# The Odyssey, Book 22: The Slaying of the Suitors

Ὀδύσσεια · Homer · The Homecoming

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

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/odyssey/22. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/odyssey/22.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/odyssey/<line id>.m4a.

**1** αὐτὰρ ὁ γυμνώθη ῥακέων πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς,  
Then resourceful Odysseus stripped off his rags,
> The hero's standing epithet: polymetis, "of many devices," is Odysseus's formulaic epithet, marking him at the start of the slaughter. Such fixed epithets are a hallmark of Homeric style.

**2** ἆλτο δʼ ἐπὶ μέγαν οὐδόν, ἔχων βιὸν ἠδὲ φαρέτρην  
and leapt onto the great threshold, holding the bow and quiver

**3** ἰῶν ἐμπλείην, ταχέας δʼ ἐκχεύατʼ ὀϊστοὺς  
full of arrows, and poured out the swift shafts

**4** αὐτοῦ πρόσθε ποδῶν, μετὰ δὲ μνηστῆρσιν ἔειπεν·  
there before his feet, and spoke among the suitors:

**5** οὗτος μὲν δὴ ἄεθλος ἀάατος ἐκτετέλεσται·  
"This harmless contest, now, has been brought to its end.
> Perfect tense: a completed state: ektetelestai is perfect passive, "has been (and stands) completed." The perfect stresses the lasting result: the contest is now over and done.

**6** νῦν αὖτε σκοπὸν ἄλλον, ὃν οὔ πώ τις βάλεν ἀνήρ,  
Now I will aim at another mark, one no man has yet struck,

**7** εἴσομαι, αἴ κε τύχωμι, πόρῃ δέ μοι εὖχος Ἀπόλλων.  
to see if I can hit it, and Apollo grant me the glory."

**8** ἦ καὶ ἐπʼ Ἀντινόῳ ἰθύνετο πικρὸν ὀϊστόν.  
He spoke, and aimed a bitter arrow at Antinous.

**9** ἦ τοι ὁ καλὸν ἄλεισον ἀναιρήσεσθαι ἔμελλε,  
Now Antinous was just about to lift a fine goblet,

**10** χρύσεον ἄμφωτον, καὶ δὴ μετὰ χερσὶν ἐνώμα,  
gold, with two handles, and was already turning it in his hands

**11** ὄφρα πίοι οἴνοιο· φόνος δέ οἱ οὐκ ἐνὶ θυμῷ  
to drink the wine; and death was not in his heart's

**12** μέμβλετο· τίς κʼ οἴοιτο μετʼ ἀνδράσι δαιτυμόνεσσι  
concern. Who would imagine that among men at a feast

**13** μοῦνον ἐνὶ πλεόνεσσι, καὶ εἰ μάλα καρτερὸς εἴη,  
one man, alone among many, however strong he might be,

**14** οἷ τεύξειν θάνατόν τε κακὸν καὶ κῆρα μέλαιναν;  
would deal him evil death and a black doom?
> "black doom": ker is a death-spirit or one's allotted death; the epithet "black" (melaina) is formulaic for death in Homer.

**15** τὸν δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς κατὰ λαιμὸν ἐπισχόμενος βάλεν ἰῷ,  
Odysseus took aim and struck him in the throat with the arrow,

**16** ἀντικρὺ δʼ ἁπαλοῖο διʼ αὐχένος ἤλυθʼ ἀκωκή.  
and the point passed straight through his tender neck.

**17** ἐκλίνθη δʼ ἑτέρωσε, δέπας δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε χειρὸς  
He slumped to one side, and the cup fell from his hand

**18** βλημένου, αὐτίκα δʼ αὐλὸς ἀνὰ ῥῖνας παχὺς ἦλθεν  
as he was hit, and at once a thick jet rose up through his nostrils

**19** αἵματος ἀνδρομέοιο· θοῶς δʼ ἀπὸ εἷο τράπεζαν  
of human blood; and swiftly he shoved the table from him

**20** ὦσε ποδὶ πλήξας, ἀπὸ δʼ εἴδατα χεῦεν ἔραζε·  
with a kick of his foot, and spilled the food onto the ground;

**21** σῖτός τε κρέα τʼ ὀπτὰ φορύνετο. τοὶ δʼ ὁμάδησαν  
the bread and roasted meats were fouled. And they cried out,

**22** μνηστῆρες κατὰ δώμαθʼ, ὅπως ἴδον ἄνδρα πεσόντα,  
the suitors throughout the hall, when they saw the man fall,

**23** ἐκ δὲ θρόνων ἀνόρουσαν ὀρινθέντες κατὰ δῶμα,  
and they sprang up from their chairs, in turmoil through the hall,

**24** πάντοσε παπταίνοντες ἐϋδμήτους ποτὶ τοίχους·  
peering everywhere along the well-built walls;

**25** οὐδέ πη ἀσπὶς ἔην οὐδʼ ἄλκιμον ἔγχος ἑλέσθαι.  
but nowhere was there a shield or a sturdy spear to seize.

**26** νείκειον δʼ Ὀδυσῆα χολωτοῖσιν ἐπέεσσι·  
And they reviled Odysseus with angry words:

**27** ξεῖνε, κακῶς ἀνδρῶν τοξάζεαι· οὐκέτʼ ἀέθλων  
"Stranger, you shoot at men to your cost! No more contests

**28** ἄλλων ἀντιάσεις· νῦν τοι σῶς αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος.  
will you take part in. Now sheer destruction is certain for you.

**29** καὶ γὰρ δὴ νῦν φῶτα κατέκτανες ὃς μέγʼ ἄριστος  
For now you have killed the man who was far the best

**30** κούρων εἰν Ἰθάκῃ· τῷ σʼ ἐνθάδε γῦπες ἔδονται.  
of the young men in Ithaca; therefore the vultures shall eat you here."

**31** ἴσκεν ἕκαστος ἀνήρ, ἐπεὶ ἦ φάσαν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα  
So each man supposed, since indeed they thought that against his will

**32** ἄνδρα κατακτεῖναι· τὸ δὲ νήπιοι οὐκ ἐνόησαν,  
he had killed the man; the fools did not perceive this,
> "the fools": nepioi marks characters blind to their fate, a recurring Homeric label for those about to suffer for their ignorance.

**33** ὡς δή σφιν καὶ πᾶσιν ὀλέθρου πείρατʼ ἐφῆπτο.  
that over them all alike the cords of destruction had been fastened.

**34** τοὺς δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·  
Then, glaring at them from under his brows, resourceful Odysseus spoke:
> "glaring from under the brows": hypodra idon is a fixed Homeric phrase for an angry, menacing glare that precedes a stern rebuke.

**35** ὦ κύνες, οὔ μʼ ἔτʼ ἐφάσκεθʼ ὑπότροπον οἴκαδʼ
                     ἱκέσθαι  
"You dogs! You kept saying I would never come home again
> Imperfect of repeated saying: ephaskete is imperfect, "you kept saying / you used to say," capturing their habitual boast that he would never return.

**36** δήμου ἄπο Τρώων, ὅτι μοι κατεκείρετε οἶκον,  
from the land of the Trojans, since you were plundering my house,

**37** δμῳῇσιν δὲ γυναιξὶ παρευνάζεσθε βιαίως,  
and you lay by force with the serving women,

**38** αὐτοῦ τε ζώοντος ὑπεμνάασθε γυναῖκα,  
and while I yet lived you secretly wooed my wife,

**39** οὔτε θεοὺς δείσαντες, οἳ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν,  
fearing neither the gods who hold the wide heaven,

**40** οὔτε τινʼ ἀνθρώπων νέμεσιν κατόπισθεν ἔσεσθαι·  
nor that any retribution from men would come hereafter.

**41** νῦν ὑμῖν καὶ πᾶσιν ὀλέθρου πείρατʼ ἐφῆπται.  
Now over you, one and all, the cords of destruction are fastened."

**42** ὣς φάτο, τοὺς δʼ ἄρα πάντας ὑπὸ χλωρὸν δέος
                  εἷλεν·  
So he spoke, and pale fear seized them all;
> "pale fear": chloron deos, literally "green/pale dread," is a stock phrase for the bloodless pallor of terror.

**43** πάπτηνεν δὲ ἕκαστος ὅπη φύγοι αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον.  
and each man looked about where he might flee from sheer destruction.

**44** Εὐρύμαχος δέ μιν οἶος ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπεν·  
Eurymachus alone answered him and said:

**45** εἰ μὲν δὴ Ὀδυσεὺς Ἰθακήσιος εἰλήλουθας,  
"If you really are Odysseus of Ithaca, returned at last,

**46** ταῦτα μὲν αἴσιμα εἶπας, ὅσα ῥέζεσκον Ἀχαιοί,  
you have spoken justly of all the things the Achaeans kept doing,

**47** πολλὰ μὲν ἐν μεγάροισιν ἀτάσθαλα, πολλὰ δʼ ἐπʼ ἀγροῦ.  
many reckless deeds in the halls, and many in the country.

**48** ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν ἤδη κεῖται ὃς αἴτιος ἔπλετο πάντων,  
But he already lies dead who was to blame for it all,
> "to blame" (aitios): aitios means responsible or guilty for something; Eurymachus pins all the guilt on the dead Antinous to save himself.

**49** Ἀντίνοος· οὗτος γὰρ ἐπίηλεν τάδε ἔργα,  
Antinous; for he was the one who set these deeds in motion,

**50** οὔ τι γάμου τόσσον κεχρημένος οὐδὲ χατίζων,  
not so much craving or longing for the marriage,

**51** ἀλλʼ ἄλλα φρονέων, τά οἱ οὐκ ἐτέλεσσε Κρονίων,  
but with other designs, which the son of Cronos did not bring about for him:

**52** ὄφρʼ Ἰθάκης κατὰ δῆμον ἐϋκτιμένης βασιλεύοι  
that throughout the land of well-built Ithaca he himself might be king,
> Optative in a purpose clause: basileuoi is present optative after ophra, expressing Antinous's secret aim: "so that he might be king." The optative is normal for purpose in past-time contexts.

**53** αὐτός, ἀτὰρ σὸν παῖδα κατακτείνειε λοχήσας.  
and might kill your son by lying in wait for him.

**54** νῦν δʼ ὁ μὲν ἐν μοίρῃ πέφαται, σὺ δὲ φείδεο λαῶν  
Now he has been slain in his fated turn; but spare your people,

**55** σῶν· ἀτὰρ ἄμμες ὄπισθεν ἀρεσσάμενοι κατὰ δῆμον,  
your own; and afterward we will make amends throughout the land:

**56** ὅσσα τοι ἐκπέποται καὶ ἐδήδοται ἐν μεγάροισι,  
for all that has been drunk and eaten in your halls,

**57** τιμὴν ἀμφὶς ἄγοντες ἐεικοσάβοιον ἕκαστος,  
each man bringing recompense worth twenty oxen,

**58** χαλκόν τε χρυσόν τʼ ἀποδώσομεν, εἰς ὅ κε σὸν κῆρ  
we will pay you back in bronze and gold, until your heart

**59** ἰανθῇ· πρὶν δʼ οὔ τι νεμεσσητὸν κεχολῶσθαι.  
is warmed; before that, no one could blame you for being angry."

**60** τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πολύμητις
                  Ὀδυσσεύς·  
Then, glaring at him from under his brows, resourceful Odysseus spoke:

**61** Εὐρύμαχʼ, οὐδʼ εἴ μοι πατρώϊα πάντʼ ἀποδοῖτε,  
"Eurymachus, not even if you gave me back all your fathers' wealth,

**62** ὅσσα τε νῦν ὔμμʼ ἐστὶ καὶ εἴ ποθεν ἄλλʼ ἐπιθεῖτε,  
all that is yours now and whatever else you might add from elsewhere,

**63** οὐδέ κεν ὣς ἔτι χεῖρας ἐμὰς λήξαιμι φόνοιο  
not even so would I hold my hands back from slaughter

**64** πρὶν πᾶσαν μνηστῆρας ὑπερβασίην ἀποτῖσαι.  
until the suitors have paid for all their transgression.
> Infinitive after πρίν: apotisai is an aorist infinitive after prin, "before (paying)"; prin with the infinitive expresses the limit "until they pay."

