Achilles (Mythological character); Epic poetry, Greek -- Translations into English; Trojan War
Then Achilles fleet of foot looked at him scowling and said: “Ah me,
thou clothed in shamelessness, thou of crafty mind, how shall any
Achaian hearken to thy bidding with all his heart, be it to go a
journey or to fight the foe amain? Not by reason of the Trojan spearmen
came I hither to fight, for they have not wronged me; never did they
harry mine oxen nor my horses, nor ever waste my harvest in deep-soiled
Phthia, the nurse of men; seeing there lieth between us long space of
shadowy mountains and sounding sea; but thee, thou shameless one,
followed we hither to make thee glad, by earning recompense at the
Trojans’ hands for Menelaos and for thee, thou dog-face! All this thou
threatenest thyself to take my meed of honour, wherefor I travailed
much, and the sons of the Achaians gave it me. Never win I meed like
unto thine, when the Achaians sack any populous citadel of Trojan men;
my hands bear the brunt of furious war, but when the apportioning
cometh then is thy meed far ampler, and I betake me to the ships with
some small thing, yet mine own, when I have fought to weariness. Now
will I depart to Phthia, seeing it is far better to return home on my
beaked ships; nor am I minded here in dishonour to draw thee thy fill
of riches and wealth.”
Then Agamemnon king of men made answer to him “Yea, flee, if thy soul
be set thereon. It is not I that beseech thee to tarry for my sake; I
have others by my side that shall do me honour, and above all Zeus,
lord of counsel. Most hateful art thou to me of all kings, fosterlings
of Zeus; thou ever lovest strife and wars and fightings. Though thou be
very strong, yet that I ween is a gift to thee of God. Go home with thy
ships and company and lord it among thy Myrmidons; I reck not aught of
thee nor care I for thine indignation; and all this shall be my threat
to thee: seeing Phoebus Apollo bereaveth me of Chryseis, her with my
ship and my company will I send back; and mine own self will I go to
thy hut and take Briseis of the fair cheeks, even that thy meed of
honour, that thou mayest well know how far greater I am than thou, and
so shall another hereafter abhor to match his words with mine and rival
me to my face.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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