Homer ILIAD : Rhapsody 10

Page 3

But him Menelaus, valiant in the din of war, then answered: "In what manner dost thou command and exhort me in thy speech? Shall I remain there with them, waiting till thou come, or shall I run back again to thee, after I have duly given them orders?"

But him, in turn, Agamemnon, king of men, addressed: "Wait there, lest, as we come, we miss[336] one another; for there are many ways through the camp. But shout aloud whithersoever thou goest, and enjoin them to be watchful, accosting each man by a name from his paternal race,[337] honourably addressing all; nor be thou haughty in thy mind. Nay, let even us ourselves labour, whatever be our station, so heavy a calamity hath Jove laid upon us at our birth."

Thus saying, he dismissed his brother, having duly charged him. But he hastened to go to Nestor, the shepherd of the people. Him he found on his soft couch beside his tent and black ship, and by him lay his variegated arms, a shield, two spears, and a glittering helmet: beside him also lay a flexible belt, with which the old man girded himself, when he was arming for man-destroying war, leading on his people; since he by no means yielded to sad old age. Being supported on his elbow,[338] and lifting up his head, he addressed the son of Atreus, and questioned him in [these] words:

[Footnote 336: Buttmann, Lexil. p. 85, comes to the conclusion that "we must include [Greek: athrotazein] among the forms of [Greek: amartano], whose etymological connections, as long as we are ignorant of them, we can easily do without."]

[Footnote 337: Instances of this complimentary style of address occur in ver. 144. [Greek: Diogenes Laertiade. 86: Nestor Neleiade].]

[Footnote 338: Cf. Propert. 1. 3, 34. "Sic ait in molli fixa toro cubitum."]

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