# The Odyssey, Book 4: Telemachus in Sparta; Menelaus, Helen, and the Old Man of the Sea

Ὀδύσσεια · Homer · The Telemachy

Menelaus and Helen remember Odysseus. Menelaus tells how he trapped the Old Man of the Sea and learned Odysseus is alive. The suitors plan to kill Telemachus.

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/odyssey/4. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/odyssey/4.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/odyssey/<line id>.m4a.

**1** οἱ δʼ ἷξον κοίλην Λακεδαίμονα κητώεσσαν,  
And they came to Lacedaemon, low-lying and full of hollow ravines,

**2** πρὸς δʼ ἄρα δώματʼ ἔλων Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο.  
and drove on toward the house of glorious Menelaus.

**3** τὸν δʼ εὗρον δαινύντα γάμον πολλοῖσιν ἔτῃσιν  
They found him giving a wedding feast for his many kinsmen,

**4** υἱέος ἠδὲ θυγατρὸς ἀμύμονος ᾧ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ.  
for the marriage of his son and his blameless daughter, there in his house.
> blameless: A standard Homeric epithet meaning faultless or excellent, applied to people of high standing.

**5** τὴν μὲν Ἀχιλλῆος ῥηξήνορος υἱέι πέμπεν·  
The girl he was sending to the son of Achilles, breaker of men;
> breaker of men: An epithet of Achilles, literally 'shatterer of the battle-line of warriors'.

**6** ἐν Τροίῃ γὰρ πρῶτον ὑπέσχετο καὶ κατένευσε  
for at Troy he had first promised and given his nod of consent

**7** δωσέμεναι, τοῖσιν δὲ θεοὶ γάμον ἐξετέλειον.  
to give her to him, and now the gods were bringing the marriage to fulfillment.

**8** τὴν ἄρʼ ὅ γʼ ἔνθʼ ἵπποισι καὶ ἅρμασι πέμπε νέεσθαι  
So now he was sending her on her way with horses and chariots

**9** Μυρμιδόνων προτὶ ἄστυ περικλυτόν, οἷσιν ἄνασσεν.  
to the famous city of the Myrmidons, over whom her husband ruled.

**10** υἱέι δὲ Σπάρτηθεν Ἀλέκτορος ἤγετο κούρην,  
And for his son he was bringing home from Sparta the daughter of Alector,

**11** ὅς οἱ τηλύγετος γένετο κρατερὸς Μεγαπένθης  
for his late-born son, strong Megapenthes, had been born to him
> late-born / dearly loved: An obscure Homeric word for a cherished child, often one born late or an only son.

**12** ἐκ δούλης· Ἑλένῃ δὲ θεοὶ γόνον οὐκέτʼ ἔφαινον,  
of a slave woman; for to Helen the gods gave no more offspring

**13** ἐπεὶ δὴ τὸ πρῶτον ἐγείνατο παῖδʼ ἐρατεινήν,  
after she had borne her first child, her lovely daughter,

**14** Ἑρμιόνην, ἣ εἶδος ἔχε χρυσέης Ἀφροδίτης.  
Hermione, who had the beauty of golden Aphrodite.
> imperfect 'had': The verb is imperfect, describing an ongoing state: she possessed the look of golden Aphrodite.

**15** ὣς οἱ μὲν δαίνυντο καθʼ ὑψερεφὲς μέγα δῶμα  
So they were feasting throughout the great high-roofed hall,

**16** γείτονες ἠδὲ ἔται Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο,  
the neighbors and kinsmen of glorious Menelaus,

**17** τερπόμενοι· μετὰ δέ σφιν ἐμέλπετο θεῖος ἀοιδὸς  
taking their delight; and among them a divine singer made music,

**18** φορμίζων, δοιὼ δὲ κυβιστητῆρε κατʼ αὐτούς,  
playing the lyre, while two tumblers among them,

**19** μολπῆς ἐξάρχοντος, ἐδίνευον κατὰ μέσσους.  
as he led off the song, whirled through the middle of the crowd.

**20** τὼ δʼ αὖτʼ ἐν προθύροισι δόμων αὐτώ τε καὶ
                  ἵππω,  
Meanwhile in the forecourt of the house those two, both the men and the horses,
> the dual number: Homer uses the dual forms here for the pair of men and the pair of horses, a number distinct from the plural for things in twos.

**21** Τηλέμαχός θʼ ἥρως καὶ Νέστορος ἀγλαὸς υἱός,  
Telemachus the hero and the splendid son of Nestor,

**22** στῆσαν· ὁ δὲ προμολὼν ἴδετο κρείων Ἐτεωνεύς,  
halted; and lord Eteoneus, coming forward, saw them,

**23** ὀτρηρὸς θεράπων Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο,  
the ready attendant of glorious Menelaus,

**24** βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἀγγελέων διὰ δώματα ποιμένι λαῶν,  
and he went off through the house to bring word to the shepherd of the people,
> shepherd of the people: A recurring epithet for a king, casting the ruler as protector and herdsman of his folk.

**25** ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱστάμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and standing close beside him spoke winged words:
> winged words: The most common Homeric formula for speech, picturing words as flying swiftly from speaker to hearer.

**26** ξείνω δή τινε τώδε, διοτρεφὲς ὦ Μενέλαε,  
"There are two strangers here, Menelaus, nurtured by Zeus,

**27** ἄνδρε δύω, γενεῇ δὲ Διὸς μεγάλοιο ἔικτον.  
two men, and in build they resemble the line of great Zeus.

**28** ἀλλʼ εἴπʼ, ἤ σφωιν καταλύσομεν ὠκέας ἵππους,  
But tell me, shall we unyoke their swift horses for them,

**29** ἦ ἄλλον πέμπωμεν ἱκανέμεν, ὅς κε φιλήσῃ.  
or send them on to some other man who may welcome them?"
> deliberative subjunctive: The subjunctive here asks a real question about what to do: 'are we to send them?'

**30** τὸν δὲ μέγʼ ὀχθήσας προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·  
Then deeply angered, fair-haired Menelaus said to him:
> fair-haired Menelaus: A fixed epithet for Menelaus; 'xanthos' denotes blond or tawny hair, a mark of heroic beauty.

**31** οὐ μὲν νήπιος ἦσθα, Βοηθοΐδη Ἐτεωνεῦ,  
"You were no fool before this, Eteoneus, son of Boethoos,

**32** τὸ πρίν· ἀτὰρ μὲν νῦν γε πάϊς ὣς νήπια βάζεις.  
but now you babble foolishness like a child.

**33** ἦ μὲν δὴ νῶι ξεινήια πολλὰ φαγόντε  
Surely we two ourselves ate much hospitality

**34** ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων δεῦρʼ ἱκόμεθʼ, αἴ κέ ποθι Ζεὺς  
from other men before we came here, in hope that Zeus

**35** ἐξοπίσω περ παύσῃ ὀιζύος. ἀλλὰ λύʼ ἵππους  
might someday put an end to our misery. So unyoke the horses

**36** ξείνων, ἐς δʼ αὐτοὺς προτέρω ἄγε θοινηθῆναι.  
of the strangers, and bring the men themselves inside to feast."

**37** ὣς φάθʼ, ὁ δὲ μεγάροιο διέσσυτο, κέκλετο δʼ
                  ἄλλους  
So he spoke, and Eteoneus rushed through the hall and called the other

**38** ὀτρηροὺς θεράποντας ἅμα σπέσθαι ἑοῖ αὐτῷ.  
ready attendants to come along with him.

**39** οἱ δʼ ἵππους μὲν λῦσαν ὑπὸ ζυγοῦ ἱδρώοντας,  
They loosed the sweating horses from under the yoke,

**40** καὶ τοὺς μὲν κατέδησαν ἐφʼ ἱππείῃσι κάπῃσι,  
and tied them up at the horses' mangers,

**41** πὰρ δʼ ἔβαλον ζειάς, ἀνὰ δὲ κρῖ λευκὸν ἔμιξαν,  
and threw down spelt for them, mixing in white barley,

**42** ἅρματα δʼ ἔκλιναν πρὸς ἐνώπια παμφανόωντα,  
and they leaned the chariot against the gleaming wall,

**43** αὐτοὺς δʼ εἰσῆγον θεῖον δόμον. οἱ δὲ ἰδόντες  
and led the men into the godlike house. And when they saw it

**44** θαύμαζον κατὰ δῶμα διοτρεφέος βασιλῆος·  
they marveled throughout the hall of the Zeus-nurtured king;
> Zeus-nurtured: A royal epithet meaning 'reared by Zeus', marking kings as favored and legitimated by the chief god.

**45** ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης  
for there was a radiance as of the sun or the moon

**46** δῶμα καθʼ ὑψερεφὲς Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο.  
throughout the high-roofed house of glorious Menelaus.

**47** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τάρπησαν ὁρώμενοι ὀφθαλμοῖσιν,  
But when they had taken their fill of gazing with their eyes,

**48** ἔς ῥʼ ἀσαμίνθους βάντες ἐυξέστας λούσαντο.  
they stepped into the polished bathtubs and washed.

**49** τοὺς δʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν δμῳαὶ λοῦσαν καὶ χρῖσαν ἐλαίῳ,  
And when the serving women had bathed them and anointed them with oil,

**50** ἀμφὶ δʼ ἄρα χλαίνας οὔλας βάλον ἠδὲ χιτῶνας,  
and thrown thick wool cloaks and tunics about them,

**51** ἔς ῥα θρόνους ἕζοντο παρʼ Ἀτρεΐδην Μενέλαον.  
they sat down on chairs beside Menelaus, son of Atreus.

**52** χέρνιβα δʼ ἀμφίπολος προχόῳ ἐπέχευε φέρουσα  
A handmaid brought water and poured it from a pitcher,

**53** καλῇ χρυσείῃ ὑπὲρ ἀργυρέοιο λέβητος,  
a beautiful golden one, over a silver basin,

**54** νίψασθαι· παρὰ δὲ ξεστὴν ἐτάνυσσε τράπεζαν.  
for them to wash; and she drew up a polished table beside them.

**55** σῖτον δʼ αἰδοίη ταμίη παρέθηκε φέρουσα,  
The honored housekeeper brought bread and set it before them,

**56** εἴδατα πόλλʼ ἐπιθεῖσα, χαριζομένη παρεόντων.  
laying out many dishes, glad to give from her stores.

**57** δαιτρὸς δὲ κρειῶν πίνακας παρέθηκεν ἀείρας  
The carver lifted platters of meat and set them out,

**58** παντοίων, παρὰ δέ σφι τίθει χρύσεια κύπελλα.  
meats of every kind, and placed golden cups beside them.

**59** τὼ καὶ δεικνύμενος προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·  
And in welcome fair-haired Menelaus said to them:

**60** σίτου θʼ ἅπτεσθον καὶ χαίρετον. αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα  
"Help yourselves to the food, and be glad. Then afterward,
> dual imperative: The verb is a dual imperative addressed to exactly the two guests: 'you two, lay hold of the food.'

**61** δείπνου πασσαμένω εἰρησόμεθʼ, οἵ τινές ἐστον  
when you two have eaten supper, we shall ask who you are

**62** ἀνδρῶν· οὐ γὰρ σφῷν γε γένος ἀπόλωλε τοκήων,  
among men; for the stock of your fathers has not been lost in you,

**63** ἀλλʼ ἀνδρῶν γένος ἐστὲ διοτρεφέων βασιλήων  
but you are of the line of Zeus-nurtured kings,

**64** σκηπτούχων, ἐπεὶ οὔ κε κακοὶ τοιούσδε τέκοιεν.  
scepter-bearers, since base men could not father sons like these."
> potential optative: The optative with 'ke' expresses what could or would be: base men would not beget such sons.

**65** ὣς φάτο, καί σφιν νῶτα βοὸς παρὰ πίονα θῆκεν  
So he spoke, and set before them the rich chine of an ox

**66** ὄπτʼ ἐν χερσὶν ἑλών, τά ῥά οἱ γέρα πάρθεσαν αὐτῷ.  
taking it roasted in his hands, which had been served to him as the portion of honor.

**67** οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον.  
And they reached out their hands to the good things lying ready before them.

**68** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος ἐξ ἔρον ἕντο,  
But when they had put away their desire for drink and food,
> put away desire: A formulaic line for finishing a meal: literally 'they sent forth the desire' for food and drink, i.e. satisfied it.

**69** δὴ τότε Τηλέμαχος προσεφώνεε Νέστορος υἱόν,  
then Telemachus spoke to the son of Nestor,

**70** ἄγχι σχὼν κεφαλήν, ἵνα μὴ πευθοίαθʼ οἱ ἄλλοι·  
holding his head close, so that the others might not hear:

**71** φράζεο, Νεστορίδη, τῷ ἐμῷ κεχαρισμένε θυμῷ,  
"Look, son of Nestor, you who delight my heart,

**72** χαλκοῦ τε στεροπὴν κὰδ δώματα ἠχήεντα  
at the gleam of bronze through the echoing halls,

**73** χρυσοῦ τʼ ἠλέκτρου τε καὶ ἀργύρου ἠδʼ ἐλέφαντος.  
and of gold and amber and silver and ivory.

**74** Ζηνός που τοιήδε γʼ Ὀλυμπίου ἔνδοθεν αὐλή,  
Such, surely, is the court of Olympian Zeus within,

**75** ὅσσα τάδʼ ἄσπετα πολλά· σέβας μʼ ἔχει εἰσορόωντα.  
so countless are these riches; awe holds me as I gaze."
> participle of seeing: The present participle modifies 'me': awe holds me while looking, conveying the ongoing act of gazing in wonder.

**76** τοῦ δʼ ἀγορεύοντος ξύνετο ξανθὸς Μενέλαος,  
Fair-haired Menelaus overheard him as he spoke,

**77** καί σφεας φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·  
and lifting his voice he spoke winged words to them:

**78** τέκνα φίλʼ, ἦ τοι Ζηνὶ βροτῶν οὐκ ἄν τις
                     ἐρίζοι·  
"Dear children, with Zeus no mortal could contend;
> potential optative: The optative with 'an' marks possibility: no mortal could rival Zeus.

**79** ἀθάνατοι γὰρ τοῦ γε δόμοι καὶ κτήματʼ ἔασιν·  
for his house and his possessions are immortal.

**80** ἀνδρῶν δʼ ἤ κέν τίς μοι ἐρίσσεται, ἠὲ καὶ οὐκί,  
But among men, one might or might not rival me

**81** κτήμασιν. ἦ γὰρ πολλὰ παθὼν καὶ πόλλʼ ἐπαληθεὶς  
in possessions. For indeed, having suffered much and wandered much,
> aorist participles: Two aorist participles sum up Menelaus' completed ordeals: having suffered and having wandered.

**82** ἠγαγόμην ἐν νηυσὶ καὶ ὀγδοάτῳ ἔτει ἦλθον,  
I brought these things home in my ships, and came back in the eighth year,

**83** Κύπρον Φοινίκην τε καὶ Αἰγυπτίους ἐπαληθείς,  
after wandering to Cyprus and Phoenicia and the Egyptians,

**84** Αἰθίοπάς θʼ ἱκόμην καὶ Σιδονίους καὶ Ἐρεμβοὺς  
and I reached the Ethiopians and the Sidonians and the Erembi,

**85** καὶ Λιβύην, ἵνα τʼ ἄρνες ἄφαρ κεραοὶ τελέθουσι.  
and Libya, where the lambs grow horns at once,

**86** τρὶς γὰρ τίκτει μῆλα τελεσφόρον εἰς ἐνιαυτόν.  
for the ewes bear young three times within the full circle of the year.

**87** ἔνθα μὲν οὔτε ἄναξ ἐπιδευὴς οὔτε τι ποιμὴν  
There neither master nor shepherd goes short

**88** τυροῦ καὶ κρειῶν οὐδὲ γλυκεροῖο γάλακτος,  
of cheese or of meat or of sweet milk,

**89** ἀλλʼ αἰεὶ παρέχουσιν ἐπηετανὸν γάλα θῆσθαι.  
but they always furnish milk in plenty to draw.

**90** ἧος ἐγὼ περὶ κεῖνα πολὺν βίοτον συναγείρων  
While I was wandering in those lands, gathering much wealth,

**91** ἠλώμην, τῆός μοι ἀδελφεὸν ἄλλος ἔπεφνεν  
meanwhile another man killed my brother

**92** λάθρῃ, ἀνωιστί, δόλῳ οὐλομένης ἀλόχοιο·  
in secret, unawares, by the cunning of his accursed wife.
> accursed: Literally 'destructive, ruinous'; a strong epithet of curse, here for Clytemnestra, who plotted with Aegisthus to kill Agamemnon.

**93** ὣς οὔ τοι χαίρων τοῖσδε κτεάτεσσιν ἀνάσσω.  
So it is with no joy that I am lord over these riches.

**94** καὶ πατέρων τάδε μέλλετʼ ἀκουέμεν, οἵ τινες ὑμῖν  
You are bound to have heard this from your fathers, whoever they are

**95** εἰσίν, ἐπεὶ μάλα πολλὰ πάθον, καὶ ἀπώλεσα οἶκον  
for you, since I suffered very much, and lost a house

**96** εὖ μάλα ναιετάοντα, κεχανδότα πολλὰ καὶ ἐσθλά.  
well and richly settled, holding many fine things.

**97** ὧν ὄφελον τριτάτην περ ἔχων ἐν δώμασι μοῖραν  
Would that I dwelt in my halls with only a third part of all this,

**98** ναίειν, οἱ δʼ ἄνδρες σόοι ἔμμεναι, οἳ τότʼ ὄλοντο  
and that those men were safe who then perished
> unattainable wish: 'Ophelon' with the infinitive expresses a wish that cannot be fulfilled: 'would that I dwelt... and that they were safe.'

**99** Τροίῃ ἐν εὐρείῃ ἑκὰς Ἄργεος ἱπποβότοιο.  
in wide Troy, far from horse-pasturing Argos.
> horse-pasturing: A standing epithet of Argos, evoking its fertile plains where horses graze.

**100** ἀλλʼ ἔμπης πάντας μὲν ὀδυρόμενος καὶ ἀχεύων  
Yet even so, though I mourn and grieve for all of them,

**101** πολλάκις ἐν μεγάροισι καθήμενος ἡμετέροισιν  
often as I sit in our halls,

**102** ἄλλοτε μέν τε γόῳ φρένα τέρπομαι, ἄλλοτε δʼ αὖτε  
at times I ease my heart with weeping, and at other times again

**103** παύομαι· αἰψηρὸς δὲ κόρος κρυεροῖο γόοιο.  
I leave off; for a man is soon sated with chilling lament.

**104** τῶν πάντων οὐ τόσσον ὀδύρομαι, ἀχνύμενός περ,  
Yet for none of them all do I grieve so much, sorrowful though I am,

**105** ὡς ἑνός, ὅς τέ μοι ὕπνον ἀπεχθαίρει καὶ ἐδωδὴν  
as for one, who makes sleep and food hateful to me

**106** μνωομένῳ, ἐπεὶ οὔ τις Ἀχαιῶν τόσσʼ ἐμόγησεν,  
when I remember him, since no one of the Achaeans toiled so much

**107** ὅσσʼ Ὀδυσεὺς ἐμόγησε καὶ ἤρατο. τῷ δʼ ἄρʼ ἔμελλεν  
as Odysseus toiled and endured. For him it was destined
> Odysseus the toiler: Homer often pairs Odysseus with words of suffering and toil; his very name is bound up with the theme of hardship endured.

