§2.144κινήθη δʼ ἀγορὴ φὴ κύματα μακρὰ θαλάσσης §2.145πόντου Ἰκαρίοιο, τὰ μέν τʼ Εὖρός τε Νότος τε §2.146ὤρορʼ ἐπαΐξας πατρὸς Διὸς ἐκ νεφελάων.
And the assembly was stirred like the great waves of the sea of the Icarian sea, which the East Wind and the South Wind have raised, rushing down from the clouds of father Zeus.
§2.147ὡς δʼ ὅτε κινήσῃ Ζέφυρος βαθὺ λήϊον ἐλθὼν §2.148λάβρος ἐπαιγίζων, ἐπί τʼ ἠμύει ἀσταχύεσσιν, §2.149ὣς τῶν πᾶσʼ ἀγορὴ κινήθη·
And as when the West Wind comes and stirs a deep cornfield, blowing violently, and it bows with its ears of corn, so was all their assembly stirred.
And they with loud shouting rushed towards the ships, and from beneath their feet the dust stood rising aloft.
τοὶ δʼ ἀλλήλοισι κέλευον §2.152ἅπτεσθαι νηῶν ἠδʼ ἑλκέμεν εἰς ἅλα δῖαν, §2.153οὐρούς τʼ ἐξεκάθαιρον· ἀϋτὴ δʼ οὐρανὸν ἷκεν §2.154οἴκαδε ἱεμένων· ὑπὸ δʼ ᾕρεον ἕρματα νηῶν.
And they bade one another to lay hold of the ships and drag them into the bright sea, and they cleared out the launching-ways; and their shouting reached heaven, as they yearned for home; and they took away the props from beneath the ships.
§2.155ἔνθά κεν Ἀργείοισιν ὑπέρμορα νόστος ἐτύχθη §2.156εἰ μὴ Ἀθηναίην Ἥρη πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν· §2.157ὢ πόποι αἰγιόχοιο Διὸς τέκος Ἀτρυτώνη,
Then indeed would a return have been brought about for the Argives beyond fate, if Hera had not spoken a word to Athena: "Alas, daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus, unwearied one!
Shall the Argives thus indeed flee home to their dear native land over the broad back of the sea?
§2.160κὰδ δέ κεν εὐχωλὴν Πριάμῳ καὶ Τρωσὶ λίποιεν §2.161Ἀργείην Ἑλένην, ἧς εἵνεκα πολλοὶ Ἀχαιῶν §2.162ἐν Τροίῃ ἀπόλοντο φίλης ἀπὸ πατρίδος αἴης·
And would they leave behind to Priam and the Trojans as a boast Argive Helen, for whose sake many of the Achaeans have perished at Troy, far from their dear native land.
§2.163ἀλλʼ ἴθι νῦν κατὰ λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων· §2.164σοῖς ἀγανοῖς ἐπέεσσιν ἐρήτυε φῶτα ἕκαστον, §2.165μηδὲ ἔα νῆας ἅλα δʼ ἑλκέμεν ἀμφιελίσσας. §2.166ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη, §2.167βῆ δὲ κατʼ Οὐλύμποιο καρήνων ἀΐξασα·
But go now among the host of the bronze-clad Achaeans; with your gentle words hold back each man, and suffer them not to drag their curved ships into the sea." So she spoke, and the goddess, flashing-eyed Athena, failed not to obey, but went darting down from the peaks of Olympus.
§2.168καρπαλίμως δʼ ἵκανε θοὰς ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν.
And swiftly she came to the swift ships of the Achaeans.
§2.169εὗρεν ἔπειτʼ Ὀδυσῆα Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον §2.170ἑσταότʼ· οὐδʼ ὅ γε νηὸς ἐϋσσέλμοιο μελαίνης §2.171ἅπτετʼ, ἐπεί μιν ἄχος κραδίην καὶ θυμὸν ἵκανεν·
She found then Odysseus, the peer of Zeus in counsel, standing; nor did he lay hand upon his black, well-benched ship, since grief had come upon his heart and soul.
§2.172ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱσταμένη προσέφη γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη· §2.173διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη πολυμήχανʼ Ὀδυσσεῦ, §2.174οὕτω δὴ οἶκον δὲ φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν §2.175φεύξεσθʼ ἐν νήεσσι πολυκλήϊσι πεσόντες,
And standing near him flashing-eyed Athena spoke: "Son of Laertes, sprung from Zeus, Odysseus of many devices, will you indeed thus fling yourselves into your many-bench ships and flee home to your dear native land?
§2.176κὰδ δέ κεν εὐχωλὴν Πριάμῳ καὶ Τρωσὶ λίποιτε §2.177Ἀργείην Ἑλένην, ἧς εἵνεκα πολλοὶ Ἀχαιῶν §2.178ἐν Τροίῃ ἀπόλοντο φίλης ἀπὸ πατρίδος αἴης;
And would you leave behind to Priam and the Trojans as a boast Argive Helen, for whose sake many of the Achaeans have perished at Troy, far from their dear native land?
