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115 and I will say so plainly, even at the risk of offending you - for sleeping and leaving all this trouble to yourself. He ought to be going about imploring aid from all the princes of the Achaeans, for we are in extreme danger."

119 And Agamemnon answered, "Sir, you may sometimes blame him justly, for he is often remiss and unwilling to exert himself - not indeed from sloth, nor yet lack of thought [ noos], but because he looks to me and expects me to take the lead. On this occasion, however, he was awake before I was, and came to me of his own accord. I have already sent him to call the very men whom you have named. And now let us be going. We shall find them with the watch outside the gates, for it was there I said that we would meet them."

127 "In that case," answered Nestor, "the Argives will not blame him nor disobey his orders when he urges them to fight or gives them instructions."

131 With this he put on his shirt, and bound his sandals about his comely feet. He buckled on his purple coat, of two thicknesses, large, and of a rough shaggy texture, grasped his redoubtable bronze-shod spear, and wended his way along the line of the Achaean ships. First he called loudly to Odysseus peer of gods in counsel and woke him, for he was soon roused by the sound of the battle-cry. He came outside his tent and said, "Why do you go thus alone about the host, and along the line of the ships in the stillness of the night? What is it that you find so urgent?" And Nestor horseman of Gerene answered, "Odysseus, noble son of Laertes , take it not amiss, for the Achaeans are in great sorrow [ akhos]. Come with me and let us wake some other, who may advise well with us whether we shall fight or flee."

148 On this Odysseus went at once into his tent, put his shield about his shoulders and came out with them. First they went to Diomedes son of Tydeus, and found him outside his tent clad in his armor with his comrades sleeping round him and using their shields as pillows; as for their spears,

153 they stood upright on the spikes of their butts that were driven into the ground, and the burnished bronze flashed afar like the lightning of father Zeus. The hero was sleeping upon the skin of an ox, with a piece of fine carpet under his head; Nestor went up to him and stirred him with his heel to rouse him, upbraiding him and urging him to bestir himself. "Wake up," he exclaimed, "son of Tydeus. How can you sleep on in this way? Can you not see that the Trojans are encamped on the brow of the plain hard by our ships, with but a little space between us and them?"

162 On these words Diomedes leaped up instantly and said, "Old man, your heart is of iron; you rest not one moment from your labors [ ponos]. Are there no younger men among the Achaeans who could go about to rouse the princes? There is no tiring you."

168 And Nestor horseman of Gerene made answer, "My son, all that you have said is true. I have good sons, and also many people who might call the chieftains, but the Achaeans are in the gravest danger; life and death are balanced as it were on the edge of a razor. Go then, for you are younger than I, and of your courtesy rouse Ajax and the fleet son of Phyleus."

Iliad. Homer. Samuel Butler (Translator). London. 1898.

Current edition Perseus

Iliad (English) (Homer. The Iliad of Homer, rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Butler, Samuel, 1835-1902, translator. London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1898.)

Editions (1)

Ἰλιάς Perseus (Homer. Homeri Opera, Volumes 1-2. Monro, D. B. (David Binning), editor; Allen, Thomas W. (Thomas William), editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908-1920.) — 10.128 focus

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ·

οὕτως οὔ τίς οἱ νεμεσήσεται οὐδʼ ἀπιθήσει

Ἀργείων, ὅτε κέν τινʼ ἐποτρύνῃ καὶ ἀνώγῃ.

130

ὣς εἰπὼν ἔνδυνε περὶ στήθεσσι χιτῶνα,

ποσσὶ δʼ ὑπὸ λιπαροῖσιν ἐδήσατο καλὰ πέδιλα,

ἀμφὶ δʼ ἄρα χλαῖναν περονήσατο φοινικόεσσαν

διπλῆν ἐκταδίην, οὔλη δʼ ἐπενήνοθε λάχνη.

εἵλετο δʼ ἄλκιμον ἔγχος ἀκαχμένον ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ,

135

βῆ δʼ ἰέναι κατὰ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων.

πρῶτον ἔπειτʼ Ὀδυσῆα Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον

ἐξ ὕπνου ἀνέγειρε Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ

φθεγξάμενος· τὸν δʼ αἶψα περὶ φρένας ἤλυθʼ ἰωή,

ἐκ δʼ ἦλθε κλισίης καί σφεας πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε·

140

τίφθʼ οὕτω κατὰ νῆας ἀνὰ στρατὸν οἶοι ἀλᾶσθε

νύκτα διʼ ἀμβροσίην, ὅ τι δὴ χρειὼ τόσον ἵκει;

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ·

διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη πολυμήχανʼ Ὀδυσσεῦ

μὴ νεμέσα· τοῖον γὰρ ἄχος βεβίηκεν Ἀχαιούς.

145

ἀλλʼ ἕπεʼ, ὄφρα καὶ ἄλλον ἐγείρομεν ὅν τʼ ἐπέοικε

βουλὰς βουλεύειν, ἢ φευγέμεν ἠὲ μάχεσθαι.

ὣς φάθʼ, ὃ δὲ κλισίην δὲ κιὼν πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεὺς

ποικίλον ἀμφʼ ὤμοισι σάκος θέτο, βῆ δὲ μετʼ αὐτούς.

βὰν δʼ ἐπὶ Τυδεΐδην Διομήδεα· τὸν δὲ κίχανον

150

ἐκτὸς ἀπὸ κλισίης σὺν τεύχεσιν· ἀμφὶ δʼ ἑταῖροι

εὗδον, ὑπὸ κρασὶν δʼ ἔχον ἀσπίδας· ἔγχεα δέ σφιν

ὄρθʼ ἐπὶ σαυρωτῆρος ἐλήλατο, τῆλε δὲ χαλκὸς

λάμφʼ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διός· αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ ἥρως

εὗδʼ, ὑπὸ δʼ ἔστρωτο ῥινὸν βοὸς ἀγραύλοιο,

155

αὐτὰρ ὑπὸ κράτεσφι τάπης τετάνυστο φαεινός.

τὸν παρστὰς ἀνέγειρε Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ,

λὰξ ποδὶ κινήσας, ὄτρυνέ τε νείκεσέ τʼ ἄντην·

ἔγρεο Τυδέος υἱέ· τί πάννυχον ὕπνον ἀωτεῖς;

οὐκ ἀΐεις ὡς Τρῶες ἐπὶ θρωσμῷ πεδίοιο

160

εἵαται ἄγχι νεῶν, ὀλίγος δʼ ἔτι χῶρος ἐρύκει;

ὣς φάθʼ, ὃ δʼ ἐξ ὕπνοιο μάλα κραιπνῶς ἀνόρουσε,

καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

σχέτλιός ἐσσι γεραιέ· σὺ μὲν πόνου οὔ ποτε λήγεις.

οὔ νυ καὶ ἄλλοι ἔασι νεώτεροι υἷες Ἀχαιῶν

165

οἵ κεν ἔπειτα ἕκαστον ἐγείρειαν βασιλήων

πάντῃ ἐποιχόμενοι; σὺ δʼ ἀμήχανός ἐσσι γεραιέ.

Translations (8)

Iliad Perseus (Homer. The Iliad, Volume 1-2. Murray, A. T. (Augustus Taber), translator. London: William Heinmann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1924-1925.) — 10.128 focus

Then made answer to him the horseman, Nestor of Gerenia:

So will no man be wroth at him or disobey him 130 of all the Argives, whenso he urgeth any man or giveth commands.

So saying he did on his tunic about his breast, and beneath his shining feet bound his fair sandals and around him buckled a purple cloak of double fold and wide, whereon the down was thick. 135 And he grasped a mighty spear, tipped with sharp bronze, and went his way among the ships of the brazen-coated Achaeans. Then Odysseus first, the peer of Zeus in counsel, did the horseman, Nestor of Gerenia, awaken out of sleep with his voice, and forthwith the call rang all about his mind 140 and he came forth from the hut and spake to them, saying:

How is it that ye fare thus alone by the ships throughout the camp in the immortal night? What need so great hath come upon you?

Then made answer to him the horseman, Nestor of Gerenia:

Zeus-born son of Laërtes, Odysseus of many wiles, 145 be not thou wroth, for great sorrow hath overmastered the Achaeans. Nay, follow, that we may arouse another also, whomsoever it behoveth to take counsel, whether to flee or to fight.

So spake he, and Odysseus of many wiles went to the hut and cast about his shoulders a shield richly dight, and followed after them. 150 And they came to Tydeus' son, Diomedes, and him they found outside his hut with his arms; and around him his comrades were sleeping with their shields beneath their heads, but their spears were driven into the ground erect on their spikes, and afar shone the bronze like the lightning of father Zeus. But the warrior was sleeping, 155 and beneath him was spread the hide of an ox of the field, and beneath his head was stretched a bright carpet. To his side came the horseman, Nestor of Gerenia, and woke him, stirring him with a touch of his heel, and aroused him, and chid him to his face:

Awake, son of Tydeus, why slumberest thou the whole night through in sleep? 160 Knowest thou not that the Trojans on the rising ground of the plain are camped hard by the ships, and but scant space still holdeth them off?

So said he, but the other right swiftly sprang up out of sleep, and he spake and addressed him with winged words:

Hardy art thou, old sir, and from toil thou never ceasest. 165 Are there not other sons of the Achaeans that be younger, who might then rouse each one of the kings, going everywhere throughout the host? But with thee, old sir, may no man deal.

English (Butler, rev. Nagy et al., 2020) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Butler, rev. Nagy et al., 2020)) — 10.128 focus

“In that case,” answered Nestor, the charioteer of Gerenia, “the Argives will not blame him nor disobey his orders [130] when he urges them to fight or gives them instructions.”

With this he put on his khiton, and bound his sandals about his comely feet. He buckled on his purple coat, of two thicknesses, large, and of a rough shaggy texture, [135] grasped his terrifying bronze-shod spear, and wended his way along the line of the ships of the bronze-armored Achaeans. First he called loudly to Odysseus peer of gods in counsel and woke him, for he was soon roused by the sound of the battle-cry. [140] He came outside his tent and said, “Why do you go thus alone about the army of warriors, and along the line of the ships in the stillness of the night? What is it that you find so urgent?” And Nestor, charioteer of Gerenia, answered, “Resourceful Odysseus, noble son of Laertes, [145] take it not amiss, for the Achaeans are in much grief [ akhos]. Come with me and let us wake some other, who may advise well with us whether we shall fight or flee.”

Then resourceful Odysseus went at once into his tent, put his shield about his shoulders and came out with them. [150] First they went to Diomedes, son of Tydeus, and found him outside his tent clad in his armor with his comrades sleeping round him and using their shields as pillows; as for their spears, they stood upright on the spikes of their butts that were driven into the ground, and the burnished bronze flashed afar like the lightning of father Zeus. The hero [155] was sleeping upon the skin of an ox, with a piece of fine carpet under his head; high-spirited Nestor went up to him and stirred him with his heel to rouse him, upbraiding him and urging him to bestir himself. “Wake up,” he exclaimed, “son of Tydeus. How can you sleep on in this way? [160] Can you not see that the Trojans are encamped on the brow of the plain hard by our ships, with but a little space between us and them?”

On these words Diomedes leaped up instantly and said, “Old man, your heart is of iron; you rest not one moment from your labors [ ponoi]. [165] Are there no younger men among the Achaeans who could go about to rouse the princes? There is no tiring you.”

English (William Cullen Bryant, 1870) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (William Cullen Bryant, 1870)) — 10.128 focus

And Nestor, the Gerenian knight, replied: -

"Then let no Greek condemn him, or refuse

150

To heed and to obey when he shall speak."

