Agamemnon Rebukes Odysseus and Diomedes — Homer, Iliad Book 4 (lines 340–409), Greek & English

340

τίπτε καταπτώσσοντες ἀφέστατε, μίμνετε δʼ ἄλλους;

”Why do you stand aloof, cowering, and wait for others?

σφῶϊν¹ μέν τʼ ἐπέοικε μετὰ πρώτοισιν ἐόντας

For you two indeed it is seemly to be among the foremost

ἑστάμεν ἠδὲ μάχης καυστείρης ἀντιβολῆσαι·

and to stand and face the burning battle;

πρώτω γὰρ καὶ δαιτὸς ἀκουάζεσθον ἐμεῖο,

for you two are the first to hear of my feast,

ὁππότε δαῖτα γέρουσιν ἐφοπλίζωμεν Ἀχαιοί.

whenever we Achaeans prepare a feast for the elders.

345

ἔνθα φίλʼ ὀπταλέα κρέα ἔδμεναι ἠδὲ κύπελλα

There you are glad to eat roasted meats and to drink cups

οἴνου πινέμεναι μελιηδέος ὄφρʼ ἐθέλητον·

of honey-sweet wine as long as you wish;

νῦν δὲ φίλως χʼ ὁρόῳτε² καὶ εἰ δέκα πύργοι Ἀχαιῶν

but now you would gladly look on, even if ten columns of Achaeans

ὑμείων προπάροιθε μαχοίατο νηλέϊ χαλκῷ.

should fight before you with the ruthless bronze.”

τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·

Then Odysseus of many wiles looked at him fiercely and addressed him:

350

Ἀτρεΐδη ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων;

”Son of Atreus, what word has escaped the barrier of your teeth?

πῶς δὴ φῂς πολέμοιο μεθιέμεν ὁππότʼ Ἀχαιοὶ

How can you say that we slacken in battle, when we Achaeans

Τρωσὶν ἐφʼ ἱπποδάμοισιν ἐγείρομεν ὀξὺν Ἄρηα;

rouse sharp battle against the horse-taming Trojans?

ὄψεαι αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσθα καὶ αἴ κέν τοι τὰ μεμήλῃ

You shall see, if you wish and if you care for these things,

Τηλεμάχοιο φίλον πατέρα προμάχοισι μιγέντα

the beloved father of Telemachus mingling with the foremost fighters

355

Τρώων ἱπποδάμων· σὺ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἀνεμώλια βάζεις.

of the horse-taming Trojans; but you speak these things in vain.”

τὸν δʼ ἐπιμειδήσας προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων

Seeing him angry, Lord Agamemnon smiled at him,

ὡς γνῶ χωομένοιο·³ πάλιν δʼ ὅ γε λάζετο μῦθον·

and took back his word, and addressed him:

διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη πολυμήχανʼ Ὀδυσσεῦ

”Zeus-born son of Laertes, Odysseus of many devices,

οὔτέ σε νεικείω περιώσιον οὔτε κελεύω·

I do not upbraid you excessively, nor do I command you;

360

οἶδα γὰρ ὥς τοι θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλοισιν

for I know that the spirit in your beloved breast

ἤπια δήνεα οἶδε· τὰ γὰρ φρονέεις ἅ τʼ ἐγώ περ.

knows kindly counsels; for you think the same as I do.

ἀλλʼ ἴθι ταῦτα δʼ ὄπισθεν ἀρεσσόμεθʼ εἴ τι κακὸν νῦν

But go, and if any bad word has been spoken now, we will make amends hereafter,

εἴρηται, τὰ δὲ πάντα θεοὶ μεταμώνια θεῖεν.

and may the gods make all these things of no effect.”

ὣς εἰπὼν τοὺς μὲν λίπεν αὐτοῦ, βῆ δὲ μετʼ ἄλλους.

Having thus spoken, he left them there, and went to others.