**108** αὐτῷ κήδεʼ ἔσεσθαι, ἐμοὶ δʼ ἄχος αἰὲν ἄλαστον  
to have sorrows himself, and for me a grief never to be forgotten
> unforgettable grief: 'Alaston' means 'not to be forgotten,' an enduring, inconsolable sorrow.

**109** κείνου, ὅπως δὴ δηρὸν ἀποίχεται, οὐδέ τι ἴδμεν,  
for him, since he has been gone so long, and we do not know

**110** ζώει ὅ γʼ ἦ τέθνηκεν. ὀδύρονταί νύ που αὐτὸν  
whether he lives or has died. Surely they are mourning for him,
> present vs. perfect: The contrast is between the present 'he lives' and the perfect 'he has died' (a completed state still in effect).

**111** Λαέρτης θʼ ὁ γέρων καὶ ἐχέφρων Πηνελόπεια  
old Laertes and prudent Penelope mourn for him,
> prudent Penelope: ἐχέφρων literally means 'holding one's mind' — sound-minded, sensible. It is a recurring epithet for Penelope, marking her self-possession.

**112** Τηλέμαχός θʼ, ὃν ἔλειπε νέον γεγαῶτʼ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ.  
and Telemachus, whom he left newly born in his house.

**113** ὣς φάτο, τῷ δʼ ἄρα πατρὸς ὑφʼ ἵμερον ὦρσε
                  γόοιο.  
So he spoke, and in him he stirred a longing to weep for his father.
> Aorist "stirred": ὦρσε is the aorist of ὄρνυμι, 'rouse, stir up.' The aorist presents the action as a single completed event — Menelaus' words instantly provoked the urge to weep.

**114** δάκρυ δʼ ἀπὸ βλεφάρων χαμάδις βάλε πατρὸς ἀκούσας,  
A tear fell from his eyelids to the ground when he heard his father named,

**115** χλαῖναν πορφυρέην ἄντʼ ὀφθαλμοῖιν ἀνασχὼν  
and he held up his purple cloak before his eyes

**116** ἀμφοτέρῃσιν χερσί. νόησε δέ μιν Μενέλαος,  
with both his hands. But Menelaus noticed him,

**117** μερμήριξε δʼ ἔπειτα κατὰ φρένα καὶ κατὰ θυμόν,  
and then he pondered in his mind and in his heart

**118** ἠέ μιν αὐτὸν πατρὸς ἐάσειε μνησθῆναι  
whether to let him recall his father on his own,

**119** ἦ πρῶτʼ ἐξερέοιτο ἕκαστά τε πειρήσαιτο.  
or whether to question him first and test him point by point.
> Optatives in indirect deliberation: Both verbs are optatives following the main verb of pondering, expressing the alternatives Menelaus weighs. The optative is regular in such indirect-question deliberations in past-tense narrative.

**120** ἧος ὁ ταῦθʼ ὥρμαινε κατὰ φρένα καὶ κατὰ θυμόν,  
While he was turning this over in his mind and in his heart,

**121** ἐκ δʼ Ἑλένη θαλάμοιο θυώδεος ὑψορόφοιο  
Helen came out of her fragrant high-roofed chamber,

**122** ἤλυθεν Ἀρτέμιδι χρυσηλακάτῳ ἐικυῖα.  
like Artemis of the golden distaff.
> Likeness participle: ἐικυῖα is the perfect participle of ἔοικα, 'resemble,' agreeing with Helen. Homer often introduces a divine simile through such a participle ('like to...').

**123** τῇ δʼ ἄρʼ ἅμʼ Ἀδρήστη κλισίην εὔτυκτον ἔθηκεν,  
Adraste set a well-made chair beside her,

**124** Ἀλκίππη δὲ τάπητα φέρεν μαλακοῦ ἐρίοιο,  
Alcippe brought a rug of soft wool,

**125** Φυλὼ δʼ ἀργύρεον τάλαρον φέρε, τόν οἱ ἔθηκεν  
and Phylo carried a silver basket, which had been given her

**126** Ἀλκάνδρη, Πολύβοιο δάμαρ, ὃς ἔναιʼ ἐνὶ Θήβῃς  
by Alcandra, the wife of Polybus, who lived in Thebes

**127** Αἰγυπτίῃς, ὅθι πλεῖστα δόμοις ἐν κτήματα κεῖται·  
of Egypt, where the most treasures lie stored in the houses;

**128** ὃς Μενελάῳ δῶκε δύʼ ἀργυρέας ἀσαμίνθους,  
he gave Menelaus two silver bathing-tubs,

**129** δοιοὺς δὲ τρίποδας, δέκα δὲ χρυσοῖο τάλαντα.  
two tripods, and ten talents of gold.

**130** χωρὶς δʼ αὖθʼ Ἑλένῃ ἄλοχος πόρε κάλλιμα δῶρα·  
And separately his wife gave Helen lovely gifts:

**131** χρυσέην τʼ ἠλακάτην τάλαρόν θʼ ὑπόκυκλον ὄπασσεν  
she presented a golden distaff and a basket on wheels,

**132** ἀργύρεον, χρυσῷ δʼ ἐπὶ χείλεα κεκράαντο.  
of silver, and its rims were finished off with gold.

**133** τόν ῥά οἱ ἀμφίπολος Φυλὼ παρέθηκε φέρουσα  
This the maidservant Phylo carried and set beside her,

**134** νήματος ἀσκητοῖο βεβυσμένον· αὐτὰρ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ  
filled with finely spun yarn; and across it

**135** ἠλακάτη τετάνυστο ἰοδνεφὲς εἶρος ἔχουσα.  
the distaff was laid, holding violet-dark wool.

**136** ἕζετο δʼ ἐν κλισμῷ, ὑπὸ δὲ θρῆνυς ποσὶν ἦεν.  
She sat down on the chair, and beneath her feet was a footstool.

**137** αὐτίκα δʼ ἥ γʼ ἐπέεσσι πόσιν ἐρέεινεν ἕκαστα·  
At once she questioned her husband about every detail:

**138** ἴδμεν δή, Μενέλαε διοτρεφές, οἵ τινες οἵδε  
"Do we know, Menelaus nurtured by Zeus, who these men
> Nurtured by Zeus: διοτρεφής, 'cherished/nurtured by Zeus,' is a standing epithet for kings, marking their authority as god-given. It is in the vocative here as Helen addresses Menelaus.

**139** ἀνδρῶν εὐχετόωνται ἱκανέμεν ἡμέτερον δῶ;  
claim to be who have come to our house?

**140** ψεύσομαι ἦ ἔτυμον ἐρέω; κέλεται δέ με θυμός.  
Shall I be wrong, or speak the truth? My heart bids me speak.
> Future deliberation: Both verbs are future indicatives used as a deliberative question ('shall I...?'). Homer regularly uses the future this way to weigh between two courses.

**141** οὐ γάρ πώ τινά φημι ἐοικότα ὧδε ἰδέσθαι  
For I say I have never yet seen anyone so alike —

**142** οὔτʼ ἄνδρʼ οὔτε γυναῖκα, σέβας μʼ ἔχει εἰσορόωσαν,  
no man and no woman — awe holds me as I look —

**143** ὡς ὅδʼ Ὀδυσσῆος μεγαλήτορος υἷι ἔοικε,  
as this man resembles the son of great-hearted Odysseus,

**144** Τηλεμάχῳ, τὸν ἔλειπε νέον γεγαῶτʼ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ  
Telemachus, whom that man left newly born in his house

**145** κεῖνος ἀνήρ, ὅτʼ ἐμεῖο κυνώπιδος εἵνεκʼ Ἀχαιοὶ  
when for the sake of me, shameless creature, the Achaeans
> "Dog-faced" — Helen's self-reproach: κυνῶπις literally means 'dog-eyed/dog-faced,' a term of shamelessness. Helen applies it to herself in bitter self-blame for the war her flight caused.

**146** ἤλθεθʼ ὑπὸ Τροίην πόλεμον θρασὺν ὁρμαίνοντες.  
came to Troy, stirring up bold war."

**147** τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·  
Answering her, fair-haired Menelaus spoke:
> Present middle participle of reply: ἀπαμειβόμενος is a present middle participle, 'answering,' part of the recurring speech-frame 'answering, X spoke.' The middle voice fits a verb of reciprocal exchange.

**148** οὕτω νῦν καὶ ἐγὼ νοέω, γύναι, ὡς σὺ ἐίσκεις·  
"So now I too think it, wife, as you reckon it;

**149** κείνου γὰρ τοιοίδε πόδες τοιαίδε τε χεῖρες  
for such were that man's feet, and such his hands,

**150** ὀφθαλμῶν τε βολαὶ κεφαλή τʼ ἐφύπερθέ τε χαῖται.  
the glances of his eyes, his head, and the hair above.

**151** καὶ νῦν ἦ τοι ἐγὼ μεμνημένος ἀμφʼ Ὀδυσῆι  
And just now, remembering Odysseus,

**152** μυθεόμην, ὅσα κεῖνος ὀιζύσας ἐμόγησεν  
I was telling how much that man toiled and suffered

**153** ἀμφʼ ἐμοί, αὐτὰρ ὁ πικρὸν ὑπʼ ὀφρύσι δάκρυον εἶβε,  
for my sake; and he let a bitter tear fall from beneath his brows,

**154** χλαῖναν πορφυρέην ἄντʼ ὀφθαλμοῖιν ἀνασχών.  
holding up his purple cloak before his eyes."

**155** τὸν δʼ αὖ Νεστορίδης Πεισίστρατος ἀντίον ηὔδα·  
Then Nestor's son Peisistratus answered him:

**156** Ἀτρεΐδη Μενέλαε διοτρεφές, ὄρχαμε λαῶν,  
"Son of Atreus, Menelaus nurtured by Zeus, leader of men,

**157** κείνου μέν τοι ὅδʼ υἱὸς ἐτήτυμον, ὡς ἀγορεύεις·  
this man is indeed that one's son, as you say;

**158** ἀλλὰ σαόφρων ἐστί, νεμεσσᾶται δʼ ἐνὶ θυμῷ  
but he is modest, and feels shame in his heart
> Self-controlled: σαόφρων (later σώφρων) means 'sound-minded, self-restrained.' Peisistratus explains Telemachus' silence as becoming reticence rather than rudeness.

**159** ὧδʼ ἐλθὼν τὸ πρῶτον ἐπεσβολίας ἀναφαίνειν  
to come here for the first time and let loose a flood of words

**160** ἄντα σέθεν, τοῦ νῶι θεοῦ ὣς τερπόμεθʼ αὐδῇ.  
before you, in whose voice we two delight as in a god's.
> Dual subject: νῶι is the dual pronoun 'we two,' referring to Telemachus and Peisistratus. Homeric Greek keeps the dual alive for natural pairs, here governing a plural verb.

**161** αὐτὰρ ἐμὲ προέηκε Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ  
But Gerenian Nestor, the horseman, sent me forth
> Gerenian horseman Nestor: A fixed epithet-formula for Nestor: 'Gerenian' (likely from the town Gerenia) plus 'horseman/charioteer.' Such epithets fit the meter and characterize the hero.

**162** τῷ ἅμα πομπὸν ἕπεσθαι· ἐέλδετο γάρ σε ἰδέσθαι,  
to follow as his escort; for he longed to see you,

**163** ὄφρα οἱ ἤ τι ἔπος ὑποθήσεαι ἠέ τι ἔργον.  
so that you might suggest to him some word or deed.

**164** πολλὰ γὰρ ἄλγεʼ ἔχει πατρὸς πάϊς οἰχομένοιο  
For a son has many griefs when his father is gone

**165** ἐν μεγάροις, ᾧ μὴ ἄλλοι ἀοσσητῆρες ἔωσιν,  
in his halls, if there are no others to help him,

**166** ὡς νῦν Τηλεμάχῳ ὁ μὲν οἴχεται, οὐδέ οἱ ἄλλοι  
as now for Telemachus the one is gone, and there are no others

**167** εἴσʼ οἵ κεν κατὰ δῆμον ἀλάλκοιεν κακότητα.  
to ward off evil from him throughout the land."
> Potential optative: ἀλάλκοιεν is an aorist optative in a relative clause, expressing the kind of men who 'could ward off' evil — a potential/characterizing sense.

**168** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·  
Answering him, fair-haired Menelaus spoke:

**169** ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δὴ φίλου ἀνέρος υἱὸς ἐμὸν δῶ  
"Well now! Truly the son of a man dear to me has come
> Exclamation "alas/well now": ὢ πόποι is a common Homeric exclamation expressing surprise, dismay, or strong feeling. Tone shifts with context; here it marks glad astonishment.

**170** ἵκεθʼ, ὃς εἵνεκʼ ἐμεῖο πολέας ἐμόγησεν ἀέθλους·  
to my house — one who endured many trials for my sake.

**171** καί μιν ἔφην ἐλθόντα φιλησέμεν ἔξοχον ἄλλων  
And I had thought, when he came, to honor him beyond all other

**172** Ἀργείων, εἰ νῶιν ὑπεὶρ ἅλα νόστον ἔδωκε  
Argives, if Olympian Zeus of the wide gaze had granted
> Wide-seeing/wide-thundering Zeus: εὐρύοπα is a fixed Zeus epithet, understood as 'wide-seeing' or 'wide-thundering.' It scans to fill the line's close and underscores his all-encompassing power.

**173** νηυσὶ θοῇσι γενέσθαι Ὀλύμπιος εὐρύοπα Ζεύς.  
the two of us a homecoming over the sea in our swift ships.

**174** καί κέ οἱ Ἄργεϊ νάσσα πόλιν καὶ δώματʼ ἔτευξα,  
And I would have settled him a city in Argos and built him a house,
> Unreal past with κε: The aorist indicative with the modal particle κε expresses an unrealized past consequence — 'I would have built.' This marks Menelaus' wish as a counterfactual that never came true.

**175** ἐξ Ἰθάκης ἀγαγὼν σὺν κτήμασι καὶ τέκεϊ ᾧ  
bringing him from Ithaca with his goods and his child

**176** καὶ πᾶσιν λαοῖσι, μίαν πόλιν ἐξαλαπάξας,  
and all his people, after sacking one city

**177** αἳ περιναιετάουσιν, ἀνάσσονται δʼ ἐμοὶ αὐτῷ.  
of those that lie round about and are ruled by me.

**178** καί κε θάμʼ ἐνθάδʼ ἐόντες ἐμισγόμεθʼ· οὐδέ κεν ἡμέας  
And often, being here, we would have met; nor would anything

**179** ἄλλο διέκρινεν φιλέοντέ τε τερπομένω τε,  
else have parted us two, loving and delighting in each other,
> Dual participles: Both participles are in the dual, agreeing with the unstated 'we two.' The paired dual endings (-ε, -ω) underline the close bond Menelaus imagines.

**180** πρίν γʼ ὅτε δὴ θανάτοιο μέλαν νέφος ἀμφεκάλυψεν.  
until the black cloud of death wrapped us round.

**181** ἀλλὰ τὰ μέν που μέλλεν ἀγάσσεσθαι θεὸς αὐτός,  
But this, I suppose, the god himself was bound to begrudge,

**182** ὃς κεῖνον δύστηνον ἀνόστιμον οἶον ἔθηκεν.  
who made that unhappy man, him alone, never to return."
> "Without return": ἀνόστιμος, 'returnless, denied a homecoming,' is built on νόστος, the theme-word of the whole poem. It crystallizes Odysseus' plight: alive, yet cut off from home.

**183** ὣς φάτο, τοῖσι δὲ πᾶσιν ὑφʼ ἵμερον ὦρσε γόοιο.  
So he spoke, and in them all he stirred a longing to weep.

**184** κλαῖε μὲν Ἀργείη Ἑλένη, Διὸς ἐκγεγαυῖα,  
Argive Helen wept, sprung from Zeus,
> Perfect participle "born from": ἐκγεγαυῖα is the perfect participle of ἐκγίγνομαι, 'be born/sprung from,' agreeing with Helen. The perfect stresses her enduring status as Zeus' daughter.

**185** κλαῖε δὲ Τηλέμαχός τε καὶ Ἀτρεΐδης Μενέλαος,  
and Telemachus wept, and Atreus' son Menelaus,

**186** οὐδʼ ἄρα Νέστορος υἱὸς ἀδακρύτω ἔχεν ὄσσε·  
nor did Nestor's son keep his eyes free of tears;
> Dual for the eyes: ὄσσε ('eyes') is a dual, and its adjective ἀδακρύτω agrees in the dual — the two eyes form a natural pair. Homer routinely keeps body-parts that come in twos in the dual.

**187** μνήσατο γὰρ κατὰ θυμὸν ἀμύμονος Ἀντιλόχοιο,  
for he remembered in his heart noble Antilochus,

**188** τόν ῥʼ Ἠοῦς ἔκτεινε φαεινῆς ἀγλαὸς υἱός·  
whom the glorious son of shining Dawn had killed.

**189** τοῦ ὅ γʼ ἐπιμνησθεὶς ἔπεα πτερόεντʼ ἀγόρευεν·  
Remembering him, he spoke winged words:
> Winged words: ἔπεα πτερόεντα, 'winged words,' is among the most famous Homeric formulas, picturing speech as flying swiftly from speaker to hearer.

**190** Ἀτρεΐδη, περὶ μέν σε βροτῶν πεπνυμένον εἶναι  
"Son of Atreus, that you are beyond mortals wise in mind

**191** Νέστωρ φάσχʼ ὁ γέρων, ὅτʼ ἐπιμνησαίμεθα σεῖο  
old Nestor used to say, whenever we recalled you
> Iterative optative: The optative in the temporal clause with ὅτε expresses repeated past action — 'whenever we recalled.' Homeric Greek uses the optative for such habitual past occurrences.

**192** οἷσιν ἐνὶ μεγάροισι, καὶ ἀλλήλους ἐρέοιμεν.  
in his halls, and questioned one another.

**193** καὶ νῦν, εἴ τί που ἔστι, πίθοιό μοι· οὐ γὰρ ἐγώ γε  
And now, if it is at all possible, heed me; for I

**194** τέρπομʼ ὀδυρόμενος μεταδόρπιος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἠὼς  
take no pleasure in weeping after supper, but also Dawn

**195** ἔσσεται ἠριγένεια· νεμεσσῶμαί γε μὲν οὐδὲν  
will come, early-born; not that I find any fault at all
> Early-born Dawn: ἠριγένεια, 'early-born,' is a standing epithet of Dawn (Eos), marking her as the first daughter of each day. It often pairs with 'rosy-fingered.'

