The Odyssey 1732 Studios

Ancient Greek · The Homecoming

Ὀδυσσείας χ

Book 22. The Slaying of the Suitors

Odysseus shoots Antinous and names himself. With Telemachus, the swineherd and the cowherd he kills every suitor in the hall.

501 lines · 78 notes

Tap a line to open its words. The mark beside it plays it.

  1. 1

    Then resourceful Odysseus stripped off his rags,

    Metre

    αὐτὰρbut, thenἀτάρ · particlesentence particle
    ὁheὁ · nominative singular masculine pronounsubject
    γυμνώθηwas strippedγυμνόω · aorist passive indicative, 3rd singular verbmain verb

    Aorist passive: the rags were stripped off him, not by him — sets up the reveal.

    ῥακέωνof his ragsῥάκος · genitive plural neuter nounobject of γυμνώθη
    πολύμητιςresourcefulπολύμητις · nominative singular masculine nounmodifies Ὀδυσσεύς

    Stock Homeric epithet for Odysseus, 'of many wiles.'

    ὈδυσσεύςOdysseusὈδυσσεύς · nominative singular masculine nounsubject
  2. 2

    and leapt onto the great threshold, holding the bow and quiver

  3. 3

    full of arrows, and poured out the swift shafts

  4. 4

    there before his feet, and spoke among the suitors:

  5. 5

    "This harmless contest, now, has been brought to its end.

  6. 6

    Now I will aim at another mark, one no man has yet struck,

  7. 7

    to see if I can hit it, and Apollo grant me the glory."

  8. 8

    He spoke, and aimed a bitter arrow at Antinous.

  9. 9

    Now Antinous was just about to lift a fine goblet,

  10. 10

    gold, with two handles, and was already turning it in his hands

  11. 11

    to drink the wine; and death was not in his heart's

  12. 12

    concern. Who would imagine that among men at a feast

  13. 13

    one man, alone among many, however strong he might be,

  14. 14

    would deal him evil death and a black doom?

  15. 15

    Odysseus took aim and struck him in the throat with the arrow,

  16. 16

    and the point passed straight through his tender neck.

  17. 17

    He slumped to one side, and the cup fell from his hand

  18. 18

    as he was hit, and at once a thick jet rose up through his nostrils

  19. 19

    of human blood; and swiftly he shoved the table from him

  20. 20

    with a kick of his foot, and spilled the food onto the ground;

  21. 21

    the bread and roasted meats were fouled. And they cried out,

  22. 22

    the suitors throughout the hall, when they saw the man fall,

  23. 23

    and they sprang up from their chairs, in turmoil through the hall,

  24. 24

    peering everywhere along the well-built walls;

  25. 25

    but nowhere was there a shield or a sturdy spear to seize.

  26. 26

    And they reviled Odysseus with angry words:

  27. 27

    "Stranger, you shoot at men to your cost! No more contests

  28. 28

    will you take part in. Now sheer destruction is certain for you.

  29. 29

    For now you have killed the man who was far the best

  30. 30

    of the young men in Ithaca; therefore the vultures shall eat you here."

  31. 31

    So each man supposed, since indeed they thought that against his will

  32. 32

    he had killed the man; the fools did not perceive this,

  33. 33

    that over them all alike the cords of destruction had been fastened.

  34. 34

    Then, glaring at them from under his brows, resourceful Odysseus spoke:

  35. 35

    "You dogs! You kept saying I would never come home again

  36. 36

    from the land of the Trojans, since you were plundering my house,

  37. 37

    and you lay by force with the serving women,

  38. 38

    and while I yet lived you secretly wooed my wife,

  39. 39

    fearing neither the gods who hold the wide heaven,

  40. 40

    nor that any retribution from men would come hereafter.

  41. 41

    Now over you, one and all, the cords of destruction are fastened."

  42. 42

    So he spoke, and pale fear seized them all;

  43. 43

    and each man looked about where he might flee from sheer destruction.

  44. 44

    Eurymachus alone answered him and said:

  45. 45

    "If you really are Odysseus of Ithaca, returned at last,

  46. 46

    you have spoken justly of all the things the Achaeans kept doing,

  47. 47

    many reckless deeds in the halls, and many in the country.

