Iliad 1 assement of war progress

On this bright sceptre now the king reclined,

And artful thus pronounced the speech design'd:

"Ye sons of Mars, partake your leader's care,

Heroes of Greece, and brothers of the war!

Of partial Jove with justice I complain,

And heavenly oracles believed in vain

A safe return was promised to our toils,

Renown'd, triumphant, and enrich'd with spoils.

n   To all the heroes and the greats is the call to justly fight this war and as promised by the oracles the war was to be won and a safe return was promised to the victor.  Jove is partial to the just.

Now shameful flight alone can save the host,

Our blood, our treasure, and our glory lost.

So Jove decrees, resistless lord of all!

At whose command whole empires rise or fall:

He shakes the feeble props of human trust,

And towns and armies humbles to the dust

What shame to Greece a fruitful war to wage,

Oh, lasting shame in every future age!

Once great in arms, the common scorn we grow,

Repulsed and baffled by a feeble foe.

So small their number, that if wars were ceased,

And Greece triumphant held a general feast,

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All rank'd by tens, whole decades when they dine

Must want a Trojan slave to pour the wine.⁸⁴

But other forces have our hopes o'erthrown,

And Troy prevails by armies not her own.

n  It would be great if a troyjan servent poured the victory wine thus acknowledging the victor proper.  Nut others and their armies, including mercenaries keep troy in power.