# The Odyssey, Book 14: At the Hut of Eumaeus the Swineherd

Ὀδύσσεια · Homer · The Homecoming

The beggar goes to the hut of Eumaeus the swineherd, who feeds him and tells him the suitors are eating the house bare.

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/odyssey/14. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/odyssey/14.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/odyssey/<line id>.m4a.

**1** αὐτὰρ ὁ ἐκ λιμένος προσέβη τρηχεῖαν ἀταρπὸν  
But he went up from the harbor along the rough track

**2** χῶρον ἀνʼ ὑλήεντα διʼ ἄκριας, ᾗ οἱ Ἀθήνη  
through the wooded country, across the heights, to where Athena

**3** πέφραδε δῖον ὑφορβόν, ὅ οἱ βιότοιο μάλιστα  
had told him the noble swineherd was, who cared for his master's living
> Noble swineherd: Homer dignifies the lowly swineherd Eumaeus with the epithet 'noble' (dios), normally reserved for heroes. This marks him as a man of true worth despite his station.

**4** κήδετο οἰκήων, οὓς κτήσατο δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς.  
most of all the household servants whom noble Odysseus had won.

**5** τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ἐνὶ προδόμῳ εὗρʼ ἥμενον, ἔνθα οἱ
                  αὐλὴ  
He found him sitting in the front porch, where his courtyard

**6** ὑψηλὴ δέδμητο, περισκέπτῳ ἐνὶ χώρῳ,  
had been built high, on a site with a view all around,

**7** καλή τε μεγάλη τε, περίδρομος· ἥν ῥα συβώτης  
both fair and large, with a clear run around it; this the swineherd

**8** αὐτὸς δείμαθʼ ὕεσσιν ἀποιχομένοιο ἄνακτος,  
had built himself for the swine, while his master was away,

**9** νόσφιν δεσποίνης καὶ Λαέρταο γέροντος,  
apart from his mistress and the old man Laertes,

**10** ῥυτοῖσιν λάεσσι καὶ ἐθρίγκωσεν ἀχέρδῳ·  
with quarried stones, and topped it with a coping of wild pear.

**11** σταυροὺς δʼ ἐκτὸς ἔλασσε διαμπερὲς ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα,  
Outside he drove a line of stakes the whole way round, this side and that,

**12** πυκνοὺς καὶ θαμέας, τὸ μέλαν δρυὸς ἀμφικεάσσας·  
set thick and close, splitting the dark heart of the oak.

**13** ἔντοσθεν δʼ αὐλῆς συφεοὺς δυοκαίδεκα ποίει  
Inside the courtyard he made twelve sties,

**14** πλησίον ἀλλήλων, εὐνὰς συσίν· ἐν δὲ ἑκάστῳ  
close to one another, beds for the swine; and in each

**15** πεντήκοντα σύες χαμαιευνάδες ἐρχατόωντο,  
fifty pigs that sleep on the ground were penned,

**16** θήλειαι τοκάδες· τοὶ δʼ ἄρσενες ἐκτὸς ἴαυον,  
breeding sows; but the boars slept outside,

**17** πολλὸν παυρότεροι· τοὺς γὰρ μινύθεσκον ἔδοντες  
far fewer in number, for the godlike suitors
> Iterative imperfect: The form minytheskon uses the -sk- suffix to mark repeated, habitual action in past time: the suitors kept dwindling the herd by eating it day after day.

**18** ἀντίθεοι μνηστῆρες, ἐπεὶ προΐαλλε συβώτης  
kept dwindling them by eating, since the swineherd had to send

**19** αἰεὶ ζατρεφέων σιάλων τὸν ἄριστον ἁπάντων·  
always the best of all the fattened hogs;

**20** οἱ δὲ τριηκόσιοί τε καὶ ἑξήκοντα πέλοντο.  
and these came to three hundred and sixty in all.

**21** πὰρ δὲ κύνες, θήρεσσιν ἐοικότες αἰὲν ἴαυον  
Beside them dogs, like wild beasts, slept always,

**22** τέσσαρες, οὓς ἔθρεψε συβώτης, ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν.  
four of them, which the swineherd had reared, that leader of men.

**23** αὐτὸς δʼ ἀμφὶ πόδεσσιν ἑοῖς ἀράρισκε πέδιλα,  
He himself was fitting sandals to his feet,

**24** τάμνων δέρμα βόειον ἐϋχροές· οἱ δὲ δὴ ἄλλοι  
cutting an ox hide of good color; and the others,

**25** ᾤχοντʼ ἄλλυδις ἄλλος ἅμʼ ἀγρομένοισι σύεσσιν,  
they had gone off, each his own way, with the gathered swine,

**26** οἱ τρεῖς· τὸν δὲ τέταρτον ἀποπροέηκε πόλινδε  
the three of them; the fourth he had sent away to the city

**27** σῦν ἀγέμεν μνηστῆρσιν ὑπερφιάλοισιν ἀνάγκῃ,  
to bring a hog for the overbearing suitors under compulsion,

**28** ὄφρʼ ἱερεύσαντες κρειῶν κορεσαίατο θυμόν.  
so that they might sacrifice it and glut their hearts with meat.

**29** ἐξαπίνης δʼ Ὀδυσῆα ἴδον κύνες ὑλακόμωροι.  
Suddenly the baying dogs caught sight of Odysseus.

**30** οἱ μὲν κεκλήγοντες ἐπέδραμον· αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς  
Yelping they rushed at him; but Odysseus

**31** ἕζετο κερδοσύνη, σκῆπτρον δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε χειρός.  
sat down in his cunning, and the staff fell from his hand.
> Cunning instinct: Kerdosyne, 'shrewdness, cunning,' captures Odysseus's signature wit even in a small reflex: dogs are less likely to attack a man who sits and lowers himself.

**32** ἔνθα κεν ᾧ πὰρ σταθμῷ ἀεικέλιον πάθεν ἄλγος·  
There by his own farmstead he would have suffered shameful hurt,

**33** ἀλλὰ συβώτης ὦκα ποσὶ κραιπνοῖσι μετασπὼν  
but the swineherd, quick on his nimble feet, came after them

**34** ἔσσυτʼ ἀνὰ πρόθυρον, σκῦτος δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε χειρός.  
and dashed out through the gateway, and the hide fell from his hand.

**35** τοὺς μὲν ὁμοκλήσας σεῦεν κύνας ἄλλυδις ἄλλον  
With a shout he scattered the dogs, this way and that,

**36** πυκνῇσιν λιθάδεσσιν· ὁ δὲ προσέειπεν ἄνακτα·  
with a hail of stones; then he spoke to his master:

**37** ὦ γέρον, ἦ ὀλίγου σε κύνες διεδηλήσαντο  
"Old man, the dogs nearly tore you to pieces

**38** ἐξαπίνης, καί κέν μοι ἐλεγχείην κατέχευας.  
in a moment, and you would have poured shame upon me.

**39** καὶ δέ μοι ἄλλα θεοὶ δόσαν ἄλγεά τε στοναχάς τε·  
The gods have given me other sorrows and groans besides;

**40** ἀντιθέου γὰρ ἄνακτος ὀδυρόμενος καὶ ἀχεύων  
for grieving and mourning over my godlike master

**41** ἧμαι, ἄλλοισιν δὲ σύας σιάλους ἀτιτάλλω  
I sit here, and rear fat swine for others

**42** ἔδμεναι· αὐτὰρ κεῖνος ἐελδόμενός που ἐδωδῆς  
to eat; while he, longing perhaps for food,

**43** πλάζετʼ ἐπʼ ἀλλοθρόων ἀνδρῶν δῆμόν τε πόλιν τε,  
wanders over the land and city of men of strange speech,
> Foreign-tongued: Allothroon, literally 'speaking otherwise,' marks foreigners by their unfamiliar language, a recurring Homeric way of describing the alien lands of Odysseus's wanderings.

**44** εἴ που ἔτι ζώει καὶ ὁρᾷ φάος ἠελίοιο.  
if indeed he still lives and sees the light of the sun.

**45** ἀλλʼ ἕπεο, κλισίηνδʼ ἴομεν, γέρον, ὄφρα καὶ αὐτός,  
But follow me, let us go to the hut, old man, so that you too,

**46** σίτου καὶ οἴνοιο κορεσσάμενος κατὰ θυμόν,  
having filled your heart with food and wine,

**47** εἴπῃς ὁππόθεν ἐσσὶ καὶ ὁππόσα κήδεʼ ἀνέτλης.  
may tell where you are from and how many troubles you have endured."

**48** ὣς εἰπὼν κλισίηνδʼ ἡγήσατο δῖος ὑφορβός,  
So speaking, the noble swineherd led the way to the hut,

**49** εἷσεν δʼ εἰσαγαγών, ῥῶπας δʼ ὑπέχευε δασείας,  
brought him in and seated him, and spread out thick brushwood,

**50** ἐστόρεσεν δʼ ἐπὶ δέρμα ἰονθάδος ἀγρίου αἰγός,  
and laid on it the hide of a shaggy wild goat,

**51** αὐτοῦ ἐνεύναιον, μέγα καὶ δασύ. χαῖρε δʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς  
his own bedding, great and thick. And Odysseus rejoiced

**52** ὅττι μιν ὣς ὑπέδεκτο, ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν·  
that he received him so, and spoke a word and addressed him:

**53** Ζεύς τοι δοίη, ξεῖνε, καὶ ἀθάνατοι θεοὶ
                     ἄλλοι  
"May Zeus grant you, stranger, and the other immortal gods,
> Optative of wish: Doie is an aorist optative expressing a wish or prayer: 'may Zeus grant.' The optative is the Greek mood for what one hopes or wishes might happen.

**54** ὅττι μάλιστʼ ἐθέλεις, ὅτι με πρόφρων ὑπέδεξο.  
whatever you most desire, since you have welcomed me with a willing heart."

**55** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα·  
Then in answer you spoke to him, Eumaeus the swineherd:
> Apostrophe to Eumaeus: The poet turns to address Eumaeus directly in the second person ('you spoke'), a rare and affectionate device reserved for a few sympathetic characters. The verb is a second-person imperfect.

**56** ξεῖνʼ, οὔ μοι θέμις ἔστʼ, οὐδʼ εἰ κακίων σέθεν ἔλθοι,  
"Stranger, it is not right for me, even if one poorer than you should come,

**57** ξεῖνον ἀτιμῆσαι· πρὸς γὰρ Διός εἰσιν ἅπαντες  
to dishonor a stranger; for all are from Zeus,

**58** ξεῖνοί τε πτωχοί τε· δόσις δʼ ὀλίγη τε φίλη τε  
both strangers and beggars; and a gift, though small, is welcome

**59** γίγνεται ἡμετέρη· ἡ γὰρ δμώων δίκη ἐστὶν  
when it comes from us; for this is the way of servants,

**60** αἰεὶ δειδιότων, ὅτʼ ἐπικρατέωσιν ἄνακτες  
always in fear, when new masters hold the power over them,

**61** οἱ νέοι. ἦ γὰρ τοῦ γε θεοὶ κατὰ νόστον ἔδησαν,  
the young ones. For truly the gods have blocked the homecoming of that man
> Nostos: Nostos, 'homecoming, return,' is the great theme of the whole poem. Here the gods are said to have 'bound' Odysseus's return, keeping him from home.

**62** ὅς κεν ἔμʼ ἐνδυκέως ἐφίλει καὶ κτῆσιν ὄπασσεν,  
who would have loved me kindly and given me possessions,

**64** οἶκόν τε κλῆρόν τε πολυμνήστην τε γυναῖκα,  
a house, a plot of land, and a much-courted wife,

**63** οἷά τε ᾧ οἰκῆϊ ἄναξ εὔθυμος ἔδωκεν,  
such things as a kind-hearted master gives to his servant

**65** ὅς οἱ πολλὰ κάμῃσι, θεὸς δʼ ἐπὶ ἔργον ἀέξῃ,  
who has labored much for him, and whose work a god has increased,

**66** ὡς καὶ ἐμοὶ τόδε ἔργον ἀέξεται, ᾧ ἐπιμίμνω.  
as this work of mine has grown, at which I stay.

**67** τῷ κέ με πόλλʼ ὤνησεν ἄναξ, εἰ αὐτόθʼ ἐγήρα·  
So my master would have greatly rewarded me, had he grown old here;

**68** ἀλλʼ ὄλεθʼ—ὡς ὤφελλʼ Ἑλένης ἀπὸ φῦλον ὀλέσθαι  
but he is gone. Would that Helen's whole breed had perished

**69** πρόχνυ, ἐπεὶ πολλῶν ἀνδρῶν ὑπὸ γούνατʼ ἔλυσε·  
utterly, since she loosed the knees of many men;
> Loosed the knees: A formulaic phrase for killing: to 'loose the knees' of a man is to slay him, making the body collapse. Homer favors such concrete bodily images for death.

