Ἄδρηστον δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔπειτα βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος
ζωὸν ἕλ᾽: ἵππω γάρ οἱ ἀτυζομένω πεδίοιο
ὄζῳ ἔνι βλαφθέντε μυρικίνῳ ἀγκύλον ἅρμα
ἄξαντ᾽ ἐν πρώτῳ ῥυμῷ αὐτὼ μὲν ἐβήτην40
πρὸς πόλιν, ᾗ περ οἱ ἄλλοι ἀτυζόμενοι φοβέοντο,
αὐτὸς δ᾽ ἐκ δίφροιο παρὰ τροχὸν ἐξεκυλίσθη
πρηνὴς ἐν κονίῃσιν ἐπὶ στόμα: πὰρ δέ οἱ ἔστη
Ἀτρεΐδης Μενέλαος ἔχων δολιχόσκιον ἔγχος.
Ἄδρηστος δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔπειτα λαβὼν ἐλίσσετο γούνων:45
ζώγρει, Ἀτρέος υἱέ, σὺ δ᾽ ἄξια δέξαι ἄποινα:
πολλὰ δ᾽ ἐν ἀφνειοῦ πατρὸς κειμήλια κεῖται
χαλκός τε χρυσός τε πολύκμητός τε σίδηρος,
τῶν κέν τοι χαρίσαιτο πατὴρ ἀπερείσι᾽ ἄποινα
εἴ κεν ἐμὲ ζωὸν πεπύθοιτ᾽ ἐπὶ νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν.50
ὣς φάτο, τῷ δ᾽ ἄρα θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἔπειθε:
καὶ δή μιν τάχ᾽ ἔμελλε θοὰς ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν
δώσειν ᾧ θεράποντι καταξέμεν: ἀλλ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων
ἀντίος ἦλθε θέων, καὶ ὁμοκλήσας ἔπος ηὔδα:
ὦ πέπον ὦ Μενέλαε, τί ἢ δὲ σὺ κήδεαι οὕτως55
ἀνδρῶν; ἦ σοὶ ἄριστα πεποίηται κατὰ οἶκον
πρὸς Τρώων; τῶν μή τις ὑπεκφύγοι αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον
χεῖράς θ᾽ ἡμετέρας, μηδ᾽ ὅν τινα γαστέρι μήτηρ
κοῦρον ἐόντα φέροι, μηδ᾽ ὃς φύγοι, ἀλλ᾽ ἅμα πάντες
Ἰλίου ἐξαπολοίατ᾽ ἀκήδεστοι καὶ ἄφαντοι.60
ὣς εἰπὼν ἔτρεψεν ἀδελφειοῦ φρένας ἥρως
αἴσιμα παρειπών: ὃ δ᾽ ἀπὸ ἕθεν ὤσατο χειρὶ
ἥρω᾽ Ἄδρηστον: τὸν δὲ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
οὖτα κατὰ λαπάρην: ὃ δ᾽ ἀνετράπετ᾽, Ἀτρεΐδης δὲ
λὰξ ἐν στήθεσι βὰς ἐξέσπασε μείλινον ἔγχος.65
Νέστωρ δ᾽ Ἀργείοισιν ἐκέκλετο μακρὸν ἀΰσας:
ὦ φίλοι ἥρωες Δαναοὶ θεράποντες Ἄρηος
μή τις νῦν ἐνάρων ἐπιβαλλόμενος μετόπισθε
μιμνέτω ὥς κε πλεῖστα φέρων ἐπὶ νῆας ἵκηται,
ἀλλ᾽ ἄνδρας κτείνωμεν: ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὰ ἕκηλοι70
νεκροὺς ἂμ πεδίον συλήσετε τεθνηῶτας.
notes
Menelaus captures the Trojan Adrastus and is about to spare him in return for a large ransom. Agamemnon forestalls this and persudes Menelaus that they should kill as many Trojans as possible now, and take the plunder later. Nestor shouts this message to all the Achaeans, as Agamemnon kills Adrastus.
