Troop Reorganization by Tribes and Agamemnon's Sacrifice — Homer, Iliad Book 2 (lines 356–426), Greek & English

356

τίσασθαι¹ δʼ Ἑλένης ὁρμήματά τε στοναχάς τε.

to avenge the struggles and groans of Helen.

εἰ δέ τις ἐκπάγλως ἐθέλει οἶκον δὲ νέεσθαι

But if anyone is terribly eager to return home,

ἁπτέσθω ἧς νηὸς ἐϋσσέλμοιο μελαίνης,

let him lay his hand upon his well-benched black ship,

ὄφρα πρόσθʼ ἄλλων θάνατον καὶ πότμον ἐπίσπῃ.

so that he may meet death and fate before the others.

360

ἀλλὰ ἄναξ αὐτός τʼ εὖ μήδεο πείθεό τʼ ἄλλῳ·

But, O king, advise well yourself, and heed another;

οὔ τοι ἀπόβλητον ἔπος ἔσσεται ὅττί κεν εἴπω·

the word that I speak shall not be one to be cast aside.

κρῖνʼ ἄνδρας κατὰ φῦλα κατὰ φρήτρας Ἀγάμεμνον,

Separate the men by tribes and by clans, Agamemnon,

ὡς φρήτρη φρήτρηφιν ἀρήγῃ, φῦλα δὲ φύλοις.

so that clan may aid clan, and tribe aid tribe.

εἰ δέ κεν ὣς ἕρξῃς καί τοι πείθωνται Ἀχαιοί,

If you do this, and the Achaeans obey you,

365

γνώσῃ ἔπειθʼ ὅς θʼ ἡγεμόνων κακὸς ὅς τέ νυ λαῶν

you will know then which of the leaders is base, and which of the men,

ἠδʼ ὅς κʼ ἐσθλὸς ἔῃσι· κατὰ σφέας γὰρ μαχέονται.

and who is brave; for they will fight each group by themselves;

γνώσεαι δʼ εἰ καὶ θεσπεσίῃ πόλιν οὐκ ἀλαπάξεις,

and you will know whether it is by the will of heaven that you do not sack the city,

ἦ ἀνδρῶν κακότητι καὶ ἀφραδίῃ πολέμοιο.

or by the cowardice of the men and their ignorance in war.

τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων·

And to him in answer spoke lord Agamemnon:

370

ἦ μὰν αὖτʼ ἀγορῇ νικᾷς γέρον υἷας Ἀχαιῶν.

”Surely once more, old man, you surpass in speech the sons of the Achaeans.

αἲ γὰρ Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον

Would that, O father Zeus, and Athena, and Apollo,

τοιοῦτοι δέκα μοι συμφράδμονες εἶεν Ἀχαιῶν·

I had ten such counsellors among the Achaeans!

τώ κε τάχʼ ἠμύσειε πόλις Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος

Then would the city of king Priam speedily bow its head,

χερσὶν ὑφʼ ἡμετέρῃσιν ἁλοῦσά τε περθομένη τε.

taken and wasted under our hands.

375

ἀλλά μοι αἰγίοχος Κρονίδης Ζεὺς ἄλγεʼ ἔδωκεν,

But to me the aegis-bearing son of Cronos, Zeus, has given woes,

ὅς με μετʼ ἀπρήκτους ἔριδας καὶ νείκεα βάλλει.

who casts me into fruitless strifes and contentions.

καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼν Ἀχιλεύς τε μαχεσσάμεθʼ εἵνεκα κούρης

For indeed I and Achilles fought for a girl

ἀντιβίοις ἐπέεσσιν, ἐγὼ δʼ ἦρχον χαλεπαίνων·

with opposing words, and I was the first to grow angry.

εἰ δέ ποτʼ ἔς γε μίαν βουλεύσομεν, οὐκέτʼ ἔπειτα

But if ever we shall take counsel as one, then no longer

380

Τρωσὶν ἀνάβλησις κακοῦ ἔσσεται οὐδʼ ἠβαιόν.

shall there be any delay of evil for the Trojans, not even for a little.

νῦν δʼ ἔρχεσθʼ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἵνα ξυνάγωμεν Ἄρηα.

But now go to your meal, so that we may join battle.

εὖ μέν τις δόρυ θηξάσθω, εὖ δʼ ἀσπίδα θέσθω,

Let each man sharpen well his spear, and well order his shield,

εὖ δέ τις ἵπποισιν δεῖπνον δότω ὠκυπόδεσσιν,

and well give food to his swift-footed horses,

εὖ δέ τις ἅρματος ἀμφὶς ἰδὼν πολέμοιο μεδέσθω,

and well looking to his chariot on every side, let him mind the war,

385

ὥς κε πανημέριοι στυγερῷ κρινώμεθʼ Ἄρηϊ.

so that all day long we may contend in hateful war.

οὐ γὰρ παυσωλή γε μετέσσεται οὐδʼ ἠβαιὸν

For there shall be no respite, not even for a little,

εἰ μὴ νὺξ ἐλθοῦσα διακρινέει μένος ἀνδρῶν.

unless coming night shall part the fury of the men.

ἱδρώσει μέν τευ τελαμὼν ἀμφὶ στήθεσφιν

The strap of the man-sheltering shield shall sweat about the breast of many a man,

ἀσπίδος ἀμφιβρότης, περὶ δʼ ἔγχεϊ χεῖρα καμεῖται·

and his hand shall grow weary about the spear;

390

ἱδρώσει δέ τευ ἵππος ἐΰξοον ἅρμα τιταίνων.

and many a horse shall sweat, straining at the well-polished chariot.

