Day 62: Thetis Demands an Answer

Lines 500-16
καί ῥα πάροιθ' αὐτοῖο καθέζετο καὶ λάβε γούνων
σκαιῇ, δεξιτερῇ δ' ἄρ ὑπ' ἀνθερῶνος ἑλοῦσα
λισσομένη, προσέειπε Δία Κρονίωνα ἄνακτα·
"Ζεῦ πάτερ, εἴ ποτε δή σε μετ' ἀθανάτοισιν ὄνησα
ἢ ἔπει ἢ ἔργῳ, τόδε μοι κρήηνον ἐέλδωρ·
τίμησόν μοι υἱόν, ὃς ὠκυμορώτατος ἄλλων
ἔπλετ'· ἀτάρ μιν νῦν γε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων
ἤτιμησεν· ἑλὼν γὰρ ἔχει γέρας αὐτὸς ἀπούρας.
ἀλλὰ σύ πέρ μιν τῖσον, Ὀλύμπιε μητίετα Ζεῦ.
τόφρα δ' ἐπὶ Τρώεσσι τίθει κράτος ὄφρ' ἄν Ἀχαιοὶ
υἱὸν ἐμὸν τίσωσιν, ὀφέλλωσίν τέ ἑ τιμῇ."

ὧς φάτο· τὴν δ' οὔ τι προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς,
ἀλλ' ἀκέων δὴν ἧστο. Θέτις δ' ὡς ἥψατο γούνων,
ὧς ἔχετ' ἐμπεφυυῖα, καὶ εἴρετο δεύτερον αὖτις·
"νημερτὲς μὲν δή μοι ὑπόσχεο καὶ κατάνευσον,
ἢ ἀπόειπ', ἐπεὶ οὔ τοι ἔπι δεος, ὄφρ' ἐὺ εἰδῶ,
ὅσσον ἐγὼ μετὰ πᾶσιν ἀτιμοτάτη θεός εἰμι."

Then she sat down before him and took hold of his knees,
With her hands left and right, and tugging on his beard
She addressed the high lord Zeus, Cronus' son, begging:
"Father Zeus, if ever there was a time among the immortals
Where I assisted you either in word or deed,
Fulfill this request for me: Honor my son,
Who's life that remains is shortest of all,
And now moreover the lord of men Agamemnon
Surely dishonors him; for he keeps the prize himself
That he seized and took away, but you exalt him greatly
O prudent counsellor Olympian Zeus. And meanwhile
Put victory on the Trojans, so the Achaeans should honor my son,
And inflate his glory."

Thus she spoke, but cloud gathering Zeus did not address her at all;
He sat long in silence. But Thetis, as she grabbed hold of his knees,
So she clung closely and forthwith asked a second time:
"Unerring one, promise me and nod your assent,
Or refuse me, but do not be timid, so that I might well know
How greatly I am the god most dishonored among them all."


Thetis really lays it on Zeus here, no doubt batting her eyelashes every step of the way, revealing the father of gods and men in his most grandiose state of susceptibility to feminine charms...