  48. 48

    But he already lies dead who was to blame for it all,

  49. 49

    Antinous; for he was the one who set these deeds in motion,

  50. 50

    not so much craving or longing for the marriage,

  51. 51

    but with other designs, which the son of Cronos did not bring about for him:

  52. 52

    that throughout the land of well-built Ithaca he himself might be king,

  53. 53

    and might kill your son by lying in wait for him.

  54. 54

    Now he has been slain in his fated turn; but spare your people,

  55. 55

    your own; and afterward we will make amends throughout the land:

  56. 56

    for all that has been drunk and eaten in your halls,

  57. 57

    each man bringing recompense worth twenty oxen,

  58. 58

    we will pay you back in bronze and gold, until your heart

  59. 59

    is warmed; before that, no one could blame you for being angry."

  60. 60

    Then, glaring at him from under his brows, resourceful Odysseus spoke:

  61. 61

    "Eurymachus, not even if you gave me back all your fathers' wealth,

  62. 62

    all that is yours now and whatever else you might add from elsewhere,

  63. 63

    not even so would I hold my hands back from slaughter

  64. 64

    until the suitors have paid for all their transgression.

  65. 65

    Now it lies before you, either to fight me face to face,

  66. 66

    or to flee, whoever might escape death and his doom;

  67. 67

    but I think not one of you will escape sheer destruction."

  68. 68

    So he spoke, and their knees gave way where they stood, and their hearts.

  69. 69

    And Eurymachus addressed them a second time again:

  70. 70

    "Friends! This man will not hold back his invincible hands,

  71. 71

    but now that he has gotten the polished bow and the quiver,

  72. 72

    from the smooth threshold he will keep shooting, until all

  73. 73

    of us he has killed. So let us think of battle!

  74. 74

    Draw your swords and hold up the tables against

  75. 75

    the swift-killing arrows; and let us all rush at him

  76. 76

    together, in case we can drive him from the threshold and the doors,

  77. 77

    and get out into the town, and a cry be raised at once;

  78. 78

    then soon this man would have shot for the last time."

  79. 79

    So having spoken, he drew his sharp sword,

  80. 80

    of bronze, whetted on both edges, and sprang at him

  81. 81

    with a terrible cry; but at that same moment noble Odysseus

  82. 82

    let fly an arrow and struck him in the chest beside the nipple,

  83. 83

    and fixed the swift shaft in his liver; and from his hand

  84. 84

    the sword fell to the ground, and reeling over the table

  85. 85

    he crumpled, doubled up, and spilled the food onto the floor

  86. 86

    and the two-handled cup; and he beat the ground with his forehead

  87. 87

    in his heart's anguish, and with both his feet he kicked the chair

  88. 88

    and made it shake; and over his eyes a mist was poured.

  89. 89

    Then Amphinomus made for glorious Odysseus,

  90. 90

    charging straight at him, and had drawn his sharp sword,

  91. 91

    in hope that he might give way from the doors. But Telemachus was first,

  92. 92

    striking him from behind with his bronze-tipped spear

  93. 93

    between the shoulders, and drove it through his chest;

  94. 94

    and he fell with a thud, and struck the ground with his whole forehead.

  95. 95

    Then Telemachus sprang back, leaving the long-shadowed spear

  96. 96

    there in Amphinomus; for he greatly feared lest one of the Achaeans,

  97. 97

    while he was drawing out the long-shadowed spear, might lunge

  98. 98

    at him with a sword, or strike him as he bent forward.

  99. 99

    So he set off running, and very quickly reached his dear father,

  100. 100

    and standing close beside him spoke winged words:

  101. 101

    "Father, now I will bring you a shield and two spears

  102. 102

    and a helmet all of bronze, fitted to the temples,

  103. 103

    and I will arm myself as I go, and will give to the swineherd

  104. 104

    and to the herdsman other arms; for it is better to be armed."

  105. 105

    Then in answer resourceful Odysseus spoke to him:

  106. 106

    "Run and bring them, while I have arrows to defend myself,

  107. 107

    lest they drive me from the doors while I am alone."

  108. 108

    So he spoke, and Telemachus obeyed his dear father,

  109. 109

    and went off to the storeroom, where the splendid arms lay.

  110. 110

    From there he took out four shields, and eight spears,

  111. 111

    and four bronze-fitted helmets thick with horsehair plumes.

  112. 112

    He came back carrying them, and quickly reached his dear father,

  113. 113

    and first of all he himself clothed his body in bronze;

  114. 114

    and likewise the two servants put on the fine armor,

  115. 115

    and took their stand around Odysseus, skilled in war and shifting in cunning.