**70** καὶ γὰρ κεῖνος ἔβη Ἀγαμέμνονος εἵνεκα τιμῆς  
for he too went, for the honor of Agamemnon,

**71** Ἴλιον εἰς εὔπωλον, ἵνα Τρώεσσι μάχοιτο.  
to Ilium of the fine horses, to fight against the Trojans."

**72** ὣς εἰπὼν ζωστῆρι θοῶς συνέεργε χιτῶνα,  
So speaking, he quickly bound up his tunic with a belt,

**73** βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἐς συφεούς, ὅθι ἔθνεα ἔρχατο χοίρων.  
and went off to the sties, where the droves of piglets were penned.

**74** ἔνθεν ἑλὼν δύʼ ἔνεικε καὶ ἀμφοτέρους ἱέρευσεν,  
From there he took two, and sacrificed them both;

**75** εὗσέ τε μίστυλλέν τε καὶ ἀμφʼ ὀβελοῖσιν ἔπειρεν.  
he singed them and cut them up and skewered them on spits.

**76** ὀπτήσας δʼ ἄρα πάντα φέρων παρέθηκʼ Ὀδυσῆϊ  
When he had roasted it all, he brought it and set it before Odysseus,

**77** θέρμʼ αὐτοῖς ὀβελοῖσιν· ὁ δʼ ἄλφιτα λευκὰ πάλυνεν·  
hot, still on the spits; and he sprinkled it with white barley meal.

**78** ἐν δʼ ἄρα κισσυβίῳ κίρνη μελιηδέα οἶνον,  
Then in an ivy-wood bowl he mixed honey-sweet wine,

**79** αὐτὸς δʼ ἀντίον ἷζεν, ἐποτρύνων δὲ προσηύδα·  
and sat down himself opposite, and urging him on he said:

**80** ἔσθιε νῦν, ὦ ξεῖνε, τά τε δμώεσσι πάρεστι,  
"Eat now, stranger, such as is here for servants,

**81** χοίρεʼ· ἀτὰρ σιάλους γε σύας μνηστῆρες ἔδουσιν,  
young pig; the fatted hogs the suitors devour,

**82** οὐκ ὄπιδα φρονέοντες ἐνὶ φρεσὶν οὐδʼ ἐλεητύν.  
having no thought in their hearts of divine wrath, nor pity.

**83** οὐ μὲν σχέτλια ἔργα θεοὶ μάκαρες φιλέουσιν,  
Yet the blessed gods love not reckless deeds,

**84** ἀλλὰ δίκην τίουσι καὶ αἴσιμα ἔργʼ ἀνθρώπων.  
but honor justice and the lawful deeds of men.
> Dike: justice: Dike, 'justice, right order,' is what the gods reward; aisima erga are 'fitting, lawful deeds.' Eumaeus sets up the moral standard the suitors violate.

**85** καὶ μὲν δυσμενέες καὶ ἀνάρσιοι, οἵ τʼ ἐπὶ γαίης  
Even enemies and hostile men, who land upon

**86** ἀλλοτρίης βῶσιν καί σφι Ζεὺς ληΐδα δώῃ,  
a foreign shore, and Zeus grants them plunder,

**87** πλησάμενοι δέ τε νῆας ἔβαν οἶκόνδε νέεσθαι,  
and they fill their ships and go off home again,

**88** καὶ μὲν τοῖς ὄπιδος κρατερὸν δέος ἐν φρεσὶ πίπτει.  
even into their hearts falls a strong fear of divine vengeance.

**89** οἵδε δὲ καί τι ἴσασι, θεοῦ δέ τινʼ ἔκλυον αὐδήν,  
But these men know something, they have heard some voice of a god,

**90** κείνου λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον, ὅτʼ οὐκ ἐθέλουσι δικαίως  
his grim destruction, since they are unwilling to woo justly

**91** μνᾶσθαι οὐδὲ νέεσθαι ἐπὶ σφέτερʼ, ἀλλὰ ἕκηλοι  
nor to go back to their own homes, but at their ease

**92** κτήματα δαρδάπτουσιν ὑπέρβιον, οὐδʼ ἔπι φειδώ.  
they devour his goods recklessly, and there is no sparing.

**93** ὅσσαι γὰρ νύκτες τε καὶ ἡμέραι ἐκ Διός εἰσιν,  
For as many nights and days as come from Zeus,

**94** οὔ ποθʼ ἓν ἱρεύουσʼ ἱερήϊον, οὐδὲ δύʼ οἴω·  
never do they sacrifice one victim, nor two only;

**95** οἶνον δὲ φθινύθουσιν ὑπέρβιον ἐξαφύοντες.  
and they waste his wine, drawing it off without measure.

**96** ἦ γάρ οἱ ζωή γʼ ἦν ἄσπετος· οὔ τινι τόσση  
For truly his living was beyond telling; no other man had so much,

**97** ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων, οὔτʼ ἠπείροιο μελαίνης  
of all the heroes, neither on the dark mainland

**98** οὔτʼ αὐτῆς Ἰθάκης· οὐδὲ ξυνεείκοσι φωτῶν  
nor in Ithaca itself; not even twenty men together

**99** ἔστʼ ἄφενος τοσσοῦτον· ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι καταλέξω.  
have such wealth; and I will count it out for you.

**100** δώδεκʼ ἐν ἠπείρῳ ἀγέλαι· τόσα πώεα οἰῶν,  
Twelve herds of cattle on the mainland; as many flocks of sheep,

**101** τόσσα συῶν συβόσια, τόσʼ αἰπόλια πλατέʼ αἰγῶν  
as many droves of swine, as many broad herds of goats

**102** βόσκουσι ξεῖνοί τε καὶ αὐτοῦ βώτορες ἄνδρες.  
are pastured by strangers and by his own herdsmen.

**103** ἐνθάδε δʼ αἰπόλια πλατέʼ αἰγῶν ἕνδεκα πάντα  
And here broad herds of goats, eleven in all,

**104** ἐσχατιῇ βόσκοντʼ, ἐπὶ δʼ ἀνέρες ἐσθλοὶ ὄρονται.  
graze at the far end of the island, and good men watch over them.

**105** τῶν αἰεί σφιν ἕκαστος ἐπʼ ἤματι μῆλον ἀγινεῖ,  
Each of these men brings them, day by day, a beast,

**106** ζατρεφέων αἰγῶν ὅς τις φαίνηται ἄριστος.  
whichever of the fattened goats seems the best.

**107** αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ σῦς τάσδε φυλάσσω τε ῥύομαί τε,  
But I guard and protect these swine here,

**108** καί σφι συῶν τὸν ἄριστον ἐῢ κρίνας ἀποπέμπω.  
and pick out the best of the hogs and send it to them."

**109** ὣς φάθʼ, ὁ δʼ ἐνδυκέως κρέα τʼ ἤσθιε πῖνέ τε
                  οἶνον  
So he spoke; and the other eagerly ate the meat and drank the wine,

**110** ἁρπαλέως ἀκέων, κακὰ δὲ μνηστῆρσι φύτευεν.  
greedily, in silence; and he was sowing trouble for the suitors.
> Plotting evil (imperfect): Phyteuen, literally 'was planting,' is used metaphorically of sowing or contriving evil. The imperfect tense shows the ongoing scheming in Odysseus's mind as he eats.

**111** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δείπνησε καὶ ἤραρε θυμὸν ἐδωδῇ,  
But when he had dined and satisfied his heart with food,

**112** καί οἱ πλησάμενος δῶκε σκύφον, ᾧ περ ἔπινεν,  
the swineherd filled the cup from which he himself drank and gave it to him,

**113** οἴνου ἐνίπλειον· ὁ δʼ ἐδέξατο, χαῖρε δὲ θυμῷ,  
brimful of wine; and Odysseus took it, and his heart was glad,

**114** καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and he spoke to him and addressed him with winged words:
> Winged words: The formulaic phrase 'winged words' (epea pteroenta) is one of Homer's most recurrent epithets for speech. We keep the literal image.

**115** ὦ φίλε, τίς γάρ σε πρίατο κτεάτεσσιν ἑοῖσιν,  
"My friend, who was it that bought you with his own wealth,

**116** ὧδε μάλʼ ἀφνειὸς καὶ καρτερὸς ὡς ἀγορεύεις;  
a man so rich and so powerful as you describe?

**117** φῆς δʼ αὐτὸν φθίσθαι Ἀγαμέμνονος εἵνεκα τιμῆς.  
You say he perished for the sake of Agamemnon's honor.

**118** εἰπέ μοι, αἴ κέ ποθι γνώω τοιοῦτον ἐόντα.  
Tell me, in case I might somewhere have known such a man.

**119** Ζεὺς γάρ που τό γε οἶδε καὶ ἀθάνατοι θεοὶ ἄλλοι,  
For Zeus surely knows this, and the other immortal gods,

**120** εἴ κέ μιν ἀγγείλαιμι ἰδών· ἐπὶ πολλὰ δʼ ἀλήθην.  
whether I might report having seen him; for I have wandered far."
> Aorist of wandering: ἀλήθην is the aorist passive of ἀλάομαι, 'I wandered.' Homer often uses the aorist for the speaker's whole completed history of roaming.

**121** τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα συβώτης, ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν·  
Then the swineherd answered him, leader of men:

**122** ὦ γέρον, οὔ τις κεῖνον ἀνὴρ ἀλαλήμενος ἐλθὼν  
"Old man, no man wandering and coming here

**123** ἀγγέλλων πείσειε γυναῖκά τε καὶ φίλον υἱόν,  
with news of him could persuade his wife and dear son,

**124** ἀλλʼ ἄλλως κομιδῆς κεχρημένοι ἄνδρες ἀλῆται  
but vagrants in need of food and care

**125** ψεύδοντʼ, οὐδʼ ἐθέλουσιν ἀληθέα μυθήσασθαι.  
tell lies, and have no wish to speak the truth.

**126** ὃς δέ κʼ ἀλητεύων Ἰθάκης ἐς δῆμον ἵκηται,  
Whoever wanders and comes to the land of Ithaca

**127** ἐλθὼν ἐς δέσποιναν ἐμὴν ἀπατήλια βάζει·  
goes to my mistress and babbles his deceits;

**128** ἡ δʼ εὖ δεξαμένη φιλέει καὶ ἕκαστα μεταλλᾷ,  
and she receives him kindly, makes much of him, and asks of every detail,

**129** καί οἱ ὀδυρομένῃ βλεφάρων ἄπο δάκρυα πίπτει,  
and as she grieves the tears fall from her eyelids,

**130** ἣ θέμις ἐστὶ γυναικός, ἐπὴν πόσις ἄλλοθʼ ὄληται.  
as is the way of a woman whose husband has died abroad.
> What is right: θέμις denotes established custom and what is proper or fitting. Here it marks a wife's weeping as the rightful, expected response.

**131** αἶψά κε καὶ σύ, γεραιέ, ἔπος παρατεκτήναιο.  
And you too, old man, would quickly frame up a tale,

**132** εἴ τίς τοι χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε εἵματα δοίη.  
if someone should give you a cloak and tunic for clothing.

**133** τοῦ δʼ ἤδη μέλλουσι κύνες ταχέες τʼ οἰωνοὶ  
But by now the swift dogs and birds of prey have likely

**134** ῥινὸν ἀπʼ ὀστεόφιν ἐρύσαι, ψυχὴ δὲ λέλοιπεν·  
torn the skin from his bones, and his spirit has left him;
> The departing psyche: ψυχή here is the life-breath that leaves a man at death, not the modern 'soul.' Homer pictures it slipping away from the body.

