[344]
[347] ἄγειν: as v. 338.
[348] Vs. 348-430. Achilles tells his grief to his mother. She promises to secure satisfaction for him from Zeus.
ἀέκουσα: this indicates that she was more than a mere “γέρας” to Achilles, and that his anger arose not simply from the insult offered to his dignity but also from wounded love; cf. 9.343 f. In 19.287 ff., she mourns bitterly for the dead Patroclus on her return to the tent of Achilles. γυνή: explanatory appos. with “ἡ”. — The scene ends at the bucolic diaeresis (§ 40 h), cf. vs. 318, 430. “αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεύς” is thus used 17 times in the Iliad in the last two feet of the verse, to mark a transition, while “αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεύς” is thus used 27 times in the Odyssey. — “αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς κτλ”.: simple description of the effect which the loss of Briseis had upon the hero, without depicting his feelings in modern fashion.[349] δακρύσας: fell to weeping. Burst into tears is perhaps too strong a translation.
ἑτάρων: const. with “νόσφι λιασθείς”. ἄφαρ: const. with “λιασθείς”, cf. v. 594.[350] θῖν̓ ἔφ̓ ἁλός: i.e. “ἐπὶ θῖνα κτλ”., with “ἕζετο”.
ἔφ̓ is accented, in spite of the elision, in order to prevent ambiguity (§ 37 c “β”). ἁλός: “ἅλς” and “θάλασσα” are the general words for sea; “πόντος”, the high, deep sea (often with reference to a particular tract, cf. 2.145); “πέλαγος”, the open sea.[351] πολλά: as v. 35.
ὀρεγνύς: not “ἀνασχών” (“χεῖρας ἀνασχών” v. 450), since while invoking the sea divinity he stretched out his hands toward the deep; cf. 9.568, where Althaea beats upon the ground as she calls upon the nether gods; palmas ponto tendens utrasque . . . Di, quibus imperium est pelagi Verg. Aen. v. 233 ff.[352] ἔτεκές γε: the prominence given by “γέ” emphasizes the fact as responsible for the inference which is drawn from it.
μινυνθάδιον: equiv. to “ὠκύμορος” v. 417. πέρ: in its original use, very.[353] τιμήν περ: honor at least, placed first with emphasis; chiastic with “μινυνθάδιον” (§ 2 o).
ὄφελλεν: the past tense of verbs of obligation is used to imply that the obligation was not complied with. Ὀλύμπιος: is used in the sing. only of Zeus, as v. 589, 2.309; in the pl. of all the gods, as v. 399.[354] ὑψιβρεμέτης: cf. “δεινὸν δὲ βρόντησε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε ι ὕψοθεν γ” 56.
νῦν δέ: but as it is, marking a return to the reality from a merely hypothetical case, cf. v. 417, “Β 82, α” 166, 219, 241. οὐδὲ τυτθόν: not even a little. 356 = 507, 2.240; cf. 9.111. ἑλὼν ἔχει: differs from “εἷλε” chiefly in giving prominence to the possession as still continued; cf. (of the same act) “εἵλετ̓ ἔχει δ̓ ἄλοχον Ι” 336. This approaches a periphrasis common in tragedy, even where the partic. is intrans., and often differing little from the aor. ind. “ἠτίμησε”, etc.; cf. Soph. O. T. 731, Ant. “ἀτιμάσας ἔχει 22, 32, 77, ἐγκλῄσας ἔχει 180, κηρύξας ἔχω 192, ἔχεις ταράξας” 794, 1058, 1272. ἀπούρας: partic. of “ἀπηύρων” v. 430; epexegetical of “ἑλών”. For the strengthening by “αὐτός”, cf. vs. 137, 161, 185, 324, 19.89.[357] “ὣς φάτο κτλ”.: cf. sic fatur lacrimans Verg. Aen. vi. 1.
358 = 18.36. πατρὶ γέροντι: Nereus, who is not named by Homer but only designated as “ἅλιος γέρων” (v. 538). His home is in the Aegean sea, cf. 24.78. With him is Thetis, who has deserted her aged husband Peleus. The daughters of Nereus are enumerated 18.38 ff.[359] ἁλός: ablatival gen., from the sea, as “ἀνεδύσετο λίμνης ε” 337; see § 3 d.