**196** κλαίειν ὅς κε θάνῃσι βροτῶν καὶ πότμον ἐπίσπῃ.  
in weeping for whatever mortal dies and meets his fate.

**197** τοῦτό νυ καὶ γέρας οἶον ὀιζυροῖσι βροτοῖσιν,  
This indeed is the only honor for wretched mortals:

**198** κείρασθαί τε κόμην βαλέειν τʼ ἀπὸ δάκρυ παρειῶν.  
to cut one's hair and let a tear fall from the cheeks.

**199** καὶ γὰρ ἐμὸς τέθνηκεν ἀδελφεός, οὔ τι κάκιστος  
For my own brother too has died, by no means the worst

**200** Ἀργείων· μέλλεις δὲ σὺ ἴδμεναι· οὐ γὰρ ἐγώ γε  
of the Argives; and you are likely to have known him; but I

**201** ἤντησʼ οὐδὲ ἴδον· περὶ δʼ ἄλλων φασὶ γενέσθαι  
never met him nor saw him; but they say that beyond others

**202** Ἀντίλοχον, πέρι μὲν θείειν ταχὺν ἠδὲ μαχητήν.  
Antilochus was outstanding — swift to run and a fighter."

**203** τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·  
Answering him, fair-haired Menelaus spoke:

**204** ὦ φίλʼ, ἐπεὶ τόσα εἶπες, ὅσʼ ἂν πεπνυμένος ἀνὴρ  
"My friend, since you have said all that a sensible man

**205** εἴποι καὶ ῥέξειε, καὶ ὃς προγενέστερος εἴη·  
might say and do, even one who were older —

**206** τοίου γὰρ καὶ πατρός, ὃ καὶ πεπνυμένα βάζεις,  
for you are of such a father, and so you speak wisely too;

**207** ῥεῖα δʼ ἀρίγνωτος γόνος ἀνέρος ᾧ τε Κρονίων  
easily known is the offspring of a man for whom the son of Cronos
> Son of Cronos: Κρονίων, 'son of Cronos,' is a patronymic title for Zeus. Homer often names the gods by such patronymics, especially at line-end where the meter demands it.

**208** ὄλβον ἐπικλώσῃ γαμέοντί τε γεινομένῳ τε,  
spins out prosperity, both at his marriage and his birth,

**209** ὡς νῦν Νέστορι δῶκε διαμπερὲς ἤματα πάντα  
as now he has granted Nestor, continually all his days,

**210** αὐτὸν μὲν λιπαρῶς γηρασκέμεν ἐν μεγάροισιν,  
to grow old in comfort within his halls,

**211** υἱέας αὖ πινυτούς τε καὶ ἔγχεσιν εἶναι ἀρίστους.  
and to have sons both prudent and best with the spear.

**212** ἡμεῖς δὲ κλαυθμὸν μὲν ἐάσομεν, ὃς πρὶν ἐτύχθη,  
But let us leave off the weeping that came before,
> Hortatory future: ἐάσομεν, future of ἐάω 'let be,' functions as an exhortation, 'let us leave off.' Homer often uses the first-person plural future this way for a proposal to the group.

**213** δόρπου δʼ ἐξαῦτις μνησώμεθα, χερσὶ δʼ ἐφʼ ὕδωρ  
and let us turn again to supper, and over our hands let them pour

**214** χευάντων. μῦθοι δὲ καὶ ἠῶθέν περ ἔσονται  
water. There will be words in the morning as well

**215** Τηλεμάχῳ καὶ ἐμοὶ διαειπέμεν ἀλλήλοισιν.  
for Telemachus and me to speak through with each other."

**216** ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀσφαλίων δʼ ἄρʼ ὕδωρ ἐπὶ χεῖρας
                  ἔχευεν,  
So he spoke, and Asphalion poured water over their hands,

**217** ὀτρηρὸς θεράπων Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο.  
the busy attendant of glorious Menelaus.
> Glorious Menelaus: κυδάλιμος, 'glorious, renowned,' is a recurring epithet of Menelaus (here genitive). The whole line is a repeated formula closing the hand-washing scene.

**218** οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον.  
And they reached out their hands to the good things set ready before them.

**219** ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ ἄλλʼ ἐνόησʼ Ἑλένη Διὸς ἐκγεγαυῖα·  
Then Helen, sprung from Zeus, thought of something else:

**220** αὐτίκʼ ἄρʼ εἰς οἶνον βάλε φάρμακον, ἔνθεν ἔπινον,  
at once she cast a drug into the wine they were drinking,

**221** νηπενθές τʼ ἄχολόν τε, κακῶν ἐπίληθον ἁπάντων.  
one that banished grief and anger and made a man forget every sorrow.
> nepenthes: The drug's name means literally 'no-grief' (ne- + penthos), built right into the adjective. It became the English word 'nepenthe' for anything that brings forgetfulness of pain.

**222** ὃς τὸ καταβρόξειεν, ἐπὴν κρητῆρι μιγείη,  
Whoever swallowed it down, once it was mixed in the bowl,
> Optative of indefinite condition: The optative here marks a general, repeated case: 'whoever might drink it.' Homeric Greek uses the optative in such open-ended relative clauses about anyone at all.

**223** οὔ κεν ἐφημέριός γε βάλοι κατὰ δάκρυ παρειῶν,  
would not let a tear fall down his cheeks for a whole day,

**224** οὐδʼ εἴ οἱ κατατεθναίη μήτηρ τε πατήρ τε,  
not even if his mother and his father were to die,

**225** οὐδʼ εἴ οἱ προπάροιθεν ἀδελφεὸν ἢ φίλον υἱὸν  
not even if before his eyes men should cut down with bronze

**226** χαλκῷ δηιόῳεν, ὁ δʼ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὁρῷτο.  
his brother or his own dear son, and he were watching it happen.

**227** τοῖα Διὸς θυγάτηρ ἔχε φάρμακα μητιόεντα,  
Such cunning drugs the daughter of Zeus possessed,

**228** ἐσθλά, τά οἱ Πολύδαμνα πόρεν, Θῶνος παράκοιτις  
good ones, which Polydamna had given her, the wife of Thon,

**229** Αἰγυπτίη, τῇ πλεῖστα φέρει ζείδωρος ἄρουρα  
an Egyptian woman, where the grain-giving earth bears the most

**230** φάρμακα, πολλὰ μὲν ἐσθλὰ μεμιγμένα πολλὰ δὲ λυγρά·  
drugs, many good when mixed and many baneful;

**231** ἰητρὸς δὲ ἕκαστος ἐπιστάμενος περὶ πάντων  
there every man is a healer skilled beyond all

**232** ἀνθρώπων· ἦ γὰρ Παιήονός εἰσι γενέθλης.  
other men, for they are of the race of Paeon.

**233** αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ἐνέηκε κέλευσέ τε οἰνοχοῆσαι,  
Now when she had cast it in and bidden them pour the wine,

**234** ἐξαῦτις μύθοισιν ἀμειβομένη προσέειπεν·  
she answered once more and spoke among them:

**235** Ἀτρεΐδη Μενέλαε διοτρεφὲς ἠδὲ καὶ οἵδε  
"Menelaus, son of Atreus, cherished by Zeus, and you also,

**236** ἀνδρῶν ἐσθλῶν παῖδες· ἀτὰρ θεὸς ἄλλοτε ἄλλῳ  
sons of noble men: God gives now to one man and now to another,

**237** Ζεὺς ἀγαθόν τε κακόν τε διδοῖ· δύναται γὰρ ἅπαντα·  
Zeus gives good and evil, for he is able to do all things.
> Present of habitual action: The present tense states a timeless truth about Zeus: he gives, again and again, good and ill alike. Greek uses the present for such general, recurring acts.

**238** ἦ τοι νῦν δαίνυσθε καθήμενοι ἐν μεγάροισι  
So now feast, sitting here in the hall,

**239** καὶ μύθοις τέρπεσθε· ἐοικότα γὰρ καταλέξω.  
and take pleasure in stories; for I will tell one that fits the hour.

**240** πάντα μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἐγὼ μυθήσομαι οὐδʼ ὀνομήνω,  
I could not tell them all nor name every one,

**241** ὅσσοι Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονός εἰσιν ἄεθλοι·  
all the trials of enduring-hearted Odysseus;
> Enduring-hearted: A standing epithet of Odysseus, joining 'endure' (tlao) with 'mind/heart' (phren). It marks him as the hero defined by patient endurance.

**242** ἀλλʼ οἷον τόδʼ ἔρεξε καὶ ἔτλη καρτερὸς ἀνὴρ  
but here is one thing the strong man did and dared

**243** δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων, ὅθι πάσχετε πήματʼ Ἀχαιοί.  
in the land of the Trojans, where you Achaeans suffered hardships.

**244** αὐτόν μιν πληγῇσιν ἀεικελίῃσι δαμάσσας,  
He mastered his own body with disfiguring blows,

**245** σπεῖρα κάκʼ ἀμφʼ ὤμοισι βαλών, οἰκῆι ἐοικώς,  
threw wretched rags about his shoulders, looking like a slave,

**246** ἀνδρῶν δυσμενέων κατέδυ πόλιν εὐρυάγυιαν·  
and stole into the broad-streeted city of his enemies.

**247** ἄλλῳ δʼ αὐτὸν φωτὶ κατακρύπτων ἤισκε,  
He hid himself, made himself look like another man,

**248** δέκτῃ, ὃς οὐδὲν τοῖος ἔην ἐπὶ νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν.  
a beggar, one nothing like the man he was at the ships of the Achaeans.

**249** τῷ ἴκελος κατέδυ Τρώων πόλιν, οἱ δʼ ἀβάκησαν  
In that likeness he slipped into the city of the Trojans, and they all

**250** πάντες· ἐγὼ δέ μιν οἴη ἀνέγνων τοῖον ἐόντα,  
took no notice; I alone knew him for who he was,
> Recognized him: The verb means to 'know again,' to recognize. Helen alone sees through the disguise that fooled all of Troy.

**251** καί μιν ἀνηρώτων· ὁ δὲ κερδοσύνῃ ἀλέεινεν.  
and I questioned him; but he kept evading me with his cunning.

**252** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή μιν ἐγὼ λόεον καὶ χρῖον ἐλαίῳ,  
Yet when I had bathed him and anointed him with oil,

**253** ἀμφὶ δὲ εἵματα ἕσσα καὶ ὤμοσα καρτερὸν ὅρκον  
and clothed him in garments, and sworn a mighty oath

**254** μὴ μὲν πρὶν Ὀδυσῆα μετὰ Τρώεσσʼ ἀναφῆναι,  
not to reveal Odysseus among the Trojans
> Infinitive in the oath: The infinitive completes the oath: she swore 'not to reveal' him. Greek regularly uses the infinitive to express the content of a vow or promise.

**255** πρίν γε τὸν ἐς νῆάς τε θοὰς κλισίας τʼ ἀφικέσθαι,  
until he had come back to the swift ships and the huts,

**256** καὶ τότε δή μοι πάντα νόον κατέλεξεν Ἀχαιῶν.  
only then did he tell me the whole plan of the Achaeans.

**257** πολλοὺς δὲ Τρώων κτείνας ταναήκεϊ χαλκῷ  
He killed many of the Trojans with the long-edged bronze

**258** ἦλθε μετʼ Ἀργείους, κατὰ δὲ φρόνιν ἤγαγε πολλήν.  
and went back to the Argives, carrying off much knowledge.

**259** ἔνθʼ ἄλλαι Τρῳαὶ λίγʼ ἐκώκυον· αὐτὰρ ἐμὸν κῆρ  
Then the other Trojan women wailed shrilly; but my own heart

**260** χαῖρʼ, ἐπεὶ ἤδη μοι κραδίη τέτραπτο νέεσθαι  
rejoiced, for by now my heart had turned toward going home

**261** ἂψ οἶκόνδʼ, ἄτην δὲ μετέστενον, ἣν Ἀφροδίτη  
back again, and I groaned over the madness that Aphrodite
> ate (delusion): Ate is the blind ruinous folly sent by a god that drives a mortal to disaster. Helen blames it, and Aphrodite, for her flight to Troy.

**262** δῶχʼ, ὅτε μʼ ἤγαγε κεῖσε φίλης ἀπὸ πατρίδος αἴης,  
gave me, when she led me there, away from my dear native land,

**263** παῖδά τʼ ἐμὴν νοσφισσαμένην θάλαμόν τε πόσιν τε  
abandoning my child and my marriage chamber and my husband,

**264** οὔ τευ δευόμενον, οὔτʼ ἂρ φρένας οὔτε τι εἶδος.  
a man lacking nothing, neither in mind nor in looks."

**265** τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·  
Then fair-haired Menelaus answered her:
> Fair-haired Menelaus: A recurring formulaic epithet for Menelaus, marking him by his blond hair. Such fixed epithets help the oral poet build the line.

**266** ναὶ δὴ ταῦτά γε πάντα, γύναι, κατὰ μοῖραν ἔειπες.  
"Yes, wife, all this you have told rightly and in order.

**267** ἤδη μὲν πολέων ἐδάην βουλήν τε νόον τε  
By now I have learned the counsel and mind of many

**268** ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων, πολλὴν δʼ ἐπελήλυθα γαῖαν·  
heroic men, and I have traveled over much of the earth;

**269** ἀλλʼ οὔ πω τοιοῦτον ἐγὼν ἴδον ὀφθαλμοῖσιν,  
but never yet have I seen with my own eyes such a one

**270** οἷον Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος ἔσκε φίλον κῆρ.  
as was the steadfast heart of enduring-hearted Odysseus.

**271** οἷον καὶ τόδʼ ἔρεξε καὶ ἔτλη καρτερὸς ἀνὴρ  
Here is the kind of thing that strong man did and dared

**272** ἵππῳ ἔνι ξεστῷ, ἵνʼ ἐνήμεθα πάντες ἄριστοι  
inside the carved horse, where all we best men sat,

**273** Ἀργείων Τρώεσσι φόνον καὶ κῆρα φέροντες.  
we Argives, bringing slaughter and death to the Trojans.

**274** ἦλθες ἔπειτα σὺ κεῖσε· κελευσέμεναι δέ σʼ ἔμελλε  
Then you came there; some power must have urged you on,

**275** δαίμων, ὃς Τρώεσσιν ἐβούλετο κῦδος ὀρέξαι·  
some divinity who wished to grant glory to the Trojans;

**276** καί τοι Δηΐφοβος θεοείκελος ἕσπετʼ ἰούσῃ.  
and godlike Deiphobus came with you as you walked.

**277** τρὶς δὲ περίστειξας κοῖλον λόχον ἀμφαφόωσα,  
Three times you circled the hollow ambush, feeling it over,

**278** ἐκ δʼ ὀνομακλήδην Δαναῶν ὀνόμαζες ἀρίστους,  
and you called out the best of the Danaans by name,

**279** πάντων Ἀργείων φωνὴν ἴσκουσʼ ἀλόχοισιν.  
making your voice like the voices of all the Argives' wives.
> Participle of manner: The participle 'likening' describes how Helen called: by imitating the wives' voices. Greek often uses a participle where English would use 'by doing' or a separate clause.

**280** αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ Τυδεΐδης καὶ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς  
But I and the son of Tydeus and noble Odysseus,

**281** ἥμενοι ἐν μέσσοισιν ἀκούσαμεν ὡς ἐβόησας.  
sitting in the midst of them, heard how you cried out.

**282** νῶι μὲν ἀμφοτέρω μενεήναμεν ὁρμηθέντε  
We two, both stirred up, were eager and longed
> Dual number: The pronoun, adjective, and participle are all dual: a special Greek form for exactly two. Here it marks Menelaus and Diomedes acting as a pair.

**283** ἢ ἐξελθέμεναι, ἢ ἔνδοθεν αἶψʼ ὑπακοῦσαι·  
either to go out, or to answer you at once from within;

**284** ἀλλʼ Ὀδυσεὺς κατέρυκε καὶ ἔσχεθεν ἱεμένω περ.  
but Odysseus held us back and checked us, eager as we were.

**285** ἔνθʼ ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες ἀκὴν ἔσαν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,  
Then all the other sons of the Achaeans kept silent,

**286** Ἄντικλος δὲ σέ γʼ οἶος ἀμείψασθαι ἐπέεσσιν  
but Anticlus alone wanted to answer you

**287** ἤθελεν. ἀλλʼ Ὀδυσεὺς ἐπὶ μάστακα χερσὶ πίεζεν  
with words. Yet Odysseus pressed his mouth shut with his hands,

**288** νωλεμέως κρατερῇσι, σάωσε δὲ πάντας Ἀχαιούς·  
relentlessly, with his strong hands, and so saved all the Achaeans;

**289** τόφρα δʼ ἔχʼ, ὄφρα σε νόσφιν ἀπήγαγε Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.  
he held him until Pallas Athena led you away."

**290** τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα·  
Then thoughtful Telemachus answered him:

**291** Ἀτρεΐδη Μενέλαε διοτρεφές, ὄρχαμε λαῶν,  
"Menelaus, son of Atreus, cherished by Zeus, leader of armies,
> Cherished by Zeus: A formulaic epithet for kings, literally 'Zeus-nourished,' marking a ruler's authority as god-given. It recurs throughout the address to Menelaus.

**292** ἄλγιον· οὐ γάρ οἵ τι τάδʼ ἤρκεσε λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον,  
it is the more painful; for none of this warded off his grim death,

**293** οὐδʼ εἴ οἱ κραδίη γε σιδηρέη ἔνδοθεν ἦεν.  
not even though the heart within him were made of iron.

**294** ἀλλʼ ἄγετʼ εἰς εὐνὴν τράπεθʼ ἡμέας, ὄφρα καὶ ἤδη  
But come, lead us off to bed, so that even now

**295** ὕπνῳ ὕπο γλυκερῷ ταρπώμεθα κοιμηθέντες.  
we may lie down and take our pleasure in sweet sleep."

**296** ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀργείη δʼ Ἑλένη δμῳῇσι κέλευσεν  
So he spoke, and Argive Helen bade the serving women

**297** δέμνιʼ ὑπʼ αἰθούσῃ θέμεναι καὶ ῥήγεα καλὰ  
set up beds beneath the portico, and lay on fine blankets,

**298** πορφύρεʼ ἐμβαλέειν στορέσαι τʼ ἐφύπερθε τάπητας,  
purple ones, and spread coverlets over them,

**299** χλαίνας τʼ ἐνθέμεναι οὔλας καθύπερθεν ἕσασθαι.  
and put thick woolen cloaks on top for them to wear.

**300** αἱ δʼ ἴσαν ἐκ μεγάροιο δάος μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχουσαι,  
They went out from the hall, torches in their hands,

**301** δέμνια δὲ στόρεσαν· ἐκ δὲ ξείνους ἄγε κῆρυξ.  
and made the beds; and a herald led the guests out.

**302** οἱ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐν προδόμῳ δόμου αὐτόθι κοιμήσαντο,  
So they slept there in the forecourt of the house,

**303** Τηλέμαχός θʼ ἥρως καὶ Νέστορος ἀγλαὸς υἱός·  
Telemachus the hero and the splendid son of Nestor;

**304** Ἀτρεΐδης δὲ καθεῦδε μυχῷ δόμου ὑψηλοῖο,  
but the son of Atreus slept in the inmost room of the high house,

**305** πὰρ δʼ Ἑλένη τανύπεπλος ἐλέξατο, δῖα γυναικῶν.  
and beside him lay Helen of the trailing robe, lovely among women.

**306** ἦμος δʼ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,  
When early-born Dawn appeared, rosy-fingered,
> Rosy-fingered Dawn: The most famous of Homer's formulaic epithets, opening countless new days in the epic. The image is of dawn's first light spreading like rosy fingers across the sky.

