All 25 Uses
aloof
in
The Iliad by Homer - (translated by: Edward)
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- For Peleus' godlike son, the swift of foot,
Lay idly in his tent, the loss resenting
Of Brises' fair-hair'd daughter; whom himself
Had chosen, prize of all his warlike toil,
When he Lyrnessus and the walls of Thebes
O'erthrew, and Mynes and Epistrophus
Struck down, bold warriors both, Evenus' sons,
Selepius' royal heir; for her in wrath,
He held aloof, but soon again to appear.†Chpt 1.2aloof = socially distant or uninterested - Then Jove, with cutting words and taunting tone,
Began the wrath of Juno to provoke:
"Two Goddesses for Menelaus fight,
Thou, Juno, Queen of Argos, and with thee
Minerva, shield of warriors; but ye two
Sitting aloof, well-pleased it seems, look on;
While laughter-loving Venus, at the side
Of Paris standing, still averts his fate,
And rescues, when, as now, expecting death.†Chpt 1.4 - He left his horses and brass-mounted car
(The champing horses by Eurymedon,
The son of Ptolemy, Peiraeus' son,
Were held aloof), but with repeated charge
Still to be near at hand, when faint with toil
His limbs should fail him marshalling his host.†Chpt 1.4 - And thou too, master of all tricky arts,
Why, ling'ring, stand ye thus aloof, and wait
For others coming?†Chpt 1.4 - At length the blue-ey'd Goddess, Pallas, said:
"O Father, Son of Saturn, King of Kings,
Well do we know thy pow'r invincible;
Yet deeply grieve we for the warlike Greeks,
Condemn'd to hopeless ruin; from the fight,
Since such is thy command, we stand aloof;
But yet some saving counsel may we give,
Lest in thine anger thou destroy them quite."†Chpt 2.8 - Juno and Pallas only sat aloof;
No word they utter'd, no enquiry made.†Chpt 2.8 * - Well do we know thy pow'r invincible,
Yet deeply grieve we for the warlike Greeks,
Condemn'd to hopeless ruin: from the fight,
Since such is thy command, we stand aloof;
But yet some saving counsel may we give,
Lest in thine anger thou destroy them quite.†Chpt 2.8 - bid him, that as long
As Agamemnon in the van appears,
Raging, and dealing death among the ranks,
He from the battle keep himself aloof,
But urge the rest undaunted to maintain
The stubborn fight;†Chpt 2.11 - that as long
As Agamemnon in the van appears,
Raging, and dealing death amid the ranks,
Thou from the battle keep thyself aloof,
But urge the rest undaunted to maintain
The stubborn fight;†Chpt 2.11 - That ye, the best and bravest of the host,
Should stand aloof thus idly, 'tis not well;
If meaner men should from the battle shrink,
I might not blame them; but that such as ye
Should falter, indignation fills my soul.†Chpt 2.13 - Yet not aloof he stood, but in their midst,
Commingled; nor held motionless his spear;
But ever threat'ning, turn'd from side to side,
Prepar'd to hurl, or hand to hand engage.†Chpt 2.13 - On ev'ry side the circling ring of war
Is blazing all around thee; and, thou seest,
Our valiant Trojans, since the wall they scal'd,
Or stand aloof, or scatter'd 'mid the ships
Outnumber'd, with superior forces strive.†Chpt 2.13 - Then thou, retiring, hither call the chiefs;
Here take we counsel fully, if to fall
Upon their well-mann'd ships, should Heaven vouchsafe
The needful strength, or, scatheless yet, withdraw;
For much I fear they soon will pay us back
Their debt of yesterday; since in their ranks
One yet remains insatiate of the fight,
And he, methinks, not long will stand aloof.†Chpt 2.13 - Though wounded, to the battle I advise
That we perforce repair; yet not ourselves
To join the combat, or confront the spears,
Lest wounds to wounds be added; but to rouse
The spirits of some, who, zealous heretofore,
How stand aloof, nor mingle in the fray.†Chpt 2.14 -
While loudly Hector to the Trojans call'd
To assail the ships, and leave the bloody spoils:
"Whom I elsewhere, and from the ships aloof
Shall find, my hand shall doom him on the spot;†Chpt 2.15 - His words fresh courage rous'd in ev'ry breast;
And from their eyeballs Pallas purg'd away
The film of darkness; and on ev'ry side,
Both tow'rd the ships and tow'rd the level fight,
Clear light diffus'd; there Hector they discern'd,
And all his comrades, those who stood aloof,
And those who near the ships maintain'd the war.†Chpt 2.15 - Thus he: they onward press'd with added zeal;
Nor Ajax yet endur'd, by hostile spears
Now sorely gall'd; yet but a little space,
Back to the helmsman's sev'n-foot board he mov'd,
Expecting death; and left the lofty deck,
Where long he stood on guard; but still his spear
The Trojans kept aloof, whoe'er essay'd
Amid the ships to launch th' unwearied flames;
And, loudly shouting, to the Greeks he call'd:
"Friends, Grecian heroes, ministers of Mars,
Quit ye like men!†Chpt 2.15 - So saying, Hector of the glancing helm,
Withdrawing from the field, with rapid steps
His comrades follow'd, and ere long o'ertook,
Who tow'rd the town Achilles' armour bore;
Then standing from the bloody fight aloof
The armour he exchang'd; his own he bade
The warlike Trojans to the city bear;
While he, of Peleus' son, Achilles, donn'd
The heav'nly armour, which th' immortal Gods
Gave to his sire; he to his son convey'd;
Yet in that armour grew not old that son.†Chpt 2.17 - The tough bull's-hide they tore, and gorging lapp'd
Th' intestines and dark blood; with vain attempt
The herdsmen following closely, to the attack
Cheer'd their swift dogs; these shunn'd the lions' jaws,
And close around them baying, held aloof.†Chpt 2.18 - so had not many a Greek
Bitten the bloody dust, by hostile hands
Subdued, while I in anger stood aloof.†Chpt 2.19 - Then tow'rd the ranks he sprang, each sev'ral man
Exhorting: "From the Trojans, valiant Greeks,
No longer stand aloof; but man to man
Confront the foe, and nobly dare the fight.†Chpt 2.20 - When Hector saw his brother Polydore
Writhing in death, a mist o'erspread his eyes
Nor longer could he bear to stand aloof,
But sprang to meet Achilles, flashing fire,
His keen spear brandishing; at sight of him
Up leap'd Achilles, and exulting cried:
"Lo, here the man who most hath wrung my soul,
Who slew my lov'd companion: now, methinks,
Upon the pass of war not long shall we
Stand separate, nor each the other shun."†Chpt 2.20 - Not long they stood aloof, led on by Mars
The buckler-breaker, who to Pallas first,
Poising his spear, his bitter speech address'd:
"What dost thou here, thou saucy jade, to war
The Gods exciting, overbold of mood,
Led by thy haughty spirit?†Chpt 2.21 - Thus Pallas spoke: the white-arm'd Goddess smil'd,
And to Apollo thus th' Earth-shaker spoke:
"Phoebus, why stand we idly thus aloof?†Chpt 2.21 - But from the present strife we stand aloof,
My horses and myself; they now have lost
The daring courage and the gentle hand
Of him who drove them, and with water pure
Wash'd oft their manes, and bath'd with fragrant oil.†Chpt 2.23
Definitions:
-
(1)
(aloof) socially distant or uninterested in something that interests others -- often thinking oneself superior to others
- (2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)