[73]
[75] ἀμῦναι expresses purpose.
[77] κεφαλῆς, ‘throat’ here.—With Ἕκτορος supply “ὄψ”, subject of “περιάγνυται”.
[78] ἀλαλητῷ, cf. B 149.
[81] πυρός, for construction cf. B 415, I 242.
[83] μύθου τέλος, my ‘chief injunction,’ with reference to l. 87. For a similar expression see I 56.
θείω, § 149 (2).[84] For ὡς ἄν with subjunctive, § 196.
[86] πότι δ᾽（έ), ‘and besides.’ For the apparent ignorance of the embassy and the offerings described in Book IX, see the note on l. 71.
[90] θήσεις, ‘you would make’ in our idiom. Achilles is not jealous of any success that may come to Patroclus, of course. But he is apprehensive that, should such success be pushed too far, the Greeks would forget their helplessness and be less inclined to make him due amends. His wounded pride is always uppermost in his mind.
[94] ἐμβήῃ, formed like “δώῃ” (l. 88) and “θήῃς” (l. 96), § 149 (1).
[96] τοὺς δέ, the Trojans and the rest of the Greeks.
97-100. This unnatural prayer was regarded as an interpolation in ancient times also (by the Alexandrians Zenodotus and Aristarchus). The invocation of Apollo is very strange, for Apollo is a partizan of the Trojans (l. 94). νῶιν seems to be a blunder for “νῶι”. Cf. § 110. It must be translated as nominative, subject of ἐκδυῖμεν, which is an optative of wish.[100] κρήδεμνα λύωμεν, ‘unloose the head-dress,’ said metaphorically; the head-dress of Troy is the “Πέργαμος ἄκρη, Ζ” 512 (“ἱερή”, E 446), where are the seats of the gods and the “Πριάμοιο μέλαθρον” which Agamemnon (B 414) wishes to destroy (Studniczka)
[102] At this point the poet returns to the battle being waged about the ship of Protesilaus, mentioned at the end of the preceding book
[105] ἔχε, ‘was making,’ ‘gave out.’
[106] κάπ, § 47. The shield of Ajax is thus described
‘Ajax came near with his tower-like shield, bronze-covered, of seven oxhides, which Tychius had wrought for him with pains—Tychius, who was far the best of the leather-workers and who dwelt in Hyle; he had made for him the shimmering shield of seven hides from well-fed bulls, and over all he forged an eighth layer of bronze.’“Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠύτε πύργον,
χάλκεον ἑπταβόειον, ὅ οἱ Τυχίος κάμε τεύχων,
σκυτοτόμων ὄχ᾽ ἄριστος, Ὕλῃ ἔνι οἰκία ναίων:
ὅς οἱ ἐποίησεν σάκος αἰόλον ἑπταβόειον
ταύρων ζατρεφέων, ἔπι δ᾽ ὔγδοον ἤλασε χαλκόν.
”
[108] Supply “σάκος” as object of πελεμίξαι.
[109] ἔχετ᾽（ο), ‘was oppressed by,’ ‘suffered from.’
κάδ, § 47.[111] ἀμ-πνεῦσαι, for the prefix, § 47.—πάντῃ κτλ., ‘and on all sides evil was set upon evil.’ “Ill strengthen'd ill” (Chapman).