**307** ὤρνυτʼ ἄρʼ ἐξ εὐνῆφι βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος  
Menelaus, good at the war cry, rose from his bed,

**308** εἵματα ἑσσάμενος, περὶ δὲ ξίφος ὀξὺ θέτʼ ὤμῳ,  
put on his clothes, slung his sharp sword over his shoulder,

**309** ποσσὶ δʼ ὑπὸ λιπαροῖσιν ἐδήσατο καλὰ πέδιλα,  
bound fine sandals beneath his shining feet,

**310** βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἐκ θαλάμοιο θεῷ ἐναλίγκιος ἄντην,  
and went out from his chamber, like a god to look upon,

**311** Τηλεμάχῳ δὲ παρῖζεν, ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν·  
and sat down beside Telemachus, and spoke, and called him by name:

**312** τίπτε δέ σε χρειὼ δεῦρʼ ἤγαγε, Τηλέμαχʼ
                     ἥρως,  
"What need has brought you here, Telemachus, hero,

**313** ἐς Λακεδαίμονα δῖαν, ἐπʼ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης;  
to noble Lacedaemon, over the broad back of the sea?
> The broad back of the sea: A vivid Homeric image picturing the sea's surface as a great animal's broad back, ridden by ships. It is a recurring formula for sea travel.

**314** δήμιον ἦ ἴδιον; τόδε μοι νημερτὲς ἐνίσπες.  
Is it public or private? Tell me this truly."

**315** τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα·  
Then thoughtful Telemachus answered him:

**316** Ἀτρεΐδη Μενέλαε διοτρεφές, ὄρχαμε λαῶν,  
"Menelaus, son of Atreus, cherished by Zeus, leader of armies,

**317** ἤλυθον, εἴ τινά μοι κληηδόνα πατρὸς ἐνίσποις.  
I have come, in hope you might tell me some word of my father.

**318** ἐσθίεταί μοι οἶκος, ὄλωλε δὲ πίονα ἔργα,  
My house is being devoured, my rich fields are ruined,
> Passive voice: The verb is passive: the house 'is being eaten.' The suitors consume Telemachus's estate, and the passive keeps the focus on the household being destroyed.

**319** δυσμενέων δʼ ἀνδρῶν πλεῖος δόμος, οἵ τέ μοι αἰεὶ  
and my home is full of hostile men, who always

**320** μῆλʼ ἁδινὰ σφάζουσι καὶ εἰλίποδας ἕλικας βοῦς,  
slaughter my thronging sheep and my shambling, twist-horned cattle,

**321** μητρὸς ἐμῆς μνηστῆρες ὑπέρβιον ὕβριν ἔχοντες.  
the suitors of my mother, men of overbearing insolence.
> hubris: Hubris is violent, arrogant overreach against what is right. It is the suitors' defining crime, which dooms them by the poem's end.

**322** τοὔνεκα νῦν τὰ σὰ γούναθʼ ἱκάνομαι, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσθα  
And so now I come to your knees, in hope you may be willing

**323** κείνου λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον ἐνισπεῖν, εἴ που ὄπωπας  
to tell of his grim death, if perhaps you saw it

**324** ὀφθαλμοῖσι τεοῖσιν ἢ ἄλλου μῦθον ἄκουσας  
with your own eyes, or heard the tale from another

**325** πλαζομένου· περὶ γάρ μιν ὀιζυρὸν τέκε μήτηρ.  
who wandered; for his mother bore him to misery beyond all men.

**326** μηδέ τί μʼ αἰδόμενος μειλίσσεο μηδʼ ἐλεαίρων,  
And do not, out of pity or respect, soften it for me,

**327** ἀλλʼ εὖ μοι κατάλεξον ὅπως ἤντησας ὀπωπῆς.  
but tell me clearly how it was you met the sight of him.

**328** λίσσομαι, εἴ ποτέ τοί τι πατὴρ ἐμός, ἐσθλὸς Ὀδυσσεὺς  
I beg you, if ever my father, noble Odysseus,

**329** ἢ ἔπος ἠέ τι ἔργον ὑποστὰς ἐξετέλεσσε  
took upon himself some word or deed and carried it through

**330** δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων, ὅθι πάσχετε πήματʼ Ἀχαιοί,  
in the land of the Trojans, where you Achaeans suffered hardships,

**331** τῶν νῦν μοι μνῆσαι, καί μοι νημερτὲς ἐνίσπες.  
of these things now remind me, and tell me the unerring truth."

**332** τὸν δὲ μέγʼ ὀχθήσας προσέθη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·  
Then, deeply moved, fair-haired Menelaus answered him:
> Aorist participle of emotion: ὀχθήσας is the aorist participle of ὀχθέω, 'to be vexed, stirred to anger.' The participle sets the emotional state under which Menelaus then speaks.
> Formulaic epithet: 'Fair-haired Menelaus' is a recurring noun-epithet formula filling the verse end. Such epithets serve the meter and characterize the hero rather than describe a one-time fact.

**333** ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δὴ κρατερόφρονος ἀνδρὸς ἐν εὐνῇ  
"Shameful! Truly into the bed of a strong-hearted man

**334** ἤθελον εὐνηθῆναι ἀνάλκιδες αὐτοὶ ἐόντες.  
they have wished to lie, cowards that they are themselves.

**335** ὡς δʼ ὁπότʼ ἐν ξυλόχῳ ἔλαφος κρατεροῖο λέοντος  
As when in a thicket a deer has laid to sleep

**336** νεβροὺς κοιμήσασα νεηγενέας γαλαθηνοὺς  
her newborn suckling fawns, the lair of a mighty lion,

**337** κνημοὺς ἐξερέῃσι καὶ ἄγκεα ποιήεντα  
and ranges over the mountain spurs and the grassy glens

**338** βοσκομένη, ὁ δʼ ἔπειτα ἑὴν εἰσήλυθεν εὐνήν,  
as she grazes, but then he comes back into his lair,

**339** ἀμφοτέροισι δὲ τοῖσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκεν,  
and on both of them he lets loose an unseemly doom,

**340** ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς κείνοισιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφήσει.  
so will Odysseus let loose an unseemly doom on those men.
> Future tense closes the simile: ἐφήσει is the future of ἐφίημι, 'will let loose upon.' The shift from the simile's present-tense generalization to the future applies the image directly to Odysseus and the suitors.

**341** αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον,  
Would that, Father Zeus and Athena and Apollo,

**342** τοῖος ἐών, οἷός ποτʼ ἐυκτιμένῃ ἐνὶ Λέσβῳ  
such as he was once in well-built Lesbos,

**343** ἐξ ἔριδος Φιλομηλεΐδῃ ἐπάλαισεν ἀναστάς,  
when he rose and wrestled Philomeleides out of a quarrel,

**344** κὰδ δʼ ἔβαλε κρατερῶς, κεχάροντο δὲ πάντες Ἀχαιοί,  
and threw him down hard, and all the Achaeans rejoiced —

**345** τοῖος ἐὼν μνηστῆρσιν ὁμιλήσειεν Ὀδυσσεύς·  
such as he was then, may Odysseus come among the suitors:
> Optative of wish: ὁμιλήσειεν is an aorist optative expressing Menelaus' wish that Odysseus might encounter the suitors. The optative without ἄν here voices a hope, picking up the αἲ γάρ ('would that') of line 341.

**346** πάντες κʼ ὠκύμοροί τε γενοίατο πικρόγαμοί τε.  
they would all find a swift death and a bitter marriage.

**347** ταῦτα δʼ ἅ μʼ εἰρωτᾷς καὶ λίσσεαι, οὐκ ἂν ἐγώ γε  
But as for what you ask me and beg of me, I would not

**348** ἄλλα παρὲξ εἴποιμι παρακλιδόν, οὐδʼ ἀπατήσω,  
speak other things aside and evade you, nor deceive you,

**349** ἀλλὰ τὰ μέν μοι ἔειπε γέρων ἅλιος νημερτής,  
but of what the unerring old man of the sea told me,

**350** τῶν οὐδέν τοι ἐγὼ κρύψω ἔπος οὐδʼ ἐπικεύσω.  
of these I will hide from you not one word nor conceal it.

**351** Αἰγύπτῳ μʼ ἔτι δεῦρο θεοὶ μεμαῶτα νέεσθαι  
In Egypt, though I longed to come home here, the gods

**352** ἔσχον, ἐπεὶ οὔ σφιν ἔρεξα τεληέσσας ἑκατόμβας.  
held me back, since I had not offered them full hecatombs.

**353** οἱ δʼ αἰεὶ βούλοντο θεοὶ μεμνῆσθαι ἐφετμέων.  
And the gods always wished us to be mindful of their commands.

**354** νῆσος ἔπειτά τις ἔστι πολυκλύστῳ ἐνὶ πόντῳ  
Now there is a certain island in the surging sea

**355** Αἰγύπτου προπάροιθε, Φάρον δέ ἑ κικλήσκουσι,  
off the coast of Egypt — Pharos they call it —

**356** τόσσον ἄνευθʼ ὅσσον τε πανημερίη γλαφυρὴ νηῦς  
as far off as a hollow ship can cover in a full day,

**357** ἤνυσεν, ᾗ λιγὺς οὖρος ἐπιπνείῃσιν ὄπισθεν·  
when a shrill wind blows behind her;

**358** ἐν δὲ λιμὴν ἐύορμος, ὅθεν τʼ ἀπὸ νῆας ἐίσας  
and there is a good harbor in it, from which men launch

**359** ἐς πόντον βάλλουσιν, ἀφυσσάμενοι μέλαν ὕδωρ.  
their balanced ships into the sea, once they have drawn dark water.

**360** ἔνθα μʼ ἐείκοσιν ἤματʼ ἔχον θεοί, οὐδέ ποτʼ οὖροι  
There the gods held me twenty days, nor did the winds

**361** πνείοντες φαίνονθʼ ἁλιαέες, οἵ ῥά τε νηῶν  
ever appear blowing seaward, which are the ships'

**362** πομπῆες γίγνονται ἐπʼ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.  
escorts over the broad back of the sea.
> "The broad back of the sea": A standard Homeric phrase picturing the open sea as a vast back or surface to be traveled across. The image recurs throughout the poem.

**363** καί νύ κεν ἤια πάντα κατέφθιτο καὶ μένεʼ ἀνδρῶν,  
And now all our provisions would have run out, and the men's strength,

**364** εἰ μή τίς με θεῶν ὀλοφύρατο καί μʼ ἐσάωσε,  
had not one of the goddesses taken pity on me and saved me,

**365** Πρωτέος ἰφθίμου θυγάτηρ ἁλίοιο γέροντος,  
Eidothea, the daughter of mighty Proteus, the old man of the sea;

**366** Εἰδοθέη· τῇ γάρ ῥα μάλιστά γε θυμὸν ὄρινα.  
for it was her heart above all that I stirred.

**367** ἥ μʼ οἴῳ ἔρροντι συνήντετο νόσφιν ἑταίρων·  
She met me as I wandered alone, apart from my companions;

**368** αἰεὶ γὰρ περὶ νῆσον ἀλώμενοι ἰχθυάασκον  
for they were always roaming about the island fishing

**369** γναμπτοῖς ἀγκίστροισιν, ἔτειρε δὲ γαστέρα λιμός.  
with bent hooks, and hunger was wearing at their bellies.

**370** ἡ δέ μευ ἄγχι στᾶσα ἔπος φάτο φώνησέν τε·  
She came and stood near me and spoke and addressed me:

**371** νήπιός εἰς, ὦ ξεῖνε, λίην τόσον ἠδὲ
                        χαλίφρων,  
'You are a fool, stranger, far too much so, and slack of mind,
> νήπιος as reproach: νήπιος means 'childish, witless,' here a stinging rebuke. It marks one who fails to grasp his situation, not merely a youth.

**372** ἦε ἑκὼν μεθίεις καὶ τέρπεαι ἄλγεα πάσχων;  
or do you give up willingly and take pleasure in suffering pain?

**373** ὡς δὴ δήθʼ ἐνὶ νήσῳ ἐρύκεαι, οὐδέ τι τέκμωρ  
So long now you are penned on the island, and no way out

**374** εὑρέμεναι δύνασαι, μινύθει δέ τοι ἦτορ ἑταίρων.  
can you find, and the heart of your companions is dwindling.'

**375** ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος
                     προσέειπον·  
So she spoke, and I answered her and said:

**376** ἐκ μέν τοι ἐρέω, ἥ τις σύ πέρ ἐσσι θεάων,  
'I will speak out to you, whichever of the goddesses you are,

**377** ὡς ἐγὼ οὔ τι ἑκὼν κατερύκομαι, ἀλλά νυ μέλλω  
that I am not held back here by any will of mine, but I must

**378** ἀθανάτους ἀλιτέσθαι, οἳ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν.  
have sinned against the immortals, who hold the broad sky.

**379** ἀλλὰ σύ πέρ μοι εἰπέ, θεοὶ δέ τε πάντα ἴσασιν,  
But tell me — for the gods know all things —

**380** ὅς τίς μʼ ἀθανάτων πεδάᾳ καὶ ἔδησε κελεύθου,  
which of the immortals shackles me and bars me from my road,
> Present and aorist together: πεδάᾳ ('shackles') is present, ἔδησε ('bound') aorist; Homer pairs ongoing hindrance with the completed act of binding. The aspect contrast sharpens the sense of an enduring restraint that began at a fixed moment.

**381** νόστον θʼ, ὡς ἐπὶ πόντον ἐλεύσομαι ἰχθυόεντα.  
and about my homecoming, how I may travel over the fishy sea.'
> nostos, the homecoming: νόστος is the return home — the central theme of the whole Odyssey. The word names not just travel but the safe arrival back in one's own land.

**382** ὣς ἐφάμην, ἡ δʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀμείβετο δῖα θεάων·  
So I spoke, and at once the bright goddess answered:

**383** τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι, ξεῖνε, μάλʼ ἀτρεκέως ἀγορεύσω.  
'Then I will tell you, stranger, quite truthfully.

**384** πωλεῖταί τις δεῦρο γέρων ἅλιος νημερτὴς  
A certain old man of the sea, unerring, frequents this place,

**385** ἀθάνατος Πρωτεὺς Αἰγύπτιος, ὅς τε θαλάσσης  
the immortal Proteus of Egypt, who knows the depths

**386** πάσης βένθεα οἶδε, Ποσειδάωνος ὑποδμώς·  
of all the sea, the servant of Poseidon;

**387** τὸν δέ τʼ ἐμόν φασιν πατέρʼ ἔμμεναι ἠδὲ τεκέσθαι.  
and they say he is my father, who begot me.

**388** τόν γʼ εἴ πως σὺ δύναιο λοχησάμενος λελαβέσθαι,  
If you could somehow lie in wait and catch hold of him,
> Optative in a conditional wish: δύναιο is a present optative in a future-less-vivid condition, 'if you could somehow.' It frames the seizing of Proteus as a difficult possibility rather than a certainty.

**389** ὅς κέν τοι εἴπῃσιν ὁδὸν καὶ μέτρα κελεύθου  
he would tell you the way and the stages of your journey,

**390** νόστον θʼ, ὡς ἐπὶ πόντον ἐλεύσεαι ἰχθυόεντα.  
and your homecoming, how you may travel over the fishy sea.

**391** καὶ δέ κέ τοι εἴπῃσι, διοτρεφές, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσθα,  
And he would tell you too, god-nurtured one, if you wish,

**392** ὅττι τοι ἐν μεγάροισι κακόν τʼ ἀγαθόν τε τέτυκται  
whatever evil and good has been done in your halls

**393** οἰχομένοιο σέθεν δολιχὴν ὁδὸν ἀργαλέην τε.  
while you have been away on your long and grievous road.'

**394** ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος
                     προσέειπον·  
So she spoke, and I answered her and said:

**395** αὐτὴ νῦν φράζευ σὺ λόχον θείοιο γέροντος,  
'Devise, then, yourself the ambush of the divine old man,

**396** μή πώς με προϊδὼν ἠὲ προδαεὶς ἀλέηται·  
lest somehow, seeing or learning of me beforehand, he escape;

**397** ἀργαλέος γάρ τʼ ἐστὶ θεὸς βροτῷ ἀνδρὶ δαμῆναι.  
for a god is hard for a mortal man to master.'
> Aorist passive infinitive: δαμῆναι is the aorist passive infinitive of δάμνημι, 'to be subdued, mastered.' It completes the predicate 'hard to master,' with the god as the one acted upon.

**398** ὣς ἐφάμην, ἡ δʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀμείβετο δῖα θεάων·  
So I spoke, and at once the bright goddess answered:

**399** τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι, ξεῖνε, μάλʼ ἀτρεκέως ἀγορεύσω.  
'Then I will tell you, stranger, quite truthfully.

**400** ἦμος δʼ ἠέλιος μέσον οὐρανὸν ἀμφιβεβήκῃ,  
When the sun has bestridden the middle of the sky,

**401** τῆμος ἄρʼ ἐξ ἁλὸς εἶσι γέρων ἅλιος νημερτὴς  
then out of the sea comes the unerring old man of the sea,

**402** πνοιῇ ὕπο Ζεφύροιο μελαίνῃ φρικὶ καλυφθείς,  
under the breath of the West Wind, hidden by the dark ripple,

**403** ἐκ δʼ ἐλθὼν κοιμᾶται ὑπὸ σπέσσι γλαφυροῖσιν·  
and coming out he lies down to sleep in the hollow caves;

**404** ἀμφὶ δέ μιν φῶκαι νέποδες καλῆς ἁλοσύδνης  
and around him the seals, brood of the lovely sea-goddess,

**405** ἁθρόαι εὕδουσιν, πολιῆς ἁλὸς ἐξαναδῦσαι,  
sleep in a herd, having risen up from the gray sea,
> "The gray sea": πολιός means 'gray, grizzled,' a frequent epithet for the foam-flecked sea. The color-word lends the seascape its weathered, ancient look.

**406** πικρὸν ἀποπνείουσαι ἁλὸς πολυβενθέος ὀδμήν.  
breathing out the bitter smell of the deep brine.

**407** ἔνθα σʼ ἐγὼν ἀγαγοῦσα ἅμʼ ἠοῖ φαινομένηφιν  
There I will lead you when Dawn appears

**408** εὐνάσω ἑξείης· σὺ δʼ ἐὺ κρίνασθαι ἑταίρους  
and lay you down in a row; and you choose well your companions,
> Middle voice: choose for yourself: κρίνασθαι is the aorist middle infinitive of κρίνω, 'to pick out for one's own.' The middle voice marks the selection as made in the chooser's own interest.

**409** τρεῖς, οἵ τοι παρὰ νηυσὶν ἐυσσέλμοισιν ἄριστοι.  
three, who are the best beside your well-benched ships.

**410** πάντα δέ τοι ἐρέω ὀλοφώια τοῖο γέροντος.  
And I will tell you all the deadly tricks of the old man.

**411** φώκας μέν τοι πρῶτον ἀριθμήσει καὶ ἔπεισιν·  
First he will count the seals and go over them;

**412** αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν πάσας πεμπάσσεται ἠδὲ ἴδηται,  
but when he has numbered them all by fives and seen them,
> "To count by fives": πεμπάζομαι means literally to tally on the five fingers, hence 'to count.' The verb preserves the image of reckoning seals on one hand.

**413** λέξεται ἐν μέσσῃσι νομεὺς ὣς πώεσι μήλων.  
he will lie down among them like a shepherd among his flocks of sheep.

**414** τὸν μὲν ἐπὴν δὴ πρῶτα κατευνηθέντα ἴδησθε,  
As soon as you see him laid down to rest,

**415** καὶ τότʼ ἔπειθʼ ὑμῖν μελέτω κάρτος τε βίη τε,  
then let your care be for strength and might,

**416** αὖθι δʼ ἔχειν μεμαῶτα καὶ ἐσσύμενόν περ ἀλύξαι.  
to hold him fast there, struggling and straining though he be to slip away.

