He stood upright and spoke a word among the Argives: “Arise, you who will make trial of this prize as well.
§23.832εἴ οἱ καὶ μάλα πολλὸν ἀπόπροθι πίονες ἀγροί, §23.833ἕξει μιν καὶ πέντε περιπλομένους ἐνιαυτοὺς §23.834χρεώμενος· οὐ μὲν γάρ οἱ ἀτεμβόμενός γε σιδήρου §23.835ποιμὴν οὐδʼ ἀροτὴρ εἶσʼ ἐς πόλιν, ἀλλὰ παρέξει. §23.836ὣς ἔφατʼ, ὦρτο δʼ ἔπειτα μενεπτόλεμος Πολυποίτης, §23.837ἂν δὲ Λεοντῆος κρατερὸν μένος ἀντιθέοιο, §23.838ἂν δʼ Αἴας Τελαμωνιάδης καὶ δῖος Ἐπειός.
Even if he has rich fields very far away indeed, he will have this for his use for five revolving years; for his shepherd or plowman will not go to the city for lack of iron, but this will supply it.” So he spoke, and then arose Polypoetes, steadfast in battle, and up rose the strong power of godlike Leonteus, and up rose Telamonian Ajax and noble Epeius.
§23.839ἑξείης δʼ ἵσταντο, σόλον δʼ ἕλε δῖος Ἐπειός, §23.840ἧκε δὲ δινήσας· γέλασαν δʼ ἐπὶ πάντες Ἀχαιοί.
They stood in order, and noble Epeius took the iron block, and swung and threw it; and all the Achaeans laughed at him.
§23.841δεύτερος αὖτʼ ἀφέηκε Λεοντεὺς ὄζος Ἄρηος· §23.842τὸ τρίτον αὖτʼ ἔρριψε μέγας Τελαμώνιος Αἴας §23.843χειρὸς ἄπο στιβαρῆς, καὶ ὑπέρβαλε σήματα πάντων.
Second then Leonteus, offshoot of Ares, let it fly; third then great Telamonian Ajax threw it from his sturdy hand, and surpassed the marks of all.
§23.844ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ σόλον εἷλε μενεπτόλεμος Πολυποίτης, §23.845ὅσσόν τίς τʼ ἔρριψε καλαύροπα βουκόλος ἀνήρ, §23.846ἣ δέ θʼ ἑλισσομένη πέτεται διὰ βοῦς ἀγελαίας, §23.847τόσσον παντὸς ἀγῶνος ὑπέρβαλε· τοὶ δὲ βόησαν.
But when Polypoetes, steadfast in battle, took the iron block, as far as a herdsman throws his curved staff, which flies spinning through the herded cattle, so far did he surpass the whole assembly; and they shouted.
And the strong companions of Polypoetes, rising up, carried the king's prize to the hollow ships.
§23.850αὐτὰρ ὃ τοξευτῇσι τίθει ἰόεντα σίδηρον, §23.851κὰδ δʼ ἐτίθει δέκα μὲν πελέκεας, δέκα δʼ ἡμιπέλεκκα,
Then Achilles set forth dark iron for the archers, and laid down ten double axes, and ten single axes.
§23.852ἱστὸν δʼ ἔστησεν νηὸς κυανοπρῴροιο §23.853τηλοῦ ἐπὶ ψαμάθοις, ἐκ δὲ τρήρωνα πέλειαν §23.854λεπτῇ μηρίνθῳ δῆσεν ποδός, ἧς ἄρʼ ἀνώγει §23.855τοξεύειν· ὃς μέν κε βάλῃ τρήρωνα πέλειαν, §23.856πάντας ἀειράμενος πελέκεας οἶκον δὲ φερέσθω· §23.857ὃς δέ κε μηρίνθοιο τύχῃ ὄρνιθος ἁμαρτών, §23.858ἥσσων γὰρ δὴ κεῖνος, ὃ δʼ οἴσεται ἡμιπέλεκκα. §23.859ὣς ἔφατʼ, ὦρτο δʼ ἔπειτα βίη Τεύκροιο ἄνακτος, §23.860ἂν δʼ ἄρα Μηριόνης θεράπων ἐῢς Ἰδομενῆος.
He set up the mast of a dark-prowed ship far off in the sands, and bound a timid dove by her foot with a slender cord, and ordered them to shoot at her: “Whosoever shall hit the timid dove, let him lift all the double axes and carry them home; but whosoever shall hit the cord, missing the bird— for he indeed is inferior—he shall carry away the single axes.” So he spoke, and then arose the strength of lord Teucer, and up rose Meriones, the worthy squire of Idomeneus.
§23.861κλήρους δʼ ἐν κυνέῃ χαλκήρεϊ πάλλον ἑλόντες, §23.862Τεῦκρος δὲ πρῶτος κλήρῳ λάχεν· αὐτίκα δʼ ἰὸν §23.863ἧκεν ἐπικρατέως, οὐδʼ ἠπείλησεν ἄνακτι §23.864ἀρνῶν πρωτογόνων ῥέξειν κλειτὴν ἑκατόμβην.
They took lots and shook them in a bronze-plated helmet, and Teucer drew the first lot; and straightway he shot an arrow forcibly, but he did not promise to the lord to sacrifice a glorious hecatomb of firstling lambs.
