§1.1μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος §1.2οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρίʼ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγεʼ ἔθηκε, §1.3πολλὰς δʼ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν §1.4ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν §1.5οἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι, Διὸς δʼ ἐτελείετο βουλή, §1.6ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ἐρίσαντε §1.7Ἀτρεΐδης τε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς.
Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilles, ruinous, which brought countless woes upon the Achaeans, and sent many brave souls of heroes down to Hades, and made themselves a spoil for dogs and all birds—and the will of Zeus was being accomplished— from the day when first they parted after striving, the son of Atreus, king of men, and noble Achilles.
§1.8τίς τʼ ἄρ σφωε θεῶν ἔριδι ξυνέηκε μάχεσθαι;
Who then of the gods set them to conflict to fight?
§1.9Λητοῦς καὶ Διὸς υἱός· ὃ γὰρ βασιλῆϊ χολωθεὶς §1.10νοῦσον ἀνὰ στρατὸν ὄρσε κακήν, ὀλέκοντο δὲ λαοί, §1.11οὕνεκα τὸν Χρύσην ἠτίμασεν ἀρητῆρα
The son of Leto and Zeus; for he, angered at the king, raised an evil plague through the army, and the people perished, because the son of Atreus dishonored Chryses the priest.
§1.12Ἀτρεΐδης· ὃ γὰρ ἦλθε θοὰς ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν §1.13λυσόμενός τε θύγατρα φέρων τʼ ἀπερείσιʼ ἄποινα, §1.14στέμματʼ ἔχων ἐν χερσὶν ἑκηβόλου Ἀπόλλωνος §1.15χρυσέῳ ἀνὰ σκήπτρῳ, καὶ λίσσετο πάντας Ἀχαιούς, §1.16Ἀτρεΐδα δὲ μάλιστα δύω, κοσμήτορε λαῶν· §1.17Ἀτρεΐδαι τε καὶ ἄλλοι ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοί, §1.18ὑμῖν μὲν θεοὶ δοῖεν Ὀλύμπια δώματʼ ἔχοντες §1.19ἐκπέρσαι Πριάμοιο πόλιν, εὖ δʼ οἴκαδʼ ἱκέσθαι· §1.20παῖδα δʼ ἐμοὶ λύσαιτε φίλην, τὰ δʼ ἄποινα δέχεσθαι, §1.21ἁζόμενοι Διὸς υἱὸν ἑκηβόλον Ἀπόλλωνα. §1.22ἔνθʼ ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες ἐπευφήμησαν Ἀχαιοὶ §1.23αἰδεῖσθαί θʼ ἱερῆα καὶ ἀγλαὰ δέχθαι ἄποινα· §1.24ἀλλʼ οὐκ Ἀτρεΐδῃ Ἀγαμέμνονι ἥνδανε θυμῷ, §1.25ἀλλὰ κακῶς ἀφίει, κρατερὸν δʼ ἐπὶ μῦθον ἔτελλε· §1.26μή σε γέρον κοίλῃσιν ἐγὼ παρὰ νηυσὶ κιχείω §1.27ἢ νῦν δηθύνοντʼ ἢ ὕστερον αὖτις ἰόντα, §1.28μή νύ τοι οὐ χραίσμῃ σκῆπτρον καὶ στέμμα θεοῖο·
For he had come to the swift ships of the Achaeans to release his daughter and bringing boundless ransom, holding in his hands the fillets of Apollo who strikes from afar upon a golden scepter, and he entreated all the Achaeans, and most of all the two sons of Atreus, marshals of the people: "Sons of Atreus and you other well-greaved Achaeans, may the gods who hold Olympian dwellings grant you to sack the city of Priam, and to return safely home; but release my dear child to me, and accept the ransom, reverencing the son of Zeus, Apollo who strikes from afar." Then all the other Achaeans shouted assent to reverence the priest and to accept the glorious ransom; but it did not please the heart of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, but he sent him away harshly, and laid upon him a stern command: "Let me not find you, old man, by the hollow ships either loitering now or coming back hereafter, lest the scepter and fillet of the god protect you not.
§1.29τὴν δʼ ἐγὼ οὐ λύσω· πρίν μιν καὶ γῆρας ἔπεισιν §1.30ἡμετέρῳ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ ἐν Ἄργεϊ τηλόθι πάτρης §1.31ἱστὸν ἐποιχομένην καὶ ἐμὸν λέχος ἀντιόωσαν·
Her I will not release; before that old age shall come upon her in our house in Argos, far from her native land, plying the loom and sharing my bed.
§1.32ἀλλʼ ἴθι μή μʼ ἐρέθιζε σαώτερος ὥς κε νέηαι. §1.33ὣς ἔφατʼ, ἔδεισεν δʼ ὃ γέρων καὶ ἐπείθετο μύθῳ·
But go, do not anger me, so that you may go safer." So he spoke, and the old man feared and obeyed his word.