**135** ἢ τόν γʼ ἐν πόντῳ φάγον ἰχθύες, ὀστέα δʼ αὐτοῦ  
or in the deep the fishes have eaten him, and his bones

**136** κεῖται ἐπʼ ἠπείρου ψαμάθῳ εἰλυμένα πολλῇ.  
lie on some mainland shore, wrapped in heaps of sand.

**137** ὣς ὁ μὲν ἔνθʼ ἀπόλωλε, φίλοισι δὲ κήδεʼ ὀπίσσω  
So he has perished there, and for his loved ones grief in days to come

**138** πᾶσιν, ἐμοὶ δὲ μάλιστα, τετεύχαται· οὐ γὰρ ἔτʼ ἄλλον  
has been wrought for all, but most of all for me; for never again

**139** ἤπιον ὧδε ἄνακτα κιχήσομαι, ὁππόσʼ ἐπέλθω,  
shall I find so kind a master, wherever I may go,

**140** οὐδʼ εἴ κεν πατρὸς καὶ μητέρος αὖτις ἵκωμαι  
not even if I were to come again to the home of my father

**141** οἶκον, ὅθι πρῶτον γενόμην καί μʼ ἔτρεφον αὐτοί.  
and mother, where first I was born and they themselves reared me.

**142** οὐδέ νυ τῶν ἔτι τόσσον ὀδύρομαι, ἱέμενός περ  
Yet it is not for them that I grieve so much now, longing though I am

**143** ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδέσθαι ἐὼν ἐν πατρίδι γαίῃ·  
to see them with my eyes again in my native land;

**144** ἀλλά μʼ Ὀδυσσῆος πόθος αἴνυται οἰχομένοιο.  
but the longing for Odysseus, who is gone, takes hold of me.

**145** τὸν μὲν ἐγών, ὦ ξεῖνε, καὶ οὐ παρεόντʼ ὀνομάζειν  
Him, my guest, even in his absence I am ashamed

**146** αἰδέομαι· πέρι γάρ μʼ ἐφίλει καὶ κήδετο θυμῷ·  
to name; for greatly he loved me and cared for me in his heart;

**147** ἀλλά μιν ἠθεῖον καλέω καὶ νόσφιν ἐόντα.  
but I call him 'dear master,' though he is far away."

**148** τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς·  
Then much-enduring noble Odysseus said to him in turn:
> Much-enduring Odysseus: πολύτλας ('much-enduring') is Odysseus's standing epithet. We preserve the formula, as it recurs throughout the poem.

**149** ὦ φίλʼ, ἐπειδὴ πάμπαν ἀναίνεαι, οὐδʼ ἔτι φῇσθα  
"My friend, since you utterly deny it and say no longer

**150** κεῖνον ἐλεύσεσθαι, θυμὸς δέ τοι αἰὲν ἄπιστος·  
that he will come, and your heart is forever disbelieving,

**151** ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ οὐκ αὔτως μυθήσομαι, ἀλλὰ σὺν ὅρκῳ,  
yet I will speak not idly, but with an oath,

**152** ὡς νεῖται Ὀδυσεύς· εὐαγγέλιον δέ μοι ἔστω  
that Odysseus is on his way home; and let there be a reward for my good news

**153** αὐτίκʼ, ἐπεί κεν κεῖνος ἰὼν τὰ ἃ δώμαθʼ ἵκηται·  
at once, the moment he comes and reaches his own halls:

**154** ἕσσαι με χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε, εἵματα καλά·  
clothe me in a cloak and a tunic, fine garments.

**155** πρὶν δέ κε, καὶ μάλα περ κεχρημένος, οὔ τι δεχοίμην.  
But before that, however great my need, I would take nothing.
> Optative of refusal: δεχοίμην is a present optative expressing what the speaker would (not) do; Homer uses the optative for hypothetical or polite assertions.

**156** ἐχθρὸς γάρ μοι κεῖνος ὁμῶς Ἀΐδαο πύλῃσι  
For hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man

**157** γίγνεται, ὃς πενίῃ εἴκων ἀπατήλια βάζει.  
who, yielding to poverty, babbles deceits.

**158** ἴστω νῦν Ζεὺς πρῶτα θεῶν, ξενίη τε τράπεζα,  
Let Zeus now know it first among gods, and the table of hospitality,

**159** ἱστίη τʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἀμύμονος, ἣν ἀφικάνω·  
and the hearth of blameless Odysseus, to which I have come:

**160** ἦ μέν τοι τάδε πάντα τελείεται ὡς ἀγορεύω.  
truly all this shall be fulfilled just as I say.

**161** τοῦδʼ αὐτοῦ λυκάβαντος ἐλεύσεται ἐνθάδʼ Ὀδυσσεύς.  
Within this very year Odysseus will come here.

**162** τοῦ μὲν φθίνοντος μηνός, τοῦ δʼ ἱσταμένοιο,  
As one month wanes and the next begins,

**163** οἴκαδε νοστήσει, καὶ τίσεται ὅς τις ἐκείνου  
he will return home, and take vengeance on whoever

**164** ἐνθάδʼ ἀτιμάζει ἄλοχον καὶ φαίδιμον υἱόν.  
here dishonors his wife and his glorious son."

**165** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα·  
Then you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:
> Address to Eumaeus: Homer breaks the narrative to address Eumaeus directly in the second person ('you answered'), a rare apostrophe reserved for a few sympathetic characters. προσέφης is 2nd-person singular imperfect.

**166** ὦ γέρον, οὔτʼ ἄρʼ ἐγὼν εὐαγγέλιον τόδε τίσω,  
"Old man, neither shall I pay you that reward for good news,

**167** οὔτʼ Ὀδυσεὺς ἔτι οἶκον ἐλεύσεται· ἀλλὰ ἕκηλος  
nor will Odysseus ever come home; rather, at your ease

**168** πῖνε, καὶ ἄλλα παρὲξ μεμνώμεθα, μηδέ με τούτων  
drink, and let us turn our minds to other things, and do not

**169** μίμνησκʼ· ἦ γὰρ θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἐμοῖσιν  
remind me of these matters; for truly the heart in my breast

**170** ἄχνυται, ὁππότε τις μνήσῃ κεδνοῖο ἄνακτος.  
is grieved whenever anyone makes mention of my good master.

**171** ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι ὅρκον μὲν ἐάσομεν, αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς  
But as for your oath, let us leave it be; and may Odysseus

**172** ἔλθοι ὅπως μιν ἐγώ γʼ ἐθέλω καὶ Πηνελόπεια  
come, as I myself wish, and Penelope,

**173** Λαέρτης θʼ ὁ γέρων καὶ Τηλέμαχος θεοειδής.  
and old Laertes, and godlike Telemachus.

**174** νῦν αὖ παιδὸς ἄλαστον ὀδύρομαι, ὃν τέκʼ Ὀδυσσεύς,  
But now I grieve unceasingly for the boy whom Odysseus fathered,

**175** Τηλεμάχου· τὸν ἐπεὶ θρέψαν θεοὶ ἔρνεϊ ἶσον,  
for Telemachus; when the gods had reared him like a young sapling,
> Like a sapling: ἔρνος is a young shoot or sapling; comparing a youth to a thriving sapling is a recurrent Homeric image of growth and promise.

**176** καί μιν ἔφην ἔσσεσθαι ἐν ἀνδράσιν οὔ τι χέρηα  
and I thought he would be among men in no way worse

**177** πατρὸς ἑοῖο φίλοιο, δέμας καὶ εἶδος ἀγητόν,  
than his dear father, splendid in build and form,

**178** τὸν δέ τις ἀθανάτων βλάψε φρένας ἔνδον ἐΐσας  
then one of the immortals harmed his well-balanced wits,

**179** ἠέ τις ἀνθρώπων· ὁ δʼ ἔβη μετὰ πατρὸς ἀκουὴν  
or some man did; and he went after news of his father

**180** ἐς Πύλον ἠγαθέην· τὸν δὲ μνηστῆρες ἀγαυοὶ  
to sacred Pylos; and the proud suitors

**181** οἴκαδʼ ἰόντα λοχῶσιν, ὅπως ἀπὸ φῦλον ὄληται  
lie in wait for him as he comes home, so that the race

**182** νώνυμον ἐξ Ἰθάκης Ἀρκεισίου ἀντιθέοιο.  
of godlike Arceisius may perish nameless out of Ithaca.

**183** ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι κεῖνον μὲν ἐάσομεν, ἤ κεν ἁλώῃ  
But let us leave him be, whether he is caught,

**184** ἦ κε φύγῃ καί κέν οἱ ὑπέρσχῃ χεῖρα Κρονίων.  
or escapes, and the son of Kronos holds his hand over him.
> Son of Kronos: Κρονίων ('son of Kronos') is a patronymic epithet of Zeus, formed with the -ίων suffix. Homer freely substitutes such patronymics for the god's name.

**185** ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι σύ, γεραιέ, τὰ σʼ αὐτοῦ κήδεʼ ἐνίσπες  
But come now, old man, tell me of your own troubles,

**186** καί μοι τοῦτʼ ἀγόρευσον ἐτήτυμον, ὄφρʼ ἐῢ εἰδῶ·  
and tell me this truly, so that I may know it well:

**187** τίς πόθεν εἶς ἀνδρῶν; πόθι τοι πόλις ἠδὲ τοκῆες;  
Who among men are you, and from where? Where is your city and your parents?

**188** ὁπποίης τʼ ἐπὶ νηὸς ἀφίκεο· πῶς δέ σε ναῦται  
On what kind of ship did you arrive? And how did sailors

**189** ἤγαγον εἰς Ἰθάκην; τίνες ἔμμεναι εὐχετόωντο;  
bring you to Ithaca? Who did they claim to be?

**190** οὐ μὲν γάρ τί σε πεζὸν ὀΐομαι ἐνθάδʼ ἱκέσθαι.  
For I hardly think you came here on foot."

**191** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς  
Then Odysseus of many counsels answered him:
> Odysseus of many counsels: πολύμητις ('of many devices, much-cunning') is a defining epithet of Odysseus, fittingly used here as he prepares an elaborate lie.

**192** τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι ταῦτα μάλʼ ἀτρεκέως ἀγορεύσω.  
"Then I will tell you these things very truthfully.

**193** εἴη μὲν νῦν νῶϊν ἐπὶ χρόνον ἠμὲν ἐδωδὴ  
If only there were for us both, for a long time, both food

**194** ἠδὲ μέθυ γλυκερὸν κλισίης ἔντοσθεν ἐοῦσι,  
and sweet wine, here within the hut,

**195** δαίνυσθαι ἀκέοντʼ, ἄλλοι δʼ ἐπὶ ἔργον ἕποιεν·  
to feast quietly, while others went about their work,

**196** ῥηϊδίως κεν ἔπειτα καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν ἅπαντα  
then easily, even for a whole year on end,

**197** οὔ τι διαπρήξαιμι λέγων ἐμὰ κήδεα θυμοῦ,  
I would not finish telling the sorrows of my heart,

**198** ὅσσα γε δὴ ξύμπαντα θεῶν ἰότητι μόγησα.  
all that, indeed, by the will of the gods I have suffered.
> By the will of the gods: ἰότης means 'will' or 'design.' The phrase 'by the will of the gods' frames human suffering as divinely ordained throughout Homer.

**199** ἐκ μὲν Κρητάων γένος εὔχομαι εὐρειάων,  
From spacious Crete I declare my lineage springs,
> I claim, I declare: εὔχομαι in Homer often means not 'I pray' but 'I declare/boast' one's descent or status. Here Odysseus 'claims' Cretan birth as he begins his fabricated identity.

**200** ἀνέρος ἀφνειοῖο πάϊς· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι  
the son of a wealthy man; and many other

**201** υἱέες ἐν μεγάρῳ ἠμὲν τράφεν ἠδʼ ἐγένοντο  
sons too were both reared and born in his hall,

**202** γνήσιοι ἐξ ἀλόχου· ἐμὲ δʼ ὠνητὴ τέκε μήτηρ  
legitimate, from his wedded wife; but me a bought mother bore,

**203** παλλακίς, ἀλλά με ἶσον ἰθαιγενέεσσιν ἐτίμα  
a concubine, yet he honored me equally with his lawful sons,

**204** Κάστωρ Ὑλακίδης, τοῦ ἐγὼ γένος εὔχομαι εἶναι  
Castor son of Hylax, of whose line I claim to be;

**205** ὃς τότʼ ἐνὶ Κρήτεσσι θεὸς ὣς τίετο δήμῳ  
he was then honored like a god among the people of Crete

**206** ὄλβῳ τε πλούτῳ τε καὶ υἱάσι κυδαλίμοισιν.  
for his good fortune and his wealth and his glorious sons.

**207** ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι τὸν κῆρες ἔβαν θανάτοιο φέρουσαι  
But the fates of death came and bore him away

**208** εἰς Ἀΐδαο δόμους· τοὶ δὲ ζωὴν ἐδάσαντο  
to the house of Hades; and his high-spirited sons

**209** παῖδες ὑπέρθυμοι καὶ ἐπὶ κλήρους ἐβάλοντο,  
divided his living and cast lots for the shares,

**210** αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ μάλα παῦρα δόσαν καὶ οἰκίʼ ἔνειμαν.  
but to me they gave very little and assigned a dwelling.

