Day 69: The Last Lines

Lines 599-611
ἄσβεστος δ' ἄρ ἐνῶνρτο γέλος μακάρεσσι θεοῖσιν,
ὡς ἴδον Ἥφαιστον διὰ δώματα ποιπνύοντα.

ὡς τότε μὲν πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα
δαίνυντ', οὐδέ τι θυμὸς ἐδεύετο δαιτὸς ἐίσης,
οὐ μὲν φόριγγος περικαλλέος, ἢν ἔχ' Ἀπόλλων,
Μουσάων θ' αἳ ἄειδον ἀμειβόμεναι ὀπὶ καλῇ.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κατέδυ λαμπρόν φάος ἠελίοιο,
οἱ μὲν κακκείοντες ἔβαν οἰκόνδε ἕκαστος,
ἦχι ἑκάστῳ δῶμα περικυτὸς ἀμφιγυήεις
Ἥφαιστος ποίησεν ἰδυίῃσι πραπίδεσσιν,
Ζεὺς δὲ πρὸς ὃν λέχος ἤι' Ὀλύμπιος ἀστεροπητής,
ἔνθα πάρος κοιμᾶθ', ὅτε μιν γλυκὺς ὕπνος ἱκάνοι·
ἔνθα καθεῦδ' ἀναβάς, παρὰ δὲ χρυσόθρονος Ἥρη.


And this then roused undying laughter among the blessed gods
When they saw Hephaestus puffing and panting throughout the house.

So then they feasted the entire day on to the setting sun,
Nor did any spirit want for their portion of the feast,
Neither for that charming lyre, which Apollo keeps, nor the Muses,
They sang, and in a gorgeous voice they called and answered.
When the gleaming light of the sun then set
Desiring sleep they each went to their homes,
When for each skillful Hephaestus had fashioned a famous house
With a knowing mind, and Zeus the bed toward which went
The Olympian who hurls the lightning bolt, then before he laid down
Sweet sleep overcame him, then going up he slumbered
Beside Hera of the golden throne.


Well now, to my own great astonishment I have completed Clyde Pharr's 'Homeric Greek: A Book for Beginners'. Thus Book 1 ends here and so soon unfortunately must this blog. There will be one more post which will give a translation of the entirety of Book I of the Iliad which I will be putting up in about two weeks and then that will be that. I will probably put some sort of comment on the last post but I would like to take the time here to thank the people who have followed this blog and checked in on it from time to time. You have provided me with a nice motivation to finish this project which I am very grateful for. So, once again, thank you.

Day 65: Zeus and Hera Squabble

Lines 536-50
ὧς ὁ μὲν ἔνθα καθέζετ' ἐπὶ θρόνου· οὐδέ μιν Ἥρη
ἠγνοίησεν ἰδοῦσα, ὅτι οἱ συμφράσατο βουλὰς
ἀργυρόπεζα Θέτις, θυγάτηρ ἁλίοιο γέρποντος.
αὐτίκα κερτομίοισι Δία Κρονίωνα προηύδα·
τίς δὴ αὖ τοι, δολομῆτα, θεῶν συμφράσατο βουλάς;
αἰεί τοι φίλον ἐστὶν, ἐμεῦ ἀπονόσφιν ἐόντα
κρυπτάδια φρονέοντα δικαζέμεν· οὐδέ τί πώ μοι
πρόφρων τέτληηκας ἐπεῖν ἔπος, ὅττι νοήσῃς."

τὴν δ' ἠμείβετ' ἔπειτα πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε·
"Ἥρη, μὴ δὴ πάντας ἐμοὺς ἐπιέλπεο μύθους
εἰδησειν· χαλεποί τοι ἔσοντ' ἀλόχῳ περ ἑουσῃ.
ἀλλ' ὃν μέν κ' ἐπιεικὲς ακουέμεν, οὔ τις ἔπειτα
οὔτε θεῶν πρότερος τόν γ' εἴσεται οὔτ' ἀνθρώπων·
ὅν δέ κ' ἐγὼν ἀπάνευθε θεῶν ἐθέλωμι νοῆσαι,
μή τι σὺ ταῦτα ἕκαστα διείρεο μηδὲ μετάλλα."

