Chryses' Prayer
Jonathan Slocum and Carol Justus
Chryses' Prayer
The first prayer in the Iliad (Book I, lines 37-42) is Chryses' prayer to Apollo to avenge the dishonor done him by Agamemnon, the leader of the Danaans (Greeks), who took Chryses' daughter as a war prize, refused to release her, and mistreated Chryses when he offered a ransom for her return. It illustrates older Indo-European prayer form and linguistic structure, as well as properly epic Greek features.
Each line is transcribed in Greek, transliterated into Roman script, briefly glossed word-for-word, then translated into English.
κλῦθί μευ ἀργυρότοξ', ὃς Χρύσην ἀμφιβέβηκας |
kluthi meu argurotox', hos Chrusên amphibebêkas |
hear 2.sg. imp; me 1.sg. gen; silver-bow masc. voc.sg; that masc. nom.sg; Chryses fem. acc.sg; go-around 2.sg. perf.ind. |
Hear me O (you with the) silver bow, who guard Chryses |
Κίλλάν τε ζαθέην Τενέδοιό τε ἶφι ἀνάσσεις, |
Killan te zatheên Tenedoio te iphi anasseis, |
Cilla fem. acc.sg; and; very-sacred fem. acc.sg; Tenedos fem. gen.sg; and; mightily; rule 2.sg. pres.ind. |
and holy Cilla and (who) rule with might over Tenedos, |
Σμινθεῦ εἴ ποτέ τοι χαρίεντ' ἐπὶ νηὸν ἔρεψα, |
Smintheu ei pote toi charient' epi nêon erepsa, |
Sminthe masc. voc.sg; if; ever; you 2.sg. dat; pleasing; upon; temple masc. acc.sg; feed-on 1.sg. aor.ind. |
O Sminthe, if I ever put a roof on a temple (that was) pleasing to you, |
ἢ εἰ δή ποτέ τοι κατὰ πίονα μηρί' ἔκηα |
ê ei dê pote toi kata piona mêri' ekêa |
or; if; then; ever; you 2.sg. dat; down; fat; thigh neut. acc.pl; burn 1.sg. aor.ind. |
or if I ever burned for you the fat thighs |
ταύρων ἠδ' αἰγῶν, τὸ δέ μοι κρήηνον ἐέλδωρ: |
taurôn êd' aigôn, to de moi krêênon eeldôr: |
bull masc. gen.pl; or; goat masc. gen.pl; that; but; me 1.sg. dat; grant 2.sg. aor. imp; wish neut. acc.sg. |
of bulls or goats, then grant me this wish: |
τίσειαν Δαναοὶ ἐμὰ δάκρυα σοῖσι βέλεσσιν. |
tiseian Danaoi ema dakrua soisi belessin. |
pay-for 3.pl. aor. opt; Danaan masc. nom.pl; my neut. acc.pl; tear neut. acc.pl; your neut. dat.pl.; arrow neut. dat.pl. |
let the Danaans pay for my tears with your arrows. |
Key to gloss abbreviations:
Abbrev. | Meaning | |
---|---|---|
1. | = | 1st (person) |
2. | = | 2nd (person) |
3. | = | 3rd (person) |
acc. | = | accusative (case) |
aor. | = | aorist (tense) |
dat. | = | dative (case) |
fem. | = | feminine (gender) |
gen. | = | genitive (case) |
imp. | = | imperative (mood) |
ind. | = | indicative (mood) |
masc. | = | masculine (gender) |
neut. | = | neuter (gender) |
nom. | = | nominative (case) |
opt. | = | optative (mood) |
perf. | = | perfect (aspect) |
pl. | = | plural (number) |
pres. | = | present (tense) |
sg. | = | singular (number) |
voc. | = | vocative (case) |