The Iliad
Book IX
Thus did the Trojans watch. But Panic, comrade of blood-stained Rout, had
taken fast hold of the Achaeans and their princes were all of them in despair.
As when the two winds that blow from Thrace- the north and the northwest-
spring up of a sudden and rouse the fury of the main- in a moment the dark
waves uprear their heads and scatter their sea-wrack in all directions-
even thus troubled were the hearts of the Achaeans.
The son of Atreus in dismay bade the heralds call the people to
a council man by man, but not to cry the matter aloud; he made haste also
himself to call them, and they sat sorry at heart in their assembly. Agamemnon
shed tears as it were a running stream or cataract on the side of some
sheer cliff; and thus, with many a heavy sigh he spoke to the Achaeans.
"My friends," said he, "princes and councillors of the Argives, the hand
of heaven has been laid heavily upon me. Cruel Jove gave me his solemn
promise that I should sack the city of Troy before returning, but he has
played me false, and is now bidding me go ingloriously back to Argos with
the loss of much people. Such is the will of Jove, who has laid many a
proud city in the dust as he will yet lay others, for his power is above
all. Now, therefore, let us all do as I say and sail back to our own country,
for we shall not take Troy."
Thus he spoke, and the sons of the Achaeans for a long while sat
sorrowful there, but they all held their peace, till at last Diomed of
the loud battle-cry made answer saying, "Son of Atreus, I will chide your
folly, as is my right in council. Be not then aggrieved that I should do
so. In the first place you attacked me before all the Danaans and said
that I was a coward and no soldier. The Argives young and old know that
you did so. But the son of scheming Saturn endowed you by halves only.
He gave you honour as the chief ruler over us, but valour, which is the
highest both right and might he did not give you. Sir, think you that the
sons of the Achaeans are indeed as unwarlike and cowardly as you say they
are? If your own mind is set upon going home- go- the way is open to you;
the many ships that followed you from Mycene stand ranged upon the seashore;
but the rest of us stay here till we have sacked Troy. Nay though these
too should turn homeward with their ships, Sthenelus and myself will still
fight on till we reach the goal of Ilius, for for heaven was with us when
we came."
The sons of the Achaeans shouted applause at the words of Diomed,
and presently Nestor rose to speak. "Son of Tydeus," said he, "in war your
prowess is beyond question, and in council you excel all who are of your
own years; no one of the Achaeans can make light of what you say nor gainsay
it, but you have not yet come to the end of the whole matter. You are still
young- you might be the youngest of my own children- still you have spoken
wisely and have counselled the chief of the Achaeans not without discretion;
nevertheless I am older than you and I will tell you every" thing; therefore
let no man, not even King Agamemnon, disregard my saying, for he that foments
civil discord is a clanless, hearthless outlaw.
"Now, however, let us obey the behests of night and get our suppers,
but let the sentinels every man of them camp by the trench that is without
the wall. I am giving these instructions to the young men; when they have
been attended to, do you, son of Atreus, give your orders, for you are
the most royal among us all. Prepare a feast for your councillors; it is
right and reasonable that you should do so; there is abundance of wine
in your tents, which the ships of the Achaeans bring from Thrace daily.
You have everything at your disposal wherewith to entertain guests, and
you have many subjects. When many are got together, you can be guided by
him whose counsel is wisest- and sorely do we need shrewd and prudent counsel,
for the foe has lit his watchfires hard by our ships. Who can be other
than dismayed? This night will either be the ruin of our host, or save
it."
Thus did he speak, and they did even as he had said. The sentinels
went out in their armour under command of Nestor′s son Thrasymedes, a captain
of the host, and of the bold warriors Ascalaphus and Ialmenus: there were
also Meriones, Aphareus and Deipyrus, and the son of Creion, noble Lycomedes.
There were seven captains of the sentinels, and with each there went a
hundred youths armed with long spears: they took their places midway between
the trench and the wall, and when they had done so they lit their fires
and got every man his supper.
The son of Atreus then bade many councillors of the Achaeans to
his quarters prepared a great feast in their honour. They laid their hands
on the good things that were before them, and as soon as they had enough
to eat and drink, old Nestor, whose counsel was ever truest, was the first
to lay his mind before them. He, therefore, with all sincerity and goodwill
addressed them thus.
"With yourself, most noble son of Atreus, king of men, Agamemnon,
will I both begin my speech and end it, for you are king over much people.
