§8.1Ἠὼς μὲν κροκόπεπλος ἐκίδνατο πᾶσαν ἐπʼ αἶαν, §8.2Ζεὺς δὲ θεῶν ἀγορὴν ποιήσατο τερπικέραυνος §8.3ἀκροτάτῃ κορυφῇ πολυδειράδος Οὐλύμποιο· §8.4αὐτὸς δέ σφʼ ἀγόρευε, θεοὶ δʼ ὑπὸ πάντες ἄκουον· §8.5κέκλυτέ μευ πάντές τε θεοὶ πᾶσαί τε θέαιναι, §8.6ὄφρʼ εἴπω τά με θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι κελεύει.
Dawn of the saffron robe was spreading over all the earth, and Zeus who delights in thunder made an assembly of the gods on the highest peak of many-ridged Olympus; and he himself spoke to them, and all the gods listened under him: "Hear me, all you gods and all you goddesses, so that I may tell what the heart in my breast commands.
§8.7μήτέ τις οὖν θήλεια θεὸς τό γε μήτέ τις ἄρσην §8.8πειράτω διακέρσαι ἐμὸν ἔπος, ἀλλʼ ἅμα πάντες §8.9αἰνεῖτʼ, ὄφρα τάχιστα τελευτήσω τάδε ἔργα.
Let no female god, nor any male, attempt to thwart my word, but all of you together assent, so that I may most quickly bring these works to an end.
§8.10ὃν δʼ ἂν ἐγὼν ἀπάνευθε θεῶν ἐθέλοντα νοήσω §8.11ἐλθόντʼ ἢ Τρώεσσιν ἀρηγέμεν ἢ Δαναοῖσι §8.12πληγεὶς οὐ κατὰ κόσμον ἐλεύσεται Οὔλυμπον δέ· §8.13ἤ μιν ἑλὼν ῥίψω ἐς Τάρταρον ἠερόεντα §8.14τῆλε μάλʼ, ἧχι βάθιστον ὑπὸ χθονός ἐστι βέρεθρον, §8.15ἔνθα σιδήρειαί τε πύλαι καὶ χάλκεος οὐδός, §8.16τόσσον ἔνερθʼ Ἀΐδεω ὅσον οὐρανός ἐστʼ ἀπὸ γαίης·
Whomsoever of the gods I shall perceive apart from the others, wishing to go and help either the Trojans or the Danaans, he shall return to Olympus smitten in unseemly wise; or I will seize him and cast him into misty Tartarus, far away, where is the deepest gulf beneath the earth, where there are iron gates and a bronze threshold, as far beneath Hades as heaven is from earth.
§8.17γνώσετʼ ἔπειθʼ ὅσον εἰμὶ θεῶν κάρτιστος ἁπάντων.
Then he shall know how much the mightiest I am of all gods.
§8.18εἰ δʼ ἄγε πειρήσασθε θεοὶ ἵνα εἴδετε πάντες· §8.19σειρὴν χρυσείην ἐξ οὐρανόθεν κρεμάσαντες §8.20πάντές τʼ ἐξάπτεσθε θεοὶ πᾶσαί τε θέαιναι·
Come now, try it, gods, so that you all may know; hang a golden chain down from heaven, and all of you, gods and goddesses, lay hold of it.
§8.21ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν ἐρύσαιτʼ ἐξ οὐρανόθεν πεδίον δὲ §8.22Ζῆνʼ ὕπατον μήστωρʼ, οὐδʼ εἰ μάλα πολλὰ κάμοιτε.
Yet you could not drag Zeus, the highest counselor, from heaven down to the plain, not even if you should labor very much.
§8.23ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ καὶ ἐγὼ πρόφρων ἐθέλοιμι ἐρύσσαι, §8.24αὐτῇ κεν γαίῃ ἐρύσαιμʼ αὐτῇ τε θαλάσσῃ· §8.25σειρὴν μέν κεν ἔπειτα περὶ ῥίον Οὐλύμποιο §8.26δησαίμην, τὰ δέ κʼ αὖτε μετήορα πάντα γένοιτο.
But whensoever I in turn should eagerly wish to drag it, I would drag it up with the very earth and the very sea; then I would bind the chain around a peak of Olympus, and all those things would then hang in the air.
§8.27τόσσον ἐγὼ περί τʼ εἰμὶ θεῶν περί τʼ εἴμʼ ἀνθρώπων. §8.28ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπῇ §8.29μῦθον ἀγασσάμενοι· μάλα γὰρ κρατερῶς ἀγόρευσεν.
So far am I superior to gods and superior to men." Thus he spoke, and they all became hushed in silence, marveled at his speech; for he spoke very powerfully.
§8.30ὀψὲ δὲ δὴ μετέειπε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη· §8.31ὦ πάτερ ἡμέτερε Κρονίδη ὕπατε κρειόντων §8.32εὖ νυ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν ὅ τοι σθένος οὐκ ἐπιεικτόν· §8.33ἀλλʼ ἔμπης Δαναῶν ὀλοφυρόμεθʼ αἰχμητάων, §8.34οἵ κεν δὴ κακὸν οἶτον ἀναπλήσαντες ὄλωνται.
