[456]
[460] = 2.423 f., Od. 12.360 f.
μηροὺς ἐξέταμον: instead of the more definite “ἐκ μηρία τάμνον γ” 456, see on v. 40. κνίσῃ: two layers of fat were placed over the thigh pieces; and upon the fat, bits of raw meat from all parts of the body (“πάντων μελέων ξ” 428), symbolizing a sacrifice of the whole animal. These were burned, and thus the gods, according to the Homeric belief, took part in the sacrificial feast. cf. v. 317. 461-465 = Od. 3.458-462. δίπτυχα: sc. “κνίσην”, equiv. to “δίπλακι δημῷ Ψ” 243.[462] καῖε: sc. the “μηρία” with the fat and bits of flesh.
σχίξῃς: cf. 2.425.[463] νέοι: the companions of Odysseus, in contrast with “δ̔ γέρων”, the old priest; cf. 2.789. In the corresponding passage of the Odyssey, the “νέοι” are the sons of Nestor.
παῤ αὐτόν: by the priest himself, who is thus marked as the principal, directing person at the sacrifice. πεμπώβολα: these bronze forks prob. had bent tines, like some antique Etruscan bronzes that have been found, not unlike a hand with fingers bent in readiness to grasp some object.[464] = 2.427 f., Od. 12.364 f.
464 = Od. 14.430. κατὰ κάη: these pieces were intended for the gods and therefore were entirely (“κατά”) con sumed by the fire, cf. “ὁ δ̓ ἐν πυρὶ βάλλε θυηλάς Ι” 220. πάσαντο: in order to have a share in the sacrifice. This was no part of, but only an introduction to, the meal which followed, cf. Od. 3.40 ff.[465] “μίστυλλον κτλ”.: cf. pars in frusta secant, verubusque trementia figunt Verg. Aen. i. 212.
466 = “Β 429, Η 318, Ω 624, ξ” 431, cf. Od. 19.423. περιφραδέως: i.e. to keep it from burning. ἐρύσαντο: drew it off from the spits, after it was roasted. 467 = “Β 430, Η” 319. 468 = v. 602, “Η 320, Ψ 56, τ” 425. ἐίσης: equal, of which each has a fair share; the feast was common to all, but the leaders had the better portions, “Η 321, Θ” 161 f. 469 = “Β 432, Η 323, Ι 92, 222, Ψ 57, Ω” 628, and 11 times in the Odyssey. — A set verse to mark the end of a feast, see § 1 w. Vergil imitates in postquam exemta fames et amor compressus edendi Aen. viii. 184. ἐξ ἔρον ἕντο: cf. “ἀνεῖσαν ἡδονὴν” (sc. “δαιτός”) Eur. Ion 1170. ἔρον: for the form, see §§ 4 i, 18 e. — The previous pouring out of the wine is not mentioned, as might be expected. 470 = “Ι 175, α 148, γ 339, φ” 271. — “κοῦροι μὲν κτλ”.: for a solemn libation of the whole company, since only Chryses poured a libation before, v. 462. cf. 9.222-224. ἐπεστέψαντο: cf. “κρητῆρας ἐπιστεφέας οἴνοιο Θ” 232. — This verse seems to have been misunderstood by Vergil (or did he think to improve the description?), cf. crateras magnos statuunt et vina coronant Aen. i. 724, magnum cratera corona | induit, implevitque mero Aen. iii. 525 f.[471] 471 = “Ι 176, γ 340, φ” 272, cf. Od. 7.183.
νώμησαν: (sc. “πότον”), frequentative of “νέμω”. The “οἰνοχόος” dipped (“ἀφύσσων” v. 598) the wine from the large bowl (“κρητήρ”) into a pitcher (“πρόχοος ς” 397). The “κοῦροι” proceeded from left to right (“ἐνδέξια” v. 597) through the company, distributing to the guests (“πᾶσιν” to all), i.e. filling their cups for the libation and the banquet. ἐπαρξάμενοι: thus beginning the religious ceremony, equiv. to “ἀρξάμενοι ἐπινέμοντες”. Const. with “δεπάεσσιν”.[472] πανημέριοι: through the whole day which remained, uninterruptedly till sunset. For the pred. adj. used where the Eng. idiom uses an adv., see on v. 424.
μολπῇ: song.[473] καλόν: cognate acc. with “ἀεί-” “δειν”, instead of “καλῶς”, cf. vs. 35, 78.
παιήονα: Att. “παιᾶνα”, here a song of praise to Apollo as their preserver; in 22.391, it is a psalm of victory. — The verse explains “μολπῇ” above.[474] “μέλποντες κτλ”.: cf. the frag. of an old hymn, “μέλπετε, ὦ παῖδες, Ἑκάεργον καὶ Ἑκαέργην” in Clemens Alex. Strom. v. 8; ‘Hymning th’ eternal Father' Milton Par. Lost vi. 96, ‘singing their great Creator’ ib. iv. 684. — For the quantity of the ultima of “μέλποντες”, see §§ 14 a, 41 m.
