# The Iliad, Book 4: The Broken Truce, the Review of the Army, and the First Battle

Ἰλιάς · Homer · The Wrath

Pandarus breaks the truce with an arrow at Menelaus. Agamemnon reviews his captains, and the armies meet in the first full battle.

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/iliad/4. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/iliad/4.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/iliad/<line id>.m4a.

**1** οἳ δὲ θεοὶ πὰρ Ζηνὶ καθήμενοι ἠγορόωντο  
Now the gods, seated beside Zeus, held assembly
> Epic lengthened imperfect: ἠγορόωντο is an imperfect with epic diectasis (the contracted -όωντο for -οῦντο), giving the verb a rolling, drawn-out sound proper to a scene of gods settled in for extended talk. The imperfect itself marks the council as already under way, not a single completed act.

**2** χρυσέῳ ἐν δαπέδῳ, μετὰ δέ σφισι πότνια Ἥβη  
upon the golden floor, and among them queenly Hebe

**3** νέκταρ ἐοινοχόει· τοὶ δὲ χρυσέοις δεπάεσσι  
poured out the nectar; and they, with golden cups,

**4** δειδέχατʼ ἀλλήλους, Τρώων πόλιν εἰσορόωντες·  
pledged one another, looking down on the city of the Trojans.

**5** αὐτίκʼ ἐπειρᾶτο Κρονίδης ἐρεθιζέμεν Ἥρην  
At once the son of Cronos sought to provoke Hera

**6** κερτομίοις ἐπέεσσι παραβλήδην ἀγορεύων·  
with taunting words, speaking a side-thrust at her:
> "Speaking a side-thrust": παραβλήδην is a rare adverb meaning roughly "obliquely" or "by way of a side-glance" — Zeus does not address Hera directly at first but speaks as if to the assembled gods generally, needling her sideways. It marks his opening words as deliberately provocative rather than plain report.

**7** δοιαὶ μὲν Μενελάῳ ἀρηγόνες εἰσὶ θεάων  
"Two goddesses stand as helpers to Menelaus —

**8** Ἥρη τʼ Ἀργείη καὶ Ἀλαλκομενηῒς Ἀθήνη.  
Hera of Argos, and Athena of Alalkomenae.

**9** ἀλλʼ ἤτοι ταὶ νόσφι καθήμεναι εἰσορόωσαι  
But these two, sitting apart, take their delight

**10** τέρπεσθον· τῷ δʼ αὖτε φιλομειδὴς Ἀφροδίτη  
only in watching; while, on the other side, laughter-loving Aphrodite
> Laughter-loving Aphrodite: φιλομειδής, "fond of smiles" or "laughter-loving," is Aphrodite's standing epithet, tied to her domain of desire and delight — distinct from the plain δῖα "godlike/divine" already used of her at her son Aeneas's introduction in Book 2.

**11** αἰεὶ παρμέμβλωκε καὶ αὐτοῦ κῆρας ἀμύνει·  
forever stands beside him and wards off his death;

**12** καὶ νῦν ἐξεσάωσεν ὀϊόμενον θανέεσθαι.  
and now she has saved him, when he thought that he would die.

**13** ἀλλʼ ἤτοι νίκη μὲν ἀρηϊφίλου Μενελάου·  
Yet the victory is Menelaus's, dear to Ares;
> "Dear to Ares": ἀρηΐφιλος, "dear to Ares," is a standing martial epithet applied to Menelaus here and elsewhere in the poem, marking him as a warrior in good standing with the war-god even though this whole scene turns on an act of Trojan treachery against him.

**14** ἡμεῖς δὲ φραζώμεθʼ ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα,  
let us then consider how these things shall be —

**15** ἤ ῥʼ αὖτις πόλεμόν τε κακὸν καὶ φύλοπιν αἰνὴν  
whether we shall stir up again evil war

**16** ὄρσομεν, ἦ φιλότητα μετʼ ἀμφοτέροισι βάλωμεν.  
and dread battle-strife, or cast friendship between the two sides.

**17** εἰ δʼ αὖ πως τόδε πᾶσι φίλον καὶ ἡδὺ γένοιτο,  
But if this should somehow prove pleasing and sweet to all,

**18** ἤτοι μὲν οἰκέοιτο πόλις Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος,  
then the city of lord Priam might still be inhabited,

**19** αὖτις δʼ Ἀργείην Ἑλένην Μενέλαος ἄγοιτο.  
and Menelaus might lead Argive Helen home again."

**20** ὣς ἔφαθʼ, αἳ δʼ ἐπέμυξαν Ἀθηναίη τε καὶ Ἥρη·  
So he spoke, and Athena and Hera muttered in anger;

**21** πλησίαι αἵ γʼ ἥσθην, κακὰ δὲ Τρώεσσι μεδέσθην.  
sitting close together, they were devising evils for the Trojans.
> Dual number, again: Both verbs stand in the dual, the number reserved for exactly two — here it binds Athena and Hera together as a single plotting pair, just as the dual marked Agamemnon and Achilles as the two quarreling men in Book 1's proem.

**22** ἤτοι Ἀθηναίη ἀκέων ἦν οὐδέ τι εἶπε  
Athena indeed was silent and said nothing,

**23** σκυζομένη Διὶ πατρί, χόλος δέ μιν ἄγριος ᾕρει·  
raging at Zeus her father; a savage anger seized her;

**24** Ἥρῃ δʼ οὐκ ἔχαδε στῆθος χόλον, ἀλλὰ προσηύδα·  
but Hera's breast could not contain her anger, and she spoke:

**25** αἰνότατε Κρονίδη ποῖον τὸν μῦθον ἔειπες·  
"Most dread son of Cronos, what a word you have spoken!
> A repeated line from Book 1: This line is textually identical to Hera's opening retort at Book 1, line 552, where she uses the same taunt against Zeus over his secret dealings with Thetis. Per the verbatim-repetition rule, the English is held to the exact wording already accepted there.

**26** πῶς ἐθέλεις ἅλιον θεῖναι πόνον ἠδʼ ἀτέλεστον,  
How can you wish to make my labor useless and unfulfilled,

**27** ἱδρῶ θʼ ὃν ἵδρωσα μόγῳ, καμέτην δέ μοι ἵπποι  
the sweat that I sweated in my toil, and my horses grew weary

**28** λαὸν ἀγειρούσῃ, Πριάμῳ κακὰ τοῖό τε παισίν.  
as I gathered the host, working evils for Priam and his sons.

**29** ἕρδʼ· ἀτὰρ οὔ τοι πάντες ἐπαινέομεν θεοὶ ἄλλοι.  
Do as you will; but we other gods do not all approve you."

**30** τὴν δὲ μέγʼ ὀχθήσας προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·  
Then, greatly troubled, Zeus the cloud-gatherer answered her:
> A repeated line from Book 1: This whole line is textually identical to Book 1, line 517, where Zeus answers Thetis in the same troubled manner after her supplication. The English is held to the wording already accepted there, per the verbatim-repetition rule.

**31** δαιμονίη τί νύ σε Πρίαμος Πριάμοιό τε παῖδες  
"Strange one, what great evils have Priam and Priam's sons

**32** τόσσα κακὰ ῥέζουσιν, ὅ τʼ ἀσπερχὲς μενεαίνεις  
done to you, that you rage so relentlessly

**33** Ἰλίου ἐξαλαπάξαι ἐϋκτίμενον πτολίεθρον;  
to lay waste utterly the well-built citadel of Ilion?
> "The well-built citadel": This standing formula for a fortified town was locked in Book 2's catalogue for towns like Medeon and Athens; here Homer applies the same phrase to Troy itself, the poem's central citadel.

**34** εἰ δὲ σύ γʼ εἰσελθοῦσα πύλας καὶ τείχεα μακρὰ  
If you could pass within its gates and its long walls

**35** ὠμὸν βεβρώθοις Πρίαμον Πριάμοιό τε παῖδας  
and devour Priam raw, and Priam's sons,

**36** ἄλλους τε Τρῶας, τότε κεν χόλον ἐξακέσαιο.  
and all the other Trojans besides, then you might heal your anger.

**37** ἕρξον ὅπως ἐθέλεις· μὴ τοῦτό γε νεῖκος ὀπίσσω  
Do as you wish; only let not this quarrel hereafter

**38** σοὶ καὶ ἐμοὶ μέγʼ ἔρισμα μετʼ ἀμφοτέροισι γένηται.  
become a great strife between the two of us.

**39** ἄλλο δέ τοι ἐρέω, σὺ δʼ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βάλλεο σῇσιν·  
And I will tell you another thing; lay it up in your heart:

**40** ὁππότε κεν καὶ ἐγὼ μεμαὼς πόλιν ἐξαλαπάξαι  
whenever I too, eager to lay waste a city,

**41** τὴν ἐθέλω ὅθι τοι φίλοι ἀνέρες ἐγγεγάασι,  
choose one where men dear to you dwell,

**42** μή τι διατρίβειν τὸν ἐμὸν χόλον, ἀλλά μʼ ἐᾶσαι·  
do not you delay my anger, but let me act;

**43** καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ σοὶ δῶκα ἑκὼν ἀέκοντί γε θυμῷ·  
for I too gave way to you willingly, though my heart was unwilling;

**44** αἳ γὰρ ὑπʼ ἠελίῳ τε καὶ οὐρανῷ ἀστερόεντι  
for of all the cities that beneath the sun and starry heaven

**45** ναιετάουσι πόληες ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων,  
are inhabited by men who dwell upon the earth,

**46** τάων μοι περὶ κῆρι τιέσκετο Ἴλιος ἱρὴ  
of these sacred Ilion was honored above all in my heart,
> "Sacred Ilion": ἱρή, "sacred, holy," is a standing epithet for Troy under its other name, Ilion — a mark of the city's special favor with Zeus that makes his consent to its destruction, later in the book, all the more weighty.

**47** καὶ Πρίαμος καὶ λαὸς ἐϋμμελίω Πριάμοιο.  
and Priam, and the people of Priam of the strong ash spear.

**48** οὐ γάρ μοί ποτε βωμὸς ἐδεύετο δαιτὸς ἐΐσης  
For never did my altar lack the fair-shared feast,
> "The fair-shared feast", again: This is the same standing formula locked at Book 1, line 602, for a banquet with portions fairly apportioned to every guest — here it names the sacrificial feasts the Trojans regularly offered Zeus, the material basis of his favor toward Troy.

**49** λοιβῆς τε κνίσης τε· τὸ γὰρ λάχομεν γέρας ἡμεῖς.  
the libation and the savor of fat — for that is the honor we have won."

**50** τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη·  
Then ox-eyed queenly Hera answered him:

**51** ἤτοι ἐμοὶ τρεῖς μὲν πολὺ φίλταταί εἰσι πόληες  
"Three cities are by far the dearest to me:

**52** Ἄργός τε Σπάρτη τε καὶ εὐρυάγυια Μυκήνη·  
Argos, and Sparta, and wide-wayed Mycenae.
> "Wide-wayed", applied to Mycenae: εὐρυάγυια, "wide-wayed," is the same standing epithet locked for Troy's own "wide-wayed city" in Book 2 — Homer applies it here to Hera's cities as a generic mark of a great town's broad streets, not exclusively to Troy.

**53** τὰς διαπέρσαι ὅτʼ ἄν τοι ἀπέχθωνται περὶ κῆρι·  
Lay these waste, whenever they grow hateful to your heart;

**54** τάων οὔ τοι ἐγὼ πρόσθʼ ἵσταμαι οὐδὲ μεγαίρω.  
I will not stand before them, nor begrudge you this.

**55** εἴ περ γὰρ φθονέω τε καὶ οὐκ εἰῶ διαπέρσαι,  
For even if I begrudged it, and would not let you lay them waste,

**56** οὐκ ἀνύω φθονέουσʼ ἐπεὶ ἦ πολὺ φέρτερός ἐσσι.  
my grudging would come to nothing, since you are far stronger.

**57** ἀλλὰ χρὴ καὶ ἐμὸν θέμεναι πόνον οὐκ ἀτέλεστον·  
Yet it is right that my labor too should not go unfulfilled;

**58** καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ θεός εἰμι, γένος δέ μοι ἔνθεν ὅθεν σοί,  
for I too am a god, and my birth is from the same stock as yours,

**59** καί με πρεσβυτάτην τέκετο Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης,  
and crooked-counseling Cronos begot me the eldest,
> "Crooked-counseling" Cronos, as subject: ἀγκυλομήτης is locked (Book 4 c01, line 75) as "crooked-counseling Cronos" in the patronymic pattern "son of crooked-counseling Cronos"; here the same epithet describes Cronos himself as the sentence's subject, so it is held to the same English word directly on his name rather than in the patronymic pattern.

**60** ἀμφότερον γενεῇ τε καὶ οὕνεκα σὴ παράκοιτις  
honored both by my birth and because I am called

**61** κέκλημαι, σὺ δὲ πᾶσι μετʼ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀνάσσεις.  
your wife, and you rule over all the immortals.

**62** ἀλλʼ ἤτοι μὲν ταῦθʼ ὑποείξομεν ἀλλήλοισι,  
But let us yield to one another in this,

**63** σοὶ μὲν ἐγώ, σὺ δʼ ἐμοί· ἐπὶ δʼ ἕψονται θεοὶ ἄλλοι  
I to you, and you to me; and the other gods, the immortals,

**64** ἀθάνατοι· σὺ δὲ θᾶσσον Ἀθηναίῃ ἐπιτεῖλαι  
will follow after; and you, command Athena with all speed
> Purpose clause with the subjunctive: ὥς κε with the subjunctive ἄρξωσι (line 67) introduces a purpose clause, "so that the Trojans may be the first..." — the aorist subjunctive expresses a single decisive act aimed at, not a general tendency, matching Zeus's own repetition of this same instruction word for word a few lines later.