So he then sat down upon his throne, but Hera saw,
And had not failed to notice when he plotted plans
With silver footed Thetis, daughter of the Old Man of the Sea.
Right off she spoke to Cronus' son with biting words:
"Which of the gods this time has been plotting with you,
Deceiver? Always it is dear to you when I am away,
Planning and making judgements in secret;
Neither do you take joy in any way, nor have the courage to
Speak your word to me, whatever be in your mind."

Thereupon the father of gods and men replied to her:
"Hera, do not hope to see all my thoughts;
These will be hard for you, though you be my wife.
But any thought that is fitting for you to hear:
Then not a one will know it first, neither god
Nor mortal man; and if perhaps I should desire
To plan and plot apart from the gods, then neither seek to know
Nor inquire into each and every thing that I am about."



A rather amusing scene here with Hera tormenting Zeus, and then the father of gods and men firing back that his woman should know her place. Almost like Alice and Ralph Kramden in the The Honeymooners. Pharr postulates that this burlesque show among the gods at the conclusion of the first book of the Iliad was the prototype for the satyr play that followed the tragic triliogies at the Athenian dramatic competitions of Greece's golden age. The function here is to provide a bit of comic relief after the intensity of the disastrous quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon. It is a nice exposition of the balance contained in the Greek worldview. Life is a vale of tears, but there is laughter and mirth as well...

Day 64: Olympus Shakes and the Gods Come Together

Lines 528-35
ἦ καὶ κυανέῃσιν ἐπ' ὀφρυσι νεῦσε Κρονίων·
ἀμβρόσιαι δ' ἄρα χαῖται ἐπερρώσαντο ἄνακτος
κρατός ἀπ' ἀθανάτοιο, μέγαν δ' ἐλέλιξεν Ὄλυμπον.

τώ γ' ὧς βουλεύσαντε διέτμαγεν· ἡ μὲν ἔπειτα
εἰς ἅλα ἆλτο βαθεῖσαν ἀπ' αἰγλήεντος Ὀλύμπου,
Ζεὺς δὲ ἑὸν πρὸς δῶμα. θεοὶ δ' ἅμα πάντες ἀνέσταν
ἐξ ἐδέων, σφοῦ πατρὸς ἐναντίον· οὐδέ τις ἔτλη
μεῖναι ἐπερχόμενον, ἀλλ' ἀντίοι ἔσταν ἅπαντες.

He spoke and Cronus' son nodded with his dusky brow,
And then the ambrosia locks fell down from the deathless
High lord, and this greatly shook Olympus.

Thus the two deliberated and were parted,
She lept from gleaming Olympus into the briny depths,
And Zeus went to his home. Then the gods all together
Came out from their abodes, facing their father,
Nor did a one of them have the courage to remain
In his seat, but all stood up to meet him.



A beautiful portrait of the all powerful father of gods and men with his ambrosia locks and his dusky brow whom all the gods bow to, at least to his face... Pharr states here that in conjuring the model for his great statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, the sculptor Phidias used these lines as a model for his work.

Day 61: The Twelfth Day Dawns

Lines 490-99
οὔτε ποτ' εἰς ἀγορὴν πωλέσκετο κυδιάνειραν
οὔτε ποτ' ἐς πόλεμον, ἀλλὰ φθινύθεσκε φίλον κῆρ
αὖθι μένιων, ποθέεσκε δ' ἀυτήν τε πτόλεμόν τε.

ἀλλ' ὅτε δή ῥ' ἐκ τοῖο δωδεκάτη γένετ' ἠώς,
καὶ τότε δὴ πρὸς Ὄλυμπον ἴσαν θεοὶ αἰὲν ἐόντες
πάντες ἅμα, Ζεὺς δ' ἦρκε. Θέτις δ' οὐ λήθετ' ἐφετμέων
παιδὸς ἑοῦ, ἀλλ' ἥ γ' ἀνεδύσετο κῦμα θαλάσσης,
ἠερίη δ' ἀνέβη μέγαν οὑρανὸν Οὔλυμπόν τε.
εὖρεν δ' εὐρύοπα Κρονίδην ἄτερ ἥμενον ἄλλων
ἀκορτάτῃ κορυφῇ πολυδειράδος Οὐλύμποιο.

Neither did he frequent the assemblies that bring glory to men,
Nor did he go to war any longer, but withered away his beloved heart
Raging there, and he longed for battle and for the war cry.