We never see a warrior in the Iliad spared in return for ransom, though the possibility is always there, making its denial here all the more brutal. (We will hear in Book 21.34–41 about a Trojan whom Achilles once sold.)
read full essay
We are not meant to care particularly about Adrastus, but Menelaus and Agamemnon are central to the story, so Homer creates this opportunity to develop each man’s portrait and the relationship between the two brothers. Menelaus we have seen in Book 3, dueling inconclusively with Paris. He is clearly the superior fighter there, and Paris only escapes when Aphrodite rescues him. In Book 4, Menelaus’s wounding by the sneaky archer Pandarus gives us a window into his relationship with his more illustrious brother, Agamemnon. Menelaus sustains a minor flesh wound, the occasion for a lovely simile comparing the blood on his leg to the red stain an artist applies to ivory (4.141–47). Agamemnon’s reaction is somewhat operatic in response to what is basically a big scratch, a long speech expressing his fears for his brother (4.155–82). What if he were to die? What would Agamemnon say to the people back in Argos? It turns out that what worries him is in part the specter of someone seeing him as an inadequate commander, but there is genuine alarm and brotherly affection there as well. Menelaus is a good fighter, but not, apparently, a great fighter, and must be handled with some care. When Menelaus comes forward to duel Hector in Book 7, Agamemnon immediately steps in and dissuades him. The rest of the Greeks are relieved. Ajax, the eventual choice, not Menelaus, is clearly the right man for this assignment.
We note an interesting symmetry: both Menelaus and Paris, who ought to be the principal antagonists of the war, have more powerful brothers who take the lead. In each case, the less powerful sibling is a problem for his brother. Paris, as we learn in Book 3, brings shame on his family and in particular on Hector, whose sense of responsibility for his fellow Trojans contrasts starkly with Paris’s fecklessness. Menelaus, meanwhile, is an honorable man and a good fighter, who has been shamed by his wife’s betrayal (or at least her abduction: Homer never tips his hand about what her motives might have been for leaving her family). He is eager to do his part in cleaning up the mess, in contrast to Paris, who seems largely unconcerned about the terrible suffering he has brought on the Trojans. Agamemnon frets about his brother’s safety, apparently feeling the need to protect his brother from overreaching. Each pairing resonates with the other in Homer’s brief and economical characterizations.
By the time Agamemnon weighs in here, we know him well. His insecurity and arrogance in the poem’s opening scene paint an unattractive picture. He bullies the priest of Apollo, who has come to beg for the release of his daughter, now Agamemnon’s concubine, with disastrous results for the Greeks. Apollo, angered by the mistreatment of his priest, sends a plague through the Greek camp. Even Achilles, himself no slouch in the arrogance department, seems initially at least to have more solicitude for the Greek warriors than does Agamemnon, the leader of the expedition, suggesting that they consult a seer about the causes of the plague. The seer Calchas correctly identifies the source of Apollo’s anger, and it would seem that the wise thing for Agamemnon to do would be to return the priest’s daughter and choose another concubine. He eventually gets to that decision, but not before bullying Calchas for delivering bad news, and antagonizing Achilles, who storms out of the camp, insuring that many more Greeks will die. Agamemnon’s bungling of Zeus’s false dream at the beginning of Book 2 (1–181) again shows him to be insecure about his position and out of touch with his troops, qualities on display yet again during his attempts, often clumsy, to rally his men when the battle resumes in Book 4 (326–418). Taken together, the portrait of Agamemnon in the first four books of the poem shows us a man who often seems out of his depth, lacking a sure instinct for leading his troops. Faced with his inadequacy, he tends to resort to bravado and bullying, which further undermine his credibility as a leader. More humiliation awaits him in Book 19 (74–153) when Achilles brushes aside his lame apology, which in the glare of the former’s rage can only appear petty and self-serving .
Agamemnon’s brutal injunction to Menelaus here, that no Trojan should be spared, even the unborn child in a mother’s womb, jars us yet further. Perhaps if it came in a moment of peril, when force was necessary for survival, we might see it as more understandable. But Adrastus poses no threat to either man, so killing him (let alone an unborn child) is hardly heroic. And yet, because Homer has been careful to shine a light on Agamemnon’s tender feelings for Menelaus, our revulsion is tempered to some degree by our recognition that he can be motivated by something other than his self-regard. Like Hector’s continuing concern about his impossible brother, crosscurrents of emotion here give the character depth and vulnerability, forestalling easy judgments.