He spake, and drew his tunic o'er his breast,

Laced the fair sandals to his shapely feet,

And round him fastened, with a clasp, his cloak, -

A double web of purple, with full folds

155

And flowing pile. He grasped a massive spear,

Its blade of trenchant brass. And first he sought

The galleys of the Achaians brazen-mailed.

There shouted Nestor the Gerenian knight,

To raise Ulysses, best of counsellors,

160

Jove-like in wisdom; who perceived the voice,

And issued from his tent in haste, and said: -

"What brings you forth to walk the camp at night,

Beside the ships alone; what urgent cause?"

Then answered Nestor the Gerenian knight: -

165

"Son of Laertes, nobly born, and skilled

In wise devices, be thou not displeased:

A fearful woe impends above the Greeks:

Come, then, and call the other chiefs, to give

Their counsel whether we shall flee or fight."

170

He spake; and wise Ulysses, entering

His tent again, upon his shoulders laid

His well-wrought shield, and joined them as they went,

Till, coming to Tydides Diomed,

They found him by his tent among his arms,

175

His comrades sleeping round him with their shields

Beneath their heads. Their spears were set upright,

The nether points in earth. The polished brass

Gleamed like the lightnings of All-Father Jove.

In sleep the hero lay; a wild bull's hide

180

Was spread beneath him, and a carpet dyed

With glowing colors propped his head. The knight,

Gerenian Nestor, touched him with his foot

And roused him, and addressed him chidingly:-

"O son of Tydeus! wilt thou calmly sleep

185

All the night long? And hast thou, then, not heard

That on a height amidst the plain the sons

Of Troy are stationed, near the ships, and small

The space that parts the enemy's camp from ours?"

He spake. The son of Tydeus sprang from sleep

190

At once, and answered him with wingèd words:

"Thy labors are too constant, aged man;

Thou shrinkest from no hardship. Are there not

Young men among the Greeks to walk the camp

And call the kings? Thou never takest rest."

195

And Nestor, the Gerenian knight, replied: -

"Well hast thou said, my friend, for I have sons

Without reproach, and I have many troops;

And any one of these might walk the camp

And give the summons. But to-night there lies

200

A hard necessity upon the Greeks,

And their destruction and their rescue hang

Balanced on a knife's edge. Come then, since thou

Art younger, call swift Ajax and the son

Of Phyleus, if thou wouldst relieve my age."

205

English (Alexander Pope, 1720, ed. Watson, 1857) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Alexander Pope, 1720, ed. Watson, 1857)) — 10.128 focus

'Then none' (said Nestor) 'shall his rule withstand,

'For great examples justify command.'

With that, the venerable warrior rose;

150

The shining greaves his manly legs enclose;

His purple mantle golden buckles join'd,

Warm with the softest wool, and doubly lin'd.

Then, rushing from his tent, he snatch'd in haste

His steely lance, that lighten'd as he pass'd.

155

The camp he travers'd through the sleeping crowd,

Stopp'd at Ulysses' tent, and call'd aloud.

Ulysses, sudden as the voice was sent,

Awakes, starts up, and issues from his tent:

'What new distress, what sudden cause of fright,

160

'Thus leads you wandering in the silent night?'

'O prudent chief!' (the Pylian chief replied)

'Wise as thou art, be now thy wisdom tried:

'Whatever means of safety can be sought,

'Whatever counsels can inspire our thought,

165

'Whatever methods, or to fly or fight;

'All, all depend on this important night!'

He heard, return'd, and took his painted shield:

Then join'd the chiefs, and follow'd through the field.

Without his tent, bold Diomed they found,

170

All sheath'd in arms, his brave companions round:

Each sunk in sleep, extended on the field,

His head reclining on his bossy shield:

A wood of spears stood by, that, fix'd upright,

Shot from their flashing points a quivering light.

175

A bull's black hide compos'd the hero's bed;

A splendid carpet roll'd beneath his head.

Then, with his foot, old Nestor gently shakes

The slumbering chief, and in these words awakes:

'Rise, son of Tydeus! to the brave and strong

180

'Rest seems inglorious, and the night too long.

'But sleep'st thou now? when from yon hill the foe

'Hangs o'er the fleet, and shades our walls below?'

At this, soft slumber from his eyelids fled;

The warrior saw the hoary chief, and said:

185

'Wondrous old man! whose soul no respite knows,

'Though years and honours bid thee seek repose.

'Let younger Greeks our sleeping warriors wake;

'Ill fits thy age these toils to undertake.'

English (Thomas Hobbes, 1667, ed. Molesworth 1843) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Hobbes, 1667, ed. Molesworth 1843)) — 10.128 focus

Nestor again replied. 'Tis well, said he,

The Greeks will of him have a better thought,

And readier obedience he will find.

This said, he put himself into his coat,

115

And tied his shoes on, and his cloak well lined,

And took his spear in hand. Then on they went

Among the Argive ships upon the sand.

And when they came unto Ulysses' tent,

To call and waken him, they made a stand.

120

And Nestor, with his voice stretch'd to the height,

Call'd to him by his name. Ulysses straight

Came forth and said, Why come you in the night ?

Your bus'ness sure must be of mighty weight.

O Laërtiades, said Nestor then,

125

Take it not ill. Such is our misery.

But come with us to call up other men,

That we may counsel take to fight or fly.

Ulysses then returned into his tent,

And on his shoulders hung his painted shield;

130

And with them first to Diomed he went,

Whom they found armed in the open field,

His soldiers sleeping lay about him round,

And on his buckler each one had his head,

The butt-ends of their spears fix'd in the ground,

135

Whereof the points like lightning glittered.

But he himself slept on a good cow-hide,

His head upon a gaudy carpet laid.

Then Nestor came and standing at his side

Awak'd him with his foot, and to him said,

140

Awake, Tydides, hear you not how nigh

The Trojans are encamped to the fleet ?

This said, Tydides leap'd up suddenly,

And when he raised was upon his feet,

Nestor, said he, unhappy restless man,

145

That aged as you are take not your ease,

When younger men there are that better can

Call up the Argive princes if they please.

English (George Chapman, 1611, ed. Hooper 1857) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (George Chapman, 1611, ed. Hooper 1857)) — 10.128 focus

" Why now," said Nestor, " none will grudge, nor his just rule withstand.

Examples make excitements strong, and sweeten a command."

Thus put he on his arming truss, fair shoes upon his feet,

115

About him a mandilion, that did with buttons meet,

Of purple, large, and full of folds, curl'd with a warmful nap,

A garment that 'gainst cold in nights did soldiers use to wrap;

Then took he his strong lance in hand, made sharp with proved steel,

And went along the Grecian fleet. First at Ulysses' keel

120

He call'd, to break the silken fumes that did his senses bind.

The voice through th' organs of his ears straight rung about his mind.

¹²³

Forth came Ulysses, asking him: "Why stir ye thus so late?

Sustain we such enforcive cause?" He answer'd, "Our estate

Doth force this perturbation; vouchsafe it, worthy friend,

125

And come, let us excite one more, to counsel of some end

To our extremes, by fight, or flight." He back, and took his shield,

And both took course to Diomed. They found him laid in field,

Far from his tent; his armour by; about him was dispread

A ring of soldiers, every man his shield beneath his head;

130

His spear fix'd by him as he slept, the great end in the ground,

The point, that bristled the dark earth, cast a reflection round

Like pallid lightnings thrown from Jove; thus this heroë lay,

And under him a big ox-hide; his royal head had stay

On arras hangings, rolled up; whereon he slept so fast,

135

That Nestor stirr'd him with his foot, and chid to see him cast

In such deep sleep in such deep woes, and ask'd him why he spent

All night in sleep, or did not hear the Trojans near his tent,

Their camp drawn close upon their dike, small space 'twixt foes and foes?

He, starting up, said, " Strange old man, that never tak'st repose,

140

Thou art too patient of our toil. Have we not men more young,

To be employ'd from king to king? Thine age hath too much wrong."

English (William Cowper, 1791, ed. Southey) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (William Cowper, 1791, ed. Southey)) — 10.128 focus

To whom the brave Gerenian Chief replied.

Him none will censure, or his will dispute,

Whom he shall waken and exhort to rise.

So saying, he bound his corslet to his breast,

155

His sandals fair to his unsullied feet,

And fastening by its clasps his purple cloak

Around him, double and of shaggy pile,

Seized, next, his sturdy spear headed with brass,

And issued first, into the Greecian fleet.

160

There, Nestor, brave Gerenian, with a voice

Sonorous roused the Godlike counsellor

From sleep, Ulysses; the alarm came o'er

His startled ear, forth from his tent he sprang

Sudden, and of their coming, quick, enquired.

165

Why roam ye thus the camp and fleet alone

In darkness? by what urgent need constrain'd?

To whom the hoary Pylian thus replied.

Laertes' noble son, for wiles renown'd!

Resent it not, for dread is our distress.

170

Come, therefore, and assist us to convene

Yet others, qualified to judge if war

Be most expedient, or immediate flight.

He ended, and regaining, quick, his tent,

Ulysses slung his shield, then coming forth

175

Join'd them. The son of Tydeus first they sought.

Him sleeping arm'd before his tent they found,

Encompass'd by his friends also asleep;

His head each rested on his shield, and each

Had planted on its nether point erect

180

His spear beside him; bright their polish'd heads,

As Jove's own lightning glitter'd from afar.

Himself, the Hero, slept. A wild bull's hide

Was spread beneath him, and on arras tinged

With splendid purple lay his head reclined.

185

Nestor, beside him standing, with his heel

Shook him, and, urgent, thus the Chief reproved.

Awake, Tydides! wherefore givest the night

Entire to balmy slumber? Hast not heard

How on the rising ground beside the fleet

190

The Trojans sit, small interval between?

He ceased; then upsprang Diomede alarm'd

Instant, and in wing'd accents thus replied.

Old wakeful Chief! thy toils are never done.

Are there not younger of the sons of Greece,

195

Who ranging in all parts the camp, might call

The Kings to council? But no curb controuls

Or can abate activity like thine.

English (F. W. Newman, 1856) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (F. W. Newman, 1856)) — 10 focus

BOOK X

Now all the rest by galley-side, chieftains of Pan-Achaia,

Kept thro' the livelong night repose, by gentle sleep o'ermaster'd.

But not Atrides Agamemnon, shepherd of the people,

Might be in slumber sweet detain'd; but tides of thought did toss him.

And as when brighthair'd Juno's lord thro' heaven lightning sendeth,

Devising hail or piercing sleet (when snow the clods hath powder'd),

Or rainy flood ineffable, or bitter-yawning battle;

So thickly from his bosom sobb'd the royal Agamemnon,

Deep drawing from his heart the moan; and all his vitals trembled.

When o'er the Troian plain he gaz'd, the many flames admir'd he,

Which burnt in front of Ilium, - the sound of flutes and whistles,

And hum of men: but when he saw the Achaian folk and galleys,

Then many a hair with lowest roots from out his head uptare he

To Jupiter aloft; and deep his noble heart was shaken.

But to his mind this path appear'd the best; to go for Nestor,

The son of Neleus, first of men; if-that some blameless counsel

The twain might ponder, and from bale the Danaï deliver.

Upright he rais'd him, and put on around his breast the tunic,

And underneath his supple feet he bound the comely sandals.

But next, a fiery lion's hide he wrapt about his shoulders,

Vast, ruddy, reaching to the heel; and took his spear beside him.