**417** πάντα δὲ γιγνόμενος πειρήσεται, ὅσσʼ ἐπὶ γαῖαν  
He will try turning into all things, whatever creep

**418** ἑρπετὰ γίγνονται, καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ·  
upon the earth, and into water and blazing fire;
> "Wondrously blazing fire": θεσπιδαής combines θεσπι- ('divine, wondrous') with δαίω ('to kindle'), describing fire that burns marvelously fierce. The compound heightens the awe of Proteus' shape-shifting.

**419** ὑμεῖς δʼ ἀστεμφέως ἐχέμεν μᾶλλόν τε πιέζειν.  
but you, hold him unyielding and press him all the harder.

**420** ἀλλʼ ὅτε κεν δή σʼ αὐτὸς ἀνείρηται ἐπέεσσι,  
But when at last he himself questions you with words,

**421** τοῖος ἐὼν οἷόν κε κατευνηθέντα ἴδησθε,  
in the same form as when you saw him laid to rest,

**422** καὶ τότε δὴ σχέσθαι τε βίης λῦσαί τε γέροντα,  
then hold back your force and let the old man go,

**423** ἥρως, εἴρεσθαι δέ, θεῶν ὅς τίς σε χαλέπτει,  
hero, and ask which of the gods is troubling you,

**424** νόστον θʼ, ὡς ἐπὶ πόντον ἐλεύσεαι ἰχθυόεντα.  
and about your homecoming, how you may travel over the fishy sea.'

**425** ὣς εἰποῦσʼ ὑπὸ πόντον ἐδύσετο κυμαίνοντα.  
So saying she sank beneath the surging sea.
> Aorist with augment: ἐδύσετο is an aorist of δύομαι, 'to sink, plunge,' carrying the past-tense augment ἐ-. The middle form marks the goddess sinking herself beneath the waves.

**426** αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐπὶ νῆας, ὅθʼ ἕστασαν ἐν ψαμάθοισιν,  
But I went toward the ships, where they stood on the sands,

**427** ἤια· πολλὰ δέ μοι κραδίη πόρφυρε κιόντι.  
and my heart churned darkly within me as I walked.

**428** αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ἐπὶ νῆα κατήλυθον ἠδὲ θάλασσαν,  
But when I had come down to the ship and the sea,

**429** δόρπον θʼ ὁπλισάμεσθʼ, ἐπί τʼ ἤλυθεν ἀμβροσίη νύξ·  
we made our supper ready, and ambrosial night came on;

**430** δὴ τότε κοιμήθημεν ἐπὶ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης.  
then we lay down to sleep on the breaking surf of the sea.

**431** ἦμος δʼ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,  
When early-born, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,
> "Rosy-fingered Dawn": This is the most famous Homeric epithet-formula, marking daybreak before a new stretch of action. It fills the whole second half of the hexameter line.

**432** καὶ τότε δὴ παρὰ θῖνα θαλάσσης εὐρυπόροιο  
then along the shore of the wide-wayed sea

**433** ἤια πολλὰ θεοὺς γουνούμενος· αὐτὰρ ἑταίρους  
I went, praying earnestly to the gods; and my companions,

**434** τρεῖς ἄγον, οἷσι μάλιστα πεποίθεα πᾶσαν ἐπʼ ἰθύν.  
three of them, I led, the ones I trusted most for any venture.

**435** τόφρα δʼ ἄρʼ ἥ γʼ ὑποδῦσα θαλάσσης εὐρέα
                     κόλπον  
Meanwhile she, plunging beneath the broad gulf of the sea,

**436** τέσσαρα φωκάων ἐκ πόντου δέρματʼ ἔνεικε·  
brought from the deep the skins of four seals;

**437** πάντα δʼ ἔσαν νεόδαρτα· δόλον δʼ ἐπεμήδετο πατρί.  
all of them were freshly flayed; she was contriving a trick against her father.
> dolos, the cunning trick: δόλος is a snare or stratagem, the cunning that drives so much of the Odyssey. Eidothea's δόλος against her own father mirrors Odysseus' own resourcefulness.

**438** εὐνὰς δʼ ἐν ψαμάθοισι διαγλάψασʼ ἁλίῃσιν  
And having hollowed out beds in the sea-sand

**439** ἧστο μένουσʼ· ἡμεῖς δὲ μάλα σχεδὸν ἤλθομεν αὐτῆς·  
she sat waiting; and we came very close to her;

**440** ἑξείης δʼ εὔνησε, βάλεν δʼ ἐπὶ δέρμα ἑκάστῳ.  
she bedded us down in a row, and threw a skin over each one.

**441** ἔνθα κεν αἰνότατος λόχος ἔπλετο· τεῖρε γὰρ αἰνῶς  
There the ambush would have been most dreadful, for terribly did

**442** φωκάων ἁλιοτρεφέων ὀλοώτατος ὀδμή·  
the deadly stench of the sea-bred seals afflict us;
> sea-bred: A compound epithet, 'reared by the sea,' describing the seals. Homer often builds such adjectives by joining a noun-stem to a verb of nurturing.

**443** τίς γάρ κʼ εἰναλίῳ παρὰ κήτεϊ κοιμηθείη;  
for who would lie down beside a monster of the deep?

**444** ἀλλʼ αὐτὴ ἐσάωσε καὶ ἐφράσατο μέγʼ ὄνειαρ·  
But she herself saved us and devised a great help:

**445** ἀμβροσίην ὑπὸ ῥῖνα ἑκάστῳ θῆκε φέρουσα  
she brought ambrosia and set it under each man's nostril,

**446** ἡδὺ μάλα πνείουσαν, ὄλεσσε δὲ κήτεος ὀδμήν.  
sweet-smelling indeed, and it killed the monster's reek.

**447** πᾶσαν δʼ ἠοίην μένομεν τετληότι θυμῷ·  
All the morning we waited with an enduring heart,
> Perfect participle of endurance: τετληότι is a perfect active participle of τλάω ('endure'), modifying θυμῷ. The perfect stresses a settled, lasting state of patient endurance.

**448** φῶκαι δʼ ἐξ ἁλὸς ἦλθον ἀολλέες. αἱ μὲν ἔπειτα  
and the seals came up from the sea in a throng. Then they

**449** ἑξῆς εὐνάζοντο παρὰ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης·  
lay down in rows along the breaking surf;

**450** ἔνδιος δʼ ὁ γέρων ἦλθʼ ἐξ ἁλός, εὗρε δὲ φώκας  
and at midday the old man came from the sea and found his seals

**451** ζατρεφέας, πάσας δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπῴχετο, λέκτο δʼ ἀριθμόν·  
well-fed, and went over them all, and counted their number;

**452** ἐν δʼ ἡμέας πρώτους λέγε κήτεσιν, οὐδέ τι θυμῷ  
among the monsters he counted us first, nor in his heart

**453** ὠΐσθη δόλον εἶναι· ἔπειτα δὲ λέκτο καὶ αὐτός.  
did he suspect a trick; then he too lay down.

**454** ἡμεῖς δὲ ἰάχοντες ἐπεσσύμεθʼ, ἀμφὶ δὲ χεῖρας  
And we with a shout rushed upon him, and around him our hands

**455** βάλλομεν· οὐδʼ ὁ γέρων δολίης ἐπελήθετο τέχνης,  
we flung; but the old man did not forget his cunning craft,
> Cunning craft: δολίη τέχνη ('guileful skill') is the keynote of the shape-shifting Proteus, the same root (δόλος) used throughout Greek epic for cunning stratagems.

**456** ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι πρώτιστα λέων γένετʼ ἠυγένειος,  
but first of all he became a lion with a fine mane,

**457** αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα δράκων καὶ πάρδαλις ἠδὲ μέγας σῦς·  
then a serpent, and a leopard, and a great boar;

**458** γίγνετο δʼ ὑγρὸν ὕδωρ καὶ δένδρεον ὑψιπέτηλον·  
he became running water, and a tree with lofty foliage;

**459** ἡμεῖς δʼ ἀστεμφέως ἔχομεν τετληότι θυμῷ.  
but we held him unflinchingly with an enduring heart.

**460** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή ῥʼ ἀνίαζʼ ὁ γέρων ὀλοφώια εἰδώς,  
But when at last the old man, skilled in deadly wiles, grew weary,

**461** καὶ τότε δή μʼ ἐπέεσσιν ἀνειρόμενος προσέειπε·  
then questioning me with words he spoke:

**462** τίς νύ τοι, Ἀτρέος υἱέ, θεῶν συμφράσσατο
                        βουλάς,  
"Which of the gods, son of Atreus, plotted these schemes with you,
> Vocative address: υἱέ is vocative, used to address Menelaos directly as 'son of Atreus.' Homeric speeches commonly open with such patronymic vocatives.

**463** ὄφρα μʼ ἕλοις ἀέκοντα λοχησάμενος; τέο σε χρή;  
so that you took me against my will by ambush? What do you need?"

**464** ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος
                     προσέειπον·  
So he spoke, and I in answer said to him:

**465** οἶσθα, γέρον, τί με ταῦτα παρατροπέων ἐρεείνεις;  
"You know, old man—why do you ask this to put me off?

**466** ὡς δὴ δήθʼ ἐνὶ νήσῳ ἐρύκομαι, οὐδέ τι τέκμωρ  
How long I am held back on this island, and no way out

**467** εὑρέμεναι δύναμαι, μινύθει δέ μοι ἔνδοθεν ἦτορ.  
can I find, and the heart within me wastes away.

**468** ἀλλὰ σύ πέρ μοι εἰπέ, θεοὶ δέ τε πάντα ἴσασιν,  
But you tell me—for the gods know all things—

**469** ὅς τίς μʼ ἀθανάτων πεδάᾳ καὶ ἔδησε κελεύθου,  
which of the immortals shackles me and binds me from my course,

**470** νόστον θʼ, ὡς ἐπὶ πόντον ἐλεύσομαι ἰχθυόεντα.  
and how I may make my homecoming over the fish-filled sea."
> Nostos: the homecoming: νόστος is the central theme-word of the Odyssey: not merely 'return' but the whole longed-for safe homecoming. It later gives us 'nostalgia.'

**471** ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀμειβόμενος
                     προσέειπεν·  
So I spoke, and he at once answered and said to me:

**472** ἀλλὰ μάλʼ ὤφελλες Διί τʼ ἄλλοισίν τε θεοῖσι  
"You should indeed, to Zeus and the other gods,

**473** ῥέξας ἱερὰ κάλʼ ἀναβαινέμεν, ὄφρα τάχιστα  
have offered fine sacrifices before embarking, so that most swiftly

**474** σὴν ἐς πατρίδʼ ἵκοιο πλέων ἐπὶ οἴνοπα πόντον.  
you might reach your fatherland, sailing over the wine-dark sea.
> Wine-dark sea: οἶνοψ ('wine-faced, wine-dark') is one of Homer's stock epithets for the sea. Such formulaic epithets fit the meter and recur unchanged across the poems.

**475** οὐ γάρ τοι πρὶν μοῖρα φίλους τʼ ἰδέειν καὶ ἱκέσθαι  
For it is not your fate to see your friends and to reach

**476** οἶκον ἐυκτίμενον καὶ σὴν ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν,  
your well-built house and your fatherland,

**477** πρίν γʼ ὅτʼ ἂν Αἰγύπτοιο, διιπετέος ποταμοῖο,  
until you go back to the waters of Egypt, the heaven-fed river,

**478** αὖτις ὕδωρ ἔλθῃς ῥέξῃς θʼ ἱερὰς ἑκατόμβας  
once more, and offer holy hecatombs

**479** ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι, τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσι·  
to the immortal gods who hold the wide heaven;

**480** καὶ τότε τοι δώσουσιν ὁδὸν θεοί, ἣν σὺ μενοινᾷς.  
and then the gods will grant you the journey you long for."

**481** ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐμοί γε κατεκλάσθη φίλον
                     ἦτορ,  
So he spoke, and the heart within me was broken,
> Aorist passive: 'was broken': κατεκλάσθη is aorist passive of κατακλάω ('shatter'), with the augment κατε-. The passive lets the heart be the thing acted upon, struck down by grief.

**482** οὕνεκά μʼ αὖτις ἄνωγεν ἐπʼ ἠεροειδέα πόντον  
because he ordered me again over the misty sea

**483** Αἴγυπτόνδʼ ἰέναι, δολιχὴν ὁδὸν ἀργαλέην τε.  
to go to Egypt, the long and grievous voyage.

**484** ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς μύθοισιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον·  
But even so I answered him with words and said:

**485** ταῦτα μὲν οὕτω δὴ τελέω, γέρον, ὡς σὺ
                        κελεύεις.  
"This I will do, old man, just as you command.

**486** ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ καὶ ἀτρεκέως κατάλεξον,  
But come, tell me this, and recount it exactly:

**487** ἢ πάντες σὺν νηυσὶν ἀπήμονες ἦλθον Ἀχαιοί,  
did all the Achaeans come home unharmed in their ships,

**488** οὓς Νέστωρ καὶ ἐγὼ λίπομεν Τροίηθεν ἰόντες,  
those whom Nestor and I left behind when we sailed from Troy,

**489** ἦέ τις ὤλετʼ ὀλέθρῳ ἀδευκέι ἧς ἐπὶ νηὸς  
or did anyone perish by a bitter death aboard his ship,

**490** ἠὲ φίλων ἐν χερσίν, ἐπεὶ πόλεμον τολύπευσεν.  
or in the arms of his friends, once he had wound up the war?"
> Winding up the war: τολυπεύω literally means to wind wool into a ball; figuratively, to bring a long, laborious task to its end—here the war itself.

**491** ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀμειβόμενος
                     προσέειπεν·  
So I spoke, and he at once answered and said to me:

**492** Ἀτρεΐδη, τί με ταῦτα διείρεαι; οὐδέ τί σε χρὴ  
"Son of Atreus, why ask me this? You have no need

**493** ἴδμεναι, οὐδὲ δαῆναι ἐμὸν νόον· οὐδέ σέ φημι  
to know it, nor to learn my mind; nor do I think

**494** δὴν ἄκλαυτον ἔσεσθαι, ἐπὴν ἐὺ πάντα πύθηαι.  
you will be long without weeping, once you learn it all.

**495** πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν γε δάμεν, πολλοὶ δὲ λίποντο·  
For many of them were laid low, and many were left;
> Balanced men...de: The μέν...δέ construction sets two clauses in balance: 'many on the one hand... many on the other.' It is Homer's basic device for paired contrast.

**496** ἀρχοὶ δʼ αὖ δύο μοῦνοι Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων  
but only two leaders of the bronze-clad Achaeans

**497** ἐν νόστῳ ἀπόλοντο· μάχῃ δέ τε καὶ σὺ παρῆσθα.  
perished on the homeward voyage; in the fighting you yourself were there.

**498** εἷς δʼ ἔτι που ζωὸς κατερύκεται εὐρέι πόντῳ.  
And one still, alive, is held back somewhere on the wide sea.

**499** Αἴας μὲν μετὰ νηυσὶ δάμη δολιχηρέτμοισι.  
Ajax was brought down among his long-oared ships.

**500** Γυρῇσίν μιν πρῶτα Ποσειδάων ἐπέλασσεν  
First Poseidon drove him onto the Gyrae,

**501** πέτρῃσιν μεγάλῃσι καὶ ἐξεσάωσε θαλάσσης·  
the great rocks, yet brought him safe out of the sea;

**502** καί νύ κεν ἔκφυγε κῆρα καὶ ἐχθόμενός περ Ἀθήνῃ,  
and he would have escaped his doom, though hated by Athena,

**503** εἰ μὴ ὑπερφίαλον ἔπος ἔκβαλε καὶ μέγʼ ἀάσθη·  
had he not hurled out an arrogant word and been greatly blinded—
> Atē: ruinous blindness: ἀάσθη is the aorist passive of the verb ἀάω ('to harm, to blind, to ruin'). It means 'was ruined/blinded.' ἀάω and the noun ἄτη share an ancient root, but ἀάσθη derives from the verb, not the noun. Here Ajax's reckless boast brings his destruction.

**504** φῆ ῥʼ ἀέκητι θεῶν φυγέειν μέγα λαῖτμα θαλάσσης.  
he said that in defiance of the gods he had escaped the great gulf of the sea.

**505** τοῦ δὲ Ποσειδάων μεγάλʼ ἔκλυεν αὐδήσαντος·  
And Poseidon heard him as he spoke aloud;

**506** αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτα τρίαιναν ἑλὼν χερσὶ στιβαρῇσιν  
at once then, taking his trident in his mighty hands,

**507** ἤλασε Γυραίην πέτρην, ἀπὸ δʼ ἔσχισεν αὐτήν·  
he struck the Gyraean rock and split it apart;

**508** καὶ τὸ μὲν αὐτόθι μεῖνε, τὸ δὲ τρύφος ἔμπεσε πόντῳ,  
and one part stayed where it was, but the broken piece fell into the sea,

**509** τῷ ῥʼ Αἴας τὸ πρῶτον ἐφεζόμενος μέγʼ ἀάσθη·  
the very piece on which Ajax first sat when he was so blinded;

**510** τὸν δʼ ἐφόρει κατὰ πόντον ἀπείρονα κυμαίνοντα.  
it carried him down over the boundless surging sea.

**511** ὣς ὁ μὲν ἔνθʼ ἀπόλωλεν, ἐπεὶ πίεν ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ.  
So there he perished, when he had drunk the salt water.

**512** σὸς δέ που ἔκφυγε κῆρας ἀδελφεὸς ἠδʼ
                     ὑπάλυξεν  
But your brother somehow escaped the death-spirits and got away
> The Keres: κῆρες are the spirits of death and doom, pictured as forces that seize a man at his appointed end.

**513** ἐν νηυσὶ γλαφυρῇσι· σάωσε δὲ πότνια Ἥρη.  
in his hollow ships; and lady Hera saved him.

**514** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τάχʼ ἔμελλε Μαλειάων ὄρος αἰπὺ  
But when he was just about to reach the steep height of Malea,

**515** ἵξεσθαι, τότε δή μιν ἀναρπάξασα θύελλα  
then a storm-wind snatched him up

**516** πόντον ἐπʼ ἰχθυόεντα φέρεν βαρέα στενάχοντα,  
and bore him, groaning heavily, over the fish-filled sea

**517** ἀγροῦ ἐπʼ ἐσχατιήν, ὅθι δώματα ναῖε Θυέστης  
to the edge of the country, where Thyestes once dwelt

**518** τὸ πρίν, ἀτὰρ τότʼ ἔναιε Θυεστιάδης Αἴγισθος.  
in former days, but where now Aegisthus, Thyestes' son, was living.

