

back from the ships, and held a council on
the open space near the river, where there was a spot clear of corpses.
They left their chariots and sat down on the ground to hear the speech
he made them. He grasped a spear eleven cubits long, the bronze point
of which gleamed in front of it, while the ring round the spear-head
was of gold. Spear in hand he spoke. "Hear me," said he, "Trojans,
Dardanians, and allies. I deemed but now that I should destroy the
ships and all the Achaeans with them ere I went back to Ilius, but
darkness came on too soon. It was this alone that saved them and their
ships upon the seashore. Now, therefore, let us obey the behests of
night, and prepare our suppers. Take your horses out of their chariots
and give them their feeds of corn; then make speed to bring sheep and
cattle from the city; bring wine also and corn for your horses and
gather much wood, that from dark till dawn we may burn watchfires whose
flare may reach to heaven. For the Achaeans may try to fly beyond the
sea by night, and they must not embark scatheless and unmolested; many
a man among them must take a dart with him to nurse at home, hit with
spear or arrow as he is leaping on board his ship, that others may fear
to bring war and weeping upon the Trojans. Moreover let the heralds
tell it about the city that the growing youths and grey-bearded men are
to camp upon its heaven-built walls. Let the women each of them light a
great fire in her house, and let watch be safely kept lest the town be
entered by surprise while the host is outside. See to it, brave
Trojans, as I have said, and let this suffice for the moment; at
daybreak I will instruct you further. I pray in hope to Jove and to the
gods that we may then drive those fate-sped hounds from our land, for
'tis the fates that have borne them and their ships hither. This night,
therefore, let us keep watch, but with early morning let us put on our
armour and rouse fierce war at the ships of the Achaeans; I shall then
know whether brave Diomed the son of Tydeus will drive me back from the
ships to the wall, or whether I shall myself slay him and carry off his
bloodstained spoils. To-morrow let him show his mettle, abide my spear
if he dare. I ween that at break of day, he shall be among the first to
fall and many another of his comrades round him. Would that I were as
sure of being immortal and never growing old, and of being worshipped
like Minerva and Apollo, as I am that this day will bring evil to the
Argives."

Thus spoke Hector and the Trojans shouted applause. They took their
sweating steeds from under the yoke, and made them fast each by his own
chariot. They made haste to bring sheep and cattle from the city, they
brought wine also and corn from their houses and gathered much wood.
They then offered unblemished hecatombs to the immortals, and the wind
carried the sweet savour of sacrifice to heaven--but the blessed gods
partook not thereof, for they bitterly hated Ilius with Priam and
Priam's people. Thus high in hope they sat through the livelong night
by the highways of war, and many a watchfire did they kindle. As when
the stars shine clear, and the moon is bright--there is not a breath of
air, not a peak nor glade nor jutting headland but it stands out in the
ineffable radiance that breaks from the serene of heaven; the stars can
all of them be told and the heart of the shepherd is glad--even thus
shone the watchfires of the Trojans before Ilius midway between the
ships and the river Xanthus. A thousand camp-fires gleamed upon the
plain, and in the glow of each there sat fifty men, while the horses,
champing oats and corn beside their chariots, waited till dawn should
come.


BOOK IX

The Embassy to Achilles.

THUS did the Trojans watch. But Panic, comrade of blood-stained Rout,
had taken fast hold of the Achaeans, and their princes were all of them
in despair. As when the two winds that blow from Thrace--the north and
the northwest--spring up of a sudden and rouse the fury of the main--in
a moment the dark waves uprear their heads and scatter their sea-wrack
in all directions--even thus troubled were the hearts of the Achaeans.

The son of Atreus in dismay bade the heralds call the people to a
council man by man, but not to cry the matter aloud; he made haste also
himself to call them, and they sat sorry at heart in their assembly.
Agamemnon shed tears as it were a running stream or cataract on the
side of some sheer cliff; and thus, with many a heavy sigh he spoke to
the Achaeans. "My friends," said he, "princes and councillors Of the
Argives, the hand of heaven has been laid heavily upon me. Cruel Jove
gave me his solemn promise that I should sack the city of Troy before
returning, but he has played me false, and is now bidding me go
ingloriously back to Argos with the loss of much people. Such is the
will of Jove, who has laid many a proud city in the dust as he will yet
lay others, for his power is above all. Now, therefore, let us all do
as I say and sail back to our own country, for we shall not take Troy."

