Ancient Greek · The Homecoming

Ὀδυσσείας ω

Book 24. The Ghosts of the Suitors; Laertes; Peace on Ithaca

The suitors' souls go down to Hades. Odysseus finds his old father Laertes in the orchard. The families of the dead come for revenge, and Athena ends it.

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Meanwhile Cyllenian Hermes was calling forth the souls
Metre
Ἑρμῆςδὲψυχὰς‖Κυλλήνιοςἐξεκαλεῖτο
ἙρμῆςHermesἙρμῆς · nominative singular masculine nounsubject of ἐξεκαλεῖτο
δὲand, meanwhileδέ · particlecoordinating word
ψυχὰςsoulsψυχή · accusative plural feminine nounobject of ἐξεκαλεῖτο
ΚυλλήνιοςCyllenianΚυλλήνη · nominative singular masculine adjectivemodifies Ἑρμῆς
Epithet from Mt. Cyllene, Hermes' birthplace; marks the god by cult-place, epic formula style.
ἐξεκαλεῖτοwas calling forthἐκκαλέω · imperfect medio-passive indicative, 3rd singular verbmain verb
Imperfect middle: ongoing, repeated act of summoning souls, not a single completed call.
Wordpsychê = soul/ghost Here psychê means the spirit of the dead, the shade that survives in Hades. It is the keyword that opens the so-called second Nekyia.
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of the suitors; and he held the wand in his hands,
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the fair golden one, with which he charms the eyes of men,
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of whomever he wishes, and again wakes others even from sleep;
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with this he roused and drove them, and they followed gibbering.
Wordthe squeak of the dead The verb describes a thin, shrill squeaking, the sound bats and ghosts make. Homer uses the same word again in the simile that follows.
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As when bats in the recess of an awesome cave
GrammarHomeric simile marker The formula 'as when' introduces an extended epic simile. The point of comparison resolves at line 9 with 'so' (ὣς).
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flit squeaking, whenever one of them falls
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from the cluster on the rock, and they cling to one another,
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so they went together, squeaking; and leading them on was
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Hermes the kindly guide, down the dank ways.
GrammarEpithet of Hermes A fixed ornamental epithet, roughly 'the kindly' or 'the helper.' Formulaic epithets are a hallmark of oral hexameter.
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They passed the streams of Okeanos and the White Rock,
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and past the gates of the Sun and the land of dreams
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they went; and soon they came to the meadow of asphodel,
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where the souls dwell, the phantoms of those worn out by death.
Wordphantoms of the dead An eidôlon is an image or apparition; 'those worn out' (kamontôn) is a Homeric euphemism for the dead, literally 'those who have labored to exhaustion.'
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They found the soul of Achilles son of Peleus
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and of Patroklos and of blameless Antilochos
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and of Ajax, who was the best in form and frame
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of the other Danaans, after the blameless son of Peleus.
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So these were gathered about him; and close at hand
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came up the soul of Agamemnon son of Atreus,
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grieving; and round him were assembled the others, all who
GrammarParticiple of grief A present middle participle, 'grieving,' agreeing with psychê (soul). Such participles let Homer pack feeling into a single descriptive word.
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in the house of Aigisthos died and met their doom with him.
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To him the soul of the son of Peleus spoke first:
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"Son of Atreus, we used to say that of all heroes
GrammarZeus who delights in thunder The dative epithet 'who delights in the thunderbolt' is a stock title for Zeus. The dative marks the one to whom Agamemnon was thought dear.
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you were dearest to Zeus who delights in thunder, all your days,
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because you ruled over many mighty men
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in the land of the Trojans, where we Achaeans suffered pains.
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Yet on you too, all too early, was destined to come
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deadly fate, which no man born can escape.
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Would that, in the enjoyment of the honor over which you ruled,
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you had met death and your doom in the land of the Trojans;
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then all the Achaeans would have made you a tomb,
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and for your son too you would have won great glory hereafter.
Wordkleos = glory Kleos is the renown that outlives a man, 'what is heard' of him. Winning it for one's heirs is a central heroic value.
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But now it was your fate to be caught by a most pitiful death."
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Then the soul of the son of Atreus answered him:
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"Blessed son of Peleus, godlike Achilles,
Wordolbios = blessed Olbios denotes deep, fortunate happiness. Agamemnon calls the dead Achilles 'blessed' because he died gloriously and was honored, unlike Agamemnon himself.
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you who died at Troy far from Argos; and around you others,
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the best sons of the Trojans and the Achaeans, were being killed,
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fighting over you; and you in the whirling cloud of dust
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lay mighty in your might, forgetful of your horsemanship.
Wordmighty in your might A famous figura etymologica, 'great greatly,' or 'mighty in your might.' The same phrase describes Patroklos' slaying of Kebriones (Hector's charioteer) in the Iliad (16.776) — Patroklos, not Achilles, kills Kebriones in that episode.
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We fought the whole day long; nor would we ever
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have ceased from the battle, had not Zeus stopped it with a storm.
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But when we had carried you out of the fighting to the ships,
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we laid you on a bier, when we had cleansed your fair flesh
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with warm water and with oil; and over you many
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hot tears the Danaans shed, and shore off their hair.
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Your mother came up from the sea with the immortal sea-nymphs,
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having heard the news; and a cry rose over the deep,
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an awesome cry, and trembling seized all the Achaeans.