Nestor appears at the end of the Adrastus episode, urging the Greeks not to let a desire for spoils divert them from their primary mission, killing Trojans and taking Troy. Nestor is one of three important old men in the poem, along with Phoenix and Priam, and each one is different. Phoenix was Achilles’ childhood tutor, having arrived as a fugitive at the home of Peleus (9.434–95). He is one of the three ambassadors who go to Achilles in Book 9 to ask him to relent and return to battle. He softens Achilles’ stance slightly there by playing on their long friendship. His history with Achilles’ family echoes that of Patroclus, another old friend who came to Peleus as a fugitive and took up the role of older adviser. Priam will form the most crucial relationship with Achilles, engaging his sympathy and moving him to release Hector’s body at the end of the poem. Like Phoenix, Priam exemplifies the softening effects of a long perspective colored by suffering, appealing to Achilles’ compassion.
Not so Nestor. Best known for his lengthy speeches, usually about himself and other glorious fighters from an earlier time, Nestor always calls on traditional heroic virtues, fighting strength and an unflagging thirst for victory, to motivate the Greek warriors. Though too old to fight himself, he is nevertheless always around the battle, modeling heroism, ready with a pep talk. His brief appearance here is part of Homer’s careful modulation of tone. After the disturbing speech of Agamemnon, Nestor’s call for self-restraint in the pursuit of victory returns the narrative to more familiar territory. At the same time, by having Nestor urge soldiers to resist self-aggrandizement in favor of the common goal of taking Troy, Homer invites us to think again about the more unsavory aspects of Agamemnon’s demands, which might reflect, like almost everything he does, his own insecurity.
These portraits, as we have said, point us toward the scene between Hector and Andromache: Agamemnon’s troubled leadership and personal weakness throw into relief Hector’s nobility and the terrible dilemma he faces; both Menelaus’s broken relationship to Helen and her toxic bond to Paris are the negative image of what we will see at the Skaian Gates.
Further Reading
Greenberg, N.A. 1993. “The Attitude of Agamemnon.” Classical World 86.3: 193–205.
Owen, E.T. 1946. The Story of the Iliad, 57. Toronto: Clark and Irwin.
Roisman, H.M. 2005. “Nestor the Good Counselor.” Classical Quarterly 55: 17–38.
Van Nortwick, T. 2008. Imagining Men: Ideals of Masculinity in Ancient Greek Culture, 123–28. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Wilson, D. 2002. Ransom, Revenge, and Heroic Identity in the Iliad, 165–67. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
37-40: ἵππω, ἀτυζομένω, βλαφθέντε, ἄξαντε, and αὐτὼ are all dual nom.
37: βοὴν: “in/at the battle cry,” acc. of respect with ἀγαθὸς, as in line 12.
38: ἕλ᾽: “took” = ἕλε (see 6.35). οἱ: “his,” “to him” = αὐτῷ (Monro 98), dat. masc. sg. personal pronoun. The dative of the personal pronoun is often used in place of a possessive (Monro 143.1). ἀτυζομένω πεδίοιο: “running in terror over the plain,” gen. of place within which (see 6.2) (Goodell 515).
39: ὄζῳ ἔνι βλαφθέντε μυρικίνῳ: “having become entangled in a tamarisk bough.” Tamarisks grow in and around riverbeds. ὄζῳ ἔνι: = ἐν ὄζͅῳ (anastrophe). βλαφθέντε: dual aor. pass. ptc. > βλάπτω “harm, hinder.”
40: ἀγκύλον ἅρμα / ἄξαντ᾽ ἐν πρώτῳ ῥυμῷ: “breaking the curved chariot at the end of the pole.” ἄξαντε: dual aor. act. ptc. > ἄγνυμι. ἐν πρώτῳ ῥυμῷ: “on the front of the pole,” where the pole drawing the chariot attaches to the harness of the horses. See the diagram by Dalia Lamura of the Monteleone Chariot in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. αὐτὼ μὲν: “they on the one hand,” dual aor. 3rd pers. personal pronoun. μὲν anticipates a contrast with αὐτὸς δὲ in line 42. ἐβήτην: 3rd dual aor. > βαίνω.