365

εὗρε δὲ Τυδέος υἱὸν ὑπέρθυμον Διομήδεα

He found the high-hearted son of Tydeus, Diomedes,

ἑσταότʼ ἔν θʼ ἵπποισι καὶ ἅρμασι κολλητοῖσι·

standing by his horses and well-built chariots;

πὰρ δέ οἱ ἑστήκει Σθένελος Καπανήϊος υἱός.

and by him stood Sthenelus, son of Capaneus.

καὶ τὸν μὲν νείκεσσεν ἰδὼν κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων,

Seeing him, Lord Agamemnon upbraided him,

καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

and he spoke to him, and addressed him with winged words:

370

ὤ μοι Τυδέος υἱὲ δαΐφρονος ἱπποδάμοιο

”Alas, son of Tydeus, the wise-hearted tamer of horses,

τί πτώσσεις, τί δʼ ὀπιπεύεις πολέμοιο γεφύρας;⁴

why do you shrink, and why do you peer at the channels of battle?

οὐ μὲν Τυδέϊ γʼ ὧδε φίλον πτωσκαζέμεν ἦεν,

Surely it was not Tydeus’s way thus to shrink,

ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρὸ φίλων ἑτάρων δηΐοισι μάχεσθαι,

but far ahead of his beloved comrades to fight the foe,

ὡς φάσαν οἵ μιν ἴδοντο πονεύμενον· οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε

as they said who saw him at his toil; for I myself

375

ἤντησʼ οὐδὲ ἴδον· περὶ δʼ ἄλλων φασὶ γενέσθαι.

never met him nor saw him; but they say he surpassed all others.

ἤτοι μὲν γὰρ ἄτερ πολέμου εἰσῆλθε Μυκήνας

For indeed, without war he entered Mycenae

ξεῖνος ἅμʼ ἀντιθέῳ Πολυνείκεϊ λαὸν ἀγείρων·

as a guest, with godlike Polyneices, gathering a host;

οἳ δὲ τότʼ ἐστρατόωνθʼ ἱερὰ πρὸς τείχεα Θήβης,

they were then campaigning against the sacred walls of Thebes,

καί ῥα μάλα λίσσοντο δόμεν κλειτοὺς ἐπικούρους·

and they earnestly entreated them to give them glorious allies;

380

οἳ δʼ ἔθελον δόμεναι καὶ ἐπῄνεον ὡς ἐκέλευον·

and they were willing to give them and approved as they bade;

ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς ἔτρεψε παραίσια σήματα φαίνων.

but Zeus turned their minds by showing ill-omened signs.

οἳ δʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν ᾤχοντο ἰδὲ πρὸ ὁδοῦ ἐγένοντο,

So when they had departed and were on their way,

Ἀσωπὸν δʼ ἵκοντο βαθύσχοινον λεχεποίην,

and came to Asopus, deep in reeds and grassy,

ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ ἀγγελίην ἐπὶ Τυδῆ στεῖλαν Ἀχαιοί.

there the Achaeans sent Tydeus on an embassy.

385

αὐτὰρ ὃ βῆ, πολέας δὲ κιχήσατο Καδμεΐωνας

And he went, and found many sons of Cadmus

δαινυμένους κατὰ δῶμα βίης Ἐτεοκληείης.

feasting in the hall of mighty Eteocles.

ἔνθʼ οὐδὲ ξεῖνός περ ἐὼν ἱππηλάτα Τυδεὺς

Then, though he was a stranger, the horseman Tydeus

τάρβει, μοῦνος ἐὼν πολέσιν μετὰ Καδμείοισιν,

did not fear, being alone among many Cadmeans,

ἀλλʼ ὅ γʼ ἀεθλεύειν προκαλίζετο, πάντα δʼ ἐνίκα

but challenged them to athletic contests, and won all

390

ῥηϊδίως· τοίη οἱ ἐπίρροθος ἦεν Ἀθήνη.

easily; so great a helper was Athena to him.

