The Iliad of Homer | Page 9

but he rejoicing
received his beloved daughter. Then they immediately placed in order

the splendid hecatomb for the god around the well-built altar. After that
they washed their hands, and held up the pounded barley.[51] But for
them, Chryses, uplifting his hands, prayed with loud voice:
[Footnote 51: "Salted barley meal,"--Anthon; "whole barley,"--Voss;
but Buttmann, Lexil. p. 454, in a highly amusing note, observes, "no
supposition of a regular and constant distinction between the Greeks
and Romans, the one using barley whole and the other coarsely ground,
possible as the thing may be in itself, is to be entertained without the
express testimony of the ancients."]
"Hear me, O thou of the silver bow, who art wont to protect Chrysa and
divine Cilla, and who mightily rulest over Tenedos! already indeed at a
former time didst thou hear me praying, and didst honour me, and didst
very much afflict the people of the Greeks, now also accomplish for me
this further request: even now avert from the Greeks this unseemly
pestilence."
Thus he spoke praying, and him Phoebus Apollo heard. But after they
had prayed, and sprinkled the pounded barley, they first bent back [the
neck of the victims], killed them, and flayed them, and cut out the
thighs, and wrapped them round with the fat, having arranged it in
double folds; then laid the raw flesh upon them. Then the old man
burned them on billets, and poured sparkling wine upon them; and near
him the youths held five-pronged spits in their hands. But after the
thighs were roasted, and they had tasted the entrails, they then cut the
rest of them into small pieces, and fixed them on spits, and roasted
them skilfully, and drew all the viands [off the spits].
But when they had ceased from their labour, and had prepared the
banquet, they feasted; nor did their soul in anywise lack a due
allowance of the feast: but when they had dismissed the desire of drink
and food, the youths on the one hand filled the goblets with wine to the
brim,[52] and handed round the wine to all, having poured the first of
the wine into the cups.[53] But the Grecian youths throughout the day
were appeasing the god by song, chanting the joyous Pæan,[54]
hymning the Far-darter, and he was delighted in his mind as he listened.
But when the sun had set, and darkness came on, then they slept near

the hawsers of their ships. But when the mother of dawn,[55]
rosy-fingered morning, appeared, straightway then they set sail for the
spacious camp of the Achæans, and to them far-darting Apollo sent a
favourable gale. But they erected the mast and expanded the white sails.
The wind streamed[56] into the bosom of the sail; and as the vessel
briskly ran, the dark wave roared loudly around the keel; but she
scudded through the wave, holding on her way. But when they reached
the wide armament of the Greeks, they drew up the black ship on the
continent, far upon the sand, and stretched long props under it; but they
dispersed themselves through their tents and ships.
[Footnote 52: See Buttm. Lexil. p. 291, sqq. The custom of crowning
the goblets with flowers was of later origin.]
[Footnote 53: See Battm. p. 168. The customary libation is meant.]
[Footnote 54: On the Pæan, see Müller, Gk. Lit. iii. § 4. and Dorians,
vol. i. p. 370.]
[Footnote 55: See Loewe on Odyss. ii. 1, and my translation. Kennedy
renders it "ushering in the dawn."]
[Footnote 56: See Buttm. p. 484. I am partly indebted to Anthon in
rendering this expression.]
But the Jove-sprung son of Peleus, swift-footed Achilles, continued his
wrath, sitting at his swift ships, nor ever did he frequent the assembly
of noble heroes, nor the fight, but he pined away his dear heart,
remaining there, although he longed for the din and the battle.
Now when the twelfth morning from that time arose,[57] then indeed
all the gods who are for ever went together to Olympus, but Jupiter
preceded. But Thetis was not forgetful of the charges of her son, but
she emerged from the wave of the sea, and at dawn ascended lofty
heaven and Olympus;[58] and she found the far-seeing son of Saturn
sitting apart from the others, on the highest summit of many-peaked
Olympus, and then she sat down before him, and embraced his knees
with her left hand, but with the right taking him by the chin, imploring,

she thus addressed king Jove, the son of Saturn:
"O father Jove, if ever I have aided thee among the immortals, either in
word or deed, accomplish for me this desire: honour my son, who is the
most short-lived of others; for now indeed Agamemnon, the king of
men, has disgraced him;