**65** νῦν ὑμῖν παράκειται ἐναντίον ἠὲ μάχεσθαι  
Now it lies before you, either to fight me face to face,

**66** ἢ φεύγειν, ὅς κεν θάνατον καὶ κῆρας ἀλύξῃ·  
or to flee, whoever might escape death and his doom;

**67** ἀλλά τινʼ οὐ φεύξεσθαι ὀΐομαι αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον.  
but I think not one of you will escape sheer destruction."

**68** ὣς φάτο, τῶν δʼ αὐτοῦ λύτο γούνατα καὶ φίλον
                  ἦτορ.  
So he spoke, and their knees gave way where they stood, and their hearts.
> "their knees were loosed": A formulaic image of fear or death in Homer: terror or a fatal blow "loosens the knees," robbing strength from the limbs.

**69** τοῖσιν δʼ Εὐρύμαχος προσεφώνεε δεύτερον αὖτις·  
And Eurymachus addressed them a second time again:

**70** ὦ φίλοι, οὐ γὰρ σχήσει ἀνὴρ ὅδε χεῖρας
                     ἀάπτους,  
"Friends! This man will not hold back his invincible hands,

**71** ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ ἔλλαβε τόξον ἐΰξοον ἠδὲ φαρέτρην,  
but now that he has gotten the polished bow and the quiver,

**72** οὐδοῦ ἄπο ξεστοῦ τοξάσσεται, εἰς ὅ κε πάντας  
from the smooth threshold he will keep shooting, until all

**73** ἄμμε κατακτείνῃ· ἀλλὰ μνησώμεθα χάρμης.  
of us he has killed. So let us think of battle!
> Hortatory subjunctive: mnesometha is an aorist subjunctive in the first person plural, "let us remember/think of (battle)" — a call to action.

**74** φάσγανά τε σπάσσασθε καὶ ἀντίσχεσθε τραπέζας  
Draw your swords and hold up the tables against
> Aorist imperatives: rally to arms: spasasthe and antischesthe are aorist imperatives, sharp commands to draw swords and raise the tables as shields against the arrows.

**75** ἰῶν ὠκυμόρων· ἐπὶ δʼ αὐτῷ πάντες ἔχωμεν  
the swift-killing arrows; and let us all rush at him

**76** ἀθρόοι, εἴ κέ μιν οὐδοῦ ἀπώσομεν ἠδὲ θυράων,  
together, in case we can drive him from the threshold and the doors,

**77** ἔλθωμεν δʼ ἀνὰ ἄστυ, βοὴ δʼ ὤκιστα γένοιτο·  
and get out into the town, and a cry be raised at once;

**78** τῷ κε τάχʼ οὗτος ἀνὴρ νῦν ὕστατα τοξάσσαιτο.  
then soon this man would have shot for the last time."

**79** ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας εἰρύσσατο φάσγανον ὀξὺ  
So having spoken, he drew his sharp sword,

**80** χάλκεον, ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἀκαχμένον, ἆλτο δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ  
of bronze, whetted on both edges, and sprang at him

**81** σμερδαλέα ἰάχων· ὁ δʼ ἁμαρτῆ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς  
with a terrible cry; but at that same moment noble Odysseus

**82** ἰὸν ἀποπροίει, βάλε δὲ στῆθος παρὰ μαζόν,  
let fly an arrow and struck him in the chest beside the nipple,

**83** ἐν δέ οἱ ἥπατι πῆξε θοὸν βέλος· ἐκ δʼ ἄρα χειρὸς  
and fixed the swift shaft in his liver; and from his hand

**84** φάσγανον ἧκε χαμᾶζε, περιρρηδὴς δὲ τραπέζῃ  
the sword fell to the ground, and reeling over the table

**85** κάππεσεν ἰδνωθείς, ἀπὸ δʼ εἴδατα χεῦεν ἔραζε  
he crumpled, doubled up, and spilled the food onto the floor

**86** καὶ δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον· ὁ δὲ χθόνα τύπτε μετώπῳ  
and the two-handled cup; and he beat the ground with his forehead

**87** θυμῷ ἀνιάζων, ποσὶ δὲ θρόνον ἀμφοτέροισι  
in his heart's anguish, and with both his feet he kicked the chair

**88** λακτίζων ἐτίνασσε· κατʼ ὀφθαλμῶν δʼ ἔχυτʼ ἀχλύς.  
and made it shake; and over his eyes a mist was poured.
> "a mist over the eyes": The pouring of a mist (achlys) over the eyes is Homer's formulaic image for the darkening of death.

**89** Ἀμφίνομος δʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἐείσατο κυδαλίμοιο  
Then Amphinomus made for glorious Odysseus,

**90** ἀντίος ἀΐξας, εἴρυτο δὲ φάσγανον ὀξύ,  
charging straight at him, and had drawn his sharp sword,

**91** εἴ πώς οἱ εἴξειε θυράων. ἀλλʼ ἄρα μιν φθῆ  
in hope that he might give way from the doors. But Telemachus was first,

**92** Τηλέμαχος κατόπισθε βαλὼν χαλκήρεϊ δουρὶ  
striking him from behind with his bronze-tipped spear

**93** ὤμων μεσσηγύς, διὰ δὲ στήθεσφιν ἔλασσεν·  
between the shoulders, and drove it through his chest;

**94** δούπησεν δὲ πεσών, χθόνα δʼ ἤλασε παντὶ μετώπῳ.  
and he fell with a thud, and struck the ground with his whole forehead.

**95** Τηλέμαχος δʼ ἀπόρουσε, λιπὼν δολιχόσκιον ἔγχος  
Then Telemachus sprang back, leaving the long-shadowed spear
> "long-shadowed spear": dolichoskion enchos, "the spear that casts a long shadow," is a standard Homeric epithet for the warrior's spear.

**96** αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἀμφινόμῳ· περὶ γὰρ δίε μή τις Ἀχαιῶν  
there in Amphinomus; for he greatly feared lest one of the Achaeans,

**97** ἔγχος ἀνελκόμενον δολιχόσκιον ἢ ἐλάσειε  
while he was drawing out the long-shadowed spear, might lunge

**98** φασγάνῳ ἀΐξας ἠὲ προπρηνέα τύψας.  
at him with a sword, or strike him as he bent forward.

**99** βῆ δὲ θέειν, μάλα δʼ ὦκα φίλον πατέρʼ εἰσαφίκανεν,  
So he set off running, and very quickly reached his dear father,

**100** ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱστάμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and standing close beside him spoke winged words:
> "winged words": epea pteroenta is one of Homer's most frequent formulas, picturing speech as flying swiftly from speaker to hearer.

**101** ὦ πάτερ, ἤδη τοι σάκος οἴσω καὶ δύο δοῦρε  
"Father, now I will bring you a shield and two spears

**102** καὶ κυνέην πάγχαλκον, ἐπὶ κροτάφοις ἀραρυῖαν  
and a helmet all of bronze, fitted to the temples,

**103** αὐτός τʼ ἀμφιβαλεῦμαι ἰών, δώσω δὲ συβώτῃ  
and I will arm myself as I go, and will give to the swineherd

**104** καὶ τῷ βουκόλῳ ἄλλα· τετευχῆσθαι γὰρ ἄμεινον.  
and to the herdsman other arms; for it is better to be armed."

**105** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις
                  Ὀδυσσεύς·  
Then in answer resourceful Odysseus spoke to him:

**106** οἶσε θέων, ἧός μοι ἀμύνεσθαι πάρʼ ὀϊστοί,  
"Run and bring them, while I have arrows to defend myself,

**107** μή μʼ ἀποκινήσωσι θυράων μοῦνον ἐόντα.  
lest they drive me from the doors while I am alone."

**108** ὣς φάτο, Τηλέμαχος δὲ φίλῳ ἐπεπείθετο πατρί,  
So he spoke, and Telemachus obeyed his dear father,

**109** βῆ δʼ ἴμεναι θάλαμόνδʼ, ὅθι οἱ κλυτὰ τεύχεα κεῖτο.  
and went off to the storeroom, where the splendid arms lay.

**110** ἔνθεν τέσσαρα μὲν σάκεʼ ἔξελε, δούρατα δʼ ὀκτὼ  
From there he took out four shields, and eight spears,

**111** καὶ πίσυρας κυνέας χαλκήρεας ἱπποδασείας·  
and four bronze-fitted helmets thick with horsehair plumes.

**112** βῆ δὲ φέρων, μάλα δʼ ὦκα φίλον πατέρʼ εἰσαφίκανεν,  
He came back carrying them, and quickly reached his dear father,

**113** αὐτὸς δὲ πρώτιστα περὶ χροῒ δύσετο χαλκόν·  
and first of all he himself clothed his body in bronze;

**114** ὣς δʼ αὔτως τὼ δμῶε δυέσθην τεύχεα καλά,  
and likewise the two servants put on the fine armor,
> Dual verb form: The verb is a dual, used because exactly two servants (the swineherd and the cowherd) are arming themselves. Homer regularly uses the dual for natural pairs.

**115** ἔσταν δʼ ἀμφʼ Ὀδυσῆα δαΐφρονα ποικιλομήτην.  
and took their stand around Odysseus, skilled in war and shifting in cunning.

**116** αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ, ὄφρα μὲν αὐτῷ ἀμύνεσθαι ἔσαν ἰοί.  
But as for him, while he still had arrows to defend himself,

**117** τόφρα μνηστήρων ἕνα γʼ αἰεὶ ᾧ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ  
so long he kept striking down the suitors, ever one by one in his own house,

**118** βάλλε τιτυσκόμενος· τοὶ δʼ ἀγχιστῖνοι ἔπιπτον.  
taking aim; and they fell in heaps, one upon another.

**119** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ λίπον ἰοὶ ὀϊστεύοντα ἄνακτα,  
But when the arrows failed the lord as he shot,

**120** τόξον μὲν πρὸς σταθμὸν ἐϋσταθέος μεγάροιο  
he leaned his bow against the doorpost of the well-built hall,

**121** ἔκλινʼ ἑστάμεναι, πρὸς ἐνώπια παμφανόωντα,  
to stand there, against the shining wall,

**122** αὐτὸς δʼ ἀμφʼ ὤμοισι σάκος θέτο τετραθέλυμνον,  
and over his shoulders he set a shield of four hides,

**123** κρατὶ δʼ ἐπʼ ἰφθίμῳ κυνέην εὔτυκτον ἔθηκεν,  
and on his mighty head he placed a well-wrought helmet

**124** ἵππουριν, δεινὸν δὲ λόφος καθύπερθεν ἔνευεν·  
with a horsehair crest, and the plume nodded terribly above it;

**125** εἵλετο δʼ ἄλκιμα δοῦρε δύω κεκορυθμένα χαλκῷ.  
and he took up two strong spears tipped with bronze.

**126** ὀρσοθύρη δέ τις ἔσκεν ἐϋδμήτῳ ἐνὶ τοίχῳ,  
Now there was a postern in the well-built wall,
> The orsothyrē: A side door or raised hatch in the wall of the hall, distinct from the main entrance. Its exact form is debated, but it leads to a narrow passage out of the megaron.