41: ᾗ περ οἱ ἄλλοι ἀτυζόμενοι φοβέοντο: “where the rest were fleeing in a state of panic.” ᾗ: “where, which way,” dat. sg. fem. of the relative pronoun (Goodell 236). φοβέοντο: unaugmented, uncontracted 3rd pl. impf.
42: αὐτὸς δ᾽: “but he himself,” Adrastus; ἐξεκυλίσθη: “was hurled from,” “pitched out,” 3rd sg. aor. pass. > ἐκ-κυλίνδω.
43: ἐπὶ: “onto” + acc. πὰρ … οἱ: “beside him,” either παρά + dat. sg. (οἱ), or the compound παρέστη with οἱ as the dative obj. (3rd sg. root aor. > παρίστημι).
45: ἐλίσσετο: “began to beg,” impf. > λίσσομαι, here specifying the beginning of an ongoing action (the so-called inchoative imperfect, Monro 70). λαβῶν ... γούνων: “taking hold of his knees,” the normal gesture of supplication or entreaty in Homer. γούνων: gen. pl. > γόνυ, perferred to alternate gen. pl. γουνάτων (Monro 107.2), quasi-partitive genitive after verb of touching or trying, normal with λαμβάνω (Goodell 510.b).
46: ζώγρει: “take me alive,” = ζώγρε-ε, note the accent: not 3rd sg. ζωγρεῖ, but 2nd sg. imperative. υἱέ: vocative > ὑιός. δέξαι: 2nd sg. aor. dep. mid. imperative > δέχομαι.
47: ἐν ἀφνειοῦ πατρὸς: “in (the house) of my wealthy father” (Goodell 507.a). κεῖται: 3rd sg. with neut. pl. subject (Goodell 496).
49-50: κέν χαρίσαιτο … εἴ … πεπύθοιτο: “he would grant … if he should learn,” a so-called future-less-vivid condition (εἰ + opt., κε/ἄν + opt.), here with aor. optatives. χαρίσαιτο: “would grant,” aor. mid. > χαρίζομαι. πεπύθοιτο: “should learn,” reduplicated 3rd aor. dep. mid. > πυνθάνομαι (Monro 36). The κέν in the protasis in line 50 is relatively rare (Monro 313).
49: τῶν: “from which,” “of which” possessions. κέν: = ἄν. τοι: “to you,” = σοι, dat. sg. personal pronoun (Monro 98).
50: πεπύθοιτο ἐμὲ ζωὸν: “should learn of me as alive,” i.e., “should learn that I am alive.” ζωὸν is a predicative adjective modifying ἐμὲ (Goodell 547). ἐπὶ νηυσὶν: “near the ships,” dat. pl.
51: ὣς φάτο: “so he spoke,” a formula to close off Adrastus’ speech. φάτο: unaugmented 3rd sg. aor. mid. > φημί, mid. with no difference in meaning from the active. τῷ: “his,” “to this one,” possessive dat. personal pronoun with θυμὸν (Monro 143.1); the antecedent is Menelaus. ἔπειθε: “began to persuade,” inchoative impf. (see 6.45).
52: καὶ δή: “and indeed,” “and in fact.” μιν: “him,” = αὐτόν, 3rd pers. sg. acc. of the enclitic personal pronoun (Goodell 19.f).
53: δώσειν: fut. act. inf. > δίδωμι, with μέλλω (Goodell 570.b). ᾧ: “his,” = ἑῷ, 3rd pers. sg. dat. of the possessive pronoun (Goodell 204). καταξέμεν: “to lead down,” inf. of purpose, Aeolic infinitive of the mixed aorist > κατ-άγω, Att. καταγαγεῖν (Graziosi-Haubold, see Monro 85).
54: θέων: “hurrying,” nom. sg. pres. ptc. > θέω, not to be confused with θεῶν, “of the gods.” ὁμοκλήσας ἔπος ηὔδα: “called out to him and said.” ὁμοκλήσας: masc. nom. sg. aor. ptc. > ὁμοκλάω. ηὔδᾱ: = ηὔδα-ε, 3rd sg. impf. > αὐδάω.