Jove, moreover, has vouchsafed you to wield the sceptre and to uphold righteousness,
that you may take thought for your people under you; therefore it behooves
you above all others both to speak and to give ear, and to out the counsel
of another who shall have been minded to speak wisely. All turns on you
and on your commands, therefore I will say what I think will be best. No
man will be of a truer mind than that which has been mine from the hour
when you, sir, angered Achilles by taking the girl Briseis from his tent
against my judgment. I urged you not to do so, but you yielded to your
own pride, and dishonoured a hero whom heaven itself had honoured- for
you still hold the prize that had been awarded to him. Now, however, let
us think how we may appease him, both with presents and fair speeches that
may conciliate him."
And King Agamemnon answered, "Sir, you have reproved my folly justly.
I was wrong. I own it. One whom heaven befriends is in himself a host,
and Jove has shown that he befriends this man by destroying much people
of the Achaeans. I was blinded with passion and yielded to my worser mind;
therefore I will make amends, and will give him great gifts by way of atonement.
I will tell them in the presence of you all. I will give him seven tripods
that have never yet been on the fire, and ten talents of gold. I will give
him twenty iron cauldrons and twelve strong horses that have won races
and carried off prizes. Rich, indeed, both in land and gold is he that
has as many prizes as my horses have won me. I will give him seven excellent
workwomen, Lesbians, whom I chose for myself when he took Lesbos- all of
surpassing beauty. I will give him these, and with them her whom I erewhile
took from him, the daughter of Briseus; and I swear a great oath that I
never went up into her couch, nor have been with her after the manner of
men and women.
"All these things will I give him now down, and if hereafter the
gods vouchsafe me to sack the city of Priam, let him come when we Achaeans
are dividing the spoil, and load his ship with gold and bronze to his liking;
furthermore let him take twenty Trojan women, the loveliest after Helen
herself. Then, when we reach Achaean Argos, wealthiest of all lands, he
shall be my son-in-law and I will show him like honour with my own dear
son Orestes, who is being nurtured in all abundance. I have three daughters,
Chrysothemis, Laodice, and lphianassa, let him take the one of his choice,
freely and without gifts of wooing, to the house of Peleus; I will add
such dower to boot as no man ever yet gave his daughter, and will give
him seven well established cities, Cardamyle, Enope, and Hire, where there
is grass; holy Pherae and the rich meadows of Anthea; Aepea also, and the
vine-clad slopes of Pedasus, all near the sea, and on the borders of sandy
Pylos. The men that dwell there are rich in cattle and sheep; they will
honour him with gifts as though he were a god, and be obedient to his comfortable
ordinances. All this will I do if he will now forgo his anger. Let him
then yieldit is only Hades who is utterly ruthless and unyielding- and
hence he is of all gods the one most hateful to mankind. Moreover I am
older and more royal than himself. Therefore, let him now obey
me."
Then Nestor answered, "Most noble son of Atreus, king of men, Agamemnon.
The gifts you offer are no small ones, let us then send chosen messengers,
who may go to the tent of Achilles son of Peleus without delay. Let those
go whom I shall name. Let Phoenix, dear to Jove, lead the way; let Ajax
and Ulysses follow, and let the heralds Odius and Eurybates go with them.
Now bring water for our hands, and bid all keep silence while we pray to
Jove the son of Saturn, if so be that he may have mercy upon
us."
Thus did he speak, and his saying pleased them well. Men-servants
poured water over the hands of the guests, while pages filled the mixing-bowls
with wine and water, and handed it round after giving every man his drink-offering;
then, when they had made their offerings, and had drunk each as much as
he was minded, the envoys set out from the tent of Agamemnon son of Atreus;
and Nestor, looking first to one and then to another, but most especially
at Ulysses, was instant with them that they should prevail with the noble
son of Peleus.
They went their way by the shore of the sounding sea, and prayed
earnestly to earth-encircling Neptune that the high spirit of the son of
Aeacus might incline favourably towards them. When they reached the ships
and tents of the Myrmidons, they found Achilles playing on a lyre, fair,
of cunning workmanship, and its cross-bar was of silver. It was part of
the spoils which he had taken when he sacked the city of Eetion, and he
was now diverting himself with it and singing the feats of heroes. He was
alone with Patroclus, who sat opposite to him and said nothing, waiting
till he should cease singing. Ulysses and Ajax now came in- Ulysses leading
the way -and stood before him. Achilles sprang from his seat with the lyre
still in his hand, and Patroclus, when he saw the strangers, rose also.