**127** ἀκρότατον δὲ παρʼ οὐδὸν ἐϋσταθέος μεγάροιο  
and at the very edge, beside the threshold of the well-built hall,

**128** ἦν ὁδὸς ἐς λαύρην, σανίδες δʼ ἔχον εὖ ἀραρυῖαι.  
was a way into a passage, and close-fitted boards held it shut.

**129** τὴν δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς φράζεσθαι ἀνώγει δῖον ὑφορβὸν  
Odysseus ordered the noble swineherd to watch this door,

**130** ἑσταότʼ ἄγχʼ αὐτῆς· μία δʼ οἴη γίγνετʼ ἐφορμή.  
standing close beside it; for there was only the one approach to it.

**131** τοῖς δʼ Ἀγέλεως μετέειπεν, ἔπος πάντεσσι πιφαύσκων·  
Then Agelaos spoke among them, making his word plain to all:

**132** ὦ φίλοι, οὐκ ἂν δή τις ἀνʼ ὀρσοθύρην ἀναβαίη  
"Friends, will no one go up through the postern

**133** καὶ εἴποι λαοῖσι, βοὴ δʼ ὤκιστα γένοιτο;  
and tell the people, so a cry might quickly be raised?

**134** τῷ κε τάχʼ οὗτος ἀνὴρ νῦν ὕστατα τοξάσσαιτο.  
Then this man would soon shoot his bow for the last time."

**135** τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε Μελάνθιος, αἰπόλος αἰγῶν·  
But Melanthios, the goatherd, answered him in turn:

**136** οὔ πως ἔστʼ, Ἀγέλαε διοτρεφές· ἄγχι γὰρ αἰνῶς  
"It cannot be done, Agelaos, nurtured by Zeus; for terribly near

**137** αὐλῆς καλὰ θύρετρα καὶ ἀργαλέον στόμα λαύρης·  
are the fair gates of the courtyard, and the mouth of the passage is hard to pass;

**138** καί χʼ εἷς πάντας ἐρύκοι ἀνήρ, ὅς τʼ ἄλκιμος εἴη.  
one man could hold off them all, if he were brave.

**139** ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ, ὑμῖν τεύχεʼ ἐνείκω θωρηχθῆναι  
But come, let me bring you armor to arm yourselves,

**140** ἐκ θαλάμου· ἔνδον γάρ, ὀΐομαι, οὐδέ πη ἄλλῃ  
out of the store room; for inside, I think, and nowhere else,

**141** τεύχεα κατθέσθην Ὀδυσεὺς καὶ φαίδιμος υἱός.  
did Odysseus and his glorious son lay up the armor."

**142** ὣς εἰπὼν ἀνέβαινε Μελάνθιος, αἰπόλος αἰγῶν,  
So saying, Melanthios the goatherd climbed up

**143** εἰς θαλάμους Ὀδυσῆος ἀνὰ ῥῶγας μεγάροιο.  
to the store rooms of Odysseus by the vents of the hall.

**144** ἔνθεν δώδεκα μὲν σάκεʼ ἔξελε, τόσσα δὲ δοῦρα  
From there he took out twelve shields, and as many spears,

**145** καὶ τόσσας κυνέας χαλκήρεας ἱπποδασείας·  
and as many bronze-fitted helmets thick with horsehair plumes;

**146** βῆ δʼ ἴμεναι, μάλα δʼ ὦκα φέρων μνηστῆρσιν ἔδωκεν.  
and he went off and very quickly carried them and gave them to the suitors.

**147** καὶ τότʼ Ὀδυσσῆος λύτο γούνατα καὶ φίλον ἦτορ,  
And then Odysseus' knees and his own heart gave way,

**148** ὡς περιβαλλομένους ἴδε τεύχεα χερσί τε δοῦρα  
when he saw them putting on the armor and in their hands the spears,

**149** μακρὰ τινάσσοντας· μέγα δʼ αὐτῷ φαίνετο ἔργον.  
brandishing the long shafts; and the task loomed great before him.

**150** αἶψα δὲ Τηλέμαχον ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
At once he spoke winged words to Telemachus:

**151** Τηλέμαχʼ, ἦ μάλα δή τις ἐνὶ μεγάροισι
                     γυναικῶν  
"Telemachus, surely one of the women in the halls

**152** νῶϊν ἐποτρύνει πόλεμον κακὸν ἠὲ Μελανθεύς.  
is stirring up this cruel fight against the two of us, or it is Melanthios."
> Dual pronoun "the two of us": A first-person dual pronoun: Odysseus speaks of himself and Telemachus as a pair. The dual is alive in Homeric Greek for two persons acting together.

**153** τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα·  
Then wise Telemachus answered him in turn:

**154** ὦ πάτερ, αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τόδε γʼ ἤμβροτον—οὐδέ τις ἄλλος  
"Father, it was I myself who erred in this—no one else

**155** αἴτιος—ὃς θαλάμοιο θύρην πυκινῶς ἀραρυῖαν  
is to blame—I who left the close-fitted door of the store room

**156** κάλλιπον ἀγκλίνας· τῶν δὲ σκοπὸς ἦεν ἀμείνων.  
open, swinging it back; and their lookout was the keener.

**157** ἀλλʼ ἴθι, δῖʼ Εὔμαιε, θύρην ἐπίθες θαλάμοιο  
But go, noble Eumaeus, set the door of the store room to,

**158** καὶ φράσαι ἤ τις ἄρʼ ἐστὶ γυναικῶν ἣ τάδε ῥέζει,  
and find out whether it is one of the women who does this,

**159** ἢ υἱὸς Δολίοιο, Μελανθεύς, τόν περ ὀΐω.  
or Melanthios, the son of Dolios, as I suspect."

**160** ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον,  
Thus they spoke to each other of such things,

**161** βῆ δʼ αὖτις θάλαμόνδε Μελάνθιος, αἰπόλος αἰγῶν,  
while Melanthios the goatherd went back again to the store room

**162** οἴσων τεύχεα καλά. νόησε δὲ δῖος ὑφορβός,  
to fetch fine armor. But the noble swineherd noticed him,

**163** αἶψα δʼ Ὀδυσσῆα προσεφώνεεν ἐγγὺς ἐόντα·  
and at once spoke to Odysseus, who was near him:

**164** διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη, πολυμήχανʼ Ὀδυσσεῦ,  
"Zeus-born son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,

**165** κεῖνος δʼ αὖτʼ ἀΐδηλος ἀνήρ, ὃν ὀϊόμεθʼ αὐτοί,  
that ruinous man, the one we suspected ourselves,

**166** ἔρχεται ἐς θάλαμον· σὺ δέ μοι νημερτὲς ἐνίσπες,  
is going to the store room. So tell me truly:

**167** ἤ μιν ἀποκτείνω, αἴ κε κρείσσων γε γένωμαι,  
shall I kill him, if I prove the stronger,
> Conditional with subjunctive: An 'if perhaps' clause with the subjunctive expressing a future possibility: 'if I should turn out the stronger.' The particle κε (= ἄν) adds contingency.

**168** ἦε σοὶ ἐνθάδʼ ἄγω, ἵνʼ ὑπερβασίας ἀποτίσῃ  
or shall I bring him here to you, so he may pay for his outrages,

**169** πολλάς, ὅσσας οὗτος ἐμήσατο σῷ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ.  
the many he has plotted here in your house?"

**170** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις
                  Ὀδυσσεύς·  
Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:

**171** ἦ τοι ἐγὼ καὶ Τηλέμαχος μνηστῆρας ἀγαυοὺς  
"I and Telemachus will hold the lordly suitors

**172** σχήσομεν ἔντοσθεν μεγάρων, μάλα περ μεμαῶτας.  
inside the hall, however fierce their fury.

**173** σφῶϊ δʼ ἀποστρέψαντε πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθεν  
But you two, twist his feet and his hands behind him,
> Dual participle for the two servants: A dual aorist participle: Odysseus addresses the swineherd and cowherd as a pair acting together. Dual forms recur whenever these two work in tandem.

**174** ἐς θάλαμον βαλέειν, σανίδας δʼ ἐκδῆσαι ὄπισθε,  
throw him into the store room, and tie the boards shut behind him,

**175** σειρὴν δὲ πλεκτὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ πειρήναντε  
and fasten a braided rope to him,

**176** κίονʼ ἀνʼ ὑψηλὴν ἐρύσαι πελάσαι τε δοκοῖσιν,  
and haul him up a tall pillar and bring him close to the rafters,

**177** ὥς κεν δηθὰ ζωὸς ἐὼν χαλέπʼ ἄλγεα πάσχῃ·  
so that, alive for a long time, he may suffer grievous pains."

**178** ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα τοῦ μάλα μὲν κλύον ἠδʼ
                  ἐπίθοντο,  
So he spoke, and they listened well to him and obeyed,

**179** βὰν δʼ ἴμεν ἐς θάλαμον, λαθέτην δέ μιν ἔνδον ἐόντα.  
and went off to the store room, unseen by him within.

**180** ἦ τοι ὁ μὲν θαλάμοιο μυχὸν κάτα τεύχεʼ ἐρεύνα,  
He, indeed, was searching for armor in the recess of the store room,

**181** τὼ δʼ ἔσταν ἑκάτερθε παρὰ σταθμοῖσι μένοντε.  
while the two took their stand on either side, waiting by the doorposts.
> Dual subject and participle: Both the article τώ and the participle μένοντε are dual, marking the two servants as a unit posted on each side of the door.

**182** εὖθʼ ὑπὲρ οὐδὸν ἔβαινε Μελάνθιος, αἰπόλος αἰγῶν,  
When Melanthios the goatherd stepped over the threshold,

**183** τῇ ἑτέρῃ μὲν χειρὶ φέρων καλὴν τρυφάλειαν,  
carrying in one hand a fine helmet,

**184** τῇ δʼ ἑτέρῃ σάκος εὐρὺ γέρον, πεπαλαγμένον ἄζῃ,  
and in the other a broad old shield, caked with mold,

**185** Λαέρτεω ἥρωος, ὃ κουρίζων φορέεσκε·  
the shield of the hero Laertes, which he had carried in his youth—

**186** δὴ τότε γʼ ἤδη κεῖτο, ῥαφαὶ δὲ λέλυντο ἱμάντων·  
but by now it lay disused, and the stitching of its straps had come undone—

**187** τὼ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπαΐξανθʼ ἑλέτην ἔρυσάν τέ μιν εἴσω  
the two rushed at him, seized him, and dragged him inside
> Dual verbs in the ambush: The verbs are dual (ἑλέτην, and the participle ἐπαΐξαντε): the two herdsmen act together to seize Melanthios.

**188** κουρίξ, ἐν δαπέδῳ δὲ χαμαὶ βάλον ἀχνύμενον κῆρ,  
by the hair, and threw him to the ground, grieving in his heart,

**189** σὺν δὲ πόδας χεῖράς τε δέον θυμαλγέϊ δεσμῷ  
and bound his feet and hands together with a heart-galling cord,

**190** εὖ μάλʼ ἀποστρέψαντε διαμπερές, ὡς ἐκέλευσεν  
wrenching them right back, just as he had ordered,

**191** υἱὸς Λαέρταο, πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς·  
the son of Laertes, much-enduring noble Odysseus;

**192** σειρὴν δὲ πλεκτὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ πειρήναντε  
and they fastened a braided rope to him

**193** κίονʼ ἀνʼ ὑψηλὴν ἔρυσαν πέλασάν τε δοκοῖσι.  
and hauled him up a tall pillar and brought him close to the rafters.

