ILIAD BOOK 1

The highest mountain of Macedonia, sacred to the gods. According to allegory, Olympus is the sky, named for being wholly shining original: "ὁλολαμπὴς" (hololampēs). The ancient commentator provides an etymological explanation for the name Olympus.. To sack.) original: "ἐκπέρσαι" To plunder or to tear down. The city of Priam.) Troy. This is a periphrastic using many words where fewer would do way of saying Troy. And well.) original: "εὖ δέ" Suitably. Why did Chryses pray for things appropriate to himself? We say that, first, he wished the tyrant Agamemnon to be punished, and he says this because he desired his daughter’s return. Second, because he had lost his daughter due to the Trojans, he reasonably used these curses against them. Homeward.) original: "οἴκαδε" To one's own home. To arrive.) original: "ἱκέσθαι" To come to. And my child.) My daughter. Release.) original: "λύσατε" Having taken a ransom, give her back. Dear.) original: "φίλην" Most beloved.

To sack the city of Priam, and to arrive well at home.
But release my dear child to me, and accept this ransom,
Revering the son of Zeus, the far-shooter Apollo.
Then all the other Achaeans The Greeks shouted their approval:
To honor the priest and to accept the splendid ransom.
But it did not please the heart of Agamemnon, son of Atreus;
Instead, he sent him away harshly and laid a heavy command upon him:
"Let me not find you, old man, by the hollow ships,
Either lingering now or coming back later,
Lest the scepter and the wreath of the god no longer protect you.
I will not release her; before that, old age shall come upon her
In our house, in Argos, far from her native land,
Walking to and fro before the loom, and serving my bed.
But go! Do not provoke me, so that you may return in safety."
So he spoke. The old man was afraid and obeyed his word.
He went in silence along the shore of the loud-roaring sea.
Then, having gone far away, the old man prayed much
To King Apollo, whom lovely-haired Leto bore:
"Hear me, god of the silver bow, who protects Chryse
And sacred Cilla, and who rules Tenedos with might!"

The ransom.) The gifts. Accept.) Receive. Revering.) original: "ἁζόμενοι" Respecting or honoring. Son of Zeus.) The child of Zeus, Apollo. Then.) At that time. Here it is an adverb of time, but elsewhere it is an adverb of place. Shouted approval.) original: "ἐπευφήμησαν" They cried out with good omens. To honor.) To respect. The priest.) The holy official. Splendid.) Beautiful. To accept.) original: "δέχθαι" Instead of "to receive." But not for the son of Atreus.) But it did not please Agamemnon, the child of Atreus. Pleased.) original: "ἥνδανε" It was pleasing. In his heart.) In his soul. But harshly.) original: "ἀλλὰ κακῶς" But with insult. He sent away.) He dismissed him. Heavy.) original: "κρατερόν" Strong or threatening. Command.) original: "μῦθον" Word or speech. Laid upon.) original: "ἔτελλεν" He commanded or said. Let me not, old man.) Let me not find you, O elder. Hollow.) Deep or cavernous. By the ships.) Beside the vessels. Find.) original: "κιχείω" Catch or overtake. Either now.) Either in the present time. Lingering.) Spending the day. Or later.) Or a second time. Again.) Once more. Coming.) Arriving. Lest perhaps for you.) Lest it might not be for you. Protect.) original: "χραίσμῃ" Help or assist. Scepter.) The royal staff. Wreath.) original: "στέμμα" The crown/garland of the god. Her.) This girl. I will not release.) I will not set her free. Before.) Prior to her. Old age comes upon.) Senility overtakes her. In our—

—house.) In our home. In Argos.) In Argos, which is the Peloponnese. Now it is called that, but Agamemnon was king of Mycenae, an Argolic city. One should know that in ancient times, the Peloponnese was called Aegialia, after Aegialeus the son of Inachus. Or it was named after the river Argus and Melia, or from Oceanus. Later, it was called Apia, after Apis the son of Phoroneus. Then it became Argos, after Argus the all-seeing. Finally, it was called Peloponnese after Pelops, the son of Tantalus, who conquered the land. Far from her native land.) Far from her fatherland. Walking before the loom.) Working and weaving. Why is this said of the wife and children of captives? Not because he brings them for an equal life of desire, but for military insult i.e., to humiliate the enemy. As Nestor says: "Let no one hasten to return home until he has slept with a Trojan's wife." And serving my bed.) Taking her turn and sharing in my bed. But go.) But depart. Do not provoke me.) Do not vex me. Safer.) Safe and sound. So that.) In order that. You may go.) You may travel or return. So he spoke.) Thus he said. He was afraid.) He feared or was cautious. The old man.) The elder. He obeyed.) And he was persuaded. His word.) The speech. And he went.) He traveled; the grammatical form is an aphaeresis a linguistic term for the loss of a sound at the beginning of a word. In silence.) Keeping quiet or being still. By the shore.) By the beach of the sea. The shore is so named because it is "struck" original: "θείνεσθαι" by the breaking of the waves. Loud-roaring.) Noisy or turbulent. Much.) Often. He prayed.) He made a request. After these things.) Far away.) At a distance or apart. Going.) Having arrived or traveled. To the king.) To the ruler, the divine Apollo. Lovely-haired.) Beautifully tressed; a part of beauty. Bore.) Gave birth to. Leto.) The daughter of Coeus and Phoebe. Hear me.) Listen to me. God of the silver bow.) With a bright or precious bow. Who protects Chryse.) Who surrounds Chryse. Chryse is a city of light. Protects.) original: "ἀμφιβέβηκας" You have stood over as a defender. And Cilla.) Cilla is a small town in the Troad the region around Troy. Sacred.) Very divine.

The commentator explains the origin of the temple at Cilla: Pelops, son of Tantalus, received immortal horses from Poseidon to win Hippodamia in a chariot race against her father, Oenomaus. Near Lesbos, his charioteer Cillas died. Cillas appeared to Pelops in a dream, grieving his death and asking for burial. Pelops burned the body, buried the ashes, and built a temple to Cillaean Apollo at the tomb.