Iliad In Latin Pdf
Donat Ruel
The Latin translation presented in this work was transcribed from a Greek/Latin edition. It deliberately tries to stay as close as possible to the Greek original, not only to make the Greek text more accessible, but also for other reasons which are best explained by a review in the French magazine "Le Journal des Savants":
"Les pomes homriques remontant une si haute antiquit, et ils ont t si diffremment interprts par les anciens Grecs eux-mmes, que pour donner une ide de ce monument qui nous retrace une nature et des mœurs si opposes celles de notre civilisation, il tait indispensable de s'astreindre, dans la traduction latine, la fidlit la plus rigoureuse, et conserver les plus faibles nuances de construction, de peur de dire autre chose, ou du moins de parler autrement que ne le fait Homre, et de dfigurer ansi la marche libre et nave de son langage. On a donc eu raison de conserver l'ancienne manire de traduire Homre mot pour mot, et mme d'tendre l'application de ce systme jusqu'aux limites imposes par la langue latine. Avant les travaux de Wolf, de Heyne, de Passow, et surtout de Buttmann, le sens de bien des mots, de bien des phrases, n'avait point t constat; c'est ce que la nouvelle traduction a d faire en changeant alors en totalit l'ancienne version, et en offrant ainsi le rsum des travaux les plus rcents. Bien des fautes de traduction qui s'taient transmises en quelque sorte traditionellement, un grand nombre d'incorrections, de ngligences, restaient dans l'ancienne version latine, œuvre primitive de Raphael Volaterranus et d'Andr Divus; elles ont disparu dans la nouvelle et sont remplaces par une explication claire et prcise. Toutes les fois que pour faciliter l'intelligence de certains passages difficiles on a d insrer dans la traduction des mots ncessaires qui ne se trouvaient pas dans l'original, on a pris soin de mettre ces mots en caractres italiques. Partout la diction homrique est conserve scrupuleusement, ainsi que la marche des priodes. C'est ce qui manquait principalement aux anciennes traductions; et cependant c'est de la liaison plus ou moins troite des membres de chaque phrase que rsulte l'apprciation de l'anciennet relative des diffrentes parties des posies homriques."
Inceptum nostrum, quo primi in Gallia Grcos scriptores in unius corporis quabilitatem redigere aggressi sumus, commendatione et notis prfationum artibus egere non videtur; sed paucis dicendum est, unde ea quam elegimus edendi ratio pendeat. Dudum gre tuleramus quod tot scriptorum editiones veteribus inquinat vitiis vulgo circumferrentur atque adeo spius repeterentur, dum exstarent eorumdem scriptorum emendat et a summis criticis antiquo nitori restitut: annon oportuit illorum ingeniorum, qu optimi quique nostratium laudibus et imitatione celebrarunt, opera popularibus nostris exhiberi pura, emendata, quantum fieri potest libera a depravatione barbari quam transierant? Hoc igitur primum et prcipue curamus, ut non solum ex optimis qu exstant editionibus scriptorum quisque exprimatur, sed harum etiam multas criticis celeberrimis tradidimus denuo examinandas et emendandas; prterea, ubicumque res videtur postulare, Regi Bibliothec manuscriptos imus consultum. Altera cura est, ut ad intelligentiam quoque scriptorum in Collectione nostra prstemus quod prosit unicuique: quum enim adnotatio vel prstantissima ex arbitrio denique pendeat commentatoris, cui plana nonnunquam videbuntur qu aliis obscura, interpretationes latinas e regione grcorum ponere decrevimus, utpote qu prorsus omnia reddant, non locos selectos illustrent. Has vero, antequam tradantur typothesis, doctissimi viri severo examini subjectas accurate corrigunt; nonnullorum scriptorum plane nov parantur. Denique multum augeri putavimus editionum nostrarum utilitatem, si boni rerum nominumque indices adderentur; nam vel ii qui scriptorem aliquem spe legerunt, nonnunquam haud satis meminere quo in libro ejus quove versu vel capite narretur res qua opus habent. Ceterum e cura unicuique scriptori impensa referetur in prfationibus.
Homeri, ut nunc res sunt, Wolfiana dari debebat recensio, quam ex Gulielmi Dindorfii editione accurate expressimus. Interpretationes latin, bono ut nobis videtur consilio, in hoc antiquissimo poeta verbum verbo reddunt, nisi quod spe comtas posteriorum more periodos ingerunt, oppositionibus distinentes, causalibus particulis vincientes, qu apud illum ingenue et libere procedunt. Prterea ipsis inhrent veteris textus grci vitia, et alia qudam ex vertentium incuria nata, plurima denique in iis vocabulis commissa, qu recentiorum demum criticorum et interpretum sollertia explicuit. In postremis ita versati sumus, ut, qu dubitatione carere et firmis niti testimoniis viderentur, ea haud cunctanter reprsentaremus; at ubi dubitationis aliquid superesset, sequeremur potius antiquorum interpretationem eam qu sententi aptissima esset. Hoc autem prsertim enisi sumus ut quam proxime posset latina langua Grcorum vestigia legeremus, quo patris poetarum membra et motus omnes, quantum per latinam vestem licebat, conspiciendi prberentur; sed in tali incepto non potuit impediri, quin nonnulla qu rarissime sibi indulserunt Latini, hc translatio offerat frequentissime; nonnulla etiam qu argenteam tatem egrediuntur, recipi necesse erat: a barbaris tamen verbis et locutionibus sedulo cavimus. Ita, veteribus licet superstructa, hc interpretatio pro nova esse possit.