**211** ἠγαγόμην δὲ γυναῖκα πολυκλήρων ἀνθρώπων  
Yet I took a wife from a family of much property

**212** εἵνεκʼ ἐμῆς ἀρετῆς, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἀποφώλιος ἦα  
by reason of my own worth, since I was no fool
> Worth, excellence: ἀρετή is excellence or merit, here the personal valor that earns the speaker a good marriage despite his low birth.

**213** οὐδὲ φυγοπτόλεμος· νῦν δʼ ἤδη πάντα λέλοιπεν  
nor a shirker of battle; but now all that has gone from me.

**214** ἀλλʼ ἔμπης καλάμην γέ σʼ ὀΐομαι εἰσορόωντα  
Still, even so, I think that, seeing the stubble, you can
> Stubble of the harvest: καλάμη is the dry stalk left after the grain is reaped. The metaphor: even ruined now, his old strength can be guessed, as the stubble shows what the ear was.

**215** γιγνώσκειν· ἦ γάρ με δύη ἔχει ἤλιθα πολλή.  
tell what it was; for in truth misery, vast and heavy, holds me.

**216** ἦ μὲν δὴ θάρσος μοι Ἄρης τʼ ἔδοσαν καὶ Ἀθήνη  
Truly, courage was given me by Ares and Athena,

**217** καὶ ῥηξηνορίην· ὁπότε κρίνοιμι λόχονδε  
and power to break the ranks of men; and whenever I picked, for an ambush,

**218** ἄνδρας ἀριστῆας, κακὰ δυσμενέεσσι φυτεύων,  
the best of men, sowing evil for the enemy,

**219** οὔ ποτέ μοι θάνατον προτιόσσετο θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ,  
never did my proud heart foresee my own death,

**220** ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρώτιστος ἐπάλμενος ἔγχει ἕλεσκον  
but far the first I would leap forward and bring down with my spear
> Iterative imperfect: ἕλεσκον is an iterative imperfect (the -σκ- suffix marks repeated action): 'I used to bring down again and again.' Homer uses this form for habitual past deeds.

**221** ἀνδρῶν δυσμενέων ὅ τέ μοι εἴξειε πόδεσσιν.  
of the enemy, whoever gave way before me on foot.

**222** τοῖος ἔα ἐν πολέμῳ· ἔργον δέ μοι οὐ φίλον ἔσκεν  
Such was I in war; but farm-work was never dear to me,

**223** οὐδʼ οἰκωφελίη, ἥ τε τρέφει ἀγλαὰ τέκνα,  
nor the keeping of a household, which rears bright children,

**224** ἀλλά μοι αἰεὶ νῆες ἐπήρετμοι φίλαι ἦσαν  
but always the oared ships were dear to me

**225** καὶ πόλεμοι καὶ ἄκοντες ἐΰξεστοι καὶ ὀϊστοί,  
and wars and polished javelins and arrows—

**226** λυγρά, τά τʼ ἄλλοισίν γε καταριγηλὰ πέλονται.  
grim things, which to other men are a horror.

**227** αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ τὰ φίλʼ ἔσκε τά που θεὸς ἐν φρεσὶ θῆκεν·  
But to me these were dear, things a god had set in my heart;
> phrenes as seat of thought: Homer locates feeling and impulse in the phrenes, the midriff or diaphragm, treated as the seat of mind and emotion. 'In the breast/heart' is the natural rendering.

**228** ἄλλος γάρ τʼ ἄλλοισιν ἀνὴρ ἐπιτέρπεται ἔργοις.  
for one man takes his delight in one kind of work, another in another.

**229** πρὶν μὲν γὰρ Τροίης ἐπιβήμεναι υἷας Ἀχαιῶν  
For before the sons of the Achaeans set foot on Troy,
> Homeric infinitive: ἐπιβήμεναι is the epic form of the aorist infinitive 'to set foot upon,' taking a genitive of the place reached. The longer -μεναι ending is characteristic of Homeric diction.

**230** εἰνάκις ἀνδράσιν ἦρξα καὶ ὠκυπόροισι νέεσσιν  
nine times I led men and swift-faring ships

**231** ἄνδρας ἐς ἀλλοδαπούς, καί μοι μάλα τύγχανε πολλά.  
against foreign peoples, and much spoil fell to me.

**232** τῶν ἐξαιρεύμην μενοεικέα, πολλὰ δʼ ὀπίσσω  
From it I would choose out what pleased my heart, and much besides

**233** λάγχανον· αἶψα δὲ οἶκος ὀφέλλετο, καί ῥα ἔπειτα  
I drew by lot. So my house grew rich quickly, and from then on

**234** δεινός τʼ αἰδοῖός τε μετὰ Κρήτεσσι τετύγμην.  
I was feared and respected among the Cretans.

**235** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τήν γε στυγερὴν ὁδὸν εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς  
But when far-seeing Zeus contrived that hateful journey,
> Epithet of Zeus: εὐρύοπα, 'far-seeing' or 'wide-thundering,' is a fixed epithet for Zeus. Its exact sense was debated already in antiquity, but it marks his all-encompassing power.

**236** ἐφράσαθʼ, ἣ πολλῶν ἀνδρῶν ὑπὸ γούνατʼ ἔλυσε,  
which loosed the knees of many men beneath them,

**237** δὴ τότʼ ἔμʼ ἤνωγον καὶ ἀγακλυτὸν Ἰδομενῆα  
then they ordered me and glorious Idomeneus

**238** νήεσσʼ ἡγήσασθαι ἐς Ἴλιον· οὐδέ τι μῆχος  
to lead the ships to Ilion; and there was no means

**239** ἦεν ἀνήνασθαι, χαλεπὴ δʼ ἔχε δήμου φῆμις.  
of refusing, for the people's harsh talk held us fast.

**240** ἔνθα μὲν εἰνάετες πολεμίζομεν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,  
There for nine years we sons of the Achaeans made war,

**241** τῷ δεκάτῳ δὲ πόλιν Πριάμου πέρσαντες ἔβημεν  
and in the tenth, having sacked the city of Priam, we set out

**242** οἴκαδε σὺν νήεσσι, θεὸς δʼ ἐκέδασσεν Ἀχαιούς.  
homeward with our ships, and a god scattered the Achaeans.

**243** αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ δειλῷ κακὰ μήδετο μητίετα Ζεύς·  
But against me, wretched man, Zeus the counselor devised evils.
> Zeus the counselor: μητίετα, 'the counselor' or 'deviser of plans,' is a standing epithet of Zeus, pointing to his cunning and his shaping of events.

**244** μῆνα γὰρ οἶον ἔμεινα τεταρπόμενος τεκέεσσιν  
For only one month I stayed, taking joy in my children

**245** κουριδίῃ τʼ ἀλόχῳ καὶ κτήμασιν· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα  
and my wedded wife and my goods; but after that

**246** Αἴγυπτόνδε με θυμὸς ἀνώγει ναυτίλλεσθαι,  
my heart urged me to make a voyage to Egypt,

**247** νῆας ἐῢ στείλαντα σὺν ἀντιθέοις ἑτάροισιν.  
after fitting out my ships well with godlike companions.

**248** ἐννέα νῆας στεῖλα, θοῶς δʼ ἐσαγείρατο λαός.  
Nine ships I fitted out, and the crews quickly gathered.

**249** ἑξῆμαρ μὲν ἔπειτα ἐμοὶ ἐρίηρες ἑταῖροι  
Then for six days my trusty companions

**250** δαίνυντʼ· αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἱερήϊα πολλὰ παρεῖχον  
feasted; and I myself supplied many victims

**251** θεοῖσίν τε ῥέζειν αὐτοῖσί τε δαῖτα πένεσθαι.  
both to sacrifice to the gods and to make ready a feast for the men.

**252** ἑβδομάτῃ δʼ ἀναβάντες ἀπὸ Κρήτης εὐρείης  
On the seventh we embarked and set out from broad Crete,

**253** ἐπλέομεν Βορέῃ ἀνέμῳ ἀκραέϊ καλῷ  
and sailed with a North wind, fresh and fair,

**254** ῥηϊδίως, ὡς εἴ τε κατὰ ῥόον· οὐδέ τις οὖν μοι  
easily, as if downstream; nor did any one

**255** νηῶν πημάνθη, ἀλλʼ ἀσκηθέες καὶ ἄνουσοι  
of my ships come to harm, but unscathed and free of sickness

**256** ἥμεθα, τὰς δʼ ἄνεμός τε κυβερνῆταί τʼ ἴθυνον.  
we sat, and the wind and the steersmen kept them on course.

**257** πεμπταῖοι δʼ Αἴγυπτον ἐϋρρείτην ἱκόμεσθα,  
On the fifth day we came to the fair-flowing Egypt,

**258** στῆσα δʼ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ποταμῷ νέας ἀμφιελίσσας.  
and I moored my curved ships in the river of Egypt.

**259** ἔνθʼ ἦ τοι μὲν ἐγὼ κελόμην ἐρίηρας ἑταίρους  
There I ordered my trusty companions

**260** αὐτοῦ πὰρ νήεσσι μένειν καὶ νῆας ἔρυσθαι,  
to stay by the ships and to guard them,

**261** ὀπτῆρας δὲ κατὰ σκοπιὰς ὤτρυνα νέεσθαι·  
and I sent scouts out to the lookout points.

**262** οἱ δʼ ὕβρει εἴξαντες, ἐπισπόμενοι μένεϊ σφῷ,  
But they, yielding to insolence and following their own impulse,
> hubris: ὕβρις is overweening, violent arrogance—the disregard for limit and for others' rights. It is the keynote of the men's ruinous disobedience here.

**263** αἶψα μάλʼ Αἰγυπτίων ἀνδρῶν περικαλλέας ἀγροὺς  
at once began to ravage the lovely fields of the Egyptians,

**264** πόρθεον, ἐκ δὲ γυναῖκας ἄγον καὶ νήπια τέκνα,  
and led away the women and little children,

**265** αὐτούς τʼ ἔκτεινον· τάχα δʼ ἐς πόλιν ἵκετʼ ἀϋτή.  
and killed the men; and quickly the outcry reached the city.

**266** οἱ δὲ βοῆς ἀΐοντες ἅμʼ ἠοῖ φαινομένηφιν  
And they, hearing the shouting, came at the showing of dawn;
> Old instrumental ending -φι: The suffix -φι(ν) is an archaic Homeric case-ending serving as instrumental, locative, or genitive/dative. Here ἠοῖ φαινομένηφιν means 'at the appearing of dawn.'

**267** ἦλθον· πλῆτο δὲ πᾶν πεδίον πεζῶν τε καὶ ἵππων  
the whole plain was filled with foot soldiers and horses

**268** χαλκοῦ τε στεροπῆς· ἐν δὲ Ζεὺς τερπικέραυνος  
and the flash of bronze; and Zeus who delights in thunder
> Zeus who delights in the thunderbolt: τερπικέραυνος is a standing epithet of Zeus, 'delighting in the thunderbolt,' fitting here as he casts panic on the men.

