as the one man who was the best of the Argives, as many as came to Troy, except Achilles.
§1342ὥστʼ οὐκ ἂν ἐνδίκως γʼ ἀτιμάζοιτό σοι· §1343οὐ γάρ τι τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς θεῶν νόμους §1344φθείροις ἄν.
Therefore he would not be justly dishonored by you; for you would not harm him, but the laws of the gods.
ἄνδρα δʼ οὐ δίκαιον, εἰ θάνοι, §1345βλάπτειν τὸν ἐσθλόν, οὐδʼ ἐὰν μισῶν κυρῇς.
And it is not just to harm a brave man, if he should die, not even if you happen to hate him.
§1346σὺ ταῦτʼ, Ὀδυσσεῦ, τοῦδʼ ὑπερμαχεῖς ἐμοί;
Agamemnon: Do you, Odysseus, fight this battle for him against me?
§1347ἔγωγʼ· ἐμίσουν δʼ, ἡνίκʼ ἦν μισεῖν καλόν.
Odysseus: I do; and I hated him, when it was honorable to hate.
§1348οὐ γὰρ θανόντι καὶ πρὸς ἐμβῆναί σε χρή;
Agamemnon: For should you not also trample upon him when he is dead?
§1349μὴ χαῖρʼ, Ἀτρείδη, κέρδεσιν τοῖς μὴ καλοῖς.
Odysseus: Do not rejoice, son of Atreus, in gains that are not honorable.
§1350τόν τοι τύραννον εὐσεβεῖν οὐ ῥᾴδιον.
Agamemnon: It is indeed not easy for a king to be pious.
§1351ἀλλʼ εὖ λέγουσι τοῖς φίλοις τιμὰς νέμειν.
Odysseus: But he can award honors to friends who speak well.
§1352κλύειν τὸν ἐσθλὸν ἄνδρα χρὴ τῶν ἐν τέλει.
Agamemnon: A good man ought to listen to those in authority.
§1353παῦσαι· κρατεῖς τοι τῶν φίλων νικώμενος.
Odysseus: Cease; you indeed conquer your friends when you are defeated.
§1354μέμνησʼ ὁποίῳ φωτὶ τὴν χάριν δίδως.
Agamemnon: Remember to what kind of man you are granting this favor.
§1355ὅδʼ ἐχθρὸς ἁνήρ, ἀλλὰ γενναῖός ποτʼ ἦν.
Odysseus: This man was an enemy, but he was once noble.
§1356τί ποτε ποήσεις;
Agamemnon: What will you do?
ἐχθρὸν ὧδʼ αἰδῇ νέκυν;
Do you thus respect a dead enemy?
§1357κινεῖ γὰρ ἁρετή με τῆς ἔχθρας πολύ.
Odysseus: Yes, for his valor moves me far more than his enmity.
§1358τοιοίδε μέντοι φῶτες ἔμπληκτοι βροτῶν.
Agamemnon: Yet such men are unstable among mortals.
§1359ἦ κάρτα πολλοὶ νῦν φίλοι καὖθις πικροί.
Odysseus: Many are indeed friends now, and later bitter.
§1360τοιούσδʼ ἐπαινεῖς δῆτα σὺ κτᾶσθαι φίλους;
Agamemnon: Do you then recommend acquiring such friends?
§1361σκληρὰν ἐπαινεῖν οὐ φιλῶ ψυχὴν ἐγώ.
Odysseus: I do not like to praise an unyielding soul.
§1362ἡμᾶς σὺ δειλοὺς τῇδε θἠμέρᾳ φανεῖς.
Agamemnon: You will make us appear cowards on this day.
§1363ἄνδρας μὲν οὖν Ἕλλησι πᾶσιν ἐνδίκους.
Odysseus: Rather, as men of justice to all the Greeks.
§1364ἄνωγας οὖν με τὸν νεκρὸν θάπτειν ἐᾶν;
Agamemnon: Do you then command me to allow the corpse to be buried?
§1365ἔγωγε· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐνθάδʼ ἵξομαι.
Odysseus: I do; for I myself also shall come to this.
§1366ἦ πάνθʼ ὁμοῖα· πᾶς ἀνὴρ αὑτῷ πονεῖ.
Agamemnon: Indeed all things are alike; every man labors for himself.
§1367τῷ γάρ με μᾶλλον εἰκὸς ἢ ʼμαυτῷ πονεῖν;
Odysseus: For for whom is it more reasonable for me to labor than for myself?
§1368σὸν ἆρα τοὔργον, οὐκ ἐμὸν κεκλήσεται.
Agamemnon: Then it shall be called your deed, not mine.
§1369ὡς ἂν ποήσῃς, πανταχῇ χρηστός γʼ ἔσῃ.
Odysseus: However you do it, you will be noble in every way.