So eke on Menelaüs came like trembling; nor did slumber

Sit on his eyelids; terror-struck, lest aught befal the Argives,

Who truly o'er the waters wide for vengeance of his quarrel

To Troas' land had voyaged, audacious combat planning.

First with a spotted panther-skin his shoulders' breadth he cover'd;

But next a brazen coronal upon his head adjusted,

And in his broad hand grasp'd a spear; and hied to rouse his brother,

Who mightily the Argives sway'd, and as a god was honour'd.

But him he found, around his frame the beauteous armour fitting,

At stern of galley; and to him brought joy by his arrival.

Then Menelaüs, good at need, his brother first accosted:

"My gracious sir, why armest thou? dost haply urge some comrade

To espy the Troian camp? but I do direly fear, that no one

This work will undertake, -alone amid the foes to venture,

Peering across ambrosial night. A sturdy heart is wanted."

To him in words reciprocal spake royal Agamemnon:

"Jove-nurtur'd Menelas! for thee and me is need of counsel,

Crafty to liberate and save the Argives and their galleys.

For Jove's intent is chang'd, who now on offerings of Hector

Rather hath set his mind: for I neither by sight nor story

Have known one man so rueful deeds within a day to compass,

As Hector, dear to Jove, hath wrought upon Achaia's children,

He a mere man, no sacred birth from god or goddess boasting.

Deeds hath he done, which, I aver, shall rouse concern in Argives

Lasting and long: such bale hath he against Achaia wreaked.

But hie thee hence, and summon now Idomeneus and Ajax,

Beside the galleys speeding thee; and I to godlike Nestor

Will go, and urge him to arise, if haply he be willing

Unto the sacred watcher-band to cross, and keenly stir them.

For none as he their ear might gain, sith as his son is leader

To marshal them; and eke with him Idomeneus' attendant,

Meriones. For upon these chief trust have we reposed."

Then Menelaüs, good at need, accosted him responsive:

"How willest thou that I perform this errand and injunction?

Am I beside the watch to stay, and wait until thou join us,

Or hie me after thee again, when duly I have charg'd them?"

Then Agamemnon, prince of men, reciprocal address'd him:

"Stay on the spot, lest we perchance miss each the other, passing,

Amid the gloom: for many are the paths along the army.

And where thou goest, speak aloud, and urge them to be wakeful,

And name the parentage of each, their line of sires recounting,

And lavish praise on all; nor err by haughtiness of spirit,

But let us both good service do in person. So, it seemeth,

Jove with the past events on us distressful moil imposes."

With such address and careful charge dispatched he his brother,

And hied himself in speed, to find Nestor, the people's shepherd.

But him he found within his tent, beside the dusky galley,

On a soft bed; and close to him was laid his curious armour,

His shield, two spears, and shining casque with triple crest above it.

Beside them lay his breadth of belt, all-motley; which around him

The old man girded, whensoe'er to hero-wasting battle,

Leading the folk, he hied; for he enfeebling Eld resisted.

Now on his elbow raising him, he, with the head uplifted,

Address'd his speech to Atreus' son, and summon'd him with question:

"Who lonely there beside the ships along the army paceth

In covert of the dusky night, when other mortals slumber?

Say, seekest thou some mule astray, or one of thy companions?

Speak out, nor silent come on me, but tell, what errand brings thee."

Then Agamemnon, prince of men, to him in turn responded:

"O Nestor, Neleus' progeny! great glory of the Achaians!

Canst Agamemnon recognize? whom in a sea of troubles

Beyond all mortals Jove hath plung'd, entirely and for ever,

While breath doth in my bosom dwell, and while my knees support me.

But thus I roam, sith on my eyes no gentle slumber sitteth;

For, my sad heart doth ruminate Achaian war and sorrows,

And grimly for the Danaï I fear: my thoughts within me

Steadfast no longer are, but faint, and waver: from my bosom

My heart outleapeth, and beneath, my gallant limbs are palsied.

But if thou aught of vigour hast, sith wakeful thou abidest,

Descend we to the sentinels, to visit them, lest haply,

Conquer'd by sleep and weariness, they yield themselves to slumber,

The watch forgetting: close at hand sitteth the foe; nor know we

100

Whether perchance in shades of night he eager be to combat."

To him thereat the charioteer Gerenian Nestor answer'd:

"O Agamemnon, prince of men, most glorious Atrides,

Truly not all the purposes which Hector now deviseth,

Will Jove the Counsellor perform; but he, I trow, will struggle

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With troubles more and worser, if from his disastrous anger

Achilles change his noble heart. But thee I gladly follow;

And others eke will we arouse; -the spear-renown'd Tydides,

Ulysses and swift Ajax and the valiant son of Phyleus,

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And greater Ajax, match for gods, if one were free to fetch him;

Withal, the prince Idomeneus; for farthest stand their galleys.

But Menelas, all-be-that I dear and august account him,

To thy displeasure will I chide, nor will I hide my censure,

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Who sleepeth, and to thee alone such busy duty leaveth.

But now his task it were, to toil beyond all other chieftains,

With supplication; for distress unbearable hath reach'd us."

Then Agamemnon, prince of men, accosted him responsive:

"My aged friend, at other times I bid thee to rebuke him;

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For oft in listlessness he waits and willeth not to labour,

Not from a coward slothful heart, nor aught perverse in temper,

But keeping still his eye on me, and my resolve awaiting.

Now woke he earlier than me, and stood above my pillow.

Him have I forward sent, to call the twain of whom thou askest.

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But go we: them I trust to meet before the fenced portals

Among the sentinels; for there the trysting-place assign'd I."

To him thereat the charioteer Gerenian Nestor answer'd:

"'Tis well: for so, on future day, none will of all the Argives

Indignant be or disobey, when he shall charge and urge them."

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This said, the aged man put on around his breast the tunic,

And underneath his supple feet he bound the comely sandals,

And at his shoulder button'd he a cloak of Punic purple,

Double, lowreaching, cover'd well with curly shag above it.

Then did he grasp a valiant spear, pointed with brass welltemper'd,

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And hied to go along the ships of brazen-cloak'd Achaians.

Ulysses first he found, to Jove an equipoise in counsel,

And with loud call arous'd him: quick the voice his heart encircled,

And from the tent forthwith he came, and spake to them in answer:

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"Why lonely thus beside the ships along the army roam ye

Mid the ambrosial night? wherein doth need so pressing urge you?"

To him thereat the charioteer Gerenian Nestor answer'd:

"O Jove-deriv'd, Laertes' son, Ulysses much-contriving,

Take no offence: so fierce distress upon the Achaians presseth.

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But follow, while we others rouse, whom it befits to summon

On our high council, to decide either on flight or battle."

He spake: then, entering his tent, Ulysses much-devising

Amuchwrought buckler slung around his breast, and mov'd behind them.

Next went they after Diomedes, Tydeus son; and found him

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Lying in arms outside his tent; and round, his comrades slumber'd.

Beneath their heads their bucklers lay; their spears upright were planted,

Fix'd in the earth by upper end: the brazen gleam, as lightning

Of father Jove, flash'd from afar: but he, their chief, was sleeping.

Beneath his body lay a hide, torn from a bull field-roaming,

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But underneath his head was stretch'd a sheeny-broider'd carpet.

Then with his foot the charioteer Gerenian Nestor stirr'd him,

And waken'd and exhorted him, and with reproach confronted:

"Wake, son of Tydeus! why all night dost cull the prime of slumber?

Nor knowest that the Troïans are seated near the galleys

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Along a swelling of the plain, and little space doth ward them?"

When thus accosted, from his sleep right quickly up he started,

And straightway speaking in reply, did winged accents utter:

"Severe art thou, my aged friend! from toil thou never restest.

Hath not Achaia younger sons than thee, to move patrolling

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And wake the princes? aged sir! distressful is thy vigour."

To him in turn the charioteer Gerenian Nestor answer'd:

"Ay, verily, all this, my friend, discreetly hast thou spoken;

For, blameless children, troth! have I, and a long train of peoples,

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Who might patrol and summon you: but heavy need oppresseth

The Achaians mightily: for now upon an edge of razor

Standeth their future, or to live, or fall in moanful ruin.

But come, swift Ajax rouse for us; withal, the son of Phyleus;

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Sith pity for my age thou hast: for thou than me art younger."

Hereat, a fiery lion's hide, vast, reaching to the ankle,

Tydides round his shoulders wrapt, and took his spear beside him,

And started on his path: and them he rous'd and quickly gather'd.

But when amid the assembled watch at length they were arrived,

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Not slumbering, I wis, they found the captains of the watchers,

But all with panoply complete in wakeful mood were seated.

As, penn'd upon a field, the dogs around the sheep are anxious,

Hearing some stalwart-hearted beast, who thro' the forest howleth,

Crossing the mountains; after him an endless riot gathers

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Of dogs and shepherds; all the night, their hope of sleep hath perish'd:

So from their eyelids vanish'd then all hope of gentle slumber,

As thro' that evil night they watch'd: for to the plain they alway

Turn'd their regard, whene'er they deem'd the Troïans advancing.

At sight of them the aged man was joyous, and, to cheer them,

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He spake a word enheartening, and winged accents utter'd:

"Dear children! watch ye, diligent, as now; and let not slumber

Any invade; lest we become a triumph to the foemen."

He spake, and crossing, pass'd the moat; and after him there follow'd

All who to council summon'd were, king-leaders of the Argives.

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Along with them Meriones and Nestor's brilliant offspring

Proceeded; for the kings themselves their joint advice invited.

Then o'er the moat, which deep was dug, they cross'd, and took their station

On a clear space, where open ground was seen between the corpses,

Which fell, where Hector yester-eve set pause upon his fury,

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Prostrate the Argives laying, when the shades of night inclos'd him.

Here duly seated, each to each did canny counsel open.

To them the Pylian charioteer, Nestor, began discourses :

"My friends! can no man then be found of Argos, who, confiding

In his own daring soul, among the mighty-hearted Troians

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Would venture, if perchance he catch some foeman on the outskirt,

Or hear among the Troïans some rumour of their purpose,

Whether their bent be, here to stay, afar, anent the galleys,

Or to the city back to go, as victors of the Achaians.

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Might he such questions duly sound, and safe return among us,

His glory would to heaven reach, and noble gifts await him.

For upon him shall every chief, who Argive galleys swayeth,

Bestow a black ewe, big with young, of woolly chattels peerless;

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And alway shall he find a seat at public feast and banquet."

Such was his counsel: thereupon they all were dumb in silence,

Till Diomedes, good at need, utter'd his voice among them:

"Nestor, my heart and noble soul doth mightily bestir me

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Into the Troian foeman-host, which near us lies, to enter.

But, with another join'd, it were more comforting and cheery.

When two together go, the one before the other seizeth,

How gain is won; but, when alone, if rightly he discern it,

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Yet all his mind more sluggish is, and puny is his counsel."

He spake; then many wish'd to be escort to Diomedes,

Both the Ajaces wish'd for it, twin ministers of Ares, -

And Merion: but greatly did the son of Nestor wish it.

The son of Atreus wish'd for it, spear-famous Meneläus.

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And much Ulysses wish'd, the crowd of Troïans to enter;

For alway he in daring soul some enterprize was plotting.

Then Agamemnon, prince of men, pronounc'd his word among them:

"O Diomedes, Tydeus' son, to my regards most pleasing,

Now mayest thou thyself select the comrade whom thou willest,

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Who of the claimants bravest is; sith many here are eager.

But thou no reverence of heart indulge, to lose the braver,

Where choice is free; nor take the worse, by bashfulness persuaded,

Looking to birth; not even if one kinglier be offer'd."