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And now they would have sprung up and gone to the hollow ships,
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had not a man held them back, one who knew much and ancient lore,
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Nestor, whose counsel had before this too seemed best;
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with kind intent he spoke and addressed them:
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'Hold, Argives; do not flee, you young men of the Achaeans.
GrammarImperatives of command Nestor uses a present middle imperative ('hold yourselves') and a present imperative with mê ('do not flee'). Mê plus the present imperative tells them to stop an action already underway.
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This is his mother, coming up from the sea with the immortal sea-nymphs,
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to meet the body of her dead son.'
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So he spoke, and the great-hearted Achaeans ceased their fear.
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Around you stood the daughters of the old man of the sea,
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wailing piteously, and they wrapped you in immortal garments.
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And the nine Muses, all of them, answering one another with lovely voice,
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sang the dirge; there you could not have noticed a single one
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of the Argives without tears, so did the clear-voiced Muse stir them.
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For seventeen nights alike, and through the day,
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we wept for you, immortal gods and mortal men;
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on the eighteenth we gave you to the fire, and around you many
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sheep we slaughtered, very fat, and shambling cattle.
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You were burned in the raiment of the gods and in abundant oil
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and sweet honey; and many heroes of the Achaeans
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rushed about in their armor around the blazing pyre,
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footmen and charioteers; and a great din arose.
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But when the flame of Hephaistos had finished its work on you,
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at dawn we gathered your white bones, Achilles,
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in unmixed wine and in oil; and your mother gave
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a golden urn; she said it was the gift of Dionysos
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and the work of the far-famed Hephaistos.
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In it your white bones lie, glorious Achilles,
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mingled with those of the dead Patroklos son of Menoitios,
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and apart those of Antilochos, whom you honored above all
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the rest of your companions, after the dead Patroklos.
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And over them then a great and faultless tomb
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we heaped up, the holy host of Argive spearmen,
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on a jutting headland, by the broad Hellespont,
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so that it might be seen far off from the sea by men,
GrammarPurpose with an optative The construction 'so that it might be' uses an optative in a purpose clause after a past-tense main verb. The optative marks the goal of the action as it stood in the past.
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both those who now are alive and those who shall be hereafter.
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And your mother, asking the gods for them, set most beautiful prizes
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in the midst of the contest for the chieftains of the Achaeans.
Wordagôn = contest The agôn is the gathering-place and the games held there, here the funeral contests for Achilles. The English word 'agony' descends from this root of struggle.
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By now you have come upon the funerals of many men,
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of heroes, when at the death of some king
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the young men gird themselves and make ready for the games;
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but those above all you would have marveled at in your heart, seeing
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what kind of most beautiful prizes the goddess set for you,
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silver-footed Thetis; for you were very dear to the gods.
Grammarsilver-footed Thetis A standing epithet for Achilles' sea-nymph mother, 'silver-footed.' Such name-plus-epithet formulas fit the metrical slot at line's end.
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So you, even in death, have not lost your name, but always
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among all men your glory will be noble, Achilles.
Wordnoble glory Achilles' kleos is 'noble' (esthlon) and undying. The line states the epic's own promise: the hero's renown survives in the song itself.
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But for me, what joy is this, now that I have wound up the war?
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For on my homecoming Zeus contrived a wretched ruin for me
Wordnostos = homecoming Nostos, the return home, is the governing theme of the Odyssey. Agamemnon's ruined nostos is the dark mirror of Odysseus' successful one.
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by the hands of Aigisthos and of my accursed wife."
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So they spoke such things to one another,
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and close at hand came up to them the guide, the slayer of Argos,
GrammarHermes' epithets 'Guide' (diaktoros) and 'slayer of Argos' (argeiphontes) are formulaic titles of Hermes, naming his role as escort of souls. The epithets identify the god without naming him.
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leading down the souls of the suitors slain by Odysseus,
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and the two of them, astonished, went straight up, when they saw them.
GrammarDual number The forms 'the two' (tô) and 'they saw' (esidesthên) are duals, used for the pair Achilles and Agamemnon. Homeric Greek keeps the dual for natural pairs.
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And the soul of Agamemnon son of Atreus recognized
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the dear son of Melaneus, far-famed Amphimedon;
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for he had been his host, dwelling in his house on Ithaca.
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To him the soul of the son of Atreus spoke first:
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"Amphimedon, what has befallen you, that you have gone down beneath the dark earth,
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all of you chosen men and of one age? Not otherwise
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could one pick out and gather the best men in a city.
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Was it on shipboard that Poseidon overcame you,
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raising harsh winds and long waves?
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Or did hostile men do you harm on dry land
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as you cut out their cattle and fine flocks of sheep,
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or while fighting for their city and their women?
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Tell me, since I ask; I claim to be your guest-friend.
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Do you not remember when I came down there to your house,
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to urge Odysseus, along with godlike Menelaus,
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to follow us to Ilion on the well-benched ships?
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A whole month it took us to cross the wide sea,
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with hard effort persuading Odysseus, sacker of cities."
GrammarSacker-of-cities epithet A standing epithet (πτολίπορθος) for Odysseus, literally 'city-destroying.' Homeric epithets are fixed formulas that help the oral poet fill the metrical line.
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Then the ghost of Amphimedon answered him in turn:
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"Most glorious son of Atreus, Agamemnon, lord of men,
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I remember all of this, Zeus-nurtured one, as you say it;
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and I will recount it all to you well and exactly,
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the evil end of our death, how it came to pass.