Achilles then greeted them saying, "All hail and welcome- you must come
upon some great matter, you, who for all my anger are still dearest to
me of the Achaeans."
With this he led them forward, and bade them sit on seats covered
with purple rugs; then he said to Patroclus who was close by him, "Son
of Menoetius, set a larger bowl upon the table, mix less water with the
wine, and give every man his cup, for these are very dear friends, who
are now under my roof."
Patroclus did as his comrade bade him; he set the chopping-block
in front of the fire, and on it he laid the loin of a sheep, the loin also
of a goat, and the chine of a fat hog. Automedon held the meat while Achilles
chopped it; he then sliced the pieces and put them on spits while the son
of Menoetius made the fire burn high. When the flame had died down, he
spread the embers, laid the spits on top of them, lifting them up and setting
them upon the spit-racks; and he sprinkled them with salt. When the meat
was roasted, he set it on platters, and handed bread round the table in
fair baskets, while Achilles dealt them their portions. Then Achilles took
his seat facing Ulysses against the opposite wall, and bade his comrade
Patroclus offer sacrifice to the gods; so he cast the offerings into the
fire, and they laid their hands upon the good things that were before them.
As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, Ajax made a sign to Phoenix,
and when he saw this, Ulysses filled his cup with wine and pledged
Achilles.
"Hail," said he, "Achilles, we have had no scant of good cheer,
neither in the tent of Agamemnon, nor yet here; there has been plenty to
eat and drink, but our thought turns upon no such matter. Sir, we are in
the face of great disaster, and without your help know not whether we shall
save our fleet or lose it. The Trojans and their allies have camped hard
by our ships and by the wall; they have lit watchfires throughout their
host and deem that nothing can now prevent them from falling on our fleet.
Jove, moreover, has sent his lightnings on their right; Hector, in all
his glory, rages like a maniac; confident that Jove is with him he fears
neither god nor man, but is gone raving mad, and prays for the approach
of day. He vows that he will hew the high sterns of our ships in pieces,
set fire to their hulls, and make havoc of the Achaeans while they are
dazed and smothered in smoke; I much fear that heaven will make good his
boasting, and it will prove our lot to perish at Troy far from our home
in Argos. Up, then, and late though it be, save the sons of the Achaeans
who faint before the fury of the Trojans. You will repent bitterly hereafter
if you do not, for when the harm is done there will be no curing it; consider
ere it be too late, and save the Danaans from destruction.
"My good friend, when your father Peleus sent you from Phthia to
Agamemnon, did he not charge you saying, ′Son, Minerva and Juno will make
you strong if they choose, but check your high temper, for the better part
is in goodwill. Eschew vain quarrelling, and the Achaeans old and young
will respect you more for doing so.′ These were his words, but you have
forgotten them. Even now, however, be appeased, and put away your anger
from you. Agamemnon will make you great amends if you will forgive him;
listen, and I will tell you what he has said in his tent that he will give
you. He will give you seven tripods that have never yet been on the fire,
and ten talents of gold; twenty iron cauldrons, and twelve strong horses
that have won races and carried off prizes. Rich indeed both in land and
gold is he who has as many prizes as these horses have won for Agamemnon.
Moreover he will give you seven excellent workwomen, Lesbians, whom he
chose for himself, when you took Lesbos- all of surpassing beauty. He will
give you these, and with them her whom he erewhile took from you, the daughter
of Briseus, and he will swear a great oath, he has never gone up into her
couch nor been with her after the manner of men and women. All these things
will he give you now down, and if hereafter the gods vouchsafe him to sack
the city of Priam, you can come when we Achaeans are dividing the spoil,
and load your ship with gold and bronze to your liking. You can take twenty
Trojan women, the loveliest after Helen herself. Then, when we reach Achaean
Argos, wealthiest of all lands, you shall be his son-in-law, and he will
show you like honour with his own dear son Orestes, who is being nurtured
in all abundance. Agamemnon has three daughters, Chrysothemis, Laodice,
and Iphianassa; you may take the one of your choice, freely and without
gifts of wooing, to the house of Peleus; he will add such dower to boot
as no man ever yet gave his daughter, and will give you seven well-established
cities, Cardamyle, Enope, and Hire where there is grass; holy Pheras and
the rich meadows of Anthea; Aepea also, and the vine-clad slopes of Pedasus,
all near the sea, and on the borders of sandy Pylos. The men that dwell
there are rich in cattle and sheep; they will honour you with gifts as
though were a god, and be obedient to your comfortable ordinances. All
this will he do if you will now forgo your anger. Moreover, though you
hate both him and his gifts with all your heart, yet pity the rest of the
Achaeans who are being harassed in all their host; they will honour you
as a god, and you will earn great glory at their hands. You might even
kill Hector; he will come within your reach, for he is infatuated, and
declares that not a Danaan whom the ships have brought can hold his own
against him."