So spake he, inwardly afraid for auburn Meneläus.

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But Diomedes, good at need, again replied among them:

"If then in truth ye lay on me myself to choose a comrade,

Could I in such arbitrement, forget divine Ulysses,

In whom the heart and noble soul surpassingly is forward

For every feat of hardiment; and maid Athene loves him?

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If he be my escórt, I ween we might return deliver'd

Safe even out of blazing fire: so sage are his devices."

To him the much-enduring man, divine Ulysses, answer'd:

"O son of Tydeus, praise me not too much, nor yet reproach me;

For, those who hear thee, Argives are, with me and thee acquainted.

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But go we; for the night apace doth yield, and morn approacheth:

The stars are far upon their course, and of the nightly watches

More than two parts are gone; a third barely is left for action."

So spake they mutual; and both assum'd their dreadful armour.

A buckler upon Tydeus' son war-biding Thrasymedes

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Bestow'd, and cutlass double-edg'd; for he beside the galleys

Had left his own: and round his head he plac'd a cap of bull-hide,

Ridgeless and crestless; such as guards the heads of blooming callants.

But to Ulysses Merion a bow and quiver offer'd,

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And sword; and plac'd around his head a helmet wrought of leather,

With many a twisted strap within girt strongly; but without it

On either side in thick array a boar's white tusks were planted

Well and right cleverly; but felt was in the middle fitted.

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From Eleon, where reign'd of yore Ormenides Amyntor,

Autolycus had stolen it, the closed chamber boring.

It at Scandeia he bestowed on a Kytheran hero,

Amphidamas; from whom it pass'd as hospitable token

To Molus: he to Merion, his proper son, bequeath'd it,

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For use of war: now, settled close, Ulysses' head it shelter'd.

So then the twain, when both were busk'd complete in dreadful armour,

Hied them to go; and on the spot, behind them, all the bravest

They left; and maid Athene sent beside the road, to greet them,

A lucky heron: mid the gloom its cry they knew, tho' nothing

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Saw they. Ulysses then rejoic'd, and thus besought Athene:

"Offspring of ægis-holding Jove, who alway dost beside me

In every feat of danger stand, and all my goings knowest,

Hearken to me, and chiefly now befriend me, O Athene!

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Grant us returning to arrive with glory at the galleys,

After some deed of hardiment, which Troians long may ponder."

Next Diomedes, good at need, did second raise his prayer:

"Eke unto me, O child of Jove! unweariable! hearken.

Escort me, as of yore thou didst my father, godlike Tydeus,

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Escort to Thebes, when forth he went ambassador for Argos,

And left upon Asopus' banks the brazen-cloak'd Achaians.

Thither a gentle word did he to the Cadmeians carry;

Yet he on his returning path a dire achievement plotted,

Goddess divine! by thy support, who stoodest by, to prompt him.

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In the same fashion now, beside me willing stand, and guard me:

And I to thee will sacrifice a broad-fac'd yearling heifer

Untam'd; which no man hitherto beneath the yoke hath fasten'd.

Gold will I spread around its horns and yield it to thy honour."

So utter'd they the word of pray'r, and maid Athene heard them.

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When to the imp of mighty Jove they thus had paid their worship,

They hied to go, as lions twain, amid the nightly darkness,

O'er carcases and dusky gore, thro' weapons and thro' carnage.

Eke Hector, neither yet did he permit the haughty Troians

To sleep; but into council thick he all the bravest summon'd,

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As many as of Troians were governours and leaders.

When these together he had call'd, a canny word disclos'd he:

"Who for a mighty guerdon now would undertake and finish

The deed which in my mind I plan? nor should his meed be scanty.

For I will give the chariot and two high-crested coursers,

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Which are of all preeminent at yon Achaian galleys,

On him, who hath the hardiment to earn him proper glory,

And near the swift-careering ships to go, and make inquiry,

Whether they guard them, as of old, or, by our hands o'ermaster'd,

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Among themselves they meditate a homeward flight; and haply,

Outwearièd by direful toil, neglect the nightly watches."

So he harangu'd them: thereupon they all were dumb in silence. -

Among the Troians was a man, Dolon; whose sire Eumedes

A godlike herald was: the son was rich in gold and copper,

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And had in form no comeliness, tho' excellent his swiftness:

Five were the daughters of his sire, but he their only brother.

Who then stood forth, and spake his word to Hector and the Troians:

"Hector! my heart and noble soul doth mightily bestir me

Near to the swift-careering ships to go, and make inquiry.

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But come, thy sceptre forward reach, and swear an oath upon it,

That verily the chariot inwrought with brass, and coursers

On me thou wilt bestow, which bear the spotless son of Peleus.

But I a spy to thee will be nor vain nor short of promise:

For thro' and thro' the army I will pass, till I arrive at

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The ship of Agamemnon, where (I deem) the bravest heroes

Join the high council, to decide either on flight or battle."

Then Hector held his sceptre forth, and sware an oath upon it:

"Bear witness Jupiter himself loud-rumbling lord of Juno;

No other man of Troïans shall on these coursers mount him,

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But thou perpetual shalt reap delight from them and glory."

False was the oath which thus he sware, yet him it keenly stirred.

Quickly behind his back he slung his bending bow and quiver:

On outer part a hoary skin of wolf he wrapt around him,

With casque of weasel screen'd his head, and seiz'd a pointed jav'lin,

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And from the army hied toward the ships. But backward journey

None was for him by Fate decreed, to bring report to Hector.

But when the crowd of steeds and men he left, and eager sallied,

Ulysses his approach perceiv'd, and spake to Diomedes :

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"Some man, O Diomedes, -hark! comes hither from the army,

Whether the galleys to espy, or to despoil the corpses.

But let us suffer him to pass along the plain a little,

Then, rushing after, catch him quick: or if his feet outstrip us,

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Yet shipward press him with the spear, from his own folk divided."

After such whisper and reply, they crouch'd amid the corpses

Beside the path; and swiftly he, O simpleton! ran past them.

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When só far onward he was gone, as in a match of ploughing

The mules unto the oxen give: -for they by far are quicker

In new and sinking soil to drag the heavy-framed ploughshare ;-

Then, in pursuit, on ran the twain. He heard, and stood and listen'd ;

For o'er his mind this fancy rush'd, that, at command of Hector,

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His comrades of the Troïans came after to recal him.

But when within a lance's length they reach'd, he knew the foemen,

And plied his supple knees to flee; and sharply did they chase him.

As when, with jagged rows of teeth, two hounds to hunting trained

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Over a woody lawn pursue a fawn or hare with effort

Ever incessant; forward scuds with shriek the tender quarry:

So then the son of Tydeus, with Ulysses city-rieving,

From his own folk dividing him, pursued with speed relentless.

But when all bút he had achiev'd to mingle with the watchers,

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In flight uuto the galleys, then Athene mighty vigour

Into Tydides breath'd, lest some of brazen-cloak'd Achaians

Boast earlier to fling the dart, and he but follow second.

Then, brandishing his weapon, cried the stalwart Diomedes:

"Stand still, or else my javelin shall reach thee: nor, I reckon,

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Long time shalt thou beneath my hand escape headlong destruction."

He spake, and hurl'd his javelin, but miss'd the man on purpose.

The point of its well-polish'd shaft over his better shoulder

Glided, and fasten'd in the ground: then still he stood, and trembled,

All pale with fear; and in his mouth his teeth did champ and chatter.

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Panting, the twain arriv'd and seiz'd his hands: then weeping spake he:

"Save me alive, O warriours, and take a worthy ransom.

For in our home is brass and gold and varied forms of iron.

From these my sire would speedily with boundless ransom please you,

Soon as he learns of me alive beside the Achaian galleys."

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To him, thereat, responsive spake Ulysses much-devising:

"Be of good cheer, nor let thy mind by thoughts of death be troubled.

But come, explain thou this to me and faithfully declare it:

Why from the army lonely thus toward the galleys goest

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In covert of the dusky night, when other mortals slumber?

Is it, the corpses to despoil? or art thou sent by Hector

As spy upon the hollow ships? or comest thou self-bidden?"

Dolon replied, and while he spake, his limbs beneath him trembled:

"By frenzied follies Hector me entic'd against my judgment,

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Who gave assent to yield to me the single-hoofed horses

Of Peleus' lordly son, and eke the car with brass adorned;

And thro' the night's swift-rushing gloom he bade me to adventure,

And to the foeman's galley-side to go, and make inquiry,

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Whether they guard them, as of old, or, by our hands o'ermaster'd,

Among themselves they meditate a homeward flight; and haply,

Outwearièd by direful toil, neglect the nightly watches."

To him with smiling glance replied Ulysses much-devising:

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"To mighty guerdon verily aspir'd thy daring passion.

Hard are those steeds for mortal men to tame and guide in harness,

To all but skilful Achileus, born of a deathless mother.

But come, explain thou this to me, and faithfully declare it.

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Where, hither coming, leftest thou Hector, the people's shepherd?

Where is his martial armour laid? and where repose his horses?

And of all other Troïans how lie the beds and watches?

What are their plans? and are they bent to stay anent the galleys,

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Or to the city back to go, as victors of the Achaians?"

Dolon, Eumedes' son, thereat reciprocal address'd him :

"Right faithfully will I to thee declare the things thou askest.

With those who are high councillors Hector exchangeth counsels

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Far from the din of war, beside the tomb of godlike Ilus.

As for the watches, none distinct do guard and save the army.

For where a fire is kindled, there are men awake to watch it :

Each guardeth other: but the allies, from many countries summon'd,

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Slumber; for to the Troïans they trust the charge of watching.

Themselves in near vicinity nor children have nor women."

To him in turn responded then Ulysses much-devising:

"But how? promiscuous reclin'd with coursertaming Troians

Slumber they? or on ground apart? distinctly this inform me."

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Dolon, Eumedes' son, thereat reciprocal address'd him :

"This also, which thou askest me, right faithfully I tell thee.

Toward the sea the Leleges and Cares and Caucônes,

And Pæones with bending bows, and the divine Pelasgi.

Thymbre-ward lie the Lycians and haughty-hearted Mysi,

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And Mæones with horsehair-crests, and coursertaming Phryges.

But why thus carefully of me inquire ye where they slumber?

For if ye eager are, the crowd of Troïans to enter,

Here lie the Thracians apart, new-come, of all the outmost.

Rhesus, the son of Eioneus, their king, encamps among them,

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Whose steeds I saw, of all on earth the handsomest and largest,

Whiter in hue than falling snow, and like the winds in fleetness.

With gold and silver beauteous his chariot is fashion'd.

With him he brings a spectacle right marvellous to gaze at,

Gigantic armour, all of gold, which for a man and mortal

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Seemeth too glorious to wear; meet only for the deathless.

But now permit me to approach the swift-careering galleys,

Else bind me with a ruthless bond, and here behind you leave me,

Till ye have gone and trial made, whether I told you truly."

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To him with scowling glance replied the stalwart Diomedes:

"Dolon! no fancy of escape within thy heart indulge thou,

Sithence our hands have grappled thee; albeit good thy tiding.

For, ransom'd or escaping now, mightest thou come tomorrow

Against the swift Achaian ships, as spy or open fighter.

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But if, beneath my hands laid low, thou here from life shalt vanish,

Never wilt thou hereafter work annoy against the Argives."

Then Dolon reach'd his spreading hand, upon the beard to stroke him,

In guise of suppliant; but he, uprising with the cutlass,

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Smote him in middle of the neck and adverse tendons sever'd;

And ere his lips as yet were still, his head with dust was mingled.

