False Tale of Cretan Origins and the Expedition to Egypt — Odyssey §14.200-14.268 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

ἀνέρος ἀφνειοῖο πάϊς· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι

I am the son of a wealthy man; and many other

υἱέες ἐν μεγάρῳ ἠμὲν τράφεν ἠδʼ ἐγένοντο

sons were born and reared in his hall,

γνήσιοι ἐξ ἀλόχου· ἐμὲ δʼ ὠνητὴ τέκε μήτηρ

legitimate sons, from his wife; but a bought mother bore me,

παλλακίς, ἀλλά με ἶσον ἰθαιγενέεσσιν ἐτίμα

a concubine, yet he honored me equally with his legitimate sons,

Κάστωρ Ὑλακίδης, τοῦ ἐγὼ γένος εὔχομαι εἶναι¹

Castor, son of Hylax, of whose race I claim to be,

ὃς τότʼ ἐνὶ Κρήτεσσι θεὸς ὣς τίετο δήμῳ

who was then honored as a god among the Cretans in their land

ὄλβῳ τε πλούτῳ τε καὶ υἱάσι κυδαλίμοισιν.

for prosperity and wealth and glorious sons.

ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι τὸν κῆρες ἔβαν θανάτοιο φέρουσαι

But indeed the fates of death came and bore him

εἰς Ἀΐδαο δόμους· τοὶ δὲ ζωὴν ἐδάσαντο

to the house of Hades; and they divided his livelihood,

παῖδες ὑπέρθυμοι καὶ ἐπὶ κλήρους ἐβάλοντο,

his proud sons, and cast lots for it,

αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ μάλα παῦρα δόσαν καὶ οἰκίʼ ἔνειμαν.

but to me they gave very little and assigned a dwelling.

ἠγαγόμην δὲ γυναῖκα πολυκλήρων ἀνθρώπων

Yet I married a wife from men of large estates,

εἵνεκʼ ἐμῆς ἀρετῆς, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἀποφώλιος ἦα

because of my valor, since I was not worthless

οὐδὲ φυγοπτόλεμος· νῦν δʼ ἤδη πάντα λέλοιπεν

nor a coward in war; but now all this has left me;

ἀλλʼ ἔμπης καλάμην γέ σʼ ὀΐομαι εἰσορόωντα

yet still, I think, as you look upon the stubble,

γιγνώσκειν²· ἦ γάρ με δύη ἔχει ἤλιθα πολλή.

you can know it; for exceeding trouble holds me.

ἦ μὲν δὴ θάρσος μοι Ἄρης τʼ ἔδοσαν καὶ Ἀθήνη

Indeed Ares and Athena gave me courage

καὶ ῥηξηνορίην· ὁπότε κρίνοιμι³ λόχονδε

and power to break through ranks of men, whenever I chose for an ambush

ἄνδρας ἀριστῆας, κακὰ δυσμενέεσσι φυτεύων,

the best men, sowing evils for the enemies,

οὔ ποτέ μοι θάνατον προτιόσσετο θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ,

never did my proud heart foresee death for me,

ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρώτιστος ἐπάλμενος ἔγχει ἕλεσκον

but leaping forward far the first, I would slay with my spear

ἀνδρῶν δυσμενέων ὅ τέ μοι εἴξειε πόδεσσιν⁴.

whoever of the enemy gave way to me in speed of foot.

τοῖος ἔα ἐν πολέμῳ· ἔργον δέ μοι οὐ φίλον ἔσκεν

Such a man was I in war; but labor was not dear to me,

οὐδʼ οἰκωφελίη, ἥ τε τρέφει ἀγλαὰ τέκνα,

nor household care, which rears glorious children,

ἀλλά μοι αἰεὶ νῆες ἐπήρετμοι φίλαι ἦσαν

but always oared ships were dear to me,

καὶ πόλεμοι καὶ ἄκοντες ἐΰξεστοι καὶ ὀϊστοί,

and wars and polished spears and arrows,

λυγρά, τά τʼ ἄλλοισίν γε καταριγηλὰ πέλονται.

grievous things, which to others are shuddering.

αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ τὰ φίλʼ ἔσκε τά που θεὸς ἐν φρεσὶ θῆκεν·

But to me those things were dear which some god, I suppose, put in my heart;

ἄλλος γάρ τʼ ἄλλοισιν ἀνὴρ ἐπιτέρπεται ἔργοις.

for different men delight in different deeds.

πρὶν μὲν γὰρ Τροίης ἐπιβήμεναι υἷας Ἀχαιῶν

For before the sons of the Achaeans set foot on Troy,

εἰνάκις ἀνδράσιν ἦρξα καὶ ὠκυπόροισι νέεσσιν

nine times I led men and swift-faring ships

ἄνδρας ἐς ἀλλοδαπούς, καί μοι μάλα τύγχανε πολλά.

against foreign men, and very many things fell to my lot.

τῶν ἐξαιρεύμην μενοεικέα, πολλὰ δʼ ὀπίσσω

Of these I chose what pleased my heart, and many things afterward

λάγχανον· αἶψα δὲ οἶκος ὀφέλλετο, καί ῥα ἔπειτα

I obtained by lot; and quickly my house grew wealthy, and then

δεινός τʼ αἰδοῖός τε μετὰ Κρήτεσσι τετύγμην.

I became feared and respected among the Cretans.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τήν γε στυγερὴν ὁδὸν εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς

But when far-seeing Zeus devised that hateful journey,

ἐφράσαθʼ, ἣ πολλῶν ἀνδρῶν ὑπὸ γούνατʼ ἔλυσε,

which loosed the knees of many men,

δὴ τότʼ ἔμʼ ἤνωγον καὶ ἀγακλυτὸν Ἰδομενῆα

then they urged me and glorious Idomeneus

νήεσσʼ ἡγήσασθαι ἐς Ἴλιον· οὐδέ τι μῆχος

to lead the ships to Ilium; nor was there any way

ἦεν ἀνήνασθαι, χαλεπὴ δʼ ἔχε δήμου φῆμις.

to refuse, for the harsh voice of the people constrained us.

ἔνθα μὲν εἰνάετες πολεμίζομεν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,

There for nine years we sons of the Achaeans waged war,

τῷ δεκάτῳ δὲ πόλιν Πριάμου πέρσαντες ἔβημεν

and in the tenth, having sacked Priam's city, we departed

οἴκαδε σὺν νήεσσι, θεὸς δʼ ἐκέδασσεν Ἀχαιούς.

home with our ships, and a god scattered the Achaeans.

αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ δειλῷ κακὰ μήδετο μητίετα Ζεύς·

But for wretched me Zeus the counselor devised evils;

μῆνα γὰρ οἶον ἔμεινα τεταρπόμενος τεκέεσσιν

for only a single month I remained, rejoicing in my children

κουριδίῃ τʼ ἀλόχῳ καὶ κτήμασιν· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα

and my wedded wife and possessions; but afterward

Αἴγυπτόνδε με θυμὸς ἀνώγει ναυτίλλεσθαι,

my heart urged me to voyage to Egypt,

νῆας ἐῢ στείλαντα σὺν ἀντιθέοις ἑτάροισιν.

having well equipped ships with godlike companions.

ἐννέα νῆας στεῖλα, θοῶς δʼ ἐσαγείρατο λαός.

Nine ships I equipped, and the people were quickly gathered.

ἑξῆμαρ μὲν ἔπειτα ἐμοὶ ἐρίηρες ἑταῖροι

Then for six days my trusty companions

δαίνυντʼ· αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἱερήϊα πολλὰ παρεῖχον

feasted; but I provided many victims

θεοῖσίν τε ῥέζειν αὐτοῖσί τε δαῖτα πένεσθαι.

both to sacrifice to the gods and to prepare a feast for themselves.