  116. 116

    But as for him, while he still had arrows to defend himself,

  117. 117

    so long he kept striking down the suitors, ever one by one in his own house,

  118. 118

    taking aim; and they fell in heaps, one upon another.

  119. 119

    But when the arrows failed the lord as he shot,

  120. 120

    he leaned his bow against the doorpost of the well-built hall,

  121. 121

    to stand there, against the shining wall,

  122. 122

    and over his shoulders he set a shield of four hides,

  123. 123

    and on his mighty head he placed a well-wrought helmet

  124. 124

    with a horsehair crest, and the plume nodded terribly above it;

  125. 125

    and he took up two strong spears tipped with bronze.

  126. 126

    Now there was a postern in the well-built wall,

  127. 127

    and at the very edge, beside the threshold of the well-built hall,

  128. 128

    was a way into a passage, and close-fitted boards held it shut.

  129. 129

    Odysseus ordered the noble swineherd to watch this door,

  130. 130

    standing close beside it; for there was only the one approach to it.

  131. 131

    Then Agelaos spoke among them, making his word plain to all:

  132. 132

    "Friends, will no one go up through the postern

  133. 133

    and tell the people, so a cry might quickly be raised?

  134. 134

    Then this man would soon shoot his bow for the last time."

  135. 135

    But Melanthios, the goatherd, answered him in turn:

  136. 136

    "It cannot be done, Agelaos, nurtured by Zeus; for terribly near

  137. 137

    are the fair gates of the courtyard, and the mouth of the passage is hard to pass;

  138. 138

    one man could hold off them all, if he were brave.

  139. 139

    But come, let me bring you armor to arm yourselves,

  140. 140

    out of the store room; for inside, I think, and nowhere else,

  141. 141

    did Odysseus and his glorious son lay up the armor."

  142. 142

    So saying, Melanthios the goatherd climbed up

  143. 143

    to the store rooms of Odysseus by the vents of the hall.

  144. 144

    From there he took out twelve shields, and as many spears,

  145. 145

    and as many bronze-fitted helmets thick with horsehair plumes;

  146. 146

    and he went off and very quickly carried them and gave them to the suitors.

  147. 147

    And then Odysseus' knees and his own heart gave way,

  148. 148

    when he saw them putting on the armor and in their hands the spears,

  149. 149

    brandishing the long shafts; and the task loomed great before him.

  150. 150

    At once he spoke winged words to Telemachus:

  151. 151

    "Telemachus, surely one of the women in the halls

  152. 152

    is stirring up this cruel fight against the two of us, or it is Melanthios."

  153. 153

    Then wise Telemachus answered him in turn:

  154. 154

    "Father, it was I myself who erred in this—no one else

  155. 155

    is to blame—I who left the close-fitted door of the store room

  156. 156

    open, swinging it back; and their lookout was the keener.

  157. 157

    But go, noble Eumaeus, set the door of the store room to,

  158. 158

    and find out whether it is one of the women who does this,

  159. 159

    or Melanthios, the son of Dolios, as I suspect."

  160. 160

    Thus they spoke to each other of such things,

  161. 161

    while Melanthios the goatherd went back again to the store room

  162. 162

    to fetch fine armor. But the noble swineherd noticed him,

  163. 163

    and at once spoke to Odysseus, who was near him:

  164. 164

    "Zeus-born son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,

  165. 165

    that ruinous man, the one we suspected ourselves,

  166. 166

    is going to the store room. So tell me truly:

  167. 167

    shall I kill him, if I prove the stronger,

  168. 168

    or shall I bring him here to you, so he may pay for his outrages,

  169. 169

    the many he has plotted here in your house?"

  170. 170

    Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:

  171. 171

    "I and Telemachus will hold the lordly suitors

  172. 172

    inside the hall, however fierce their fury.

  173. 173

    But you two, twist his feet and his hands behind him,

  174. 174

    throw him into the store room, and tie the boards shut behind him,

  175. 175

    and fasten a braided rope to him,

  176. 176

    and haul him up a tall pillar and bring him close to the rafters,

  177. 177

    so that, alive for a long time, he may suffer grievous pains."

  178. 178

    So he spoke, and they listened well to him and obeyed,

  179. 179

    and went off to the store room, unseen by him within.