ἠύτ̓ ὀμίχλη: the comparison is esp. fitting for a sea-goddess; like a mist, which rises easily and quietly from the water. For the Homeric comparison, cf. v. 47; see § 2 e ff.[360] πάροιθ̓ αὐτοῖο: before him (self); the intensive pron. contrasts Achilles himself with his voice which his mother had just heard, cf. v. 47. See § 24 g.
δάκρυ χέοντος: the repetition of these words from v. 357 is characteristic of the fulness of Epic style. 361 = “Ε 372, Ζ 485, Ω 127, δ 610, ε” 181. — For the Epic fulness, cf. vs. 57, 88; see § 1 s.[362] 362 = 18.73, where Thetis visits her son in his grief at the death of Patroclus.
σέ, φρένας: accs. of the whole and part, cf. v. 150, “Β 171, Γ” 35, 438, 442. 363 = 16.19, cf. 18.74. — “ἐξαύδα κτλ”.: the second imv. repeats the thought of the first, hence the asyndeton, cf. v. 323; see § 2 m. νόῳ: as in v. 132. εἴδομεν: from “οἶδα”, subjv. with short mode-vowel, cf. vs. 141 ff.; see § 27 a. 364 = 18.78. βαρύ: cf. “εὐρύ” v. 355, and see on v. 78.[365] οἶσθα: cf. vs. 355 f.
ἦ: is not a simple sign of a question in Homer, and hence can be joined with “τί”, see § 3 m. ἰδυίῃ: i.e. “εἰδυίῃ” (with the short form of the stem, § 31 g); intrans., as “Κ 250, Ψ” 787. Though his mother knows all, Achilles tells the story. A man in suffering finds relief in rehearsing his ills, and this recital was followed by the sympathy of the poet's hearers. The repetition is more natural because the consequences of these events continue through the whole poem. ἀγορεύω: subjv. of deliberation.—For the verbal repetition, cf. 2.10-15, 23-34, 60-70.[366] ᾠχόμεθα: on his marauding expeditions in the neighborhood of Troy; see on v. 125.
Θήβην: a city of the Cilicians, in Mysia, at the foot of Mt. Placus, an eastern spur of Mt. Ida. Eetion, father of Andromache, Hector's wife, reigned there, 6.394 ff. ἱερήν: since the gods were worshipped there. — For the simple order of words, see § 1 f.[367] ἤγομεν ἐνθάδε: Andromache tells of the sack of the city, of her father's death and her mother's captivity, in 6.414 ff.
[368] εὖ: properly, so that each received his due share.
δάσσαντο: cf. “δέδασται” v. 125, “δασμός” v. 166.[369] ἐκ δ̓ ἕλον: as “γέρας” (“ἐξαίρετον”, cf. 2.227), besides his share of the spoils, see on v. 124. — The capture of Chrysa (v. 37) on the same expedition is assumed here. 2.690 ff. shows that Lyrnessus was sacked, and Briseis taken captive, on the same voyage.
371-379 = vs. 12-16, 22-25.[380] πάλιν: back; cf. “πάλιν πλαγχθέντας” v. 59, “δόμεναι πάλιν” v. 116.
[381] φίλος ἦεν: sc. “ὁ γέρων”. This was shown by the event.
[382] ἐπ̓ Ἀργείοισι: “ἐπί” with dat. of the person, in Homer often implies hostility, cf. v. 51; see § 3 h “β”.
βέλος: as v. 51.[383] ἐπασσύτεροι: in quick succession, cf. v. 52.
[384] ἄμμι: Att. “ἡμῖν” (§ 24 a), for us.
[385] θεοπροπίας: as v. 87.
ἑκάτοιο: of the Far Darter. “ἕκατος” is a short, pet form of “ἑκατηβόλος” (as “Ἑκάτη” was a name of the moon goddess); cf. on “Σμινθεῦ” v. 39. For similar epiths. of Apollo, see § 4 c.