Then off they stript the weasel-cap, and double bow and quiver,

Wolfskin and spear; but these aloft divine Ulysses raising

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Unto Athene booty-driving, spake his vow and worship:

"With these, O goddess, be thou pleas'd: for thee, of all immortals

First, in Olympus we invoke: but once again conduct us

Against the coursers and the beds of men arriv'd from Thrake."

This said, upon a tamarisk he rais'd aloft and plac'm them.

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Then reeds collecting and the twigs of tamarisk fresh-sprouting,

He made a token, clear to sight in gloom of night swift-rushing.

This finish'd, onward went the twain, thro' dusky gore and weapons,

And sudden came upon the band of men arriv'd from Thrake.

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And they, by toil outwearièd, did slumber; and beside them

Upon the ground in order fair by triple row their weapons

Brilliant were laid; and every man had coursers twain beside him.

But Rhesus in the middle slept; and his swift chargers near him,

From outmost rim of chariot with leathern straps were coupled.

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Ulysses then, first seeing him, to Diomedes beckon'd:

"O Diomedes, lo! the man, and lo! the snow-white coursers,

Which Dolon, whom we slew but now, hath faithfully denoted.

But come, thy stalwart might put forth. Idle to stand, befits not

A harness'd warriour like thee: do thou untie the horses:

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Or else, the men shalt thou assail, and I will tend the horses."

When thus he spake, the greyey'd maid breath'd might into Tydides.

From side to side he slaughter'd them; and horrible the groaning

Rose, as the smiting cutlass fell: red grew the earth with carnage.

And as a lion on a flock of cattle unprotected,

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Or goats or sheep, doth sudden pounce with heart of desolation,

So did the son of Tydeus then pursue the men of Thrake,

Till twelve lay slain beneath him: but Ulysses much-devising,

Seiz'd by the foot and backward trail'd each slaughter'd man, with purpose,

For-that the glossy-coated steeds might find an easy passage,

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Nor tremble, stepping on the dead: for new were they to slaughter.

But when unto the king at last the son of Tydeus reached,

From him, the thirteenth, ravish'd he the life, as honey pleasant,

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Gasping already for, that night, by purpose of Athene,

Over his head a phantom dire stood forth, the son of Tydeus!

Daring Ulysses loos'd meanwhile the single-hoofed horses

Slung them together, drove them out, and whipp'd them with his bowstring;

(For from the curious car to take the shining scourge forgat he ;)

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Then with a whistle notice gave to godlike Diomedes.

He on some new daredevilry, staying behind, did ponder;

Whether to seize the chariot, which held the curious armour,

And outward drag it by the pole, or mightily uphoist it,

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Or from the troop of Thracians devote more lives to slaughter.

While all his soul with such debate did heave, meanwhile Athene

Close standing by his side, address'd the godlike Diomedes.

"Now meditate return, O son of mighty-hearted Tydeus,

Unto the smoothly-hollow ships; lest scar'd thou hurry thither,

510

If haply by some other god the Troians too be waken'd."

When thus she whisper'd, right he knew the goddess' voice which warn'd him.

Quickly they mounted on the steeds; and with his bow Ulysses

Smack'd them; and fleetly they approach'd the sharp Achaian galleys.

Meantime no idle watch was kept by silver-bow'd Apollo :

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And soon as he with Tydeus' son beheld Athene dealing,

With her enrag'd, he rush'd amid the crowded throng of Troians,

And rous'd from sleep Hippocoön, high counsellor of Thrake,

Who Rhesus' noble kinsman was: then up from slumber starting,

When empty he beheld the place, wherestood the snow-white coursers,

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And found the corpses heaving yet, with noisome carnage reeking,

He thereupon groan'fully, and call'd his dear companion.

Soon tumult and uncounted scream rose, as the tide of Troians

Promiscuous together rush'd, and gaz'd at deeds of horror,

Achiev'd by men unseen,—escap'd unto the hollow galleys.

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But when they came returning, where they slew the spy of Hector,

There did Ulysses, dear to Jove, arrest the coursers' gallop.

His comrade, leaping to the ground, the gory spoils recover'd,

And plac'd them in Ulysses's hands, and on the steed remounted.

They flogg'd the coursers, nothing loth in flying race to speed them

530

Unto the smoothly-hollow ships, whither their wishes hasted.

And Nestor first the tramping heard, and urgently address'd them:

"O friends, who to the Argive folk are governours and leaders,

Falsely or truly, shall I say what yet my heart persuadeth?

My ears do quiver with the tramp of nimble-footed horses.

535

O heaven! may Ulysses thus and stalwart Diomedes

Drive sudden from the Troïans the single-hoofed horses.

Yet grimly in my heart I dread, lest-that the Argive bravest

In some disaster tangled be beneath the Troian riot."

Not all his word was utter'd yet, when lo! themselves arrived.

540

Quick to the ground dismounted they: the rest, in heart delighted,

With the right hand saluted them and eke with honey'd speeches.

First thereupon the charioteer Gerenian Nestor ask'd them:

"Come say, Ulysses, rich of lore, great glory of the Achaians,

Whence are these coursers? took ye them amid the throng of Troians?

545

Or did some god fall in with you, and give them as a present?

To the sun's awful brilliancy would I compare their whiteness.

Ever among the Troian ranks I mix; nor wont to tarry

Beside the galleys, troth, am I, albeit old for fighting:

Yet coursers, such as these, not yet with eye nor fancy saw I,

550

But rather ween I that some god hath met you and bestow'd them.

For cloud-collecting Jupiter to both of you hath favour,

And eke Athene, maiden-imp of Jove the ægisholder."

To him in turn responsive spake Ulysses much-devising:

"O Nestor, Neleus' progeny, great glory of the Achaians,

555

A god, who will'd it, easily might honour us with presents

Of coursers nobler far than these; for greatly are they higher.

Howbeit, aged friend, in sooth, the steeds, of which thou askest,

Are Thracian and newly come; and gallant Diomedes

Slaughter'd their lord, and by his side twelve comrades, all his bravest.

560

A thirteenth man, whose spoils are here, we captur'd near the galleys,

Whom, to espy our camp, and sound our strength and courage, Hector

And other lordly Troïans sent forward from their army."

This said, across the moat he urg'd the singlehoofed horses,

Highglorying; along with him the others went, delighted.

565

When at the tightly joined tent of Tydeus' son arriv'd they,

With wellcut thongs they fastened the horses to the manger,

Where, eating honey-pleasant wheat, stood Diomedes' horses.

And on the poop Ulysses hung the gory spoils of Dolon,

570

High on his ship, to furnish out a trophy for Athene.

Themselves, descending on the beach, into the waters waded,

From feet below, to neck above, the cleansing power courting.

But when the tossing wave had wash'd much sweat from off their members,

And had their hearts refresh'd, they stept into the baths wellpolish'd.

575

After their bodies thus were bath'd, and with fat oil anointed,

So sat they to the morning-meal, and to Athene's honour

Tilted the honey-pleasant wine, out of the full bowl teeming.

New Alexandria Commentaries

Casey Dué

πονέεσθαι

There is a cluster of three occurrences of this verb: here, in 10.117, and in Agamemnon’s response in 10.121. It is also used in 10.70, and the noun from which it is derived, πόνος, appears at 10.89, 10.164, 10.245, and 10.279. These words are also used for the hardships of (daytime) battle, but see our essay “Poetics of Ambush” for a discussion of the associations that “hard labor” has with ambush fighting.

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πολλάκι γὰρ μεθίει

Douglas Frame (2009:214–216) demonstrates that “giving way,” especially in deference to his brother, is a traditional characteristic of Menelaos. In addition to here, the verb μεθίημι is used of Menelaos in two other places: at Odyssey 4.372 and most tellingly at Iliad 23.434, where Menelaos gives way to Antilokhos in the chariot race. Frame connects that event in particular with Menelaos’ nostos, in which he displays hesitancy, lack of incitement, and a lack of noos. These same qualities will make him a poor choice for the spying mission: Agamemnon seems to know this, as we see in his fear that Diomedes will choose Menelaos based on status alone (see 10.237–240). As we have noted elsewhere (see 10.31), Menelaos is portrayed as a successful ambusher in the Odyssey, but that portrayal seems quite separate from his relationship with his brother, whom, as we have seen earlier on this night, he looks to for direction, even as he is the first to voice the idea of the spying mission.

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χλαῖναν

Nestor does not put on an animal skin, but rather an impressive cloak (khlaina). For the traditional language of these dressing scenes, compare 10.21–22. See also below on 10.149.

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βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι

See on 10.32.

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Ὀδυσῆα Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον

This is not the first time that Odysseus’ name is mentioned in Iliad 10 (see 10.109), but it is the first place that he appears in the narrative, and the first place in our text that he is given a description of any kind. Here and twice in Iliad 2, Odysseus is called “the equivalent of Zeus in craft [mētis].” Odysseus rivals the gods in this kind of intelligence, by which he engineers alternative warfare and the daring escapes that are his specialty in the Odyssey. One of Odysseus’ most common epithets in the Iliad and Odyssey, πολύμητις (as at 10.148), likewise highlights this central aspect of Odysseus’ character. Odysseus is the hero who takes down the Cyclops by a carefully orchestrated ambush, and the attack on the suitors is structured like an ambush in many ways. We have noted as well that the sack of Troy is an ambush, of which Odysseus is the mastermind. (For more on mētis in the Doloneia, see on 10.19 and “The Poetics of Ambush” above. On Odysseus as the hero of mētis, see above on 10.5–9, Haft 1990, and Holmberg 1997:14–15. For Odysseus’ epithets in the Odyssey, see Austin 1975:25–53.

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φθεγξάμενος· τὸν δ᾽ αἶψα περὶ φρένας ἤλυθ᾽ ἰωή

Note the emphasis on the sound of Nestor’s voice as he rouses Odysseus from sleep. On the aural aspects of this episode, see above pp. 62–68 and on 10.85.