**194** τὸν δʼ ἐπικερτομέων προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα·  
And mocking him 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 touch of intimacy Homer reserves for a few favored characters. Εὔμαιε is vocative.

**195** νῦν μὲν δὴ μάλα πάγχυ, Μελάνθιε, νύκτα
                     φυλάξεις,  
"Now indeed, Melanthios, you will keep watch through the whole night,

**196** εὐνῇ ἔνι μαλακῇ καταλέγμενος, ὥς σε ἔοικεν·  
lying on a soft bed, as is fitting for you;

**197** οὐδέ σέ γʼ ἠριγένεια παρʼ Ὠκεανοῖο ῥοάων  
and the early-born one, golden-throned, coming up from the streams of Ocean,

**198** λήσει ἐπερχομένη χρυσόθρονος, ἡνίκʼ ἀγινεῖς  
will not escape your notice, at the hour when you bring

**199** αἶγας μνηστήρεσσι δόμον κάτα δαῖτα πένεσθαι.  
the goats for the suitors to make their feast throughout the house."

**200** ὣς ὁ μὲν αὖθι λέλειπτο, ταθεὶς ὀλοῷ ἐνὶ δεσμῷ·  
So he was left there, stretched in the deadly bond;

**201** τὼ δʼ ἐς τεύχεα δύντε, θύρην ἐπιθέντε φαεινήν,  
and the two, putting on their armor and closing the shining door,
> Dual participles for the returning pair: Both participles (δύντε, ἐπιθέντε) and the article τώ are dual: the two herdsmen arm and shut the door together before rejoining Odysseus.

**202** βήτην εἰς Ὀδυσῆα δαΐφρονα, ποικιλομήτην.  
went off to Odysseus, skilled in war and shifting in cunning.

**203** ἔνθα μένος πνείοντες ἐφέστασαν, οἱ μὲν ἐπʼ οὐδοῦ  
There they stood breathing fury, those four on the threshold,

**204** τέσσαρες, οἱ δʼ ἔντοσθε δόμων πολέες τε καὶ ἐσθλοί.  
while inside the house were many men, and brave.

**205** τοῖσι δʼ ἐπʼ ἀγχίμολον θυγάτηρ Διὸς ἦλθεν Ἀθήνη,  
Then near to them came Athena, daughter of Zeus,

**206** Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν.  
likening herself to Mentor in both form and voice.

**207** τὴν δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς γήθησεν ἰδὼν καὶ μῦθον ἔειπε·  
Odysseus rejoiced when he saw her, and spoke a word:

**208** Μέντορ, ἄμυνον ἀρήν, μνῆσαι δʼ ἑτάροιο
                     φίλοιο,  
"Mentor, ward off ruin, and remember your dear comrade,
> Imperatives of appeal: Two imperatives drive the plea: 'ward off' (aorist active) and 'remember' (aorist middle). The mood marks Odysseus' direct command-like request to the disguised goddess.

**209** ὅς σʼ ἀγαθὰ ῥέζεσκον· ὁμηλικίην δέ μοί ἐσσι.  
who did good things for you; and you are my age-mate."

**210** ὣς φάτʼ, ὀϊόμενος λαοσσόον ἔμμεν Ἀθήνην.  
So he spoke, though he guessed it was Athena, rouser of armies.

**211** μνηστῆρες δʼ ἑτέρωθεν ὁμόκλεον ἐν μεγάροισι·  
But the suitors shouted at her from the other side in the hall;

**212** πρῶτος τήν γʼ ἐνένιπε Δαμαστορίδης Ἀγέλαος·  
first to revile her was Agelaos, son of Damastor:

**213** Μέντορ, μή σʼ ἐπέεσσι παραιπεπίθῃσιν
                     Ὀδυσσεὺς  
"Mentor, do not let Odysseus talk you over with his words

**214** μνηστήρεσσι μάχεσθαι, ἀμυνέμεναι δέ οἱ αὐτῷ.  
into fighting the suitors and defending him.

**215** ὧδε γὰρ ἡμέτερόν γε νόον τελέεσθαι ὀΐω·  
For thus, I think, our purpose will be carried out:

**216** ὁππότε κεν τούτους κτέωμεν, πατέρʼ ἠδὲ καὶ υἱόν,  
once we have killed these men, father and son alike,
> Temporal clause with subjunctive: An 'whenever / once we have' clause with κεν and the subjunctive, expressing a future condition for the threat that follows.

**217** ἐν δὲ σὺ τοῖσιν ἔπειτα πεφήσεαι, οἷα μενοινᾷς  
then you too will be slain among them, for the things you are eager

**218** ἔρδειν ἐν μεγάροις· σῷ δʼ αὐτοῦ κράατι τίσεις.  
to do in the halls; and you will pay for it with your own head.

**219** αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν ὑμέων γε βίας ἀφελώμεθα χαλκῷ,  
And when we have stripped the strength from all of you with the bronze,

**220** κτήμαθʼ ὁπόσσα τοί ἐστι, τά τʼ ἔνδοθι καὶ τὰ θύρηφι,  
all the possessions you have, both inside and out of doors,

**221** τοῖσιν Ὀδυσσῆος μεταμίξομεν· οὐδέ τοι υἷας  
we will mix in with Odysseus's; nor will we let your sons

**222** ζώειν ἐν μεγάροισιν ἐάσομεν, οὐδέ θύγατρας  
live on in your halls, nor your daughters,

**223** οὐδʼ ἄλοχον κεδνὴν Ἰθάκης κατὰ ἄστυ πολεύειν.  
nor let your faithful wife go about the town of Ithaca.

**224** ὣς φάτʼ, Ἀθηναίη δὲ χολώσατο κηρόθι μᾶλλον,  
So he spoke, and Athena grew the more enraged in her heart,
> Aorist middle of anger: An aorist middle verb showing Athena becoming angry. The middle voice marks the action as affecting the subject's own state.

**225** νείκεσσεν δʼ Ὀδυσῆα χολωτοῖσιν ἐπέεσσιν·  
and she rebuked Odysseus with angry words:

**226** οὐκέτι σοί γʼ, Ὀδυσεῦ, μένος ἔμπεδον οὐδέ τις
                     ἀλκή  
"No longer, Odysseus, is your strength steadfast in you, nor any of the prowess

**227** οἵη ὅτʼ ἀμφʼ Ἑλένῃ λευκωλένῳ εὐπατερείῃ,  
you had when, for white-armed Helen of noble father,
> White-armed: A standard Homeric epithet for women of beauty, here applied to Helen. The compound literally means 'white-armed'.

**228** εἰνάετες Τρώεσσιν ἐμάρναο νωλεμὲς αἰεί,  
for nine years you fought the Trojans without ceasing,

**229** πολλοὺς δʼ ἄνδρας ἔπεφνες ἐν αἰνῇ δηϊοτῆτι,  
and slew many men in the grim work of war,

**230** σῇ δʼ ἥλω βουλῇ Πριάμου πόλις εὐρυάγυια.  
and by your counsel the broad-streeted city of Priam was taken.

**231** πῶς δὴ νῦν, ὅτε σόν τε δόμον καὶ κτήμαθʼ ἱκάνεις,  
How is it now, when you have reached your own house and possessions,

**232** ἄντα μνηστήρων ὀλοφύρεαι ἄλκιμος εἶναι;  
that you wail at being valiant in the face of the suitors?

**233** ἀλλʼ ἄγε δεῦρο, πέπον, παρʼ ἔμʼ ἵστασο καὶ ἴδε ἔργον,  
But come here, friend, stand beside me and watch the deed,
> An affectionate address: A familiar, half-tender form of address, here roughly 'my good fellow' or 'old friend'. Used between comrades.

**234** ὄφρʼ εἰδῇς οἷός τοι ἐν ἀνδράσι δυσμενέεσσιν  
so you may know what kind of man, among hostile foes,

**235** Μέντωρ Ἀλκιμίδης εὐεργεσίας ἀποτίνειν.  
Mentor son of Alcimus is, in repaying kindnesses."

**236** ἦ ῥα, καὶ οὔ πω πάγχυ δίδου ἑτεραλκέα νίκην,  
She spoke, yet she did not yet grant outright the victory that turns the scale,

**237** ἀλλʼ ἔτʼ ἄρα σθένεός τε καὶ ἀλκῆς πειρήτιζεν  
but kept on testing the strength and prowess
> Imperfect of ongoing testing: The imperfect tense conveys Athena's continued, repeated testing of Odysseus and his son rather than a single completed act.

**238** ἠμὲν Ὀδυσσῆος ἠδʼ υἱοῦ κυδαλίμοιο.  
both of Odysseus and of his glorious son.

**239** αὐτὴ δʼ αἰθαλόεντος ἀνὰ μεγάροιο μέλαθρον  
But she herself, up to the rafter of the smoke-blackened hall,

**240** ἕζετʼ ἀναΐξασα, χελιδόνι εἰκέλη ἄντην.  
darted and perched, in the likeness of a swallow to the eye.

**241** μνηστῆρας δʼ ὤτρυνε Δαμαστορίδης Ἀγέλαος,  
Now Agelaus son of Damastor urged on the suitors,

**242** Εὐρύνομός τε καὶ Ἀμφιμέδων Δημοπτόλεμός τε,  
and Eurynomus and Amphimedon and Demoptolemus,

**243** Πείσανδρός τε Πολυκτορίδης Πόλυβός τε δαΐφρων·  
and Peisander son of Polyctor and warlike Polybus;

**244** οἱ γὰρ μνηστήρων ἀρετῇ ἔσαν ἔξοχʼ ἄριστοι,  
for these were by far the best in valor of the suitors,

**245** ὅσσοι ἔτʼ ἔζωον περί τε ψυχέων ἐμάχοντο·  
of all who still lived and fought for their lives;
> Fighting for their lives: Here psyche means 'life' itself, the breath-soul whose loss is death. The genitive plural marks what they fight for.

**246** τοὺς δʼ ἤδη ἐδάμασσε βιὸς καὶ ταρφέες ἰοί.  
the rest the bow and the thronging arrows had already overcome.

**247** τοῖς δʼ Ἀγέλεως μετέειπεν, ἔπος πάντεσσι πιφαύσκων·  
To them Agelaus spoke, declaring his word to all:

**248** ὦ φίλοι, ἤδη σχήσει ἀνὴρ ὅδε χεῖρας ἀάπτους·  
"Friends, now this man will hold back his irresistible hands;

**249** καὶ δή οἱ Μέντωρ μὲν ἔβη κενὰ εὔγματα εἰπών,  
Mentor has gone off after uttering empty boasts,

**250** οἱ δʼ οἶοι λείπονται ἐπὶ πρώτῃσι θύρῃσι.  
and they are left alone at the front doors.

**251** τῷ νῦν μὴ ἅμα πάντες ἐφίετε δούρατα μακρά,  
So now do not all hurl your long spears at once,
> Negated present imperative: A present imperative with the negative tells the suitors not to keep doing something all together. The aspect is ongoing.