55: ὦ πέπον ὦ Μενέλαε: “my dear Menalaus.” πέπων is normally a term of endearment, but can imply excessive softness (“gentle man”), as it seems to here. τί ἢ δὲ σὺ κήδεαι οὕτως ἀνδρῶν: “why are you being so caring of men?” ἢ, “either,” sets up a disjunctive that is not expressed, but is picked up by ἦ in the next line. This introduces a rhetorical question expecting the answer “no.” κήδε(σ)αι: 2nd sg. pres. mid. > κήδω. In the active, κήδω means “cause pain”; in the middle it means “take pains” = “care about” + gen.
56: πεποίηται: 3rd sg. pf. pass. > ποιέω; ἄριστα is neuter pl. subject. κατὰ οἶκον: “at home,” i.e. in Sparta. Elision is prevented here by the original digamma, ϝοἶκον
57: πρὸς Τρώων: “by the Trojans,” “at the hands of the Trojans,” gen. of agent (Monro 208.1). τῶν μή τις μή: “may none of these (Trojans),” introducing optative of wish (without κε, Benner 33).
58–59: μηδ᾽ ὅν τινα γαστέρι μήτηρ / κοῦρον ἐόντα φέροι … μηδ᾽ ὃς: lit. “nor whomever a mother bears in her womb, being a boy,” i.e. “not even a boy whom mother carries in her womb, may not even he escape….” The indefinite relative clause specifies and expands upon the τῶν μή τις in line 57 (Monro 266). κοῦρον ἐόντα: the participial phrase more precisely defines the gender of the relative pronoun ὅν τινα. φέροι: the verb in the relative clause is optative in agreement with the optative of wish in the main clause (Monro 304.1.c). μηδ᾽ ὃς: “not even he,” demonstrative ὅς after καί and οὐδέ/μηδέ (Graziosi-Haubold).
60: ἐξαπολοίατ᾽: “let … them be eradicated from” + gen., = ἐξαπόλοιντο, aor. opt. of wish > ἐξαπόλλυμι, the intensifying prefix ἐκ- often suggests completeness. A savage sentiment, ferociously expressed. An ancient scholiast remarks, “the words are hateful and not in harmony with the habit of a king.”
61: ὣς εἰπὼν: “speaking thus,” a formulaic way to round off a speech and lead into action. ἀδελφειοῦ: gen. of ἀδελφεός, which is derived from (and sometimes printed as) uncontracted *ἀδελφεόο.
62: αἴσιμα παρειπών: “winning him over to a justified course of action.” αἴσιμα: “what is apportioned or destined; what is right or due,” object of aor. ptc. παρ-ειπών. Objective comments like αἴσιμα παρειπών are unusual, this one additionally so because Homer normally condemns excessive cruelty and violence ... The element of moral judgment should not be exaggerated, as by bT and most modern commentators; the poet is simply noting that Agamemnon’s words, extreme as they are, reflect the regular heroic view that Paris’ treachery, condoned by all Trojans, spares none of them the normal consequences of deafeat (Kirk 1990, 161). ὃ δ᾽: Menelaus. ἀπὸ … ὤσατο: “thrust from him,” aor. > ἀπ-ωθέω. ἕ-θεν: “from him,” gen. sg. of the reflexive pronoun. The old separative ending –θεν (‘away from’) is treated as a metrically convenient alternative to ἕο, εἷο, εὗ. (Graziosi-Haubold). χειρὶ: dat. of means (Goodell 526.a).
63: τὸν δὲ: Adrastus.
64: οὖτα κατὰ λαπάρην: “struck him in the flank.” οὖτα = οὖταε, 3rd sg. aorist with final short α, root aor. existing alongside the probably more recent sigmatic aor. οὔτασε/οὔτησε, which are also common in Homer (Graziosi-Haubold). ὃ δ᾽: Adrastus.
65: βὰς: “stepping on,” nom. sg. aor. ptc. > βαίνω.
66: ἐκέκλετο: “urged,” “commanded,” “exhorted” + dat., reduplicated aor. dep. mid > κέλομαι (Monro 36). μακρὸν ἀΰσας: “shouting at the top of his voice.” μακρὸν: cognate accusative adjective, translated as an adverb (Goodell 536.b). ἀΰσας: nom. sg. aor. ptc. > ἀύω (onomatopoeia).
