Homer ILIAD : Rhapsody 15

Page 5

Then indeed, having thus spoken, venerable Juno retired, and sat down upon her throne; but they, hastening, flew and arrived at Ida of many rills, the mother of wild beasts. They found the far-seeing son of Saturn sitting upon lofty Gargarus, and an odoriferous cloud encircled him around. But coming before cloud-compelling Jove, they stood; nor was he enraged in his mind, beholding them, because they quickly obeyed the commands of his dear wife. And first to Iris he addressed winged words:

"Haste, begone, fleet Iris, tell all these things to king Neptune, nor be thou a false messenger. Order him, having ceased from the battle and the war, to repair to the assemblies of the gods, or to the vast sea. If, however, he will not obey my words, but shall despise them, let him then consider in his mind and soul, lest, however powerful he may be, he may not be able to withstand me coming against him; for I say that I am superior to him in strength, and elder in birth; but his heart fears riot to assert himself equal to me, whom even the others dread."

Thus he spoke, nor was wind-footed, swift Iris disobedient: but she descended from the Idaean mountains to sacred Ilium. And as when snow drifts from the clouds, or cold hail, by the impulse of cloud-dispelling[486] Boreas, so quickly swift Iris with eagerness flew along, and standing near illustrious Neptune, she addressed him:

"O azure-haired Earth-shaker, I have come hither, bringing a certain message to thee from aegis-bearing Jove. He has commanded thee, having ceased from the battle and the war, to repair either to the assemblies of the gods or to the vast sea. But if thou wilt not obey his words, but shalt despise them, he threatens that he will come hither himself to fight against thee; and advises thee to avoid his hands, because he asserts that he is greatly superior to thee in strength, and elder in birth: but thy heart does not fear to profess that thou art equal to him, whom even the others dread."

But her illustrious Neptune, greatly indignant, then addressed: "Gods! powerful though he be, he surely has spoken proudly, if he will by force restrain me unwilling, who am of equal honour. For we are three brothers [descended] from Saturn, whom Rhea brought forth: Jupiter and I, and Pluto, governing the infernal regions, the third; all things were divided into three parts, and each was allotted his dignity.[487] I in the first place, the lots being shaken, was allotted to inhabit for ever the hoary sea, and Pluto next obtained the pitchy darkness; but Jove in the third place had allotted to him the wide heaven in the air and in the clouds. Nevertheless the earth is still the common property of all, and lofty Olympus. Wherefore I shall not live according to the will of Jove, but although being very powerful, let him remain quiet in his third part; and let him by no means terrify me as a coward with his hands. For it would be better for him to insult with terrific language the daughters and sons whom he hath begotten, who will also through necessity attend to him, exhorting them."

But him the fleet wind-footed Iris then answered: "O[488] azure-haired Earth-shaker, shall I really thus bear back from thee to Jove this relentless and violent reply? Or wilt thou change it at all? The minds of the prudent indeed are flexible. Thou knowest that the Furies are ever attendant on the elders." [489]

[Footnote 486: More literalty, "producing clear air." So Eustathius, or Eumathius, Erotic. ii. p. 14: [Greek: Aithregenetes Borras]. Heyne prefers "in aere genitus."]

[Footnote 487: On this division of things, see Servius on Virg. Aen. i. 143; Fulgent Myth. i. 1, 3. The Scholiasts attempt to refer it to the ancient theory of the elements.]

[Footnote 488: These three verses were elegantly applied by Sostrates in mitigating the intemperate language which Antigonus would fain have addressed to Ptolemy Philadelphus. See Sextus Emp. adv. Gramm. i. 13, p. 276.]

[Footnote 489: The Furies are said to wait on men in a double sense; either for evil, as upon Orestes after he had slain his mother; or else for good, as upon elders when they are injured, to protect them and avenge their wrongs. This is an instance that the pagans looked upon birthright as a right divine. Eustath. quoted in ed. Dubl. cf. ix. 507.]

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