The
Iliad of Homer
in
English Hexameter Verse
by
J. Henry Dart
London 1865
[Sample
from the Opening of the Poem]
“Chryses’
prayer: — and the pest on the host: — and the strife of the Princes.”
SING,
divine Muse, sing the implacable wrath of Achilleus!
Heavy with death and with woe to the banded sons of Achaia!
Many the souls of the mighty, the souls of redoubtable heroes,
Hurried by it prematurely to Hades. The vultures and wild-dogs
Tore their tombless limbs. Yet thus did the will of the Highest
Work to an end—from the day when strife drove madly asunder,
Atreus’ son, king of men ; and the Godlike leader Achilleus.
Say—from
whom of the Gods, at first did the bitter contention
Seize on the chiefs?—From Him:—from the son of Zeus and of Leto!
He, on the leaguering armies, in wrath at the sin of the monarch, 10
Sent a fell pest:—for the monarch sinn’d, and the people were slaughter’d:
Slain for the crime of the king, who dishonor’d the priest of Apollo.
Suppliant
Chryses came, to the swift-sailing ships of Achaia:
Suppliant, seeking his child—with priceless gifts for her ransom;
Bearing aloft his sceptre, the golden staff of his priesthood,
Wreath’d with the sacred fillets:—and much besought all the Achaians
Atreus’ sons most of all men, who order’d and govern’d the people.
“Hear
me, O Atreus’ sons, and ye warrior ranks of Achaia!
Yours be it soon, by the aid of the Gods who inhabit Olympus,
Storming the Trojan wall, to return in peace to your homesteads. 20
Only restore me my child!—take the ransom I bring to redeem her!—
Take it, and honor the God : — son of Zeus : — far-darting Apollo !”
Thus
did the father pray.—Content were the other Achaians,
Both to give ear to the priest, and to take the rich gift of the ransom.
Little, however, did this suit the mood of the King Agamemnon :
Fiercely the elder he drave from the galleys, and sternly rebuked him.”
Never, again, old man, let me find thee here by the galleys!
Linger not mid them now, nor return thou hither hereafter!
Fillets, and sacred staff, perchance will little avail thee!
Whom thou seekest is mine: and mine, be sure, I retain her! 30
Mine, in my palace at Argos, away from the land of her fathers;
Plying the loom, and sharing my bed, till age come upon her.
Hence then!— tempt me no more!—but begone if thou lovest thy safety!”—
And—in
his fear of the King—he obey’d that heavy commandment.
Mourning, he paced by the margin of Ocean eternally sounding—
Mourning, yet silent; ‘til far from the galleys—and then to Apollo
Deeply and long did he pray—to the son of the fair-tress’d Leto.
“God
of the silver bow—thou that art the protector of Chrysa;
Guardest Cilla divine; over Tenedos mightily rulest;
Smintheus:—list to my prayer!—If e’er on the walls of thy temple, 40
Flowery
wreaths of mine have bloom’d—if e’er, by my offering,
Bulls,
and the blood of goats, have nourish’d the flame of thine altars;
Tear
for tear that I shed, let a Danaan die by thine arrows!”
Earnestly
pray’d his priest; and the prayer rose to Phoebus Apollo!
Down
from the peaks of Olympus, in all of the pride of his anger,
Down
the avenger came:—and the silver bow on his shoulder,
Clang’d
as he rush’d along; and the shafts rattled loud in the quiver,
E’en
as alive with the wrath of the God:—as like night he descended.
Planted
afar from the fleet, on the fleet flew his terrible arrows.
Dire
was the clang of the silvery string as it sounded and bounded! 50
First
upon mules, and dogs swift-limb’d, and then upon mortals,
Hurtled
the shafts; and fast thro’ the air rose flames from the death-piles.
Review Comment
Readers
who would like to see the complete text of Dart’s translation should use the
following link: Dart
Iliad.
Page loads on johnstonia web files
View Stats