68: μή … μιμνέτω: “let no one remain,” 3rd sg. pres. imperative > μίμνω. ἐνάρων: quasi-partitive gen. governed by the ptc. ἐπιβαλλόμενος, “pouncing upon” (Stoevesandt, see Goodell 510.d), compare λαβών + gen. in 6.45. Stopping to collect enemy armor was evidently a common practice, as at 11.755, and has to be warned against (as by Hector at 15.347) when a rapid advance was in progress (Kirk).
69: ὥς κε … ἵκηται: “so that…,” introducing a purpose clause, ὡς + κέ (= ἄν) + aor. subj. > ἱκνέομαι (Monro 285.1). νῆας: “ships.”
70: κτείνωμεν: “let us kill,” hortatory subj. τὰ: “those things,” i.e. the ἐνάρων above.
71: ἄμ: = ἀνά, + acc. Before a labial consonant such as π-, the preposition in epic is ἄμ. συλήσετε: “you will despoil,” 2nd pl. fut. indic. > συλάω (with double acc.): “despoil someone of something.” τεθνηῶτας: “the dead,” acc. pl. pf. ptc. > θνήσκω.
vocabulary
Ἄδραστος, Ionic Ἄδρηστος, -ου ὁ: Adrastus, son of Merope, Trojan ally
ἄρα, ῥά (enclit.), ἄρ, ῥ᾿: so, then, as you know, you know, it seems. Very often it marks an action as natural, or reminds of something recently said. It also marks transitions.
βοή -ῆς ἡ: a loud cry, shout
Μενέλαος: Menelaos, son of Atreus, brother of Agamemnon, king of Sparta and the husband of Helen
ζωός or ζώς: alive, living
οἱ (enclitic, dat. 3rd pers. pron.): (to) him, (to) her
ἀτύζω: to be distraught from fear, bewildered
πεδίον -ου τό: a plain
ὄζος: a bough, branch, twig, shoot
βλάπτω βλάψω ἔβλαψα βέβλαφα βέβλαμμαι ἐβλάφθην (or ἐβλάβην): to weaken, hinder, hold back
μυρίκινος: made of tamarisk
ἀγκύλος: crooked, curved
ἅρμα -ατος τό: a chariot. It was low and light, entered from behind with a curved rim in front and on the sides, with standing room for two persons, the driver and the fighter; it was drawn generally by two horses, sometimes by three, and was used not so much for fighting as a ready means of transportation from one part of the field to another.40
ῥυμός: the pole of a carriage
ᾗ: which way, where, whither
δίφρος ‑ου ὁ: footboard of a chariot, chariot box, chariot; stool, low seat
τροχός ‑οῦ ὁ: wheel
ἐκκυλίνδω: to roll out
πρηνής -ές: headlong
κονία or κονίη: dust, a cloud of dust
Ἀτρεΐδης, gen. Ἀτρεΐδαο or Ἀτρεΐδεω: son of Atreus (either Agamemnon or Menelaus)
δολιχόσκιος -ον: casting a long shadow
ἔγχος -εος τό: spear, lance
λίσσομαι: to beg, pray, entreat, beseech45
γόνυ, gen. γόνατος or γούνατος: knee
ζωγρέω: to take alive; revive, give life
Ἀτρεύς -εως ὁ: Atreus, son of Pelops and Hippodamia, father of Agamemnon and Menelaus
ἄποινα -ων τά: a ransom
ἀφνειός: rich, wealthy; full
κειμήλιον: a treasure, heirloom
χαλκός -οῦ ὁ: bronze
χρυσός -οῦ ὁ: gold
πολύκμητος -ον: much-wrought, wrought with much toil
σίδηρος -ου ὁ: iron
χαρίζομαι χαρίσομαι ἐχαρισάμην κεχάρισμαι --- ἐχαρίσθην: do a favor, gratify, give gladly; χαριζομένη, in order to please; ἐμῷ κεχαρισμένε θυμῷ, delight of my heart
ἀπερείσιος: countless
Ἀχαιός: Achaian
50
στῆθος -εος τό: the breast, chest
μιν: him, her, it
τάχα: quickly, presently; perhaps
θοός -ή -όν: quick, nimble
θεράπων -οντος ὁ: attendant, servant, assistant, companion
κατάγω, aor. inf. καταξέμεν: to lead (down) back (to the ships)
Ἀγαμέμνων -ονος ὁ: Agamemnon, son of Atreus, king of Mycenae and the leader of the expedition against Troy
ἀντίος, -α or -ιη, -ον: opposite, against
θέω θεύσομαι: to run
ὁμοκλάω and -έω, aor. partic. ὁμοκλήσας, iterative aor. ὁμοκλήσασκε: to shout, chide, threaten (used when a person of higher status reprimands an inferior)
αὐδάω, 3 sing. impf. ηὔδα, iterative aor. αὐδήσασκε: to speak
πέπων -ονος: my good fellow, dear (used in adresses by an elder or superior in an affectionate, condescending, or contemptuous tone)55
κήδω: to trouble, distress, vex; (mid.) grieve, care for (+gen.)