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We find night likewise described in Iliad 10.142. Ambrosia, the food of both the gods (see Odyssey 5.93, 5.199, 9.359) and their divine horses, is used by the gods for a variety of other purposes in Homer, including as perfume (Odyssey 4.445), as a cosmetic (Iliad 14.170), and as a preservative for the corpses of Patroklos and Sarpedon (Iliad 16.670 and 680 and 19.38). At Iliad 1.529, Zeus’ hair is described as ambrosios, as is sleep at 2.19. In Iliad 18.268 and 24.363, night is again ambrosial. There is, as we can see, a wide range of associations for this word.\r\n\r\nIn Iliad 10.83, 10.276, and 10.386, the metrically equivalent phrase νύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίην is used in the same position in the line. This phrase has a spondee where ἀμβροσίην has a dactyl, but both phrases occupy the same metrical space. νύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίην is also found at Odyssey 9.143 and the Homeric Hymn to Hermes 578. Although it is not impossible to have two metrically equivalent formulas expressing the same essential idea, such duplications are rare in Homer, so we should expect the two adjectives to convey different things. The context of νύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίην in Odyssey 9 is the ambush-like episode of the Cyclops (see Dué and Ebbott 2010), and its use of Hermes (whose nighttime thievery and cunning are celebrated in the Homeric Hymn) is likewise suggestive of an association between this word and nighttime escapades. Norman Austin (1975:71–73) sees ὀρφναίη as being particularly evocative of night’s darkness, which is of course appropriate for both ambush and thievery. Night is in general ambrosial, according to Austin, because of the welcome rest it brings at the end of the day, but it is particularly so in the Iliad: “Night [in the Iliad] means the end of a day’s fighting. It is relief from weary battle, but, more importantly for the Homeric hero, it means survival through another day.” But the night of Iliad 10 is marked by anxiety, fear, and a raid on the enemy camp, hence the appropriateness of νύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίην. (For alternate views on why night is ambrosial, see Hainsworth 1993 ad 10.41 and Heubeck, West, and Hainsworth 1988 ad 4.429, 4.445, and 5.93 with bibliography ad loc.)\r\n\r\nGeorg Danek (1988:80) has interpreted the alternation between the formulas νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην and νύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίην as an intentional variation on the part of the composer of this book. (For more on Danek’s arguments about the composer of Iliad 10, see Dué and Ebbott 2010. Danek views the attempt to vary traditional phraseology as a hallmark of this poet’s individual style. As we note in the above referenced essay, this approach is problematic from the standpoint of the methodology developed by Parry and Lord in studying oral traditions. It rests on the assumption that a singer within a traditional system would strive to “break free” of that tradition and compose in a new way. Austin’s approach is helpful, because it finds two different ways that night can be characterized and shows how context affects the choice of either formula. Throughout his 1975 work, however, Austin himself seeks to counter Parry’s demonstration of the economy of Homeric diction, and uses these words as an example of how the poet of the Iliad can achieve various literary goals, unconstrained by formulaic diction. But another way to look at it is to say that Austin’s account of the different conceptualizations of the night enhances and clarifies Parry’s arguments about the economy of Homeric diction, which Parry describes as “free of phrases which, having the same metrical value and expressing the same idea, could replace one another” (Parry 1971:86). There is more than one way to say “night” here, because night is not a monolithic concept. When a poet wants to invoke night with its associations with relief and rest, νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην would be easily summoned. The night encompassed by Iliad 10, however, is of a different sort, and as a result, the formula νύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίην is used three or four times. This interpretation seems strengthened by Iliad 24.363, which is identical to 10.83, with the exception of the formula for night:\r\n\r\nτίς δ᾽ οὗτος κατὰ νῆας ἀνα στρατὸν ἔρχεαι οἶος\r\n\r\nνύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίην, ὅτε θ᾽ εὕδουσι βροτοὶ ἄλλοι,\r\nIliad 10.82–83

\r\n“Who is this that comes down to the ships through the encamped mass of warriors all alone\r\n\r\nthrough the dark night, when other mortals are sleeping?”\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nπῇ πάτερ ὧδ’ ἵππους τε καὶ ἡμιόνους ἰθύνεις\r\n\r\nνύκτα δι’ ἀμβροσίην, ὅτε θ’ εὕδουσι βροτοὶ ἄλλοι;\r\nIliad 24.362–363

\r\n“Where, father, are you driving your horses and mules like this\r\n\r\nthrough the ambrosial night, when the other mortals are sleeping?”\r\n\r\nIn Iliad 24, Priam is attempting to sneak into Achilles’ camp during the night undetected; the formula νύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίην would seem to be appropriate. (See above on 10.1ff. for more on how Priam’s journey has thematic associations with other nighttime missions to the enemy’s camp.) But the speaker of these lines is the disguised Hermes, talking to Priam in the form of a young man who should be unaware of Priam’s mission. Accordingly, he uses the more innocent-sounding and divine νύκτα δι’ ἀμβροσίην. Alternatively, we can interpret the absence of ὀρφναίην as significant within the system that generated the two formulas. As we have seen, the theme of the night raid/ambush attracts its own subset of formulas, which are not typically found outside of this context in Homer. If Priam’s expedition to Achilles, though it takes place at night, is not being characterized as an ambush, night is therefore not dark, but the more generic “ambrosial.” (For a more expanded discussion of how this formula works within the theme of ambush, see, in addition to Dué and Ebbott 2010, Dué 2011.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nReferences\r\n\r\nAustin, N. 1975. Archery at the Dark of the Moon: Poetic Problems in Homer’s Odyssey. Berkeley.\r\n\r\nDanek, G. 1988. Studien zur Dolonie. Vienna.\r\n\r\nDué, C. and Ebbott, M. 2010. Iliad 10 and the Poetics of Ambush: A Multitext Edition with Essays and Commentary. Cambridge, MA.\r\n\r\nDué, C. 2011. “Maneuvers in the dark of night: Iliad 10 in the twenty-first century.” In Homeric Contexts: Neoanalysis and the Interpretation of Oral Poetry (eds. F. Montanari, A. Rengakos, and C. Tsagalis) 165–173. Berlin.\r\n\r\nHainsworth, J. B. 1993. The Iliad: A Commentary III. Books 9–12. Cambridge.\r\n\r\nHeubeck, A., West S., and Hainsworth, J. eds. 1988. A Commentary on Homer’s Odyssey. Vol. I. Oxford.\r\n\r\nLord, A. B. 1960/2000. The Singer of Tales. Cambridge, MA. 2^nd ed, 2000. ed. S. Mitchell and G. Nagy. Cambridge, MA.\r\n\r\nParry, A., ed. 1971. The Making of Homeric Verse: The Collected Papers of Milman Parry. Oxford.\r\n\r\n

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On the theme of “need,” see above on 10.85.

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νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην

In the Venetus A, the oldest complete medieval manuscript of the Iliad, ὀρφναίην is written in the margin next to νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην at this line (see Figure 5), and a thirteenth-century manuscript (Vaticanus Graecus 26) prints ὀρφναίην here instead of ἀμβροσίην. On the significance of the two adjectives and the variation we find here, see above on 10.41.

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διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη πολυμήχαν’ Ὀδυσσεῦ

Nestor, who is the most diplomatic of the heroes in the Iliad, addresses Odysseus in connection with both his lineage and with two of his traditional epithets, thereby using an entire hexameter to address him. He does the same with Agamemnon in 10.103 (Ἀτρεΐδη κύδιστε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγάμεμνον), in precisely the way that Agamemnon instructs Menelaos to wake up the heroes in 10.68–69. And as with Agamemnon, Nestor chooses what is perhaps the most honorific of Odysseus’ traditional epithets. In the Iliad, the epithet διογενὲς ‘descended from Zeus’ is applied to several heroes, including Patroklos (1.337), Achilles (1.489), Ajax (4.489), and Menelaos (23.294), but in the Odyssey it is restricted to Odysseus. πολυμήχανος, on the other hand, is Odysseus’ distinctive epithet. It is used of him and him alone, and, with one exception, always in the vocative. That one exception is the signature description of Odysseus by Athena, who in the guise of Mentes tells Telemakhos that his father is on his way home, “since he is a man of many devices (πολυμήχανος, Odyssey 1.205).”

It is a testament to the economy of Homeric diction that other than the full verse phrase that appears here (and six other places in the Iliad, as well as fifteen times in the Odyssey) there are only three ways to address Odysseus in the vocative in our Iliad, each with a different metrical configuration: ὦ πολύαιν’ Ὀδυσεῦ μέγα κῦδος Ἀχαιῶν (9.673, 10.544), ὦ Ὀδυσεῦ πολύαινε (11.430), and [ὦ] Ὀδυσεῦ (9.346, 14.104). This does not mean, however, that the epithets are without semantic weight (see especially the formulation of Lord 1960/2000:66, quoted on 10.3 above). The full verse formula is particularly flexible and can be used or not at a composer’s discretion. Its contexts suggest that it conveys formality and respect. In the Iliad, the goddess Athena and the heroes Agamemnon, Diomedes, Achilles, and Ajax address Odysseus this way. In the Odyssey, Athena, Calypso, and Circe do, as do the shades of Teiresias, Agamemnon, and Achilles.

Diomedes, by contrast, does not get quite the same respect as Agamemnon and Odysseus. In 10.159, Diomedes is addressed as simply “the son of Tydeus.” In Iliad 9.32–49, Diomedes is the first to speak after Agamemnon’s address to the assembled warriors and is sharply critical of him. Nestor praises Diomedes for his abilities as a warrior and for his speaking ability but qualifies the latter: he is the best in counsel for his age group (Iliad 9.54). It seems that Diomedes is still too junior in relation to Nestor to get the full honorific address. Three times, however, he is addressed by others with the affectionate full-line formula Τυδεΐδη Διόμηδες ἐμῷ κεχαρισμένε θυμῷ (Iliad 5.242, by Sthenelos; Iliad 5.826, by Athena; Iliad 10.234, by Agamemnon).

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τοῖον γὰρ ἄχος βεβίηκεν Ἀχαιούς

See also above on 10.85. The sorrow (akhos) that Nestor cites here is of course ultimately the result of the withdrawal of Achilles and its disastrous consequences, and Nestor uses an equivalent phrase when the strife between Agamemnon and Achilles begins (see Iliad 1.254; see Nagy 1979:69–72, 94–95 for the equivalence of ἄχος and πένθος in Homeric diction). The Trojans have had a great deal of success in Achilles’ absence and are now encamped on the plain. This sorrow is what keeps Agamemnon and Menelaos awake at the opening of this book. Likewise, in Iliad 9.9, Agamemnon is “struck in his heart by great sorrow” (ἄχεϊ μεγάλῳ βεβολημένος ἦτορ). Achilles had predicted that Agamemnon would feel sorrow (ἀχνύμένος, Iliad 1.241) when the Greeks fell dying. The akhos that Achilles experiences when Agamemnon threatens to take and then in fact takes Briseis in Iliad 1 initiates his wrath, which in turn leads to the sorrow of the Achaeans. Nagy has argued that there is a “pervasive nexus between ἄχος and Ἀχιλ(λ)εύς” in Homeric diction that is “integrated in the inherited formulaic system and hence deeply rooted in the epic tradition” (Nagy 1979:79). This akhos seems to be the root of Achilles’ name, which Nagy etymologizes as *Akhí-lāṷos ‘whose host of men is sorrowful [= grieving]’. (See Nagy 1979:69–93 and Nagy 2004:131–137, as well as Palmer 1963:78–79 and Holland 1993.)

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πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεὺς

On Odysseus’ associations with mētis, see on 10.5–9 and on 10.137 above. Polumētis ‘who is crafty in many ways’ is one of Odysseus’ most commonly used epithets. Other than Odysseus it is only used of Hephaistos (πολυμήτιος, Iliad 21.355), who is the god of a different sort of craft. (The English word ‘craft’, like the Greek mētis, encompasses both meanings.) Milman Parry says of this particular epithet: “δῖος and πολύμητις, for the audience, describe the Odysseus of all the epic poems which sang his deeds” (MHV 171). πολύμητις is one of the distinctive epithets of Odysseus, while δῖος is a generic epithet of heroes (see Parry MHV 145 for πολύμητις as a distinctive epithet, and MHV 84 for δῖος as generic). Parry writes:

Epic lines without epithets would have seemed to them like a heroic character without his traditional attributes. But even now, who among those of us who have any knowledge of the legend has asked why Odysseus should be crafty in this or that particular episode? Just so, Homer’s listeners demanded epithets and paid them no attention, showing thereby the same lack of exact observation that becomes a habit with the modern reader. And it is this lack of exact observation that explains uses of the epithet which appear to us unmotivated, because we look for their motivations in the lines where they occur, rather than in all the poetry Homer’s audience had already heard before they ever heard him sing.