φρένα: see on “κῆρ” v. 44. τέρπετ̓ ἀκούων: delighted in hearing. The god hears the song (as he had heard the prayer), although he was far away among the Ethiopians, for “δύνασαι δὲ σὺ” (Apollo) “πάντος᾿ ἀκούειν Π” 515. 475 = “ι 168, 558, κ 185, 478, μ 31, τ” 426. ἐπὶ ἦλθεν: came on, cf. “μέλας ἐπὶ ἑσπερος ἦλθεν α” 423. 476 = Od. 12.32. παρὰ πρυμνήσια: along by the stern hawsers (on v. 436), i.e. on the seashore; cf. “ἔνθα κε λεξαίμην” (lay myself) “κοίλῃ παρὰ νηὶ μελαίνῃ γ 365, ι” 169. Their boat was not drawn up on land. 477 = “β 1, γ 404, δ 306, 431, ι 152, 170, 560, κ 187, μ” 8. ῥοδοδάκτυλος: a notable epithet; the ancients had observed the diverging rays of rosy light before sunrise. cf. “Ἠὼς κροκόπεπλος” (saffron-robed) “Θ 1, Τ 1, Ψ 227, Ω” 695.[478] καὶ τότε: “τῆμος” is expected after “ἦμος”, but the rel. is not always followed by the corresponding dem. For “καί” in the apod., see § 3 o.
ἀνάγοντο: put out upon the high sea, cf. “κατάγοντο γ” 10 came to land.[479] “ἴκμενον οὖρον κτλ”.: Aeolus was master of the winds (Od. 10.21), but each god could send a favorable breeze; Apollo, here (because of the sacrifice that had been offered to him); Athene, “β 420, ο” 292; Calypso, Od. 5.268; Circe, Od. 11.7; cf. “πέμψει δέ τοι οὖρον ὄπισθεν ι ἀθανάτων ὅς τίς σε φυλάσσει τε ῥύεταί τε ο” 34 f.
[480] στήσαντο: mid. as “ι 77, μ” 402; see on v. 433.
ἱστία: strictly an adj. which has become a subst., what pertains to the “ἱστός”. The Homeric boat seems to have had but one sail. 481-483 = Od. 2.427-429. ἀμφί: adv.[482] πορφύρεον: foaming.
μεγάλα: const. with “ἴαχε”. νηός: in the transitional stage from limiting gen. with “στείρῃ” to the gen. abs.; see § 3 f.[483] διαπρήσσουσα: also with gen., cf. 2.785.
[484] ῥά: refers to the preceding verse.
κατὰ στρατόν: opposite (off) the camp, i.e. to the landing-place. — The verse closes as v. 478. 485 = Od. 16.325, cf. Od. 8.51. νῆα μέν: correl. with “αὐτοὶ δέ”. ἐπ̓ ἠπείροιο: up on land; cf. “ἐρύσσατε ἠπειρόνδε κ” 403.[486] “ὑψοῦ κτλ”.: i.e. so as to rest high on the sands, where it was before, cf. v. 308.
ὑπὸ δέ: adv., beneath, i.e. under the ship. ἕρματα: as 2.154, props (sometimes stones, 14.410), which were put along the keel on either side to hold the boat steady.[488] Vs. 488-530. Zeus grants to Thetis the fulfilment of her desire.
αὐτὰρ ὁ μήνιε: as his mother had directed, vs. 421 f.; cf. vs. 428 f. — Achilles withdraws from the action for the present. In the Ninth Book, an embassy is sent to him, begging him to give up his wrath and take part in the war (9.119 ff.). In the Eleventh Book, he is roused from his apathy on seeing the rout of the Achaeans (11.599 ff.). In the Sixteenth Book, when Hector reaches the Greek ships and throws fire into one of them, Achilles sends Patroclus and the Myrmidons into the conflict (16.1 ff.). He receives the news of the death of Patroclus in the Eighteenth Book (18.1 ff.), and is reconciled to Agamemnon in the Nineteenth Book and arms himself for battle (19.40 ff., 364 ff.). He takes part in the fourth (and last) great battle of the Iliad, on the 27th day of the action of the Iliad.[489] υἱός: for the short penult, where “ι” has been virtually lost between two vowels, cf. 2.566; see §§ 5 g, 41 o “ε. — πόδας ὠκὺς κτλ”.: as vs. 58, 84, 148, 215, etc. Cf. “ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς” v. 121. See § 4 c.
[490] For the asyndeton, cf. vs. 117, 255, 288, 363.
πωλέσκετο: for the iterative formation, see § 36. κυδιάνειραν: elsewhere epith. of “μάχην”. cf. “ἀγορέων, ἵνα τ̓ ἄνδρες ἀριπρεπέες τελέθουσιν Ι” 441.[491] πόλεμον: for the long ultima, see on v. 226.
φίλον: see on “Β 261, Γ” 138. κῆρ: obj. of “φθινύθεσκε”.[492] αὖθι: right there, in the same place, i.e. in his tent.
ποθέεσκε δέ: the partic. “ποθέων” might have been used in the same sense. ἀυτήν: battle cry; always a trisyllable, and thus never to be confounded with “αὐτήν” herself. 493 = 24.31. ἐκ τοῖο: the hearer easily recalled the words of Thetis (which form the starting point of the “μῆνις”), vs. 421 f., and the definite statement of time v. 425, and referred “ἐκ τοῖο” to that interview between mother and son. cf. the similar indefiniteness in the use of the same expression 24.31, where it does not refer to the day last mentioned, but to the well-remembered day of Hector's death. ἠώς: day, as “Φ 80, Ω” 413.