The Iliad of Homer The Samuel Butler translation (1898) edited with notes by E. E. Garvin ©2014 Contents and timeline Timeline Lines Book One: Proem [1 - 7] A Plague on the Greeks Flashback 9 days [8 - 52] Assembly Day 1 [53 - 303] Exchange of the Captives [304 - 488] Thetis Beseeches Zeus Day 2 [488 - 611] Book Two: Zeus Sends a Lie [1 - 83] Assembly [84 - 393] Agamemnon's Breakfast [394 - 493] Catalogue of the Ships [494 - 785] Catalogue of the Trojans and Allies [786 - 877] Book Three: A Challenge to Duel [1 - 120] Helen Names the Captains [121 - 244] Oaths and Single Combat [245 - 382] Helen and Paris (Alexander) [383 - 461] Book Four: The Oaths Violated [1 - 219] Agamemnon Rallies the Captains [220 - 421] First Battle [422 - 544] Book Five: The Aristeia of Diomedes (to vi.236) Diomedes Leads the Charge [1 - 94] Athena Gives Diomedes Divine Sight [95 - 165] Aeneas Fights Diomedes [166 - 329] Aphrodite and Apollo [330 - 459] Battle [460 - 698] Athena and Hera Intervene [699 - 909] Book Six: Battle: [1 - 118] Diomedes and Glaucus [119 - 236] Hector and Hecuba [237 - 311] Hector and Paris [312 - 368] Hector and Andromache [369 - 529] Iliad - ii Book Seven: Summary [1 – 344] An offer of Peace and a Truce: [354 - 482] Book Eight: Zeus' Warning to the Gods [1 - 52] Summary [53 - 334] Hera and Athena Attempt to Intervene [335 - 488] The Trojans Camp [489 - 561] Book Nine: The Assembly of the Achaeans [1 - 88] Agamemnon's Offer [89 - 306] Achilles' Reply [307 - 429] The Speech of Phoenix [430 - 601] Achilles Second Reply [602 - 709] Book Ten: Summary Book Eleven: Summary [1 - 595] Patroclus and Nestor [595 - 802] Patroclus and Eurypylus [803 - 847] Books Twelve, Thirteen and Fourteen: Summary [12.1 - 14.153] Hera Seduces Zeus [154 - 361] Summary [362 - 522] Book Fifteen: Zeus Rebukes Hera [1 - 148] Zeus Orders Poseidon to Withdraw [149 - 219] Apollo Restores Hector [220 - 280] The Trojans Breech the Wall [281 - 389] Patroclus Leaves to Fetch Achilles [390 - 405] Summary [406 - 746] Book Sixteen: Patroclus Takes the Armour of Achilles [1 - 100] Hector Fires the Ship of Protesilaus [101 - 129] The Myrmidons Prepare [130 - 256] Patroclus Forces the Trojans to Retreat [257 - 418] The Death of Sarpedon [419 - 683] The Death of Patroclus [684 - 867] Summary of Book Seventeen Iliad - iii Book Eighteen Achilles Learns of the Death of Patroclus [1 - 147] The Appearance of Achilles on the Battlefield [148 - 242] The Trojans Camp Evening, Day 8 [243 - 313] Patroclus Prepared for Cremation [314 - 355] Thetis asks Hephaestus for New Armour [356 - 467] The Shield of Achilles [468 - 617] Book Nineteen Achilles Receives New Armour Morning, Day 9 [1 - 53] Achilles Calls an Assembly [54 - 237] Briseis Returned [238 - 348] Achilles Prepares for Battle [349 - 424] Book Twenty The Gods Enter the War [1 - 155] Achilles Fights Aeneas [156 - 352] Summary [353 - 503] Summary of Book Twenty-One Book Twenty-Two Hector Outside the Walls [1 - 89] Achilles Pursues Hector [90 - 207] Achilles and Hector [208 - 404] Hector's Family [405 - 515] Book Twenty-three Patroclus Mourned Night [1 – 107] The Funeral Pyre Day 10 [108 – 225] Funeral Games Day 11 [226 – 623] Summary [624 – 897] Book Twenty-four The Anger of the Gods Day 211 [1 – 140] Priam Sets Out Night [141 – 328] Hermes and Priam [329 – 467] Priam and Achilles [468 – 676] Hector Returned Morning, Day 22 [677 – 804] 1 Hector's body has been 12 days at the tent of Achilles: xxiv. 412. Iliad - 1 Book One Proem Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.1 Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which Atreides2, leader of men, and godlike Achilles,3 first fell out with one another.4 A Plague for the Greeks: 8 - 52 [8] And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was the son of Zeus and Leto;5 for he was angry with the king and sent a pestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the son of Atreus had dishonoured Chryses his priest.6 Now Chryses had come to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had brought with him a great ransom:7 moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant’s wreath and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus, who were their chiefs.8 [17] “Atreidai,” he cried, “and all other Achaeans, may the gods who dwell in Olympus grant you to sack the city of Priam,9 and to reach your homes in safety; but free my daughter, and accept a ransom for her, in reverence to Apollo, son of Zeus.” [22] On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for respecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away. “Old man,” said he, “let me not find you tarrying about our ships, nor yet coming hereafter. Your sceptre of the god and your wreath shall profit you nothing. I will not free her. 1 An invocation of divine inspiration is a standard opening in epic poetry. 