Achilles answered, "Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, I should give
you formal notice plainly and in all fixity of purpose that there be no
more of this cajoling, from whatsoever quarter it may come. Him do I hate
even as the gates of hell who says one thing while he hides another in
his heart; therefore I will say what I mean. I will be appeased neither
by Agamemnon son of Atreus nor by any other of the Danaans, for I see that
I have no thanks for all my fighting. He that fights fares no better than
he that does not; coward and hero are held in equal honour, and death deals
like measure to him who works and him who is idle. I have taken nothing
by all my hardships- with my life ever in my hand; as a bird when she has
found a morsel takes it to her nestlings, and herself fares hardly, even
so man a long night have I been wakeful, and many a bloody battle have
I waged by day against those who were fighting for their women. With my
ships I have taken twelve cities, and eleven round about Troy have I stormed
with my men by land; I took great store of wealth from every one of them,
but I gave all up to Agamemnon son of Atreus. He stayed where he was by
his ships, yet of what came to him he gave little, and kept much
himself.
"Nevertheless he did distribute some meeds of honour among the
chieftains and kings, and these have them still; from me alone of the Achaeans
did he take the woman in whom I delighted- let him keep her and sleep with
her. Why, pray, must the Argives needs fight the Trojans? What made the
son of Atreus gather the host and bring them? Was it not for the sake of
Helen? Are the sons of Atreus the only men in the world who love their
wives? Any man of common right feeling will love and cherish her who is
his own, as I this woman, with my whole heart, though she was but a fruitling
of my spear. Agamemnon has taken her from me; he has played me false; I
know him; let him tempt me no further, for he shall not move me. Let him
look to you, Ulysses, and to the other princes to save his ships from burning.
He has done much without me already. He has built a wall; he has dug a
trench deep and wide all round it, and he has planted it within with stakes;
but even so he stays not the murderous might of Hector. So long as I fought
the Achaeans Hector suffered not the battle range far from the city walls;
he would come to the Scaean gates and to the oak tree, but no further.
Once he stayed to meet me and hardly did he escape my onset: now, however,
since I am in no mood to fight him, I will to-morrow offer sacrifice to
Jove and to all the gods; I will draw my ships into the water and then
victual them duly; to-morrow morning, if you care to look, you will see
my ships on the Hellespont, and my men rowing out to sea with might and
main. If great Neptune vouchsafes me a fair passage, in three days I shall
be in Phthia. I have much there that I left behind me when I came here
to my sorrow, and I shall bring back still further store of gold, of red
copper, of fair women, and of iron, my share of the spoils that we have
taken; but one prize, he who gave has insolently taken away. Tell him all
as I now bid you, and tell him in public that the Achaeans may hate him
and beware of him should he think that he can yet dupe others for his effrontery
never fails him.
"As for me, hound that he is, he dares not look me in the face.
I will take no counsel with him, and will undertake nothing in common with
him. He has wronged me and deceived me enough, he shall not cozen me further;
let him go his own way, for Jove has robbed him of his reason. I loathe
his presents, and for himself care not one straw. He may offer me ten or
even twenty times what he has now done, nay- not though it be all that
he has in the world, both now or ever shall have; he may promise me the
wealth of Orchomenus or of Egyptian Thebes, which is the richest city in
the whole world, for it has a hundred gates through each of which two hundred
men may drive at once with their chariots and horses; he may offer me gifts
as the sands of the sea or the dust of the plain in multitude, but even
so he shall not move me till I have been revenged in full for the bitter
wrong he has done me. I will not marry his daughter; she may be fair as
Venus, and skilful as Minerva, but I will have none of her: let another
take her, who may be a good match for her and who rules a larger kingdom.