  180. 180

    He, indeed, was searching for armor in the recess of the store room,

  181. 181

    while the two took their stand on either side, waiting by the doorposts.

  182. 182

    When Melanthios the goatherd stepped over the threshold,

  183. 183

    carrying in one hand a fine helmet,

  184. 184

    and in the other a broad old shield, caked with mold,

  185. 185

    the shield of the hero Laertes, which he had carried in his youth—

  186. 186

    but by now it lay disused, and the stitching of its straps had come undone—

  187. 187

    the two rushed at him, seized him, and dragged him inside

  188. 188

    by the hair, and threw him to the ground, grieving in his heart,

  189. 189

    and bound his feet and hands together with a heart-galling cord,

  190. 190

    wrenching them right back, just as he had ordered,

  191. 191

    the son of Laertes, much-enduring noble Odysseus;

  192. 192

    and they fastened a braided rope to him

  193. 193

    and hauled him up a tall pillar and brought him close to the rafters.

  194. 194

    And mocking him you spoke to him, Eumaeus the swineherd:

  195. 195

    "Now indeed, Melanthios, you will keep watch through the whole night,

  196. 196

    lying on a soft bed, as is fitting for you;

  197. 197

    and the early-born one, golden-throned, coming up from the streams of Ocean,

  198. 198

    will not escape your notice, at the hour when you bring

  199. 199

    the goats for the suitors to make their feast throughout the house."

  200. 200

    So he was left there, stretched in the deadly bond;

  201. 201

    and the two, putting on their armor and closing the shining door,

  202. 202

    went off to Odysseus, skilled in war and shifting in cunning.

  203. 203

    There they stood breathing fury, those four on the threshold,

  204. 204

    while inside the house were many men, and brave.

  205. 205

    Then near to them came Athena, daughter of Zeus,

  206. 206

    likening herself to Mentor in both form and voice.

  207. 207

    Odysseus rejoiced when he saw her, and spoke a word:

  208. 208

    "Mentor, ward off ruin, and remember your dear comrade,

  209. 209

    who did good things for you; and you are my age-mate."

  210. 210

    So he spoke, though he guessed it was Athena, rouser of armies.

  211. 211

    But the suitors shouted at her from the other side in the hall;

  212. 212

    first to revile her was Agelaos, son of Damastor:

  213. 213

    "Mentor, do not let Odysseus talk you over with his words

  214. 214

    into fighting the suitors and defending him.

  215. 215

    For thus, I think, our purpose will be carried out:

  216. 216

    once we have killed these men, father and son alike,

  217. 217

    then you too will be slain among them, for the things you are eager

  218. 218

    to do in the halls; and you will pay for it with your own head.

  219. 219

    And when we have stripped the strength from all of you with the bronze,

  220. 220

    all the possessions you have, both inside and out of doors,

  221. 221

    we will mix in with Odysseus's; nor will we let your sons

  222. 222

    live on in your halls, nor your daughters,

  223. 223

    nor let your faithful wife go about the town of Ithaca.

  224. 224

    So he spoke, and Athena grew the more enraged in her heart,

  225. 225

    and she rebuked Odysseus with angry words:

  226. 226

    "No longer, Odysseus, is your strength steadfast in you, nor any of the prowess

  227. 227

    you had when, for white-armed Helen of noble father,

  228. 228

    for nine years you fought the Trojans without ceasing,

  229. 229

    and slew many men in the grim work of war,

  230. 230

    and by your counsel the broad-streeted city of Priam was taken.

  231. 231

    How is it now, when you have reached your own house and possessions,

  232. 232

    that you wail at being valiant in the face of the suitors?

  233. 233

    But come here, friend, stand beside me and watch the deed,

  234. 234

    so you may know what kind of man, among hostile foes,

  235. 235

    Mentor son of Alcimus is, in repaying kindnesses."

  236. 236

    She spoke, yet she did not yet grant outright the victory that turns the scale,

  237. 237

    but kept on testing the strength and prowess

  238. 238

    both of Odysseus and of his glorious son.

  239. 239

    But she herself, up to the rafter of the smoke-blackened hall,

  240. 240

    darted and perched, in the likeness of a swallow to the eye.

  241. 241

    Now Agelaus son of Damastor urged on the suitors,

  242. 242

    and Eurynomus and Amphimedon and Demoptolemus,

  243. 243

    and Peisander son of Polyctor and warlike Polybus;

  244. 244

    for these were by far the best in valor of the suitors,

  245. 245

    of all who still lived and fought for their lives;

  246. 246

    the rest the bow and the thronging arrows had already overcome.

