Jove sends a dream to Agamemnon, in consequence of which he
re-assembles the army. Thersites is punished for his insolent speech,
and the troops are restrained from seeking a return homewards. The
catalogue of the ships and the forces of the confederates follows.
The rest, then, both gods and horse-arraying men, 71 slept all the
night: but Jove sweet sleep possessed not; but he was pondering in his
mind how he might honour Achilles, and destroy many at the ships of the
Greeks. But this device appeared best to him in his mind, to send a
fatal dream 72 to Agamemnon, the son of Atreus. And addressing him, he
spoke winged words:
“Haste away, pernicious dream, to the swift ships of the Greeks. Going
into the tent of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, utter very accurately
everything as I shall command thee. Bid him arm the long-haired Achæans
73 with all their array; for now perhaps he may 74 take the wide-wayed
city of the Trojans; for the immortals who possess the Olympian
mansions no longer think dividedly, for Juno, supplicating, hath bent
all [to her will]. And woes are impending over the Trojans.”
Thus he spake: and the dream 75 accordingly departed, as soon as it
heard the mandate. And quickly it came to the swift ships of the
Greeks, and went unto Agamemnon, the son of Atreus. But him it found
sleeping in his tent, and ambrosial slumber was diffused around. And he
stood over his head, like unto Nestor, the son of Neleus, him, to wit,
whom Agamemnon honoured most of the old men. To him assimilating
himself, the divine dream addressed him:
Footnote 71: (return) See Anthon, who observes that “fighting from on
horseback was not practised in the Homeric times.”
Footnote 72: (return) Some would personify Oneirus, as god of dreams.
Footnote 73: (return) Observe the distinction, for the Abantes, ver.
542, and the Thracians, iv. 533, wore their hair differently.
Footnote 74: (return) κεν limits the assertion to _probability_, so
that Jupiter does not utter a _direct_ falsehood.
Footnote 75: (return) In defence of this cheating conduct of Jove, at
which Plato was much scandalized, Coleridge, p. 154, observes: “The
οὖλος ὄνειρος was a lying spirit, which the father of gods and men had
a supreme right to commission for the purpose of working out his
ultimate will.”
“Sleepest thou, son of the warrior, horse-taming Atreus? It becomes not
a counsel-giving man, to whom the people have been intrusted, and to
whom so many things are a care, to sleep all the night. But now quickly
attend to me; for I am a messenger to thee from Jove, who, although far
distant, greatly regards and pities thee. He orders thee to arm the
long-haired Greeks with all their array, for now mayest thou take the
wide-wayed city of the Trojans, since the immortals, who possess the
Olympian mansions, no longer think dividedly; for Juno, supplicating,
hath bent all [to her will], and woes from Jove are impending over the
Trojans. But do thou preserve this in thy recollection, nor let
forgetfulness possess thee, when sweet sleep shall desert thee.”
Thus then having spoken, he departed, and left him there pondering
these things in his mind, which were not destined to be accomplished.
For he, foolish, thought that he would take the city of Priam on that
day; nor knew he the deeds which Jupiter was really devising; for even
he was about yet to impose additional hardships and sorrows upon both
Trojans and Greeks, through mighty conflicts. But he awoke from his
sleep, and the heavenly voice was diffused around him. He sat up erect,
and put on his soft tunic, beautiful, new; and around him he threw his
large cloak. And he bound his beautiful sandals on his shining feet,
and slung from his shoulders the silver-studded sword. He also took his
paternal sceptre, ever imperishable, with which he went to the ships of
the brazen-mailed Greeks.
The goddess Aurora now 76 ascended wide Olympus, announcing the dawn to
Jove and the other immortals. But he 77 on his part ordered the
clear-voiced heralds to summon the long-haired Achæans 78 to an
assembly. They therefore summoned them, and the people were very
speedily assembled. First the assembly of magnanimous elders sat at the
ship of Nestor, the Pylus-born king. Having called them together, he
propounded a prudent counsel:
Footnote 76: (return) ῥα appears to mark the regular transition from
one event to another.
Footnote 77: (return) Agamemnon.
Footnote 78: (return) See on ver. 11.
“Hear me, my friends: a divine dream came to me in sleep, during the
ambrosial night, very like unto the noble Nestor, in form, in stature,
and in mien. And it stood above my head, and addressed me: ‘Sleepest
thou, son of the warrior, horse-taming Atreus? It becomes not a
counsellor, to whom the people have been intrusted, and to whom so many
things are a care, to sleep all the night. But now quickly attend to
me; for I am a messenger to thee from Jove, who, although far distant,
greatly regards and pities thee. He orders thee to arm the long-haired
Greeks with all their array, for now mayest thou take the wide-wayed
city of the Trojans; for the immortals, who possess the Olympian
mansions, no longer think dividedly, for Juno, supplicating, has bent
all [to her will], and woes from Jove are impending over the Trojans;
but do thou preserve this in thy thoughts.’ Thus having spoken, flying
away, it departed; but sweet sleep resigned me. But come, [let us try]
if by any means we can arm the sons of the Greeks. But first with words
will I sound their inclinations, as is right, and I will command them
to fly with their many-benched ships; but do you restrain them with
words, one in one place, another in another.”
He indeed having thus spoken, sat down; but Nestor, who was king of
sandy Pylus, rose up, who wisely counselling, harangued them, and said:
“O friends, generals and counsellors of the Argives, if any other of
the Greeks had told this dream, we should have pronounced it a
fabrication, and withdrawn ourselves [from the reciter]. But now he has
seen it, who boasts himself [to be] by far the greatest man in the
army. But come on, if by any means we can arm the sons of the Greeks.”