If the gods spare me to return home, Peleus will find me a wife; there
are Achaean women in Hellas and Phthia, daughters of kings that have cities
under them; of these I can take whom I will and marry her. Many a time
was I minded when at home in Phthia to woo and wed a woman who would make
me a suitable wife, and to enjoy the riches of my old father Peleus. My
life is more to me than all the wealth of Ilius while it was yet at peace
before the Achaeans went there, or than all the treasure that lies on the
stone floor of Apollo′s temple beneath the cliffs of Pytho. Cattle and
sheep are to be had for harrying, and a man buy both tripods and horses
if he wants them, but when his life has once left him it can neither be
bought nor harried back again.
"My mother Thetis tells me that there are two ways in which I may
meet my end. If I stay here and fight, I shall not return alive but my
name will live for ever: whereas if I go home my name will die, but it
will be long ere death shall take me. To the rest of you, then, I say,
′Go home, for you will not take Ilius.′ Jove has held his hand over her
to protect her, and her people have taken heart. Go, therefore, as in duty
bound, and tell the princes of the Achaeans the message that I have sent
them; tell them to find some other plan for the saving of their ships and
people, for so long as my displeasure lasts the one that they have now
hit upon may not be. As for Phoenix, let him sleep here that he may sail
with me in the morning if he so will. But I will not take him by
force."
They all held their peace, dismayed at the sternness with which
he had denied them, till presently the old knight Phoenix in his great
fear for the ships of the Achaeans, burst into tears and said, "Noble Achilles,
if you are now minded to return, and in the fierceness of your anger will
do nothing to save the ships from burning, how, my son, can I remain here
without you? Your father Peleus bade me go with you when he sent you as
a mere lad from Phthia to Agamemnon. You knew nothing neither of war nor
of the arts whereby men make their mark in council, and he sent me with
you to train you in all excellence of speech and action. Therefore, my
son, I will not stay here without you- no, not though heaven itself vouchsafe
to strip my years from off me, and make me young as I was when I first
left Hellas the land of fair women. I was then flying the anger of father
Amyntor, son of Ormenus, who was furious with me in the matter of his concubine,
of whom he was enamoured to the wronging of his wife my mother. My mother,
therefore, prayed me without ceasing to lie with the woman myself, that
so she hate my father, and in the course of time I yielded. But my father
soon came to know, and cursed me bitterly, calling the dread Erinyes to
witness. He prayed that no son of mine might ever sit upon knees- and the
gods, Jove of the world below and awful Proserpine, fulfilled his curse.
I took counsel to kill him, but some god stayed my rashness and bade me
think on men′s evil tongues and how I should be branded as the murderer
of my father: nevertheless I could not bear to stay in my father′s house
with him so bitter a against me. My cousins and clansmen came about me,
and pressed me sorely to remain; many a sheep and many an ox did they slaughter,
and many a fat hog did they set down to roast before the fire; many a jar,
too, did they broach of my father′s wine. Nine whole nights did they set
a guard over me taking it in turns to watch, and they kept a fire always
burning, both in the cloister of the outer court and in the inner court
at the doors of the room wherein I lay; but when the darkness of the tenth
night came, I broke through the closed doors of my room, and climbed the
wall of the outer court after passing quickly and unperceived through the
men on guard and the women servants. I then fled through Hellas till I
came to fertile Phthia, mother of sheep, and to King Peleus, who made me
welcome and treated me as a father treats an only son who will be heir
to all his wealth. He made me rich and set me over much people, establishing
me on the borders of Phthia where I was chief ruler over the
Dolopians.
"It was I, Achilles, who had the making of you; I loved you with
all my heart: for you would eat neither at home nor when you had gone out
elsewhere, till I had first set you upon my knees, cut up the dainty morsel
that you were to eat, and held the wine-cup to your lips. Many a time have
you slobbered your wine in baby helplessness over my shirt; I had infinite
trouble with you, but I knew that heaven had vouchsafed me no offspring
of my own, and I made a son of you, Achilles, that in my hour of need you
might protect me. Now, therefore, I say battle with your pride and beat
it; cherish not your anger for ever; the might and majesty of heaven are
more than ours, but even heaven may be appeased; and if a man has sinned
he prays the gods, and reconciles them to himself by his piteous cries
and by frankincense, with drink-offerings and the savour of burnt sacrifice.