But at last the goddess, flashing-eyed Athena, spoke among them: "O our father, son of Cronos, highest of rulers, well do we too know that your strength is unyielding; yet even so we pity the Danaan spear-fighters, who indeed must perish, fulfilling an evil fate.
§8.35ἀλλʼ ἤτοι πολέμου μὲν ἀφεξόμεθʼ ὡς σὺ κελεύεις· §8.36βουλὴν δʼ Ἀργείοις ὑποθησόμεθʼ ἥ τις ὀνήσει, §8.37ὡς μὴ πάντες ὄλωνται ὀδυσσαμένοιο τεοῖο. §8.38τὴν δʼ ἐπιμειδήσας προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς· §8.39θάρσει Τριτογένεια φίλον τέκος· οὔ νύ τι θυμῷ §8.40πρόφρονι μυθέομαι, ἐθέλω δέ τοι ἤπιος εἶναι. §8.41ὣς εἰπὼν ὑπʼ ὄχεσφι τιτύσκετο χαλκόποδʼ ἵππω §8.42ὠκυπέτα χρυσέῃσιν ἐθείρῃσιν κομόωντε, §8.43χρυσὸν δʼ αὐτὸς ἔδυνε περὶ χροΐ, γέντο δʼ ἱμάσθλην §8.44χρυσείην εὔτυκτον, ἑοῦ δʼ ἐπεβήσετο δίφρου, §8.45μάστιξεν δʼ ἐλάαν· τὼ δʼ οὐκ ἀέκοντε πετέσθην
But indeed we will refrain from war, as you command; yet we will suggest counsel to the Argives which will benefit them, so that they may not all perish because of your wrath." And cloud-gathering Zeus smiled upon her and spoke: "Take heart, Tritogeneia, dear child; by no means with a sincere heart do I speak, but I wish to be gentle to you." Having thus spoken, he harnessed beneath his chariot his bronze-hoofed horses, swift-flying, with golden manes flowing long, and he himself put on gold about his body, and took a whip of gold, well-wrought, and stepped upon his chariot, and whipped them to drive; and the two flew not unwillingly midway between earth and starry heaven.
§8.46μεσσηγὺς γαίης τε καὶ οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος. §8.47Ἴδην δʼ ἵκανεν πολυπίδακα μητέρα θηρῶν §8.48Γάργαρον, ἔνθά τέ οἱ τέμενος βωμός τε θυήεις.
And he came to Ida of many springs, mother of wild beasts, to Gargarus, where he had a sacred precinct and a fragrant altar.
There the father of men and gods stopped his horses, loosing them from the chariot, and poured a thick mist around them.
And he himself sat on the peaks exulting in his glory, looking upon the city of the Trojans and the ships of the Achaeans.
§8.53οἳ δʼ ἄρα δεῖπνον ἕλοντο κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοὶ §8.54ῥίμφα κατὰ κλισίας, ἀπὸ δʼ αὐτοῦ θωρήσσοντο.
Meanwhile the long-haired Achaeans took their meal quickly in the huts, and after that armed themselves.
§8.55Τρῶες δʼ αὖθʼ ἑτέρωθεν ἀνὰ πτόλιν ὁπλίζοντο §8.56παυρότεροι· μέμασαν δὲ καὶ ὧς ὑσμῖνι μάχεσθαι §8.57χρειοῖ ἀναγκαίῃ, πρό τε παίδων καὶ πρὸ γυναικῶν.
And the Trojans on the other side armed themselves throughout the city, fewer in number; yet even so they were eager to fight in battle of hard necessity, for their children and their wives.
§8.58πᾶσαι δʼ ὠΐγνυντο πύλαι, ἐκ δʼ ἔσσυτο λαός, §8.59πεζοί θʼ ἱππῆές τε· πολὺς δʼ ὀρυμαγδὸς ὀρώρει.
And all the gates were opened, and the host rushed out, both footmen and horsemen; and a great din arose.
§8.60οἳ δʼ ὅτε δή ῥʼ ἐς χῶρον ἕνα ξυνιόντες ἵκοντο §8.61σύν ῥʼ ἔβαλον ῥινούς, σὺν δʼ ἔγχεα καὶ μένεʼ ἀνδρῶν §8.62χαλκεοθωρήκων· ἀτὰρ ἀσπίδες ὀμφαλόεσσαι §8.63ἔπληντʼ ἀλλήλῃσι, πολὺς δʼ ὀρυμαγδὸς ὀρώρει.
And when they had come together, meeting in one place, they clashed their shields, their spears, and the might of men clad in bronze armor; and the bossed shields pressed against one another, and a great din arose.
§8.64ἔνθα δʼ ἅμʼ οἰμωγή τε καὶ εὐχωλὴ πέλεν ἀνδρῶν §8.65ὀλλύντων τε καὶ ὀλλυμένων, ῥέε δʼ αἵματι γαῖα.
And there arose at the same time the wailing and the triumph of men, of those slaying and those being slain, and the earth ran with blood.
As long as it was morning and the sacred day was waxing, so long the missiles of both sides struck, and the people fell.