In the war of Troy, the Greeks having sacked some of the neighbouring towns, and taken from thence two beautiful captives, Chryseis and Briseis, allotted the first to Agamemnon, and the last to Achilles. Chryses, the father of Chryseis, and priest of Apollo, comes to the Grecian camp to ransom her; with which the action of the poem opens, in the tenth year of the siege. The priest being refused, and insolently dismissed by Agamemnon, entreats for vengeance from his god; who inflicts a pestilence on the Greeks. Achilles calls a council, and encourages Chalcas to declare the cause of it; who attributes it to the refusal of Chryseis. The king, being obliged to send back his captive, enters into a furious contest with Achilles, which Nestor pacifies; however, as he had the absolute command of the army, he seizes on Briseis in revenge. Achilles in discontent withdraws himself and his forces from the rest of the Greeks; and complaining to Thetis, she supplicates Jupiter to render them sensible of the wrong done to her son, by giving victory to the Trojans. Jupiter, granting her suit, incenses Juno: between whom the debate runs high, till they are reconciled by the address of Vulcan.
The time of two-and-twenty days is taken up in this book: nine during the plague, one in the council and quarrel of the princes, and twelve for Jupiter's stay with the thiopians, at whose return Thetis prefers her petition. The scene lies in the Grecian camp, then changes to Chrysa, and lastly to Olympus.
Jupiter, in pursuance of the request of Thetis, sends a deceitful vision to Agamemnon, persuading him to lead the army to battle, in order to make the Greeks sensible of their want of Achilles. The general, who is deluded with the hopes of taking Troy without his assistance, but fears the army was discouraged by his absence, and the late plague, as well as by the length of time, contrives to make trial of their disposition by a stratagem. He first communicates his design to the princes in council, that he would propose a return to the soldiers, and that they should put a stop to them if the proposal was embraced. Then he assembles the whole host, and upon moving for a return to Greece, they unanimously agree to it, and run to prepare the ships. They are detained by the management of Ulysses, who chastises the insolence of Thersites. The assembly is recalled, several speeches made on the occasion, and at length the advice of Nestor followed, which was to make a general muster of the troops, and to divide them into their several nations, before they proceeded to battle. This gives occasion to the poet to enumerate all the forces of the Greeks and Trojans, and in a large catalogue.
The armies being ready to engage, a single combat is agreed upon between Menelaus and Paris (by the intervention of Hector) for the determination of the war. Iris is sent to call Helen to behold the fight. She leads her to the walls of Troy, where Priam sat with his counsellers observing the Grecian leaders on the plain below, to whom Helen gives an account of the chief of them. The kings on either part take the solemn oath for the conditions of the combat. The duel ensues; wherein Paris being overcome, he is snatched away in a cloud by Venus, and transported to his apartment. She then calls Helen from the walls, and brings the lovers together. Agamemnon, on the part of the Grecians, demands the restoration of Helen, and the performance of the articles.
The gods deliberate in council concerning the Trojan war: they agree upon the continuation of it, and Jupiter sends down Minerva to break the truce. She persuades Pandarus to aim an arrow at Menelaus, who is wounded, but cured by Machaon. In the meantime some of the Trojan troops attack the Greeks. Agamemnon is distinguished in all the parts of a good general; he reviews the troops, and exhorts the leaders, some by praises and others by reproof. Nestor is particularly celebrated for his military discipline. The battle joins, and great numbers are slain on both sides.
Diomed, assisted by Pallas, performs wonders in this day's battle. Pandarus wounds him with an arrow, but the goddess cures him, enables him to discern gods from mortals, and prohibits him from contending with any of the former, excepting Venus. neas joins Pandarus to oppose him; Pandarus is killed, and neas in great danger but for the assistance of Venus; who, as she is removing her son from the fight, is wounded on the hand by Diomed. Apollo seconds her in his rescue, and at length carries off neas to Troy, where he is healed in the temple of Pergamus. Mars rallies the Trojans, and assists Hector to make a stand. In the meantime neas is restored to the field, and they overthrow several of the Greeks; among the rest Tlepolemus is slain by Sarpedon. Juno and Minerva descend to resist Mars; the latter incites Diomed to go against that god; he wounds him, and sends him groaning to heaven.
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