ὃν δέ κʼ ἐγὼν ἀπάνευθε μάχης ἐθέλοντα νοήσω

But whomsoever I shall perceive wishing to remain apart from the battle

μιμνάζειν παρὰ νηυσὶ κορωνίσιν, οὔ οἱ ἔπειτα

by the curved ships, for him there shall be no hope

ἄρκιον ἐσσεῖται φυγέειν κύνας ἠδʼ οἰωνούς.

to escape the dogs and birds.”

ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀργεῖοι δὲ μέγʼ ἴαχον ὡς ὅτε κῦμα

So he spoke, and the Argives shouted aloud, as when a wave

395

ἀκτῇ ἐφʼ ὑψηλῇ, ὅτε κινήσῃ Νότος ἐλθών,

against a high cliff, when the South Wind coming stirs it,

προβλῆτι σκοπέλῳ· τὸν δʼ οὔ ποτε κύματα λείπει

against a jutting crag; which the waves never leave,

παντοίων ἀνέμων, ὅτʼ ἂν ἔνθʼ ἢ ἔνθα γένωνται.

from whatever wind they may arise, when they come from this side or that.

ἀνστάντες δʼ ὀρέοντο κεδασθέντες κατὰ νῆας,

And they rose and rushed, scattering among the ships,

κάπνισσάν τε κατὰ κλισίας, καὶ δεῖπνον ἕλοντο.

and made smoke in the tents, and took their meal.

400

ἄλλος δʼ ἄλλῳ ἔρεζε θεῶν αἰειγενετάων

And one sacrificed to one of the everlasting gods, and another to another,

εὐχόμενος θάνατόν τε φυγεῖν καὶ μῶλον Ἄρηος.

praying to escape death and the toil of war.

αὐτὰρ ὃ βοῦν ἱέρευσε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων

But the lord of men, Agamemnon, sacrificed a bull,

πίονα πενταέτηρον ὑπερμενέϊ Κρονίωνι,

a fat one, five years old, to the all-powerful son of Cronos,

κίκλησκεν δὲ γέροντας ἀριστῆας Παναχαιῶν,

and called the elders, the chief men of the Pan-Achaeans:

405

Νέστορα μὲν πρώτιστα καὶ Ἰδομενῆα ἄνακτα,

Nestor first of all, and king Idomeneus,

αὐτὰρ ἔπειτʼ Αἴαντε δύω καὶ Τυδέος υἱόν,

and then the two Aiantes and the son of Tydeus,

ἕκτον δʼ αὖτʼ Ὀδυσῆα Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον.

and sixthly Odysseus, peer of Zeus in counsel.

αὐτόματος δέ οἱ ἦλθε βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος·

And to him of his own accord came Menelaus, good at the war-cry;

ᾔδεε γὰρ κατὰ θυμὸν ἀδελφεὸν ὡς ἐπονεῖτο.

for he knew in his heart how his brother was toiling.

410

βοῦν δὲ περιστήσαντο καὶ οὐλοχύτας ἀνέλοντο·

Then they stood round the bull and took up the barley-meal,

τοῖσιν δʼ εὐχόμενος μετέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων·

and among them lord Agamemnon prayed, saying:

Ζεῦ κύδιστε μέγιστε κελαινεφὲς αἰθέρι ναίων

”Zeus, most glorious, most great, cloud-wrapped, dwelling in the sky,

μὴ πρὶν ἐπʼ ἠέλιον δῦναι καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἐλθεῖν

let not the sun go down, nor darkness come,

πρίν με κατὰ πρηνὲς βαλέειν Πριάμοιο μέλαθρον

before I have cast down headlong the hall of Priam,

415

αἰθαλόεν, πρῆσαι δὲ πυρὸς δηΐοιο θύρετρα,

smouldering, and burned its gates with hostile fire,

Ἑκτόρεον δὲ χιτῶνα περὶ στήθεσσι δαΐξαι

and rent the tunic of Hector about his breast

χαλκῷ ῥωγαλέον· πολέες δʼ ἀμφʼ αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι

torn by the bronze; and may many of his comrades about him

πρηνέες ἐν κονίῃσιν ὀδὰξ λαζοίατο γαῖαν.

fall headlong in the dust, and bite the earth with their teeth.”

ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἄρα πώ οἱ ἐπεκραίαινε Κρονίων,

So he spoke, but the son of Cronos did not yet grant him fulfillment;

420

ἀλλʼ ὅ γε δέκτο μὲν ἱρά, πόνον δʼ ἀμέγαρτον ὄφελλεν.

but he accepted the sacrifice, and increased their unevaded toil.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ εὔξαντο καὶ οὐλοχύτας προβάλοντο,

But when they had prayed and cast the barley-meal,

αὐέρυσαν μὲν πρῶτα καὶ ἔσφαξαν καὶ ἔδειραν,

first they drew back the head, and cut the throat, and flayed them,

μηρούς τʼ ἐξέταμον κατά τε κνίσῃ ἐκάλυψαν

and cut out the thigh-bones and covered them with fat,

δίπτυχα ποιήσαντες, ἐπʼ αὐτῶν δʼ ὠμοθέτησαν.

making a double fold, and upon them laid raw flesh.

425

καὶ τὰ μὲν ἂρ σχίζῃσιν ἀφύλλοισιν κατέκαιον,

And these they burned on leafless firewood,

σπλάγχνα δʼ ἄρʼ ἀμπείραντες ὑπείρεχον Ἡφαίστοιο.

but the innards they spitted and held over the fire.

Syntax notes1 item

2.356τίσασθαι
Infinitive of purpose or result following the imperative ἐπειγέσθω in the previous line (§2.355). Ἑλένης is an objective genitive, meaning "to avenge [the taking of] Helen".

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.356-2.426