Τρῶες: Trojans
ὑπεκφεύγω ὑπεκφεύξομαι ὑπεκέφυγον ὑπεκπέφευγα: to escape
αἰπύς -εῖα -ύ: high, steep, lofty, sheer
ὄλεθρος -ου ὁ: ruin, destruction, death
γαστήρ -έρος ἡ: the belly, stomach, womb
κόρος or κοῦρος -ου ὁ: boy, young man
Ἴλιος -ου ἡ: Ilius or Ilium, the city of Ilus, Troy60
ἐξαπόλλυμι: to destroy utterly; (mid.) to perish utterly from
ἀκήδεστος -ον: uncared for, unburied
ἄφαντος -ον: made invisible, blotted out, forgotten
φρήν φρενός ἡ: heart, mind
ἥρως ἥρωος ὁ: hero, warrior
αἴσιμος: fitting, suitable, due; αἴσιμα παρειπών 'advising what was appropriate'
παρεῖπον, aor. of παράφημι: to counsel, urge, persuade
ὠθέω: to thrust, push, shove, force onwards
κρείων -οντος ὁ: ruler, lord, master
οὐτάω: to wound, hurt, hit
λαπάρα ‑ας ἡ: the soft part of the body, flank
ἀνατρέπω, aor. 2 mid. ἀνετράπετο: turn over; (aor.) fell back
λάξ: (Adv.) with the foot65
ἐκσπάω: to draw out
μέλινος: ashen
Νέστωρ -ορος ὁ: Nestor, king of the Pylians, famous for his age, wisdom, eloquence, and skill in marshaling the army for battle
Ἀργεῖος -η -ον: of/from Argos, Argive
κέλομαι, aor. (ἐ)κέκλετο: to urge on, bid, command (freq. + dative)
αὔω, impf. αὖον, aor. ἤῡσα, ἄῡσα, inf. ἀῦσαι, part. ἀύσᾱς: shout, call aloud
φίλος -η -ον: loved, beloved, dear, own
Δαναοί ‑ῶν οἱ: the Danaans, name used of the Greeks generally
Ἄρης: Ares, son of Zeus and Hera, God of war, is on the side of the Trojans
ἔναρα ‑ων τά: spoils, armor taken from a slain foe
ἐπιβάλλω ἐπιβαλῶ ἐπέβαλον ἐπιβέβληκα ἐπιβέβλημαι ἐπεβλήθην: to throw, cast on; (mid.) lay hands upon, strive for
μετόπισθε: from behind, backwards, back
μίμνω: to stay, stand fast, remain
ἱκνέομαι and ἵκω, fut. ἵξομαι, aor. ἵκετο and ἷξε(ν), aor. subj. ἵκωμαι and ἵκηαι: to come, arrive at, reach
κτείνω, aor. subj. κτείνῃς, aor. (ἔ)κτανε(ν) and ἔκτα, aor. mid. as pass. κτάμενος: to slay, kill70
ἕκηλος: at rest, at one's ease
νεκρός -οῦ ὁ: a dead body, corpse
συλάω: to strip off