  247. 247

    To them Agelaus spoke, declaring his word to all:

  248. 248

    "Friends, now this man will hold back his irresistible hands;

  249. 249

    Mentor has gone off after uttering empty boasts,

  250. 250

    and they are left alone at the front doors.

  251. 251

    So now do not all hurl your long spears at once,

  252. 252

    but come, you six throw first, in hope that somehow Zeus

  253. 253

    may grant that Odysseus be struck and we win glory.

  254. 254

    For the others there is no care, once he at least has fallen."

  255. 255

    So he spoke, and they all threw as he ordered,

  256. 256

    eager; but Athena made them all come to nothing.

  257. 257

    Of these, one struck the door-post of the well-built hall,

  258. 258

    another the tight-fitted door,

  259. 259

    and another's bronze-heavy ash spear fell against the wall.

  260. 260

    But when they had dodged the spears of the suitors,

  261. 261

    the much-enduring noble Odysseus began to speak to them:

  262. 262

    "Friends, now I would say that we too

  263. 263

    should hurl into the throng of suitors, who are bent

  264. 264

    on stripping us of our armor, after their earlier wrongs."

  265. 265

    So he spoke, and they all threw their sharp spears,

  266. 266

    aiming straight ahead; Odysseus struck Demoptolemus,

  267. 267

    Telemachus struck Euryades, and the swineherd Elatus,

  268. 268

    and the cowherd man slew Peisander.

  269. 269

    Then all these together bit the boundless earth with their teeth,

  270. 270

    and the suitors drew back into the depth of the hall.

  271. 271

    But the others rushed forward and pulled their spears from the corpses.

  272. 272

    Again the suitors hurled their sharp spears,

  273. 273

    eager; but Athena made most of them come to nothing.

  274. 274

    Of these, one struck the door-post of the well-built hall,

  275. 275

    another the tight-fitted door,

  276. 276

    and another's bronze-heavy ash spear fell against the wall.

  277. 277

    Yet Amphimedon struck Telemachus on the hand, at the wrist,

  278. 278

    grazing it, and the bronze tore the surface of the skin.

  279. 279

    And Ctesippus with his long spear, over the shield, grazed

  280. 280

    Eumaeus on the shoulder; but the spear flew over and fell to the ground.

  281. 281

    Then those around wise, crafty-minded Odysseus

  282. 282

    hurled their sharp spears into the throng of suitors.

  283. 283

    There again Odysseus the sacker of cities struck Eurydamas,

  284. 284

    and Telemachus struck Amphimedon, and the swineherd Polybus;

  285. 285

    and then the cowherd man struck Ctesippus

  286. 286

    in the breast, and he spoke vaunting over him:

  287. 287

    "Son of Polytherses, you mocker, never again at all,

  288. 288

    yielding to folly, speak so big; leave the matter to the gods,

  289. 289

    and entrust your word to them, since they are far stronger.

  290. 290

    This is your guest-gift in return for the hoof you once gave

  291. 291

    to godlike Odysseus when he was begging through the house."

  292. 292

    So spoke the cowherd of the spiral-horned oxen; but Odysseus

  293. 293

    wounded the son of Damastor at close quarters with his long spear.

  294. 294

    And Telemachus wounded Leiocritus son of Euenor

  295. 295

    with his spear full in the flank, and drove the bronze clean through;

  296. 296

    he fell face-down, and struck the earth with his whole forehead.

  297. 297

    Then Athena held up her man-destroying aegis

  298. 298

    high up from the roof; and their wits were stricken with terror.

  299. 299

    They fled through the hall like a herd of cattle,

  300. 300

    which the darting gadfly, swooping upon them, has driven into a frenzy

  301. 301

    in the season of spring, when the days grow long.

  302. 302

    And the men, like crook-taloned, hook-beaked vultures

  303. 303

    that come down from the mountains and swoop upon the birds;

  304. 304

    and these, cowering from the clouds, rush across the plain,

  305. 305

    but the vultures pounce and destroy them, and there is no defense

  306. 306

    nor any flight; and men rejoice in the hunting:

  307. 307

    so they, rushing upon the suitors through the house,

  308. 308

    struck them down on every side; and from them rose a hideous groaning

  309. 309

    as their heads were beaten, and the whole floor steamed with blood.

