Thou shameless one!

Nor thanks nor care.

and yet thou hast for this

Thou threatenest now to take

From me the prize for which I bore long toils
In battle; and the Greeks decreed it mine.

I never take an equal share with thee

Of booty when the Grecian host has sacked

Some populous Trojan town. My hands perform
The harder labors of the field in all

The tumult of the fight; but when the spoil

Is shared, the largest share of all is thine,
While I, content with little, seek my ships,
Weary with combat. I shall now go home
To Phthia; better were it to return.

With my beaked ships; but here, where I am held
In little honor, thou wilt fail, I think,

To gather, in large measure, spoil and wealth."

Him answered Agamemnon, king of men:

"Desert, then, if thou wilt; I ask thee not
To stay for me; there will be others left
To do me honor yet, and, best of all,
The all-providing Jove is with me still.
Thee I detest the most of all the men
Ordained by him to govern; thy delight

Is in contention, war, and bloody frays.

210

215

220

225

230

If thou art brave, some deity, no doubt,

Hath thus endowed thee. Hence, then, to thy home,

With all thy ships and men! there domineer

Over thy Myrmidons; I heed thee not,

Nor care I for thy fury. Thus, in turn,

I threaten thee; since Phœbus takes away
Chryseis, I will send her in my ship

And with my friends, and, coming to thy tent,
Will bear away the fair-cheeked maid, thy prize,
Briseis, that thou learn how far I stand

Above thee, and that other chiefs may fear

To measure strength with me and brave my power.”
The rage of Peleus' son, as thus he spake,

Grew fiercer; in that shaggy breast his heart
Took counsel, whether from his thigh to draw

The trenchant sword, and, thrusting back the rest,
Smite down Atrides, or subdue his wrath

And master his own spirit. While he thus
Debated with himself, and half unsheathed
The ponderous blade, Pallas Athene came,
Sent from on high by Juno, the white-armed,
Who loved both warriors and made both her care.
She came behind him, seen by him alone,
And plucked his yellow hair. The hero turned

235

240

245

250

255

In wonder, and at once he knew the look
Of Pallas and the awful-gleaming eye,

And thus accosted her with winged words:-
"Why com'st thou hither, daughter of the god
Who bears the ægis? Art thou here to see
The insolence of Agamemnon, son

Of Atreus? Let me tell thee what I deem

Will be the event. That man may lose his life,
And quickly too, for arrogance like this."

260

Then thus the goddess, blue-eyed Pallas, spake:- 265 "I came from heaven to pacify thy wrath,

If thou wilt heed my counsel. I am sent
By Juno the white-armed, to whom

Are dear, who ever watches o'er

ye both

you both.

Refrain from violence; let not thy hand
Unsheathe the sword, but utter with thy tongue
Reproaches, as occasion may arise,

For I declare what time shall bring to pass;
Threefold amends shall yet be offered thee,
In gifts of princely cost, for this day's wrong.
Now calm thy angry spirit, and obey."

Achilles, the swift-footed, answered thus:-
"O goddess, be the word thou bring'st obeyed,
However fierce my anger; for to him

Who hearkens to the gods, the gods give ear."

270

275

280

So speaking, on the silver hilt he stayed
His strong right hand, and back into its sheath
Thrust his good sword, obeying. She, meantime,
Returned to heaven, where ægis-bearing Jove
Dwells with the other gods. And now again
Pelides, with opprobrious words, bespake
The son of Atreus, venting thus his wrath:

"Wine-bibber, with the forehead of a dog
And a deer's heart! Thou never yet hast dared
To arm thyself for battle with the rest,
Nor join the other chiefs prepared to lie
In ambush,—such thy craven fear of death.
Better it suits thee, midst the mighty host
Of Greeks, to rob some warrior of his prize
Who dares withstand thee. King thou art, and yet

285

290

295

Devourer of thy people.

Thou dost rule

A spiritless race, else this

day's insolence,

And now I say,

Atrides, were thy last. And now

And bind my saying with a mighty oath:
By this my sceptre, which can never bear

A leaf or twig, since first it left its stem
Among the mountains, -for the steel has pared
Its boughs and bark away, to sprout no more,
And now the Achaian judges bear it,— they

300

Who guard the laws received from Jupiter,

Such is my oath,—the time shall come when all
The Greeks shall long to see Achilles back,
While multitudes are perishing by the hand
Of Hector, the man-queller; thou, meanwhile,
Though thou lament, shalt have no power to help,
And thou shalt rage against thyself to think
That thou hast scorned the bravest of the Greeks."
As thus he spake, Pelides to the ground
Flung the gold-studded wand, and took his seat.
Fiercely Atrides raged; but now uprose

Nestor, the master of persuasive speech,

The clear-toned Pylian orator, whose tongue

Dropped words more sweet than honey. He had seen Two generations that grew up and lived

With him on sacred Pylos pass away,

And now he ruled the third. With prudent words
He thus addressed the assembly of the chiefs:-
"Ye gods! what new misfortunes threaten Greece!
How Priam would exult and Priam's sons,
And how would all the Trojan race rejoice,

Were they to know how furiously ye strive,-
Ye who in council and in fight surpass

The other Greeks. Now hearken to my words, —

3°5

310

315

320

325