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We were courting the wife of long-departed Odysseus;
GrammarGenitive of the absent man δὴν οἰχομένοιο is a genitive participle modifying Odysseus, 'long gone away.' The genitive marks possession of the wife (δάμαρτα) being courted.
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and she neither refused the hateful marriage nor brought it about,
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plotting for us death and black doom,
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but this other trick she devised in her heart:
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she set up a great loom in the halls and began to weave,
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a fine and oversized web; and at once she said to us:
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'Young men, my suitors, since godlike Odysseus is dead,
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hold back, eager though you are for my marriage, until I finish
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this robe—so my spun thread may not be wasted in vain—
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a burial shroud for the hero Laertes, against the time when
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the ruinous fate of death that lays men low takes him down,
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lest some Achaean woman through the land reproach me,
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if he should lie without a shroud, who had won so much.'
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So she spoke, and our proud hearts were persuaded.
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So by day she would weave at the great web,
GrammarIterative imperfect ὑφαίνεσκεν has the -σκ- suffix marking repeated, habitual past action: 'she used to weave.' The next line's ἀλλύεσκεν ('she would unravel') matches it.
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but by night she would unravel it, once she set torches beside her.
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So for three years she fooled the Achaeans by her trick and convinced them;
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but when the fourth year came and the seasons came round,
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as the months waned and many days were fulfilled,
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then one of the women, who knew it clearly, told us,
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and we caught her unraveling the shining web.
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So she finished it, against her will, under compulsion.
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When she showed the robe, having woven the great web
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and washed it, gleaming like the sun or the moon,
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just then some evil power brought Odysseus from somewhere
Worddaimon δαίμων here is a vague divine force, not a named god. Amphimedon, ignorant of Athena's plan, calls the agent that returned Odysseus 'an evil power' from his own ruined point of view.
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to the edge of the farm, where the swineherd had his dwelling.
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There came the dear son of godlike Odysseus,
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returning from sandy Pylos in his black ship;
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and the two of them, having contrived an evil death for the suitors,
GrammarDual participle ἀρτύναντε is a dual form: it refers to exactly two people, Odysseus and Telemachus together. Homeric Greek keeps the dual for natural pairs.
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came to the famous town—Odysseus, in fact,
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later, while Telemachus led the way before him.
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The swineherd brought him wearing wretched clothes on his body,
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looking like a pitiful beggar and an old man
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leaning on a staff; and the sorry rags clothed his body.
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None of us was able to recognize who he was
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when he suddenly appeared, not even the older ones among us,
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but we kept assailing him with foul words and with blows.
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Yet for a time he endured it in his own halls,
Wordmuch-enduring The verb τλάω ('endure, bear up') is bound to Odysseus throughout the poem (πολύτλας, 'much-enduring'). Here his restraint under abuse is exactly that defining patience.
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being struck and reviled, with an enduring heart;
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but when the will of aegis-bearing Zeus roused him,
Grammaraegis-bearing Zeus αἰγίοχος ('aegis-holding') is a fixed epithet of Zeus. The aegis is his terrifying storm-shield. Epithets like this are formulaic building blocks of the hexameter line.
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together with Telemachus he took up the splendid armor
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and laid it away in the storeroom and shot home the bolts;
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then in his great cunning he bade his wife
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set out for the suitors the bow and the gray iron,
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as a contest for us, ill-fated men, and the beginning of slaughter.
Wordill-fated αἰνόμορος, 'doomed to a dreadful fate,' is how Amphimedon brands himself and his fellow suitors—a grim hindsight epithet for men who walked into the contest of the bow.
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And none of us was able, from the mighty bow,
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to string the bowstring; we fell far short of it.
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But when the great bow came to the hands of Odysseus,
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then all of us together shouted out in protest
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that the bow not be given him, no matter how much he argued;
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but Telemachus alone urged him on and commanded it.
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Then he took it in his hand, much-enduring godlike Odysseus,
Grammarmuch-enduring godlike Odysseus This whole noun-epithet phrase is a recurring formula filling the line's end. 'much-enduring' (πολύτλας) is Odysseus' signature epithet across the poem.
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and easily strung the bow and sent the arrow through the iron;
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then he stepped onto the threshold and poured out the swift arrows,
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glaring terribly, and struck Antinous the king.
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Then he let fly his grievous shafts at the others,
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taking aim straight ahead; and they fell thick upon one another.
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It was plain that some one of the gods was his helper;
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for at once, ranging through the halls in their fury,
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they kept killing right and left, and an unseemly groaning rose
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from heads being struck, and the whole floor ran with blood.
Wordran/seethed with blood θῦεν evokes a seething, surging flow. Homer makes the carnage vivid: the entire floor 'seethed' with blood, a concrete image of the massacre.
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Thus we perished, Agamemnon, and even now still
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our bodies lie uncared-for in the halls of Odysseus;
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for our friends in each man's home do not yet know,
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who would wash the black gore from our wounds
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and lay us out and mourn us; for that is the due of the dead."
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Then the ghost of the son of Atreus answered him in turn:
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"Fortunate son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,
GrammarVocative address Ὀδυσσεῦ is vocative, the case of direct address, paired with the epithet πολυμήχανος ('of many devices'). Agamemnon's ghost addresses Amphimedon's shade and praises the living Odysseus through a rhetorical apostrophe — Odysseus is alive on Ithaca at this point, not present in Hades as a shade.
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truly with great excellence did you win your wife.