**269** φύζαν ἐμοῖς ἑτάροισι κακὴν βάλεν, οὐδέ τις ἔτλη  
cast an evil rout upon my companions, and no one dared

**270** μεῖναι ἐναντίβιον· περὶ γὰρ κακὰ πάντοθεν ἔστη.  
to stand and face them, for ruin pressed round on every side.

**271** ἔνθʼ ἡμέων πολλοὺς μὲν ἀπέκτανον ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ,  
There they killed many of us with the sharp bronze,

**272** τοὺς δʼ ἄναγον ζωούς, σφίσιν ἐργάζεσθαι ἀνάγκῃ.  
and others they led away alive, to do forced labor for them.

**273** αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ Ζεὺς αὐτὸς ἐνὶ φρεσὶν ὧδε νόημα  
But to me Zeus himself put this thought in my heart—

**274** ποίησʼ—ὡς ὄφελον θανέειν καὶ πότμον ἐπισπεῖν  
would that I had died and met my fate
> Wish for the unattainable past: ὄφελον with the infinitive expresses an unfulfilled wish—'would that I had died.' It looks back with regret on what did not happen.

**275** αὐτοῦ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ· ἔτι γάρ νύ με πῆμʼ ὑπέδεκτο—  
there in Egypt—for still more grief awaited me—

**276** αὐτίκʼ ἀπὸ κρατὸς κυνέην εὔτυκτον ἔθηκα  
at once I set the well-made helmet from my head

**277** καὶ σάκος ὤμοιϊν, δόρυ δʼ ἔκβαλον ἔκτοσε χειρός·  
and the shield from my shoulders, and let the spear fall from my hand;

**278** αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ βασιλῆος ἐναντίον ἤλυθον ἵππων  
then I went up to the king's chariot, facing him,

**279** καὶ κύσα γούναθʼ ἑλών· ὁδʼ ἐρύσατο καί μʼ ἐλέησεν,  
and clasped and kissed his knees; and he saved me and pitied me,

**280** ἐς δίφρον δέ μʼ ἕσας ἄγεν οἴκαδε δάκρυ χέοντα.  
and seating me in his chariot he took me, weeping, to his home.

**281** ἦ μέν μοι μάλα πολλοὶ ἐπήϊσσον μελίῃσιν,  
Indeed many men rushed at me with their ashen spears,

**282** ἱέμενοι κτεῖναι—δὴ γὰρ κεχολώατο λίην—  
eager to kill me—for they were exceedingly enraged—

**283** ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ κεῖνος ἔρυκε, Διὸς δʼ ὠπίζετο μῆνιν  
but he held them off, and feared the wrath of Zeus,
> menis, divine wrath: μῆνις is the heavy, lasting wrath proper to gods (the very first word of the Iliad). Here it is the wrath of Zeus Xeinios, guardian of strangers.

**284** ξεινίου, ὅς τε μάλιστα νεμεσσᾶται κακὰ ἔργα.  
the god of strangers, who most of all resents evil deeds.

**285** ἔνθα μὲν ἑπτάετες μένον αὐτόθι, πολλὰ δʼ
                     ἄγειρα  
There I stayed for seven years, and gathered much

**286** χρήματʼ ἀνʼ Αἰγυπτίους ἄνδρας· δίδοσαν γὰρ ἅπαντες.  
wealth among the Egyptian men; for all of them gave to me.

**287** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ ὄγδοόν μοι ἐπιπλόμενον ἔτος ἦλθεν,  
But when the eighth year came round upon me,

**288** δὴ τότε Φοῖνιξ ἦλθεν ἀνὴρ ἀπατήλια εἰδώς,  
then came a Phoenician man, skilled in deceit,

**289** τρώκτης, ὃς δὴ πολλὰ κάκʼ ἀνθρώποισιν ἐώργει·  
a greedy cheat, who had already done many evils to men;

**290** ὅς μʼ ἄγε παρπεπιθὼν ᾗσι φρεσίν, ὄφρʼ ἱκόμεσθα  
he led me, persuading me with his cunning mind, until we came

**291** Φοινίκην, ὅθι τοῦ γε δόμοι καὶ κτήματʼ ἔκειτο.  
to Phoenicia, where his house and possessions lay.

**292** ἔνθα παρʼ αὐτῷ μεῖνα τελεσφόρον εἰς ἐνιαυτόν.  
There I stayed beside him for a full year.

**293** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ μῆνές τε καὶ ἡμέραι ἐξετελεῦντο  
But when the months and days were completed

**294** ἄψ περιτελλομένου ἔτεος καὶ ἐπήλυθον ὧραι,  
as the year came round again and the seasons returned,

**295** ἐς Λιβύην μʼ ἐπὶ νηὸς ἐέσσατο ποντοπόροιο  
he set me aboard a seafaring ship for Libya,

**296** ψεύδεα βουλεύσας, ἵνα οἱ σὺν φόρτον ἄγοιμι,  
having plotted lies, so that I should help him carry a cargo,

**297** κεῖθι δέ μʼ ὡς περάσειε καὶ ἄσπετον ὦνον ἕλοιτο.  
but really that there he might sell me and fetch an enormous price.

**298** τῷ ἑπόμην ἐπὶ νηός, ὀϊόμενός περ, ἀνάγκῃ.  
So I went with him aboard the ship, suspecting it, but under compulsion.

**299** ἡ δʼ ἔθεεν Βορέῃ ἀνέμῳ ἀκραέϊ καλῷ,  
She ran on with a North wind, fresh and fair,

**300** μέσσον ὑπὲρ Κρήτης· Ζεὺς δέ σφισι μήδετʼ ὄλεθρον.  
over the open sea above Crete; but Zeus devised their destruction.

**301** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ Κρήτην μὲν ἐλείπομεν, οὐδέ τις ἄλλη  
But when we had left Crete behind, and no other

**302** φαίνετο γαιάων, ἀλλʼ οὐρανὸς ἠδὲ θάλασσα,  
land appeared, but only sky and sea,

**303** δὴ τότε κυανέην νεφέλην ἔστησε Κρονίων  
then the son of Kronos set a dark cloud
> Son of Kronos: Κρονίων, 'son of Kronos,' is a standard patronymic title for Zeus. Patronymics like this carry a tone of dignity in epic.

**304** νηὸς ὕπερ γλαφυρῆς, ἤχλυσε δὲ πόντος ὑπʼ αὐτῆς.  
over the hollow ship, and the sea grew dark beneath it.

**305** Ζεὺς δʼ ἄμυδις βρόντησε καὶ ἔμβαλε νηῒ κεραυνόν·  
And Zeus thundered all at once and hurled his bolt at the ship;

**306** ἡ δʼ ἐλελίχθη πᾶσα Διὸς πληγεῖσα κεραυνῷ,  
and she reeled through and through, struck by the bolt of Zeus,
> Aorist passive participle: πληγεῖσα is the aorist passive participle of πλήσσω, 'having been struck,' agreeing with the ship. The passive marks the ship as the thing acted upon by Zeus's bolt.

**307** ἐν δὲ θεείου πλῆτο· πέσον δʼ ἐκ νηὸς ἅπαντες.  
and was filled with sulphur; and all fell from the ship.

**308** οἱ δὲ κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι περὶ νῆα μέλαιναν  
Like sea-crows they were borne on the waves

**309** κύμασιν ἐμφορέοντο· θεὸς δʼ ἀποαίνυτο νόστον.  
around the black ship; and the god took away their homecoming.
> nostos, homecoming: νόστος is the homecoming, the return journey that is the whole theme of the Odyssey. To 'take away the nostos' is to deny the men any return.

**310** αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ Ζεὺς αὐτός, ἔχοντί περ ἄλγεα θυμῷ,  
But for me Zeus himself, though I had grief in my heart,

**311** ἱστὸν ἀμαιμάκετον νηὸς κυανοπρῴροιο  
set into my hands the huge mast of the dark-prowed ship,
> Dark-prowed ship: κυανόπρῳρος, 'dark-prowed' or 'blue-prowed,' is a common epic epithet for ships, evoking their painted prows.

**312** ἐν χείρεσσιν ἔθηκεν, ὅπως ἔτι πῆμα φύγοιμι.  
so that I might still escape from ruin.

**313** τῷ ῥα περιπλεχθεὶς φερόμην ὀλοοῖς ἀνέμοισιν.  
Wrapped around it, I was carried by the deadly winds.

**314** ἐννῆμαρ φερόμην, δεκάτῃ δέ με νυκτὶ μελαίνῃ  
Nine days I was carried, and on the tenth, in the black night,

**315** γαίῃ Θεσπρωτῶν πέλασεν μέγα κῦμα κυλίνδον.  
a great rolling wave brought me near the land of the Thesprotians.

**316** ἔνθα με Θεσπρωτῶν βασιλεὺς ἐκομίσσατο Φείδων  
There the king of the Thesprotians, Pheidon, took me in,

**317** ἥρως ἀπριάτην· τοῦ γὰρ φίλος υἱὸς ἐπελθὼν  
the hero, without ransom; for his own dear son came upon me
> Without ransom: ἀπριάτην means 'unbought, without payment'—Pheidon shelters the stranger freely, the mark of true hospitality rather than commerce.

**318** αἴθρῳ καὶ καμάτῳ δεδμημένον ἦγεν ἐς οἶκον,  
and led me, worn out by cold and weariness, to his home,

**319** χειρὸς ἀναστήσας, ὄφρʼ ἵκετο δώματα πατρός·  
raising me by the hand, until I reached his father's house;

**320** ἀμφὶ δέ με χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε εἵματα ἕσσεν.  
and around me he put clothing, a cloak and a tunic.

**321** ἔνθʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἐγὼ πυθόμην· κεῖνος γὰρ ἔφασκε  
There I heard of Odysseus; for the king said

**322** ξεινίσαι ἠδὲ φιλῆσαι ἰόντʼ ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν,  
he had received him as a guest and shown him kindness on his way to his native land,

**323** καί μοι κτήματʼ ἔδειξεν ὅσα ξυναγείρατʼ Ὀδυσσεύς,  
and he showed me the treasures Odysseus had gathered,

**324** χαλκόν τε χρυσόν τε πολύκμητόν τε σίδηρον.  
bronze and gold and well-wrought iron.

**325** καί νύ ἐς δεκάτην γενεὴν ἕτερόν γʼ ἔτι βόσκοι·  
Indeed it would feed his children to the tenth generation,

**326** τόσσα οἱ ἐν μεγάροις κειμήλια κεῖτο ἄνακτος.  
so much treasure lay stored for him in the halls of the king.

**327** τὸν δʼ ἐς Δωδώνην φάτο βήμεναι, ὄφρα θεοῖο  
But he said Odysseus had gone to Dodona, to hear

**328** ἐκ δρυὸς ὑψικόμοιο Διὸς βουλὴν ἐπακούσαι,  
the will of Zeus from the god's high-crowned oak,

**329** ὅππως νοστήσειʼ Ἰθάκης ἐς πίονα δῆμον  
how he might return to the rich land of Ithaca,

**330** ἤδη δὴν ἀπεών, ἢ ἀμφαδὸν ἦε κρυφηδόν.  
after being away so long, openly or in secret.

**331** ὤμοσε δὲ πρὸς ἔμʼ αὐτόν, ἀποσπένδων ἐνὶ οἴκῳ,  
And he swore to me himself, pouring a libation in his house,
> Pouring a libation: A drink-offering poured to the gods to seal an oath; the gesture made a sworn promise binding.

**332** νῆα κατειρύσθαι καὶ ἐπαρτέας ἔμμεν ἑταίρους,  
that a ship was drawn down to the water and the crew made ready,

**333** οἳ δή μιν πέμψουσι φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν.  
who would convey him to his own dear native land.

**334** ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ πρὶν ἀπέπεμψε· τύχησε γὰρ ἐρχομένη νηῦς  
But me he sent off first, for a ship of Thesprotian men

**335** ἀνδρῶν Θεσπρωτῶν ἐς Δουλίχιον πολύπυρον.  
chanced to be sailing to Dulichium, rich in wheat.

**336** ἔνθʼ ὅ γέ μʼ ἠνώγει πέμψαι βασιλῆϊ Ἀκάστῳ  
There he bade them carry me to king Acastus,

**337** ἐνδυκέως· τοῖσιν δὲ κακὴ φρεσὶν ἥνδανε βουλὴ  
with kind care; but an evil plan pleased their hearts
> Imperfect of pleasing: The imperfect ἥνδανε ('was pleasing') frames the crew's scheme as an ongoing inclination, setting up the betrayal that follows.

**338** ἀμφʼ ἐμοί, ὄφρʼ ἔτι πάγχυ δύης ἐπὶ πῆμα γενοίμην.  
concerning me, so that I might fall utterly into the depth of misery.