Thus he spoke, and the sons of the Achaeans for a long while sat
sorrowful there, but they all held their peace, till at last Diomed of
the loud battle-cry made answer saying, "Son of Atreus, I will chide
your folly, as is my right in council. Be not then aggrieved that I
should do so. In the first place you attacked me before all the Danaans
and said that I was a coward and no soldier. The Argives young and old
know that you did so. But the son of scheming Saturn endowed you by
halves only. He gave you honour as the chief ruler over us, but valour,
which is the highest both right and might he did not give you. Sir,
think you that the sons of the Achaeans are indeed as unwarlike and
cowardly as you say they are? If your own mind is set upon going
home--go--the way is open to you; the many ships that followed you from
Mycene stand ranged upon the seashore; but the rest of us stay here
till we have sacked Troy. Nay though these too should turn homeward
with their ships, Sthenelus and myself will still fight on till we
reach the goal of Ilius, for heaven was with us when we came."

The sons of the Achaeans shouted applause at the words of Diomed, and
presently Nestor rose to speak. "Son of Tydeus," said he, "in war your
prowess is beyond question, and in council you excel all who are of
your own years; no one of the Achaeans can make light of what you say
nor gainsay it, but you have not yet come to the end of the whole
matter. You are still young--you might be the youngest of my own
children--still you have spoken wisely and have counselled the chief of
the Achaeans not without discretion; nevertheless I am older than you
and I will tell you everything; therefore let no man, not even King
Agamemnon, disregard my saying, for he that foments civil discord is a
clanless, hearthless outlaw.

"Now, however, let us obey the behests of night and get our suppers,
but let the sentinels every man of them camp by the trench that is
without the wall. I am giving these instructions to the young men; when
they have been attended to, do you, son of Atreus, give your orders,
for you are the most royal among us all. Prepare a feast for your
councillors; it is right and reasonable that you should do so; there is
abundance of wine in your tents, which the ships of the Achaeans bring
from Thrace daily. You have everything at your disposal wherewith to
entertain guests, and you have many subjects. When many are got
together, you can be guided by him whose counsel is wisest--and sorely
do we need shrewd and prudent counsel, for the foe has lit his
watchfires hard by our ships. Who can be other than dismayed? This
night will either be the ruin of our host, or save it."

Thus did he speak, and they did even as he had said. The sentinels went
out in their armour under command of Nestor's son Thrasymedes, a
captain of the host, and of the bold warriors Ascalaphus and Ialmenus:
there were also Meriones, Aphareus and Deipyrus, and the son of Creion,
noble Lycomedes. There were seven captains of the sentinels, and with
each there went a hundred youths armed with long spears: they took
their places midway between the trench and the wall, and when they had
done so they lit their fires and got every man his supper.

The son of Atreus then bade many councillors of the Achaeans to his
quarters prepared a great feast in their honour. They laid their hands
on the good things that were before them, and as soon as they had
enough to eat and drink, old Nestor, whose counsel was ever truest, was
the first to lay his mind before them. He, therefore, with all
sincerity and goodwill addressed them thus.

"With yourself, most noble son of Atreus, king of men, Agamemnon, will
I both begin my speech and end it, for you are king over much people.
Jove, moreover, has vouchsafed you to wield the sceptre and to uphold
righteousness, that you may take thought for your people under you;
therefore it behooves you above all others both to speak and to give
ear, and to out the counsel of another who shall have been minded to
speak wisely. All turns on you and on your commands, therefore I will
say what I think will be best. No man will be of a truer mind than that
which has been mine from the hour when you, sir, angered Achilles by
taking the girl Briseis from his tent against my judgment. I urged you
not to do so, but you yielded to your own pride, and dishonoured a hero
whom heaven itself had honoured--for you still hold the prize that had
been awarded to him. Now, however, let us think how we may appease him,
both with presents and fair speeches that may conciliate him."

And King Agamemnon answered, "Sir, you have reproved my folly justly. I
was wrong. I own it. One whom heaven befriends is in himself a host,
and Jove has shown that he befriends this man by destroying much people
of the Achaeans. I was blinded with passion and yielded to my worser
mind; therefore I will make amends, and will give him great gifts by
way of atonement. I will tell them in the presence of you all. I will
give him seven tripods that have never yet been on the fire, and ten
talents of gold. I will give him twenty iron cauldrons and twelve
strong horses that have won races and carried off prizes. Rich, indeed,
both in land and gold is he that has as many prizes as my horses have
won me. I will give him seven excellent workwomen, Lesbians, whom I
chose for myself when he took Lesbos--all of surpassing beauty. I will
give him these, and with them her whom I