**252** ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ οἱ ἓξ πρῶτον ἀκοντίσατʼ, αἴ κέ ποθι Ζεὺς  
but come, you six throw first, in hope that somehow Zeus

**253** δώῃ Ὀδυσσῆα βλῆσθαι καὶ κῦδος ἀρέσθαι.  
may grant that Odysseus be struck and we win glory.

**254** τῶν δʼ ἄλλων οὐ κῆδος, ἐπὴν οὗτός γε πέσῃσιν.  
For the others there is no care, once he at least has fallen."

**255** ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἀκόντισαν ὡς
                  ἐκέλευεν,  
So he spoke, and they all threw as he ordered,

**256** ἱέμενοι· τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐτώσια θῆκεν Ἀθήνη,  
eager; but Athena made them all come to nothing.
> In vain: Athena renders the spear-casts 'useless' or 'fruitless', diverting them harmlessly. The word stresses divine intervention.

**257** τῶν ἄλλος μὲν σταθμὸν ἐϋσταθέος μεγάροιο  
Of these, one struck the door-post of the well-built hall,

**258** βεβλήκει, ἄλλος δὲ θύρην πυκινῶς ἀραρυῖαν·  
another the tight-fitted door,

**259** ἄλλου δʼ ἐν τοίχῳ μελίη πέσε χαλκοβάρεια.  
and another's bronze-heavy ash spear fell against the wall.

**260** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ δούρατʼ ἀλεύαντο μνηστήρων,  
But when they had dodged the spears of the suitors,

**261** τοῖς δʼ ἄρα μύθων ἦρχε πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς·  
the much-enduring noble Odysseus began to speak to them:
> Much-enduring noble Odysseus: A recurring formulaic epithet-phrase for Odysseus, marking him as the man who has endured much.

**262** ὦ φίλοι, ἤδη μέν κεν ἐγὼν εἴποιμι καὶ ἄμμι  
"Friends, now I would say that we too

**263** μνηστήρων ἐς ὅμιλον ἀκοντίσαι, οἳ μεμάασιν  
should hurl into the throng of suitors, who are bent

**264** ἡμέας ἐξεναρίξαι ἐπὶ προτέροισι κακοῖσιν.  
on stripping us of our armor, after their earlier wrongs."

**265** ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἀκόντισαν ὀξέα δοῦρα  
So he spoke, and they all threw their sharp spears,

**266** ἄντα τιτυσκόμενοι· Δημοπτόλεμον μὲν Ὀδυσσεύς,  
aiming straight ahead; Odysseus struck Demoptolemus,

**267** Εὐρυάδην δʼ ἄρα Τηλέμαχος, Ἔλατον δὲ συβώτης,  
Telemachus struck Euryades, and the swineherd Elatus,

**268** Πείσανδρον δʼ ἄρʼ ἔπεφνε βοῶν ἐπιβουκόλος ἀνήρ.  
and the cowherd man slew Peisander.

**269** οἱ μὲν ἔπειθʼ ἅμα πάντες ὀδὰξ ἕλον ἄσπετον οὖδας,  
Then all these together bit the boundless earth with their teeth,
> Biting the dust: A vivid formulaic image for men dying in battle: 'they seized the ground with their teeth' as they fall face-down.

**270** μνηστῆρες δʼ ἀνεχώρησαν μεγάροιο μυχόνδε·  
and the suitors drew back into the depth of the hall.

**271** τοὶ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπήϊξαν, νεκύων δʼ ἐξ ἔγχεʼ ἕλοντο.  
But the others rushed forward and pulled their spears from the corpses.

**272** αὖτις δὲ μνηστῆρες ἀκόντισαν ὀξέα δοῦρα  
Again the suitors hurled their sharp spears,

**273** ἱέμενοι· τὰ δὲ πολλὰ ἐτώσια θῆκεν Ἀθήνη.  
eager; but Athena made most of them come to nothing.

**274** τῶν ἄλλος μὲν σταθμὸν ἐϋσταθέος μεγάροιο  
Of these, one struck the door-post of the well-built hall,

**275** βεβλήκειν, ἄλλος δὲ θύρην πυκινῶς ἀραρυῖαν·  
another the tight-fitted door,

**276** ἄλλου δʼ ἐν τοίχῳ μελίη πέσε χαλκοβάρεια.  
and another's bronze-heavy ash spear fell against the wall.

**277** Ἀμφιμέδων δʼ ἄρα Τηλέμαχον βάλε χεῖρʼ ἐπὶ καρπῷ  
Yet Amphimedon struck Telemachus on the hand, at the wrist,

**278** λίγδην, ἄκρον δὲ ῥινὸν δηλήσατο χαλκός.  
grazing it, and the bronze tore the surface of the skin.

**279** Κτήσιππος δʼ Εὔμαιον ὑπὲρ σάκος ἔγχεϊ μακρῷ  
And Ctesippus with his long spear, over the shield, grazed

**280** ὦμον ἐπέγραψεν· τὸ δʼ ὑπέρπτατο, πῖπτε δʼ ἔραζε.  
Eumaeus on the shoulder; but the spear flew over and fell to the ground.

**281** τοὶ δʼ αὖτʼ ἀμφʼ Ὀδυσῆα δαΐφρονα ποικιλομήτην,  
Then those around wise, crafty-minded Odysseus

**282** μνηστήρων ἐς ὅμιλον ἀκόντισαν ὀξέα δοῦρα.  
hurled their sharp spears into the throng of suitors.

**283** ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ Εὐρυδάμαντα βάλε πτολίπορθος Ὀδυσσεύς,  
There again Odysseus the sacker of cities struck Eurydamas,
> Sacker of cities: A heroic epithet, 'destroyer of cities', recalling Odysseus's role in the fall of Troy.

**284** Ἀμφιμέδοντα δὲ Τηλέμαχος, Πόλυβον δὲ συβώτης·  
and Telemachus struck Amphimedon, and the swineherd Polybus;

**285** Κτήσιππον δʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειτα βοῶν ἐπιβουκόλος ἀνὴρ  
and then the cowherd man struck Ctesippus

**286** βεβλήκει πρὸς στῆθος, ἐπευχόμενος δὲ προσηύδα·  
in the breast, and he spoke vaunting over him:

**287** ὦ Πολυθερσεΐδη φιλοκέρτομε, μή ποτε πάμπαν  
"Son of Polytherses, you mocker, never again at all,

**288** εἴκων ἀφραδίῃς μέγα εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ θεοῖσιν  
yielding to folly, speak so big; leave the matter to the gods,

**289** μῦθον ἐπιτρέψαι, ἐπεὶ ἦ πολὺ φέρτεροί εἰσι.  
and entrust your word to them, since they are far stronger.

**290** τοῦτό τοι ἀντὶ ποδὸς ξεινήϊον, ὅν ποτʼ ἔδωκας  
This is your guest-gift in return for the hoof you once gave

**291** ἀντιθέῳ Ὀδυσῆϊ δόμον κάτʼ ἀλητεύοντι.  
to godlike Odysseus when he was begging through the house."

**292** ἦ ῥα βοῶν ἑλίκων ἐπιβουκόλος· αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς  
So spoke the cowherd of the spiral-horned oxen; but Odysseus

**293** οὖτα Δαμαστορίδην αὐτοσχεδὸν ἔγχεϊ μακρῷ.  
wounded the son of Damastor at close quarters with his long spear.

**294** Τηλέμαχος δʼ Εὐηνορίδην Λειώκριτον οὖτα  
And Telemachus wounded Leiocritus son of Euenor

**295** δουρὶ μέσον κενεῶνα, διαπρὸ δὲ χαλκὸν ἔλασσεν·  
with his spear full in the flank, and drove the bronze clean through;

**296** ἤριπε δὲ πρηνής, χθόνα δʼ ἤλασε παντὶ μετώπῳ.  
he fell face-down, and struck the earth with his whole forehead.

**297** δὴ τότʼ Ἀθηναίη φθισίμβροτον αἰγίδʼ ἀνέσχεν  
Then Athena held up her man-destroying aegis

**298** ὑψόθεν ἐξ ὀροφῆς· τῶν δὲ φρένες ἐπτοίηθεν.  
high up from the roof; and their wits were stricken with terror.

**299** οἱ δʼ ἐφέβοντο κατὰ μέγαρον βόες ὣς ἀγελαῖαι·  
They fled through the hall like a herd of cattle,

**300** τὰς μέν τʼ αἰόλος οἶστρος ἐφορμηθεὶς ἐδόνησεν  
which the darting gadfly, swooping upon them, has driven into a frenzy

**301** ὥρῃ ἐν εἰαρινῇ, ὅτε τʼ ἤματα μακρὰ πέλονται.  
in the season of spring, when the days grow long.

**302** οἱ δʼ ὥς τʼ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες ἀγκυλοχεῖλαι,  
And the men, like crook-taloned, hook-beaked vultures

**303** ἐξ ὀρέων ἐλθόντες ἐπʼ ὀρνίθεσσι θόρωσι·  
that come down from the mountains and swoop upon the birds;

**304** ταὶ μέν τʼ ἐν πεδίῳ νέφεα πτώσσουσαι ἵενται,  
and these, cowering from the clouds, rush across the plain,

**305** οἱ δέ τε τὰς ὀλέκουσιν ἐπάλμενοι, οὐδέ τις ἀλκὴ  
but the vultures pounce and destroy them, and there is no defense

**306** γίγνεται οὐδὲ φυγή· χαίρουσι δέ τʼ ἀνέρες ἄγρῃ·  
nor any flight; and men rejoice in the hunting:

**307** ὣς ἄρα τοὶ μνηστῆρας ἐπεσσύμενοι κατὰ δῶμα  
so they, rushing upon the suitors through the house,

**308** τύπτον ἐπιστροφάδην· τῶν δὲ στόνος ὤρνυτʼ ἀεικὴς  
struck them down on every side; and from them rose a hideous groaning

**309** κράτων τυπτομένων, δάπεδον δʼ ἅπαν αἵματι θῦε.  
as their heads were beaten, and the whole floor steamed with blood.

**310** Λειώδης δʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἐπεσσύμενος λάβε γούνων,  
Then Leiodes rushed to Odysseus and seized his knees,

**311** καί μιν λισσόμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and beseeching him spoke winged words:
> Winged words: One of Homer's most frequent formulas: words fly swiftly from the speaker like winged birds toward the hearer.

**312** γουνοῦμαί σʼ, Ὀδυσεῦ· σὺ δέ μʼ αἴδεο καί μʼ
                     ἐλέησον·  
"I clasp your knees, Odysseus; respect me and have pity on me.

**313** οὐ γάρ πώ τινά φημι γυναικῶν ἐν μεγάροισιν  
For I say that never to any of the women in the halls

**314** εἰπεῖν οὐδέ τι ῥέξαι ἀτάσθαλον· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλους  
did I speak or do anything reckless; rather I kept trying to stop

**315** παύεσκον μνηστῆρας, ὅτις τοιαῦτά γε ῥέζοι.  
the other suitors as well, whoever would do such deeds.

**316** ἀλλά μοι οὐ πείθοντο κακῶν ἄπο χεῖρας ἔχεσθαι·  
But they would not heed me and keep their hands from evil;

**317** τῷ καὶ ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐπέσπον.  
and so by their own recklessness they have met a shameful doom.

**318** αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ μετὰ τοῖσι θυοσκόος οὐδὲν ἐοργὼς  
Yet I, a soothsayer among them who has done no wrong,
> Sacrificing priest: Leiodes was the suitors' diviner who read the sacrifices. He pleads that his ritual office made him no wrongdoer.

**319** κείσομαι, ὡς οὐκ ἔστι χάρις μετόπισθʼ εὐεργέων·  
shall lie dead, since there is no thanks afterward for good deeds."

