Day 30: Agamemnon Speaks and Achilles Fires Back

Lines 142-51
ἐς δ' ἐρέτας ἐπιτηδές ἀγείρομεν, ἐς δ' ἑκατόμβας
θήομεν, ἂν δ' αὐτὴν Χρυσηίδα καλλιπάρῃον
βήσομεν. εἷς δέ τις ἀρχὸς ἀνὴρ βουληφόρος ἔστω,
ἢ Αἴας ἢ Ἰδομενεὺς ἢ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἠὲ σύ, Πηλεΐδη, πάντων ἐκπαγλότατ' ἀνδρῶν,
ὄφρ' ἡμῖν ἑκάεργον ἱλάσσεαι, ἱερὰ ῥέξας."
τὸν δ' ἄρ' ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς·
"ὤ μοι, ἀναιδείην ἐπιειμένε, κερδαλεόφρον,
πῶς τίς τοι πρόφρων ἔπεσιν πείθηται Ἀχαιῶν
ἢ ὁδὸν ἐλθέμεναι ἢ ἀνδράσιν ἶφι μαχεσθαι;

Let us then gather a sufficient crew, and place a single hecatomb
Therein, and let us put on board the fair cheeked Chryseis
Herself. And some man of discretion should be in charge:
Either Ajax, or Idomeneus, or divine Odysseus, or you,
Son of Peleus, most fearsome of all men, should you appease
The god who works his will and perform the sacrifices."
And, understanding, swift footed Achilles looked darkly at him and said:
"O my cunning friend, clothed in shamelessness,
Which of the Achaeans will obey your words,
Or go on your expedition, or do great battle with men?


Some more of the fascinating back and forth between Achilles and Agamemnon; Agamemnon pushes the pedal to the metal in the previous episode, but now tries to sound magnanimous, saying "Now lets talk of other things." And he attempts to pay almost a back handed complement to the heroes from whom he has just threatened to take a prize. Whereas he had just listed the people from whose tent he would storm off with a prize of honor, he now calls them wise and full of many counsels and the only ones he could trust to undertake such a mission. Such is statecraft I guess, but Achilles isn't buying this, and he will have none of it.