Homer ILIAD : Rhapsody 1

Page 6

He indeed, thus having spoken, sat down; but to them there arose by far the best of augurs, Calchas, son of Thestor, who knew the present, the future, and the past,[13] and who guided the ships of the Greeks to Ilium, by his prophetic art, which Phoebus Apollo gave him, who, being well disposed,[14] addressed them, and said:

"O Achilles, dear to Jove, thou biddest me to declare the wrath of Apollo, the far-darting king. Therefore will I declare it; but do thou on thy part covenant, and swear to me, that thou wilt promptly assist me in word and hand. For methinks I shall irritate a man who widely rules over all the Argives, and whom the Greeks obey. For a king is more powerful[15] when he is enraged with an inferior man; for though he may repress his wrath[16] for that same day, yet he afterwards retains his anger in his heart, until he accomplishes it; but do thou consider whether thou wilt protect me."

But him swift-footed Achilles, answering, addressed: "Taking full confidence, declare the divine oracle, whatsoever thou knowest. For, by Apollo, dear to Jove, to whom thou, praying, O Calchas, dost disclose predictions to the Greeks, no one of all the Greeks, while I am alive and have sight upon the earth, shall lay heavy hands upon thee at the hollow ships; not even if thou wast to name Agamemnon, who now boasts himself to be much the most powerful of the Greeks." [17]

[Footnote 13: A common formula in the ancient poets to express the eternity of things. Empedocles apud Pseud. Arist. de Mundo: [Greek: Panth' osa t' en, osa t' esti, kai ossa te estai opiso]. Virg. Georg. iv. 392: "Novit namque omnia vates, Quae sint, quae fuerint, quae mox ventura trahantur."]

[Footnote 14: See Abresch. on AEschyl. p. 287. Ernesti.]

[Footnote 15: [Greek: anagaktousi gar dia ten yperochen]. Arist. Rhet. ii. 2, quoting this verse.]

[Footnote 16: Lit. "digest his bile". Homer's distinction between [Greek: cholos] and [Greek: kotos] is observed by Nemesius, de Nat. Hom. Sec. 21.]

[Footnote 17: I have used "Greeks" wherever the whole army is evidently meant. In other instances I have retained the specific names of the different confederate nations.]

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