οἳ δὲ χολωσάμενοι Καδμεῖοι κέντορες ἵππων

But the Cadmeans, goaders of horses, grew angry,

ἂψ ἄρʼ ἀνερχομένῳ πυκινὸν λόχον εἷσαν ἄγοντες

and as he returned, they set a dense ambush,

κούρους πεντήκοντα· δύω δʼ ἡγήτορες ἦσαν,

leading fifty youths; and there were two leaders,

Μαίων Αἱμονίδης ἐπιείκελος ἀθανάτοισιν,

Maeon, son of Haemon, like the immortals,

395

υἱός τʼ Αὐτοφόνοιο μενεπτόλεμος Πολυφόντης.

and the son of Autophonus, Polyphontes, staunch in battle.

Τυδεὺς μὲν καὶ τοῖσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκε·

Tydeus even upon these brought a shameful death;

πάντας ἔπεφνʼ, ἕνα δʼ οἶον ἵει οἶκον δὲ νέεσθαι·

he slew them all, and let only one return home;

Μαίονʼ ἄρα προέηκε θεῶν τεράεσσι πιθήσας.

Maeon he sent away, yielding to the portents of the gods.

τοῖος ἔην Τυδεὺς Αἰτώλιος· ἀλλὰ τὸν υἱὸν

Such a man was Tydeus of Aetolia; but the son

400

γείνατο εἷο χέρεια μάχῃ, ἀγορῇ δέ τʼ ἀμείνω.

he begot was worse than him in battle, though better in assembly.”

ὣς φάτο, τὸν δʼ οὔ τι προσέφη κρατερὸς Διομήδης

So he spoke, and strong Diomedes made no answer,

αἰδεσθεὶς βασιλῆος ἐνιπὴν αἰδοίοιο·

showing respect for the upbraiding of the revered king;

τὸν δʼ υἱὸς Καπανῆος ἀμείψατο κυδαλίμοιο·

but the son of glorious Capaneus answered him:

Ἀτρεΐδη μὴ ψεύδεʼ ἐπιστάμενος σάφα εἰπεῖν·

”Son of Atreus, do not lie, when you know how to speak the truth clearly.

405

ἡμεῖς τοι πατέρων μέγʼ ἀμείνονες εὐχόμεθʼ εἶναι·

We boast indeed to be far better than our fathers;

ἡμεῖς καὶ Θήβης ἕδος εἵλομεν ἑπταπύλοιο

we even took the seat of seven-gated Thebes,

παυρότερον λαὸν ἀγαγόνθʼ ὑπὸ τεῖχος ἄρειον,

though we led a smaller host against a stronger wall,

πειθόμενοι τεράεσσι θεῶν καὶ Ζηνὸς ἀρωγῇ·

trusting in the portents of the gods and the aid of Zeus;

κεῖνοι δὲ σφετέρῃσιν ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ὄλοντο·

whereas those others perished through their own blind folly.”

Syntax notes4 items

4.341σφῶϊν
While the dative pronoun σφῶϊν (for you two) depends on the impersonal ἐπέοικε (it is seemly), the subject of the following infinitive ἑστάμεν (to stand) is expressed in the accusative plural ἐόντας (being). This is a common constructio ad sensum in Homer, where the subject of the infinitive switches to the accusative despite the preceding dative.
4.347φίλως χʼ ὁρόῳτε
φίλως χʼ ὁρόῳτε (equivalent to φίλως κε ὁρόῳτε, optative with κε) expresses a potentiality ("you would gladly look on"). Combined with the condition εἰ ... μαχοίατο (the optative μαχοίατο being the Ionic form of μάχοιντο), it forms a potential conditional sequence ("even if they should fight..."), rather than a contrary-to-fact conditional.
4.357γνῶ χωομένοιο
The genitive χωομένοιο (of him being angry) acts as the complement of the verb γνῶ (aorist of γιγνώσκω, to know/perceive). In Homeric Greek, verbs of perceiving or knowing often take a genitive object when referring to a person whose emotional state or situation is being recognized.
4.371πολέμοιο γεφύρας
Literally "bridges of war," this is a distinctive Homeric metaphor referring not to actual river bridges, but to the open spaces between the opposing battle lines, or the front lines of combat. The genitive πολέμοιο is a genitive of definition.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.340-4.409