For prayers are as daughters to great Jove; halt, wrinkled, with eyes askance,
they follow in the footsteps of sin, who, being fierce and fleet of foot,
leaves them far behind him, and ever baneful to mankind outstrips them
even to the ends of the world; but nevertheless the prayers come hobbling
and healing after. If a man has pity upon these daughters of Jove when
they draw near him, they will bless him and hear him too when he is praying;
but if he deny them and will not listen to them, they go to Jove the son
of Saturn and pray that he may presently fall into sin- to his ruing bitterly
hereafter. Therefore, Achilles, give these daughters of Jove due reverence,
and bow before them as all good men will bow. Were not the son of Atreus
offering you gifts and promising others later- if he were still furious
and implacable- I am not he that would bid you throw off your anger and
help the Achaeans, no matter how great their need; but he is giving much
now, and more hereafter; he has sent his captains to urge his suit, and
has chosen those who of all the Argives are most acceptable to you; make
not then their words and their coming to be of none effect. Your anger
has been righteous so far. We have heard in song how heroes of old time
quarrelled when they were roused to fury, but still they could be won by
gifts, and fair words could soothe them.
"I have an old story in my mind- a very old one- but you are all
friends and I will tell it. The Curetes and the Aetolians were fighting
and killing one another round Calydon- the Aetolians defending the city
and the Curetes trying to destroy it. For Diana of the golden throne was
angry and did them hurt because Oeneus had not offered her his harvest
first-fruits. The other gods had all been feasted with hecatombs, but to
the daughter of great Jove alone he had made no sacrifice. He had forgotten
her, or somehow or other it had escaped him, and this was a grievous sin.
Thereon the archer goddess in her displeasure sent a prodigious creature
against him- a savage wild boar with great white tusks that did much harm
to his orchard lands, uprooting apple-trees in full bloom and throwing
them to the ground. But Meleager son of Oeneus got huntsmen and hounds
from many cities and killed it- for it was so monstrous that not a few
were needed, and many a man did it stretch upon his funeral pyre. On this
the goddess set the Curetes and the Aetolians fighting furiously about
the head and skin of the boar.
"So long as Meleager was in the field things went badly with the
Curetes, and for all their numbers they could not hold their ground under
the city walls; but in the course of time Meleager was angered as even
a wise man will sometimes be. He was incensed with his mother Althaea,
and therefore stayed at home with his wedded wife fair Cleopatra, who was
daughter of Marpessa daughter of Euenus, and of Ides the man then living.
He it was who took his bow and faced King Apollo himself for fair Marpessa′s
sake; her father and mother then named her Alcyone, because her mother
had mourned with the plaintive strains of the halcyon-bird when Phoebus
Apollo had carried her off. Meleager, then, stayed at home with Cleopatra,
nursing the anger which he felt by reason of his mother′s curses. His mother,
grieving for the death of her brother, prayed the gods, and beat the earth
with her hands, calling upon Hades and on awful Proserpine; she went down
upon her knees and her bosom was wet with tears as she prayed that they
would kill her son- and Erinys that walks in darkness and knows no ruth
heard her from Erebus.
"Then was heard the din of battle about the gates of Calydon, and
the dull thump of the battering against their walls. Thereon the elders
of the Aetolians besought Meleager; they sent the chiefest of their priests,
and begged him to come out and help them, promising him a great reward.
They bade him choose fifty plough-gates, the most fertile in the plain
of Calydon, the one-half vineyard and the other open plough-land. The old
warrior Oeneus implored him, standing at the threshold of his room and
beating the doors in supplication. His sisters and his mother herself besought
him sore, but he the more refused them; those of his comrades who were
nearest and dearest to him also prayed him, but they could not move him
till the foe was battering at the very doors of his chamber, and the Curetes
had scaled the walls and were setting fire to the city. Then at last his
sorrowing wife detailed the horrors that befall those whose city is taken;
she reminded him how the men are slain, and the city is given over to the
flames, while the women and children are carried into captivity; when he
heard all this, his heart was touched, and he donned his armour to go forth.
Thus of his own inward motion he saved the city of the Aetolians; but they
now gave him nothing of those rich rewards that they had offered earlier,
and though he saved the city he took nothing by it. Be not then, my son,
thus minded; let not heaven lure you into any such course. When the ships
are burning it will be a harder matter to save them. Take the gifts, and
go, for the Achaeans will then honour you as a god; whereas if you fight
without taking them, you may beat the battle back, but you will not be
held in like honour."