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How good was the mind of blameless Penelope,
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daughter of Icarius—how well she remembered Odysseus,
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her wedded husband. Therefore the fame of her excellence
Wordkleos κλέος is undying glory carried by song—the reputation that outlives death. Penelope earns kleos through her fidelity, a striking honor for a woman in Homer.
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will never perish, and the immortals will fashion for those on earth
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a graceful song in honor of prudent Penelope—
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not as the daughter of Tyndareus devised wicked deeds,
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killing her wedded husband; and a hateful song
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will arise among men, and she will bring harsh repute
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upon womankind, even on her who is virtuous."
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Thus the two of them spoke such things to each other,
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standing in the house of Hades, beneath the hidden depths of earth.
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But the others, once they had come down from the city, quickly reached the farm,
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the fine, well-built farm of Laertes, which once he himself,
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Laertes, had won, after he had labored hard for it.
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There was his house, and a hut ran round it on every side,
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in which the slaves used to eat and sit and sleep,
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the bondsmen of necessity, who did the work he wished.
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And among them was a Sicilian woman, an old one, who tended the old man
GrammarImperfect of 'to be' πέλεν is an imperfect ('there was, used to be'), a Homeric verb of being. The augment is absent, as often in epic verse, giving the bare stem πελ-.
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with care out on the farm, far from the city.
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There Odysseus spoke a word to the slaves and his son:
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"You go now inside the well-built house,
GrammarAorist imperative ἔλθετε is a plural aorist imperative, 'go!'—a direct command to several people. Odysseus orders the household ahead while he tests his father.
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and quickly slaughter for dinner whichever pig is best;
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but I will make trial of our father,
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to see whether he will recognize me and know me with his eyes,
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or fail to know me, after I have been so long away."
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So speaking, he gave the warlike armor to the slaves.
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They then went swiftly homeward, while Odysseus
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drew nearer to the fruitful orchard, making trial of his father.
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He did not find Dolios as he went down into the great orchard,
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nor any of the slaves nor of the sons; but they, as it happened,
GrammarPartitive genitive The genitive plurals here mark the group from which 'any' is drawn: none of the slaves, none of the sons. A common Homeric way of expressing 'any of X'.
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had gone to gather stones for walls, to be a fence for the orchard,
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and the old man led them on their way.
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So he found his father alone in the well-tended orchard,
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hoeing about a plant. He wore a filthy tunic,
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patched and shabby, and round his shins he had oxhide
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leggings, stitched and tied on, to ward off the scratches,
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and gloves on his hands because of the brambles; and on top,
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he wore a goatskin cap on his head, nursing his grief.
WordFeeding his sorrow The phrase literally means 'increasing his grief'; the image is of mourning that is cultivated and kept alive rather than set aside.
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When much-enduring noble Odysseus saw him,
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worn down by old age and holding a great grief in his heart,
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he stood beneath a tall pear tree and let a tear fall.
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Then he pondered in his mind and in his heart
GrammarAorist of deliberation The aorist μερμήριξε ('he pondered, debated') opens a typical Homeric scene of weighing two courses of action, set out first by infinitives (ll. 236–237: κύσσαι, περιφῦναι, εἰπεῖν) and then by optatives (l. 238: ἐξερέοιτο, πειρήσαιτο).
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whether to kiss and embrace his father, and tell him each thing,
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how he had come back and reached his native land,
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or whether to question him first and make trial of him point by point.
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And as he pondered, this seemed to him the better course:
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first to make trial of him with mocking words.
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With this in mind, noble Odysseus went straight up to him.
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He, head bent low, was hoeing around the plant,
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and his glorious son stood beside him and spoke:
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"Old man, you lack no skill in tending
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an orchard; your care of it is good, and there is nothing at all,
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no plant, no fig, no vine, no olive,
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no pear, no garden bed in the plot, that lacks your care.
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But I will tell you something else, and do not take it to heart in anger:
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you yourself get no good care; rather, along with a sorry old age
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you bear it, and you are filthy and squalid and meanly clothed.
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It is not for idleness that your master neglects you,
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and there is nothing servile to behold in your
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form and stature: you look like a kingly man.
GrammarDative with ἔοικας ἔοικας ('you resemble') takes the dative: βασιλῆϊ ἀνδρί, 'like a kingly man'. The dative marks the person resembled.
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You look like the kind of man who, once he had bathed and eaten,
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would sleep soft: for that is the due of old men.
Wordδίκη as 'what is fitting' Here δίκη means not 'justice' in a legal sense but 'the way of things' or 'the proper due'—the treatment that custom owes to the old.
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But come, tell me this, and recount it truthfully:
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whose slave are you? whose orchard do you tend?
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And tell me this truly too, so that I may know well:
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is this really Ithaca that we have come to, as that man told me,
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the one I met just now as I was coming here—
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not a very sensible fellow, for he could not bring himself, point by point,
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to tell me or to listen to my words, when I asked
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about a guest-friend of mine, whether he is still alive and present,
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or has already died and gone to the house of Hades.
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For I will tell you outright, and you mark and hear me:
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I once entertained a man in my own native land
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when he came to our house, and never yet did any other mortal
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of guests from far-off lands come dearer to my home.
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He claimed his lineage was from Ithaca, and he said
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that Laertes son of Arceisius was his father.
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I led him to my house and entertained him well,
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feasting him kindly, for there was abundance in the house,
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and I gave him guest-gifts, such as were fitting.