**65** ἐλθεῖν ἐς Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν φύλοπιν αἰνήν,  
to go into the dread battle-strife of Trojans and Achaeans,

**66** πειρᾶν δʼ ὥς κε Τρῶες ὑπερκύδαντας Ἀχαιοὺς  
and try how the Trojans, against the triumphant Achaeans,

**67** ἄρξωσι πρότεροι ὑπὲρ ὅρκια δηλήσασθαι.  
may be the first to violate the oaths."

**68** ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε·  
So she spoke, and the father of men and gods did not disobey;

**69** αὐτίκʼ Ἀθηναίην ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
at once he addressed Athena with winged words:

**70** αἶψα μάλʼ ἐς στρατὸν ἐλθὲ μετὰ Τρῶας καὶ Ἀχαιούς,  
"Go with all speed into the host, among Trojans and Achaeans,

**71** πειρᾶν δʼ ὥς κε Τρῶες ὑπερκύδαντας Ἀχαιοὺς  
and try how the Trojans, against the triumphant Achaeans,
> Zeus repeats Hera's own instruction verbatim: Lines 66–67 and 71–72 are textually identical: Zeus hands back to Athena the exact charge Hera has just given him, word for word. The English is held identical at both occurrences, matching the Greek's own verbatim repetition.

**72** ἄρξωσι πρότεροι ὑπὲρ ὅρκια δηλήσασθαι.  
may be the first to violate the oaths."

**73** ὣς εἰπὼν ὄτρυνε πάρος μεμαυῖαν Ἀθήνην,  
So speaking, he spurred on Athena, who was eager already,

**74** βῆ δὲ κατʼ Οὐλύμποιο καρήνων ἀΐξασα.  
but went darting down from the peaks of Olympus.

**75** οἷον δʼ ἀστέρα ἧκε Κρόνου πάϊς ἀγκυλομήτεω  
Just as the son of crooked-counseling Cronos sends down a star,
> Crooked-counseling Cronos: ἀγκυλομήτης, "of crooked counsel," is a standing epithet for Cronos, recalling the cunning and treachery by which he overthrew his own father Uranus. It marks Zeus by lineage — "the son of crooked-counseling Cronos" — without repeating "Zeus" outright.

**76** ἢ ναύτῃσι τέρας ἠὲ στρατῷ εὐρέϊ λαῶν  
a portent for sailors, or for a wide army of men,

**77** λαμπρόν· τοῦ δέ τε πολλοὶ ἀπὸ σπινθῆρες ἵενται·  
bright, and from it many sparks fly off —

**78** τῷ ἐϊκυῖʼ ἤϊξεν ἐπὶ χθόνα Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη,  
like that Pallas Athena darted down to earth,

**79** κὰδ δʼ ἔθορʼ ἐς μέσσον· θάμβος δʼ ἔχεν εἰσορόωντας  
and leapt down into their midst; and amazement seized the onlookers,

**80** Τρῶάς θʼ ἱπποδάμους καὶ ἐϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιούς·  
both the horse-taming Trojans and the well-greaved Achaeans;

**81** ὧδε δέ τις εἴπεσκεν ἰδὼν ἐς πλησίον ἄλλον·  
and thus one would say, looking at his neighbor:

**82** ἦ ῥʼ αὖτις πόλεμός τε κακὸς καὶ φύλοπις αἰνὴ  
"Surely evil war and dread battle-strife

**83** ἔσσεται, ἢ φιλότητα μετʼ ἀμφοτέροισι τίθησι  
will come again, or else Zeus is setting friendship

**84** Ζεύς, ὅς τʼ ἀνθρώπων ταμίης πολέμοιο τέτυκται.  
between the two sides, he who is made the steward of war for men."
> Steward of war: ταμίης, "steward" or "dispenser," is the household word for the one who portions out stores; applied to Zeus and war, it casts him as the one who allots war and peace to men the way a steward allots rations — a domestic image stretched over the whole fate of armies.

**85** ὣς ἄρα τις εἴπεσκεν Ἀχαιῶν τε Τρώων τε.  
So one would say, among the Achaeans and the Trojans.

**86** ἣ δʼ ἀνδρὶ ἰκέλη Τρώων κατεδύσεθʼ ὅμιλον  
But she, in the likeness of a man, plunged into the throng of the Trojans,
> Divine disguise: ἰκέλη, "like, resembling," governs a dative of the person resembled — a common Homeric construction for a god taking on a mortal's shape. Athena does not merely look like a man in general here; the following lines name exactly which man.

**87** Λαοδόκῳ Ἀντηνορίδῃ κρατερῷ αἰχμητῇ,  
Laodocus, son of Antenor, a mighty spearman,

**88** Πάνδαρον ἀντίθεον διζημένη εἴ που ἐφεύροι.  
seeking godlike Pandarus, if she might find him anywhere.

**89** εὗρε Λυκάονος υἱὸν ἀμύμονά τε κρατερόν τε  
She found the son of Lycaon, blameless and mighty,
> Blameless and mighty: ἀμύμων, "blameless," is a common Homeric honorific for a man of good standing, paired here with κρατερός, "mighty, strong" — the poem introduces Pandarus with real stature before showing him break a truce, which sharpens the wrongness of what Athena is about to urge on him.

**90** ἑσταότʼ· ἀμφὶ δέ μιν κρατεραὶ στίχες ἀσπιστάων  
standing there; and around him the strong ranks of shield-bearing

**91** λαῶν, οἵ οἱ ἕποντο ἀπʼ Αἰσήποιο ῥοάων·  
men who had followed him from the streams of the Aesepus.

**92** ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱσταμένη ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
Standing close beside him, she addressed him with winged words:

**93** ἦ ῥά νύ μοί τι πίθοιο Λυκάονος υἱὲ δαΐφρον.  
"Would you now be persuaded by me, warlike son of Lycaon?

**94** τλαίης κεν Μενελάῳ ἐπιπροέμεν ταχὺν ἰόν,  
Would you dare to send a swift arrow at Menelaus,

**95** πᾶσι δέ κε Τρώεσσι χάριν καὶ κῦδος ἄροιο,  
and win favor and glory from all the Trojans,

**96** ἐκ πάντων δὲ μάλιστα Ἀλεξάνδρῳ βασιλῆϊ.  
and above all from Prince Paris.
> Paris, also called Alexandros: The Greek here names him Alexandros, the second name Homer uses for Paris throughout the poem; we hold to "Paris" in the line text (the alternate name is glossed at its first occurrence in Book 3). βασιλῆϊ, "to the king/prince," marks him as a son of the royal house of Troy, not king in his own right.

**97** τοῦ κεν δὴ πάμπρωτα παρʼ ἀγλαὰ δῶρα φέροιο,  
From him, before all others, you would carry off splendid gifts,

**98** αἴ κεν ἴδῃ Μενέλαον ἀρήϊον Ἀτρέος υἱὸν  
if he should see warlike Menelaus, son of Atreus,

**99** σῷ βέλεϊ δμηθέντα πυρῆς ἐπιβάντʼ ἀλεγεινῆς.  
brought down by your shaft and mounting the grievous pyre.

**100** ἀλλʼ ἄγʼ ὀΐστευσον Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο,  
Come, then, loose an arrow at glorious Menelaus,

**101** εὔχεο δʼ Ἀπόλλωνι Λυκηγενέϊ κλυτοτόξῳ  
and vow to Apollo, Lycia-born, famed for his bow,
> Lycia-born, famed for his bow: Λυκηγενής, "Lycia-born," ties Apollo to Lycia, the region Pandarus's own troops hold near the Aesepus, and κλυτότοξος, "famed for his bow," names his weapon outright — a new epithet-pair for Apollo, distinct from ἀργυρότοξος "of the silver bow" and ἑκηβόλος "far-shooting" already locked for him elsewhere.

**102** ἀρνῶν πρωτογόνων ῥέξειν κλειτὴν ἑκατόμβην  
that you will offer a glorious hecatomb of firstling lambs

**103** οἴκαδε νοστήσας ἱερῆς εἰς ἄστυ Ζελείης.  
when you return home to the sacred city of Zeleia."

**104** ὣς φάτʼ Ἀθηναίη, τῷ δὲ φρένας ἄφρονι πεῖθεν·  
So spoke Athena, and she persuaded the mind of the fool;
> Imperfect of an action taking hold: πεῖθεν is imperfect, "was persuading" rather than a completed "persuaded" — the sense is of Pandarus's resolve forming even as Athena speaks, his own folly (ἄφρονι, "to the witless one") doing half the work of his own ruin.

**105** αὐτίκʼ ἐσύλα τόξον ἐΰξοον ἰξάλου αἰγὸς  
at once he uncased his polished bow, made from the horns

**106** ἀγρίου, ὅν ῥά ποτʼ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ στέρνοιο τυχήσας  
of a wild mountain goat, which he himself once, catching it beneath the breast,

**107** πέτρης ἐκβαίνοντα δεδεγμένος ἐν προδοκῇσι  
as it stepped out from a rock, waiting for it in ambush,

**108** βεβλήκει πρὸς στῆθος· ὃ δʼ ὕπτιος ἔμπεσε πέτρῃ.  
had struck in the chest; and it fell backward upon the rock.

**109** τοῦ κέρα ἐκ κεφαλῆς ἑκκαιδεκάδωρα πεφύκει·  
From its head the horns had grown sixteen palms long;
> Sixteen palms: δῶρον here is a unit of measure, the breadth of a hand — roughly three inches — so ἑκκαιδεκάδωρα, "sixteen palms," gives the horns a real, measurable length of some four feet, the kind of concrete craftsman's detail Homer favors when describing a made object.

**110** καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀσκήσας κεραοξόος ἤραρε τέκτων,  
these a horn-worker, a skilled craftsman, shaped and fitted together,

**111** πᾶν δʼ εὖ λειήνας χρυσέην ἐπέθηκε κορώνην.  
and, having smoothed the whole well, set a golden tip upon it.

**112** καὶ τὸ μὲν εὖ κατέθηκε τανυσσάμενος ποτὶ γαίῃ  
And this he laid down well, bracing it stretched against the ground,

**113** ἀγκλίνας· πρόσθεν δὲ σάκεα σχέθον ἐσθλοὶ ἑταῖροι  
leaning it there; and before him his brave companions held their shields,

**114** μὴ πρὶν ἀναΐξειαν ἀρήϊοι υἷες Ἀχαιῶν  
lest the warlike sons of the Achaeans should leap up before

**115** πρὶν βλῆσθαι Μενέλαον ἀρήϊον Ἀτρέος υἱόν.  
warlike Menelaus, son of Atreus, was struck.

**116** αὐτὰρ ὁ σύλα πῶμα φαρέτρης, ἐκ δʼ ἕλετʼ ἰὸν  
Then he opened the lid of his quiver, and drew out an arrow,

**117** ἀβλῆτα πτερόεντα μελαινέων ἕρμʼ ὀδυνάων·  
unshot, feathered, a bearer of black pains.
> A bearer of black pains: ἕρμα, literally "prop" or "cargo," is used here almost like a ship's ballast — the arrow is a vessel loaded with pain before it is even loosed. This kenning-like phrase marks the arrow as freighted with harm from the moment it is drawn.

**118** αἶψα δʼ ἐπὶ νευρῇ κατεκόσμει πικρὸν ὀϊστόν,  
Swiftly upon the string he fitted the bitter shaft,

**119** εὔχετο δʼ Ἀπόλλωνι Λυκηγενέϊ κλυτοτόξῳ  
and he vowed to Apollo, Lycia-born, famed for his bow,

**120** ἀρνῶν πρωτογόνων ῥέξειν κλειτὴν ἑκατόμβην  
that he would offer a glorious hecatomb of firstling lambs

**121** οἴκαδε νοστήσας ἱερῆς εἰς ἄστυ Ζελείης.  
when he returned home to the sacred city of Zeleia.

**122** ἕλκε δʼ ὁμοῦ γλυφίδας τε λαβὼν καὶ νεῦρα βόεια·  
He drew back together, grasping both the notch and the oxhide string;

**123** νευρὴν μὲν μαζῷ πέλασεν, τόξῳ δὲ σίδηρον.  
the string he brought to his breast, and to the bow the iron point.

**124** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ κυκλοτερὲς μέγα τόξον ἔτεινε,  
But when he had drawn the great bow into a full circle,

**125** λίγξε βιός, νευρὴ δὲ μέγʼ ἴαχεν, ἆλτο δʼ ὀϊστὸς  
the bow twanged, the string sang out loud, and the arrow leapt away,

**126** ὀξυβελὴς καθʼ ὅμιλον ἐπιπτέσθαι μενεαίνων.  
sharp-pointed, eager to fly on into the throng.

**127** οὐδὲ σέθεν Μενέλαε θεοὶ μάκαρες λελάθοντο  
Nor did the blessed gods forget you, Menelaus,

**128** ἀθάνατοι, πρώτη δὲ Διὸς θυγάτηρ ἀγελείη,  
the immortals; and first among them the daughter of Zeus, driver of spoil,
> Driver of spoil: ἀγελείη is a rare standing epithet for Athena, from ἄγειν, "to drive off," and λεία, "booty" — Athena as the goddess who drives off plunder in war, a martial byname distinct from γλαυκῶπις "bright-eyed" or Παλλὰς already locked for her elsewhere.

