Agamemnon

Perseus Greek · Perseus Greek · 1,735 sections

577
Troia at last taking, the band of Argives
578
Hang up such trophies to the gods of Hellas
579
Within their domes — new glory to grow ancient!
580
Such things men having heard must praise the city
581
And army-leaders: and the grace which wrought them —
582
Of Zeus, shall honoured be. Thou hast my whole word.
583
O’ercome by words, their sense I do not gainsay.
584
For, aye this breeds youth in the old — to learn well.
585
But these things most the house and Klutaimnestra
586
Concern, ’t is likely: while they make me rich, too.
587
I shouted long ago, indeed, for joyance,
588
When came that first night-messenger of fire
589
Proclaiming Ilion’s capture and dispersion.
590
And someone, girding me, said, Through fire-bearers
591
Persuaded — Troia to be sacked now, thinkest?
592
Truly, the woman’s way, — high to lift heart up!
593
By such words I was made seem wit-bewildered:
594
Yet still I sacrificed; and, — female-song with, —
595
A shout one man and other, through the city,
596
Set up, congratulating in the gods’ seats,
597
Soothing the incense-eating flame right fragrant.
598
And now, what’s more, indeed, why need’st thou tell me?
599
I of the king himself shall learn the whole word:
600
And, — as may best be, — I my revered husband
601
Shall hasten, as he comes back, to receive: for —
602
What’s to a wife sweeter to see than this light
603
(Her husband, by the god saved, back from warfare)
604
So as to open gates? This tell my husband —
605
To come at soonest to his loving city.
606
A faithful wife at home may he find, coming!
607
Such an one as he left — the dog o’ the household —
608
Trusty to him, adverse to the ill-minded,
609
And, in all else, the same: no signet-impress
610
Having done harm to, in that time’s duration.
611
I know nor pleasure, nor blameworthy converse
612
With any other man more than — bronze-dippings!
613
Such boast as this — brimful of the veracious —
614
Is, for a high-born dame, not bad to send forth!
615
Ay, she spoke thus to thee — that hast a knowledge
616
From clear interpreters — a speech most seemly.
617
But speak thou, herald! Meneleos I ask of:
618
If he, returning, back in safety also
619
Will come with you — this land’s beloved chieftain?
620
There’s no way I might say things false and pleasant
621
For friends to reap the fruits of through a long time.
622
How then if, speaking good, things true thou chance on?
623
For not well-hidden things become they, sundered.
624
The man has vanished from the Achaic army,
625
He and his ship too. I announce no falsehood.
626
Whether forth-putting openly from Ilion,
627
Or did storm — wide woe — snatch him from the army?
628
Like topping bowman, thou hast touched the target,
629
And a long sorrow hast succinctly spoken.
630
Whether, then, of him, as a live or dead man
631
Was the report by other sailors bruited?
632
Nobody knows so as to tell out clearly
633
Excepting Helios who sustains earth’s nature.
634
How say’st thou then, did storm the naval army
635
Attack and end, by the celestials’ anger?
636
It suits not to defile a day auspicious
637
With ill-announcing speech: distinct each god’s due:
638
And when a messenger with gloomy visage
639
To a city bears a fall’n host’s woes— God ward off! —
640
One popular wound that happens to the city,
641
And many sacrificed from many households —
642
Men, scourged by that two-thonged whip Ares loves so,
643
Double spear-headed curse, bloody yoke-couple, —
644
Of woes like these, doubtless, whoe’er comes weighted,
645
Him does it suit to sing the Erinues’ paian.
646
But who, of matters saved a glad-news-bringer,
647
Comes to a city in good estate rejoicing. ...
648
How shall I mix good things with evil, telling
649
Of storm against the Achaioi, urged by gods’ wrath?
650
For they swore league, being arch-foes before that,
651
Fire and the sea: and plighted troth approved they,
652
Destroying the unhappy Argeian army.
653
At night began the bad-wave-outbreak evils;
654
For, ships against each other Threkian breezes
655
Shattered: and these, butted at in a fury
656
By storm and typhoon, with surge rain-resounding, —
657
Off they went, vanished, thro’ a bad herd’s whirling.
658
And, when returned the brilliant light of Helios,
659
We view the Aigaian sea on flower with corpses
660
Of men Achaian and with naval ravage.
661
But us indeed, and ship, unhurt i’ the hull too,
662
Either someone outstole us or outprayed us —
663
Some god — no man it was the tiller touching.
664
And Fortune, saviour, willing on our ship sat.
665
So as it neither had in harbour wave-surge
666
Nor ran aground against a shore all rocky.
667
And then, the water-Haides having fled from
668
In the white day, not trusting to our fortune,
669
We chewed the cud in thoughts — this novel sorrow
670
O’ the army labouring and badly pounded.
671
And now — if anyone of them is breathing —
672
They talk of us as having perished: why not?
673
And we — that they the same fate have, imagine.
674
May it be for the best! Meneleos, then,
675
Foremost and specially to come, expect thou!
676
If (that is) any ray o’ the sun reports him

Perseus Greek. CTS URN tlg0085.tlg005.perseus-eng4. Via the Perseus Digital Library / Open Greek and Latin TEI corpora. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source.