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I gave him seven talents of well-wrought gold,
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I gave him a mixing-bowl all of silver, worked with flowers,
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twelve cloaks of single fold, and as many rugs,
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as many fine mantles, and as many tunics besides,
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and apart from these, women skilled in faultless handiwork,
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four shapely ones, whom he wished to choose for himself."
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Then his father answered him, shedding a tear:
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"Stranger, you have indeed come to the land you ask about,
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but insolent and reckless men hold it now.
WordInsolence and recklessness ὑβρισταί (men of hubris) paired with ἀτάσθαλοι (reckless wrongdoers) names exactly the fault of the suitors: violent disregard for limits and the gods.
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These gifts you gave were given in vain, lavishing them by the thousand;
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for if you had found him alive in the land of Ithaca,
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he would have sent you away well repaid with gifts in return
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and with good hospitality—for that is the right, when one begins it.
Wordθέμις as established custom θέμις names what is right by divine and social custom—here, the obligation to repay a guest who has shown generosity first.
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But come, tell me this, and recount it truthfully:
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how many years is it now, since you entertained that man,
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your guest, ill-fated, my son—if ever he truly was—
Word"If ever he truly was" This bitter formula expresses a grieving doubt that the absent son ever really existed, so long has he been gone. It recurs as a touchstone of loss in the poem.
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doomed; whom, far perhaps from his friends and his native land,
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either the fishes have eaten somewhere in the sea, or on dry land
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he has become prey to beasts and birds; nor did his mother
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wrap and mourn him, nor his father, we who bore him;
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nor did his richly-dowered wife, prudent Penelope,
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wail for her husband upon his bier, as was fitting,
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and close his eyes: for that is the due of the dead.
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And tell me this truly too, so that I may know well:
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who are you, and from where among men? where is your city and your parents?
GrammarThe Homeric questioning formula This stock string of questions—who, whence, where your city and kin—is the formulaic Homeric way of demanding a stranger's identity.
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And where is the swift ship moored that brought you here,
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and your godlike companions? Or did you come as a passenger
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on another man's ship, and they set you ashore and went away?"
302
Then Odysseus of many counsels answered him:
Grammar"Of many counsels" πολύμητις ('of many devices/counsels') is the stock epithet of Odysseus, marking his cunning. Such formulaic epithets fill the metrical line and characterize the hero.
303
"Then I will recount everything to you quite truthfully.
304
I am from Alybas, where I dwell in a famous house,
305
the son of lord Apheidas, son of Polypemon;
306
and my own name is Eperitus. But a god
307
drove me off course from Sicania to come here against my will,
308
and my ship lies there off the country, away from the city.
309
As for Odysseus, this is now the fifth year
310
since he went away from there and left my country,
311
ill-fated man; yet the birds were favorable for him as he set out,
312
on the right, rejoicing in which I sent him on his way,
313
and he went rejoicing; and our hearts still hoped
GrammarDual pronoun νῶϊν is the dual 'for us two', referring to the pair—Odysseus and his fictional host. Homer often uses the dual for natural pairs.
314
to meet again in friendship and exchange splendid gifts."
315
So he spoke, and a black cloud of grief covered him over;
WordThe black cloud of grief Grief (ἄχος) is figured as a black cloud that wraps the mourner—a recurring Homeric image for the onset of overwhelming sorrow.
316
and with both hands he took up the sooty dust
317
and poured it over his gray head, groaning thick and fast.
318
And the heart of Odysseus was stirred, and up through his nostrils now
319
a sharp force surged as he looked on his dear father.
320
He sprang forward, clasped and kissed him, and spoke:
321
"Father, I myself am the very man you ask about—
322
I have come in the twentieth year to my native land.
323
But hold back from weeping and tearful lament.
GrammarMiddle imperative ἴσχεο ('hold yourself back, cease') is a present middle imperative; the middle voice turns the action on the subject—restrain yourself.
324
For I will tell you outright; and we must make great haste regardless:
325
I have slain the suitors in our own house,
326
avenging their heart-galling outrage and their evil deeds."
327
Then Laertes answered him in turn and said:
328
"If you really are my son Odysseus come back here,
329
give me now some clear sign, that I may be convinced."
Wordσῆμα: a proof-sign A σῆμα is a token or recognizable sign used to confirm identity—here Laertes demands one, as Penelope did, before he will believe.
330
Then Odysseus of many counsels answered him:
331
"First, then, look closely at this scar with your own eyes,
332
the one a boar dealt me with his white tusk on Parnassus
333
when I had gone there. You and my honored mother sent me
334
to Autolycus, my mother's own father, so that I might receive
335
the gifts he promised me with a nod when he came here.
336
Come, and I will name for you the trees in the well-tended orchard
337
that you once gave me. I begged you for each of them,
338
being a child, following you through the garden. Among them
Word"Being a child" The adjective παιδνός marks Odysseus as a small boy at the time, underscoring the intimate, early memory he shares with his father as proof of identity.
339
we walked, and you named and pointed out each one.
340
You gave me thirteen pear trees and ten apple trees,
341
forty fig trees; and you named for me, in the same way,
342
fifty rows of vines you would give, and each one of them
343
ripened in turn—and on them grow grapes of every kind,
344
whenever the seasons of Zeus weigh heavy from above."
345
So he spoke, and Laertes' knees and dear heart gave way on the spot,
Word"His knees gave way" "His knees were loosened" is a Homeric formula usually marking death in battle; here it conveys Laertes nearly fainting from overwhelming emotion as he recognizes his son.
346
as he knew the sure signs that Odysseus had pointed out.