**129** ἥ τοι πρόσθε στᾶσα βέλος ἐχεπευκὲς ἄμυνεν.  
who stood before you and warded off the piercing shaft.

**130** ἣ δὲ τόσον μὲν ἔεργεν ἀπὸ χροὸς ὡς ὅτε μήτηρ  
She turned it just so far from his flesh as a mother

**131** παιδὸς ἐέργῃ μυῖαν ὅθʼ ἡδέϊ λέξεται ὕπνῳ,  
brushes a fly from her child when he lies in sweet sleep,

**132** αὐτὴ δʼ αὖτʼ ἴθυνεν ὅθι ζωστῆρος ὀχῆες  
and she herself guided it to where the golden buckles of the belt

**133** χρύσειοι σύνεχον καὶ διπλόος ἤντετο θώρηξ.  
held fast, and the double corselet met it.

**134** ἐν δʼ ἔπεσε ζωστῆρι ἀρηρότι πικρὸς ὀϊστός·  
The bitter arrow fell upon the close-fitted belt;
> The belt: The ζωστήρ is a metal war-belt, worn over the corselet at the waist — the first and outermost of three defensive layers the arrow must pass through (belt, corselet, taslet) before it reaches Menelaus's skin, named here in the order it is actually struck.

**135** διὰ μὲν ἂρ ζωστῆρος ἐλήλατο δαιδαλέοιο,  
through the richly wrought belt it was driven,

**136** καὶ διὰ θώρηκος πολυδαιδάλου ἠρήρειστο  
and through the corselet, richly worked, it drove on,
> The corselet: The θώρηξ is the body-armor proper, worn beneath the belt in Homeric arming and struck here as the arrow's second layer — the same word rendered "corselet" elsewhere in these drafts (Book 2, the Trojan catalogue).

**137** μίτρης θʼ, ἣν ἐφόρει ἔρυμα χροὸς ἕρκος ἀκόντων,  
and through the taslet he wore, a guard for his flesh, a bar against javelins,
> The taslet: The μίτρη is a separate belly-guard of metal or leather, worn under the corselet close to the skin — the third and innermost of the three armor layers the arrow passes through here. "Taslet" (a plate or band guarding the lower belly) is the traditional English term for this piece, kept distinct from the outer ζωστήρ "belt" and θώρηξ "corselet."

**138** ἥ οἱ πλεῖστον ἔρυτο· διὰ πρὸ δὲ εἴσατο καὶ τῆς.  
which shielded him most; through this too it passed on.

**139** ἀκρότατον δʼ ἄρʼ ὀϊστὸς ἐπέγραψε χρόα φωτός·  
And the arrow grazed the outermost skin of the man;

**140** αὐτίκα δʼ ἔρρεεν αἷμα κελαινεφὲς ἐξ ὠτειλῆς.  
and at once the dark blood flowed from the wound.
> Dark blood: κελαινεφής, literally "dark-clouded," is more often an epithet of Zeus ("lord of the dark clouds"); applied here to blood it carries the same ominous, storm-dark coloring — the same root Homer reaches for when marking something heavy with dread.

**141** ὡς δʼ ὅτε τίς τʼ ἐλέφαντα γυνὴ φοίνικι μιήνῃ  
As when some woman stains ivory with purple,

**142** Μῃονὶς ἠὲ Κάειρα παρήϊον ἔμμεναι ἵππων·  
a Maeonian or a Carian woman, to be a cheek-piece for horses;

**143** κεῖται δʼ ἐν θαλάμῳ, πολέες τέ μιν ἠρήσαντο  
it lies stored in her chamber, and many horsemen have longed

**144** ἱππῆες φορέειν· βασιλῆϊ δὲ κεῖται ἄγαλμα,  
to wear it; but it lies there, a treasure kept for a king,

**145** ἀμφότερον κόσμός θʼ ἵππῳ ἐλατῆρί τε κῦδος·  
at once an ornament for the horse and glory for its driver —

**146** τοῖοί τοι Μενέλαε μιάνθην αἵματι μηροὶ  
just so, Menelaus, your shapely thighs were stained with blood,

**147** εὐφυέες κνῆμαί τε ἰδὲ σφυρὰ κάλʼ ὑπένερθε.  
and your legs, and your fair ankles beneath.

**148** ῥίγησεν δʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειτα ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων  
Then Agamemnon, lord of men, shuddered,

**149** ὡς εἶδεν μέλαν αἷμα καταρρέον ἐξ ὠτειλῆς·  
when he saw the black blood flowing down from the wound;

**150** ῥίγησεν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀρηΐφιλος Μενέλαος.  
and Menelaus himself, dear to Ares, shuddered too.
> A shudder shared by both brothers: The same verb, ῥίγησεν, "he shuddered," opens both this line and line 148, applied first to Agamemnon and then to Menelaus himself. Homer often doubles a formula this way to show two men gripped by the same fear at once, rather than describing the second man's reaction independently.

**151** ὡς δὲ ἴδεν νεῦρόν τε καὶ ὄγκους ἐκτὸς ἐόντας  
But when he saw the binding-cord and the barbs still outside the wound,

**152** ἄψορρόν οἱ θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἀγέρθη.  
his spirit gathered itself back within his breast.
> Aorist passive: ἀγέρθη, "was gathered," is aorist passive: Menelaus's courage is pictured as something scattered by fright that is then physically collected back together inside him, a concrete Homeric image for regaining one's nerve.

**153** τοῖς δὲ βαρὺ στενάχων μετέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων  
Then, groaning heavily, the lord Agamemnon spoke among them,

**154** χειρὸς ἔχων Μενέλαον, ἐπεστενάχοντο δʼ ἑταῖροι·  
holding Menelaus by the hand; and his companions groaned along with him:

**155** φίλε κασίγνητε θάνατόν νύ τοι ὅρκιʼ ἔταμνον  
"Dear brother, it was death, it seems, that I was cutting oaths for you,
> "Cutting oaths": Greek idiom pictures the swearing of an oath as "cutting" it, ὅρκια τέμνειν, because the ceremony involved cutting the throats of sacrificial victims as the oath was sworn. Agamemnon's grim pun is that the oath he cut for the duel has, in effect, cut down his own brother.

**156** οἶον προστήσας πρὸ Ἀχαιῶν Τρωσὶ μάχεσθαι,  
setting you forth alone before the Achaeans to fight the Trojans,

**157** ὥς σʼ ἔβαλον Τρῶες, κατὰ δʼ ὅρκια πιστὰ πάτησαν.  
since the Trojans struck you down and trampled the trusted oaths underfoot.
> The trusted oaths: ὅρκια πιστά, literally "oaths of trust/faith," is the recurring formula for the sworn truce broken in Book 3 — rendered here as "the trusted oaths," held to this exact wording for every later recurrence of the phrase in the poem.

**158** οὐ μέν πως ἅλιον πέλει ὅρκιον αἷμά τε ἀρνῶν  
Yet the oath is not thereby in vain, nor the blood of lambs,

**159** σπονδαί τʼ ἄκρητοι καὶ δεξιαὶ ᾗς ἐπέπιθμεν.  
nor the unmixed libations, nor the right hands we joined in trust.

**160** εἴ περ γάρ τε καὶ αὐτίκʼ Ὀλύμπιος οὐκ ἐτέλεσσεν,  
For even if the Olympian did not bring it to pass at once,

**161** ἔκ τε καὶ ὀψὲ τελεῖ, σύν τε μεγάλῳ ἀπέτισαν  
he will fulfill it late, and men shall pay a heavy price,

**162** σὺν σφῇσιν κεφαλῇσι γυναιξί τε καὶ τεκέεσσιν.  
with their own heads, and their wives, and their children.

**163** εὖ γὰρ ἐγὼ τόδε οἶδα κατὰ φρένα καὶ κατὰ θυμόν·  
For this I know well, in my mind and in my heart:

**164** ἔσσεται ἦμαρ ὅτʼ ἄν ποτʼ ὀλώλῃ Ἴλιος ἱρὴ  
there will come a day when sacred Ilion shall perish,

**165** καὶ Πρίαμος καὶ λαὸς ἐϋμμελίω Πριάμοιο,  
and Priam, and the people of Priam of the strong ash spear,

**166** Ζεὺς δέ σφι Κρονίδης ὑψίζυγος αἰθέρι ναίων  
when Zeus, son of Cronos, throned on high, dwelling in the heavens,

**167** αὐτὸς ἐπισσείῃσιν ἐρεμνὴν αἰγίδα πᾶσι  
shall himself shake his dark aegis over them all,

**168** τῆσδʼ ἀπάτης κοτέων· τὰ μὲν ἔσσεται οὐκ ἀτέλεστα·  
in wrath at this deceit; these things shall not go unfulfilled.

**169** ἀλλά μοι αἰνὸν ἄχος σέθεν ἔσσεται ὦ Μενέλαε  
But for you, Menelaus, terrible grief will be mine,

**170** αἴ κε θάνῃς καὶ πότμον ἀναπλήσῃς βιότοιο.  
if you should die and fill up the measure of your life's doom.
> Conditional subjunctive with κε: αἴ κε with the aorist subjunctive θάνῃς marks a feared future possibility, "if you should die" — more vivid and less certain than a simple future indicative, fitting Agamemnon's dread of an outcome not yet decided.

**171** καί κεν ἐλέγχιστος πολυδίψιον Ἄργος ἱκοίμην·  
and I would come, most shamed of men, to thirsty Argos;
> "Thirsty Argos": πολυδίψιον, "much-thirsting," is a standing epithet for Argos, evoking the region's dry summer plain — distinct from the city of Argos named elsewhere without this epithet, and held to this exact wording if it recurs.

**172** αὐτίκα γὰρ μνήσονται Ἀχαιοὶ πατρίδος αἴης·  
for at once the Achaeans will remember their fatherland,

**173** κὰδ δέ κεν εὐχωλὴν Πριάμῳ καὶ Τρωσὶ λίποιμεν  
and we would leave behind for Priam and the Trojans a boast to glory in—

**174** Ἀργείην Ἑλένην· σέο δʼ ὀστέα πύσει ἄρουρα  
Argive Helen; and your bones will rot in the plowland,

**175** κειμένου ἐν Τροίῃ ἀτελευτήτῳ ἐπὶ ἔργῳ.  
lying in Troy, the task left unaccomplished.

**176** καί κέ τις ὧδʼ ἐρέει Τρώων ὑπερηνορεόντων  
And thus will some overbearing Trojan say,

**177** τύμβῳ ἐπιθρῴσκων Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο·  
leaping upon the tomb of glorious Menelaus:

**178** αἴθʼ οὕτως ἐπὶ πᾶσι χόλον τελέσειʼ Ἀγαμέμνων,  
"Would that Agamemnon might bring his wrath to fulfillment upon everyone

**179** ὡς καὶ νῦν ἅλιον στρατὸν ἤγαγεν ἐνθάδʼ Ἀχαιῶν,  
just as now he led the army of the Achaeans here in vain,

**180** καὶ δὴ ἔβη οἶκον δὲ φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν  
and has gone back home to his own dear fatherland

**181** σὺν κεινῇσιν νηυσὶ λιπὼν ἀγαθὸν Μενέλαον.  
with empty ships, leaving good Menelaus behind."

**182** ὥς ποτέ τις ἐρέει· τότε μοι χάνοι εὐρεῖα χθών.  
So will someone say one day; then let the wide earth gape open for me."

**183** τὸν δʼ ἐπιθαρσύνων προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·  
Then, giving him courage, fair-haired Menelaus spoke to him:

**184** θάρσει, μηδέ τί πω δειδίσσεο λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν·  
"Take heart, and do not yet frighten the army of the Achaeans;

**185** οὐκ ἐν καιρίῳ ὀξὺ πάγη βέλος, ἀλλὰ πάροιθεν  
the sharp shaft did not lodge in a deadly place, but before it could,

**186** εἰρύσατο ζωστήρ τε παναίολος ἠδʼ ὑπένερθε  
the gleaming belt held it back, and beneath that

**187** ζῶμά τε καὶ μίτρη, τὴν χαλκῆες κάμον ἄνδρες.  
the kilt, and the taslet that the bronze-smiths wrought."
> The kilt beneath the belt: ζῶμα names a third layer of Menelaus's war-gear, a metal-reinforced kilt worn beneath the outer belt (ζωστήρ, "belt") and above the taslet (μίτρη, "taslet") already locked in this book. Rendered "kilt," it is held distinct from both, so the anatomical sequence stays exact wherever Homer names it again.

**188** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων·  
Then the lord Agamemnon answered him and said:

**189** αἲ γὰρ δὴ οὕτως εἴη φίλος ὦ Μενέλαε·  
"If only it were so indeed, dear Menelaus;
> Optative of wish: εἴη is present optative, the mood Greek uses for an unfulfilled wish, "might it be so." Agamemnon does not simply agree with his brother; he voices a hope he is not yet sure of.

