Sunday, September 27, 2009

Day 12: Agamemnon Expels the Priest

Lines 28-32
μή νὺ τοῖ οὐ χραίσμῃ σκῆπτρον καὶ στέμμα θεοῖο
τήν δ'ἐγώ οὐ λύσω. πρίν μιν καὶ γῆρας ἔπεισιν
ἡμετέρῳ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ ἐν Ἀργεϊ, τηλόθι πάτρης
ἱοτὸν ἐποιχομενην καὶ ἐμὸν λέχος ἀντιόωσαν
ἀλλ'ἴθι, μή μ'επεθίζε, σαώτερος ὤς κε νέηαι.

No help will the scepter and wreath of the god be to you
Her I shall not free. Sooner old age will overtake her
in our house in Argos, far from her native land
plying the loom and sharing my bed,
but be gone and vex me not, so the safer you may return

One small note: the trill of that double "L" sound at the beginning of the last line adds so much to the sinister tone of Agamemnon's final words to the priest. Reading this in the original it is amazing how the poet uses the sounds of the language to affect the mood of his tale. It is truly remarkable and more proof that the Iliad was composed to be heard and not read.

No comments:

Post a Comment