**519** ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ καὶ κεῖθεν ἐφαίνετο νόστος ἀπήμων,  
But when from there too a safe homecoming appeared,

**520** ἂψ δὲ θεοὶ οὖρον στρέψαν, καὶ οἴκαδʼ ἵκοντο,  
and the gods turned the wind back, and they reached home,

**521** ἦ τοι ὁ μὲν χαίρων ἐπεβήσετο πατρίδος αἴης  
then in joy he set foot on his fatherland's soil,

**522** καὶ κύνει ἁπτόμενος ἣν πατρίδα· πολλὰ δʼ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ  
and he kissed and clasped his native earth; and from him many

**523** δάκρυα θερμὰ χέοντʼ, ἐπεὶ ἀσπασίως ἴδε γαῖαν.  
warm tears poured down, for gladly he saw his land.

**524** τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ἀπὸ σκοπιῆς εἶδε σκοπός, ὅν ῥα καθεῖσεν  
But a watchman saw him from his lookout, one set there

**525** Αἴγισθος δολόμητις ἄγων, ὑπὸ δʼ ἔσχετο μισθὸν  
by guileful Aegisthus, who had promised him as wage
> Crafty-scheming: δολόμητις ('contriving guile') is a stock epithet for Aegisthus, marking him as the treacherous plotter of Agamemnon's murder.

**526** χρυσοῦ δοιὰ τάλαντα· φύλασσε δʼ ὅ γʼ εἰς ἐνιαυτόν,  
two talents of gold; and he kept watch for a whole year,

**527** μή ἑ λάθοι παριών, μνήσαιτο δὲ θούριδος ἀλκῆς.  
lest the king pass by unseen and remember his furious valor.

**528** βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἀγγελέων πρὸς δώματα ποιμένι λαῶν.  
And he went to bring word to the shepherd of the people.
> Shepherd of the people: ποιμὴν λαῶν ('shepherd of the people') is a formulaic epithet for a king or leader—here Aegisthus is told of Agamemnon's coming.

**529** αὐτίκα δʼ Αἴγισθος δολίην ἐφράσσατο τέχνην·  
At once Aegisthus devised a treacherous scheme:

**530** κρινάμενος κατὰ δῆμον ἐείκοσι φῶτας ἀρίστους  
picking out the twenty best men from the people,
> Middle participle: 'picking for himself': κρινάμενος is an aorist middle participle of κρίνω ('choose, sort'). The middle voice marks the action as done in the subject's own interest—choosing men for his own plot.

**531** εἷσε λόχον, ἑτέρωθι δʼ ἀνώγει δαῖτα πένεσθαι.  
he set them in ambush, and on the other side ordered a feast to be made ready.

**532** αὐτὰρ ὁ βῆ καλέων Ἀγαμέμνονα, ποιμένα λαῶν  
Then he went to summon Agamemnon, shepherd of the people,

**533** ἵπποισιν καὶ ὄχεσφιν, ἀεικέα μερμηρίζων.  
with horses and chariots, plotting a shameful deed.

**534** τὸν δʼ οὐκ εἰδότʼ ὄλεθρον ἀνήγαγε καὶ κατέπεφνεν  
He led him up, unaware of his doom, and slew him

**535** δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.  
when he had feasted him, as one kills an ox at the manger.

**536** οὐδέ τις Ἀτρεΐδεω ἑτάρων λίπεθʼ οἵ οἱ ἕποντο,  
Not one of the son of Atreus' companions who followed him was left,

**537** οὐδέ τις Αἰγίσθου, ἀλλʼ ἔκταθεν ἐν μεγάροισιν.  
nor one of Aegisthus', but they were slain in the halls."

**538** ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐμοί γε κατεκλάσθη φίλον ἦτορ,  
So he spoke, and the heart within me was broken,

**539** κλαῖον δʼ ἐν ψαμάθοισι καθήμενος, οὐδέ νύ μοι κῆρ  
and I wept, sitting on the sands, nor did my heart

**540** ἤθελʼ ἔτι ζώειν καὶ ὁρᾶν φάος ἠελίοιο.  
any longer wish to live and to see the light of the sun.

**541** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κλαίων τε κυλινδόμενός τε κορέσθην,  
But when I had had my fill of weeping and writhing,

**542** δὴ τότε με προσέειπε γέρων ἅλιος νημερτής·  
then the unerring old man of the sea spoke to me:
> Old man of the sea: An epithet-cluster for Proteus: 'the unerring old man of the sea.' νημερτής ('infallible, truthful') marks his prophetic reliability.

**543** μηκέτι, Ἀτρέος υἱέ, πολὺν χρόνον ἀσκελὲς
                     οὕτω  
"No longer, son of Atreus, for so long a time and so unyieldingly

**544** κλαῖʼ, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἄνυσίν τινα δήομεν· ἀλλὰ τάχιστα  
weep, since we shall find no remedy in it; but as quickly as you can

**545** πείρα ὅπως κεν δὴ σὴν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκηαι.  
strive to reach your fatherland.
> Subjunctive in a purpose clause: ἵκηαι is aorist subjunctive of ἱκνέομαι ('come, reach'), in a clause expressing the aim ('how you may reach'). The subjunctive marks the goal as something still to be achieved.

**546** ἢ γάρ μιν ζωόν γε κιχήσεαι, ἤ κεν Ὀρέστης  
For either you will find him still alive, or Orestes

**547** κτεῖνεν ὑποφθάμενος, σὺ δέ κεν τάφου ἀντιβολήσαις.  
will have killed him first, and you may come upon the funeral."

**548** ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ κραδίη καὶ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ  
So he spoke, and the heart and proud spirit within me

**549** αὖτις ἐνὶ στήθεσσι καὶ ἀχνυμένῳ περ ἰάνθη,  
once more in my breast, grieved though I was, were warmed,
> Concessive participle with per: The participle ἀχνυμένῳ ('grieving') with the particle περ has concessive force: 'although grieving.' περ regularly intensifies a participle into a concession.

**550** καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδων·  
and speaking aloud I addressed him with winged words:
> Winged words: ἔπεα πτερόεντα ('winged words') is among Homer's most famous formulas, picturing speech that flies from speaker to listener.

**551** τούτους μὲν δὴ οἶδα· σὺ δὲ τρίτον ἄνδρʼ
                     ὀνόμαζε,  
These two, then, I know of; but name me the third man,

**552** ὅς τις ἔτι ζωὸς κατερύκεται εὐρέι πόντῳ  
whoever still lives, held back on the wide sea,

**553** ἠὲ θανών· ἐθέλω δὲ καὶ ἀχνύμενός περ ἀκοῦσαι.  
or has died; I wish to hear it, grieved though I am."
> Concessive participle: The participle with περ means "although grieving." The particle περ intensifies the concession.

**554** ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀμειβόμενος
                  προσέειπεν·  
So I spoke, and at once he answered me and said:

**555** υἱὸς Λαέρτεω, Ἰθάκῃ ἔνι οἰκία ναίων·  
"The son of Laertes, who keeps his house in Ithaca.

**556** τὸν δʼ ἴδον ἐν νήσῳ θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέοντα,  
I saw him on an island, shedding heavy tears,

**557** νύμφης ἐν μεγάροισι Καλυψοῦς, ἥ μιν ἀνάγκῃ  
in the halls of the nymph Calypso, who by force

**558** ἴσχει· ὁ δʼ οὐ δύναται ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι·  
holds him; and he cannot reach his native land,

**559** οὐ γάρ οἱ πάρα νῆες ἐπήρετμοι καὶ ἑταῖροι,  
for he has no oared ships at hand, nor companions,

**560** οἵ κέν μιν πέμποιεν ἐπʼ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.  
who might send him on over the broad back of the sea.
> Optative in a relative clause: The optative marks a potential or characterizing relative clause: men "who might convey him." It expresses possibility, not fact.

**561** σοὶ δʼ οὐ θέσφατόν ἐστι, διοτρεφὲς ὦ Μενέλαε,  
But for you it is not fated, Menelaus nurtured by Zeus,

**562** Ἄργει ἐν ἱπποβότῳ θανέειν καὶ πότμον ἐπισπεῖν,  
to die in horse-pasturing Argos and meet your doom,

**563** ἀλλά σʼ ἐς Ἠλύσιον πεδίον καὶ πείρατα γαίης  
but the immortals will send you to the Elysian plain

**564** ἀθάνατοι πέμψουσιν, ὅθι ξανθὸς Ῥαδάμανθυς,  
and the ends of the earth, where fair-haired Rhadamanthus lives,

**565** τῇ περ ῥηίστη βιοτὴ πέλει ἀνθρώποισιν·  
where life is easiest of all for human beings:

**566** οὐ νιφετός, οὔτʼ ἂρ χειμὼν πολὺς οὔτε ποτʼ ὄμβρος,  
no snow, nor heavy storm, nor ever any rain,

**567** ἀλλʼ αἰεὶ Ζεφύροιο λιγὺ πνείοντος ἀήτας  
but always Ocean sends up the gusts of the West Wind

**568** Ὠκεανὸς ἀνίησιν ἀναψύχειν ἀνθρώπους·  
blowing clear and shrill, to refresh all people.

**569** οὕνεκʼ ἔχεις Ἑλένην καί σφιν γαμβρὸς Διός ἐσσι.  
This is because you have Helen and are a son-in-law of Zeus."

**570** ὣς εἰπὼν ὑπὸ πόντον ἐδύσετο κυμαίνοντα.  
So saying, he plunged beneath the surging sea.

**571** αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐπὶ νῆας ἅμʼ ἀντιθέοις ἑτάροισιν  
But I went off to the ships with my godlike companions,

**572** ἤια, πολλὰ δέ μοι κραδίη πόρφυρε κιόντι.  
and my heart darkened with many cares as I walked.
> "Heaved dark" with care: The verb porphurō literally evokes the dark, churning swell of the sea, here applied to the troubled heart. It is the same root as the dye "purple."

**573** αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ἐπὶ νῆα κατήλθομεν ἠδὲ θάλασσαν,  
And when we had come down to the ship and the sea,

**574** δόρπον θʼ ὁπλισάμεσθʼ, ἐπί τʼ ἤλυθεν ἀμβροσίη νύξ,  
we made ready our supper, and ambrosial night came on,

**575** δὴ τότε κοιμήθημεν ἐπὶ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης.  
and then we lay down to sleep on the breaking surf of the sea.

**576** ἦμος δʼ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,  
When early-born, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,
> Formulaic epithet: "Rosy-fingered Dawn" is one of Homer's stock noun-epithet formulas, repeated whenever a new day breaks. Such formulas help the oral poet build the hexameter line.

**577** νῆας μὲν πάμπρωτον ἐρύσσαμεν εἰς ἅλα δῖαν,  
first of all we dragged the ships down into the bright sea,

**578** ἐν δʼ ἱστοὺς τιθέμεσθα καὶ ἱστία νηυσὶν ἐίσῃς,  
and set up the masts and sails in the balanced ships,

**579** ἂν δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ βάντες ἐπὶ κληῖσι καθῖζον·  
and the men themselves went aboard and sat at the oarlocks;

**580** ἑξῆς δʼ ἑζόμενοι πολιὴν ἅλα τύπτον ἐρετμοῖς.  
sitting in rows, they struck the gray sea with their oars.

**581** ἂψ δʼ εἰς Αἰγύπτοιο διιπετέος ποταμοῖο  
Back to the river of Egypt, fed by the rains of Zeus,

**582** στῆσα νέας, καὶ ἔρεξα τεληέσσας ἑκατόμβας.  
I brought my ships to anchor, and made full hecatombs.

**583** αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κατέπαυσα θεῶν χόλον αἰὲν ἐόντων,  
And when I had stilled the anger of the everlasting gods,

**584** χεῦʼ Ἀγαμέμνονι τύμβον, ἵνʼ ἄσβεστον κλέος εἴη.  
I heaped up a tomb for Agamemnon, that his glory might never die.
> Unquenchable glory: Kleos is the undying fame a hero wins, kept alive in song. The tomb makes Agamemnon's renown "unquenchable," a central value of the heroic world.

**585** ταῦτα τελευτήσας νεόμην, ἔδοσαν δέ μοι οὖρον  
Having finished these things I set out for home, and the immortals

**586** ἀθάνατοι, τοί μʼ ὦκα φίλην ἐς πατρίδʼ ἔπεμψαν.  
gave me a fair wind, and sped me swiftly to my own dear land.

**587** ἀλλʼ ἄγε νῦν ἐπίμεινον ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἐμοῖσιν,  
But come now, stay on in my halls

**588** ὄφρα κεν ἑνδεκάτη τε δυωδεκάτη τε γένηται·  
until the eleventh and twelfth day shall come;

**589** καὶ τότε σʼ εὖ πέμψω, δώσω δέ τοι ἀγλαὰ δῶρα,  
and then I will send you off well, and give you splendid gifts,

**590** τρεῖς ἵππους καὶ δίφρον ἐύξοον· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα  
three horses and a well-polished chariot; and besides

**591** δώσω καλὸν ἄλεισον, ἵνα σπένδῃσθα θεοῖσιν  
I will give you a fine cup, so that you may pour libations to the gods,

**592** ἀθανάτοις ἐμέθεν μεμνημένος ἤματα πάντα.  
the immortals, and remember me all your days."

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

**594** Ἀτρεΐδη, μὴ δή με πολὺν χρόνον ἐνθάδʼ ἔρυκε.  
"Son of Atreus, do not keep me here for a long time.

**595** καὶ γάρ κʼ εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν ἐγὼ παρὰ σοί γʼ ἀνεχοίμην  
For indeed I could hold out beside you even for a year,

**596** ἥμενος, οὐδέ κέ μʼ οἴκου ἕλοι πόθος οὐδὲ τοκήων·  
sitting here, and no longing for home or parents would take me;

**597** αἰνῶς γὰρ μύθοισιν ἔπεσσί τε σοῖσιν ἀκούων  
for wondrously do I delight in listening to your tales

**598** τέρπομαι. ἀλλʼ ἤδη μοι ἀνιάζουσιν ἑταῖροι  
and your words. But by now my companions are growing restless

**599** ἐν Πύλῳ ἠγαθέῃ· σὺ δέ με χρόνον ἐνθάδʼ ἐρύκεις.  
in sacred Pylos; and you are keeping me here a long time.

**600** δῶρον δʼ ὅττι κέ μοι δοίης, κειμήλιον ἔστω·  
Whatever gift you give me, let it be a keepsake;
> A treasured heirloom: A keimēlion is a stored-up treasure, something laid away and kept rather than used daily. Telemachus prefers a lasting heirloom to horses he cannot use on rocky Ithaca.

**601** ἵππους δʼ εἰς Ἰθάκην οὐκ ἄξομαι, ἀλλὰ σοὶ αὐτῷ  
but horses I will not take to Ithaca; rather, for yourself

**602** ἐνθάδε λείψω ἄγαλμα· σὺ γὰρ πεδίοιο ἀνάσσεις  
I will leave them here as an ornament. For you are lord of a broad plain,

**603** εὐρέος, ᾧ ἔνι μὲν λωτὸς πολύς, ἐν δὲ κύπειρον  
in which there is much clover, and galingale,

**604** πυροί τε ζειαί τε ἰδʼ εὐρυφυὲς κρῖ λευκόν.  
wheat and spelt and broad-eared white barley.

**605** ἐν δʼ Ἰθάκῃ οὔτʼ ἂρ δρόμοι εὐρέες οὔτε τι λειμών·  
But in Ithaca there are no wide courses, nor any meadow;

**606** αἰγίβοτος, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπήρατος ἱπποβότοιο.  
it is a pasture for goats, and lovelier than land that grazes horses.

**607** οὐ γάρ τις νήσων ἱππήλατος οὐδʼ ἐυλείμων,  
For none of the islands is fit for driving horses, nor rich in meadows,

**608** αἵ θʼ ἁλὶ κεκλίαται· Ἰθάκη δέ τε καὶ περὶ πασέων.  
of those that slope to the sea; and Ithaca least of all."

**609** ὣς φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος,  
So he spoke, and Menelaus, good at the war-cry, smiled,
> "Good at the war-cry": A standing epithet for warriors, marking skill at rallying men in battle by shouting. It is one of Homer's formulaic descriptions of a hero.

**610** χειρί τέ μιν κατέρεξεν ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν·  
and stroked him with his hand, and spoke, and called him by name:

**611** αἵματός εἰς ἀγαθοῖο, φίλον τέκος, οἷʼ
                     ἀγορεύεις·  
"You are of good blood, dear child, by the way you speak.

**612** τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι ταῦτα μεταστήσω· δύναμαι γάρ.  
Therefore I will change these gifts for you; for I am able.

**613** δώρων δʼ ὅσσʼ ἐν ἐμῷ οἴκῳ κειμήλια κεῖται,  
Of all the treasures that lie stored in my house,

**614** δώσω ὃ κάλλιστον καὶ τιμηέστατόν ἐστιν·  
I will give the one that is finest and most precious:

**615** δώσω τοι κρητῆρα τετυγμένον· ἀργύρεος δὲ  
I will give you a well-wrought mixing-bowl; it is

**616** ἔστιν ἅπας, χρυσῷ δʼ ἐπὶ χείλεα κεκράανται,  
all of silver, and the rims are finished with gold,

**617** ἔργον δʼ Ἡφαίστοιο. πόρεν δέ ἑ Φαίδιμος ἥρως,  
the work of Hephaestus. The hero Phaedimus gave it to me,

**618** Σιδονίων βασιλεύς, ὅθʼ ἑὸς δόμος ἀμφεκάλυψε  
king of the Sidonians, when his house sheltered me

**619** κεῖσέ με νοστήσαντα· τεῒν δʼ ἐθέλω τόδʼ ὀπάσσαι.  
on my way back there; this is what I wish to grant you."

**620** ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον,  
So they were speaking such things to one another,

**621** δαιτυμόνες δʼ ἐς δώματʼ ἴσαν θείου βασιλῆος.  
while the banqueters came to the halls of the godlike king.

**622** οἱ δʼ ἦγον μὲν μῆλα, φέρον δʼ ἐυήνορα οἶνον·  
They brought sheep, and carried strong, manly wine;

**623** σῖτον δέ σφʼ ἄλοχοι καλλικρήδεμνοι ἔπεμπον.  
and their wives in their fair veils sent bread along with them.

**624** ὣς οἱ μὲν περὶ δεῖπνον ἐνὶ μεγάροισι πένοντο.  
So they busied themselves about the meal in the halls.

**625** μνηστῆρες δὲ πάροιθεν Ὀδυσσῆος μεγάροιο  
Meanwhile the suitors, in front of Odysseus' hall,

**626** δίσκοισιν τέρποντο καὶ αἰγανέῃσιν ἱέντες  
were amusing themselves with discuses and throwing spears

**627** ἐν τυκτῷ δαπέδῳ, ὅθι περ πάρος, ὕβριν ἔχοντες.  
on the leveled ground, as before, in their insolence.
> Hubris: Hubris is arrogant, overbearing violence that oversteps proper limits. It is the defining vice of the suitors throughout the poem and the cause of their eventual ruin.

**628** Ἀντίνοος δὲ καθῆστο καὶ Εὐρύμαχος θεοειδής,  
But Antinous was sitting there, and godlike Eurymachus,

**629** ἀρχοὶ μνηστήρων, ἀρετῇ δʼ ἔσαν ἔξοχʼ ἄριστοι.  
the leaders of the suitors, and far the best in excellence.
> Aretē: Aretē is excellence or worth of any kind here, prowess and standing. The poet's praise of these two is pointed irony, since their "excellence" serves a wicked end.