**190** ἕλκος δʼ ἰητὴρ ἐπιμάσσεται ἠδʼ ἐπιθήσει  
but the healer will handle your wound and lay upon it

**191** φάρμαχʼ ἅ κεν παύσῃσι μελαινάων ὀδυνάων.  
drugs that will put an end to the black pains."

**192** ἦ καὶ Ταλθύβιον θεῖον κήρυκα προσηύδα·  
He spoke, and called out to Talthybius, the godlike herald:

**193** Ταλθύβιʼ ὅττι τάχιστα Μαχάονα δεῦρο κάλεσσον  
"Talthybius, call Machaon here as quickly as you can,

**194** φῶτʼ Ἀσκληπιοῦ υἱὸν ἀμύμονος ἰητῆρος,  
the son of Asclepius, the blameless healer,

**195** ὄφρα ἴδῃ Μενέλαον ἀρήϊον Ἀτρέος υἱόν,  
that he may see warlike Menelaus, son of Atreus,

**196** ὅν τις ὀϊστεύσας ἔβαλεν τόξων ἐῢ εἰδὼς  
whom some man skilled in archery struck with an arrow,

**197** Τρώων ἢ Λυκίων, τῷ μὲν κλέος, ἄμμι δὲ πένθος.  
a Trojan or a Lycian—glory for him, but grief for us."

**198** ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἄρα οἱ κῆρυξ ἀπίθησεν ἀκούσας,  
So he spoke, and the herald did not disobey him when he heard,

**199** βῆ δʼ ἰέναι κατὰ λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων  
but went his way through the ranks of the bronze-clad Achaeans,

**200** παπταίνων ἥρωα Μαχάονα· τὸν δὲ νόησεν  
searching for the hero Machaon; and he caught sight of him

**201** ἑσταότʼ· ἀμφὶ δέ μιν κρατεραὶ στίχες ἀσπιστάων  
standing there; and around him the strong ranks of shield-bearing

**202** λαῶν, οἵ οἱ ἕποντο Τρίκης ἐξ ἱπποβότοιο.  
men who had followed him from horse-pasturing Tricca.

**203** ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱστάμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
Standing close beside him, he addressed him with winged words:

**204** ὄρσʼ Ἀσκληπιάδη, καλέει κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων,  
"Rise up, son of Asclepius; the lord Agamemnon is calling you,

**205** ὄφρα ἴδῃς Μενέλαον ἀρήϊον ἀρχὸν Ἀχαιῶν,  
that you may see warlike Menelaus, leader of the Achaeans,

**206** ὅν τις ὀϊστεύσας ἔβαλεν τόξων ἐῢ εἰδὼς  
whom some man skilled in archery struck with an arrow,

**207** Τρώων ἢ Λυκίων, τῷ μὲν κλέος, ἄμμι δὲ πένθος.  
a Trojan or a Lycian—glory for him, but grief for us."

**208** ὣς φάτο, τῷ δʼ ἄρα θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ὄρινε·  
So he spoke, and stirred the spirit within his breast;

**209** βὰν δʼ ἰέναι καθʼ ὅμιλον ἀνὰ στρατὸν εὐρὺν Ἀχαιῶν.  
and the two went their way through the throng, along the wide army of the Achaeans.

**210** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή ῥʼ ἵκανον ὅθι ξανθὸς Μενέλαος  
But when they came to where fair-haired Menelaus

**211** βλήμενος ἦν, περὶ δʼ αὐτὸν ἀγηγέραθʼ ὅσσοι ἄριστοι  
lay wounded, and all the best men had gathered around him

**212** κυκλόσʼ, ὃ δʼ ἐν μέσσοισι παρίστατο ἰσόθεος φώς,  
in a circle, the godlike man took his place among them,

**213** αὐτίκα δʼ ἐκ ζωστῆρος ἀρηρότος ἕλκεν ὀϊστόν·  
and at once drew the arrow out from the close-fitted belt;

**214** τοῦ δʼ ἐξελκομένοιο πάλιν ἄγεν ὀξέες ὄγκοι.  
and as it was being drawn out, the sharp barbs bent back.
> Genitive absolute: τοῦ ... ἐξελκομένοιο is a genitive absolute, a participial clause set grammatically apart from the main sentence's subject: "as it [the arrow] was being drawn out." The construction lets Homer note a simultaneous circumstance — the barbs catching as the shaft is pulled — without breaking the main action.

**215** λῦσε δέ οἱ ζωστῆρα παναίολον ἠδʼ ὑπένερθε  
He loosed the gleaming belt, and beneath it

**216** ζῶμά τε καὶ μίτρην, τὴν χαλκῆες κάμον ἄνδρες.  
the kilt, and the taslet that the bronze-smiths wrought.

**217** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ ἴδεν ἕλκος ὅθʼ ἔμπεσε πικρὸς ὀϊστός,  
Then, when he saw the wound where the bitter arrow had struck,

**218** αἷμʼ ἐκμυζήσας ἐπʼ ἄρʼ ἤπια φάρμακα εἰδὼς  
he sucked out the blood, and, skilled in healing,

**219** πάσσε, τά οἵ ποτε πατρὶ φίλα φρονέων πόρε Χείρων.  
spread upon it soothing drugs, which Chiron, kindly disposed, had once given to his father.

**220** ὄφρα τοὶ ἀμφεπένοντο βοὴν ἀγαθὸν Μενέλαον,  
While they were tending Menelaus, good at the war-cry,

**221** τόφρα δʼ ἐπὶ Τρώων στίχες ἤλυθον ἀσπιστάων·  
the ranks of shield-bearing Trojans came on;

**222** οἳ δʼ αὖτις κατὰ τεύχεʼ ἔδυν, μνήσαντο δὲ χάρμης.  
and the Achaeans in turn put on their armor once more, and turned their minds again to the joy of battle.

**223** ἔνθʼ οὐκ ἂν βρίζοντα ἴδοις Ἀγαμέμνονα δῖον  
There you would not see godlike Agamemnon slumbering,
> Potential optative, addressing the listener: ἴδοις is optative with ἄν, the Greek potential construction, "you would not see" — Homer briefly steps outside the narrative to address the listener directly, a rare but genuine second-person aside rather than a slip into the audience's own world.

**224** οὐδὲ καταπτώσσοντʼ οὐδʼ οὐκ ἐθέλοντα μάχεσθαι,  
nor cowering back, nor unwilling to fight,

**225** ἀλλὰ μάλα σπεύδοντα μάχην ἐς κυδιάνειραν.  
but eager, rather, for the battle that brings men glory.
> The battle that brings men glory: κυδιάνειρα, "man-glorifying," is a standing epithet for battle itself, built from κῦδος "glory" and ἀνήρ "man" — war framed not as horror but as the field where a man's worth is proven and made known.

**226** ἵππους μὲν γὰρ ἔασε καὶ ἅρματα ποικίλα χαλκῷ·  
For he left his horses, and his chariot inlaid with bronze,

**227** καὶ τοὺς μὲν θεράπων ἀπάνευθʼ ἔχε φυσιόωντας  
and his attendant held them apart, snorting,

**228** Εὐρυμέδων υἱὸς Πτολεμαίου Πειραΐδαο·  
Eurymedon, son of Ptolemaeus, son of Peiraeus;

**229** τῷ μάλα πόλλʼ ἐπέτελλε παρισχέμεν ὁππότε κέν μιν  
to him he gave strict charge to have them ready, whenever

**230** γυῖα λάβῃ κάματος πολέας διὰ κοιρανέοντα·  
weariness should seize his limbs as he ranged among the many, commanding them;

**231** αὐτὰρ ὃ πεζὸς ἐὼν ἐπεπωλεῖτο στίχας ἀνδρῶν·  
but he himself, on foot, ranged along the ranks of men;
> The Review of the Troops: ἐπεπωλεῖτο, "was going about, ranging over," is the verb that gives this whole scene its name in later scholarship, the epipolesis — Agamemnon's on-foot review of the army, praising the eager and shaming the slack, which runs from here through his visit to Nestor.

**232** καί ῥʼ οὓς μὲν σπεύδοντας ἴδοι Δαναῶν ταχυπώλων,  
and whomever he saw eager among the swift-horsed Danaans,

**233** τοὺς μάλα θαρσύνεσκε παριστάμενος ἐπέεσσιν·  
these he encouraged strongly, standing beside them with words:
> Iterative imperfect: The -σκε suffix on θαρσύνεσκε marks a distinct iterative form of the imperfect, "he would encourage, again and again" — the repeated action of stopping beside one eager man after another as he walks the whole line.

**234** Ἀργεῖοι μή πώ τι μεθίετε θούριδος ἀλκῆς·  
"Argives, in no way slacken yet your furious valor;
> Furious valor: θοῦρις, "rushing, impetuous," paired with ἀλκή, "valor, fighting strength," is a recurring Homeric formula for battle-fury; held to "furious valor" wherever it recurs.

**235** οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ ψευδέσσι πατὴρ Ζεὺς ἔσσετʼ ἀρωγός,  
for father Zeus will not be a helper to liars,

**236** ἀλλʼ οἵ περ πρότεροι ὑπὲρ ὅρκια δηλήσαντο  
but those who were the first to violate the oaths

**237** τῶν ἤτοι αὐτῶν τέρενα χρόα γῦπες ἔδονται,  
— their own tender flesh the vultures will devour,

**238** ἡμεῖς αὖτʼ ἀλόχους τε φίλας καὶ νήπια τέκνα  
while we, in turn, their dear wives and infant children

**239** ἄξομεν ἐν νήεσσιν, ἐπὴν πτολίεθρον ἕλωμεν.  
shall carry off in our ships, once we have taken their city."

**240** οὕς τινας αὖ μεθιέντας ἴδοι στυγεροῦ πολέμοιο,  
But whomever he saw shrinking from hateful war,

**241** τοὺς μάλα νεικείεσκε χολωτοῖσιν ἐπέεσσιν·  
these he railed at bitterly with angry words:

**242** Ἀργεῖοι ἰόμωροι ἐλεγχέες οὔ νυ σέβεσθε;  
"Argives, you arrow-boasters, disgraces — have you no shame?
> "Arrow-boasters" — a disputed term: ἰόμωρος is a rare word of contested etymology, traditionally connected to ἰός "arrow" and taken as a jeer at men who only fight at a distance and boast of it, though the second element is genuinely uncertain; we follow the traditional reading rather than silently picking a firmer sense than the Greek actually supports.

**243** τίφθʼ οὕτως ἔστητε τεθηπότες ἠΰτε νεβροί,  
Why do you stand thus, stunned, like fawns

**244** αἵ τʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔκαμον πολέος πεδίοιο θέουσαι  
who, once they have grown tired running over the wide plain,

**245** ἑστᾶσʼ, οὐδʼ ἄρα τίς σφι μετὰ φρεσὶ γίγνεται ἀλκή·  
stand still, and no strength of courage rises in their hearts?

**246** ὣς ὑμεῖς ἔστητε τεθηπότες οὐδὲ μάχεσθε.  
So you stand stunned, and do not fight.

**247** ἦ μένετε Τρῶας σχεδὸν ἐλθέμεν ἔνθά τε νῆες  
Are you waiting for the Trojans to come close, to where the ships

**248** εἰρύατʼ εὔπρυμνοι πολιῆς ἐπὶ θινὶ θαλάσσης,  
with their fair sterns are drawn up on the shore of the gray sea,

**249** ὄφρα ἴδητʼ αἴ κʼ ὔμμιν ὑπέρσχῃ χεῖρα Κρονίων;  
so that you may see whether the son of Cronos will hold his hand over you?"

**250** ὣς ὅ γε κοιρανέων ἐπεπωλεῖτο στίχας ἀνδρῶν·  
So, commanding, he ranged along the ranks of men;

**251** ἦλθε δʼ ἐπὶ Κρήτεσσι κιὼν ἀνὰ οὐλαμὸν ἀνδρῶν.  
and he came to the Cretans, passing along the throng of men.

**252** οἳ δʼ ἀμφʼ Ἰδομενῆα δαΐφρονα θωρήσσοντο·  
They around warlike Idomeneus were arming themselves;
> "Warlike-minded" — a generic epithet: δαΐφρων, literally "battle-minded," is a generic honorific applied to more than one hero across the poem, not a byname reserved for Idomeneus alone — like μάντις ἀμύμων "blameless seer," it praises a quality rather than naming a unique standing.

**253** Ἰδομενεὺς μὲν ἐνὶ προμάχοις συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκήν,  
Idomeneus among the front-fighters, like a boar in his courage,
> Accusative of respect: ἀλκήν, "in respect of valor," is an accusative of respect specifying exactly in what way Idomeneus resembles a boar — Greek narrows a comparison this way instead of piling on a modifying clause.

**254** Μηριόνης δʼ ἄρα οἱ πυμάτας ὄτρυνε φάλαγγας.  
and Meriones was rousing the rearmost ranks for him.

**255** τοὺς δὲ ἰδὼν γήθησεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων,  
Seeing them, Agamemnon, lord of men, rejoiced,
> A recurring rejoicing-formula: "Seeing [him/them], [X] rejoiced" recurs three times in this scene (here, and again at lines 283 and 311), each time with Agamemnon's epithet changing to fit the moment; the participle-plus-verb pattern itself is held to the same shape each time, only the following epithet varies.

**256** αὐτίκα δʼ Ἰδομενῆα προσηύδα μειλιχίοισιν·  
and at once he spoke to Idomeneus with gentle words:

**257** Ἰδομενεῦ περὶ μέν σε τίω Δαναῶν ταχυπώλων  
"Idomeneus, I honor you above the swift-horsed Danaans,
> Swift-horsed Danaans: ταχύπωλος, "swift-horsed," is a new standing epithet for the Danaans in these drafts, recurring verbatim at line 232 within this same chunk; held to "swift-horsed Danaans" wherever it recurs.

