The Iliad 2.711–725

even she, the comeliest of the daughters of Pelias. And they that dwelt in Methone and Thaumacia, and that held Meliboea and rugged Olizon, these with their seven ships were led by Philoctetes, well-skilled in archery, yet full soon were the Argives beside their ships to bethink them of king Philoctetes. Howbeit neither were these men leaderless, though they longed for their leader; but Medon marshalled them, the bastard son of Oïleus, whom Rhene bare to Oïleus, sacker of cities. And they that held Tricca and Ithome of the crags,

οἳ δὲ Φερὰς ἐνέμοντο παραὶ Βοιβηΐδα λίμνην Βοίβην καὶ Γλαφύρας καὶ ἐϋκτιμένην Ἰαωλκόν, τῶν ἦρχʼ Ἀδμήτοιο φίλος πάϊς ἕνδεκα νηῶν Εὔμηλος, τὸν ὑπʼ Ἀδμήτῳ τέκε δῖα γυναικῶν Ἄλκηστις Πελίαο θυγατρῶν εἶδος ἀρίστη. οἳ δʼ ἄρα Μηθώνην καὶ Θαυμακίην ἐνέμοντο καὶ Μελίβοιαν ἔχον καὶ Ὀλιζῶνα τρηχεῖαν, τῶν δὲ Φιλοκτήτης ἦρχεν τόξων ἐῢ εἰδὼς ἑπτὰ νεῶν· ἐρέται δʼ ἐν ἑκάστῃ πεντήκοντα ἐμβέβασαν τόξων εὖ εἰδότες ἶφι μάχεσθαι. ἀλλʼ ὃ μὲν ἐν νήσῳ κεῖτο κρατέρʼ ἄλγεα πάσχων Λήμνῳ ἐν ἠγαθέῃ, ὅθι μιν λίπον υἷες Ἀχαιῶν ἕλκεϊ μοχθίζοντα κακῷ ὀλοόφρονος ὕδρου· ἔνθʼ ὅ γε κεῖτʼ ἀχέων· τάχα δὲ μνήσεσθαι ἔμελλον Ἀργεῖοι παρὰ νηυσὶ Φιλοκτήταο ἄνακτος.

Lattimore commentary

Philoktetes, abandoned on Lemnos because his pained groans and stinking wound disturbed Greek rites, will be remembered after the death of Achilleus, when the Greeks obtain a prophecy that the bow of Herakles—in the possession of Philoktetes—is needed to take Troy. Sophocles’ Philoktetes dramatizes the machinations by which Odysseus tries to get it.

Read in context →

algea pascho