§23.865ὄρνιθος μὲν ἅμαρτε· μέγηρε γάρ οἱ τό γʼ Ἀπόλλων· §23.866αὐτὰρ ὃ μήρινθον βάλε πὰρ πόδα, τῇ δέδετʼ ὄρνις· §23.867ἀντικρὺ δʼ ἀπὸ μήρινθον τάμε πικρὸς ὀϊστός.
He missed the bird, for Apollo grudged him this success, but he hit the cord near the foot where the bird was bound; and the bitter arrow cut the cord clean away.
§23.868ἣ μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἤϊξε πρὸς οὐρανόν, ἣ δὲ παρείθη §23.869μήρινθος ποτὶ γαῖαν· ἀτὰρ κελάδησαν Ἀχαιοί.
Then the bird darted toward the sky, and the cord hung down toward the earth; and the Achaeans shouted.
§23.870σπερχόμενος δʼ ἄρα Μηριόνης ἐξείρυσε χειρὸς §23.871τόξον· ἀτὰρ δὴ ὀϊστὸν ἔχεν πάλαι, ὡς ἴθυνεν.
Meriones in haste snatched the bow from Teucer's hand; but he had already been holding the arrow while Teucer was aiming.
Straightway he promised to far-shooting Apollo to sacrifice a glorious hecatomb of firstling lambs.
§23.874ὕψι δʼ ὑπὸ νεφέων εἶδε τρήρωνα πέλειαν· §23.875τῇ ῥʼ ὅ γε δινεύουσαν ὑπὸ πτέρυγος βάλε μέσσην, §23.876ἀντικρὺ δὲ διῆλθε βέλος· τὸ μὲν ἂψ ἐπὶ γαίῃ §23.877πρόσθεν Μηριόναο πάγη ποδός· αὐτὰρ ἣ ὄρνις §23.878ἱστῷ ἐφεζομένη νηὸς κυανοπρῴροιο §23.879αὐχένʼ ἀπεκρέμασεν, σὺν δὲ πτερὰ πυκνὰ λίασθεν.
High up under the clouds he saw the timid dove; there, as she circled, he hit her in the middle beneath the wing, and the shaft went clean through; and it fell back on the ground and was fixed before Meriones' foot; but the bird, alighting on the mast of the dark-prowed ship, drooped her neck, and her thick wings collapsed.
§23.880ὠκὺς δʼ ἐκ μελέων θυμὸς πτάτο, τῆλε δʼ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ §23.881κάππεσε· λαοὶ δʼ αὖ θηεῦντό τε θάμβησάν τε.
Swiftly the life flew from her limbs, and far from the mast she fell; and the people looked on and marveled.
§23.882ἂν δʼ ἄρα Μηριόνης πελέκεας δέκα πάντας ἄειρε, §23.883Τεῦκρος δʼ ἡμιπέλεκκα φέρεν κοίλας ἐπὶ νῆας.
Then Meriones took up all the ten double axes, and Teucer carried the single axes to the hollow ships.
§23.884αὐτὰρ Πηλεΐδης κατὰ μὲν δολιχόσκιον ἔγχος, §23.885κὰδ δὲ λέβητʼ ἄπυρον βοὸς ἄξιον ἀνθεμόεντα §23.886θῆκʼ ἐς ἀγῶνα φέρων· καί ῥʼ ἥμονες ἄνδρες ἀνέσταν· §23.887ἂν μὲν ἄρʼ Ἀτρεΐδης εὐρὺ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων, §23.888ἂν δʼ ἄρα Μηριόνης, θεράπων ἐῢς Ἰδομενῆος.
Then the son of Peleus brought a far-shadowing spear and a cauldron untouched by fire, worth an ox, embossed with flowers, and set them in the ring; and the spear-throwers arose: up rose the son of Atreus, wide-ruling Agamemnon, and up rose Meriones, the worthy squire of Idomeneus.
§23.889τοῖσι δὲ καὶ μετέειπε ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς· §23.890Ἀτρεΐδη· ἴδμεν γὰρ ὅσον προβέβηκας ἁπάντων §23.891ἠδʼ ὅσσον δυνάμει τε καὶ ἥμασιν ἔπλευ ἄριστος· §23.892ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν τόδʼ ἄεθλον ἔχων κοίλας ἐπὶ νῆας §23.893ἔρχευ, ἀτὰρ δόρυ Μηριόνῃ ἥρωϊ πόρωμεν, §23.894εἰ σύ γε σῷ θυμῷ ἐθέλοις· κέλομαι γὰρ ἔγωγε. §23.895ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων· §23.896δῶκε δὲ Μηριόνῃ δόρυ χάλκεον· αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ ἥρως §23.897Ταλθυβίῳ κήρυκι δίδου περικαλλὲς ἄεθλον.
Then swift-footed noble Achilles spoke among them: “Son of Atreus, for we know how far you surpass all others and how far you are the best in power and in throwing the spear; so do you carry this prize to the hollow ships and go, but let us give the spear to the hero Meriones, if you are willing in your heart; for so I bid you.” So he spoke, and Agamemnon, king of men, did not disobey; he gave the bronze spear to Meriones, but the hero gave the beautiful prize to the herald Talthybius.