[129]
[131] δὴ οὕτως, pronounced as if written “δ᾽ οὕτως”, § 43.
ἀγαθός περ ἐών, ‘even though you are brave.’ “περ” has the force of “καί” often in dependent clauses (cf. l. 81) and in constructions with the participle, such as this line illustrates; the participle is concessive. Sometimes both “καί” and “περ” occur with the same participle (as ll. 217, 577). “καίπερ” (one word) with concessive participle is familiar in Attic Greek (GG. 593 b).
[132] μὴ ... κλέπτε νόῳ, ‘do not seek to deceive me in your heart’ (locative).
παρελεύσομαι (from “παρ-έρχομαι”), ‘outstrip,’ ‘overreach,’ metaphor from racing.—Achilles has frankly demanded that Agamemnon give up Chryseis; and he offers, in return, an unsubstantial chance of payment when the city of Troy is taken—a somewhat remote possibility. So, Agamemnon thinks, Achilles is holding out to him an illusory hope, and is keeping some ulterior motive hidden.
[133]
ἤ, Latin an, ‘or perhaps,’ ‘is it that,’ introduces the second part of a double question, the first being implied and more or less indefinite. Most editors prefer “ἦ” (‘truly’) here. Pope gives the idea of the line thus:
“Shall I my prize resign
With tame content, and thou possess'd of thine?
”
A more literal rendering is: ‘is it that you wish—so that you yourself may keep your prize—me on the contrary [“αὐτάρ”] to sit in “tame content” [“αὔτως”] bereft [“δευόμενον”] of mine?’
ἔχῃς, introduced by “ὄφρα” (= Attic “ἵνα”), expresses purpose.
ἔμ᾽, accented; cf. note on “κάκ᾽”, l. 105.
[134] δευόμενον, said to be Aeolic; the Attic lacks the “υ”, which is the vocalized “ϝ.”
κέλεαι, cf. l. 74.
[135] ἀλλά, as usual, indicates that something is to be said quite different from the preceding context; it is derived from “ἄλλα”, i. e. ‘otherwise.’ Do not translate by ‘but,’ unless this word is clearly demanded by the sequence of ideas; here ‘yet’ will do. Compare note on ll. 81, 82.
ὅπως ἀντάξιον ἔσται, § 200 (a). As the conclusion of this condition understand “εὖ ἑξει”, ‘it will be well.’
[137] εἰ ... κε, Attic equivalent? Cf. l. 128.
ἐγὼ δέ § 31; cf. l. 58), ‘then I.’
κεν ... ἕλωμαι, syntax, § 192.
Αἴαντος, the son of Telamon is always meant, unless the poet expressly indicates the other Ajax, the son of Oïleus.
ἰών, ‘going’ to your hut, or Ajax's, etc.
Ὀδυσῆος, declined like “Ἀχιλῆος”, l. 1.
[139] κεν κεχολώσεται, an instance of “κεν” with the future perfect indicative, a construction foreign to Attic Greek; see § 190.
κεν ... ἵκωμαι, protasis of the more vivid future condition (cf. GG. 650, 616 a). With what prefix is “ἵκωμαι” used in the equivalent Attic?
καί, ‘even’ or ‘also.’
[141] νῆα (Attic “ναῦν”), declension, § 101.
ἐρύσσομεν, ‘let us launch,’ form, § 144, II; double “ς”, § 53.
[142] ἒν δ᾽（έ), ‘and there,’ in the ship; for accent see § 164.
ἀγείρομεν, where found? § 144, II.
ἔς, ‘within,’ ‘therein,’ § 164.
[143] θείομεν, another hortatory subjunctive; on spelling, § 144, l.— ἄν (Attic “ἀνά”), ‘on board,’ form, § 46.
[144] βήσομεν, § 144, II; this causative first aorist is not supplied in Attic Greek by “βαίνω”, but by “βιβάζω”. So the Attic equivalent is “βιβάσωμεν”. —The subject of ἔστω is εἷς τις, to which ἀνὴρ βουληφόρος is in apposition; ἀρχός is a predicate nominative. ‘Let somebody—a man of good counsel—be captain.’