**339** ἀλλʼ ὅτε γαίης πολλὸν ἀπέπλω ποντοπόρος νηῦς,  
But when the seafaring ship had sailed far from land,

**340** αὐτίκα δούλιον ἦμαρ ἐμοὶ περιμηχανόωντο.  
at once they began contriving the day of slavery for me.
> The day of slavery: A formulaic phrase, like 'the day of freedom,' that names enslavement as a fate that overtakes a person rather than a mere event.

**341** ἐκ μέν με χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε εἵματʼ ἔδυσαν,  
They stripped from me my cloak and tunic, my clothing,

**342** ἀμφὶ δέ μοι ῥάκος ἄλλο κακὸν βάλον ἠδὲ χιτῶνα,  
and threw around me other rags, a vile one, and a tunic,

**343** ῥωγαλέα, τὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὅρηαι·  
tattered, the very ones you see now with your own eyes.

**344** ἑσπέριοι δʼ Ἰθάκης εὐδειέλου ἔργʼ ἀφίκοντο.  
And at evening they reached the farmlands of clear-skied Ithaca.

**345** ἔνθʼ ἐμὲ μὲν κατέδησαν ἐϋσσέλμῳ ἐνὶ νηῒ  
There they bound me fast in the well-benched ship

**346** ὅπλῳ ἐϋστρεφέϊ στερεῶς, αὐτοὶ δʼ ἀποβάντες  
with a tightly twisted rope, securely, and they themselves stepped ashore

**347** ἐσσυμένως παρὰ θῖνα θαλάσσης δόρπον ἕλοντο.  
in haste and took their supper along the shore of the sea.

**348** αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ δεσμὸν μὲν ἀνέγναμψαν θεοὶ αὐτοὶ  
But the gods themselves loosened my bonds for me

**349** ῥηϊδίως· κεφαλῇ δὲ κατὰ ῥάκος ἀμφικαλύψας,  
easily; and wrapping the rag about my head,

**350** ξεστὸν ἐφόλκαιον καταβὰς ἐπέλασσα θαλάσσῃ  
I climbed down the smooth steering-oar and let my chest

**351** στῆθος, ἔπειτα δὲ χερσὶ διήρεσσʼ ἀμφοτέρῃσι  
touch the sea, then with both hands I rowed myself along,

**352** νηχόμενος, μάλα δʼ ὦκα θύρηθʼ ἔα ἀμφὶς ἐκείνων.  
swimming, and very quickly I was out and away from them.

**353** ἔνθʼ ἀναβάς, ὅθι τε δρίος ἦν πολυανθέος ὕλης,  
There I climbed up, where there was a thicket of richly blooming wood,

**354** κείμην πεπτηώς. οἱ δὲ μεγάλα στενάχοντες  
and lay crouching. They, groaning loudly,

**355** φοίτων· ἀλλʼ οὐ γάρ σφιν ἐφαίνετο κέρδιον εἶναι  
went searching about; but since it seemed to them no longer of any use

**356** μαίεσθαι προτέρω, τοὶ μὲν πάλιν αὖτις ἔβαινον  
to seek further, they went back again and boarded

**357** νηὸς ἔπι γλαφυρῆς· ἐμὲ δʼ ἔκρυψαν θεοὶ αὐτοὶ  
their hollow ship; and the gods themselves hid me

**358** ῥηϊδίως, καί με σταθμῷ ἐπέλασσαν ἄγοντες  
easily, and they led me on and brought me to the farmstead

**359** ἀνδρὸς ἐπισταμένου· ἔτι γάρ νύ μοι αἶσα βιῶναι.  
of a man who knows his work; for it is still my lot to live.
> It is my lot to live: Aisa is one's allotted portion or destiny; Odysseus closes his tale by claiming fate has not yet assigned him death.

**360** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα·  
Then in answer you spoke to him, Eumaeus the swineherd:
> Address to Eumaeus: Homer turns to address Eumaeus directly in the second person ('you spoke'), a recurring apostrophe that lends warmth to the loyal swineherd.

**361** ἆ δειλὲ ξείνων, ἦ μοι μάλα θυμὸν ὄρινας  
"Ah, most wretched of strangers, truly you have deeply stirred my heart

**362** ταῦτα ἕκαστα λέγων, ὅσα δὴ πάθες ἠδʼ ὅσʼ ἀλήθης.  
in telling each of these things, all that you suffered and all your wandering.

**363** ἀλλὰ τά γʼ οὐ κατὰ κόσμον ὀΐομαι, οὐδέ με πείσεις  
But this part is not, I think, in good order, and you will not persuade me
> Not in good order: Kata kosmon means 'properly,' 'fittingly'; Eumaeus judges the part of the tale about Odysseus to be out of order, that is, untrue.

**364** εἰπὼν ἀμφʼ Ὀδυσῆϊ· τί σε χρὴ τοῖον ἐόντα  
in what you say about Odysseus. Why must a man like you

**365** μαψιδίως ψεύδεσθαι; ἐγὼ δʼ εὖ οἶδα καὶ αὐτὸς  
lie so pointlessly? I myself know well

**366** νόστον ἐμοῖο ἄνακτος, ὅ τʼ ἤχθετο πᾶσι θεοῖσι  
the homecoming of my master, that he was hated by all the gods

**367** πάγχυ μάλʼ, ὅττι μιν οὔ τι μετὰ Τρώεσσι δάμασσαν  
utterly, since they did not bring him down among the Trojans

**368** ἠὲ φίλων ἐν χερσίν, ἐπεὶ πόλεμον τολύπευσε.  
or in the arms of his friends, once he had wound up the war.
> Wound up the war: The verb means literally to wind off a ball of wool; metaphorically, to bring a long task to its end. War is pictured as a thread spun out to completion.

**369** τῷ κέν οἱ τύμβον μὲν ἐποίησαν Παναχαιοί,  
Then all the Achaeans would have built him a tomb,

**370** ἠδέ κε καὶ ᾧ παιδὶ μέγα κλέος ἤρατʼ ὀπίσσω  
and for his son too he would have won great glory hereafter.
> Glory: Kleos is the fame that survives a hero in song; Eumaeus laments that Odysseus died gloriously at Troy would have passed on renown to Telemachus.

**371** νῦν δέ μιν ἀκλειῶς ἅρπυιαι ἀνηρείψαντο.  
But now without glory the storm-spirits have snatched him away.

**372** αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ παρʼ ὕεσσιν ἀπότροπος· οὐδὲ πόλινδε  
But I keep apart here with the swine, and I do not go

**373** ἔρχομαι, εἰ μή πού τι περίφρων Πηνελόπεια  
to the town, unless perhaps wise Penelope

**374** ἐλθέμεν ὀτρύνῃσιν, ὅτʼ ἀγγελίη ποθὲν ἔλθῃ.  
urges me to come, when some message arrives from somewhere.

**375** ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν τὰ ἕκαστα παρήμενοι ἐξερέουσιν,  
Then they sit beside the messenger and ask after each thing,

**376** ἠμὲν οἳ ἄχνυνται δὴν οἰχομένοιο ἄνακτος,  
both those who grieve for the master long gone,

**377** ἠδʼ οἳ χαίρουσιν βίοτον νήποινον ἔδοντες·  
and those who rejoice, eating up his livelihood unpunished.

**378** ἀλλʼ ἐμοὶ οὐ φίλον ἐστὶ μεταλλῆσαι καὶ ἐρέσθαι,  
But it is not dear to me to make inquiry and ask,

**379** ἐξ οὗ δή μʼ Αἰτωλὸς ἀνὴρ ἐξήπαφε μύθῳ,  
ever since an Aetolian man deceived me with his tale,

**380** ὅς ῥʼ ἄνδρα κτείνας, πολλὴν ἐπὶ γαῖαν ἀληθείς,  
who, having killed a man and wandered over much land,

**381** ἦλθεν ἐμὰ πρὸς δώματʼ· ἐγὼ δέ μιν ἀμφαγάπαζον.  
came to my dwelling; and I welcomed him warmly.

**382** φῆ δέ μιν ἐν Κρήτεσσι παρʼ Ἰδομενῆϊ ἰδέσθαι  
He said he had seen him among the Cretans, at Idomeneus' side,

**383** νῆας ἀκειόμενον, τάς οἱ ξυνέαξαν ἄελλαι·  
mending his ships, which the storms had shattered for him;

**384** καὶ φάτʼ ἐλεύσεσθαι ἢ ἐς θέρος ἢ ἐς ὀπώρην,  
and he said he would come either by summer or by harvest-time,

**385** πολλὰ χρήματʼ ἄγοντα, σὺν ἀντιθέοις ἑτάροισι.  
bringing much treasure, together with his godlike companions.

**386** καὶ σύ, γέρον πολυπενθές, ἐπεί σέ μοι ἤγαγε δαίμων,  
And you too, old man of many sorrows, since a god has brought you to me,

**387** μήτε τί μοι ψεύδεσσι χαρίζεο μήτε τι θέλγε·  
do not try to please me with lies, nor bewitch me;
> Bewitch me: Thelgo means to charm or enchant, often with words; Eumaeus warns against being beguiled by a flattering false story.

**388** οὐ γὰρ τοὔνεκʼ ἐγώ σʼ αἰδέσσομαι οὐδὲ φιλήσω,  
for it is not on that account that I will respect you or treat you kindly,

**389** ἀλλὰ Δία ξένιον δείσας αὐτόν τʼ ἐλεαίρων.  
but out of fear of Zeus the protector of strangers, and pity for you."

**390** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς  
Then in answer spoke to him Odysseus of many devices:
> Of many devices: Polymetis, 'of many counsels,' is a standing epithet of Odysseus marking his cunning intelligence. Such fixed epithets are a hallmark of Homeric style.

**391** ἦ μάλα τίς τοι θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἄπιστος,  
"Truly the heart in your breast is a very unbelieving one,

**392** οἷόν σʼ οὐδʼ ὀμόσας περ ἐπήγαγον οὐδέ σε πείθω.  
seeing that not even with an oath did I win you over or persuade you.

**393** ἀλλʼ ἄγε νῦν ῥήτρην ποιησόμεθʼ· αὐτὰρ ὄπισθε  
But come now, let us make a compact; and hereafter
> A compact: Rhetra is a spoken agreement or covenant. Odysseus proposes a formal bargain with the gods as witnesses.

**394** μάρτυροι ἀμφοτέροισι θεοί, τοὶ Ὄλυμπον ἔχουσιν.  
let the gods who hold Olympus be witnesses to us both.

**395** εἰ μέν κεν νοστήσῃ ἄναξ τεὸς ἐς τόδε δῶμα,  
If your master returns home to this house,
> Future condition: The subjunctive with the particle κεν (Attic ἄν) sets up an open future condition: 'if he should return.' Homer's mood marks the outcome as not yet settled.

**396** ἕσσας με χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε εἵματα πέμψαι  
clothe me in a cloak and tunic, good garments, and send me

**397** Δουλίχιόνδʼ ἰέναι, ὅθι μοι φίλον ἔπλετο θυμῷ·  
to go to Dulichium, where my heart longs to be.

**398** εἰ δέ κε μὴ ἔλθῃσιν ἄναξ τεὸς ὡς ἀγορεύω,  
But if your master does not come as I declare,

**399** δμῶας ἐπισσεύας βαλέειν μεγάλης κατὰ πέτρης,  
set your slaves on me and throw me from a great cliff,

**400** ὄφρα καὶ ἄλλος πτωχὸς ἀλεύεται ἠπεροπεύειν.  
so that another beggar too may shrink from deceiving."

**401** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσεφώνεε δῖος ὑφορβός·  
Then in answer the noble swineherd addressed him:

**402** ξεῖνʼ, οὕτω γάρ κέν μοι ἐϋκλείη τʼ ἀρετή τε  
"Stranger, in that way I would have fair fame and virtue
> Virtue, excellence: Arete is a man's excellence or worth in the eyes of others. Eumaeus says, with bitter irony, that murdering his guest would hardly earn him honor.

**403** εἴη ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπους ἅμα τʼ αὐτίκα καὶ μετέπειτα,  
among men, both at once and afterward,

**404** ὅς σʼ ἐπεὶ ἐς κλισίην ἄγαγον καὶ ξείνια δῶκα,  
I who, after I led you to my hut and gave you guest-gifts,

**405** αὖτις δὲ κτείναιμι φίλον τʼ ἀπὸ θυμὸν ἑλοίμην·  
should then kill you and take away your dear life.

**406** πρόφρων κεν δὴ ἔπειτα Δία Κρονίωνα λιτοίμην.  
With a ready heart I would pray to Zeus the son of Cronus after that!
> Ironic optative: The optative λιτοίμην ('I would pray') is bitterly ironic: a man with such guilt could hardly approach the gods with a clear conscience.