**258** ἠμὲν ἐνὶ πτολέμῳ ἠδʼ ἀλλοίῳ ἐπὶ ἔργῳ  
both in war and in every other task,

**259** ἠδʼ ἐν δαίθʼ, ὅτε πέρ τε γερούσιον αἴθοπα οἶνον  
and at the feast, when the sparkling wine set aside for the elders

**260** Ἀργείων οἳ ἄριστοι ἐνὶ κρητῆρι κέρωνται.  
the best of the Argives mix in the bowl.

**261** εἴ περ γάρ τʼ ἄλλοι γε κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοὶ  
For even if the other long-haired Achaeans

**262** δαιτρὸν πίνωσιν, σὸν δὲ πλεῖον δέπας αἰεὶ  
drink their measured share, your cup always stands

**263** ἕστηχʼ, ὥς περ ἐμοί, πιέειν ὅτε θυμὸς ἀνώγοι.  
full, as mine does, to drink whenever your heart bids you.

**264** ἀλλʼ ὄρσευ πόλεμον δʼ οἷος πάρος εὔχεαι εἶναι.  
But rouse yourself to war, and be such a man as you have always claimed to be."

**265** τὸν δʼ αὖτʼ Ἰδομενεὺς Κρητῶν ἀγὸς ἀντίον ηὔδα·  
Then Idomeneus, leader of the Cretans, answered him in turn:

**266** Ἀτρεΐδη μάλα μέν τοι ἐγὼν ἐρίηρος ἑταῖρος  
"Son of Atreus, I will indeed be a steadfast comrade to you,

**267** ἔσσομαι, ὡς τὸ πρῶτον ὑπέστην καὶ κατένευσα·  
just as I promised and pledged from the first;

**268** ἀλλʼ ἄλλους ὄτρυνε κάρη κομόωντας Ἀχαιοὺς  
but rouse the other long-haired Achaeans,

**269** ὄφρα τάχιστα μαχώμεθʼ, ἐπεὶ σύν γʼ ὅρκιʼ ἔχευαν  
that we may fight with all speed, since the Trojans have confounded the oaths.

**270** Τρῶες· τοῖσιν δʼ αὖ θάνατος καὶ κήδεʼ ὀπίσσω  
But for them, in turn, death and sorrows hereafter

**271** ἔσσετʼ ἐπεὶ πρότεροι ὑπὲρ ὅρκια δηλήσαντο.  
will be, since they were the first to violate the oaths."

**272** ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀτρεΐδης δὲ παρῴχετο γηθόσυνος κῆρ·  
So he spoke, and the son of Atreus passed on, glad at heart;

**273** ἦλθε δʼ ἐπʼ Αἰάντεσσι κιὼν ἀνὰ οὐλαμὸν ἀνδρῶν·  
and he came to the two Ajaxes, passing along the throng of men;

**274** τὼ δὲ κορυσσέσθην, ἅμα δὲ νέφος εἵπετο πεζῶν.  
and they were arming themselves, and with them a cloud of foot soldiers followed.

**275** ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἀπὸ σκοπιῆς εἶδεν νέφος αἰπόλος ἀνὴρ  
As when, from a watching-place, a goatherd sees a cloud

**276** ἐρχόμενον κατὰ πόντον ὑπὸ Ζεφύροιο ἰωῆς·  
coming on over the sea, driven by the rushing of the West Wind —

**277** τῷ δέ τʼ ἄνευθεν ἐόντι μελάντερον ἠΰτε πίσσα  
and to him, standing apart, it seems blacker than pitch

**278** φαίνετʼ ἰὸν κατὰ πόντον, ἄγει δέ τε λαίλαπα πολλήν,  
as it moves over the sea, and it drives before it a great storm-blast,

**279** ῥίγησέν τε ἰδών, ὑπό τε σπέος ἤλασε μῆλα·  
and he shudders at the sight, and drives his flock beneath a cave —

**280** τοῖαι ἅμʼ Αἰάντεσσι διοτρεφέων αἰζηῶν  
just so, with the two Ajaxes, the dense battalions of vigorous young men,

**281** δήϊον ἐς πόλεμον πυκιναὶ κίνυντο φάλαγγες  
nurtured of Zeus, moved on into consuming war,

**282** κυάνεαι, σάκεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσι πεφρικυῖαι.  
dark, bristling with shields and spears.

**283** καὶ τοὺς μὲν γήθησεν ἰδὼν κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων,  
And seeing them, the lord Agamemnon rejoiced,

**284** καί σφεας φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and speaking, he addressed them with winged words:

**285** Αἴαντʼ Ἀργείων ἡγήτορε χαλκοχιτώνων,  
"You two Ajaxes, leaders of the bronze-clad Argives —

**286** σφῶϊ μέν· οὐ γὰρ ἔοικʼ ὀτρυνέμεν· οὔ τι κελεύω·  
to you two I give no charge, for it is not fitting to urge you on; I command you nothing.

**287** αὐτὼ γὰρ μάλα λαὸν ἀνώγετον ἶφι μάχεσθαι.  
For you two yourselves command your men to fight with all their might.

**288** αἲ γὰρ Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον  
Would that, father Zeus, and Athena, and Apollo,

**289** τοῖος πᾶσιν θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι γένοιτο·  
such a spirit might be in every man's breast;

**290** τώ κε τάχʼ ἠμύσειε πόλις Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος  
then the city of lord Priam would soon bow down,

**291** χερσὶν ὑφʼ ἡμετέρῃσιν ἁλοῦσά τε περθομένη τε.  
taken and sacked beneath our hands."

**292** ὣς εἰπὼν τοὺς μὲν λίπεν αὐτοῦ, βῆ δὲ μετʼ ἄλλους·  
So speaking, he left them there, and went on to the others;

**293** ἔνθʼ ὅ γε Νέστορʼ ἔτετμε λιγὺν Πυλίων ἀγορητὴν  
there he came upon Nestor, the clear-voiced orator of the Pylians,
> The clear-voiced orator of the Pylians: λιγύς, "clear-toned, ringing," paired with ἀγορητής, "public speaker," is a new standing epithet for Nestor honoring the very quality that will drive the rest of this scene — his gift for words has outlasted his gift for the spear.

**294** οὓς ἑτάρους στέλλοντα καὶ ὀτρύνοντα μάχεσθαι  
marshaling his companions, and rousing them to fight,

**295** ἀμφὶ μέγαν Πελάγοντα Ἀλάστορά τε Χρομίον τε  
around great Pelagon and Alastor and Chromius

**296** Αἵμονά τε κρείοντα Βίαντά τε ποιμένα λαῶν·  
and lordly Haemon and Bias, shepherd of the people;

**297** ἱππῆας μὲν πρῶτα σὺν ἵπποισιν καὶ ὄχεσφι,  
first the horsemen, with their horses and their chariots,

**298** πεζοὺς δʼ ἐξόπιθε στῆσεν πολέας τε καὶ ἐσθλοὺς  
and behind them he stationed the footmen, many and brave,

**299** ἕρκος ἔμεν πολέμοιο· κακοὺς δʼ ἐς μέσσον ἔλασσεν,  
to be a bulwark of the battle; and the cowardly he drove into the middle,

**300** ὄφρα καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλων τις ἀναγκαίῃ πολεμίζοι.  
so that even an unwilling man should be forced to fight.

**301** ἱππεῦσιν μὲν πρῶτʼ ἐπετέλλετο· τοὺς γὰρ ἀνώγει  
To the horsemen first he gave his charge; for he commanded them

**302** σφοὺς ἵππους ἐχέμεν μηδὲ κλονέεσθαι ὁμίλῳ·  
to hold their own horses in check, and not to be thrown into confusion by the crowd:

**303** μηδέ τις ἱπποσύνῃ τε καὶ ἠνορέηφι πεποιθὼς  
"Let no man, trusting in his horsemanship and his manhood,

**304** οἶος πρόσθʼ ἄλλων μεμάτω Τρώεσσι μάχεσθαι,  
be eager to fight the Trojans alone, out ahead of the rest,

**305** μηδʼ ἀναχωρείτω· ἀλαπαδνότεροι γὰρ ἔσεσθε.  
nor let him fall back; for so you will all be weaker.

**306** ὃς δέ κʼ ἀνὴρ ἀπὸ ὧν ὀχέων ἕτερʼ ἅρμαθʼ ἵκηται  
Whatever man comes, from his own chariot, against another,

**307** ἔγχει ὀρεξάσθω, ἐπεὶ ἦ πολὺ φέρτερον οὕτω.  
let him reach out with his spear, since this is far the better way.

**308** ὧδε καὶ οἱ πρότεροι πόλεας καὶ τείχεʼ ἐπόρθεον  
So too the men of old sacked cities and walls,

**309** τόνδε νόον καὶ θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἔχοντες.  
holding this same mind and spirit in their breasts."

**310** ὣς ὃ γέρων ὄτρυνε πάλαι πολέμων ἐῢ εἰδώς·  
So the old man urged them on, long skilled in war;

**311** καὶ τὸν μὲν γήθησεν ἰδὼν κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων,  
and seeing him, the lord Agamemnon rejoiced,

**312** καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and speaking to him, he addressed him with winged words:

**313** ὦ γέρον εἴθʼ ὡς θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλοισιν  
"Old man, would that, as the spirit in your own dear breast,
> Optative of wish: εἴθε with the optative ἕποιτο is the standard Greek construction for an unattainable wish, "would that your knees might still follow" — Agamemnon is not asking for anything possible, and the optative marks that from the very grammar.

**314** ὥς τοι γούναθʼ ἕποιτο, βίη δέ τοι ἔμπεδος εἴη·  
so your knees might follow, and your strength stand firm;

**315** ἀλλά σε γῆρας τείρει ὁμοίϊον· ὡς ὄφελέν τις  
but old age, that wears down all alike, weighs on you. Would that some other

**316** ἀνδρῶν ἄλλος ἔχειν, σὺ δὲ κουροτέροισι μετεῖναι.  
man had it instead, and you were counted among the younger."

**317** τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ·  
Then Nestor, the Gerenian horseman, answered him:

**318** Ἀτρεΐδη μάλα μέν τοι ἐγὼν ἐθέλοιμι καὶ αὐτὸς  
"Son of Atreus, indeed I myself would wish

**319** ὣς ἔμεν ὡς ὅτε δῖον Ἐρευθαλίωνα κατέκταν.  
to be as I was when I slew godlike Ereuthalion.

**320** ἀλλʼ οὔ πως ἅμα πάντα θεοὶ δόσαν ἀνθρώποισιν·  
But the gods do not give all things at once to men;

**321** εἰ τότε κοῦρος ἔα νῦν αὖτέ με γῆρας ὀπάζει.  
if I was young then, old age attends me now.

**322** ἀλλὰ καὶ ὧς ἱππεῦσι μετέσσομαι ἠδὲ κελεύσω  
But even so I will be among the horsemen, and I will command them

**323** βουλῇ καὶ μύθοισι· τὸ γὰρ γέρας ἐστὶ γερόντων.  
with counsel and with words; for that is the privilege of old men.

**324** αἰχμὰς δʼ αἰχμάσσουσι νεώτεροι, οἵ περ ἐμεῖο  
The spear-work belongs to the younger men, who indeed are
> Cognate accusative: αἰχμὰς αἰχμάσσουσι, literally "they spear spears," pairs a verb with a noun of the same root — a cognate accusative that Greek uses for emphasis, here throwing the younger men's one remaining task, spear-work itself, into sharp relief against Nestor's own resignation to counsel alone.

**325** ὁπλότεροι γεγάασι πεποίθασίν τε βίηφιν.  
born after me, and trust in their own strength."

**326** ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀτρεΐδης δὲ παρῴχετο γηθόσυνος κῆρ.  
So he spoke, and the son of Atreus passed on, glad at heart.

**327** εὗρʼ υἱὸν Πετεῶο Μενεσθῆα πλήξιππον  
He found Menestheus, son of Peteos, driver of horses,
> "Driver of horses" — reused epithet: πλήξιππος, literally "horse-striker" or "driver of horses," is the same standing epithet already locked for Pelops in Book 2's scepter genealogy; Homer applies it here to Menestheus as a mark of martial competence with horses, not a unique title.

**328** ἑσταότʼ· ἀμφὶ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι μήστωρες ἀϋτῆς·  
standing still; and about him the Athenians, masters of the war-cry;
> "Masters of the war-cry" — new epithet: A new standing collective epithet for the Athenian contingent, "contrivers" or "masters of the war-cry," distinct from the individual formula βοὴν ἀγαθὸς "good at the war-cry" already locked for Diomedes and Menelaus.

**329** αὐτὰρ ὃ πλησίον ἑστήκει πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς,  
but nearby stood Odysseus of many wiles,

**330** πὰρ δὲ Κεφαλλήνων ἀμφὶ στίχες οὐκ ἀλαπαδναὶ  
and beside him the ranks of the Cephallenians, no weak ranks,

**331** ἕστασαν· οὐ γάρ πώ σφιν ἀκούετο λαὸς ἀϋτῆς,  
stood; for their host had not yet heard the battle-cry,
> Imperfect passive: ἀκούετο is imperfect passive, "was [not yet] being heard": the battle-shout has not yet reached this quiet corner of the line, the ongoing tense marking a lull before the fighting spreads.

**332** ἀλλὰ νέον συνορινόμεναι κίνυντο φάλαγγες  
but the battalions were only now stirring and beginning to move,

**333** Τρώων ἱπποδάμων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν· οἳ δὲ μένοντες  
the horse-taming Trojans and the Achaeans; and these men, waiting,

**334** ἕστασαν ὁππότε πύργος Ἀχαιῶν ἄλλος ἐπελθὼν  
stood still until some other tower of the Achaeans, advancing,

**335** Τρώων ὁρμήσειε καὶ ἄρξειαν πολέμοιο.  
should charge against the Trojans and the fighting should begin.

**336** τοὺς δὲ ἰδὼν νείκεσσεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων,  
Seeing them, Agamemnon, lord of men, rebuked them,

**337** καί σφεας φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and speaking, he addressed them with winged words:

**338** ὦ υἱὲ Πετεῶο διοτρεφέος βασιλῆος,  
"Son of Peteos, that Zeus-nurtured king,
> "Zeus-nurtured" — reused epithet: διοτρεφής, "Zeus-nurtured," already locked in Book 2 as a standing epithet for kings; here it describes Peteos, Menestheus's father, tying his authority back to Zeus even as Agamemnon is about to rebuke his son.