  310. 310

    Then Leiodes rushed to Odysseus and seized his knees,

  311. 311

    and beseeching him spoke winged words:

  312. 312

    "I clasp your knees, Odysseus; respect me and have pity on me.

  313. 313

    For I say that never to any of the women in the halls

  314. 314

    did I speak or do anything reckless; rather I kept trying to stop

  315. 315

    the other suitors as well, whoever would do such deeds.

  316. 316

    But they would not heed me and keep their hands from evil;

  317. 317

    and so by their own recklessness they have met a shameful doom.

  318. 318

    Yet I, a soothsayer among them who has done no wrong,

  319. 319

    shall lie dead, since there is no thanks afterward for good deeds."

  320. 320

    Then with a dark glance the resourceful Odysseus answered him:

  321. 321

    "If indeed you claim to have been a soothsayer among them,

  322. 322

    then often, I suppose, you must have prayed in the halls

  323. 323

    that the goal of my sweet homecoming stay far from me,

  324. 324

    and that my dear wife should follow you and bear you children;

  325. 325

    therefore you shall not escape grievous death."

  326. 326

    So speaking, with his stout hand he took up the sword

  327. 327

    lying there, which Agelaus had let fall to the ground

  328. 328

    when he was killed; with it he drove through the middle of his neck.

  329. 329

    And while he was still crying out, his head was mingled with the dust.

  330. 330

    But the son of Terpes, the singer, was still trying to escape black death,

  331. 331

    Phemius, who sang for the suitors under compulsion.

  332. 332

    He stood there, holding the clear-toned lyre in his hands,

  333. 333

    close by the side door, and his mind was divided in two,

  334. 334

    whether to slip out of the hall and sit at the altar of great Zeus,

  335. 335

    the altar of the courtyard, well-built, where many times

  336. 336

    Laertes and Odysseus had burned the thigh-pieces of oxen,

  337. 337

    or whether to rush forward and clasp Odysseus by the knees in supplication.

  338. 338

    And as he pondered, this seemed to him the better course:

  339. 339

    to lay hold of the knees of Odysseus, son of Laertes.

  340. 340

    So he set the hollow lyre down upon the ground,

  341. 341

    between the mixing-bowl and the silver-studded chair,

  342. 342

    and he himself rushed forward and caught Odysseus by the knees,

  343. 343

    and beseeching him spoke winged words:

  344. 344

    "I clasp your knees, Odysseus; respect me and have pity on me.

  345. 345

    Grief will come upon you yourself hereafter, if you kill a singer

  346. 346

    such as I, who sing for gods and for men.

  347. 347

    I am self-taught, and a god has planted in my mind songs

  348. 348

    of every kind; and I am fit to sing before you

  349. 349

    as before a god. So do not be eager to cut my throat.

  350. 350

    Telemachus too could tell you this, your own dear son,

  351. 351

    that I never came willingly or for want of pay to your house

  352. 352

    to sing for the suitors after their feasts,

  353. 353

    but they, far more and stronger, brought me by force."

  354. 354

    So he spoke, and the sacred strength of Telemachus heard him,

  355. 355

    and at once he called out to his father, who was close by:

  356. 356

    "Hold! Do not wound this guiltless man with the bronze.

  357. 357

    And let us spare the herald Medon, who always

  358. 358

    cared for me in our house when I was a child,

  359. 359

    unless Philoetius has already killed him, or the swineherd,

  360. 360

    or he has crossed your path as you raged through the hall."

  361. 361

    So he spoke, and Medon, who knew prudent thoughts, heard him;

  362. 362

    for he lay crouched beneath a chair, and around himself

  363. 363

    he had wrapped the freshly flayed hide of an ox, shunning black death.

  364. 364

    At once he sprang up from the chair and quickly stripped off the oxhide,

  365. 365

    and then rushing forward he caught Telemachus by the knees,

  366. 366

    and beseeching him spoke winged words:

  367. 367

    "Friend, here I am; hold back, and tell your father,

  368. 368

    lest in his great strength he destroy me with the sharp bronze,

  369. 369

    in his anger at the suitors, the men who were wasting

  370. 370

    his possessions in the halls, and in their folly gave you no honor."

  371. 371

    Then, smiling at him, Odysseus of many wiles replied:

  372. 372

    "Take heart, for this man has rescued you and saved you,

  373. 373

    so that you may know in your heart, and tell another too,

  374. 374

    how good doing is far better than evil doing.