But, when the twelfth dawn from that day arose,
The gods who are forever came then to Olympus all together
With Zeus in front. And Thetis did not forget her son's pleadings,
But came up from the billowing sea, and early climbed high heaven
And Olympus. Then she found Cronus' far thundering son
Sitting away from the others on the high summit of craggy Olympus.

Day 55: A Sojourn Among the Ethiopians and a Voyage to Chrysa

Lines 425-35
δωδεκάτῃ δέ τοι αὖτις ἐλεύσεται Οὐλυμπόνδε,
καὶ τοτ' ἔπειτά τοι εἶμι Διὸς ποτὶ χαλκοβατὲς δῶ,
καί μιν γουνάσομαι, καί μιν πείσεσθαι ὀίω."

ὧς ἄρα φωνήσας' ἀπεβήσετο, τὸν δὲ λίπ' αὐτοῦ
χωόμενον κατὰ θυμὸν ἐυζώνοιο γυναίκος,
τήν ῥα βίῃ ἀέκοντος ἀπηύρων. αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἐς Χρύσην ἵκανεν ἄγων ἱερὴν ἑκατόμβην.

οἱ δ' ὅτε δὴ λιμένος πολυβενθέος ἐντὸς ἵκοντο,
ἱστία μὲν στείλαντο, θέσαν δ' ἐν νηὶ μελαίνῃ,
ἱστὸν δ' ἱστοδόκῃ πέλασαν προτόνοισιν ὑφέντες
καρπαλίμως, τὴν δ' εἰς ὅρμον προέρεσσαν ἐρετμοῖς.


Then on the twelfth day I will go anew to Olympus for you,
And I go thereupon to the house of Zeus paved with bronze,
Then I shall grasp his knees, and I think this will persuade him."

Thus she spoke and then departed, and left him there,
Enraged at heart over a wasp waisted woman,
Whom they took from him by force,
Against his will. Then Odysseus came to Chrysa
Leading a sacred hecatomb.

And when they came within a harbor so very deep,
They furled the sail, and put it in the black ship,
Then drew it into its receiver, quickly letting down the sail
With rope, and rowed the oars on to anchor.



Homer has a great way of putting everything into perspective here when he gives voice to Achilles thoughts as his goddess mother heads off to Olympus. All this trouble over a pretty girl that they took from him by force...

Day 54: A Goddess Lets Fall a Tear

Lines 413-24
τὸν δ' ἠμείβετ' ἔπειτα Θέτις κατὰ δάκρυ χέουσα·
"ὤ μοι, τέκνον ἐμον, τί νύ ς' ἔτρεφον αἰνὰ τεκοῦσα;
αἵθ' ὄφελες παρὰ νηυσὶν ἀδάκρυτος καὶ ἀπήμων
ἧσθαι, ἐπεί νύ τοι αἶσα μίννυνθά περ, οὔ τι μάλα δήν·
νῦν δ' ἅμα τ' ὠκύμορος καὶ ὀιζυρὸς περὶ πάντων
ἔπλεο· τῶ σε κακῇ αἶσῃ τέκον ἐν μεγάροισιν.
τοῦτο δέ τοι ἐρέουσα ἔπος Διὶ τερπικεραύνῳ
εἶμ' αὐτὴ πρὸς Ὄλυμπον ἀγάννιφον, οἴ κε πίθηται.
ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν νῦν νηυσὶ παρήμενος ὠκυπόροισιν
μήνι' Ἀχαιοῖσιν, πολέμου δ' ἀποπαύεο πάμπαν·
Ζεὺς γὰρ ἐς Ὠκεανὸν μετ' ἀμύνονας Αἰθιοπῆας
χθιζὸς ἔβη κατὰ δαῖτα, θεοὶ δ' ἅμα παντες ἕποντο·



And Thetis answered him, letting a tear stream down:
"O my dear child, why indeed did I bring you up,
Raising you to a dreadful end? Would that you were sitting
By the ships, without tears and without pain,
Since for you time is so terribly short, there is not a long while.
Now then it is swift fated and piteous for all men along with you;
Therefore I bore you to evil dread in that palace.
So I go myself to the snowy heights of Olympus
To speak a word of this to Zeus who hurls the thunderbolt,
If he should heed me. But you now restrain yourself from war
Entirely, and rage against the Achaeans sitting by
The fast sailing ships; For Zeus yesterday went to Oceanus,
To a feast with the noble Ethiopians, and all the gods went with;



This I think is the first mention of the Ethiopians in western literature. There are other poems in the epic cycle that mention a hero that fights on the Trojan side named Memnon who is Ethiopian. I think that Ethiopians were probably to the Greeks all the dark skinned peoples who lived to the south of Upper Egypt along the Nile, and therefore at world's end. It is kind of amusing to consider that Achilles' request here cannot be fulfilled right away because the gods are all on vacation. Kind of makes you wonder...