And Achilles answered, "Phoenix, old friend and father, I have
no need of such honour. I have honour from Jove himself, which will abide
with me at my ships while I have breath in my body, and my limbs are strong.
I say further- and lay my saying to your heart- vex me no more with this
weeping and lamentation, all in the cause of the son of Atreus. Love him
so well, and you may lose the love I bear you. You ought to help me rather
in troubling those that trouble me; be king as much as I am, and share
like honour with myself; the others shall take my answer; stay here yourself
and sleep comfortably in your bed; at daybreak we will consider whether
to remain or go."
On this she nodded quietly to Patroclus as a sign that he was to
prepare a bed for Phoenix, and that the others should take their leave.
Ajax son of Telamon then said, "Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, let us be
gone, for I see that our journey is vain. We must now take our answer,
unwelcome though it be, to the Danaans who are waiting to receive it. Achilles
is savage and remorseless; he is cruel, and cares nothing for the love
his comrades lavished upon him more than on all the others. He is implacable-
and yet if a man′s brother or son has been slain he will accept a fine
by way of amends from him that killed him, and the wrong-doer having paid
in full remains in peace among his own people; but as for you, Achilles,
the gods have put a wicked unforgiving spirit in your heart, and this,
all about one single girl, whereas we now offer you the seven best we have,
and much else into the bargain. Be then of a more gracious mind, respect
the hospitality of your own roof. We are with you as messengers from the
host of the Danaans, and would fain he held nearest and dearest to yourself
of all the Achaeans."
"Ajax," replied Achilles, "noble son of Telamon, you have spoken
much to my liking, but my blood boils when I think it all over, and remember
how the son of Atreus treated me with contumely as though I were some vile
tramp, and that too in the presence of the Argives. Go, then, and deliver
your message; say that I will have no concern with fighting till Hector,
son of noble Priam, reaches the tents of the Myrmidons in his murderous
course, and flings fire upon their ships. For all his lust of battle, I
take it he will be held in check when he is at my own tent and
ship."
On this they took every man his double cup, made their drink-offerings,
and went back to the ships, Ulysses leading the way. But Patroclus told
his men and the maid-servants to make ready a comfortable bed for Phoenix;
they therefore did so with sheepskins, a rug, and a sheet of fine linen.
The old man then laid himself down and waited till morning came. But Achilles
slept in an inner room, and beside him the daughter of Phorbas lovely Diomede,
whom he had carried off from Lesbos. Patroclus lay on the other side of
the room, and with him fair Iphis whom Achilles had given him when he took
Scyros the city of Enyeus.
When the envoys reached the tents of the son of Atreus, the Achaeans
rose, pledged them in cups of gold, and began to question them. King Agamemnon
was the first to do so. Tell me, Ulysses," said he, "will he save the ships
from burning, or did be refuse, and is he still furious?"
Ulysses answered, "Most noble son of Atreus, king of men, Agamemnon,
Achilles will not be calmed, but is more fiercely angry than ever, and
spurns both you and your gifts. He bids you take counsel with the Achaeans
to save the ships and host as you best may; as for himself, he said that
at daybreak he should draw his ships into the water. He said further that
he should advise every one to sail home likewise, for that you will not
reach the goal of Ilius. ′Jove,′ he said, ′has laid his hand over the city
to protect it, and the people have taken heart.′ This is what he said,
and the others who were with me can tell you the same story- Ajax and the
two heralds, men, both of them, who may be trusted. The old man Phoenix
stayed where he was to sleep, for so Achilles would have it, that he might
go home with him in the morning if he so would; but he will not take him
by force."
They all held their peace, sitting for a long time silent and dejected,
by reason of the sternness with which Achilles had refused them, till presently
Diomed said, "Most noble son of Atreus, king of men, Agamemnon, you ought
not to have sued the son of Peleus nor offered him gifts. He is proud enough
as it is, and you have encouraged him in his pride am further. Let him
stay or go as he will. He will fight later when he is in the humour, and
heaven puts it in his mind to do so. Now, therefore, let us all do as I
say; we have eaten and drunk our fill, let us then take our rest, for in
rest there is both strength and stay. But when fair rosy-fingered morn
appears, forthwith bring out your host and your horsemen in front of the
ships, urging them on, and yourself fighting among the
foremost."
Thus he spoke, and the other chieftains approved his words. They
then made their drink-offerings and went every man to his own tent, where
they laid down to rest and enjoyed the boon of sleep.
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