  375. 375

    But go out from the halls and sit outside the doors,

  376. 376

    out of the slaughter, in the courtyard, you and the renowned singer,

  377. 377

    while I deal with what I must here in the house."

  378. 378

    So he spoke, and the two went out and left the hall,

  379. 379

    and they sat down at the altar of great Zeus,

  380. 380

    peering all around, still expecting death at every moment.

  381. 381

    And Odysseus peered through his house, to see if any man

  382. 382

    still lived, hiding away, shunning black death.

  383. 383

    But he saw them all, very many, fallen in blood and dust,

  384. 384

    lying there like fish that fishermen

  385. 385

    have drawn out onto the curving shore from the grey sea

  386. 386

    with a fine-meshed net; and all of them,

  387. 387

    longing for the waves of the sea, lie poured out upon the sand;

  388. 388

    and the blazing Sun takes the life-breath out of them;

  389. 389

    so then the suitors lay heaped one upon another.

  390. 390

    Then Odysseus of many wiles spoke to Telemachus:

  391. 391

    "Telemachus, come now, call for me the nurse Eurycleia,

  392. 392

    so that I may tell her the word that is on my mind."

  393. 393

    So he spoke, and Telemachus obeyed his dear father,

  394. 394

    and shaking the door he called to the nurse Eurycleia:

  395. 395

    "Up now, come here, aged woman, you who are the overseer

  396. 396

    of the serving-women throughout our halls.

  397. 397

    Come; my father calls you, to tell you something."

  398. 398

    So he spoke, and for her the word stayed unwinged;

  399. 399

    she opened the doors of the well-built halls,

  400. 400

    and set out; and Telemachus led the way before her.

  401. 401

    Then she found Odysseus among the slaughtered corpses,

  402. 402

    spattered with blood and gore like a lion

  403. 403

    that comes from feeding on an ox of the field;

  404. 404

    and all his chest and his cheeks on both sides

  405. 405

    are bloody, and he is terrible to look upon;

  406. 406

    so Odysseus was spattered, his feet and his hands above.

  407. 407

    And when she saw the corpses and the boundless blood,

  408. 408

    she was about to cry out in triumph, for she saw a great deed done;

  409. 409

    but Odysseus held her back and restrained her, eager as she was,

  410. 410

    and speaking to her he uttered winged words:

  411. 411

    "Rejoice in your heart, old woman, but hold back and do not cry aloud.

  412. 412

    It is no holy thing to exult over slain men.

  413. 413

    The doom of the gods and their own reckless deeds laid these men low;

  414. 414

    for they honored no one of the men who walk the earth,

  415. 415

    neither base nor noble, whoever came among them;

  416. 416

    and so by their recklessness they met a shameful end.

  417. 417

    But come now, tell me of the women in the halls,

  418. 418

    both those who dishonor me and those who are guiltless."

  419. 419

    Then the dear nurse Eurycleia answered him:

  420. 420

    "Then I will tell you the truth, my child.

  421. 421

    There are fifty women in the halls,

  422. 422

    serving-women, whom we have taught to do their work,

  423. 423

    to card wool and to bear their servitude.

  424. 424

    Of these twelve in all have walked the path of shamelessness,

  425. 425

    honoring neither me nor Penelope herself.

  426. 426

    Telemachus has only lately grown up, and his mother

  427. 427

    would not let him give orders to the serving-women.

  428. 428

    But come, let me go up to the shining upper chamber

  429. 429

    and tell your wife, on whom some god has sent sleep."

  430. 430

    Then Odysseus of many wiles answered her:

  431. 431

    "Do not wake her yet; but tell the women here

  432. 432

    to come — those who before contrived shameful things."

  433. 433

    So he spoke, and the old woman went off through the hall

  434. 434

    to take word to the women and urge them to come.

  435. 435

    But he called to himself Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherd,

  436. 436

    and summoning them he spoke winged words:

  437. 437

    "Begin now to carry out the corpses, and order the women to help;

  438. 438

    and then the beautiful chairs and the tables

  439. 439

    cleanse with water and porous sponges.

  440. 440

    Then, when you have set the whole house in order,

  441. 441

    lead the serving-women out of the well-built hall,

  442. 442

    into the space between the round-house and the unblemished wall of the courtyard,

  443. 443

    and strike them with long-edged swords, until from all of them

  444. 444

    you take away their lives, and they forget Aphrodite,

  445. 445

    which they had under the suitors, lying with them in secret.