**407** νῦν δʼ ὥρη δόρποιο· τάχιστά μοι ἔνδον ἑταῖροι  
But now it is the hour for supper. May my companions soon

**408** εἶεν, ἵνʼ ἐν κλισίῃ λαρὸν τετυκοίμεθα δόρπον.  
be inside, so that we may prepare a tasty supper in the hut."

**409** ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον,  
So they spoke such things to one another,

**410** ἀγχίμολον δὲ σύες τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἦλθον ὑφορβοί.  
and near at hand came the swine and the swineherd men.

**411** τὰς μὲν ἄρα ἔρξαν κατὰ ἤθεα κοιμηθῆναι,  
These they then penned to sleep in their accustomed quarters,

**412** κλαγγὴ δʼ ἄσπετος ὦρτο συῶν αὐλιζομενάων  
and an unspeakable clamor arose from the swine being shut in their pens.

**413** αὐτὰρ ὁ οἷς ἑτάροισιν ἐκέκλετο δῖος ὑφορβός·  
Then the noble swineherd called out to his companions:

**414** ἄξεθʼ ὑῶν τὸν ἄριστον, ἵνα ξείνῳ ἱερεύσω  
"Bring the best of the boars, so that I may sacrifice it for the stranger

**415** τηλεδαπῷ· πρὸς δʼ αὐτοὶ ὀνησόμεθʼ, οἵ περ ὀϊζὺν  
from a far land; and we ourselves will profit, we who endure misery

**416** δὴν ἔχομεν πάσχοντες ὑῶν ἕνεκʼ ἀργιοδόντων·  
long, suffering for the sake of the white-tusked swine,

**417** ἄλλοι δʼ ἡμέτερον κάματον νήποινον ἔδουσιν.  
while others eat up our labor unpunished."

**418** ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας κέασε ξύλα νηλέϊ χαλκῷ,  
So speaking he split wood with the pitiless bronze,

**419** οἱ δʼ ὗν εἰσῆγον μάλα πίονα πενταέτηρον.  
and the others led in a very fat boar, five years old.

**420** τὸν μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἔστησαν ἐπʼ ἐσχάρῃ· οὐδὲ συβώτης  
Then they set it by the hearth; and the swineherd did not

**421** λήθετʼ ἄρʼ ἀθανάτων· φρεσὶ γὰρ κέχρητʼ ἀγαθῇσιν·  
forget the immortals, for he was endowed with a good mind.

**422** ἀλλʼ ὅγʼ ἀπαρχόμενος κεφαλῆς τρίχας ἐν πυρὶ βάλλεν  
As his first offering he threw into the fire bristles from the head

**423** ἀργιόδοντος ὑός, καὶ ἐπεύχετο πᾶσι θεοῖσιν  
of the white-tusked boar, and prayed to all the gods

**424** νοστῆσαι Ὀδυσῆα πολύφρονα ὅνδε δόμονδε.  
that Odysseus of many counsels might return to his own home.

**425** κόψε δʼ ἀνασχόμενος σχίζῃ δρυός, ἣν λίπε κείων·  
He struck it, raising up an oak billet that he had left aside when splitting wood;

**426** τὸν δʼ ἔλιπε ψυχή. τοὶ δʼ ἔσφαξάν τε καὶ εὗσαν·  
and the life left it. Then they slaughtered it and singed it,
> The life left it: Psyche here is the life-breath that departs at death; in Homer it survives as a shade in Hades but holds no consciousness.

**427** αἶψα δέ μιν διέχευαν· ὁ δʼ ὠμοθετεῖτο συβώτης,  
and quickly cut it up. The swineherd laid out the raw pieces,

**428** πάντων ἀρχόμενος μελέων, ἐς πίονα δημόν,  
beginning with bits from all the limbs, upon the rich fat,

**429** καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐν πυρὶ βάλλε, παλύνας ἀλφίτου ἀκτῇ,  
and these he threw into the fire, sprinkling them with barley meal,

**430** μίστυλλόν τʼ ἄρα τἆλλα καὶ ἀμφʼ ὀβελοῖσιν ἔπειραν,  
and the rest they cut up and pierced on spits,

**431** ὤπτησάν τε περιφραδέως ἐρύσαντό τε πάντα,  
and roasted it carefully and drew it all off,

**432** βάλλον δʼ εἰν ἐλεοῖσιν ἀολλέα· ἂν δὲ συβώτης  
and threw it heaped together on the platters. Then the swineherd

**433** ἵστατο δαιτρεύσων· περὶ γὰρ φρεσὶν αἴσιμα ᾔδη.  
stood up to carve, for in his heart he knew what was fitting.

**434** καὶ τὰ μὲν ἕπταχα πάντα διεμοιρᾶτο δαΐζων·  
And he divided it all into seven portions, cutting it up:

**435** τὴν μὲν ἴαν νύμφῃσι καὶ Ἑρμῇ, Μαιάδος υἱεῖ,  
one he set aside for the nymphs and for Hermes, son of Maia,

**436** θῆκεν ἐπευξάμενος, τὰς δʼ ἄλλας νεῖμεν ἑκάστῳ·  
with a prayer, and the others he dealt out to each man.

**437** νώτοισιν δʼ Ὀδυσῆα διηνεκέεσσι γέραιρεν  
But he honored Odysseus with the long cuts of the chine

**438** ἀργιόδοντος ὑός, κύδαινε δὲ θυμὸν ἄνακτος·  
of the white-tusked boar, and gladdened the heart of his master.

**439** καί μιν φωνήσας προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·  
And speaking to him, Odysseus of many devices said:

**440** αἴθʼ οὕτως, Εὔμαιε, φίλος Διὶ πατρὶ γένοιο  
"May you become as dear to father Zeus, Eumaeus,
> Optative of wish: The optative γένοιο ('may you become') voices a wish or prayer. Homer often opens blessings and curses with this mood.

**441** ὡς ἐμοί, ὅττι τε τοῖον ἐόντʼ ἀγαθοῖσι γεραίρεις.  
as you do for me, honoring one in my state with the best portions."

**442** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα·  
And you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:
> Address in the second person: Homer turns to address Eumaeus directly with 'you said' (second-person), a rare apostrophe used repeatedly for this loyal servant. The verb is imperfect, marking the act of speaking.

**443** ἔσθιε, δαιμόνιε ξείνων, καὶ τέρπεο τοῖσδε,  
"Eat, my strange guest, and take your pleasure in such things
> daimonie: A warm but startled form of address, literally 'driven by a daimon.' Here it conveys friendly wonder, roughly 'good sir' or 'my strange friend.'

**444** οἷα πάρεστι· θεὸς δὲ τὸ μὲν δώσει, τὸ δʼ ἐάσει,  
as are at hand. A god will give one thing and withhold another,

**445** ὅττι κεν ᾧ θυμῷ ἐθέλῃ· δύναται γὰρ ἅπαντα.  
whatever he wishes in his heart; for he can do all things."

**446** ἦ ῥα καὶ ἄργματα θῦσε θεοῖς αἰειγενέτῃσι,  
He spoke, and burned the first cuttings as offering to the gods who live forever,

**447** σπείσας δʼ αἴθοπα οἶνον Ὀδυσσῆϊ πτολιπόρθῳ  
and after pouring a libation of gleaming wine, into the hands of Odysseus the sacker of cities
> Epithet 'sacker of cities': A standing formulaic epithet for Odysseus, in the dative here to agree with him as recipient. The poet uses it even while Odysseus sits disguised as a beggar.

**448** ἐν χείρεσσιν ἔθηκεν· ὁ δʼ ἕζετο ᾗ παρὰ μοίρῃ.  
he placed it; and Odysseus sat down by his own portion.

**449** σῖτον δέ σφιν ἔνειμε Μεσαύλιος, ὅν ῥα συβώτης  
Mesaulius dealt out the bread to them, a man whom the swineherd

**450** αὐτὸς κτήσατο οἶος ἀποιχομένοιο ἄνακτος,  
had himself acquired, alone, while his master was away,

**451** νόσφιν δεσποίνης καὶ Λαέρταο γέροντος·  
apart from his mistress and the old man Laertes;

**452** πὰρ δʼ ἄρα μιν Ταφίων πρίατο κτεάτεσσιν ἑοῖσιν.  
he had bought him from the Taphians with his own possessions.

**453** οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον.  
They reached out their hands to the good things spread ready before them.
> Formulaic meal-line: This whole line is a fixed formula repeated throughout Homer for the start of a meal. The verb is imperfect, picturing the ongoing reaching for food.

**454** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος ἐξ ἔρον ἕντο,  
But when they had put away their desire for drink and food,
> Idiom 'put away desire': A recurring Homeric formula meaning 'they had had their fill,' literally 'they sent the desire out from themselves.' It closes nearly every meal scene.

**455** σῖτον μέν σφιν ἀφεῖλε Μεσαύλιος, οἱ δʼ ἐπὶ κοῖτον  
Mesaulius cleared away the bread from them, and they hurried to bed

**456** σίτου καὶ κρειῶν κεκορημένοι ἐσσεύοντο.  
sated with bread and meat.

**457** νὺξ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπῆλθε κακὴ σκοτομήνιος, ὗε δʼ ἄρα
                  Ζεὺς  
Then a foul night came on, moonless and black, and Zeus rained
> Moonless dark: A vivid compound meaning 'with a dark, moonless night.' It sets the scene for the cold that motivates Odysseus' tale about needing a cloak.

**458** πάννυχος, αὐτὰρ ἄη Ζέφυρος μέγας αἰὲν ἔφυδρος.  
all night long, and a great West Wind blew, ever bringing wet.

**459** τοῖς δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς μετέειπε, συβώτεω πειρητίζων,  
Among them Odysseus spoke, making trial of the swineherd,
> Making trial: Odysseus is 'testing' Eumaeus, a key theme of the book: he probes others' character indirectly rather than asking outright. The present participle marks the ongoing testing.

**460** εἴ πώς οἱ ἐκδὺς χλαῖναν πόροι, ἤ τινʼ ἑταίρων  
to see whether he would strip off his cloak and give it, or rouse one of his companions

**461** ἄλλον ἐποτρύνειεν, ἐπεί ἑο κήδετο λίην·  
to do it, since he cared for him so greatly.

**462** κέκλυθι νῦν, Εὔμαιε καὶ ἄλλοι πάντες
                     ἑταῖροι,  
"Hear me now, Eumaeus, and all you other companions:

**463** εὐξάμενός τι ἔπος ἐρέω· οἶνος γὰρ ἀνώγει  
I will speak a word with a boast in it; for the wine commands me,

**464** ἠλεός, ὅς τʼ ἐφέηκε πολύφρονά περ μάλʼ ἀεῖσαι  
the bewildering wine, which sets even a very prudent man to singing
> Wine that fools: The adjective means 'crazing, bewildering.' Odysseus blames the wine for loosening his tongue, a graceful cover for the deliberate story he is about to tell.

**465** καί θʼ ἁπαλὸν γελάσαι, καί τʼ ὀρχήσασθαι ἀνῆκε,  
and to laughing softly, and stirs him up to dance,

**466** καί τι ἔπος προέηκεν ὅ περ τʼ ἄρρητον ἄμεινον.  
and lets slip a word that had been better left unsaid.

**467** ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ πρῶτον ἀνέκραγον, οὐκ ἐπικεύσω.  
But since I have once cried out, I will not hold it back.

**468** εἴθʼ ὣς ἡβώοιμι βίη τέ μοι ἔμπεδος εἴη,  
Would that I were young again, and my strength were firm,
> biê — bodily strength: biê denotes raw physical force or might. Odysseus' wish 'if only my biê were firm' frames the whole reminiscence of the ambush at Troy.

