Homer ILIAD : Rhapsody 1

Page 24

"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 Paean,[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 Achaeans, 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 Paean, see Mueller, Gk. Lit. iii. Sec. 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.]

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Rhapsody 1

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