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 60: The Black Ship Returns

Lines 480-89
οἱ δ' ἱστὸν στήσαντ' ἀνά θ' ἱστία λευκὰ πέτασσαν·
ἐν δ' ἄνεμος πρῆσεν μέσον ἱστίον, ἀμφὶ δὲ κῦμα
στείρῃ παρφύρεον μεγάλ' ἴαχε νηὸς ἰούσης·
ἡ δ' ἔθεεν κατὰ κῦμα διαπρήσσουσα κέλευθον.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥ' ἵκοντο κατὰ στρατὸν εὐρὺν Ἀχαιῶν,
νῆα μὲν οἵ γε μέλαιναν ἐπ' ἠπείροιο ἔρυσσαν
ὑψοῦ ἐπὶ ψαμάθοις, ὑπὸ δ' ἕρματα μακρὰ τάννσσαν,
αὐτοὶ δ' ἐσκίδαντο κατὰ κλισίας τε νέας τε.

αὐτὰρ ὁ μήνιε νηυσὶ παρήμενος ὠκυπόροισιν
διογενὴς Πηλῆος υἱός, πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς.

So they stood up the sail, and thereon unfurled the shining cloth;
Then the breeze blew up its center and dark waves roared about
The stem of that sailing ship which sped over the waves,
Passing on its way. But when they came to the broad camp of the Achaeans,
They first drew the black ship upon the continent,
High up on the sandy beach, then placed it under the beams,
And the men scattered among the ships and shelters.

But he raged on sitting by the swift sailing ships,
That Zeus born son of Peleus, swift footed Achilles.



This is a gorgeous scene with the Achaeans returning to their camp from Chrysa, a fair wind from the Archer god at their back, then pulling their ship onto the beach and returning to their lives with that wretched plague now a memory. But there is that ominous picture of Achilles, raging beside the ships, which is a portent of troubles to come.

Day 2: The Rage of Achilles

Lines 1-5

Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεᾱ, Πηληιάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
οὐλομένην, ἢ μυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκεν
πολλὰς δ' ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄιδι προῑαψεν
ἠρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν
οἰωνοῖσί τε δαῖτα, Διὸς ἐτελείετο βουλή

Rage, goddess, sing the accursed rage of Peleus' son,
of Achilles, which caused countless woes for the Achaeans
and hurled many brave souls of heroes forth to Hades,
who themselves were made spoils for the dogs and
a feast for carrion birds, and the will of Zeus was being fulfilled


This epic poem begins with Rage, and this needs no comment from me as it's eloquence has been celebrated throughout the millenia. The only thing I would mention is a grammatical point which actually suprised me: the Greek word for rage μῆνις is here in the accusative case, which makes it the direct object of the verb sing ἄειδε. So, the poet is not beseeching his goddess muse to sing about Achilles' mad rage, but in fact to sing the rage itself, along with its dreadful consequences for the Achaean host. This must have given the poet's hearers a sense that the wrath of Achilles would permeate every line of the poem. I am certain they were not disappointed...