**339** καὶ σὺ κακοῖσι δόλοισι κεκασμένε κερδαλεόφρον  
and you, well skilled in evil tricks, greedy-minded man,

**340** τίπτε καταπτώσσοντες ἀφέστατε, μίμνετε δʼ ἄλλους;  
why do you cower and hold back, waiting for others?

**341** σφῶϊν μέν τʼ ἐπέοικε μετὰ πρώτοισιν ἐόντας  
It befits the two of you, being among the foremost,

**342** ἑστάμεν ἠδὲ μάχης καυστείρης ἀντιβολῆσαι·  
to stand your ground and meet the burning heat of battle;

**343** πρώτω γὰρ καὶ δαιτὸς ἀκουάζεσθον ἐμεῖο,  
for you two are the first to hear the call to my feast,

**344** ὁππότε δαῖτα γέρουσιν ἐφοπλίζωμεν Ἀχαιοί.  
whenever we Achaeans prepare a banquet for the elders.

**345** ἔνθα φίλʼ ὀπταλέα κρέα ἔδμεναι ἠδὲ κύπελλα  
There it is dear to you to eat roasted meat, and cups

**346** οἴνου πινέμεναι μελιηδέος ὄφρʼ ἐθέλητον·  
of honey-sweet wine to drink, for as long as you wish;

**347** νῦν δὲ φίλως χʼ ὁρόῳτε καὶ εἰ δέκα πύργοι Ἀχαιῶν  
but now you would gladly look on, even if ten towers of Achaeans

**348** ὑμείων προπάροιθε μαχοίατο νηλέϊ χαλκῷ.  
fought before you with pitiless bronze.

**349** τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·  
Then, glaring at him from under his brows, Odysseus of many wiles spoke:

**350** Ἀτρεΐδη ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων;  
"Son of Atreus, what a word has escaped the barrier of your teeth!
> "The barrier of your teeth": ἕρκος ὀδόντων, "the fence of the teeth," is the same recurring Homeric phrase for the mouth already established across the poem's sibling translation, the Odyssey; the image treats words as something that must escape a barrier before being spoken.

**351** πῶς δὴ φῂς πολέμοιο μεθιέμεν ὁππότʼ Ἀχαιοὶ  
How can you say that we hold back from war, when we Achaeans

**352** Τρωσὶν ἐφʼ ἱπποδάμοισιν ἐγείρομεν ὀξὺν Ἄρηα;  
are rousing sharp Ares against the horse-taming Trojans?

**353** ὄψεαι αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσθα καὶ αἴ κέν τοι τὰ μεμήλῃ  
You will see, if you wish, and if these things concern you,
> Future middle: ὄψεαι is the future middle of ὁράω, "you will see" — a deponent-flavored future (the middle form serving an active sense) common in Homeric Greek for verbs of perception.

**354** Τηλεμάχοιο φίλον πατέρα προμάχοισι μιγέντα  
the dear father of Telemachus mingling among the foremost fighters

**355** Τρώων ἱπποδάμων· σὺ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἀνεμώλια βάζεις.  
of the horse-taming Trojans; but you speak these words as wind.

**356** τὸν δʼ ἐπιμειδήσας προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων  
Then, smiling, the lord Agamemnon answered him,

**357** ὡς γνῶ χωομένοιο· πάλιν δʼ ὅ γε λάζετο μῦθον·  
seeing that he was angered; and he took back his words:

**358** διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη πολυμήχανʼ Ὀδυσσεῦ  
"Odysseus, son of Laertes, sprung from Zeus, of many devices,
> Full vocative address-formula: Every word in this line is vocative, the case of direct address; the whole line is a fixed Homeric formula for hailing Odysseus, already drafted this way at Book 2, line 173, and held to the identical English here.

**359** οὔτέ σε νεικείω περιώσιον οὔτε κελεύω·  
I neither rebuke you beyond measure nor give you orders;

**360** οἶδα γὰρ ὥς τοι θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλοισιν  
for I know how the heart within your own dear breast

**361** ἤπια δήνεα οἶδε· τὰ γὰρ φρονέεις ἅ τʼ ἐγώ περ.  
knows gentle counsels; for you think the very things I think.

**362** ἀλλʼ ἴθι ταῦτα δʼ ὄπισθεν ἀρεσσόμεθʼ εἴ τι κακὸν νῦν  
Come, then; these things we shall set right hereafter, if some harsh word

**363** εἴρηται, τὰ δὲ πάντα θεοὶ μεταμώνια θεῖεν.  
has now been spoken; may the gods make it all come to nothing."
> "Into the wind": μεταμώνιος literally means "in the air" or "carried off by the wind," a common Homeric image for something rendered vain or without effect; Agamemnon prays that his own harsh words be blown away and come to nothing.

**364** ὣς εἰπὼν τοὺς μὲν λίπεν αὐτοῦ, βῆ δὲ μετʼ ἄλλους.  
So speaking, he left them there, and went on to the others.

**365** εὗρε δὲ Τυδέος υἱὸν ὑπέρθυμον Διομήδεα  
He found the son of Tydeus, high-hearted Diomedes,
> "High-hearted" — new epithet for Diomedes: ὑπέρθυμος, "exceedingly spirited" or "high-hearted," is a new standing epithet for Diomedes, distinct from κρατερός "mighty," also applied to him later in this same passage (lines 401, 411); each is held to its own English wording.

**366** ἑσταότʼ ἔν θʼ ἵπποισι καὶ ἅρμασι κολλητοῖσι·  
standing among his horses and well-jointed chariot;
> "Well-jointed" chariot — new epithet, distinct root: κολλητός, "glued" or "jointed" (from κολλάω, "to glue"), is a distinct Greek root from ἀρηρότος, already locked as "close-fitted" for the war-belt in this book's first two chunks; the two words describe different objects and are held to distinct English renderings so a reader does not mistake them for the same Homeric formula.

**367** πὰρ δέ οἱ ἑστήκει Σθένελος Καπανήϊος υἱός.  
and beside him stood Sthenelus, son of Capaneus.

**368** καὶ τὸν μὲν νείκεσσεν ἰδὼν κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων,  
Seeing him, the lord Agamemnon rebuked him,

**369** καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and speaking to him, he addressed him with winged words:

**370** ὤ μοι Τυδέος υἱὲ δαΐφρονος ἱπποδάμοιο  
"Ah me, son of Tydeus the wise, tamer of horses,

**371** τί πτώσσεις, τί δʼ ὀπιπεύεις πολέμοιο γεφύρας;  
why do you cower, why do you eye the causeways of battle?
> The "causeways of battle" — a disputed phrase: γέφυρα ordinarily means a dike, causeway, or bridge; its sense here ("the causeways of battle") is one of the poem's genuine ancient cruxes, variously read as the open lanes between the armies or a raised bank of the field. We follow the traditional literal rendering rather than paraphrasing away the difficulty.

**372** οὐ μὲν Τυδέϊ γʼ ὧδε φίλον πτωσκαζέμεν ἦεν,  
It was not dear to Tydeus to cower in this way,

**373** ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρὸ φίλων ἑτάρων δηΐοισι μάχεσθαι,  
but to fight the enemy far in front of his own dear companions,

**374** ὡς φάσαν οἵ μιν ἴδοντο πονεύμενον· οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε  
so say those who saw him laboring in battle; for I myself

**375** ἤντησʼ οὐδὲ ἴδον· περὶ δʼ ἄλλων φασὶ γενέσθαι.  
never met him nor saw him; but they say he surpassed all others.

**376** ἤτοι μὲν γὰρ ἄτερ πολέμου εἰσῆλθε Μυκήνας  
For truly, without war, he came once to Mycenae

**377** ξεῖνος ἅμʼ ἀντιθέῳ Πολυνείκεϊ λαὸν ἀγείρων·  
as a guest, with godlike Polynices, gathering an army;

**378** οἳ δὲ τότʼ ἐστρατόωνθʼ ἱερὰ πρὸς τείχεα Θήβης,  
and at that time they were marching against the sacred walls of Thebes,

**379** καί ῥα μάλα λίσσοντο δόμεν κλειτοὺς ἐπικούρους·  
and they earnestly begged the Mycenaeans to give them famous allies;

**380** οἳ δʼ ἔθελον δόμεναι καὶ ἐπῄνεον ὡς ἐκέλευον·  
and the Mycenaeans were willing to give them, and approved as they asked;

**381** ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς ἔτρεψε παραίσια σήματα φαίνων.  
but Zeus turned them aside, showing signs of ill omen.

**382** οἳ δʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν ᾤχοντο ἰδὲ πρὸ ὁδοῦ ἐγένοντο,  
So when they had set out and were well on their way,

**383** Ἀσωπὸν δʼ ἵκοντο βαθύσχοινον λεχεποίην,  
and had come to the deep-reeded, grassy Asopus,

**384** ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ ἀγγελίην ἐπὶ Τυδῆ στεῖλαν Ἀχαιοί.  
there the Achaeans sent Tydeus ahead as a messenger.

**385** αὐτὰρ ὃ βῆ, πολέας δὲ κιχήσατο Καδμεΐωνας  
So he went, and found many of the Cadmeans

**386** δαινυμένους κατὰ δῶμα βίης Ἐτεοκληείης.  
feasting in the hall of the might of Eteocles.
> Periphrasis: "the might of Eteocles": βίης Ἐτεοκληείης, literally "of the might of Eteocles," is the same Homeric periphrasis already seen in the Odyssey drafts ("the might of Alcinous," "the might of Telemachus"), naming a hero's force in place of the man himself; here it modifies "hall," so "the hall of the might of Eteocles" simply means Eteocles' own palace.

**387** ἔνθʼ οὐδὲ ξεῖνός περ ἐὼν ἱππηλάτα Τυδεὺς  
There, though he was a stranger, Tydeus the horseman

**388** τάρβει, μοῦνος ἐὼν πολέσιν μετὰ Καδμείοισιν,  
did not tremble, alone as he was among the many Cadmeans,

**389** ἀλλʼ ὅ γʼ ἀεθλεύειν προκαλίζετο, πάντα δʼ ἐνίκα  
but he challenged them to contests, and he won every one

**390** ῥηϊδίως· τοίη οἱ ἐπίρροθος ἦεν Ἀθήνη.  
with ease; such a helper Athena was to him.

**391** οἳ δὲ χολωσάμενοι Καδμεῖοι κέντορες ἵππων  
But the Cadmeans, goaders of horses, grew angry,

**392** ἂψ ἄρʼ ἀνερχομένῳ πυκινὸν λόχον εἷσαν ἄγοντες  
and as he journeyed back they set a close ambush against him, leading

**393** κούρους πεντήκοντα· δύω δʼ ἡγήτορες ἦσαν,  
fifty young men; and there were two leaders,

**394** Μαίων Αἱμονίδης ἐπιείκελος ἀθανάτοισιν,  
Maeon, son of Haemon, the equal of the immortals,

**395** υἱός τʼ Αὐτοφόνοιο μενεπτόλεμος Πολυφόντης.  
and Polyphontes, steadfast in battle, son of Autophonus.

**396** Τυδεὺς μὲν καὶ τοῖσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκε·  
But Tydeus dealt out to them too an unseemly fate;

**397** πάντας ἔπεφνʼ, ἕνα δʼ οἶον ἵει οἶκον δὲ νέεσθαι·  
he slew them all, and let only one man go home,

**398** Μαίονʼ ἄρα προέηκε θεῶν τεράεσσι πιθήσας.  
Maeon he sent forth, obeying the portents of the gods.

**399** τοῖος ἔην Τυδεὺς Αἰτώλιος· ἀλλὰ τὸν υἱὸν  
Such a man was Tydeus of Aetolia; but the son

**400** γείνατο εἷο χέρεια μάχῃ, ἀγορῇ δέ τʼ ἀμείνω.  
he begot is worse than he in battle, but better in the assembly."
> Irregular comparative: χέρεια is the neuter comparative of κακός, "bad," built on the suppletive stem χείρων/χέρης rather than a regular -τερος form — "worse," the same irregular pattern English shows in "bad/worse."

**401** ὣς φάτο, τὸν δʼ οὔ τι προσέφη κρατερὸς Διομήδης  
So he spoke, and mighty Diomedes answered him nothing at all,
> "Mighty Diomedes" — new epithet-name unit: κρατερός, "mighty, strong," already glossed for Pandarus in this book's first chunk, is here locked as a standing epithet-name unit for Diomedes, distinct from ὑπέρθυμον "high-hearted" used of him earlier in this same passage.