**630** τοῖς δʼ υἱὸς Φρονίοιο Νοήμων ἐγγύθεν ἐλθὼν  
To them Noemon, son of Phronius, drew near

**631** Ἀντίνοον μύθοισιν ἀνειρόμενος προσέειπεν·  
and addressed Antinous, questioning him with these words:

**632** Ἀντίνοʼ, ἦ ῥά τι ἴδμεν ἐνὶ φρεσίν, ἦε καὶ
                     οὐκί,  
"Antinous, do we know in our minds, or not,

**633** ὁππότε Τηλέμαχος νεῖτʼ ἐκ Πύλου ἠμαθόεντος;  
when Telemachus will return from sandy Pylos?

**634** νῆά μοι οἴχετʼ ἄγων· ἐμὲ δὲ χρεὼ γίγνεται αὐτῆς  
He went off taking a ship of mine; and I have need of it,

**635** Ἤλιδʼ ἐς εὐρύχορον διαβήμεναι, ἔνθα μοι ἵπποι  
to cross over to spacious Elis, where I have horses,

**636** δώδεκα θήλειαι, ὑπὸ δʼ ἡμίονοι ταλαεργοὶ  
twelve brood mares, and under them sturdy mule foals,

**637** ἀδμῆτες· τῶν κέν τινʼ ἐλασσάμενος δαμασαίμην.  
unbroken; I would drive one off and break it in."
> Optative of wish/potential: The optative here expresses what the speaker would like or might do: "I would tame one." It softens the statement into intention rather than fact.

**638** ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἀνὰ θυμὸν ἐθάμβεον· οὐ γὰρ
                  ἔφαντο  
So he spoke, and they were amazed in their hearts; for they did not think

**639** ἐς Πύλον οἴχεσθαι Νηλήιον, ἀλλά που αὐτοῦ  
he had gone to Neleian Pylos, but somewhere there at home,

**640** ἀγρῶν ἢ μήλοισι παρέμμεναι ἠὲ συβώτῃ.  
among the fields, with the flocks, or with the swineherd.

**641** τὸν δʼ αὖτʼ Ἀντίνοος προσέφη Εὐπείθεος υἱός·  
Then Antinous, son of Eupeithes, spoke to him in turn:

**642** νημερτές μοι ἔνισπε, πότʼ ᾤχετο καὶ τίνες αὐτῷ  
"Tell me truly: when did he go, and what young men

**643** κοῦροι ἕποντʼ; Ἰθάκης ἐξαίρετοι, ἦ ἑοὶ αὐτοῦ  
went with him? Chosen ones of Ithaca, or his own

**644** θῆτές τε δμῶές τε; δύναιτό κε καὶ τὸ τελέσσαι.  
hired men and slaves? He could have managed even that.

**645** καί μοι τοῦτʼ ἀγόρευσον ἐτήτυμον, ὄφρʼ ἐὺ εἰδῶ,  
And tell me this in truth, that I may know it well:

**646** ἤ σε βίῃ ἀέκοντος ἀπηύρα νῆα μέλαιναν,  
did he take the black ship from you by force, against your will,
> Biē — force: Biē is brute physical force or violence. Antinous probes whether Telemachus seized the ship by strength, which would put him in the wrong.

**647** ἦε ἑκών οἱ δῶκας, ἐπεὶ προσπτύξατο μύθῳ.  
or did you give it willingly, when he pressed you with his plea?"

**648** τὸν δʼ υἱὸς Φρονίοιο Νοήμων ἀντίον ηὔδα·  
Then Noemon, son of Phronius, answered him:

**649** αὐτὸς ἑκών οἱ δῶκα· τί κεν ῥέξειε καὶ ἄλλος,  
"I myself gave it willingly. What else would anyone do,

**650** ὁππότʼ ἀνὴρ τοιοῦτος ἔχων μελεδήματα θυμῷ  
when such a man, with cares in his heart,

**651** αἰτίζῃ; χαλεπόν κεν ἀνήνασθαι δόσιν εἴη.  
makes a request? It would be hard to refuse the gift.

**652** κοῦροι δʼ, οἳ κατὰ δῆμον ἀριστεύουσι μεθʼ ἡμέας,  
The young men who are foremost in the land after us,

**653** οἵ οἱ ἕποντʼ· ἐν δʼ ἀρχὸν ἐγὼ βαίνοντʼ ἐνόησα  
they went with him; and I saw the one boarding as leader

**654** Μέντορα, ἠὲ θεόν, τῷ δʼ αὐτῷ πάντα ἐῴκει.  
was Mentor — or a god, who was just like him in everything.

**655** ἀλλὰ τὸ θαυμάζω· ἴδον ἐνθάδε Μέντορα δῖον  
But this is what amazes me: I saw noble Mentor here

**656** χθιζὸν ὑπηοῖον, τότε δʼ ἔμβη νηὶ Πύλονδε.  
yesterday at dawn, though then he had embarked on the ship for Pylos."

**657** ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη πρὸς δώματα πατρός,  
So speaking, he went off to his father's house,

**658** τοῖσιν δʼ ἀμφοτέροισιν ἀγάσσατο θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ.  
and the proud hearts of the two of them were astounded.

**659** μνηστῆρας δʼ ἄμυδις κάθισαν καὶ παῦσαν ἀέθλων.  
They made the suitors sit down together and stop their contests,

**660** τοῖσιν δʼ Ἀντίνοος μετέφη Εὐπείθεος υἱός,  
and among them Antinous, son of Eupeithes, spoke,

**661** ἀχνύμενος· μένεος δὲ μέγα φρένες ἀμφιμέλαιναι  
grieving; and his heart, darkened all around, was filled

**662** πίμπλαντʼ, ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐίκτην·  
to bursting with rage, and his two eyes were like blazing fire.
> Dual verb: ἐίκτην is a dual form ("the two were like"), agreeing with ὄσσε, "the two eyes." Homer regularly uses the dual for paired body parts.

**663** ὢ πόποι, ἦ μέγα ἔργον ὑπερφιάλως ἐτελέσθη  
"Outrageous! Truly a great deed has been brazenly carried through

**664** Τηλεμάχῳ ὁδὸς ἥδε· φάμεν δέ οἱ οὐ τελέεσθαι.  
by Telemachus, this voyage — and we said it would never come to pass.

**665** ἐκ τοσσῶνδʼ ἀέκητι νέος πάϊς οἴχεται αὔτως  
In defiance of us all, the young boy has just slipped away,

**666** νῆα ἐρυσσάμενος, κρίνας τʼ ἀνὰ δῆμον ἀρίστους.  
having launched a ship and picked the best men from the people.
> Aorist participles: Both ἐρυσσάμενος (middle) and κρίνας (active) are aorist participles describing the completed actions that preceded his departure — having drawn down a ship and having selected men.

**667** ἄρξει καὶ προτέρω κακὸν ἔμμεναι· ἀλλά οἱ αὐτῷ  
He will begin to be a worse trouble even hereafter; but may Zeus

**668** Ζεὺς ὀλέσειε βίην, πρὶν ἥβης μέτρον ἱκέσθαι.  
destroy his strength before he reaches the full measure of manhood.
> Optative of wish: ὀλέσειε is an aorist optative expressing a wish: "may Zeus destroy." The optative without ἄν is the standard way to voice a prayer or curse.

**669** ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι δότε νῆα θοὴν καὶ εἴκοσʼ ἑταίρους,  
Come now, give me a swift ship and twenty companions,

**670** ὄφρα μιν αὐτὸν ἰόντα λοχήσομαι ἠδὲ φυλάξω  
so that I may ambush him on his way back and lie in wait

**671** ἐν πορθμῷ Ἰθάκης τε Σάμοιό τε παιπαλοέσσης,  
in the strait between Ithaca and rugged Samos,

**672** ὡς ἂν ἐπισμυγερῶς ναυτίλλεται εἵνεκα πατρός.  
so that this seafaring of his on his father's account may end in grief."

**673** ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἐπῄνεον ἠδʼ
                  ἐκέλευον.  
So he spoke, and they all approved and urged him on.

**674** αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτʼ ἀνστάντες ἔβαν δόμον εἰς Ὀδυσῆος.  
Then at once they rose and went to the house of Odysseus.

**675** οὐδʼ ἄρα Πηνελόπεια πολὺν χρόνον ἦεν ἄπυστος  
Nor was Penelope long left in ignorance

**676** μύθων, οὓς μνηστῆρες ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βυσσοδόμευον·  
of the schemes the suitors were brooding in their hearts;
> Plotting in the depths: βυσσοδομεύω literally means "to build in the deep," a vivid metaphor for hatching secret schemes deep within the mind.

**677** κῆρυξ γάρ οἱ ἔειπε Μέδων, ὃς ἐπεύθετο βουλὰς  
for the herald Medon told her, who had overheard their plans

**678** αὐλῆς ἐκτὸς ἐών· οἱ δʼ ἔνδοθι μῆτιν ὕφαινον.  
while standing outside the court, as they wove their plot within.

**679** βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἀγγελέων διὰ δώματα Πηνελοπείῃ·  
He went to carry the news through the house to Penelope;

**680** τὸν δὲ κατʼ οὐδοῦ βάντα προσηύδα Πηνελόπεια·  
and as he stepped over the threshold Penelope addressed him:

**681** κῆρυξ, τίπτε δέ σε πρόεσαν μνηστῆρες ἀγαυοί;  
"Herald, why have the lordly suitors sent you here?

**682** ἦ εἰπέμεναι δμῳῇσιν Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο  
Is it to tell the maids of godlike Odysseus

**683** ἔργων παύσασθαι, σφίσι δʼ αὐτοῖς δαῖτα πένεσθαι;  
to leave off their work and prepare a feast for them?

**684** μὴ μνηστεύσαντες μηδʼ ἄλλοθʼ ὁμιλήσαντες  
Would that they had never wooed me nor gathered anywhere else,

**685** ὕστατα καὶ πύματα νῦν ἐνθάδε δειπνήσειαν·  
but were dining here now for the last and final time —

**686** οἳ θάμʼ ἀγειρόμενοι βίοτον κατακείρετε πολλόν,  
you who, forever crowding here, devour so much of the living,

**687** κτῆσιν Τηλεμάχοιο δαΐφρονος· οὐδέ τι πατρῶν  
the wealth of wise Telemachus. Nor in days past, when you were children,

**688** ὑμετέρων τὸ πρόσθεν ἀκούετε, παῖδες ἐόντες,  
did you ever hear from your own fathers

**689** οἷος Ὀδυσσεὺς ἔσκε μεθʼ ὑμετέροισι τοκεῦσιν,  
what kind of man Odysseus was among your parents —

**690** οὔτε τινὰ ῥέξας ἐξαίσιον οὔτε τι εἰπὼν  
never doing anyone an outrage, never speaking one,

**691** ἐν δήμῳ, ἥ τʼ ἐστὶ δίκη θείων βασιλήων·  
among the people: that is the way of godlike kings.
> dikē: custom and justice: δίκη here means the customary way or manner of just kings, blending "this is how it is done" with "this is what is right" — the root of the Greek idea of justice.

**692** ἄλλον κʼ ἐχθαίρῃσι βροτῶν, ἄλλον κε φιλοίη.  
One mortal a king may hate, another he may love;

**693** κεῖνος δʼ οὔ ποτε πάμπαν ἀτάσθαλον ἄνδρα ἐώργει.  
but that man never did a single reckless wrong to anyone.

**694** ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν ὑμέτερος θυμὸς καὶ ἀεικέα ἔργα  
Yet your temper and your shameful deeds

**695** φαίνεται, οὐδέ τίς ἐστι χάρις μετόπισθʼ ἐυεργέων.  
are plain to see, and there is no gratitude afterward for kindnesses done."
> kharis: gratitude and grace: χάρις spans the favor given, the grace it carries, and the gratitude owed in return. Penelope charges the suitors with breaking that reciprocal bond.

**696** τὴν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε Μέδων πεπνυμένα εἰδώς·  
Then Medon, who knew prudent things, answered her:

**697** αἲ γὰρ δή, βασίλεια, τόδε πλεῖστον κακὸν εἴη.  
"Would, my queen, that this were the worst of the evil.

**698** ἀλλὰ πολὺ μεῖζόν τε καὶ ἀργαλεώτερον ἄλλο  
But the suitors are planning another, far greater and more grievous —

**699** μνηστῆρες φράζονται, ὃ μὴ τελέσειε Κρονίων·  
may the son of Cronos never let it come to pass:

**700** Τηλέμαχον μεμάασι κατακτάμεν ὀξέι χαλκῷ  
they are eager to kill Telemachus with the sharp bronze

**701** οἴκαδε νισόμενον· ὁ δʼ ἔβη μετὰ πατρὸς ἀκουὴν  
as he comes home; for he has gone after news of his father

**702** ἐς Πύλον ἠγαθέην ἠδʼ ἐς Λακεδαίμονα δῖαν.  
to holy Pylos and to noble Lacedaemon."

**703** ὣς φάτο, τῆς δʼ αὐτοῦ λύτο γούνατα καὶ φίλον
                  ἦτορ,  
So he spoke, and her knees gave way and her dear heart,
> Knees loosened by shock: "Her knees were loosened" is a stock Homeric phrase for the collapse of strength under sudden emotion — here grief and terror, elsewhere death in battle.

**704** δὴν δέ μιν ἀμφασίη ἐπέων λάβε· τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε  
and for a long time speechlessness seized her; her two eyes

**705** δακρυόφι πλῆσθεν, θαλερὴ δέ οἱ ἔσχετο φωνή.  
filled with tears, and her flowing voice was checked.

**706** ὀψὲ δὲ δή μιν ἔπεσσιν ἀμειβομένη προσέειπε·  
Late at last she answered him and said:

**707** κῆρυξ, τίπτε δέ μοι πάϊς οἴχεται; οὐδέ τί μιν
                     χρεὼ  
"Herald, why has my child gone? There was no need for him

**708** νηῶν ὠκυπόρων ἐπιβαινέμεν, αἵ θʼ ἁλὸς ἵπποι  
to embark on the swift-faring ships, which serve men

**709** ἀνδράσι γίγνονται, περόωσι δὲ πουλὺν ἐφʼ ὑγρήν.  
as horses of the sea and cross the vast watery waste.

**710** ἦ ἵνα μηδʼ ὄνομʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀνθρώποισι λίπηται;  
Was it so that not even his name might be left among men?"

**711** τὴν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Μέδων πεπνυμένα εἰδώς·  
Then Medon, who knew prudent things, answered her:

**712** οὐκ οἶδʼ ἤ τίς μιν θεὸς ὤρορεν, ἦε καὶ αὐτοῦ  
"I do not know whether some god stirred him, or whether his own

**713** θυμὸς ἐφωρμήθη ἴμεν ἐς Πύλον, ὄφρα πύθηται  
heart drove him to go to Pylos, to learn

**714** πατρὸς ἑοῦ ἢ νόστον ἢ ὅν τινα πότμον ἐπέσπεν.  
of his father's return, or what fate he has met."

**715** ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη κατὰ δῶμʼ Ὀδυσῆος.  
So having spoken he went off down through the house of Odysseus.

**716** τὴν δʼ ἄχος ἀμφεχύθη θυμοφθόρον, οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἔτʼ ἔτλη  
And heart-destroying grief poured over her, nor could she any longer bear
> akhos: piercing grief: ἄχος is acute, gripping anguish, the same word at the root of "Achilles." Here it "pours around" Penelope like an enveloping flood.

**717** δίφρῳ ἐφέζεσθαι πολλῶν κατὰ οἶκον ἐόντων,  
to sit on a chair, though there were many in the house,

**718** ἀλλʼ ἄρʼ ἐπʼ οὐδοῦ ἷζε πολυκμήτου θαλάμοιο  
but she sank down on the threshold of her well-wrought chamber,

**719** οἴκτρʼ ὀλοφυρομένη· περὶ δὲ δμῳαὶ μινύριζον  
wailing piteously; and around her the maidservants whimpered,

**720** πᾶσαι, ὅσαι κατὰ δώματʼ ἔσαν νέαι ἠδὲ παλαιαί.  
all of them, as many as were in the house, young and old.

**721** τῇς δʼ ἁδινὸν γοόωσα μετηύδα Πηνελόπεια·  
Weeping bitterly, Penelope spoke among them:

**722** κλῦτε, φίλαι· πέρι γάρ μοι Ὀλύμπιος ἄλγεʼ
                     ἔδωκεν  
"Hear me, dear friends; for the Olympian has given me sorrows beyond measure,

**723** ἐκ πασέων, ὅσσαι μοι ὁμοῦ τράφεν ἠδʼ ἐγένοντο·  
beyond all the women who were reared and born together with me;

**724** ἣ πρὶν μὲν πόσιν ἐσθλὸν ἀπώλεσα θυμολέοντα,  
I who long ago lost my noble husband, lion-hearted,

**725** παντοίῃς ἀρετῇσι κεκασμένον ἐν Δαναοῖσιν,  
excelling in every kind of excellence among the Danaans,
> aretē: excellence: ἀρετή is excellence or worth of every sort — prowess, intelligence, character. Odysseus is praised as outstanding in all its forms.

**726** ἐσθλόν, τοῦ κλέος εὐρὺ καθʼ Ἑλλάδα καὶ μέσον Ἄργος.  
noble, whose fame is wide through Hellas and the heart of Argos.
> kleos: undying fame: κλέος is the renown that lives in song after a hero is gone. Penelope measures her husband's worth by how far his fame reaches.

**727** νῦν αὖ παῖδʼ ἀγαπητὸν ἀνηρείψαντο θύελλαι  
And now the storm winds have snatched away my beloved son

**728** ἀκλέα ἐκ μεγάρων, οὐδʼ ὁρμηθέντος ἄκουσα.  
without glory from the halls, and I never heard of his setting out.

**729** σχέτλιαι, οὐδʼ ὑμεῖς περ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ θέσθε ἑκάστη  
Cruel women, not one of you took it to heart

**730** ἐκ λεχέων μʼ ἀνεγεῖραι, ἐπιστάμεναι σάφα θυμῷ,  
to rouse me from my bed, though you knew it well in your hearts,

**731** ὁππότʼ ἐκεῖνος ἔβη κοίλην ἐπὶ νῆα μέλαιναν.  
the moment that he went down to the hollow black ship.

**732** εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼ πυθόμην ταύτην ὁδὸν ὁρμαίνοντα,  
For had I learned that he was bent on this journey,

**733** τῷ κε μάλʼ ἤ κεν ἔμεινε καὶ ἐσσύμενός περ ὁδοῖο,  
then surely either he would have stayed, however eager for the road,

**734** ἤ κέ με τεθνηκυῖαν ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἔλειπεν.  
or he would have left me dead behind him in the halls.

**735** ἀλλά τις ὀτρηρῶς Δολίον καλέσειε γέροντα,  
Come, let someone quickly call old Dolius,

**736** δμῶʼ ἐμόν, ὅν μοι δῶκε πατὴρ ἔτι δεῦρο κιούσῃ,  
my servant, whom my father gave me as I was still coming here,

**737** καί μοι κῆπον ἔχει πολυδένδρεον, ὄφρα τάχιστα  
and who tends my orchard of many trees, so that with all speed

**738** Λαέρτῃ τάδε πάντα παρεζόμενος καταλέξῃ,  
he may sit beside Laertes and tell him all this,

**739** εἰ δή πού τινα κεῖνος ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μῆτιν ὑφήνας  
in case that man, having woven some plan in his mind,
> Weaving a plan: μῆτις (cunning counsel) is regularly said to be "woven" (ὑφαίνω), as cloth is woven — a recurring metaphor for crafty design in the Odyssey.