**320** τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πολύμητις
                  Ὀδυσσεύς·  
Then with a dark glance the resourceful Odysseus answered him:
> With a dark glance: A formulaic phrase for an angry, lowering look from beneath the brows, signaling a stern rebuke is coming.

**321** εἰ μὲν δὴ μετὰ τοῖσι θυοσκόος εὔχεαι εἶναι,  
"If indeed you claim to have been a soothsayer among them,

**322** πολλάκι που μέλλεις ἀρήμεναι ἐν μεγάροισι  
then often, I suppose, you must have prayed in the halls

**323** τηλοῦ ἐμοὶ νόστοιο τέλος γλυκεροῖο γενέσθαι,  
that the goal of my sweet homecoming stay far from me,
> Homecoming (nostos): Nostos, the 'homecoming' or return, is the central theme of the whole poem; here Odysseus throws Leiodes's prayers against it back at him.

**324** σοὶ δʼ ἄλοχόν τε φίλην σπέσθαι καὶ τέκνα τεκέσθαι·  
and that my dear wife should follow you and bear you children;

**325** τῷ οὐκ ἂν θάνατόν γε δυσηλεγέα προφύγοισθα.  
therefore you shall not escape grievous death."

**326** ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ξίφος εἵλετο χειρὶ παχείῃ  
So speaking, with his stout hand he took up the sword

**327** κείμενον, ὅ ῥʼ Ἀγέλαος ἀποπροέηκε χαμᾶζε  
lying there, which Agelaus had let fall to the ground

**328** κτεινόμενος· τῷ τόν γε κατʼ αὐχένα μέσσον ἔλασσε.  
when he was killed; with it he drove through the middle of his neck.

**329** φθεγγομένου δʼ ἄρα τοῦ γε κάρη κονίῃσιν ἐμίχθη.  
And while he was still crying out, his head was mingled with the dust.
> Genitive absolute: The participle stands in the genitive with its subject, a genitive absolute: 'while he was still speaking'. The horror is that he dies mid-word.

**330** Τερπιάδης δʼ ἔτʼ ἀοιδὸς ἀλύσκανε κῆρα μέλαιναν,  
But the son of Terpes, the singer, was still trying to escape black death,
> Black death: Ker is the death-spirit or doom; 'black death' is a recurring epithet for the dark fate that overtakes a man.

**331** Φήμιος, ὅς ῥʼ ἤειδε μετὰ μνηστῆρσιν ἀνάγκῃ.  
Phemius, who sang for the suitors under compulsion.
> Under compulsion: The dative ἀνάγκῃ means 'by necessity, under constraint.' Phemius is exonerated in advance: he performed for the suitors against his will.

**332** ἔστη δʼ ἐν χείρεσσίν ἔχων φόρμιγγα λίγειαν  
He stood there, holding the clear-toned lyre in his hands,

**333** ἄγχι παρʼ ὀρσοθύρην· δίχα δὲ φρεσὶ μερμήριζεν,  
close by the side door, and his mind was divided in two,
> Divided in two: δίχα μερμήριζεν is a Homeric formula for an agonized 'either/or' deliberation, the mind split between two courses.

**334** ἢ ἐκδὺς μεγάροιο Διὸς μεγάλου ποτὶ βωμὸν  
whether to slip out of the hall and sit at the altar of great Zeus,

**335** ἑρκείου ἵζοιτο τετυγμένον, ἔνθʼ ἄρα πολλὰ  
the altar of the courtyard, well-built, where many times

**336** Λαέρτης Ὀδυσεύς τε βοῶν ἐπὶ μηρίʼ ἔκηαν,  
Laertes and Odysseus had burned the thigh-pieces of oxen,

**337** ἦ γούνων λίσσοιτο προσαΐξας Ὀδυσῆα.  
or whether to rush forward and clasp Odysseus by the knees in supplication.

**338** ὧδε δέ οἱ φρονέοντι δοάσσατο κέρδιον εἶναι,  
And as he pondered, this seemed to him the better course:
> More profitable: κέρδιον, 'more advantageous,' from κέρδος (gain). Homeric deliberations weigh which option is the shrewder, more profitable one.

**339** γούνων ἅψασθαι Λαερτιάδεω Ὀδυσῆος.  
to lay hold of the knees of Odysseus, son of Laertes.

**340** ἦ τοι ὁ φόρμιγγα γλαφυρὴν κατέθηκε χαμᾶζε  
So he set the hollow lyre down upon the ground,

**341** μεσσηγὺς κρητῆρος ἰδὲ θρόνου ἀργυροήλου,  
between the mixing-bowl and the silver-studded chair,

**342** αὐτὸς δʼ αὖτʼ Ὀδυσῆα προσαΐξας λάβε γούνων,  
and he himself rushed forward and caught Odysseus by the knees,

**343** καί μιν λισσόμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and beseeching him spoke winged words:
> Winged words (formula): A stock epithet-formula: speech 'flies' from speaker to hearer like a bird. The plural ἔπεα is a Homeric form of the neuter noun.

**344** γουνοῦμαί σʼ, Ὀδυσεῦ· σὺ δέ μʼ αἴδεο καί μʼ
                     ἐλέησον·  
"I clasp your knees, Odysseus; respect me and have pity on me.
> Respect / show shame: αἰδώς is the sense of shame and reverence that constrains decent conduct. To 'respect' a suppliant is to honor the gods who guard supplication.

**345** αὐτῷ τοι μετόπισθʼ ἄχος ἔσσεται, εἴ κεν ἀοιδὸν  
Grief will come upon you yourself hereafter, if you kill a singer

**346** πέφνῃς, ὅς τε θεοῖσι καὶ ἀνθρώποισιν ἀείδω.  
such as I, who sing for gods and for men.

**347** αὐτοδίδακτος δʼ εἰμί, θεὸς δέ μοι ἐν φρεσὶν οἴμας  
I am self-taught, and a god has planted in my mind songs

**348** παντοίας ἐνέφυσεν· ἔοικα δέ τοι παραείδειν  
of every kind; and I am fit to sing before you

**349** ὥς τε θεῷ· τῷ μή με λιλαίεο δειροτομῆσαι.  
as before a god. So do not be eager to cut my throat.

**350** καί κεν Τηλέμαχος τάδε γʼ εἴποι, σὸς φίλος υἱός,  
Telemachus too could tell you this, your own dear son,

**351** ὡς ἐγὼ οὔ τι ἑκὼν ἐς σὸν δόμον οὐδὲ χατίζων  
that I never came willingly or for want of pay to your house

**352** πωλεύμην μνηστῆρσιν ἀεισόμενος μετὰ δαῖτας,  
to sing for the suitors after their feasts,

**353** ἀλλὰ πολὺ πλέονες καὶ κρείσσονες ἦγον ἀνάγκῃ.  
but they, far more and stronger, brought me by force."
> Comparatives of force: πλέονες ('more numerous') and κρείσσονες ('stronger') are comparative adjectives; the suitors outmatched Phemius in number and might, so resistance was impossible.

**354** ὣς φάτο, τοῦ δʼ ἤκουσʼ ἱερὴ ἲς Τηλεμάχοιο,  
So he spoke, and the sacred strength of Telemachus heard him,
> The sacred might of Telemachus: A periphrasis: 'the sacred strength of Telemachus' simply means Telemachus himself. Such reverent circumlocutions are common in epic.

**355** αἶψα δʼ ἑὸν πατέρα προσεφώνεεν ἐγγὺς ἐόντα·  
and at once he called out to his father, who was close by:

**356** ἴσχεο μηδέ τι τοῦτον ἀναίτιον οὔταε χαλκῷ·  
"Hold! Do not wound this guiltless man with the bronze.
> Imperative: hold back: ἴσχεο is a middle imperative of ἴσχω, 'check yourself, stop.' Telemachus commands his father to stay his hand.

**357** καὶ κήρυκα Μέδοντα σαώσομεν, ὅς τέ μευ αἰεὶ  
And let us spare the herald Medon, who always

**358** οἴκῳ ἐν ἡμετέρῳ κηδέσκετο παιδὸς ἐόντος,  
cared for me in our house when I was a child,

**359** εἰ δὴ μή μιν ἔπεφνε Φιλοίτιος ἠὲ συβώτης,  
unless Philoetius has already killed him, or the swineherd,

**360** ἠὲ σοὶ ἀντεβόλησεν ὀρινομένῳ κατὰ δῶμα.  
or he has crossed your path as you raged through the hall."

**361** ὣς φάτο, τοῦ δʼ ἤκουσε Μέδων πεπνυμένα εἰδώς·  
So he spoke, and Medon, who knew prudent thoughts, heard him;
> Knowing prudent things: A perfect participle εἰδώς ('knowing') with πεπνυμένα ('wise, prudent things'); the perfect of οἶδα functions as a present, 'he is wise.'

**362** πεπτηὼς γὰρ ἔκειτο ὑπὸ θρόνον, ἀμφὶ δὲ δέρμα  
for he lay crouched beneath a chair, and around himself

**363** ἕστο βοὸς νεόδαρτον, ἀλύσκων κῆρα μέλαιναν.  
he had wrapped the freshly flayed hide of an ox, shunning black death.
> Black death (formula): κὴρ μέλαινα, 'black death/doom,' is a recurring Homeric phrase for the dark fate that hunts each man.

**364** αἶψα δʼ ἀπὸ θρόνου ὦρτο, θοῶς δʼ ἀπέδυνε βοείην  
At once he sprang up from the chair and quickly stripped off the oxhide,

**365** Τηλέμαχον δʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειτα προσαΐξας λάβε γούνων,  
and then rushing forward he caught Telemachus by the knees,

**366** καί μιν λισσόμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and beseeching him spoke winged words:

**367** ὦ φίλʼ, ἐγὼ μὲν ὅδʼ εἰμί, σὺ δʼ ἴσχεο εἰπὲ δὲ
                     πατρὶ  
"Friend, here I am; hold back, and tell your father,

**368** μή με περισθενέων δηλήσεται ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ,  
lest in his great strength he destroy me with the sharp bronze,
> Fear / negative purpose: The clause is a negative purpose clause: μή + future indicative (δηλήσεται) dependent on the imperative εἰπέ in the preceding line — 'tell your father, lest he destroy me / so that he may not harm me.' There is no verb of fearing; this is not a fear clause.

**369** ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων κεχολωμένος, οἵ οἱ ἔκειρον  
in his anger at the suitors, the men who were wasting

**370** κτήματʼ ἐνὶ μεγάροις, σὲ δὲ νήπιοι οὐδὲν ἔτιον.  
his possessions in the halls, and in their folly gave you no honor."
> Fools (nominative): νήπιοι, 'fools, childish ones,' is a nominative in apposition to the suitors, expressing Medon's own judgment of the suitors' blind recklessness (Medon is the speaker throughout ll. 367–370).

**371** τὸν δʼ ἐπιμειδήσας προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·  
Then, smiling at him, Odysseus of many wiles replied:
> Odysseus of many wiles (epithet): πολύμητις, 'of many counsels,' is Odysseus's signature epithet. The smile here is a rare softening in the midst of slaughter.

**372** θάρσει, ἐπεὶ δή σʼ οὗτος ἐρύσσατο καὶ ἐσάωσεν,  
"Take heart, for this man has rescued you and saved you,

**373** ὄφρα γνῷς κατὰ θυμόν, ἀτὰρ εἴπῃσθα καὶ ἄλλῳ,  
so that you may know in your heart, and tell another too,

**374** ὡς κακοεργίης εὐεργεσίη μέγʼ ἀμείνων.  
how good doing is far better than evil doing.
> Good deeds vs. evil deeds: The line sets εὐεργεσίη ('benefaction') against κακοεργίη ('wrongdoing'), stating the moral lesson of the whole massacre: kindness outlasts crime.