**402** αἰδεσθεὶς βασιλῆος ἐνιπὴν αἰδοίοιο·  
in reverence for the rebuke of the honored king;

**403** τὸν δʼ υἱὸς Καπανῆος ἀμείψατο κυδαλίμοιο·  
but the son of glorious Capaneus answered him instead:

**404** Ἀτρεΐδη μὴ ψεύδεʼ ἐπιστάμενος σάφα εἰπεῖν·  
"Son of Atreus, do not lie, when you know how to speak the plain truth;

**405** ἡμεῖς τοι πατέρων μέγʼ ἀμείνονες εὐχόμεθʼ εἶναι·  
we claim to be far better men than our fathers;

**406** ἡμεῖς καὶ Θήβης ἕδος εἵλομεν ἑπταπύλοιο  
we took the seat of seven-gated Thebes,

**407** παυρότερον λαὸν ἀγαγόνθʼ ὑπὸ τεῖχος ἄρειον,  
leading a smaller army against a stronger wall,

**408** πειθόμενοι τεράεσσι θεῶν καὶ Ζηνὸς ἀρωγῇ·  
trusting in the portents of the gods and the help of Zeus;

**409** κεῖνοι δὲ σφετέρῃσιν ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ὄλοντο·  
but they perished through their own recklessness;

**410** τὼ μή μοι πατέρας ποθʼ ὁμοίῃ ἔνθεο τιμῇ.  
so never set our fathers in equal honor with us in your heart."

**411** τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη κρατερὸς Διομήδης·  
Then, glaring at him from under his brows, mighty Diomedes spoke:

**412** τέττα, σιωπῇ ἧσο, ἐμῷ δʼ ἐπιπείθεο μύθῳ·  
"Friend, sit in silence, and obey my word;
> A rare word of address: τέττα is a unique word in Homer, an informal, affectionate term of address used by a younger man to an elder or superior comrade; Diomedes softens his rebuke of Sthenelus even as he silences him.

**413** οὐ γὰρ ἐγὼ νεμεσῶ Ἀγαμέμνονι ποιμένι λαῶν  
for I do not blame Agamemnon, shepherd of the people,

**414** ὀτρύνοντι μάχεσθαι ἐϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιούς·  
for urging the well-greaved Achaeans to fight;

**415** τούτῳ μὲν γὰρ κῦδος ἅμʼ ἕψεται εἴ κεν Ἀχαιοὶ  
for glory will follow him, if the Achaeans

**416** Τρῶας δῃώσωσιν ἕλωσί τε Ἴλιον ἱρήν,  
cut down the Trojans and take sacred Ilion,

**417** τούτῳ δʼ αὖ μέγα πένθος Ἀχαιῶν δῃωθέντων.  
but great grief will be his too, if the Achaeans are cut down.

**418** ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ καὶ νῶϊ μεδώμεθα θούριδος ἀλκῆς.  
Come, then, let the two of us turn our minds to furious valor."

**419** ἦ ῥα καὶ ἐξ ὀχέων σὺν τεύχεσιν ἆλτο χαμᾶζε·  
So he spoke, and leaped down from his chariot to the ground in his armor;

**420** δεινὸν δʼ ἔβραχε χαλκὸς ἐπὶ στήθεσσιν ἄνακτος  
and terribly the bronze clanged about the chest of the lord

**421** ὀρνυμένου· ὑπό κεν ταλασίφρονά περ δέος εἷλεν.  
as he rose up; fear would have seized even a stout-hearted man.

**422** ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἐν αἰγιαλῷ πολυηχέϊ κῦμα θαλάσσης  
As when on a much-echoing beach a wave of the sea

**423** ὄρνυτʼ ἐπασσύτερον Ζεφύρου ὕπο κινήσαντος·  
rises wave upon wave, driven on beneath the West Wind's stirring —
> The West Wind: Ζέφυρος, the West Wind, is elsewhere in Homer a gentle or a stirring breeze rather than a storm-gale; here it sets the sea heaving in long, orderly ranks, an image the poem then maps directly onto the Achaean ranks moving forward rank upon rank.

**424** πόντῳ μέν τε πρῶτα κορύσσεται, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα  
far out at sea it first rears up its crest, but then,

**425** χέρσῳ ῥηγνύμενον μεγάλα βρέμει, ἀμφὶ δέ τʼ ἄκρας  
breaking upon the land, it roars greatly, and around the headlands

**426** κυρτὸν ἐὸν κορυφοῦται, ἀποπτύει δʼ ἁλὸς ἄχνην·  
it arches and crests, and spits out the spray of the salt sea —

**427** ὣς τότʼ ἐπασσύτεραι Δαναῶν κίνυντο φάλαγγες  
so then, rank upon rank, the battalions of the Danaans moved

**428** νωλεμέως πόλεμον δέ· κέλευε δὲ οἷσιν ἕκαστος  
steadily on to war; and each of their captains gave orders,

**429** ἡγεμόνων· οἳ δʼ ἄλλοι ἀκὴν ἴσαν, οὐδέ κε φαίης  
his own men; and the rest went on in silence — you would not have said

**430** τόσσον λαὸν ἕπεσθαι ἔχοντʼ ἐν στήθεσιν αὐδήν,  
that so great a host followed, holding voice in their breasts,

**431** σιγῇ δειδιότες σημάντορας· ἀμφὶ δὲ πᾶσι  
in silence, fearing their commanders; and about them all

**432** τεύχεα ποικίλʼ ἔλαμπε, τὰ εἱμένοι ἐστιχόωντο.  
their well-wrought armor shone, wherein they marched arrayed.

**433** Τρῶες δʼ, ὥς τʼ ὄϊες πολυπάμονος ἀνδρὸς ἐν αὐλῇ  
But the Trojans — as the ewes of a man rich in flocks, in his farmyard,
> Simile particle: ὡς with τε marks a generalizing epic simile, a comparison drawn not to one particular flock but to what happens habitually — the mixed, untrained clamor of the Trojan advance is set against a scene any listener would recognize.

**434** μυρίαι ἑστήκασιν ἀμελγόμεναι γάλα λευκὸν  
stand by the thousands, being milked of their white milk,

**435** ἀζηχὲς μεμακυῖαι ἀκούουσαι ὄπα ἀρνῶν,  
bleating without ceasing, as they hear the voices of their lambs —

**436** ὣς Τρώων ἀλαλητὸς ἀνὰ στρατὸν εὐρὺν ὀρώρει·  
so the clamor of the Trojans rose up through the wide army;

**437** οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἦεν ὁμὸς θρόος οὐδʼ ἴα γῆρυς,  
for they had not all one cry, nor a single speech,

**438** ἀλλὰ γλῶσσα μέμικτο, πολύκλητοι δʼ ἔσαν ἄνδρες.  
but their tongues were mingled, and the men were called from many lands.

**439** ὄρσε δὲ τοὺς μὲν Ἄρης, τοὺς δὲ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη  
Ares roused some of them on, and bright-eyed Athena the others,

**440** Δεῖμός τʼ ἠδὲ Φόβος καὶ Ἔρις ἄμοτον μεμαυῖα,  
and Terror, and Rout, and Strife raging without limit,
> Terror and Rout: Δεῖμος and Φόβος, personified Terror and Rout, are elsewhere named as sons and attendant-spirits of Ares who ride with him into battle; here, with Strife, they are pictured as active agents driving both armies forward, not mere abstractions.

**441** Ἄρεος ἀνδροφόνοιο κασιγνήτη ἑτάρη τε,  
the sister and companion of man-slaying Ares,
> Man-slaying Ares: ἀνδροφόνος, "man-slaying," is a standing epithet fixed to Ares whenever the poem wants his violence named plainly rather than softened; hold this exact wording for later recurrences of the epithet.

**442** ἥ τʼ ὀλίγη μὲν πρῶτα κορύσσεται, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα  
she who at first rears her head but small, but then

**443** οὐρανῷ ἐστήριξε κάρη καὶ ἐπὶ χθονὶ βαίνει·  
plants her head in the sky, while her feet still walk the earth.

**444** ἥ σφιν καὶ τότε νεῖκος ὁμοίϊον ἔμβαλε μέσσῳ  
She then, too, cast strife equally between the two sides,

**445** ἐρχομένη καθʼ ὅμιλον ὀφέλλουσα στόνον ἀνδρῶν.  
moving through the throng, swelling the groaning of men.

**446** οἳ δʼ ὅτε δή ῥʼ ἐς χῶρον ἕνα ξυνιόντες ἵκοντο,  
Now when the two sides, coming together, met in one place,

**447** σύν ῥʼ ἔβαλον ῥινούς, σὺν δʼ ἔγχεα καὶ μένεʼ ἀνδρῶν  
they dashed together shield on shield, and spears, and the fury of men

**448** χαλκεοθωρήκων· ἀτὰρ ἀσπίδες ὀμφαλόεσσαι  
clad in bronze corselets; and the bossed shields

**449** ἔπληντʼ ἀλλήλῃσι, πολὺς δʼ ὀρυμαγδὸς ὀρώρει.  
pressed against one another, and a great din arose.

**450** ἔνθα δʼ ἅμʼ οἰμωγή τε καὶ εὐχωλὴ πέλεν ἀνδρῶν  
There at once were the groaning and the boasting of men,

**451** ὀλλύντων τε καὶ ὀλλυμένων, ῥέε δʼ αἵματι γαῖα.  
of those who slew and those who were slain, and the earth ran with blood.

**452** ὡς δʼ ὅτε χείμαρροι ποταμοὶ κατʼ ὄρεσφι ῥέοντες  
As when winter torrents, flowing down from the mountains,

**453** ἐς μισγάγκειαν συμβάλλετον ὄβριμον ὕδωρ  
hurl their mighty waters together into one meeting-glen,

**454** κρουνῶν ἐκ μεγάλων κοίλης ἔντοσθε χαράδρης,  
out of their great springs, within a hollow ravine,

**455** τῶν δέ τε τηλόσε δοῦπον ἐν οὔρεσιν ἔκλυε ποιμήν·  
and a shepherd far off in the mountains hears the roaring of them —

**456** ὣς τῶν μισγομένων γένετο ἰαχή τε πόνος τε.  
so, as they mingled, arose the shouting and the toil of battle.

**457** πρῶτος δʼ Ἀντίλοχος Τρώων ἕλεν ἄνδρα κορυστὴν  
First Antilochus slew a man of the Trojans, a helmed warrior,

**458** ἐσθλὸν ἐνὶ προμάχοισι Θαλυσιάδην Ἐχέπωλον·  
good among the champions, Echepolus, son of Thalysius;

**459** τόν ῥʼ ἔβαλε πρῶτος κόρυθος φάλον ἱπποδασείης,  
him he struck first on the ridge of his horsehair helmet,

**460** ἐν δὲ μετώπῳ πῆξε, πέρησε δʼ ἄρʼ ὀστέον εἴσω  
and fixed the point in his forehead, and the bronze spearhead

**461** αἰχμὴ χαλκείη· τὸν δὲ σκότος ὄσσε κάλυψεν,  
drove through the bone within; and darkness covered his eyes.
> Darkness covers the eyes: This formula for the moment of death, "and darkness covered his eyes," is the first of its kind in the poem and recurs verbatim across the battle books; hold this exact English wording every time the Greek recurs.

**462** ἤριπε δʼ ὡς ὅτε πύργος ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ.  
He fell as a tower falls in the mighty combat.
> Falling like a tower: This simile-formula for a warrior's collapse, comparing the sudden toppling of a great body to a tower falling in battle, is distinct from the plainer "he fell with a thud" formula that appears later in this same chunk (line 504) — two different Greek fall-formulas, held to their own separate English wording.

**463** τὸν δὲ πεσόντα ποδῶν ἔλαβε κρείων Ἐλεφήνωρ  
As he fell, the lord Elephenor caught him by the feet,

**464** Χαλκωδοντιάδης μεγαθύμων ἀρχὸς Ἀβάντων,  
son of Chalcodon, chief of the great-hearted Abantes,

**465** ἕλκε δʼ ὑπʼ ἐκ βελέων, λελιημένος ὄφρα τάχιστα  
and dragged him out from under the missiles, eager that as quickly as possible

**466** τεύχεα συλήσειε· μίνυνθα δέ οἱ γένεθʼ ὁρμή.  
he might strip his armor; but his effort lasted only a moment.

**467** νεκρὸν γὰρ ἐρύοντα ἰδὼν μεγάθυμος Ἀγήνωρ  
For great-hearted Agenor, seeing him dragging the corpse,

**468** πλευρά, τά οἱ κύψαντι παρʼ ἀσπίδος ἐξεφαάνθη,  
struck him in the ribs, where, as he stooped, they showed bare beside his shield,
> Anatomical precision: Homer names the exact body part struck and the exact reason it lay open — the ribs exposed because Elephenor bent over the corpse and let his shield swing clear; this precision, tracking how the wound became possible, is characteristic of the poem's battle narration and is never abstracted away.

