AGAMEMNON SPEAKS - Bk. II, 123-130
David R. SlavittIf we and they agreed, which is most unlikely,
but if. And we were then to divide ourselves
into groups of ten-to make the arithmetic easy.
Besides, eight is hard to seat. And six?
It's cheap; it looks cheap, the same way twelve
looks too formal, showy, and conversation
breaks up into groups. I've seen it happen.
So ten, then, and that's on our side. They,
and not all of them-only the householders-
comeone at a time, as servants, footmen, or say
cupbearers, not that there's really a difference,
except that it sounds so primitive. Oriental!
As, technically, they are-oriental, I mean.
Anyway, if we wanted to do this, were willing
to go through with these strenuous arrangements
here, down on the beach, out in the sun,
or there, close to the walls, so that the cups
wouldn't have to be borne so far . . . I say,
at the right time of day, the walls' shadows
could make it fairly tolerable, the heat
being what it is here . . . It's a thought.
Under the walls then, the tens of us,
and for each ten Achaians, the one Trojan
servant. Well, you get my point? You see?There really are more of us than there are of them.