Day 57: The Sacrifice of the Bulls

Lines 450-61
τοῖσιν δὲ Χρύσης μεγάλ' εὔχετο χεῖρας ἀνασχών·
"κλῦθί μευ ἀργυροτοξ' ὃς Χρύσην ἀμφιβέβηκας
Κίλλαν τε ζαθέην, Τενέδοιο τε ἶφι ἀνάσσεις·
ἠμὲν δή ποτ' ἐμεῦ πάρος ἔκλυες εὐξαμένοιο,
τίμησας μὲν ἐμέ, μέγα δ' ἴψαο λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν·
ἠδ' ἔτι καὶ νῦν μοι τόδ' ἐπικρήνον ἐέλδωρ·
ἤδη νῦν Δαναοῖσιν ἀεικέα λοιγὸν ἄμυνον."

ὧς ἔφατ' εὐχόμενος, τοῦ δ' ἔκλυε Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥ' εὔξαντο καὶ οὐλοχύτας προβάλοντο
αὐέρυσαν μὲν πρῶτα καὶ ἔσφαξαν καὶ ἔδειραν,
μηρούς τ' ἐξέταμον κατά τε κνίσῃ ἐκάλυψαν
δίπτυχα ποιήσαντες, ἐπ' αὐτῶν δ' ὠμοθέτησαν.

Then Chryses prayed aloud, raising his hands up before them:
"Hear me O god of the silver bow, you who shield Chrysa
And most sacred Cilla, and rule over Tenedos in power:
Truly you heard my prayer in that troubled time,
You have surely honored me, and greatly afflicted the Achaean host;
Now fulfill yet one more request for me:
Drive away from the Danaans this grievous destruction."

Thus he spoke the prayer and Phoebus Apollo heard him.
Then, when they had thrown down the barley corn,
They first raised up the victim, and cut their throats,
Then flayed them, and from below cut out the thigh pieces,
And enveloped them in rich fat, making them doubly fatted,
And put the flesh upon the thigh bones.



A sad end for the hundred head of cattle brought from the Achaean camp, but happiness for the Achaeans themselves. As Chryses repeats his invocation of the god he thanks Apollo for causing the Danaans all this trouble, and since his daughter has been safely returned he kindly requests the plague be lifted. All this trouble because Agamemnon couldn't part with a pretty face...

Day 56: Chryses' Moment of Supreme Satisfaction

Lines 436-49
ἐκ δ' εὐνὰς ἔβαλον, κατὰ δὲ πρυμνήσι' ἔδησαν·
ἐκ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ βαῖνον ἐπὶ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης,
ἐκ δ' ἑκατόμβην βῆσαν ἑκηβόλῳ Ἀπόλλωνι·
ἐκ δὲ Χρυσηὶς νηὸς βῆ ποντοπόροιο.
τὴν μὲν ἔπειτ' ἐπὶ βωμὸν ἄγων πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεὺς
πατρὶ φίλῳ ἐν χερσὶ τίθει, καί μιν προσέειπεν·
"ὦ Χρύση, πρό μ' ἔπεμψεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων
παῖδα τε σοὶ ἀγέμεν, Φοίβῳ θ' ἱερὴν ἑκατόμβην
ῥέξαι ὑπὲρ Δαναῶν, ὄφρ' ἱλασόμεθα ἄνακτα
ὅς νῦν Ἀργείοισι πολύσονα κήδε ἐφῆκεν."

ὧς εἰπὼν ἐν χερσὶ τίθει, ὁ δὲ δέξατο χαίρων
παῖδα φίλην. τοὶ δ' ὦκα θεῷ ἱερὴν ἑκατόμβην
ἐξείης ἔστησαν ἐύδμητον περὶ βωμόν,
χερνίψαντο δ' ἔπειτα καὶ οὐλοκύτας ἀνέλοντο.