Thus then having spoken, he began to depart from the assembly; and
they, the sceptre-bearing princes, arose, and obeyed the shepherd of
the tribes, and the hosts rushed forward. Even as the swarms of
clustering bees, 79 issuing ever anew from the hollow rock, go forth,
and fly in troops over the vernal 80 flowers, and some have flitted in
bodies here, and some there; thus of these [Greeks] many nations from
the ships and tents kept marching in troops in front of the steep shore
to the assembly. And in the midst of them blazed Rumour, messenger of
Jove, urging them to proceed; and they kept collecting together. The
assembly was tumultuous, and the earth groaned beneath, as the people
seated themselves, and there was a clamour; but nine heralds
vociferating restrained them, if by any means they would cease from
clamour, and hear the Jove-nurtured princes. With difficulty at length
the people sat down, and were kept to their respective 81 seats, having
desisted from their clamour, when king Agamemnon arose, holding the
sceptre, which Vulcan had laboriously wrought. Vulcan in the first
place gave it to king Jove, the son of Saturn, and Jove in turn gave it
to his messenger, the slayer of Argus. 82 But king Mercury gave it to
steed-taming Pelops, and Pelops again gave it to Atreus, shepherd of
the people. But Atreus, dying, left it to Thyestes, rich in flocks; but
Thyestes again left it to Agamemnon to be borne, that he might rule
over many islands, 83 and all Argos. 84 Leaning upon this, he spoke
words amongst the Greeks:
Footnote 79: (return) The dative here implies direction, ἐπὶ
increasing its force, according to Stadelmann and Kühner, who are
followed by Anthon. I have restored the old interpretation, which is
much less far-fetched, and is placed beyond doubt by Virgil’s
imitations.—“_per_ florea rura,” Æn. i. 430; “floribus insidunt
variis.” Æn. vi. 708. “Among fresh dews and flowers, Fly to and
fro.”—Milton. P.L. i. 771.
Footnote 80: (return) _I. e._ over the flowers in the spring-time,
when bees first appear. See Virg. l. c. Eurip. Hipp. 77, μέλισσα
λειμῶν’ ᾐρινὸν ὂιέρχεται.—Nicias, Anthol. i. 31, ἔαρ φαίνουσα
μέλισσα.—Longus, i. 4.
Footnote 81: (return) Observe the distributive use of κατά. Cf. Od.
iii. 7.
Footnote 82: (return) Mercury. Cf. Ovid. Met. i. 624. sqq.
Footnote 83: (return) On the extended power of Agamemnon, see Thucyd.
i. 9.
Footnote 84: (return) On this sceptre, the type of the wealth and
influence of the house of the Atrides, see Grote. vol. i. p. 212.
“O friends, Grecian heroes, servants of Mars, Jove, the son of Saturn,
has entangled me in a heavy misfortune. Cruel, who before indeed
promised to me, and vouchsafed by his nod, that I should return home,
having destroyed well-fortified Ilium. But now he has devised an evil
deception, and commands me to return to Argos, inglorious, after I have
lost many of my people. So forsooth it appears to be agreeable to
all-powerful Jove, who has already overthrown the citadels of many
cities, yea, and will even yet overthrow them, for transcendent is his
power. For this were disgraceful even for posterity to hear, that so
brave and so numerous a people of the Greeks warred an ineffectual war,
and fought with fewer men; but as yet no end has appeared. For if we,
Greeks and Trojans, having struck a faithful league, 85 wished that
both should be numbered, and [wished] to select the Trojans, on the one
hand, as many as are townsmen; and if we Greeks, on the other hand,
were to be divided into decades, and to choose a single man of the
Trojans to pour out wine [for each decade], many decades would be
without a cupbearer. 86 So much more numerous, I say, the sons of the
Greeks are than the Trojans who dwell in the city. But there are
spear-wielding auxiliaries from many cities, who greatly stand in my
way, and do not permit me wishing to destroy the well-inhabited city.
Already have nine years of mighty Jove passed away, and now the timbers
of our ships have rotted, and the ropes have become untwisted. 87 Our
wives and infant children sit in our dwellings expecting us; but to us
the work for which we came hither remains unaccomplished, contrary to
expectation. But come, as I shall recommend, let us all obey; let us
fly with the ships to our dear native land, for at no future time shall
we take wide-wayed Troy.”
Footnote 85: (return) Ὂρκια is probably used as an adjective,
understanding ὶερεῖα, the victims that were slain in order to ratify
the oath. See however Buttm. Lexil. p. 439.
Footnote 86: (return) The Greeks doubled the Trojans in number. See
Anthon.
Footnote 87: (return) Observe the change of construction in λέλυνται
with the neuter plural. Apollon. de Syntaxi, iii. 11. Τὰ σπάρτα
λέλυνται καταλληλότερον τοῦ δοῦρα σέσηπε.
Thus he spoke; and to them he aroused the heart in their breasts, to
all throughout the multitude, whoever had not heard his scheme. 88 And
the assembly was moved, as the great waves of the Icarian Sea, which,
indeed, both the south-east wind and the south are wont to raise, 89
rushing from the clouds of father Jove. And as when the west wind 90
agitates the thick-standing corn, rushing down upon it impetuous, and
it [the crop] bends with its ears; so was all the assembly agitated.
Some with shouting rushed to the ships, but from beneath their feet the
dust stood suspended aloft; and some exhorted one another to seize the
vessels, and drag them to the great ocean; and they began to clear the
channels. The shout of them, eager [to return] home, rose to the sky,
and they withdrew the stays from beneath the vessels. Then truly a
return had happened to the Argives, contrary to destiny, had not Juno
addressed herself to Minerva:
Footnote 88: (return) _I. e._ his real object. Cf. vs. 75, sqq.
Footnote 89: (return) Spitzner and the later editors unite in reading
κινήση for κινήσει from the Venice MS. See Arnold.