**375** ἀλλʼ ἐξελθόντες μεγάρων ἕζεσθε θύραζε  
But go out from the halls and sit outside the doors,

**376** ἐκ φόνου εἰς αὐλήν, σύ τε καὶ πολύφημος ἀοιδός,  
out of the slaughter, in the courtyard, you and the renowned singer,

**377** ὄφρʼ ἂν ἐγὼ κατὰ δῶμα πονήσομαι ὅττεό με χρή.  
while I deal with what I must here in the house."

**378** ὣς φάτο, τὼ δʼ ἔξω βήτην μεγάροιο κιόντε,  
So he spoke, and the two went out and left the hall,

**379** ἑζέσθην δʼ ἄρα τώ γε Διὸς μεγάλου ποτὶ βωμόν,  
and they sat down at the altar of great Zeus,

**380** πάντοσε παπταίνοντε, φόνον ποτιδεγμένω αἰεί.  
peering all around, still expecting death at every moment.
> Dual participles: Both participles are dual in form, agreeing with the two men (Phemius and Medon). Homer uses the dual for natural pairs.

**381** πάπτηνεν δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς καθʼ ἑὸν δόμον, εἴ τις ἔτʼ ἀνδρῶν  
And Odysseus peered through his house, to see if any man

**382** ζωὸς ὑποκλοπέοιτο, ἀλύσκων κῆρα μέλαιναν.  
still lived, hiding away, shunning black death.

**383** τοὺς δὲ ἴδεν μάλα πάντας ἐν αἵματι καὶ κονίῃσι  
But he saw them all, very many, fallen in blood and dust,

**384** πεπτεῶτας πολλούς, ὥστʼ ἰχθύας, οὕς θʼ ἁλιῆες  
lying there like fish that fishermen

**385** κοῖλον ἐς αἰγιαλὸν πολιῆς ἔκτοσθε θαλάσσης  
have drawn out onto the curving shore from the grey sea

**386** δικτύῳ ἐξέρυσαν πολυωπῷ· οἱ δέ τε πάντες  
with a fine-meshed net; and all of them,

**387** κύμαθʼ ἁλὸς ποθέοντες ἐπὶ ψαμάθοισι κέχυνται·  
longing for the waves of the sea, lie poured out upon the sand;
> Longing for the waves: ποθέω, 'to long for, miss.' The fish 'long for' the sea-waves even as they die — a poignant touch giving the simile pathos.

**388** τῶν μέν τʼ Ἠέλιος φαέθων ἐξείλετο θυμόν·  
and the blazing Sun takes the life-breath out of them;

**389** ὣς τότʼ ἄρα μνηστῆρες ἐπʼ ἀλλήλοισι κέχυντο.  
so then the suitors lay heaped one upon another.

**390** δὴ τότε Τηλέμαχον προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·  
Then Odysseus of many wiles spoke to Telemachus:

**391** Τηλέμαχʼ, εἰ δʼ ἄγε μοι κάλεσον τροφὸν
                     Εὐρύκλειαν,  
"Telemachus, come now, call for me the nurse Eurycleia,

**392** ὄφρα ἔπος εἴπωμι τό μοι καταθύμιόν ἐστιν.  
so that I may tell her the word that is on my mind."

**393** ὣς φάτο, Τηλέμαχος δὲ φίλῳ ἐπεπείθετο πατρί,  
So he spoke, and Telemachus obeyed his dear father,

**394** κινήσας δὲ θύρην προσέφη τροφὸν Εὐρύκλειαν·  
and shaking the door he called to the nurse Eurycleia:

**395** δεῦρο δὴ ὄρσο, γρηῢ παλαιγενές, ἥ τε
                     γυναικῶν  
"Up now, come here, aged woman, you who are the overseer
> Imperative: rouse yourself: ὄρσο is a middle imperative of ὄρνυμι, 'rise up, bestir yourself.' Telemachus urgently summons the old nurse.

**396** δμῳάων σκοπός ἐσσι κατὰ μέγαρʼ ἡμετεράων·  
of the serving-women throughout our halls.

**397** ἔρχεο· κικλήσκει σε πατὴρ ἐμός, ὄφρα τι εἴπῃ.  
Come; my father calls you, to tell you something."

**398** ὣς ἄρʼ ἐφώνησεν, τῇ δʼ ἄπτερος ἔπλετο μῦθος,  
So he spoke, and for her the word stayed unwinged;
> The unwinged word: ἄπτερος μῦθος ('wingless word') is a Homeric idiom: the listener obeys at once without a word in reply, so no speech 'flies' back.

**399** ὤϊξεν δὲ θύρας μεγάρων εὖ ναιεταόντων,  
she opened the doors of the well-built halls,

**400** βῆ δʼ ἴμεν· αὐτὰρ Τηλέμαχος πρόσθʼ ἡγεμόνευεν.  
and set out; and Telemachus led the way before her.

**401** εὗρεν ἔπειτʼ Ὀδυσῆα μετὰ κταμένοισι νέκυσσιν,  
Then she found Odysseus among the slaughtered corpses,

**402** αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον ὥστε λέοντα,  
spattered with blood and gore like a lion

**403** ὅς ῥά τε βεβρωκὼς βοὸς ἔρχεται ἀγραύλοιο·  
that comes from feeding on an ox of the field;

**404** πᾶν δʼ ἄρα οἱ στῆθός τε παρήϊά τʼ ἀμφοτέρωθεν  
and all his chest and his cheeks on both sides

**405** αἱματόεντα πέλει, δεινὸς δʼ εἰς ὦπα ἰδέσθαι·  
are bloody, and he is terrible to look upon;

**406** ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς πεπάλακτο πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθεν.  
so Odysseus was spattered, his feet and his hands above.

**407** ἡ δʼ ὡς οὖν νέκυάς τε καὶ ἄσπετον εἴσιδεν αἷμα,  
And when she saw the corpses and the boundless blood,

**408** ἴθυσέν ῥʼ ὀλολύξαι, ἐπεὶ μέγα εἴσιδεν ἔργον·  
she was about to cry out in triumph, for she saw a great deed done;
> The ritual cry: ὀλολύζω is the women's high ritual cry, raised at sacrifices and victories. Eurycleia's instinct to shout it is checked by Odysseus on the next line.

**409** ἀλλʼ Ὀδυσεὺς κατέρυκε καὶ ἔσχεθεν ἱεμένην περ,  
but Odysseus held her back and restrained her, eager as she was,

**410** καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and speaking to her he uttered winged words:

**411** ἐν θυμῷ, γρηῦ, χαῖρε καὶ ἴσχεο μηδʼ ὀλόλυζε·  
"Rejoice in your heart, old woman, but hold back and do not cry aloud.

**412** οὐχ ὁσίη κταμένοισιν ἐπʼ ἀνδράσιν εὐχετάασθαι.  
It is no holy thing to exult over slain men.

**413** τούσδε δὲ μοῖρʼ ἐδάμασσε θεῶν καὶ σχέτλια ἔργα·  
The doom of the gods and their own reckless deeds laid these men low;
> Reckless deeds: σχέτλιος denotes outrageous, hard-hearted conduct. Their destruction is framed as self-caused as much as fated.

**414** οὔ τινα γὰρ τίεσκον ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων,  
for they honored no one of the men who walk the earth,

**415** οὐ κακὸν οὐδὲ μὲν ἐσθλόν, ὅτις σφέας εἰσαφίκοιτο·  
neither base nor noble, whoever came among them;
> Optative of repeated action: The optative εἰσαφίκοιτο in a relative clause expresses a general, repeated case in past time: 'whoever would come among them.'

**416** τῷ καὶ ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐπέσπον.  
and so by their recklessness they met a shameful end.

**417** ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι σὺ γυναῖκας ἐνὶ μεγάροις κατάλεξον,  
But come now, tell me of the women in the halls,

**418** αἵ τέ μʼ ἀτιμάζουσι καὶ αἳ νηλείτιδές εἰσιν.  
both those who dishonor me and those who are guiltless."
> Present of habitual conduct: ἀτιμάζουσι ('dishonor') is present tense, marking the women's ongoing, customary disrespect rather than a single act.

**419** τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε φίλη τροφὸς Εὐρύκλεια·  
Then the dear nurse Eurycleia answered him:

**420** τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι, τέκνον, ἀληθείην καταλέξω.  
"Then I will tell you the truth, my child.
> The truth: ἀλήθεια, literally 'un-forgetting, un-concealment,' is the full and unhidden account Eurycleia promises.

**421** πεντήκοντά τοί εἰσιν ἐνὶ μεγάροισι γυναῖκες  
There are fifty women in the halls,

**422** δμῳαί, τὰς μέν τʼ ἔργα διδάξαμεν ἐργάζεσθαι,  
serving-women, whom we have taught to do their work,

**423** εἴριά τε ξαίνειν καὶ δουλοσύνην ἀνέχεσθαι·  
to card wool and to bear their servitude.

**424** τάων δώδεκα πᾶσαι ἀναιδείης ἐπέβησαν,  
Of these twelve in all have walked the path of shamelessness,
> Set foot on shamelessness: A vivid idiom: 'they stepped onto shamelessness,' as if onto a road. ἀναιδείη is the opposite of αἰδώς, the lack of all decent restraint.

**425** οὔτʼ ἐμὲ τίουσαι οὔτʼ αὐτὴν Πηνελόπειαν.  
honoring neither me nor Penelope herself.

**426** Τηλέμαχος δὲ νέον μὲν ἀέξετο, οὐδέ ἑ μήτηρ  
Telemachus has only lately grown up, and his mother

**427** σημαίνειν εἴασκεν ἐπὶ δμῳῇσι γυναιξίν.  
would not let him give orders to the serving-women.

**428** ἀλλʼ ἄγʼ ἐγὼν ἀναβᾶσʼ ὑπερώϊα σιγαλόεντα  
But come, let me go up to the shining upper chamber

**429** εἴπω σῇ ἀλόχῳ, τῇ τις θεὸς ὕπνον ἐπῶρσε.  
and tell your wife, on whom some god has sent sleep."

**430** τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς  
Then Odysseus of many wiles answered her:

**431** μή πω τήνδʼ ἐπέγειρε· σὺ δʼ ἐνθάδε εἰπὲ γυναιξὶν  
"Do not wake her yet; but tell the women here
> Prohibition with present imperative: μή with the present imperative ἐπέγειρε forbids an ongoing or impending action: 'do not go waking her.'

**432** ἐλθέμεν, αἵ περ πρόσθεν ἀεικέα μηχανόωντο.  
to come — those who before contrived shameful things."

**433** ὣς ἄρʼ ἔφη, γρηῢς δὲ διὲκ μεγάροιο βεβήκει  
So he spoke, and the old woman went off through the hall

**434** ἀγγελέουσα γυναιξὶ καὶ ὀτρυνέουσα νέεσθαι.  
to take word to the women and urge them to come.
> Future participles of purpose: Both participles are future, expressing the purpose of her going: 'in order to announce ... and to urge.'

**435** αὐτὰρ ὁ Τηλέμαχον καὶ βουκόλον ἠδὲ συβώτην  
But he called to himself Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherd,

**436** εἰς ἓ καλεσσάμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and summoning them he spoke winged words:

**437** ἄρχετε νῦν νέκυας φορέειν καὶ ἄνωχθε
                     γυναῖκας·  
"Begin now to carry out the corpses, and order the women to help;
> Plural imperatives: ἄρχετε ('begin') and ἄνωχθε ('command') are plural imperatives addressed to the three helpers, launching the cleanup of the hall.