§2.179ἀλλʼ ἴθι νῦν κατὰ λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν, μηδʼ ἔτʼ ἐρώει, §2.180σοῖς δʼ ἀγανοῖς ἐπέεσσιν ἐρήτυε φῶτα ἕκαστον, §2.181μηδὲ ἔα νῆας ἅλα δʼ ἑλκέμεν ἀμφιελίσσας. §2.182ὣς φάθʼ, ὃ δὲ ξυνέηκε θεᾶς ὄπα φωνησάσης, §2.183βῆ δὲ θέειν, ἀπὸ δὲ χλαῖναν βάλε· τὴν δὲ κόμισσε §2.184κῆρυξ Εὐρυβάτης Ἰθακήσιος ὅς οἱ ὀπήδει·
But go now among the host of the Achaeans, and tarry no longer; with your gentle words hold back each man, and suffer them not to drag their curved ships into the sea." So she spoke, and he knew the voice of the goddess as she spoke, and started to run, and cast off his cloak; and it was gathered up by the herald Eurybates of Ithaca, who was his squire.
§2.185αὐτὸς δʼ Ἀτρεΐδεω Ἀγαμέμνονος ἀντίος ἐλθὼν §2.186δέξατό οἱ σκῆπτρον πατρώϊον ἄφθιτον αἰεί· §2.187σὺν τῷ ἔβη κατὰ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων.
And he himself, going to meet Agamemnon, son of Atreus, received from him the ancestral sceptre, ever imperishable; with this he went among the ships of the bronze-clad Achaeans.
§2.188ὅν τινα μὲν βασιλῆα καὶ ἔξοχον ἄνδρα κιχείη §2.189τὸν δʼ ἀγανοῖς ἐπέεσσιν ἐρητύσασκε παραστάς· §2.190δαιμόνιʼ οὔ σε ἔοικε κακὸν ὣς δειδίσσεσθαι, §2.191ἀλλʼ αὐτός τε κάθησο καὶ ἄλλους ἵδρυε λαούς· §2.192οὐ γάρ πω σάφα οἶσθʼ οἷος νόος Ἀτρεΐωνος· §2.193νῦν μὲν πειρᾶται, τάχα δʼ ἴψεται υἷας Ἀχαιῶν.
Whomsoever he met who was a king and a man of note, him he would stay with gentle words, standing by his side: "Sir, it is not fitting to frighten you as if you were a coward, but do you sit down yourself and make the rest of your people sit; for you do not yet know clearly what is the mind of the son of Atreus; now he is making trial, but soon he will afflict the sons of the Achaeans.
§2.194ἐν βουλῇ δʼ οὐ πάντες ἀκούσαμεν οἷον ἔειπε.
And did we not all hear in the council what he said?
§2.195μή τι χολωσάμενος ῥέξῃ κακὸν υἷας Ἀχαιῶν· §2.196θυμὸς δὲ μέγας ἐστὶ διοτρεφέων βασιλήων, §2.197τιμὴ δʼ ἐκ Διός ἐστι, φιλεῖ δέ ἑ μητίετα Ζεύς. §2.198ὃν δʼ αὖ δήμου τʼ ἄνδρα ἴδοι βοόωντά τʼ ἐφεύροι, §2.199τὸν σκήπτρῳ ἐλάσασκεν ὁμοκλήσασκέ τε μύθῳ· §2.200δαιμόνιʼ ἀτρέμας ἧσο καὶ ἄλλων μῦθον ἄκουε, §2.201οἳ σέο φέρτεροί εἰσι, σὺ δʼ ἀπτόλεμος καὶ ἄναλκις §2.202οὔτέ ποτʼ ἐν πολέμῳ ἐναρίθμιος οὔτʼ ἐνὶ βουλῇ·
Beware lest he grow angry and do some harm to the sons of the Achaeans; for great is the wrath of kings nurtured by Zeus, and his honour is from Zeus, and wise Zeus loves him." But whomsoever again of the common people he saw and found shouting, him he would drive with the sceptre and chide with words: "Fellow, sit still and listen to the words of others who are better than you; you are non-combatant and weak, of no account either in war or in council.
§2.203οὐ μέν πως πάντες βασιλεύσομεν ἐνθάδʼ Ἀχαιοί· §2.204οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκοιρανίη· εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω, §2.205εἷς βασιλεύς, ᾧ δῶκε Κρόνου πάϊς ἀγκυλομήτεω §2.206σκῆπτρόν τʼ ἠδὲ θέμιστας, ἵνά σφισι βουλεύῃσι. §2.207ὣς ὅ γε κοιρανέων δίεπε στρατόν· οἳ δʼ ἀγορὴν δὲ §2.208αὖτις ἐπεσσεύοντο νεῶν ἄπο καὶ κλισιάων §2.209ἠχῇ, ὡς ὅτε κῦμα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης §2.210αἰγιαλῷ μεγάλῳ βρέμεται, σμαραγεῖ δέ τε πόντος.
We Achaeans cannot all be kings here; a multitude of rulers is not good; let there be one ruler, one king, to whom the son of crooked-counselled Cronos gave the sceptre and the laws, so that he may make decisions for them." Thus ruling he marshalled the host; and they to the assembly rushed back from the ships and huts with noise, as when a wave of the roaring sea thunders against a great beach, and the deep resounds.
§2.211ἄλλοι μέν ῥʼ ἕζοντο, ἐρήτυθεν δὲ καθʼ ἕδρας· §2.212Θερσίτης δʼ ἔτι μοῦνος ἀμετροεπὴς ἐκολῴα, §2.213ὃς ἔπεα φρεσὶν ᾗσιν ἄκοσμά τε πολλά τε ᾔδη §2.214μάψ, ἀτὰρ οὐ κατὰ κόσμον, ἐριζέμεναι βασιλεῦσιν,
The others sat down and were kept to their seats; but Thersites alone still chattered on, babbling, who knew in his mind many disorderly words, to strive with the kings, vainly and not in order.