WordRecognition tokens (sêmata) The σήματα are the concrete proofs—scar and named trees—by which a person is identified. Recognition by such signs is a recurring structural device throughout the Odyssey.
347
He threw both arms around his dear son, and much-enduring
GrammarDual: "both arms" πήχεε is a dual form, denoting exactly the two forearms thrown around the son. Homer keeps the old dual number alive for naturally paired things like arms.
348
noble Odysseus drew him close as he was fainting.
349
But when he had caught his breath and his spirit gathered in his chest,
350
once more he spoke in answer and addressed him:
351
"Father Zeus, so you gods do still exist on high Olympus,
352
if the suitors have truly paid for their reckless arrogance.
WordReckless arrogance (hybris) ὕβρις paired with ἀτάσθαλος names the suitors' insolent, self-destructive overreach against the gods' order. Their punishment confirms that divine justice still operates.
353
But now I am terribly afraid in my heart that soon all
354
the Ithacans will come against us here, and will send word
355
everywhere to rouse the cities of the Cephallenians."
356
Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:
GrammarThe epithet "resourceful Odysseus" πολύμητις ("of many counsels") is Odysseus' signature formulaic epithet, filling the verse-end. Such fixed epithets are a hallmark of oral hexameter composition.
357
"Take heart, and do not let these things trouble your mind.
358
But let us go to the house that lies near the orchard;
359
there I sent ahead Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherd,
360
so that they might make the meal ready as quickly as possible."
361
So having spoken, the two went off toward the fine house.
GrammarDual verb: "the two went" βάτην is a dual aorist, marking father and son moving as a natural pair. Homer favors the dual for two persons acting together.
362
And when they reached the well-built dwelling,
363
they found Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherd
364
carving plenty of meat and mixing the gleaming wine.
Word"Gleaming wine" αἶθοψ ("fiery, sparkling") is a stock epithet for wine, evoking its glinting dark color. It belongs to Homer's repertoire of fixed phrases like "wine-dark sea."
365
Meanwhile, in the house, the great-hearted Laertes
366
the Sicilian handmaid bathed and anointed with oil,
367
and threw a fine cloak about him. Then Athena,
368
standing close beside him, filled out the limbs of the shepherd of the people,
Grammar"Shepherd of the people" ποιμὴν λαῶν is a recurring epithet for kings and leaders, casting the ruler as a herdsman caring for his flock. Athena restores this kingly vigor to the aged Laertes.
369
and made him taller than before and broader to behold.
370
He stepped out of the bath; and his dear son marveled at him
371
when he saw him face to face, like the immortal gods.
372
And he spoke to him with winged words:
Grammar"Winged words" ἔπεα πτερόεντα ("winged words") is among the most frequent Homeric formulas introducing direct speech, picturing words flying from speaker to hearer.
373
"Father, surely one of the everlasting gods
374
has made you better to behold in form and stature."
375
Then wise Laertes spoke to him in reply:
376
"Would, by Father Zeus and Athena and Apollo,
377
that, as I was when I took Nericum, the well-built citadel,
378
a headland of the mainland, while I ruled the Cephallenians—
379
that being such a man I had stood yesterday in our house,
380
with armor on my shoulders, to stand by you and fight off
381
the suitors! Then I would have loosened the knees of many
Word"Loosened their knees" "To loosen the knees" is the standard Homeric idiom for killing a man in battle. Laertes wishes he could have struck down many suitors himself.
382
of them in the halls, and you would have rejoiced at heart within."
383
So they spoke such things to one another.
384
But the others, when they had ceased their labor and prepared the feast,
385
sat down in order on the couches and the chairs.
386
There they were setting to the meal, when close at hand
387
came old Dolius, and with him the old man's sons,
388
weary from their work, for their mother had gone out and called them,
389
the old Sicilian woman, who raised them and tended the old man
390
carefully, now that age had taken hold of him.
391
When they saw Odysseus and knew him in their hearts,
392
they stood in the halls amazed; but Odysseus
393
spoke to them, greeting them with gentle words:
394
"Old man, sit down to the meal, and let go your astonishment;
395
for though eager to set to the food, we have long been
396
waiting here in the halls, always expecting you."
397
So he spoke, and Dolius came straight up with both hands
398
spread wide; and Odysseus took his hand and kissed it at the wrist,
399
and he spoke to him with winged words:
400
"Dear friend, since you have come home to us who longed for you
401
and no longer expected you, and the gods themselves have brought you back,
402
welcome, and great joy to you, and may the gods grant you blessings.
Word"Blessings" (olbia) ὄλβια denotes prosperity and blessed good fortune granted by the gods. The wish frames Odysseus' return as a divine favor that should overflow onto his loyal servants.
403
And tell me this truly, so that I may know it well:
404
does prudent Penelope already know clearly
405
that you have come back here, or shall we send a messenger?"
406
Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:
407
"Old man, she knows already. Why should you trouble yourself with that?"
408
So he spoke, and Dolius sat down again on the polished stool.
409
And in the same way the sons of Dolius, around famous Odysseus,
410
greeted him with words and clung to his hands,
411
and then sat down in order beside Dolius, their father.
412
So they busied themselves with the meal in the halls.
413
But Rumor went swiftly as a messenger throughout the city everywhere,
414
telling of the hateful death and doom of the suitors.
415
And the people, hearing it together, came thronging from every side
416
with moaning and groaning before the house of Odysseus.
417
They carried the dead out of the house and buried them, each his own,
418
and those from other cities they sent each one homeward,
419
placing them on swift ships for the fishermen to carry.