**438** αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα θρόνους περικαλλέας ἠδὲ τραπέζας  
and then the beautiful chairs and the tables

**439** ὕδατι καὶ σπόγγοισι πολυτρήτοισι καθαίρειν.  
cleanse with water and porous sponges.

**440** αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν δὴ πάντα δόμον κατακοσμήσησθε,  
Then, when you have set the whole house in order,
> Temporal clause with subjunctive: ἐπήν (= ἐπεὶ ἄν) with the aorist subjunctive marks a future condition: 'whenever / once you have set in order.'

**441** δμῳὰς ἐξαγαγόντες ἐϋσταθέος μεγάροιο,  
lead the serving-women out of the well-built hall,

**442** μεσσηγύς τε θόλου καὶ ἀμύμονος ἕρκεος αὐλῆς,  
into the space between the round-house and the unblemished wall of the courtyard,

**443** θεινέμεναι ξίφεσιν τανυήκεσιν, εἰς ὅ κε πασέων  
and strike them with long-edged swords, until from all of them

**444** ψυχὰς ἐξαφέλησθε καὶ ἐκλελάθωντʼ Ἀφροδίτης,  
you take away their lives, and they forget Aphrodite,
> Aphrodite for love: Naming the goddess stands for the act of love itself, a common Homeric metonymy. They are to forget the lovemaking they shared with the suitors.

**445** τὴν ἄρʼ ὑπὸ μνηστῆρσιν ἔχον μίσγοντό τε λάθρη.  
which they had under the suitors, lying with them in secret.

**446** ὣς ἔφαθʼ, αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες ἀολλέες ἦλθον ἅπασαι,  
So he spoke, and the women came in a body, all together,

**447** αἴνʼ ὀλοφυρόμεναι, θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέουσαι.  
wailing terribly, shedding swelling tears.

**448** πρῶτα μὲν οὖν νέκυας φόρεον κατατεθνηῶτας,  
First they carried out the corpses of the dead,

**449** κὰδ δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπʼ αἰθούσῃ τίθεσαν εὐερκέος αὐλῆς,  
and set them down under the portico of the well-fenced court,

**450** ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρείδουσαι· σήμαινε δʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς  
propping them against one another; and Odysseus directed it,

**451** αὐτὸς ἐπισπέρχων· ταὶ δʼ ἐκφόρεον καὶ ἀνάγκῃ.  
himself pressing them on; and they carried the bodies out under compulsion.

**452** αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα θρόνους περικαλλέας ἠδὲ τραπέζας  
Then the beautiful chairs and the tables

**453** ὕδατι καὶ σπόγγοισι πολυτρήτοισι κάθαιρον.  
they cleaned with water and porous sponges.

**454** αὐτὰρ Τηλέμαχος καὶ βουκόλος ἠδὲ συβώτῃς  
Meanwhile Telemachus, the cowherd, and the swineherd

**455** λίστροισιν δάπεδον πύκα ποιητοῖο δόμοιο  
with shovels scraped the floor of the strongly-built house,

**456** ξῦον· ταὶ δʼ ἐφόρεον δμῳαί, τίθεσαν δὲ θύραζε.  
and the serving-women carried the scrapings away and set them outside the door.

**457** αὐτὰρ ἐπειδὴ πᾶν μέγαρον διεκοσμήσαντο,  
But when they had set the whole hall in order,

**458** δμῳὰς δʼ ἐξαγαγόντες ἐϋσταθέος μεγάροιο,  
they led the serving-women out of the well-built hall,

**459** μεσσηγύς τε θόλου καὶ ἀμύμονος ἕρκεος αὐλῆς,  
into the space between the round-house and the unblemished wall of the courtyard,

**460** εἴλεον ἐν στείνει, ὅθεν οὔ πως ἦεν ἀλύξαι.  
and penned them in a narrow place, from which there was no escape.

**461** τοῖσι δὲ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἦρχʼ ἀγορεύειν·  
Then thoughtful Telemachus began to speak among them:
> Telemachus the thoughtful: Pepnymenos, 'thoughtful, prudent,' is Telemachus's standing epithet throughout the poem, marking his maturing judgment.

**462** μὴ μὲν δὴ καθαρῷ θανάτῳ ἀπὸ θυμὸν ἑλοίμην  
"I will not take the lives of these women by a clean death,
> Optative of will: The optative heloimen with negative me expresses Telemachus's refusal: 'I would not / I will not take.' The middle voice marks the action as done by and for himself.

**463** τάων, αἳ δὴ ἐμῇ κεφαλῇ κατʼ ὀνείδεα χεῦαν  
women who heaped insults on my own head

**464** μητέρι θʼ ἡμετέρῃ παρά τε μνηστῆρσιν ἴαυον.  
and on my mother, and slept beside the suitors."

**465** ὣς ἄρʼ ἔφη, καὶ πεῖσμα νεὸς κυανοπρῴροιο  
So he spoke, and tying a cable from a dark-prowed ship
> Dark-prowed ship: Kyanoprorios, 'dark-prowed,' is a stock epithet for ships. The ship's hawser is repurposed here as the rope for the hanging.

**466** κίονος ἐξάψας μεγάλης περίβαλλε θόλοιο,  
to a great pillar, he flung it around the round-house,

**467** ὑψόσʼ ἐπεντανύσας, μή τις ποσὶν οὖδας ἵκοιτο.  
stretching it high, so that none might touch the ground with her feet.

**468** ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἂν ἢ κίχλαι τανυσίπτεροι ἠὲ πέλειαι  
As when long-winged thrushes or doves

**469** ἕρκει ἐνιπλήξωσι, τό θʼ ἑστήκῃ ἐνὶ θάμνῳ,  
fly into a snare set in a thicket,

**470** αὖλιν ἐσιέμεναι, στυγερὸς δʼ ὑπεδέξατο κοῖτος,  
as they make for their roost, and a hateful bed receives them,

**471** ὣς αἵ γʼ ἑξείης κεφαλὰς ἔχον, ἀμφὶ δὲ πάσαις  
so the women held their heads in a row, and around all

**472** δειρῇσι βρόχοι ἦσαν, ὅπως οἴκτιστα θάνοιεν.  
their necks were nooses, that they might die most piteously.

**473** ἤσπαιρον δὲ πόδεσσι μίνυνθά περ οὔ τι μάλα δήν.  
They struggled with their feet a little while, but not for long.

**474** ἐκ δὲ Μελάνθιον ἦγον ἀνὰ πρόθυρόν τε καὶ αὐλήν·  
Then they led Melanthius out through the gateway and the court;

**475** τοῦ δʼ ἀπὸ μὲν ῥῖνάς τε καὶ οὔατα νηλέϊ χαλκῷ  
they cut off his nose and his ears with the pitiless bronze,

**476** τάμνον, μήδεά τʼ ἐξέρυσαν, κυσὶν ὠμὰ δάσασθαι,  
and tore out his genitals, to be eaten raw by the dogs,

**477** χεῖράς τʼ ἠδὲ πόδας κόπτον κεκοτηότι θυμῷ.  
and hacked off his hands and feet with a raging heart.

**478** οἱ μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἀπονιψάμενοι χεῖράς τε πόδας τε  
Then, when they had washed their hands and feet,

**479** εἰς Ὀδυσῆα δόμονδε κίον, τετέλεστο δὲ ἔργον·  
they went into the house to Odysseus, and the work was done.

**480** αὐτὰρ ὅ γε προσέειπε φίλην τροφὸν Εὐρύκλειαν·  
Then he spoke to his dear nurse Eurycleia:

**481** οἶσε θέειον, γρηΰ, κακῶν ἄκος, οἶσε δέ μοι πῦρ,  
"Bring sulfur, old woman, the cure for evils, and bring me fire,

**482** ὄφρα θεειώσω μέγαρον· σὺ δὲ Πηνελόπειαν  
so that I may fumigate the hall; and tell Penelope

**483** ἐλθεῖν ἐνθάδʼ ἄνωχθι σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισι γυναιξί·  
to come here with her attendant women,

**484** πάσας δʼ ὄτρυνον δμῳὰς κατὰ δῶμα νέεσθαι.  
and urge all the serving-women throughout the house to come."

**485** τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε φίλη τροφὸς Εὐρύκλεια·  
Then his dear nurse Eurycleia answered him:

**486** ναὶ δὴ ταῦτά γε, τέκνον ἐμόν, κατὰ μοῖραν ἔειπες.  
"Yes indeed, my child, you have spoken as is fitting.

**487** ἀλλʼ ἄγε τοι χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε εἵματʼ ἐνείκω,  
But come, let me bring you a cloak and a tunic for clothing,

**488** μηδʼ οὕτω ῥάκεσιν πεπυκασμένος εὐρέας ὤμους  
and do not stand thus in the hall with your broad shoulders

**489** ἕσταθʼ ἐνὶ μεγάροισι· νεμεσσητὸν δέ κεν εἴη.  
wrapped in rags; it would be a cause for blame."
> Cause for reproach: Nemesseton means 'liable to nemesis,' the righteous indignation of others. Eurycleia urges decorum: the master of the house should not look like a beggar.

**490** τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις
                  Ὀδυσσεύς·  
In answer resourceful Odysseus said to her:
> Resourceful Odysseus: Polymetis, 'of many devices,' is Odysseus's signature epithet, a formula filling the line's end to suit the meter.

**491** πῦρ νῦν μοι πρώτιστον ἐνὶ μεγάροισι γενέσθω.  
"Let fire be made for me first of all in the hall."

**492** ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε φίλη τροφὸς Εὐρύκλεια,  
So he spoke, and his dear nurse Eurycleia did not disobey,

**493** ἤνεικεν δʼ ἄρα πῦρ καὶ θήϊον· αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς  
but brought fire and sulfur; and Odysseus

**494** εὖ διεθείωσεν μέγαρον καὶ δῶμα καὶ αὐλήν.  
thoroughly fumigated the hall, the house, and the court.

**495** γρηῢς δʼ αὖτʼ ἀπέβη διὰ δώματα κάλʼ Ὀδυσῆος  
Then the old woman went off through the fair house of Odysseus

**496** ἀγγελέουσα γυναιξὶ καὶ ὀτρυνέουσα νέεσθαι·  
to give the news to the women and urge them to come;

**497** αἱ δʼ ἴσαν ἐκ μεγάροιο δάος μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχουσαι.  
and they came out of their quarters with torches in their hands.

**498** αἱ μὲν ἄρʼ ἀμφεχέοντο καὶ ἠσπάζοντʼ Ὀδυσῆα,  
They thronged about Odysseus and embraced him,

**499** καὶ κύνεον ἀγαπαξόμεναι κεφαλήν τε καὶ ὤμους  
and kissed him in welcome on his head and shoulders,

**500** χεῖράς τʼ αἰνύμεναι· τὸν δὲ γλυκὺς ἵμερος ᾕρει  
and clasped his hands; and a sweet longing took him
> Sweet longing: Glykys himeros, 'sweet longing,' here is the urge to weep that overcomes Odysseus as he recognizes his loyal women.

**501** κλαυθμοῦ καὶ στοναχῆς, γίγνωσκε δʼ ἄρα φρεσὶ πάσας.  
for weeping and lamentation, for he knew them all in his heart.

---

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.