[145] Ὀδυσσεύς, here with two “ς”'s, with only one in l. 138; § 39.
[147] ‘That you may offer sacrifices and propitiate’ etc.
ἱλάσσεαι, mood and tense, § 144, II; double “ς”, § 53.
[148] τόν, object of “προσέφη.”
ὑπόδρα ἰδών, why is the hiatus possible? § 61.23.
On translating the tense of ἰδών see § 186.
Agamemnon's threat to rob Achilles of his prize, Briseis, is quite sufficient to call forth the passionate speech that follows.
[149] ὤ μοι (dative of interest), exclamatory, ‘ah me!’
ἐπι-ειμένε, ‘clothed in,’ vocative of perfect participle of “ἐπι-έννυμι”. Why is “ι” of “ἐπι-” not elided? § 61.20.
[151] ὁδὸν ἐλθέμεναι, ‘so as to go on an expedition.’
ὁδόν, accusative of the space or way over which an action extends; the construction is somewhat akin to that of the cognate accusative. Cf. l. 496, Z 292.— ἐλθέμεναι, form, § 137.1, a; syntax like “μάχεσθαι”, l. 8. The expression may refer to going to ambush, one of the bravest feats of Homeric warfare (l. 227); others understand it of the journey just proposed.
[153] μαχεσσόμενος, scansion, § 32; spelling, § 53; = Attic “μαχούμενος”. What is the force of the future here? Cf. “λυσόμενος”, l. 13.
μοι, ‘in my sight.’
[154] ἤλασαν, ‘drove away.’
[155] ἐριβώλακι, prefix, § 160.
[156] ἦ, ‘truly.’
[157] οἴρεα (from “οὖρος”) = Attic “ὄρη” (“ὄρος”).
σκιόεντα, ἠχήεσσα, composition, § 159.—Why does not τε (before “ἠχήεσσα”) suffer elision? § 61.5.
[159] τιμὴν ἀρνύμενοι, ‘to win recompense’; the present participle here expresses purpose and attendant circumstance (GMT. 840).
[160] πρὸς Τρώων, ‘from the Trojans.’—τῶν οἴ τι κτλ., ‘all this you neither heed nor regard at all.’
μετατρέπῃ, how else might the form have been written? § 142.1, a.
[161] ἀφαιρήσεσθαι, future in indirect discourse: ‘you threaten you will take away.’
[162] ἔπι, why accented on the penult? § 166.
πόλλ᾽, for the accent cf. note on “κάκ᾽”, l. 105.
[163] μέν, again the same as “μήν”, § 31.
σοὶ ἶσον, ‘equal to you,’ i. e. ‘equal to yours,’ a conciseness of expression that will be noticed more than once again (e. g. 3.238).—Why is ε of ποτε not elided? § 61.27.
ἶσον has short initial vowel in Attic.
[164] ὁππότ᾽ (spelling, § 51.1) ... “ἐκπέρσωσι”, supply the omitted particle, to make the clause normal Attic Greek. Cf. § 197.
[165] τὸ πλεῖον, ‘the greater part.’ Later (I 328, 329) Achilles claims to have sacked twelve cities by sea, and eleven by land in the Troad.
[166] χεῖρες ἐμαί, ‘my hands,’ in Attic would be “αἱ ἐμαὶ χεῖρες.”
ἀτάρ, same as “αὐτάρ”, l. 51, etc., § 31.
ἤν in present general condition, as in Attic (GG. 650); so differing from the construction of ll. 163, 164, in form, rather than in force.
[167] After γέρας supply “ἐστί.”
ὀλίγον τε φίλον τε, a prize ‘little but none the less dear.’
[168] νῆας, declension, § 101.
ἐπεί κε (= Attic “ἐπήν” or “ἐπάν”) κάμω is equivalent to what sort of protasis? Cf. “ἤν ποτε ... ἵκηται”, l. 166.
[169] Φθίηνδ᾽（ε), composition, § 155.5.
[170] ἴμεν, where found? § 137.7.
[171] ‘Nor do I intend, without honor here as I am, to amass wealth and riches for you.’ “ἀφύσσειν”, literally, is ‘to draw’ full draughts of a liquid; its use here is metaphorical, of course.