ἑβδομάτῃ δʼ ἀναβάντες ἀπὸ Κρήτης εὐρείης

And on the seventh day, embarking from wide Crete,

ἐπλέομεν Βορέῃ ἀνέμῳ⁵ ἀκραέϊ καλῷ

we sailed with a fresh and fair North wind

ῥηϊδίως, ὡς εἴ τε κατὰ ῥόον· οὐδέ τις οὖν μοι

easily, as if down a stream; nor did any

νηῶν πημάνθη, ἀλλʼ ἀσκηθέες καὶ ἄνουσοι

of my ships suffer harm, but unscathed and free from disease

ἥμεθα, τὰς δʼ ἄνεμός τε κυβερνῆταί τʼ ἴθυνον.

we sat, while the wind and the helmsmen steered them.

πεμπταῖοι δʼ Αἴγυπτον ἐϋρρείτην ἱκόμεσθα,

On the fifth day we came to fair-flowing Egypt,

στῆσα δʼ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ποταμῷ νέας ἀμφιελίσσας.

and I moored my curved ships in the river Egypt.

ἔνθʼ ἦ τοι μὲν ἐγὼ κελόμην ἐρίηρας ἑταίρους

Then indeed I ordered my trusty companions

αὐτοῦ πὰρ νήεσσι μένειν καὶ νῆας ἔρυσθαι,

to remain there by the ships and protect the ships,

ὀπτῆρας δὲ κατὰ σκοπιὰς ὤτρυνα νέεσθαι·

and I urged lookouts to go to the watch-towers;

οἱ δʼ ὕβρει εἴξαντες, ἐπισπόμενοι μένεϊ σφῷ,

but they, yielding to insolence, and led by their own strength,

αἶψα μάλʼ Αἰγυπτίων ἀνδρῶν περικαλλέας ἀγροὺς

straightway began to ravage the beautiful fields of the Egyptian men,

πόρθεον, ἐκ δὲ γυναῖκας ἄγον καὶ νήπια τέκνα,

and carried off their wives and infant children,

αὐτούς τʼ ἔκτεινον· τάχα δʼ ἐς πόλιν ἵκετʼ ἀϋτή.

and slew the men; and quickly the cry reached the city.

οἱ δὲ βοῆς ἀΐοντες ἅμʼ ἠοῖ φαινομένηφιν

And they, hearing the cry, came at the appearing of dawn;

ἦλθον· πλῆτο δὲ πᾶν πεδίον πεζῶν τε καὶ ἵππων

and all the plain was filled with footmen and horses

χαλκοῦ τε στεροπῆς· ἐν δὲ Ζεὺς τερπικέραυνος

and the flash of bronze; and Zeus who hurls the thunderbolt among them...

Syntax notes5 items

14.204τοῦ ἐγὼ γένος εὔχομαι εἶναι
The relative pronoun τοῦ refers to Castor and depends on the infinitive εἶναι. γένος can be construed either as a predicate noun with εἶναι or as an accusative of respect ('with respect to descent'), meaning 'of whose lineage I claim to be.'
14.214καλάμην γέ σʼ ὀΐομαι εἰσορόωντα / γιγνώσκειν
The main verb ὀΐομαι governs an accusative-with-infinitive construction with the subject accusative σέ (σʼ) and the agreeing present participle εἰσορόωντα. The noun καλάμην ('stubble') is a metaphor representing the remnants of past strength, serving as the object of either εἰσορόωντα or γιγνώσκειν.
14.217ὁπότε κρίνοιμι
The optative without ἄν introduced by the relative adverb ὁπότε expresses past iterative action ('whenever I chose').
14.221ὅ τέ μοι εἴξειε πόδεσσιν
εἴξειε is the optative of εἴκω ('yield, give way'). The optative without ἄν in a relative clause expresses a past generalization or repetition ('whoever yielded to me').
14.253Βορέῃ ἀνέμῳ
The dative Βορέῃ ἀνέμῳ functions as a dative of instrument/means or accompaniment, indicating the favorable wind 'with' or 'by' which they sailed.

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:14.200-14.268