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I just finished chapter XXVII of Pharr and was wondering if my translation of these lines was correct. Specifically, the use of άν and κέν with the optative was confusing me, so along with some other things I've translated it more literally than I'd normally do to fix the grammar in my mind. The wording of ?τι τόσσον εχώσατο Φοῖβος Απόλλων also confused me, not just because it's object-verb-subject, but because I as an English speaker expect a preposition there. I have, though, learned from my studies how Greek and Latin (Sanskrit as well) often do without prepositions where we use them.

Ατ?είδη, νῦν άμμε πάλιν πλάγχθεντας οίω
ὰψ απονοστήσειν, εί κεν θάνατόν γε φ?οιμεν,
ει δὴ ?μοῦ πόλεμός τε δαμᾳ και λοιμὸς Αχαιο?ς.
Αλλ' άγε, δή τινα μάντιν ε?είομεν ὴ ἱε?ῆα
ὴ και ονει?οπόλον, και γά? τ'ὀνα? εκ Διός εστιν,
?ς κ'?ίποι, ?τι τόσσον εχώσατο Φοῖβος Απόλλων
εί τ'ά?' ? γ'ευχωλῆς επιμέμφεται, εί τ'ἑκατόμβης
αί κέν πως α?νῶν κνίσης αιγῶν τε τελείων
βο?λεται αντιάσας ἡμῖν απο λοιγὀν αμῦναι.

Atreide, now I think us, beaten back, about to return back home, if perhaps death itself we wish to flee, and if war and plague are really going to crush us Akhaians together. But come on, we should ask a seer or priest, or even a dream-interpreter (for even a dream is from Zeus) who might tell us what so great it is that Phoibos Apollon is angered at, and whether he himself finds fault in our prayers or offerings, and if perhaps in some way he might want to partake in the savor of mature lambs and goats in order to protect us from destruction.

Many thanks!

Edit: fixed Greek typo.

Welll I think your translation is ok apart from two things (of course it maybe that I misunderstood what you wrote).

In the first lines what he says is (I think; and my Homeric Greek is rather rusty mind you) that they should return home after roving, if they are to avoid death etc (as you wrote).

In the last line I think they are going to ask Apollo to take the plague from them

IreneY wrote:In the first lines what he says is (I think; and my Homeric Greek is rather rusty mind you) that they should return home after roving, if they are to avoid death etc (as you wrote).

Is the future used to convey a wish or desire that way? It would make more sense.

In the last line I think they are going to ask Apollo to take the plague from them

That's what I thought too, Akhilles is asking if Apollo would be willing to stop if they did something to satiate him. I don't think they're going to do it yet, he's saying that they should ask a seer to see if it's possinle first.

Thank you.