Day 63: A Nasty Mess

Lines 517-27
τὴν δὲ μέγ' ὀχθήσας προέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·
"ἦ δὴ λοίγια ἔργ', ὅτε μ' ἐχθοδοπῆσαι ἐφήσεις
Ἥρη, ὅτ' ἄν μ' ἐρέθῃσιν ὀνειδείοις ἐπέεσσιν.
ἡ δὲ καὶ αὔτως μ' αἰὲν ἐν ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν
νεικεῖ, καί τέ μέ φησι μάχῃ Τρώεσσιν ἀρήγειν.
ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν νῦν αὖτις ἀπόστιχε, μή τι νοήσῃ
Ἥρη· ἐμοὶ δέ κε ταῦτα μελήσεται, ὄφρα τελέσσω.
εἰ δ' ἄγε τοι κεφαλῇ κατανεύσομαι, ὄφρα πεποίθῃς·
τοῦτο γὰρ ἐξ ἐμέθεν γε μετ' ἀθανάτοισι μέγιστον
τέκμωρ· οὐ γὰρ ἐμὸν παλινάγρετον οὐδ' ἀπατηλὸν
οὐδ' ἀτελεύτητον, ὅ τι κεν κεφαλῇ κατανεύσω."

And deeply vexed, cloud gathering Zeus addressed her:
"Truly this is a nasty mess, when you tell me to lock horns
With Hera, who may torment me with hateful words.
Even as it is she quarrels with me among the deathless gods,
And even now she tells me how I aid the Trojans in battle.
But you go off at once, maybe Hera will not know of this;
And though this will be a care for me, I will see it done.
But come now, I shall nod assent for you with my head,
So you might believe. For this from me is the greatest pledge
Among the immortals since it can neither be taken back,
Nor be a lie, nor can it be left unfulfilled if I should nod my head."



I love this scene where Zeus is whining about Hera knowing what he was up to with Thetis. The poet has a great sense of humor here portraying the lord of the world as a slinking husband who has to go behind the back of his wife.