**469** οὔτησε ξυστῷ χαλκήρεϊ, λῦσε δὲ γυῖα.  
with his bronze-shod spear, and loosed his limbs.

**470** ὣς τὸν μὲν λίπε θυμός, ἐπʼ αὐτῷ δʼ ἔργον ἐτύχθη  
So his spirit left him there, and over his body was done

**471** ἀργαλέον Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν· οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς  
grim work for the Trojans and Achaeans; and like wolves

**472** ἀλλήλοις ἐπόρουσαν, ἀνὴρ δʼ ἄνδρʼ ἐδνοπάλιζεν.  
they sprang upon one another, and man grappled man.

**473** ἔνθʼ ἔβαλʼ Ἀνθεμίωνος υἱὸν Τελαμώνιος Αἴας  
Then Telamonian Ajax struck the son of Anthemion,

**474** ἠΐθεον θαλερὸν Σιμοείσιον, ὅν ποτε μήτηρ  
the flourishing young man Simoisius, whom once his mother,

**475** Ἴδηθεν κατιοῦσα παρʼ ὄχθῃσιν Σιμόεντος  
coming down from Ida beside the banks of the Simois,

**476** γείνατʼ, ἐπεί ῥα τοκεῦσιν ἅμʼ ἕσπετο μῆλα ἰδέσθαι·  
bore, since she had gone with her parents to see the flocks;

**477** τοὔνεκά μιν κάλεον Σιμοείσιον· οὐδὲ τοκεῦσι  
for this they called him Simoisius; yet he did not repay his own parents

**478** θρέπτρα φίλοις ἀπέδωκε, μινυνθάδιος δέ οἱ αἰὼν  
the debt of his upbringing, for his life was brief,

**479** ἔπλεθʼ ὑπʼ Αἴαντος μεγαθύμου δουρὶ δαμέντι.  
cut short beneath the spear of great-hearted Ajax.

**480** πρῶτον γάρ μιν ἰόντα βάλε στῆθος παρὰ μαζὸν  
For as he came on first, Ajax struck him in the chest, beside the right

**481** δεξιόν· ἀντικρὺ δὲ διʼ ὤμου χάλκεον ἔγχος  
nipple; straight through his shoulder the bronze spear

**482** ἦλθεν· ὁ δʼ ἐν κονίῃσι χαμαὶ πέσεν αἴγειρος ὣς  
went; and he fell in the dust to the ground, like a poplar

**483** ἥ ῥά τʼ ἐν εἱαμενῇ ἕλεος μεγάλοιο πεφύκει  
that has grown up smooth in the bottomland of a great marsh,

**484** λείη, ἀτάρ τέ οἱ ὄζοι ἐπʼ ἀκροτάτῃ πεφύασι·  
with branches growing only at its very crown;

**485** τὴν μέν θʼ ἁρματοπηγὸς ἀνὴρ αἴθωνι σιδήρῳ  
this a chariot-maker fells with the gleaming iron,
> The chariot-maker: ἁρματοπηγός names a specific craftsman, a builder of chariots, who fells the poplar for the practical purpose named in the next line — bending its wood into a wheel-rim. The simile's expansive length is characteristic of Homer's craft-similes, which open a working world of ordinary labor beside the moment of a young man's death.

**486** ἐξέταμʼ, ὄφρα ἴτυν κάμψῃ περικαλλέϊ δίφρῳ·  
so that he may bend it into a wheel-rim for a beautiful chariot;

**487** ἣ μέν τʼ ἀζομένη κεῖται ποταμοῖο παρʼ ὄχθας.  
and it lies there seasoning beside the banks of the river.

**488** τοῖον ἄρʼ Ἀνθεμίδην Σιμοείσιον ἐξενάριξεν  
In such a way did he strip Simoisius, son of Anthemion, of life —

**489** Αἴας διογενής· τοῦ δʼ Ἄντιφος αἰολοθώρηξ  
Ajax, sprung from Zeus. And at him Antiphus of the flashing corselet,

**490** Πριαμίδης καθʼ ὅμιλον ἀκόντισεν ὀξέϊ δουρί.  
son of Priam, hurled his sharp spear through the throng.

**491** τοῦ μὲν ἅμαρθʼ, ὃ δὲ Λεῦκον Ὀδυσσέος ἐσθλὸν ἑταῖρον  
Him he missed, but struck Leucus, Odysseus's good companion,

**492** βεβλήκει βουβῶνα, νέκυν ἑτέρωσʼ ἐρύοντα·  
in the groin, as he was dragging the corpse to the other side;

**493** ἤριπε δʼ ἀμφʼ αὐτῷ, νεκρὸς δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε χειρός.  
he fell upon it, and the corpse dropped from his hand.

**494** τοῦ δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς μάλα θυμὸν ἀποκταμένοιο χολώθη,  
Odysseus's heart was greatly angered at his death,

**495** βῆ δὲ διὰ προμάχων κεκορυθμένος αἴθοπι χαλκῷ,  
and he strode out through the front ranks, helmed in gleaming bronze,

**496** στῆ δὲ μάλʼ ἐγγὺς ἰὼν καὶ ἀκόντισε δουρὶ φαεινῷ  
and came very near, and stood, and hurled his shining spear,

**497** ἀμφὶ ἓ παπτήνας· ὑπὸ δὲ Τρῶες κεκάδοντο  
glancing about him; and the Trojans gave ground

**498** ἀνδρὸς ἀκοντίσσαντος· ὃ δʼ οὐχ ἅλιον βέλος ἧκεν,  
before the man's cast; and he did not send his weapon in vain,

**499** ἀλλʼ υἱὸν Πριάμοιο νόθον βάλε Δημοκόωντα  
but struck a bastard son of Priam, Democoon,

**500** ὅς οἱ Ἀβυδόθεν ἦλθε παρʼ ἵππων ὠκειάων.  
who had come to him from Abydus, from his swift mares.
> Abydus: Abydus was a Trojan-allied town on the Hellespont, known in later times for its horse-pastures; Democoon had come from there to fight beside his father at Troy, arriving with fast mares of his own.

**501** τόν ῥʼ Ὀδυσεὺς ἑτάροιο χολωσάμενος βάλε δουρὶ  
Him Odysseus, angered for his companion, struck with his spear

**502** κόρσην· ἣ δʼ ἑτέροιο διὰ κροτάφοιο πέρησεν  
in the temple; and the point drove through and out

**503** αἰχμὴ χαλκείη· τὸν δὲ σκότος ὄσσε κάλυψε,  
the other temple, the bronze spearhead; and darkness covered his eyes,

**504** δούπησεν δὲ πεσών, ἀράβησε δὲ τεύχεʼ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ.  
he fell with a thud, and his armor clattered upon him.
> The falling-and-clattering formula: This whole-line formula for a warrior's collapse, "he fell with a thud, and his armor clattered upon him," is one of the Iliad's most recurrent kill-formulas; hold this exact English wording every time the Greek recurs, distinct from the "tower" fall-simile at line 462.

**505** χώρησαν δʼ ὑπό τε πρόμαχοι καὶ φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ·  
The front fighters gave ground, and glorious Hector with them;

**506** Ἀργεῖοι δὲ μέγα ἴαχον, ἐρύσαντο δὲ νεκρούς,  
and the Argives shouted greatly, and dragged away the corpses,

**507** ἴθυσαν δὲ πολὺ προτέρω· νεμέσησε δʼ Ἀπόλλων  
and pressed on much further forward; and Apollo was angered,

**508** Περγάμου ἐκκατιδών, Τρώεσσι δὲ κέκλετʼ ἀΰσας·  
looking down from Pergamus, and he called out, shouting to the Trojans:
> Pergamus, Troy's citadel: Πέργαμος names the acropolis of Troy, its fortified height where Apollo's temple stood; the god shouts down from this commanding vantage to rally the Trojans, just as bright-eyed Athena will shortly move among the Achaean ranks below.

**509** ὄρνυσθʼ ἱππόδαμοι Τρῶες μηδʼ εἴκετε χάρμης  
"Rise up, horse-taming Trojans, do not yield in valor

**510** Ἀργείοις, ἐπεὶ οὔ σφι λίθος χρὼς οὐδὲ σίδηρος  
to the Argives, since their flesh is not stone, nor is it iron,

**511** χαλκὸν ἀνασχέσθαι ταμεσίχροα βαλλομένοισιν·  
to withstand the flesh-cutting bronze when it strikes them.

**512** οὐ μὰν οὐδʼ Ἀχιλεὺς Θέτιδος πάϊς ἠϋκόμοιο  
Nor indeed does Achilles, son of lovely-haired Thetis,

**513** μάρναται, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ νηυσὶ χόλον θυμαλγέα πέσσει.  
fight at all, but beside the ships he broods over his heart-searing anger."

**514** ὣς φάτʼ ἀπὸ πτόλιος δεινὸς θεός· αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὺς  
So spoke the dread god from the city; but the Achaeans

**515** ὦρσε Διὸς θυγάτηρ κυδίστη Τριτογένεια  
were roused by the daughter of Zeus, most glorious Tritogeneia,

**516** ἐρχομένη καθʼ ὅμιλον, ὅθι μεθιέντας ἴδοιτο.  
moving through the throng, wherever she saw men slackening.

**517** ἔνθʼ Ἀμαρυγκείδην Διώρεα μοῖρα πέδησε·  
Then fate fettered Diores, son of Amarynceus;

**518** χερμαδίῳ γὰρ βλῆτο παρὰ σφυρὸν ὀκριόεντι  
for he was struck by a jagged stone beside the ankle,

**519** κνήμην δεξιτερήν· βάλε δὲ Θρῃκῶν ἀγὸς ἀνδρῶν  
on the right shin; and the man who struck him was the leader of the Thracians,

**520** Πείρως Ἰμβρασίδης ὃς ἄρʼ Αἰνόθεν εἰληλούθει.  
Peirous, son of Imbrasus, who had come there from Aenus.

**521** ἀμφοτέρω δὲ τένοντε καὶ ὀστέα λᾶας ἀναιδὴς  
Both tendons and the bones the pitiless stone

**522** ἄχρις ἀπηλοίησεν· ὃ δʼ ὕπτιος ἐν κονίῃσι  
utterly crushed; and he fell backward in the dust,

**523** κάππεσεν ἄμφω χεῖρε φίλοις ἑτάροισι πετάσσας  
stretching out both hands to his dear companions,

**524** θυμὸν ἀποπνείων· ὃ δʼ ἐπέδραμεν ὅς ῥʼ ἔβαλέν περ  
gasping out his life; and the man who had struck him, Peirous, ran up

**525** Πείροος, οὖτα δὲ δουρὶ παρʼ ὀμφαλόν· ἐκ δʼ ἄρα πᾶσαι  
and stabbed him with his spear beside the navel; and all his bowels

**526** χύντο χαμαὶ χολάδες, τὸν δὲ σκότος ὄσσε κάλυψε.  
gushed out on the ground, and darkness covered his eyes.

**527** τὸν δὲ Θόας Αἰτωλὸς ἀπεσσύμενον βάλε δουρὶ  
But Thoas the Aetolian struck Peirous, as he rushed away, with his spear

**528** στέρνον ὑπὲρ μαζοῖο, πάγη δʼ ἐν πνεύμονι χαλκός·  
above the nipple, in the chest, and the bronze fixed in his lung;

**529** ἀγχίμολον δέ οἱ ἦλθε Θόας, ἐκ δʼ ὄβριμον ἔγχος  
and Thoas came close upon him, and drew out the mighty spear

**530** ἐσπάσατο στέρνοιο, ἐρύσσατο δὲ ξίφος ὀξύ,  
from his chest, and drew his sharp sword,

**531** τῷ ὅ γε γαστέρα τύψε μέσην, ἐκ δʼ αἴνυτο θυμόν.  
and with it struck him full in the belly, and took away his life.

**532** τεύχεα δʼ οὐκ ἀπέδυσε· περίστησαν γὰρ ἑταῖροι  
Yet he did not strip his armor; for his companions stood around him,

**533** Θρήϊκες ἀκρόκομοι δολίχʼ ἔγχεα χερσὶν ἔχοντες,  
the top-knotted Thracians, holding long spears in their hands,

**534** οἵ ἑ μέγαν περ ἐόντα καὶ ἴφθιμον καὶ ἀγαυὸν  
who, great and strong and noble though he was,

**535** ὦσαν ἀπὸ σφείων· ὃ δὲ χασσάμενος πελεμίχθη.  
drove him back from among themselves; and he gave way, shaken.

**536** ὣς τώ γʼ ἐν κονίῃσι παρʼ ἀλλήλοισι τετάσθην,  
So the two of them lay stretched in the dust beside one another,
> Stretched side by side in the dust: This closing image of two enemy leaders lying together in death, one Thracian and one Achaean, foreshadows the poem's larger closing panorama at lines 543–544, where the whole battlefield is described the same way; Homer frames individual duels and the whole day's fighting with the identical picture.

**537** ἤτοι ὃ μὲν Θρῃκῶν, ὃ δʼ Ἐπειῶν χαλκοχιτώνων  
the one a leader of the Thracians, the other of the bronze-clad Epeians;

**538** ἡγεμόνες· πολλοὶ δὲ περὶ κτείνοντο καὶ ἄλλοι.  
and around them many others also were being slain.

**539** ἔνθά κεν οὐκέτι ἔργον ἀνὴρ ὀνόσαιτο μετελθών,  
There no man could any longer make light of the work, coming among it,

**540** ὅς τις ἔτʼ ἄβλητος καὶ ἀνούτατος ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ  
whoever, still unhit and unwounded by the sharp bronze,

**541** δινεύοι κατὰ μέσσον, ἄγοι δέ ἑ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη  
might wheel through the midst of it, and Pallas Athena led him

**542** χειρὸς ἑλοῦσʼ, αὐτὰρ βελέων ἀπερύκοι ἐρωήν·  
by the hand, and warded off the onrush of missiles;

**543** πολλοὶ γὰρ Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν ἤματι κείνῳ  
for many of the Trojans and Achaeans, on that day,

**544** πρηνέες ἐν κονίῃσι παρʼ ἀλλήλοισι τέταντο.  
lay stretched face-down in the dust beside one another.
> Face-down in the dust, side by side: This closing formula, ending Book 4's battle-panorama, echoes exactly the language just used of Diores and Peirous alone at line 536 (ἐν κονίῃσι παρʼ ἀλλήλοισι τετάσθην), now widened from two men to the whole field; hold πρηνέες ἐν κονίῃσι "face-down in the dust" as a standing phrase if it recurs in later books.

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Source text: public domain (Homer, ancient; Greek per the Murray text via the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 3.0). English translation: © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC — original line-aligned draft, pending editorial review. Word-by-word morphology and syntax derived from the Perseus Ancient Greek Dependency Treebank (CC BY-SA 3.0); English glosses and notes © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.