§1.34βῆ δʼ ἀκέων παρὰ θῖνα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης· §1.35πολλὰ δʼ ἔπειτʼ ἀπάνευθε κιὼν ἠρᾶθʼ ὁ γεραιὸς §1.36Ἀπόλλωνι ἄνακτι, τὸν ἠΰκομος τέκε Λητώ· §1.37κλῦθί μευ ἀργυρότοξʼ, ὃς Χρύσην ἀμφιβέβηκας §1.38Κίλλαν τε ζαθέην Τενέδοιό τε ἶφι ἀνάσσεις, §1.39Σμινθεῦ εἴ ποτέ τοι χαρίεντʼ ἐπὶ νηὸν ἔρεψα, §1.40ἢ εἰ δή ποτέ τοι κατὰ πίονα μηρίʼ ἔκηα §1.41ταύρων ἠδʼ αἰγῶν, τὸ δέ μοι κρήηνον ἐέλδωρ· §1.42τίσειαν Δαναοὶ ἐμὰ δάκρυα σοῖσι βέλεσσιν. §1.43ὣς ἔφατʼ εὐχόμενος, τοῦ δʼ ἔκλυε Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων, §1.44βῆ δὲ κατʼ Οὐλύμποιο καρήνων χωόμενος κῆρ, §1.45τόξʼ ὤμοισιν ἔχων ἀμφηρεφέα τε φαρέτρην·
And he went in silence along the shore of the loud-resounding sea; and then, going apart, the old man prayed earnestly to lord Apollo, whom fair-haired Leto bore: "Hear me, god of the silver bow, who stand over Chryse and sacred Cilla, and rule mightily over Tenedos, Smintheus, if ever I built a temple pleasing to you, or if ever I burned for you fat thigh-pieces of bulls and goats, fulfill this desire for me: may the Danaans pay for my tears with your arrows." So he spoke praying, and Phoebus Apollo heard him, and he came down from the peaks of Olympus wroth in heart, having his bow on his shoulders and his covered quiver; and the arrows clanged on the shoulders of the wroth one as he moved; and he went like the night.
§1.46ἔκλαγξαν δʼ ἄρʼ ὀϊστοὶ ἐπʼ ὤμων χωομένοιο, §1.47αὐτοῦ κινηθέντος· ὃ δʼ ἤϊε νυκτὶ ἐοικώς. §1.48ἕζετʼ ἔπειτʼ ἀπάνευθε νεῶν, μετὰ δʼ ἰὸν ἕηκε· §1.49δεινὴ δὲ κλαγγὴ γένετʼ ἀργυρέοιο βιοῖο·
Then he sat down apart from the ships, and let fly an arrow; terrible was the clang of the silver bow.
§1.50οὐρῆας μὲν πρῶτον ἐπῴχετο καὶ κύνας ἀργούς, §1.51αὐτὰρ ἔπειτʼ αὐτοῖσι βέλος ἐχεπευκὲς ἐφιεὶς §1.52βάλλʼ· αἰεὶ δὲ πυραὶ νεκύων καίοντο θαμειαί.
The mules first he assailed and the swift dogs, but then upon the men themselves casting a piercing shaft he struck; and the pyres of the dead burned thick continually.
§1.53ἐννῆμαρ μὲν ἀνὰ στρατὸν ᾤχετο κῆλα θεοῖο, §1.54τῇ δεκάτῃ δʼ ἀγορὴν δὲ καλέσσατο λαὸν Ἀχιλλεύς· §1.55τῷ γὰρ ἐπὶ φρεσὶ θῆκε θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη· §1.56κήδετο γὰρ Δαναῶν, ὅτι ῥα θνήσκοντας ὁρᾶτο.
For nine days the arrows of the god went through the army, but on the tenth Achilles called the people to assembly; for the white-armed goddess Hera had put it in his mind, since she cared for the Danaans, because she saw them dying.
§1.57οἳ δʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν ἤγερθεν ὁμηγερέες τε γένοντο, §1.58τοῖσι δʼ ἀνιστάμενος μετέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς· §1.59Ἀτρεΐδη νῦν ἄμμε παλιμπλαγχθέντας ὀΐω §1.60ἂψ ἀπονοστήσειν, εἴ κεν θάνατόν γε φύγοιμεν, §1.61εἰ δὴ ὁμοῦ πόλεμός τε δαμᾷ καὶ λοιμὸς Ἀχαιούς·
So when they were gathered and come together, swift-footed Achilles stood up among them and spoke: "Son of Atreus, now I think we shall be driven back to return home, if indeed we might escape death, if war and pestilence alike are to subdue the Achaeans.
§1.62ἀλλʼ ἄγε δή τινα μάντιν ἐρείομεν ἢ ἱερῆα §1.63ἢ καὶ ὀνειροπόλον, καὶ γάρ τʼ ὄναρ ἐκ Διός ἐστιν, §1.64ὅς κʼ εἴποι ὅ τι τόσσον ἐχώσατο Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων, §1.65εἴτʼ ἄρʼ ὅ γʼ εὐχωλῆς ἐπιμέμφεται ἠδʼ ἑκατόμβης, §1.66αἴ κέν πως ἀρνῶν κνίσης αἰγῶν τε τελείων §1.67βούλεται ἀντιάσας ἡμῖν ἀπὸ λοιγὸν ἀμῦναι. §1.68ἤτοι ὅ γʼ ὣς εἰπὼν κατʼ ἄρʼ ἕζετο· τοῖσι δʼ ἀνέστη §1.69Κάλχας Θεστορίδης οἰωνοπόλων ὄχʼ ἄριστος,
But come, let us ask some prophet or priest, or even a dreamer of dreams—for a dream too is from Zeus— who might tell why Phoebus Apollo is so wroth, whether he blames us for a vow or a hecatomb, if perchance he may be pleased to accept the savor of lambs and unblemished goats and ward off the plague from us." When he had thus spoken he sat down; and among them rose Calchas son of Thestor, far the best of bird-diviners,