Too Short for a Blog Post, Too Long for a Tweet 363

 

 

Here are a few excerpts from a book I recently read, "The Iliad" by Homer.

Then after they had finished the work and got the feast ready they feasted, nor was any man’s hunger denied a fair portion. But when they had put away their desire for eating and drinking, the young men filled the mixing bowls with pure wine, passing a portion to all, when they offered drink in the goblets. All day long they propitiated the god with singing, chanting a splendid hymn to Apollo, these young Achaians, singing to the one who works from afar, who listened in gladness.

As underneath the hurricane all the black earth is burdened on an autumn day, when Zeus sends down the most violent waters in deep rage against mortals after they stir him to anger because in violent assembly they pass decrees that are crooked, and drive righteousness from among them and care nothing for what the gods think, and all the rivers of these men swell current to full spate and in the ravines of their water-courses rip all the hillsides and dash whirling in huge noise down to the blue sea, out of the mountains headlong, so that the works of men are diminished; so huge rose the noise from the horses of Troy in their running.

So they were assembled within Zeus' house; and the shaker of the earth did not fail to hear the goddess, but came up among them from the sea, and sat in the midst of them, and asked Zeus of his counsel : ‘Why, lord of the shining bolt, have you called the gods to assembly once more? Are you deliberating Akhaians (Achaeans) and Trojans? For the onset of battle is almost broken to flame between them.’

In turn Zeus who gathers the clouds spoke to him in answer : ‘You have seen, shaker of the earth, the counsel within me, and why I gathered you. I think of these men though they are dying. Even so, I shall stay here upon the fold of Olympos sitting still, watching, to pleasure my heart. Meanwhile all you others go down, wherever you may go among the Akhaians and Trojans and give help to either side, as your own pleasure directs you.’"

There he killed Thersilochos and Astypylos and Mydon, Mnesos and Thrasios, and Ainios and Ophelestes. Now swift Achilleus would have killed even more Paionians except that the deep-whirling river spoke to him in anger and in mortal likeness, and the voice rose from the depth of the eddies: 'O Achilleus, your strength is greater, your acts more violent than all men's; since always the very gods are guarding you. If the son of Kronos has given all Trojans to your destruction, drive them at least out of me to the plain, and there work your havoc. For the loveliness of my waters is crammed with corpses, I cannot find a channel to cast my waters into the bright sea since I am congested with the dead men you kill so brutally. Let me alone, then; lord of the people, I am confounded.