**740** ἐξελθὼν λαοῖσιν ὀδύρεται, οἳ μεμάασιν  
may go out and appeal to the people, who are bent

**741** ὃν καὶ Ὀδυσσῆος φθῖσαι γόνον ἀντιθέοιο.  
on destroying both his line and that of godlike Odysseus."

**742** τὴν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε φίλη τροφὸς Εὐρύκλεια·  
Then the dear nurse Eurycleia answered her:

**743** νύμφα φίλη, σὺ μὲν ἄρ με κατάκτανε νηλέι χαλκῷ  
"Dear bride, kill me with the pitiless bronze

**744** ἢ ἔα ἐν μεγάρῳ· μῦθον δέ τοι οὐκ ἐπικεύσω.  
or let me live on in the hall; I will not hide the truth from you.

**745** ᾔδεʼ ἐγὼ τάδε πάντα, πόρον δέ οἱ ὅσσʼ ἐκέλευε,  
I knew all of this, and I gave him all he asked,
> Pluperfect of knowing: ᾔδεα is the past tense of οἶδα ("I know"), formally a pluperfect but used with simple past force: "I knew." οἶδα is a perfect that means a present state.

**746** σῖτον καὶ μέθυ ἡδύ· ἐμεῦ δʼ ἕλετο μέγαν ὅρκον  
bread and sweet wine; but he took a great oath from me

**747** μὴ πρὶν σοὶ ἐρέειν, πρὶν δωδεκάτην γε γενέσθαι  
not to tell you before the twelfth day came,

**748** ἢ σʼ αὐτὴν ποθέσαι καὶ ἀφορμηθέντος ἀκοῦσαι,  
or before you missed him yourself and heard he had gone,

**749** ὡς ἂν μὴ κλαίουσα κατὰ χρόα καλὸν ἰάπτῃς.  
so that you might not mar your fair skin with weeping.

**750** ἀλλʼ ὑδρηναμένη, καθαρὰ χροῒ εἵμαθʼ ἑλοῦσα,  
But now bathe yourself, and take clean clothing upon your skin,

**751** εἰς ὑπερῷʼ ἀναβᾶσα σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισι γυναιξὶν  
and go up to the upper room with your attendant women

**752** εὔχεʼ Ἀθηναίῃ κούρῃ Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο·  
and pray to Athena, daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus;

**753** ἡ γάρ κέν μιν ἔπειτα καὶ ἐκ θανάτοιο σαώσαι.  
for she could then save him even from death.

**754** μηδὲ γέροντα κάκου κεκακωμένον· οὐ γὰρ ὀίω  
And do not vex the old man, vexed as he already is; for I do not think

**755** πάγχυ θεοῖς μακάρεσσι γονὴν Ἀρκεισιάδαο  
that the line of Arceisius is utterly hated

**756** ἔχθεσθʼ, ἀλλʼ ἔτι πού τις ἐπέσσεται ὅς κεν ἔχῃσι  
by the blessed gods, but there will still be one to come who shall possess

**757** δώματά θʼ ὑψερεφέα καὶ ἀπόπροθι πίονας ἀγρούς.  
the high-roofed halls and the rich fields far around."

**758** ὣς φάτο, τῆς δʼ εὔνησε γόον, σχέθε δʼ ὄσσε
                  γόοιο.  
So she spoke, and she lulled her lament and stayed her eyes from weeping.

**759** ἡ δʼ ὑδρηναμένη, καθαρὰ χροῒ εἵμαθʼ ἑλοῦσα  
And she bathed herself, and took clean clothing upon her skin,

**760** εἰς ὑπερῷʼ ἀνέβαινε σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισι γυναιξίν,  
and went up to the upper room with her attendant women,

**761** ἐν δʼ ἔθετʼ οὐλοχύτας κανέῳ, ἠρᾶτο δʼ Ἀθήνῃ·  
and set the barley grains in a basket, and prayed to Athena:

**762** κλῦθί μευ, αἰγιόχοιο Διὸς τέκος, Ἀτρυτώνη,  
"Hear me, child of aegis-bearing Zeus, unwearied one,

**763** εἴ ποτέ τοι πολύμητις ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν Ὀδυσσεὺς  
if ever Odysseus of many counsels in his halls
> "of many counsels": πολύμητις, "of many devices/counsels," is the standard epithet of Odysseus, marking his defining quality of cunning intelligence.

**764** ἢ βοὸς ἢ ὄϊος κατὰ πίονα μηρίʼ ἔκηε,  
burned for you the fat thighbones of ox or sheep,

**765** τῶν νῦν μοι μνῆσαι, καί μοι φίλον υἷα σάωσον,  
remember them for me now, and save my dear son,

**766** μνηστῆρας δʼ ἀπάλαλκε κακῶς ὑπερηνορέοντας.  
and ward off the suitors in their wicked arrogance."

**767** ὣς εἰποῦσʼ ὀλόλυξε, θεὰ δέ οἱ ἔκλυεν ἀρῆς.  
So speaking she raised the ritual cry, and the goddess heard her prayer.

**768** μνηστῆρες δʼ ὁμάδησαν ἀνὰ μέγαρα σκιόεντα·  
But the suitors made an uproar throughout the shadowy halls,

**769** ὧδε δέ τις εἴπεσκε νέων ὑπερηνορεόντων·  
and thus would one of the arrogant young men say:

**770** ἦ μάλα δὴ γάμον ἄμμι πολυμνήστη βασίλεια  
"Truly the much-wooed queen is preparing a marriage
> "Much-wooed": πολυμνήστη means "sought by many suitors," a pointed epithet for Penelope from the very men besieging her.

**771** ἀρτύει, οὐδέ τι οἶδεν ὅ οἱ φόνος υἷι τέτυκται.  
is making her ready, and she does not know that murder is being prepared for her son.

**772** ὣς ἄρα τις εἴπεσκε, τὰ δʼ οὐκ ἴσαν ὡς ἐτέτυκτο.  
So one of them would say, but they did not know how things had been arranged.

**773** τοῖσιν δʼ Ἀντίνοος ἀγορήσατο καὶ μετέειπε·  
Then Antinous spoke out among them and addressed them:

**774** δαιμόνιοι, μύθους μὲν ὑπερφιάλους ἀλέασθε  
"You reckless fools, avoid all this overweening talk
> daimonioi: A vocative of half-affectionate rebuke, addressed to people behaving strangely or rashly. Here it scolds the suitors for loose talk.

**775** πάντας ὁμῶς, μή πού τις ἀπαγγείλῃσι καὶ εἴσω.  
every one of you, lest someone report it even inside the house.

**776** ἀλλʼ ἄγε σιγῇ τοῖον ἀναστάντες τελέωμεν  
Come, let us rise in silence and carry through

**777** μῦθον, ὃ δὴ καὶ πᾶσιν ἐνὶ φρεσὶν ἤραρεν ἡμῖν.  
the plan that has found favor with all our hearts."

**778** ὣς εἰπὼν ἐκρίνατʼ ἐείκοσι φῶτας ἀρίστους,  
So saying, he picked out the twenty best men,
> Aorist middle of κρίνω: The middle voice (ἐκρίνατο) marks that Antinous selected the men for his own purpose. The augment ἐ- shows it is a past (aorist) action.

**779** βὰν δʼ ἰέναι ἐπὶ νῆα θοὴν καὶ θῖνα θαλάσσης.  
and they set out toward the swift ship and the shore of the sea.

**780** νῆα μὲν οὖν πάμπρωτον ἁλὸς βένθοσδε ἔρυσσαν,  
First of all they dragged the ship down into the deep water,

**781** ἐν δʼ ἱστόν τʼ ἐτίθεντο καὶ ἱστία νηὶ μελαίνῃ,  
and set the mast and the sails in the black ship,
> black ship: "Black ship" is a standing Homeric epithet, the hulls being coated with dark pitch.

**782** ἠρτύναντο δʼ ἐρετμὰ τροποῖς ἐν δερματίνοισιν,  
and fitted the oars in the leather thole-straps,

**783** πάντα κατὰ μοῖραν, ἀνά θʼ ἱστία λευκὰ πέτασσαν·  
all in good order, and spread out the white sails.

**784** τεύχεα δέ σφʼ ἤνεικαν ὑπέρθυμοι θεράποντες.  
Their high-spirited attendants brought them their armor.

**785** ὑψοῦ δʼ ἐν νοτίῳ τήν γʼ ὥρμισαν, ἐκ δʼ ἔβαν αὐτοί·  
They moored her well out in the channel, then disembarked themselves,

**786** ἔνθα δὲ δόρπον ἕλοντο, μένον δʼ ἐπὶ ἕσπερον ἐλθεῖν.  
and there they took their supper, and waited for evening to come.

**787** ἡ δʼ ὑπερωίῳ αὖθι περίφρων Πηνελόπεια  
But up in her chamber prudent Penelope
> Epithet "prudent": περίφρων ("circumspect, prudent") is Penelope's recurring formulaic epithet, marking her thoughtful character.

**788** κεῖτʼ ἄρʼ ἄσιτος, ἄπαστος ἐδητύος ἠδὲ ποτῆτος,  
lay there fasting, untasting of food and of drink,

**789** ὁρμαίνουσʼ ἤ οἱ θάνατον φύγοι υἱὸς ἀμύμων,  
pondering whether her blameless son would escape death,

**790** ἦ ὅ γʼ ὑπὸ μνηστῆρσιν ὑπερφιάλοισι δαμείη.  
or be overcome by the overweening suitors.

**791** ὅσσα δὲ μερμήριξε λέων ἀνδρῶν ἐν ὁμίλῳ  
As much as a lion broods, in a throng of men,

**792** δείσας, ὁππότε μιν δόλιον περὶ κύκλον ἄγωσι,  
in fear, when they draw their cunning ring around him,

**793** τόσσα μιν ὁρμαίνουσαν ἐπήλυθε νήδυμος ὕπνος·  
so much was she brooding when sweet sleep came over her;
> sweet sleep: νήδυμος ὕπνος, "sweet/sound sleep," is a fixed Homeric phrase for deep, untroubled slumber.

**794** εὗδε δʼ ἀνακλινθεῖσα, λύθεν δέ οἱ ἅψεα πάντα.  
and she slept, leaning back, and all her limbs were loosened.

**795** ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ ἄλλʼ ἐνόησε θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη·  
Then the goddess, gray-eyed Athena, thought of another thing:
> gray-eyed Athena: γλαυκῶπις is Athena's standing epithet; "gleaming-eyed" or "owl-eyed" are also defensible. The epithet recurs formulaically.

**796** εἴδωλον ποίησε, δέμας δʼ ἤικτο γυναικί,  
she made a phantom, and likened its form to a woman,

**797** Ἰφθίμῃ, κούρῃ μεγαλήτορος Ἰκαρίοιο,  
to Iphthime, daughter of great-hearted Icarius,

**798** τὴν Εὔμηλος ὄπυιε Φερῇς ἔνι οἰκία ναίων.  
whom Eumelus had wed, who made his home in Pherae.

**799** πέμπε δέ μιν πρὸς δώματʼ Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο,  
She sent it to the house of godlike Odysseus,

**800** ἧος Πηνελόπειαν ὀδυρομένην γοόωσαν  
so that it might stop Penelope from her mourning and wailing,

**801** παύσειε κλαυθμοῖο γόοιό τε δακρυόεντος.  
from her weeping and her tearful lament.

**802** ἐς θάλαμον δʼ εἰσῆλθε παρὰ κληῖδος ἱμάντα,  
It entered the chamber along the strap of the door-bolt,

**803** στῆ δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν·  
and stood above her head, and spoke a word to her:

**804** εὕδεις, Πηνελόπεια, φίλον τετιημένη ἦτορ;  
"You are sleeping, Penelope, grieved at heart?

**805** οὐ μέν σʼ οὐδὲ ἐῶσι θεοὶ ῥεῖα ζώοντες  
The gods who live at ease do not allow you
> who live at ease: ῥεῖα ζώοντες, "living at ease," is the standard Homeric description of the gods, contrasting their effortless existence with human toil.

**806** κλαίειν οὐδʼ ἀκάχησθαι, ἐπεί ῥʼ ἔτι νόστιμός ἐστι  
to weep or be distressed, since your son will yet come home;

**807** σὸς παῖς· οὐ μὲν γάρ τι θεοῖς ἀλιτήμενός ἐστι.  
for he is in no way an offender against the gods."

**808** τὴν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα περίφρων Πηνελόπεια,  
Then prudent Penelope answered her,

**809** ἡδὺ μάλα κνώσσουσʼ ἐν ὀνειρείῃσι πύλῃσιν·  
as she slumbered very sweetly at the gates of dreams:

**810** τίπτε, κασιγνήτη, δεῦρʼ ἤλυθες; οὔ τι πάρος
                     γε  
"Why, sister, have you come here? Before now you never

**811** πωλέʼ, ἐπεὶ μάλα πολλὸν ἀπόπροθι δώματα ναίεις·  
used to visit, since you dwell in a home very far away.

**812** καί με κέλεαι παύσασθαι ὀιζύος ἠδʼ ὀδυνάων  
And you bid me cease from my misery and the many pains

**813** πολλέων, αἵ μʼ ἐρέθουσι κατὰ φρένα καὶ κατὰ θυμόν,  
that trouble me in my mind and in my heart,

**814** ἣ πρὶν μὲν πόσιν ἐσθλὸν ἀπώλεσα θυμολέοντα,  
I who first lost my noble, lion-hearted husband,
> lion-hearted: θυμολέων, literally "lion in spirit," a compound epithet of bold courage applied here to Odysseus.

**815** παντοίῃς ἀρετῇσι κεκασμένον ἐν Δαναοῖσιν,  
graced with every excellence among the Danaans,
> aretê / excellence: ἀρετή denotes excellence or prowess of every kind; the plural here sums up the full range of Odysseus's distinction.

**816** ἐσθλόν, τοῦ κλέος εὐρὺ καθʼ Ἑλλάδα καὶ μέσον Ἄργος·  
noble, whose fame is wide through Hellas and mid-Argos;
> kleos / fame: κλέος is the renown that outlives a hero, a central value of the heroic world; here it defines Odysseus's stature even in absence.

**817** νῦν αὖ παῖς ἀγαπητὸς ἔβη κοίλης ἐπὶ νηός,  
and now my beloved son has gone off on a hollow ship,

**818** νήπιος, οὔτε πόνων ἐὺ εἰδὼς οὔτʼ ἀγοράων.  
a mere boy, knowing nothing of hardships or of assemblies.

**819** τοῦ δὴ ἐγὼ καὶ μᾶλλον ὀδύρομαι ἤ περ ἐκείνου·  
For him indeed I grieve even more than for that other one;

**820** τοῦ δʼ ἀμφιτρομέω καὶ δείδια, μή τι πάθῃσιν,  
for him I tremble and am afraid, lest he suffer something,

**821** ἢ ὅ γε τῶν ἐνὶ δήμῳ, ἵνʼ οἴχεται, ἢ ἐνὶ πόντῳ·  
either among the people where he has gone, or on the sea;

**822** δυσμενέες γὰρ πολλοὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ μηχανόωνται,  
for many enemies are scheming against him,

**823** ἱέμενοι κτεῖναι πρὶν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι.  
eager to kill him before he can reach his native land."

**824** τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενον προσέφη εἴδωλον ἀμαυρόν·  
Then the dim phantom answered her and said:
> dim phantom: εἴδωλον is an image or shade; ἀμαυρόν ("dim, shadowy") stresses its insubstantial, ghostly form.

**825** θάρσει, μηδέ τι πάγχυ μετὰ φρεσὶ δείδιθι λίην·  
"Take heart, and do not fear too greatly in your mind;
> Imperatives: θάρσει ("take heart") and δείδιθι ("fear") are present and perfect imperatives giving direct commands of reassurance.

**826** τοίη γάρ οἱ πομπὸς ἅμʼ ἔρχεται, ἥν τε καὶ ἄλλοι  
for such an escort goes with him as other

**827** ἀνέρες ἠρήσαντο παρεστάμεναι, δύναται γάρ,  
men have prayed to have stand beside them, since she has the power,

**828** Παλλὰς Ἀθηναίη· σὲ δʼ ὀδυρομένην ἐλεαίρει·  
Pallas Athena; and she pities you in your grief,

**829** ἣ νῦν με προέηκε τεῒν τάδε μυθήσασθαι.  
she who now has sent me to tell you these things."

**830** τὴν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε περίφρων Πηνελόπεια·  
Then prudent Penelope spoke to her again:

**831** εἰ μὲν δὴ θεός ἐσσι θεοῖό τε ἔκλυες αὐδῆς,  
"If indeed you are a god and have heard a god's voice,

**832** εἰ δʼ ἄγε μοι καὶ κεῖνον ὀιζυρὸν κατάλεξον,  
come then, tell me also of that other ill-fated man,

**833** ἤ που ἔτι ζώει καὶ ὁρᾷ φάος ἠελίοιο,  
whether he still lives somewhere and sees the light of the sun,

**834** ἦ ἤδη τέθνηκε καὶ εἰν Ἀίδαο δόμοισι.  
or is already dead and in the house of Hades."

**835** τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενον προσέφη εἴδωλον ἀμαυρόν·  
Then the dim phantom answered her and said:

**836** οὐ μέν τοι κεῖνόν γε διηνεκέως ἀγορεύσω,  
"I will not tell you of that man at length,

**837** ζώει ὅ γʼ ἦ τέθνηκε· κακὸν δʼ ἀνεμώλια βάζειν.  
whether he lives or has died; it is wrong to babble idle things."
> idle as wind: ἀνεμώλιος, literally "windy," means empty or futile speech, words carried off uselessly like the wind.

**838** ὣς εἰπὸν σταθμοῖο παρὰ κληῖδα λιάσθη  
So saying, it slipped away past the bolt of the doorpost

**839** ἐς πνοιὰς ἀνέμων. ἡ δʼ ἐξ ὕπνου ἀνόρουσε  
into the breaths of the winds. And she started up from sleep,

**840** κούρη Ἰκαρίοιο· φίλον δέ οἱ ἦτορ ἰάνθη,  
the daughter of Icarius; and her heart was warmed,

**841** ὥς οἱ ἐναργὲς ὄνειρον ἐπέσσυτο νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ.  
that so vivid a dream had sped to her in the dead of night.
> the dead of night: νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ is a fixed phrase for the depth of night, its exact literal sense ("milking-time"? "darkest hour"?) already uncertain in antiquity.

**842** μνηστῆρες δʼ ἀναβάντες ἐπέπλεον ὑγρὰ κέλευθα  
Meanwhile the suitors had embarked and were sailing the watery ways,

**843** Τηλεμάχῳ φόνον αἰπὺν ἐνὶ φρεσὶν ὁρμαίνοντες.  
brooding in their hearts on sheer murder for Telemachus.

**844** ἔστι δέ τις νῆσος μέσσῃ ἁλὶ πετρήεσσα,  
There is a certain rocky island in the midst of the sea,

**845** μεσσηγὺς Ἰθάκης τε Σάμοιό τε παιπαλοέσσης,  
midway between Ithaca and rugged Samos,

**846** Ἀστερίς, οὐ μεγάλη· λιμένες δʼ ἔνι ναύλοχοι αὐτῇ  
Asteris, not large; it has harbors safe for ships on it,

**847** ἀμφίδυμοι· τῇ τόν γε μένον λοχόωντες Ἀχαιοί.  
with two mouths; there the Achaeans waited, lying in ambush for him.

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