  446. 446

    So he spoke, and the women came in a body, all together,

  447. 447

    wailing terribly, shedding swelling tears.

  448. 448

    First they carried out the corpses of the dead,

  449. 449

    and set them down under the portico of the well-fenced court,

  450. 450

    propping them against one another; and Odysseus directed it,

  451. 451

    himself pressing them on; and they carried the bodies out under compulsion.

  452. 452

    Then the beautiful chairs and the tables

  453. 453

    they cleaned with water and porous sponges.

  454. 454

    Meanwhile Telemachus, the cowherd, and the swineherd

  455. 455

    with shovels scraped the floor of the strongly-built house,

  456. 456

    and the serving-women carried the scrapings away and set them outside the door.

  457. 457

    But when they had set the whole hall in order,

  458. 458

    they led the serving-women out of the well-built hall,

  459. 459

    into the space between the round-house and the unblemished wall of the courtyard,

  460. 460

    and penned them in a narrow place, from which there was no escape.

  461. 461

    Then thoughtful Telemachus began to speak among them:

  462. 462

    "I will not take the lives of these women by a clean death,

  463. 463

    women who heaped insults on my own head

  464. 464

    and on my mother, and slept beside the suitors."

  465. 465

    So he spoke, and tying a cable from a dark-prowed ship

  466. 466

    to a great pillar, he flung it around the round-house,

  467. 467

    stretching it high, so that none might touch the ground with her feet.

  468. 468

    As when long-winged thrushes or doves

  469. 469

    fly into a snare set in a thicket,

  470. 470

    as they make for their roost, and a hateful bed receives them,

  471. 471

    so the women held their heads in a row, and around all

  472. 472

    their necks were nooses, that they might die most piteously.

  473. 473

    They struggled with their feet a little while, but not for long.

  474. 474

    Then they led Melanthius out through the gateway and the court;

  475. 475

    they cut off his nose and his ears with the pitiless bronze,

  476. 476

    and tore out his genitals, to be eaten raw by the dogs,

  477. 477

    and hacked off his hands and feet with a raging heart.

  478. 478

    Then, when they had washed their hands and feet,

  479. 479

    they went into the house to Odysseus, and the work was done.

  480. 480

    Then he spoke to his dear nurse Eurycleia:

  481. 481

    "Bring sulfur, old woman, the cure for evils, and bring me fire,

  482. 482

    so that I may fumigate the hall; and tell Penelope

  483. 483

    to come here with her attendant women,

  484. 484

    and urge all the serving-women throughout the house to come."

  485. 485

    Then his dear nurse Eurycleia answered him:

  486. 486

    "Yes indeed, my child, you have spoken as is fitting.

  487. 487

    But come, let me bring you a cloak and a tunic for clothing,

  488. 488

    and do not stand thus in the hall with your broad shoulders

  489. 489

    wrapped in rags; it would be a cause for blame."

  490. 490

    In answer resourceful Odysseus said to her:

  491. 491

    "Let fire be made for me first of all in the hall."

  492. 492

    So he spoke, and his dear nurse Eurycleia did not disobey,

  493. 493

    but brought fire and sulfur; and Odysseus

  494. 494

    thoroughly fumigated the hall, the house, and the court.

  495. 495

    Then the old woman went off through the fair house of Odysseus

  496. 496

    to give the news to the women and urge them to come;

  497. 497

    and they came out of their quarters with torches in their hands.

  498. 498

    They thronged about Odysseus and embraced him,

  499. 499

    and kissed him in welcome on his head and shoulders,

  500. 500

    and clasped his hands; and a sweet longing took him

  501. 501

    for weeping and lamentation, for he knew them all in his heart.

The particulars

The text
Ὀδύσσεια, Homer. The Homecoming.
Translation
Public-domain Greek (Homer, ancient; text via the Perseus Digital Library). English translation © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.
Reading aloud
Digital narration in reconstructed pronunciation, shaped to the hexameter. The complete audiobook.
The app
The same text on your phone, your place kept, the audio offline. Book 1 free, the rest $4.99.
App StoreGoogle Play
Words
Every word of the text, by letter.
Data
JSON · Markdown · A guide for agents
Two whoopie pies and a pine. An inside joke.