HOMER'S ILIAD COMPLETE

Rhapsody 21

Literally Translated, with Explanatory Notes, by Theodore Alois Buckley

Homer Bilingual Anthology  Studies  Homer in Print

Page 22

But the messenger [Mercury], the slayer of Argos, addressed Latona:

"O Latona, I will by no means fight with thee; for difficult indeed would it be to combat with the wives of cloud-compelling Jove; but rather, very forward among the immortal gods, boast that thou hast conquered me by violent force."

Thus indeed he spoke; but Latona collected together the bent bow and the arrows[689] which had fallen here and there amid the whirl of dust. She, having taken the arrows, followed her daughter. But the daughter had arrived at Olympus, and at the brazen-floored palace of Jove, and had sat down at the knees of her father, weeping, whilst her ambrosial robe trembled around; and her the Saturnian father drew towards him, and, sweetly smiling, interrogated her:

"Which now of the heavenly inhabitants, my dear child, has rashly done such things to thee, as if having done some evil openly?"

But him the fair-crowned mistress of the chase[690] addressed in turn: "Thy spouse, the white-armed Juno, has injured me, O father, from whom contention and strife await[691] the immortals."

[Footnote 689: [Greek: Toxa] here means both bow and arrows.]

[Footnote 690: A more literal version would be, "the fair crowned mistress of the cry," i.e. the hunting cry.]

[Footnote 691: [Greek: Epheptai], "immitti solet."—Heyne. See D'Orville on Chariton, vii. 5, p. 582, ed. Lips.]

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