Parry MHV 137–138

As we discussed on 10.3 in connection with the phrase ποιμένα λαῶν, the phrase πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεὺς can be used of Odysseus even in situations in which he is not being particularly crafty; the distinctive noun-epithet combination is, to quote the formulation of Nagy once again, “like a small theme song that conjures up a thought-association with the traditional essence of an epic figure” (Nagy 1990b:23). The phrase is not without significance in an ambush context, however, because Odysseus is a pre-eminent ambusher within the tradition as a whole. Odysseus is called πολύμητις just as he leaves his tent, which marks the beginning of what will become a spying mission/ambush episode that will prominently feature Odysseus’ mētis. Once that episode is well underway, Odysseus will be again called πολύμητις when he interrogates Dolon (10.382; see also 10.488, where he handles the horses so they are not spooked).

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ποικίλον ἀμφ᾽ ὤμοισι σάκος θέτο

Agamemnon and Diomedes each wear a lion skin, Menelaos wears a leopard skin, Nestor wears a khiton and khlaina, and all take a weapon (egkhos or doru), but Odysseus takes only a shield and leaves without putting on any outerwear of any kind. This seemingly mundane detail actually serves two significant narrative functions. First and foremost, it sets up the extended arming scene that takes place at the assembly, just before the raid itself (see below on 10.254–272). Odysseus’ lack of appropriate gear here means that he will have to borrow armor at the assembly. Second, Odysseus’ lack of an animal skin has an intriguing corollary the Odyssey, where, in one of his Cretan lies to Eumaios in Odyssey 14, Odysseus comes close to revealing his true identity, at least from the perspective of a traditional audience of epic. Odysseus describes how once on a cold night at Troy he went out on an ambush. All the other heroes were dressed for the weather, but he himself had no cloak, and had to come up with a clever scheme to get one from one of his companions on the lokhos. Odysseus’ Cretan lie may well be playfully alluding to a Doloneia tradition, in which case the story is a coded verbal message (ainos) directed at both the internal audience (Eumaios) and the external audience, who will “get” the inside reference. Such a reference is possible if we understand the Iliad (including the Doloneia) and Odyssey to be co-existing oral traditions, evolving in conjunction with one another. (On the ainos as a coded verbal message in Odyssey 14, see both Muellner 1976:97 and Nagy 1979:234–237, with further reference ad loc.) On the multiple significances of the shield being “intricately patterned” (poikilos), see above on 10.30.

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ἐκτὸς ἀπὸ κλισίης σὺν τεύχεσιν

Diomedes and his comrades are so ready for battle that they are not even inside their tent. Agamemnon had earlier stated his concern that the Trojans might be planning a night attack (10.100–101), and the preparedness seen here may also reflect the same “state of emergency” that is also prompting the night meeting and spying mission.

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ἔγχεα δέ σφιν/ ὀρθ᾽ ἐπὶ σαυρωτῆρος ἐλήλατο, τῆλε δὲ χαλκὸς / λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διὸς

Their spears are planted in a kind of palisade, perhaps as a defense while they sleep on this dangerous night, or perhaps so that they are easy to reach in case of attack. The shining of the bronze like lightning is a frequent image in Homeric poetry (see Iliad 11.66, which is also an explicit simile, and the metaphorical uses of στεροπή with bronze at Iliad 11.83 and 19.363, and Odyssey 4.72 and 14.268 = 17.437). In most of those cases, just as here, the gleam of the bronze has a threatening or awe-inspiring quality to it. That the bronze shines this way at night is suggestive in terms of what is visible in the dark.

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ὄρσεο

The manuscripts are divided between this reading and ἔγρεο. The scholia indicate that Aristarchus had both readings: ὄρσεο· διχῶς ὁ Ἀρίσταρχος, ἔγρεο καὶ ὄρσεο [A intermarginal scholia]; ἔγρεο· γράφεται καὶ ὄρσεο. διχῶς αἱ Ἀριστάρχου [T interlinear scholia]. This is possible because two separate editions or ekdoseis of the text of Homer were attributed to Aristarchus (= αἱ Ἀριστάρχου in the scholia), both of which were known to his student Didymus. From Didymus’ scholarly work many of the scholia derive. (On the ekdoseis of Aristarchus, see Montanari 1998 and Nagy 2004:85–86. On the sources for the Homeric scholia, see Nagy 2004:3–24 and Blackwell and Dué 2009.)

The sources, both ancient and medieval, are perhaps divided here because both verbs are well attested in the formulaic diction. ἔγρεο occurs here and in two places in the Odyssey; ὄρσεο is attested four times in the Iliad and once in the Odyssey. Clearly, both verbs could be generated by a poet composing in performance. Here is a perfect illustration of the difficulty a modern editor of Homer faces when trying to choose between two or more equally Homeric (= formulaic) variations. We, as the editors of this volume, have for this very reason rejected a traditional text critical approach, and instead have advocated a multitextual approach that accounts for the multiformity of the Homeric poems at different historical points in their transmission. (See above, “Iliad 10: A Multitextual Approach.”)

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Τυδέος υἱέ

See on 10.144 above. See also Schnapp-Gourbeillon 1981:96–100 for more on Diomedes’ patronymic and his youth.

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The third-century CE scholar and poet Diogenes Laertius relates an anecdote (6.53) that features the hexameter line μή τίς τοι εὔδοντι μεταφρένῳ ἐν δόρυ πήξῃ. This verse is probably a literary play on Iliad 8.95: μή τίς τοι φεύγοντι μεταφρένῳ ἐν δόρυ πήξῃ. The twelfth-century scholar Eustathius may be in fact thinking of Diogenes and not Homer when he writes (in 519.32) ὁ Νέστωρ τῷ Διομήδῃ κειμένῳ πού φησιν· ἔγρεο, μή τις τοι καθεύδοντι μεταφρένῳ ἐν δόρυ πήξῃ (“Somewhere Nestor says to the sleeping Diomedes, ‘Wake up, lest someone pierce you in the back with a spear while you sleep’”; cf. Diogenes Laertius’ ἐπέγειραι, ἔφη … ). It is possible that Eustathius had a text of the Iliad with this line following 10.159, but the verse is attested nowhere else in our manuscripts.

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Douglas Frame

analysis of Menelaus’ characterization as a follower in his relationship with Agamemnon (though here with an example where Menelaus suggests the plan first, although seeking Agamemnon’s advice)

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analysis of Menelaus’ characterization as a follower in his relationship with Agamemnon, here in particular the use of the verb methiēmi of him in this line and in I.23.434-435

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Gregory Nagy

There is a pronounced shift in mood in Rhapsody 10. Unlike the narratives in the rest of the Iliad, this narrative focuses on how heroes behave at nighttime, as distinct from daytime. What dominates now is a poetics of ambush, which is a different kind of warfare. And a prime exponent of such poetics is the wolfish figure of Dolon. My comments here on Rhapsody 10 are mere supplements to the extensive commentary of Dué and Ebbott 2010.

draft js image error Dolon. Detail from an Attic red-figure lekythos (460 BCE). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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Leonard Muellner

comment on Odysseus’ lack of a cloak in the Doloneia in contrast to the other heroes’ elaborately described cloaks, in the context of analyzing O.14.463-466, where the disguised Odysseus tells Eumaios a story of when he tricked Thoas out of his cloak during an ambush

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comment on Odysseus’ lack of a cloak, but only carrying a shield (this verse) in the Doloneia in contrast to the other heroes’ elaborately described cloaks, in the context of analyzing O.14.463-466, where the disguised Odysseus tells Eumaios a story of when he tricked Thoas out of his cloak during an ambush

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Commentary

Commentary (Casey Dué and Mary Ebbott, 2010) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Casey Dué and Mary Ebbott, 2010)) focus

116. mvp-comment-41-1 10.116 πονέεσθαι There is a cluster of three occurrences of this verb: here, in 10.117, and in Agamemnon’s response in 10.121. It is also used in 10.70, and the noun from which it is derived, πόνος, appears at 10.89, 10.164, 10.245, and 10.279. These words are also used for the hardships of (daytime) battle, but see our essay “Poetics of Ambush” for a discussion of the associations that “hard labor” has with ambush fighting.

121. mvp-comment-42-1 10.121 πολλάκι γὰρ μεθίει Douglas Frame (2009:214–216) demonstrates that “giving way,” especially in deference to his brother, is a traditional characteristic of Menelaos. In addition to here, the verb μεθίημι is used of Menelaos in two other places: at Odyssey 4.372 and most tellingly at Iliad 23.434, where Menelaos gives way to Antilokhos in the chariot race. Frame connects that event in particular with Menelaos’ nostos, in which he displays hesitancy, lack of incitement, and a lack of noos. These same qualities will make him a poor choice for the spying mission: Agamemnon seems to know this, as we see in his fear that Diomedes will choose Menelaos based on status alone (see 10.237–240). As we have noted elsewhere (see 10.31), Menelaos is portrayed as a successful ambusher in the Odyssey, but that portrayal seems quite separate from his relationship with his brother, whom, as we have seen earlier on this night, he looks to for direction, even as he is the first to voice the idea of the spying mission.

133. mvp-comment-43-1 10.133 χλαῖναν Nestor does not put on an animal skin, but rather an impressive cloak ( khlaina). For the traditional language of these dressing scenes, compare 10.21–22. See also below on 10.149.

136. mvp-comment-44-1 10.136 βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι See on 10.32.

137. mvp-comment-45-1 10.137 Ὀδυσῆα Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον This is not the first time that Odysseus’ name is mentioned in Iliad 10 (see 10.109), but it is the first place that he appears in the narrative, and the first place in our text that he is given a description of any kind. Here and twice in Iliad 2, Odysseus is called “the equivalent of Zeus in craft [ mētis].” Odysseus rivals the gods in this kind of intelligence, by which he engineers alternative warfare and the daring escapes that are his specialty in the Odyssey. One of Odysseus’ most common epithets in the Iliad and Odyssey, πολύμητις (as at 10.148), likewise highlights this central aspect of Odysseus’ character. Odysseus is the hero who takes down the Cyclops by a carefully orchestrated ambush, and the attack on the suitors is structured like an ambush in many ways. We have noted as well that the sack of Troy is an ambush, of which Odysseus is the mastermind. (For more on mētis in the Doloneia, see on 10.19 and “The Poetics of Ambush” above. On Odysseus as the hero of mētis, see above on 10.5–9, Haft 1990, and Holmberg 1997:14–15. For Odysseus’ epithets in the Odyssey, see Austin 1975:25–53.

139. mvp-comment-46-1 10.139 φθεγξάμενος· τὸν δ᾽ αἶψα περὶ φρένας ἤλυθ᾽ ἰωή Note the emphasis on the sound of Nestor’s voice as he rouses Odysseus from sleep. On the aural aspects of this episode, see above pp. 62–68 and on 10.85.

141-142. mvp-comment-47-1 10.141–142 On the theme of “need,” see above on 10.85.

142. mvp-comment-48-1 10.142 νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην In the Venetus A, the oldest complete medieval manuscript of the Iliad, ὀρφναίην is written in the margin next to νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην at this line (see Figure 5), and a thirteenth-century manuscript (Vaticanus Graecus 26) prints ὀρφναίην here instead of ἀμβροσίην. On the significance of the two adjectives and the variation we find here, see above on 10.41.