420
Then they themselves went in a body to the assembly, grieving at heart.
421
And when they were gathered and come together,
422
Eupeithes rose up among them and spoke:
423
for unforgettable grief for his son lay upon his heart,
Word"Unforgettable grief" ἄλαστον πένθος is grief that cannot be forgotten or laid to rest. The phrase marks Eupeithes' sorrow as the driving force of his call for vengeance.
424
for Antinous, whom noble Odysseus had killed first.
425
Weeping for him, he addressed the assembly and spoke:
426
"Friends, truly this man has plotted a great evil against the Achaeans.
427
Some he led away in his ships, many and brave,
428
and he lost the hollow ships and lost the men;
429
and now, coming home, he has killed the very best of the Cephallenians.
430
But come, before this man can quickly reach either Pylos
431
or bright Elis, where the Epeans hold sway,
432
let us go; or else we shall be downcast forever after.
433
For this is a disgrace even for men yet to come to hear of,
WordDisgrace (lôbê) λώβη is outrage or shame that stains one's honor. Eupeithes argues that failing to take revenge would brand the Ithacans with lasting disgrace in the eyes of posterity.
434
if we do not take vengeance on the slayers of our sons
435
and our brothers. To my mind it would be no sweet thing
436
to go on living; rather, let me die at once and be among the dead.
GrammarOptative of wish μετείην is a present optative expressing Eupeithes' wish to be among the dead. The optative is Homer's standard mood for stating a longed-for outcome.
437
But let us go, before they get across to the mainland ahead of us."
438
So he spoke, weeping, and pity seized all the Achaeans.
439
But close at hand came Medon and the divine singer
440
out of the halls of Odysseus, when sleep had released them,
441
They took their stand in the middle, and astonishment seized every man.
442
And among them spoke Medon, skilled in prudent counsel:
443
"Hear me now, men of Ithaca; for it was not without
444
the will of the immortal gods that Odysseus contrived these deeds.
GrammarAorist middle ἐμήσατο is aorist middle of μήδομαι, 'devise, contrive.' The middle voice marks the action as done by and for the subject's own purpose.
445
I myself saw an immortal god, who stood close beside
446
Odysseus and looked in every way like Mentor.
447
And the immortal god at one moment appeared in front of Odysseus,
GrammarCorrelative men/de The pair τοτὲ μέν … τοτὲ δέ ('at one time … at another') balances two alternating moments, a classic use of the men/de structure.
448
giving him courage, and at another, driving the suitors in panic,
449
he raged through the hall; and they fell in heaps, one upon another."
450
So he spoke, and pale fear took hold of them all.
Word"Pale fear" χλωρὸν δέος, literally 'green/pale dread,' is a fixed Homeric phrase for the bloodless pallor that grips a terrified person.
451
And among them spoke also the old hero Halitherses,
452
son of Mastor; for he alone saw both before and behind.
453
With good will toward them he addressed and spoke among them:
454
"Hear me now, men of Ithaca, in what I shall say:
455
through your own cowardice, friends, these deeds have come to pass.
456
For you did not obey me, nor Mentor, shepherd of the people,
457
to make your sons cease from their reckless folly,
458
who wrought a great wrong in their wicked recklessness,
459
wasting the goods and dishonoring the wife
460
of the best of men; for they thought he would return no more.
461
Now too let it be thus: obey me as I speak.
GrammarAorist imperative πίθεσθε is the aorist middle imperative of πείθομαι, 'obey,' a sharp command to act now rather than continuously.
462
Let us not go out, lest some man bring on himself self-inflicted ruin."
GrammarFearing clause μή with the aorist subjunctive εὕρῃ expresses fear or precaution: 'lest someone find/bring on himself an evil.'
463
So he spoke, but they sprang up with a great war-cry,
464
more than half of them; but the rest stayed there together.
465
For his counsel did not please them in their hearts, but Eupeithes
466
they obeyed; and at once they rushed away for their armor.
467
And when they had clothed their bodies in flashing bronze,
Word"Flashing bronze" νῶροψ χαλκός is a formulaic phrase for gleaming bronze armor; the adjective evokes the metal's bright, dazzling glint.
468
they gathered together in front of the spacious city.
469
And Eupeithes led them on in his folly;
470
he said he would avenge the murder of his son, but he was not
471
to return back home, but there to meet his own doom.
472
But Athena spoke to Zeus, son of Kronos:
473
"Our father, son of Kronos, highest of rulers,
GrammarVocative of address Κρονίδη is vocative, the case of direct address; Athena calls upon Zeus by his patronymic, 'son of Kronos.'
474
tell me, since I ask: what purpose does your mind hide within?
475
Will you set on further the evil war and grim battle-strife,
476
or do you establish friendship between both sides?"
477
Then Zeus the cloud-gatherer answered her and spoke:
Word"Cloud-gatherer Zeus" νεφεληγερέτα, 'cloud-gatherer,' is one of Zeus's standard Homeric epithets, marking him as the god of storm and sky.
478
"My child, why do you question and probe me about these things?
479
For did you not yourself devise this very plan,
480
that Odysseus, coming home, should take revenge on them?
481
Do as you wish; but I will tell you what is fitting.
482
Since noble Odysseus has taken revenge on the suitors,
483
let them swear faithful oaths, and let him be king forever,
484
and let us in turn cause forgetting of the slaughter
485
of their sons and brothers; and let them love one another
486
as before, and let there be wealth and peace in plenty."
