Day 42: Smashing Scepters and Honeyed Words

Lines 245-49
ὧς φάτο Πηλεΐδης, ποτὶ δὲ σκῆπτρον βάλε γαίῃ
χρυσείοις ἥλοισι πεπαρμένον, ἕζετο δ' αὐτός·
Ἀτρεΐδης δ' ἑτέρωθεν ἐμήνιε. τοῖσι δὲ Νέστωρ
ἡδυεπὴς ἀνόρουσε, λιγὺς Πυλίων ἀγορητής,
τοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης μέλιτος γλυκίων ῥέεν αὐδή.

Thus the son of Peleus spoke, and the scepter,
Studded with golden nails, he hurled to the earth,
And he seated himself, while Atreus' son raged at him
From the other side. Then Nestor sweet of speech,
That clear toned orator of the Pylians, sprang up,
And from his tongue flowed speech sweeter than honey.


Achilles throws the scepter down to the earth and thus puts a violent exclamation point on his oath from the previous section. The oldest man in the world then jumps up. Nestor, who is the lord of Pylos, fearing (rightly) that this quarrel is growing to hot and might wreck the fortunes of the Achaeans at Troy, steps in to attempt to cool the mood.