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Book Ten
oxymoron of saying that 9ai8iua yuia shook. For the latter cf. Tpouos
sKkafa 9ai5iua yuia (8.452), where, however, the limbs are those of Here
and Athene and the oxymoron is effective.
96 Spaiveis: Spaivco, 'be ready to act', is another Ionic word (cf. Hdt.
1.15), a doublet of 8pdco, found only here in the Iliad. Gf. 6Aiyo8pavecov.
97 The commanders of the cpuAoKES were named at 9.81-4; they included,
though neither Agamemnon nor Nestor mentions it here, Nestor's
son Thrasumedes. At 57 that was given as a reason for sending Nestor.
Seven commanders were listed in book 9 and each commanded 100 KoOpoi.
This large force is stationed beyond the wall but before the trench.
98 The similarity of this verse to Od. 12.281 has been used as a leading
argument for the dependence of this Book on the Odyssey (so S. Laser, Hermes
86 (1958) 293-4), b ut cou ld equally be attributed to the random effects of
formular composition. — dc8r|K6T6S (or &8r|K6Tes): this strange participle,
always joined with Kau&TCO, clearly means in general terms 'overcome', cf.
UTTvep Kocl KCCU&TCO aprmevos {Od. 6.2). It is found at Od. 12.281, HyAp 460,
and no less than four times in this Book (here and 312 = 399, 471), a
frequency that strikingly illustrates the author's linguistic taste. The derivation
is disputed (< apaSeco according to LfgrE, which may be attested at
Od. 1.134, cf. bT's gloss &r|8ior06vTEs): see also Heubeck, Odyssey 12.28m. —
OTTVOS in these contexts implies 'sleepiness' (= dypuiTVia, bT!).
100 f|CXTai, here and elsewhere, is the preferred orthography in OCT.
The MSS, with some fluctuation, offer ei as the reflex of original e before
the back vowels 0 and a, but r|- before e or a consonant, hence fjuai (18.104
etc.) but EICCTOU, here and 2.137 etc., see Chantraine, GH 1 8-9. 'This
looks like a bardic convention' (Janko, vol. iv 36), and should not be
corrected.
101 'Nor do we know any way to prevent their being eager to fight
during the night' - the ur|-clause, originally an independent sentence, itself
implies fear and the wish to avert the danger, and so is used with verbs like
opdco and oT8cc in Homer as well as with verbs of fearing. The idea of a night
attack is mooted only here in the Iliad. Otherwise night puts an end to all
military operations. An ambush might be set by night {Od. i4469ff.), but
the Iliad will not admit such unheroic exploits.
104 0f)v is similar to 8f|, but 'perhaps rather weaker in force' (Denniston,
Particles 2%%).
106-7 The open condition, implying the possibility of Akhilleus reentering
the fray, is unexpected when such a change of heart has just been ruled
out of court. A remote condition 'Hektor would be in trouble if Akhilleus
were to change his mind' would certainly be more appropriate, cf. 19 and n.
108 eydpouev is aorist subjunctive, 'let us arouse'. Odysseus is nearby,
but Nestor does not relish the walk to Aias' distant quarters and puts his
suggestion in the form of a wish, e! TIS . •. KCcAeaeiev (111).
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