**469** ὡς ὅθʼ ὑπὸ Τροίην λόχον ἤγομεν ἀρτύναντες.  
as when we set and led an ambush beneath the walls of Troy.

**470** ἡγείσθην δʼ Ὀδυσεύς τε καὶ Ἀτρεΐδης Μενέλαος,  
Odysseus and Menelaus son of Atreus were the leaders,

**471** τοῖσι δʼ ἅμα τρίτος ἄρχον ἐγών· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἄνωγον.  
and along with them I was a third in command; for they themselves bade me.

**472** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή ῥʼ ἱκόμεσθα ποτὶ πτόλιν αἰπύ τε τεῖχος,  
But when we had come up to the city and its steep wall,

**473** ἡμεῖς μὲν περὶ ἄστυ κατὰ ῥωπήϊα πυκνά,  
we, in the dense thickets around the town,

**474** ἂν δόνακας καὶ ἕλος, ὑπὸ τεύχεσι πεπτηῶτες  
among the reeds and the marsh, crouched low beneath our armor,

**475** κείμεθα. νὺξ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπῆλθε κακὴ Βορέαο πεσόντος,  
and lay there. Night came on foul, when the North Wind dropped,

**476** πηγυλίς· αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε χιὼν γένετʼ ἠΰτε πάχνη,  
freezing; and snow fell from above like hoarfrost,

**477** ψυχρή, καὶ σακέεσσι περιτρέφετο κρύσταλλος.  
cold, and ice crusted over upon our shields.

**478** ἔνθʼ ἄλλοι πάντες χλαίνας ἔχον ἠδὲ χιτῶνας,  
There all the others had cloaks and tunics,

**479** εὗδον δʼ εὔκηλοι, σάκεσιν εἰλυμένοι ὤμους·  
and slept untroubled, their shoulders wrapped in their shields;

**480** αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ χλαῖναν μὲν ἰὼν ἑτάροισιν ἔλειπον  
but I, setting out, had left my cloak behind with my companions

**481** ἀφραδίῃς, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐφάμην ῥιγωσέμεν ἔμπης,  
in my folly, since I did not think I would be cold at all,
> In thoughtlessness: A dative of cause, 'through thoughtlessness.' The detail sets up the clever ruse by which Odysseus will get a cloak.

**482** ἀλλʼ ἑπόμην σάκος οἶον ἔχων καὶ ζῶμα φαεινόν.  
but had come with only my shield and a shining war-belt.

**483** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τρίχα νυκτὸς ἔην, μετὰ δʼ ἄστρα βεβήκει,  
But when it was the third watch of the night, and the stars had moved past,

**484** καὶ τότʼ ἐγὼν Ὀδυσῆα προσηύδων ἐγγὺς ἐόντα  
then I spoke to Odysseus, who was close beside me,

**485** ἀγκῶνι νύξας· ὁ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐμμαπέως ὑπάκουσε·  
nudging him with my elbow; and he at once gave ear:

**486** διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη, πολυμήχανʼ Ὀδυσσεῦ,  
'Zeus-born son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,
> Full address-formula in the vocative: This whole line is the standard vocative formula used to hail Odysseus. Every name and epithet is in the vocative case of direct address.

**487** οὔ τοι ἔτι ζωοῖσι μετέσσομαι, ἀλλά με χεῖμα  
I shall no longer be among the living, for the winter cold

**488** δάμναται· οὐ γὰρ ἔχω χλαῖναν· παρά μʼ ἤπαφε δαίμων  
is killing me; for I have no cloak. Some god beguiled me
> daimon — a god's hand: The speaker blames an unnamed divine power for his oversight, a typical Homeric way of attributing misfortune or impulse to a daimon.

**489** οἰοχίτωνʼ ἔμεναι· νῦν δʼ οὐκέτι φυκτὰ πέλονται.  
into coming with only my tunic; and now there is no escape.'

**490** ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δʼ ἔπειτα νόον σχέθε τόνδʼ ἐνὶ
                     θυμῷ,  
So I spoke, and he then formed this plan in his heart,
> noos — a plan: noos here means the device or scheme Odysseus conceives. The line praises his unmatched skill at both planning and fighting.

**491** οἷος κεῖνος ἔην βουλευέμεν ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι·  
such was that man at devising counsel and at fighting;

**492** φθεγξάμενος δʼ ὀλίγῃ ὀπί με πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε·  
and speaking with a low voice he said to me:

**493** σίγα νῦν, μή τίς σευ Ἀχαιῶν ἄλλος ἀκούσῃ.  
'Be quiet now, lest some other of the Achaeans hear you.'
> Negative purpose clause: The clause with mê plus the subjunctive expresses fear or purpose: 'lest someone hear.' This is the standard Greek construction after a command of caution.

**494** ἦ καὶ ἐπʼ ἀγκῶνος κεφαλὴν σχέθεν εἶπέ τε
                     μῦθον·  
He spoke, and raised his head on his elbow, and said his word:

**495** κλῦτε, φίλοι· θεῖός μοι ἐνύπνιον ἦλθεν ὄνειρος.  
'Hear me, friends: a divine dream came to me in my sleep.

**496** λίην γὰρ νηῶν ἑκὰς ἤλθομεν· ἀλλά τις εἴη  
We have come too far from the ships; let someone go

**497** εἰπεῖν Ἀτρεΐδῃ Ἀγαμέμνονι, ποιμένι λαῶν,  
to tell Agamemnon son of Atreus, shepherd of the people,
> Epithet 'shepherd of the people': A formulaic epithet for kings, here for Agamemnon, in the dative agreeing with him. It casts the leader as guardian of his army.

**498** εἰ πλέονας παρὰ ναῦφιν ἐποτρύνειε νέεσθαι.  
whether he might urge more men to come up from the ships.'

**499** ὣς ἔφατʼ, ὦρτο δʼ ἔπειτα Θόας, Ἀνδραίμονος
                     υἱός,  
So he spoke, and then Thoas son of Andraemon sprang up

**500** καρπαλίμως, ἀπὸ δὲ χλαῖναν θέτο φοινικόεσσαν,  
quickly, and threw off his crimson cloak,

**501** βῆ δὲ θέειν ἐπὶ νῆας· ἐγὼ δʼ ἐνὶ εἵματι κείνου  
and set off running to the ships; and I in his garment

**502** κείμην ἀσπασίως, φάε δὲ χρυσόθρονος Ἠώς.  
lay gladly, and golden-throned Dawn appeared.
> Epithet 'golden-throned Dawn': A recurring formulaic epithet for Dawn (Eos). Homer marks the coming of day with such fixed epithet-phrases.

**503** ὣς νῦν ἡβώοιμι βίη τέ μοι ἔμπεδος εἴη·  
Would that I were young again, and my strength were firm:

**504** δοίη κέν τις χλαῖναν ἐνὶ σταθμοῖσι συφορβῶν,  
then someone in the swineherds' steadings would give me a cloak,

**505** ἀμφότερον, φιλότητι καὶ αἰδοῖ φωτὸς ἑῆος·  
for both reasons — out of friendship and respect for a worthy man;
> aidôs — respect: aidôs is the sense of honor and respect owed to others. Here Odysseus hints that a brave man deserves such regard, angling for a cloak.

**506** νῦν δέ μʼ ἀτιμάζουσι κακὰ χροῒ εἵματʼ ἔχοντα.  
but as it is they slight me, since I wear poor rags on my body."

**507** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα·  
And you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:

**508** ὦ γέρον, αἶνος μέν τοι ἀμύμων, ὃν κατέλεξας,  
"Old man, the tale you have told is faultless,
> ainos — a pointed tale: An ainos is a story told with a hidden purpose or moral. Eumaeus sees through to the request behind the story and good-naturedly grants it.

**509** οὐδέ τί πω παρὰ μοῖραν ἔπος νηκερδὲς ἔειπες·  
nor have you yet spoken any word amiss or without point;

**510** τῷ οὔτʼ ἐσθῆτος δευήσεαι οὔτε τευ ἄλλου,  
so you shall lack neither clothing nor anything else

**511** ὧν ἐπέοιχʼ ἱκέτην ταλαπείριον ἀντιάσαντα,  
that befits a sore-tried suppliant who has come to meet us,

**512** νῦν· ἀτὰρ ἠῶθέν γε τὰ σὰ ῥάκεα δνοπαλίξεις.  
for now; but in the morning you will have to shake out your own rags again.

**513** οὐ γὰρ πολλαὶ χλαῖναι ἐπημοιβοί τε χιτῶνες  
For there are not many cloaks or changes of tunics

**514** ἐνθάδε ἕννυσθαι, μία δʼ οἴη φωτὶ ἑκάστῳ.  
to put on here, but only a single one for each man.

**515** αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν ἔλθῃσιν Ὀδυσσῆος φίλος υἱός,  
But when the dear son of Odysseus comes,

**516** αὐτός τοι χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε εἵματα δώσει,  
he himself will give you a cloak and a tunic to wear,

**517** πέμψει δʼ ὅππῃ σε κραδίη θυμός τε κελεύει.  
and will send you wherever your heart and spirit bid."

**518** ὣς εἰπὼν ἀνόρουσε, τίθει δʼ ἄρα οἱ πυρὸς ἐγγὺς  
So speaking he sprang up and set a bed for him near the fire,

**519** εὐνήν, ἐν δʼ ὀΐων τε καὶ αἰγῶν δέρματʼ ἔβαλλεν.  
and threw over it the skins of sheep and goats.

**520** ἔνθʼ Ὀδυσεὺς κατέλεκτʼ· ἐπὶ δὲ χλαῖναν βάλεν αὐτῷ  
There Odysseus lay down; and over him he cast a cloak,

**521** πυκνὴν καὶ μεγάλην, ἥ οἱ παρεκέσκετʼ ἀμοιβάς,  
thick and large, which lay by him as a spare,

**522** ἕννυσθαι ὅτε τις χειμὼν ἔκπαγλος ὄροιτο.  
to put on whenever a terrible storm should arise.

**523** ὣς ὁ μὲν ἔνθʼ Ὀδυσεὺς κοιμήσατο, τοὶ δὲ παρʼ
                  αὐτὸν  
So there Odysseus slept, and beside him

**524** ἄνδρες κοιμήσαντο νεηνίαι· οὐδὲ συβώτῃ  
the young men slept; but it did not please the swineherd

**525** ἥνδανεν αὐτόθι κοῖτος, ὑῶν ἄπο κοιμηθῆναι,  
to make his bed there, sleeping away from his swine,

**526** ἀλλʼ ὅ γʼ ἄρʼ ἔξω ἰὼν ὡπλίζετο· χαῖρε δʼ Ὀδυσσεύς,  
but he went outside and armed himself; and Odysseus rejoiced

**527** ὅττι ῥά οἱ βιότου περικήδετο νόσφιν ἐόντος.  
that he cared so much for his master's livelihood while he was away.
> biotos — livelihood, property: biotos means both 'life' and the means of life — here Odysseus' estate. Eumaeus' care for it, even in his master's absence, gladdens the disguised king.

**528** πρῶτον μὲν ξίφος ὀξὺ περὶ στιβαροῖς βάλετʼ ὤμοις,  
First he slung a sharp sword about his sturdy shoulders,

**529** ἀμφὶ δὲ χλαῖναν ἑέσσατʼ ἀλεξάνεμον, μάλα πυκνήν,  
and wrapped around himself a thick cloak to keep off the wind,

**530** ἂν δὲ νάκην ἕλετʼ αἰγὸς ἐϋτρεφέος μεγάλοιο,  
and took up the fleece of a great well-fed goat,

**531** εἵλετο δʼ ὀξὺν ἄκοντα, κυνῶν ἀλκτῆρα καὶ ἀνδρῶν.  
and chose a sharp javelin, a defense against dogs and men.

**532** βῆ δʼ ἴμεναι κείων ὅθι περ σύες ἀργιόδοντες  
Then he went off to lie down where the white-tusked swine
> Epithet 'white-tusked': A formulaic epithet for swine, literally 'with gleaming teeth.' Such fixed adjectives attach even to the herd animals of the poem.

**533** πέτρῃ ὕπο γλαφυρῇ εὗδον, Βορέω ὑπʼ ἰωγῇ.  
slept under a hollow rock, sheltered from the North Wind.

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Source text: public domain (Homer, ancient; Greek per the Murray/Allen text via the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 3.0). English translation: © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC — original line-aligned draft, pending editorial review. Word-by-word morphology and syntax derived from the Perseus Ancient Greek Dependency Treebank (CC BY-SA 3.0); English glosses and notes © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.