Day 47: To Wash Their Filth Into the Briny Deep

Lines 304-14
ὧς τώ γ' ἀντιβίοισι μαχησαμένω ἐπέεσσιν
ἀνστήτην, λῦσαν δ' ἀγορὴν παρὰ νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν.
Πηλεΐδης μὲν ἐπὶ κλισίας καὶ νῆας ἐίσας
ἤιε σύν τε Μενοιτιάδῃ καὶ οἷς ἑτάροισιν,
Ἀτρεΐδης δ' ἄρα νῆα θοὴν ἅλαδε προέρυσσεν,
ἐς δ' ἐρέτας ἔκρινεν ἐείκοσιν, ἐς δ' ἑκατόμβησν
βῆσε θεῷ, ἀνὰ δὲ Χρυσηίδα καλλιπάρῃον
εἶσεν ἄγνων· ἐν δ' ἀρχὸς ἔβη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς.

οἱ μὲν ἔπειτ' ἀναβάντες ἐπέπλεον ὑγρὰ κέλευθα,
λαοὺς δ' Ἀτρεΐδης ἀπολυμαίνεσθαι ἄνωγεν.
οἱ δ' ἀπελυμαίνοντο καὶ εὶς ἅλα λύματ' ἔβαλλον,

Thus the two who battled fiercely with hostile words
stood up, then they broke up the assembly by the ships of the Achaeans.
The son of Peleus went to the huts and the well beaked ships
Along with both Menoetius' son and his comrades,
While Atreus' son launched a fast ship into the salt brined sea,
Picking out twenty oarsmen, and sending forth a hecatomb
To the god along with fair cheeked Chryseis who he led on board
And seated there; and wily Odysseus went as pilot.

And going up they thereupon sailed on their watery way,
Then the son of Atreus ordered the men to purify themselves.
So they cleansed themselves, and hurled their filth into the briny deep,


There is a brief period of peace here, beautifully illustrated by the poet with Agamemnon bending to the will of Apollo and sending back the maiden, along with a hecatomb as recompense for his misdeed, and also Odysseus who can be sure to ease any uncomfortable situation with honeyed words or even lies. This is followed by the armies purifying themselves by washing off the filth of the plague in the briny sea. One is almost tempted to forget, during these few lines, the horrible exchange of hostile words in the preceding 200 lines of poetry but of course we will be brought back to them forthwith.

Day 46: The Words Cease but the Invective Continues

Lines 290-303
εἰ δέ μιν αἰχμητὴν ἔθεσαν θεοὶ αἰὲν ἐόντες,
τούνεκά οἱ προθέουσιν ὀνείδεα μυθήσασθαι;"
τὸν δ' ἄρ ὑποβλήδην ἠμείετο δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς·
"ἦ γάρ κεν δειλός τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸς καλεοίμην,
εἰ δὴ σοὶ πᾶν ἔργον ὑπείξομαι, ὅττι κεν εἴπῃς·
ἄλλοισιν δὴ ταῦτ' ἐπιτέλλεο, μὴ γὰρ ἐμοί γε
[σήμιν'· οὐ γὰρ ἐγώ γ' ἔτι σοι πείσεσθαι ὀίω.]
ἄλλο δέ τοι ἐρέω , σύ δ' ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βάλλεο σῇσιν·
χερσὶ μὲν οὔ τοι ἐγώ γε μαχήσομαι εἵνεκα κούρης
οὔτε σοὶ οὔτε τῳ ἄλλῳ, ἐπεί μ' ἀφέλεσθε' γε δόντες·
τῶν δ' ἄλλων, ἅ μοι ἔστι θοῇ παρὰ νηὶ μελαίνῃ,
τῶν οὐκ ἄν τι φέροις ἀνελὼν ἀέκοντος ἐμεῖο.
εἰ δ' ἄγε μὴν πείρησαι, ἵνα γνώωσι καὶ οἵδε.
αἶψά τοι αἶμα κελαινὸν ἐρωήσει περὶ δουρί."



As if the gods, who are always there, made him a spearman
Did they then grant him the right to shout out insults?"

And breaking in, divine Achilles replied to him:
"For indeed I would be called a coward and a good for nothing,
If then I shall yield to you in everything, whatever you may say;
Then give your orders to others, for me you do not command;
For I think that there is yet one more who will not obey you.
And I will tell you another time, and dash this about in your heart:
Surely I will not fight you with my hands on account of the girl,
Not with you, nor with any other, since what is taken
Is only what was given me; But concerning what else is mine
Beside my fast, black ship, these you would not carry off,
Seizing them against my will. Up now! Come try indeed!
So that these should rejoice all the more.
Surely your black blood will quickly flow around my spear."


Thus ends the verbal portion of this disastrous quarrel with Achilles threatening to paint his spear black with Agamemnon's blood if his minions should attempt to seize any of his possessions, save Briseis. His logic is interesting here: though he treasures the maiden and stakes such a great deal of his personal pride on Agamemnon's not having her, in the end he decides not to spill blood over this saying that what is being taken from him was a gift from the armies and not a thing that was truly his own and therefore inviolable.