2 The -ides suffix in Greek means 'son of' or 'descendant of.' So Atreides is Agamemnon, the son of Atreus. 3 Heroes and gods are often given these epithets. 'Godlike' precedes Achilles and Odysseus but too much should not be made of it as a descriptor. The choice was mostly poetic since dios Achilleus and dios Odysseus have similar meters (Seymour 1891). 4 The events of the Iliad begin in the ninth year of the war (ii.295; Apollodorus Epit. 3.34). The Greek forces have conquered the outlying islands and most of the mainland allies of Troy and are now camped on the beach before the walls of the city. 5 Apollo. 6 In the action prior to the Iliad, the Greek forces had taken Thebe, in Cilicia. Chryses was a priest in the temple of Apollo there and his daughter, Chryseis, was taken as a prize of war. 7 It was typical for captives to be kept or sold as slaves. But aristocratic and wealthy captives were worth more in ransom so it was a standard practice for a ransom to be offered and good manners to accept it. 8 Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and Menelaus, king of Sparta, were both the sons of Atreus. 9 Priam was the king of Troy. Iliad - 2 She shall grow old in my house at Argos far from her own home, busying herself with her loom and visiting my couch; so go, and do not provoke me or it shall be the worse for you.” [33] The old man feared him and obeyed. Not a word he spoke, but went by the shore of the sounding sea and prayed apart to Apollo whom lovely Leto had borne. “Hear me,” he cried, “O god of the silver bow, who protects Chryse and holy Cilla1 and rules Tenedos with your might, hear me, you of Smintheus.2 If I have ever decked your temple with garlands, or burned your thigh-bones in fat of bulls or goats, grant my prayer, and let your arrows avenge these my tears upon the Danaans.”3 [43] Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. He came down furious from the summits of Olympus, with his bow and his quiver upon his shoulder, and the arrows rattled on his back with the rage that trembled within him. He sat himself down away from the ships with a face as dark as night, and his silver bow rang death as he shot his arrow in the midst of them. First he smote their mules and their hounds, but presently he aimed his shafts at the people themselves, and all day long the pyres of the dead were burning. Assembly on the Tenth Day: 53 - 303 [53] For nine whole days he shot his arrows among the people, but upon the tenth day Achilles called them in assembly4 - moved thereto by Hera, who saw the Achaeans in their death-throes and had compassion upon them. Then, when they were got together, he rose and spoke among them.5 [59] “Son of Atreus,” said he,6 “I think that we should now go home if we would escape destruction, for we are being cut down by war and pestilence at once. Let us ask some priest or 1 Both cities of Mysia, the area on the mainland next to Lesbos. It is often mistakenly claimed that Chryses was from Chryse. 2 Smintheus is an epithet for Apollo with Eastern origins. There was a city near Troy called Sminthe where Apollo was worshiped. 3 Homer never uses the term ‘Hellenes’ as a general term, but refers to the Greeks as Danaans, Achaeans or Argives. The term Danaans refers to the descendants of Danaus, an Egyptian who migrated to Argos and became king there. 4 The Greek here is agoren and is the origin of the word agora, or central market in the classical Greek polis. In Homer's time it simply referred to a meeting area in the centre of the camp. 5 The custom was that any person could rise to speak in the assembly of the soldiers. The speaker held a staff (scepter, literally) indicating his right to speak.