§1370ἀλλʼ εὖ γε μέντοι τοῦτʼ ἐπίστασʼ, ὡς ἐγὼ §1371σοὶ μὲν νέμοιμʼ ἂν τῆσδε καὶ μείζω χάριν, §1372οὗτος δὲ κἀκεῖ κἀνθάδʼ ὢν ἔμοιγʼ ὁμῶς §1373ἔχθιστος ἔσται.
Agamemnon: But know this well indeed, that I would grant you even a greater favor than this, but that man, both there and here, will equally be most hateful to me.
σοὶ δὲ δρᾶν ἔξεσθʼ ἃ χρῇς.
But for you, it is permitted to do what you wish.
Leader: Whoever, Odysseus, does not say that you are wise by nature, being such a man, is a foolish man.
Odysseus: And now indeed I announce to Teucer that from this moment, as much as I was once an enemy, so much I am a friend.
§1378καὶ τὸν θανόντα τόνδε συνθάπτειν θέλω, §1379καὶ ξυμπονεῖν καὶ μηδὲν ἐλλείπειν ὅσων §1380χρὴ τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἀνδράσιν πονεῖν βροτούς.
And I wish to join in burying this dead man, and to share the labor, and to leave out nothing of those things which it behooves mortals to labor for the best of men.
Teucer: Most noble Odysseus, I have only praise for you in all my words; and you have greatly belied my expectations.
§1383τούτῳ γὰρ ὢν ἔχθιστος Ἀργείων ἀνὴρ §1384μόνος παρέστης χερσίν, οὐδʼ ἔτλης παρὼν §1385θανόντι τῷδε ζῶν ἐφυβρίσαι μέγα, §1386ὡς ὁ στρατηγὸς οὑπιβρόντητος μολὼν §1387αὐτός τε χὡ ξύναιμος ἠθελησάτην §1388λωβητὸν αὐτὸν ἐκβαλεῖν ταφῆς ἄτερ.
For though you were of all the Argives the most hateful to him, you alone stood by him with your hands, nor did you endure, being present, to insult greatly this dead man, as that thunderstruck general, coming himself and his brother wished to cast him out, insulted, without burial.
§1389τοιγάρ σφʼ Ὀλύμπου τοῦδʼ ὁ πρεσβεύων πατὴρ §1390μνήμων τʼ Ἐρινὺς καὶ τελεσφόρος Δίκη §1391κακοὺς κακῶς φθείρειαν, ὥσπερ ἤθελον §1392τὸν ἄνδρα λώβαις ἐκβαλεῖν ἀναξίως.
Therefore, may the father who rules this Olympus, and the remembering Erinys, and Justice that brings fulfillment, destroy them evilly as they are evil, even as they wished to cast out this man unworthily with insults.
§1393σὲ δʼ, ὦ γεραιοῦ σπέρμα Λαέρτου πατρός, §1394τάφου μὲν ὀκνῶ τοῦδʼ ἐπιψαύειν ἐᾶν, §1395μὴ τῷ θανόντι τοῦτο δυσχερὲς ποιῶ·
But as for you, O seed of the aged father Laertes, I hesitate to allow you to touch this grave, lest I make this displeasing to the dead.
But as for the rest, join in doing them, and if you wish any of the army to bring, we shall have no pain.
And I will prepare all things on my side; and you, know that you are a noble man toward us.
Odysseus: I indeed wished it; but if it is not pleasing to you for us to do this, I will go, praising your decision.
Teucer: Enough; for already much time has been extended.
ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν κοίλην κάπετον §1404χερσὶ ταχύνετε, τοὶ δʼ ὑψίβατον §1405τρίποδʼ ἀμφίπυρον λουτρῶν ὁσίων §1406θέσθʼ ἐπίκαιρον·
But some of you, hasten with your hands the hollow grave, and others place the high-stepping tripod, surrounded by fire, in a timely place for holy bathing.
And let one band of men from the tent bring the armor that goes under the shield.
§1409παῖ, σὺ δὲ πατρός γʼ, ὅσον ἰσχύεις, §1410φιλότητι θιγὼν πλευρὰς σὺν ἐμοὶ §1411τάσδʼ ἐπικούφιζʼ· ἔτι γὰρ θερμαὶ §1412σύριγγες ἄνω φυσῶσι μέλαν §1413μένος.
Boy, and you, with what strength you have, touching with love your father's sides with me, lighten them; for still his warm veins are blowing upward his black strength.
ἀλλʼ ἄγε πᾶς, φίλος ὅστις ἀνὴρ §1414φησὶ παρεῖναι, σούσθω, βάτω, §1415τῷδʼ ἀνδρὶ πονῶν τῷ πάντʼ ἀγαθῷ §1416κοὐδενί πω λῴονι θνητῶν §1417Αἴαντος, ὅτʼ ἦν, τότε φωνῶ.
But come, everyone who says he is present as a friend, let him hasten, let him go, laboring for this man who was altogether good, and to none of mortals yet better than Ajax, when he lived, as I declare.