Day 52: The Revolt of the Gods

Lines 380-400
χωόμενος δ' ὁ γέρων πάλιν ὤχετο· τοῖο δ' Ἀπόλλων
εὐξαμένου ἤκουσεν, ἐπεὶ μάλα οἱ φίλος ἦεν,
ἧκε δ' ἐπ' Ἀργείοισι κακὸν βέλος· οἱ δέ νυ λαοὶ
θνῆκον ἐπασσύτεροι, τὰ δ' ἐπῴχετο κῆλα θεοῖο
πάντῃ ἀνὰ στρατὸν εὐρὺν Ἀχαιῶν. ἄμμι δὲ μάντις
εὖ εἰδὼς ἀγόρευε θεοπροπίας ἑκάτοιο.

αὐτίκ' ἐγὼ πρῶτος κελόμην θεὸν ἱλάσκεσθαι·
Ἀτρεΐωνα δ' ἔπειτα χόλος λάβεν, αἶψα δ' ἀναστὰς
ἠπείλησει μῦθον, ὃ δὴ τετελεσμένος ἐστίν.
τὴν μὲν γὰρ σὺν νηὶ θοῇ ἑλίκωπες Ἀχαιοὶ
ἐς Χρύσην πέμπουσιν, ἄγουσι δὲ δῶρα ἄνακτι·
τὴν δὲ νέον κλισίηθεν ἔβαν κήρυκες ἄγοντες
κούρην Βρισῆος, τήν μοι δόσαν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν.

ἀλλὰ σύ, εἰ δύνασαί γε, περίσχεο παιδὸς ἑῆος·
ἐλθοῦς' Οὐλυμπόνδε Δία λίσαι, εἴ ποτε δή τι
ἢ ἔπει, ὤνησας κραδίην Διὸς ἡε καὶ ἔργῳ.
πολλάκι γάρ σεο πατρὸς ἐνι μεγάροισιν ἄκουσα
εὐχομένης, ὅτ' ἔφησα κελαινεφέι Κρονίωνι
οἴη ἐν ἀφανάτοισιν ἀεικέα λοιγὸν ἀμῦναι,
ὁππότε μιν ξυνδῆσαι Ὀλύμπιοι ἤθελον ἄλλοι,
Ἥρη τ' ἠδὲ Ποσειδάων καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.

And that old man went off enraged; then Apollo
Hearkened to his prayer, since he was so dear to him,
And he sent his evil darts against the Argives,
Then the armies perished in quick succession,
And the arrows of the god ravaged them everywhere
Throughout the broad camp of the Achaeans.
Then a seer who sees well revealed to us
The oracles of the god who strikes at will.

Immediately I urged first to appease the god;
But thereupon a rage took hold of Atreus' son,
And straightaway, standing up, he threatened a command,
Now it is fulfilled. For the bright eyed Achaeans
Send the girl to Chrysa along with a fast ship,
And they bring gifts for the high lord;
Then just now the heralds who led off Briseus' girl,
Whom the sons of the Achaeans gave me,
Came to this tent.

But you, if you are able, protect your child;
Go to Olympus and beg of Zeus, if ever you assisted
Zeus' heart whether in word or deed.
For many times in the palace of my father
I hearkened to you boasting, when you alone
Among the immortals spoke to
The son of Cronos, wrapped in dark and angry clouds,
To avert his grievous destruction when the other Olympians
Sought to bind him hand and foot,
Hera, and Poseidon, as well as Pallas Athena.


Achilles finishes telling his mother all his troubles and then begins an interesting story which has to be one of the earliest accounts of any aspect of Greek mythology. Begging her to go to Zeus in order to win back his honor he recounts the assistance that his mother Thetis had given the father of gods and men when the other Olympian deities had rebelled against him.