144. mvp-comment-49-1 10.144 διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη πολυμήχαν’ Ὀδυσσεῦ Nestor, who is the most diplomatic of the heroes in the Iliad, addresses Odysseus in connection with both his lineage and with two of his traditional epithets, thereby using an entire hexameter to address him. He does the same with Agamemnon in 10.103 ( Ἀτρεΐδη κύδιστε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγάμεμνον), in precisely the way that Agamemnon instructs Menelaos to wake up the heroes in 10.68–69. And as with Agamemnon, Nestor chooses what is perhaps the most honorific of Odysseus’ traditional epithets. In the Iliad, the epithet διογενὲς ‘descended from Zeus’ is applied to several heroes, including Patroklos (1.337), Achilles (1.489), Ajax (4.489), and Menelaos (23.294), but in the Odyssey it is restricted to Odysseus. πολυμήχανος, on the other hand, is Odysseus’ distinctive epithet. It is used of him and him alone, and, with one exception, always in the vocative. That one exception is the signature description of Odysseus by Athena, who in the guise of Mentes tells Telemakhos that his father is on his way home, “since he is a man of many devices ( πολυμήχανος, Odyssey 1.205).”

144. mvp-comment-49-2 It is a testament to the economy of Homeric diction that other than the full verse phrase that appears here (and six other places in the Iliad, as well as fifteen times in the Odyssey) there are only three ways to address Odysseus in the vocative in our Iliad, each with a different metrical configuration: ὦ πολύαιν’ Ὀδυσεῦ μέγα κῦδος Ἀχαιῶν (9.673, 10.544), ὦ Ὀδυσεῦ πολύαινε (11.430), and [ ὦ] Ὀδυσεῦ (9.346, 14.104). This does not mean, however, that the epithets are without semantic weight (see especially the formulation of Lord 1960/2000:66, quoted on 10.3 above). The full verse formula is particularly flexible and can be used or not at a composer’s discretion. Its contexts suggest that it conveys formality and respect. In the Iliad, the goddess Athena and the heroes Agamemnon, Diomedes, Achilles, and Ajax address Odysseus this way. In the Odyssey, Athena, Calypso, and Circe do, as do the shades of Teiresias, Agamemnon, and Achilles.

144. mvp-comment-49-3 Diomedes, by contrast, does not get quite the same respect as Agamemnon and Odysseus. In 10.159, Diomedes is addressed as simply “the son of Tydeus.” In Iliad 9.32–49, Diomedes is the first to speak after Agamemnon’s address to the assembled warriors and is sharply critical of him. Nestor praises Diomedes for his abilities as a warrior and for his speaking ability but qualifies the latter: he is the best in counsel for his age group ( Iliad 9.54). It seems that Diomedes is still too junior in relation to Nestor to get the full honorific address. Three times, however, he is addressed by others with the affectionate full-line formula Τυδεΐδη Διόμηδες ἐμῷ κεχαρισμένε θυμῷ ( Iliad 5.242, by Sthenelos; Iliad 5.826, by Athena; Iliad 10.234, by Agamemnon).

145. mvp-comment-50-1 10.145 τοῖον γὰρ ἄχος βεβίηκεν Ἀχαιούς See also above on 10.85. The sorrow ( akhos) that Nestor cites here is of course ultimately the result of the withdrawal of Achilles and its disastrous consequences, and Nestor uses an equivalent phrase when the strife between Agamemnon and Achilles begins (see Iliad 1.254; see Nagy 1979:69–72, 94–95 for the equivalence of ἄχος and πένθος in Homeric diction). The Trojans have had a great deal of success in Achilles’ absence and are now encamped on the plain. This sorrow is what keeps Agamemnon and Menelaos awake at the opening of this book. Likewise, in Iliad 9.9, Agamemnon is “struck in his heart by great sorrow” ( ἄχεϊ μεγάλῳ βεβολημένος ἦτορ). Achilles had predicted that Agamemnon would feel sorrow ( ἀχνύμένος, Iliad 1.241) when the Greeks fell dying. The akhos that Achilles experiences when Agamemnon threatens to take and then in fact takes Briseis in Iliad 1 initiates his wrath, which in turn leads to the sorrow of the Achaeans. Nagy has argued that there is a “pervasive nexus between ἄχος and Ἀχιλ( λ) εύς” in Homeric diction that is “integrated in the inherited formulaic system and hence deeply rooted in the epic tradition” (Nagy 1979:79). This akhos seems to be the root of Achilles’ name, which Nagy etymologizes as * Akhí- lāṷos ‘whose host of men is sorrowful [= grieving]’. (See Nagy 1979:69–93 and Nagy 2004:131–137, as well as Palmer 1963:78–79 and Holland 1993.)

148. mvp-comment-51-1 10.148 πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεὺς On Odysseus’ associations with mētis, see on 10.5–9 and on 10.137 above. Polumētis ‘who is crafty in many ways’ is one of Odysseus’ most commonly used epithets. Other than Odysseus it is only used of Hephaistos ( πολυμήτιος, Iliad 21.355), who is the god of a different sort of craft. (The English word ‘craft’, like the Greek mētis, encompasses both meanings.) Milman Parry says of this particular epithet: “ δῖος and πολύμητις, for the audience, describe the Odysseus of all the epic poems which sang his deeds” (MHV 171). πολύμητις is one of the distinctive epithets of Odysseus, while δῖος is a generic epithet of heroes (see Parry MHV 145 for πολύμητις as a distinctive epithet, and MHV 84 for δῖος as generic). Parry writes:

Parry MHV 137–138 As we discussed on 10.3 in connection with the phrase ποιμένα λαῶν, the phrase πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεὺς can be used of Odysseus even in situations in which he is not being particularly crafty; the distinctive noun-epithet combination is, to quote the formulation of Nagy once again, “like a small theme song that conjures up a thought-association with the traditional essence of an epic figure” (Nagy 1990b:23). The phrase is not without significance in an ambush context, however, because Odysseus is a pre-eminent ambusher within the tradition as a whole. Odysseus is called πολύμητις just as he leaves his tent, which marks the beginning of what will become a spying mission/ambush episode that will prominently feature Odysseus’ mētis. Once that episode is well underway, Odysseus will be again called πολύμητις when he interrogates Dolon (10.382; see also 10.488, where he handles the horses so they are not spooked).

149. mvp-comment-52-1 10.149 ποικίλον ἀμφ᾽ ὤμοισι σάκος θέτο Agamemnon and Diomedes each wear a lion skin, Menelaos wears a leopard skin, Nestor wears a khiton and khlaina, and all take a weapon ( egkhos or doru), but Odysseus takes only a shield and leaves without putting on any outerwear of any kind. This seemingly mundane detail actually serves two significant narrative functions. First and foremost, it sets up the extended arming scene that takes place at the assembly, just before the raid itself (see below on 10.254–272). Odysseus’ lack of appropriate gear here means that he will have to borrow armor at the assembly. Second, Odysseus’ lack of an animal skin has an intriguing corollary the Odyssey, where, in one of his Cretan lies to Eumaios in Odyssey 14, Odysseus comes close to revealing his true identity, at least from the perspective of a traditional audience of epic. Odysseus describes how once on a cold night at Troy he went out on an ambush. All the other heroes were dressed for the weather, but he himself had no cloak, and had to come up with a clever scheme to get one from one of his companions on the lokhos. Odysseus’ Cretan lie may well be playfully alluding to a Doloneia tradition, in which case the story is a coded verbal message ( ainos) directed at both the internal audience (Eumaios) and the external audience, who will “get” the inside reference. Such a reference is possible if we understand the Iliad (including the Doloneia) and Odyssey to be co-existing oral traditions, evolving in conjunction with one another. (On the ainos as a coded verbal message in Odyssey 14, see both Muellner 1976:97 and Nagy 1979:234–237, with further reference ad loc.) On the multiple significances of the shield being “intricately patterned” ( poikilos), see above on 10.30.

151. mvp-comment-53-1 10.151 ἐκτὸς ἀπὸ κλισίης σὺν τεύχεσιν Diomedes and his comrades are so ready for battle that they are not even inside their tent. Agamemnon had earlier stated his concern that the Trojans might be planning a night attack (10.100–101), and the preparedness seen here may also reflect the same “state of emergency” that is also prompting the night meeting and spying mission.

152-154. mvp-comment-54-1 10.152–154 ἔγχεα δέ σφιν/ ὀρθ᾽ ἐπὶ σαυρωτῆρος ἐλήλατο, τῆλε δὲ χαλκὸς / λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διὸς Their spears are planted in a kind of palisade, perhaps as a defense while they sleep on this dangerous night, or perhaps so that they are easy to reach in case of attack. The shining of the bronze like lightning is a frequent image in Homeric poetry (see Iliad 11.66, which is also an explicit simile, and the metaphorical uses of στεροπή with bronze at Iliad 11.83 and 19.363, and Odyssey 4.72 and 14.268 = 17.437). In most of those cases, just as here, the gleam of the bronze has a threatening or awe-inspiring quality to it. That the bronze shines this way at night is suggestive in terms of what is visible in the dark.

159. mvp-comment-55-1 10.159 ὄρσεο The manuscripts are divided between this reading and ἔγρεο. The scholia indicate that Aristarchus had both readings: ὄρσεο· διχῶς ὁ Ἀρίσταρχος, ἔγρεο καὶ ὄρσεο [A intermarginal scholia]; ἔγρεο· γράφεται καὶ ὄρσεο. διχῶς αἱ Ἀριστάρχου [T interlinear scholia]. This is possible because two separate editions or ekdoseis of the text of Homer were attributed to Aristarchus (= αἱ Ἀριστάρχου in the scholia), both of which were known to his student Didymus. From Didymus’ scholarly work many of the scholia derive. (On the ekdoseis of Aristarchus, see Montanari 1998 and Nagy 2004:85–86. On the sources for the Homeric scholia, see Nagy 2004:3–24 and Blackwell and Dué 2009.)

159. mvp-comment-55-2 The sources, both ancient and medieval, are perhaps divided here because both verbs are well attested in the formulaic diction. ἔγρεο occurs here and in two places in the Odyssey; ὄρσεο is attested four times in the Iliad and once in the Odyssey. Clearly, both verbs could be generated by a poet composing in performance. Here is a perfect illustration of the difficulty a modern editor of Homer faces when trying to choose between two or more equally Homeric (= formulaic) variations. We, as the editors of this volume, have for this very reason rejected a traditional text critical approach, and instead have advocated a multitextual approach that accounts for the multiformity of the Homeric poems at different historical points in their transmission. (See above, “ Iliad 10: A Multitextual Approach.”)

159. mvp-comment-55-3 10.159 Τυδέος υἱέ See on 10.144 above. See also Schnapp-Gourbeillon 1981:96–100 for more on Diomedes’ patronymic and his youth.

159a. mvp-comment-56-1 10.159a The third-century CE scholar and poet Diogenes Laertius relates an anecdote (6.53) that features the hexameter line μή τίς τοι εὔδοντι μεταφρένῳ ἐν δόρυ πήξῃ. This verse is probably a literary play on Iliad 8.95: μή τίς τοι φεύγοντι μεταφρένῳ ἐν δόρυ πήξῃ. The twelfth-century scholar Eustathius may be in fact thinking of Diogenes and not Homer when he writes (in 519.32 ) ὁ Νέστωρ τῷ Διομήδῃ κειμένῳ πού φησιν· ἔγρεο, μή τις τοι καθεύδοντι μεταφρένῳ ἐν δόρυ πήξῃ (“Somewhere Nestor says to the sleeping Diomedes, ‘Wake up, lest someone pierce you in the back with a spear while you sleep’”; cf. Diogenes Laertius’ ἐπέγειραι, ἔφη … ). It is possible that Eustathius had a text of the Iliad with this line following 10.159, but the verse is attested nowhere else in our manuscripts.

Homer Iliad 10.115

Samuel Butler (Translator)

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