Then they hurled forth the anchorstone
And tied down the stern cable,
And they themselves went upon the shore of the sea,
And moved out the hecatomb for farshooting Apollo;
And Chryseis went out from the sea going ship.
Threupon wise Odysseus, leading her to the altar
And her dear father, placed her in his hands
And addressed him: "O Chryses, Agamemnon
The lord of men sends me before you to bring the child
To you, and a sacred hecatomb for Phoebus
To sacrifice for the sake of the Danaans,
So that we might appease the high lord,
Who sends woes upon the Argives
Causing many groans."

Thus speaking, he placed her in his arms,
and the man accepted his dear child rejoicing.
Then in turn they quickly stood the god's sacred hecatomb
Around the well built altar, and purified themselves with water,
Then took up even the poured out barley corn.



The smile on Chryses' face must have been incredible here. I think that it is interesting to note that the entire theme of the Iliad is of the losses that a mortal man must suffer, leading up to the loss of his own life. Chryses is the only significant character in the poem to avert the pain of loss by getting his daughter back with the help of a god by causing great harm to the Achaeans. It almost seems like black magic. I doubt that this is a coincidence and I often wonder what was in the poet's mind as he constructed this passage.

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 23: The Oracle of the God

Lines 93-100

"οὔτ ἄρ ὅ γ' εὐχωλῆς ἐπιμέμφεται οὔθ' ἑκατόμβης
ἀλλ' ἕνεκ' ἀρητῆρος, ὃν ἠτίμης' Ἀγαμέμνων,
οὐδ' ἀπέλυσε θύγατρα καὶ οὐκ ἀπεδέξατ' ἄποινα
τούνεκ' ἄρ' ἄλγε' ἔδωκεν ἑκηβόλος ἠδ' ἔτι δώσει.
οὐδ' ὁ γε πρὶν Δαναοῖσιν ἀεικέα λοιγὸν ἀπώσει
πρίν γ' ἀπὸ πατρὶ φίλῳ δόμεναι ἑλικώπιδα κούρην
ἀπριάτην ἀνάποινον, ἄγειν θ' ἱερὴν ἑκατόμβην
ἐς Χρύσην· τότε κέν μιν ἱλασσάμενοι πεπίθοιμεν."

"He finds fault neither for a vow, nor a hecatomb
But on account of the priest, whom Agamemnon dishonored,
He neither freed his daughter not accepted the ransoms
And it is for this then that the god who strikes from afar
Grants these woes, and will grant still more. He will not drive off this unseemly plague
For the Danaans before the bright eyed maiden is restored
Unransomed and unbought to her dear father and a hecatomb is led
Into sacred Chrysa: only then we may win over and appease him."


Line 100! It may seem like a small accomplishment, but making it throught the first 100 lines of this great epic in the original language feels like a triumph, and though being able to truly understand this poem the way it was first written is truly the work of a lifetime, I can say that I feel like I am off to a decent start.

One thing I wanted to comment on in this passage is Homer's use of the infinitive when he employs the verb δόμεναι meaning to give, or in this case to restore. It is an example of the seer's artful way of speaking, even though his safety has been assured by Achilles, in not wanting to go too far with Agamemnon and seem to be issuing him some sort of command. The infinitive makes the subject vague and could be construed as a command or possibly not. In fact everyone knew what action was required bu the seer would not impose on them who should take it.

Day 13: The Old Man Makes His Plea Before the God

Lines 33-37
ὥς ἔφατ', ἔδεισεν δ' ὁ γέρων καὶ ἐπείθετο μύθῳ.
βῆ δ' ἀκέων παρὰ θῖνα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης.
πολλὰ δ' ἔπειτ ἀπάνενθε κιών ἠπᾶθ' ὁ γεραιὸς
Ἀπόλλωνι ἄνακτι, τόν ἠύκομος τέκε Λητώ.
"κλῦθι μευ, ἀργυρότοξ', ὃς χρύσην ἀμφιβέβηκας

Thus he spoke, and that old man was struck with fear and persuaded by his word.
And he went in silence, along the shore of the heavy thundering sea.
And going off then, the old one prayed much to
The Lord Apollo, whom fair haired Leto bore.
"Hear me O Lord with the silver bow, who shields Chrysa