487
So speaking, he stirred on Athena, already eager,
488
and she went darting down from the peaks of Olympus.
489
Now when they had put from themselves the desire for honey-sweet food,
GrammarFormulaic meal-end This recurring Homeric line, 'they sent out the desire (for food),' formulaically marks the end of a meal; ἕντο is aorist middle of ἵημι.
490
among them much-enduring noble Odysseus began to speak:
Word"Much-enduring Odysseus" πολύτλας ('much-enduring') δῖος ('noble') Ὀδυσσεύς is the hero's most frequent formulaic epithet-phrase in the poem.
491
"Let someone go out and see whether they are not already near at hand."
492
So he spoke; and a son of Dolios went out, as he ordered.
493
He went and stood on the threshold, and saw them all close by;
494
and at once he spoke winged words to Odysseus:
Word"Winged words" ἔπεα πτερόεντα, 'winged words,' is among the most common Homeric formulas for speech that flies swiftly to its hearer.
495
"Here they are, close by; let us arm ourselves quickly."
496
So he spoke, and they rose and sank into their armor,
497
the four around Odysseus, and the six sons of Dolios;
498
and among them Laertes and Dolios put on their armor,
499
gray-haired though they were, warriors by necessity.
500
And when they had clothed their bodies in flashing bronze,
501
they opened the doors and went out, and Odysseus led the way.
502
And near to them came Athena, daughter of Zeus,
503
likened to Mentor in both form and voice.
504
Seeing her, much-enduring noble Odysseus rejoiced;
505
and at once he addressed Telemachus, his own dear son:
506
"Telemachus, now you yourself will learn this, going forward
507
into the place where men fight and the best are judged,
508
not to bring any shame on the race of your fathers, who before now
509
have excelled in strength and manhood over all the earth."
510
Then prudent Telemachus answered him in turn:
GrammarPerfect participle 'prudent' πεπνυμένος, 'prudent, sensible,' is a perfect middle participle used as a stock epithet of Telemachus, formed with reduplication.
511
"You will see, dear father, if you wish, that with this spirit
512
I shall in no way shame your race, as you say."
513
So he spoke, and Laertes rejoiced and uttered his word:
514
"What a day is this for me, dear gods! I rejoice greatly:
515
my son and my grandson are contending over valor."
516
Then standing beside him, gray-eyed Athena spoke:
Word"Gray-eyed Athena" γλαυκῶπις, 'gray-eyed' or 'bright-eyed,' is Athena's most characteristic epithet, evoking the gleam of her keen gaze.
517
"Son of Arceisius, far the dearest of all my companions,
518
having prayed to the gray-eyed maiden and to Zeus the father,
519
at once draw back and hurl your long-shadowing spear."
Word"Long-shadowing spear" δολιχόσκιον ἔγχος, 'the long-shadowing spear,' is a fixed Homeric epithet; the spear is so long it casts a long shadow.
520
So she spoke, and Pallas Athena breathed great strength into him.
521
Then having prayed to the daughter of great Zeus,
522
at once he drew back and hurled his long-shadowing spear,
523
and struck Eupeithes through his bronze-cheeked helmet.
524
It did not hold back the spear, and the bronze drove straight through;
525
he fell with a thud, and his armor clattered about him.
526
Then Odysseus and his glorious son fell upon the front-fighters,
527
and struck them with swords and double-edged spears.
528
And now they would have killed them all and left them without return,
GrammarUnfulfilled ("if not") condition The κε(ν) with past indicative plus the εἰ μή clause forms a contrary-to-fact condition: what would have happened 'had not' Athena intervened.
529
had not Athena, daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus,
Word"Aegis-bearing" αἰγίοχος, 'aegis-bearing,' is a standard epithet of Zeus; the aegis is his dread storm-shield (later shared with Athena).
530
cried aloud with her voice and held back the whole host.
531
"Hold back from the grievous war, men of Ithaca,
GrammarImperative 'hold back' ἴσχεσθε is the present middle imperative of ἴσχω, commanding the men to restrain themselves from battle at once.
532
so that you may be parted as quickly as possible, without bloodshed."
533
So spoke Athena, and pale fear seized them.
534
And as they took fright, the weapons flew from their hands,
535
and all fell to the ground as the goddess uttered her voice;
536
and they turned toward the city, longing to live.
537
But terribly shouted much-enduring noble Odysseus,
538
and gathering himself he swooped like a high-flying eagle.
WordEagle simile Odysseus is compared to a 'high-flying eagle' (αἰετὸς ὑψιπετήεις), a swift, lethal predator stooping on its prey.
539
And then the son of Kronos let fly a smoking thunderbolt,
540
and it fell before the gray-eyed daughter of a mighty father.
541
Then gray-eyed Athena spoke to Odysseus:
542
"Zeus-born son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,
Word"Resourceful Odysseus" πολυμήχανος, 'of many devices, resourceful,' is Odysseus's signature epithet, naming the cunning that defines him.
543
hold back, and stop the strife of leveling war,
544
lest the son of Kronos, far-seeing Zeus, grow angry with you."
GrammarCautionary clause μή with the future κεχολώσεται warns of a feared outcome: 'lest Zeus become angry.' The verb is a future perfect of χολόομαι, 'be enraged.'
545
So spoke Athena, and he obeyed, and rejoiced in his heart.
546
And afterward she set oaths between both sides,
547
Pallas Athena, daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus,
548
likened to Mentor in both form and voice.

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.
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