Eumaeus on the Suitors' Waste and His Master's Loss — Odyssey §14.70-14.134 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

καὶ γὰρ κεῖνος ἔβη Ἀγαμέμνονος εἵνεκα τιμῆς

For he too went, for the sake of Agamemnon's honor,

Ἴλιον εἰς εὔπωλον, ἵνα Τρώεσσι μάχοιτο.

to Ilios famed for horses, that he might fight with the Trojans.

ὣς εἰπὼν ζωστῆρι θοῶς συνέεργε χιτῶνα,

So saying, he quickly girded his tunic with his belt,

βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἐς συφεούς, ὅθι ἔθνεα ἔρχατο χοίρων.

and went to the sties, where the herds of swine were penned.

ἔνθεν ἑλὼν δύʼ ἔνεικε καὶ ἀμφοτέρους ἱέρευσεν,

Taking two from there, he brought them and slaughtered both,

εὗσέ τε μίστυλλέν τε καὶ ἀμφʼ ὀβελοῖσιν ἔπειρεν.

and singed them, sliced them, and spitted them on spits.

ὀπτήσας δʼ ἄρα πάντα φέρων παρέθηκʼ Ὀδυσῆϊ

And having roasted all, he brought and set them before Odysseus,

θέρμʼ αὐτοῖς ὀβελοῖσιν· ὁ δʼ ἄλφιτα λευκὰ πάλυνεν·

hot on the spits themselves; and he sprinkled white barley over them.

ἐν δʼ ἄρα κισσυβίῳ κίρνη μελιηδέα οἶνον,

And in a wooden bowl he mixed honey-sweet wine,

αὐτὸς δʼ ἀντίον ἷζεν, ἐποτρύνων δὲ προσηύδα·

and sat down opposite him, and encouraging him, addressed him:

ἔσθιε νῦν, ὦ ξεῖνε, τά τε δμώεσσι πάρεστι,

“Eat now, stranger, such things as are at hand for the servants,

χοίρεʼ· ἀτὰρ σιάλους γε σύας μνηστῆρες ἔδουσιν,

young pigs; but the fat-fed hogs the suitors eat,

οὐκ ὄπιδα φρονέοντες ἐνὶ φρεσὶν οὐδʼ ἐλεητύν.

caring nothing in their hearts for the wrath of heaven nor pity.

οὐ μὲν σχέτλια ἔργα θεοὶ μάκαρες φιλέουσιν,

Surely the blessed gods do not love wicked deeds,

ἀλλὰ δίκην τίουσι καὶ αἴσιμα ἔργʼ ἀνθρώπων.

but they honor justice and the righteous deeds of men.

καὶ μὲν δυσμενέες καὶ ἀνάρσιοι¹, οἵ τʼ ἐπὶ γαίης

Even hostile and lawless men, who go upon the land

ἀλλοτρίης βῶσιν καί σφι Ζεὺς ληΐδα δώῃ,

of others, and Zeus grants them booty,

πλησάμενοι δέ τε νῆας ἔβαν οἶκόνδε νέεσθαι,

and having filled their ships, they depart to return home,

καὶ μὲν τοῖς ὄπιδος κρατερὸν δέος ἐν φρεσὶ πίπτει.

even upon their hearts falls a strong fear of the wrath of heaven.

οἵδε δὲ καί τι ἴσασι, θεοῦ δέ τινʼ ἔκλυον αὐδήν,

But these men know something, or have heard some voice of a god,

κείνου λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον, ὅτʼ οὐκ ἐθέλουσι δικαίως

concerning his dismal destruction, since they are unwilling justly

μνᾶσθαι οὐδὲ νέεσθαι ἐπὶ σφέτερʼ, ἀλλὰ ἕκηλοι

to woo, nor to return to their own homes, but at ease

κτήματα δαρδάπτουσιν ὑπέρβιον, οὐδʼ ἔπι φειδώ.

they greedily devour his possessions overbearingly, and there is no sparing.

ὅσσαι γὰρ νύκτες τε καὶ ἡμέραι ἐκ Διός εἰσιν,

For as many nights and days as come from Zeus,

οὔ ποθʼ ἓν ἱρεύουσʼ ἱερήϊον, οὐδὲ δύʼ οἴω·

never do they slaughter only one victim, nor two only, I think;

οἶνον δὲ φθινύθουσιν ὑπέρβιον ἐξαφύοντες.

and they waste his wine, drawing it off in overbearing fashion.

ἦ γάρ οἱ ζωή γʼ ἦν ἄσπετος· οὔ τινι τόσση

For indeed his livelihood was boundless; to no one of hero men

ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων, οὔτʼ ἠπείροιο μελαίνης

was there so much, neither on the dark mainland

οὔτʼ αὐτῆς Ἰθάκης· οὐδὲ ξυνεείκοσι φωτῶν

nor in Ithaca itself; not even twenty men together

ἔστʼ ἄφενος τοσσοῦτον· ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι καταλέξω.

have so much wealth; and I will reckon it up for you.

δώδεκʼ ἐν ἠπείρῳ ἀγέλαι· τόσα πώεα οἰῶν,

Twelve herds of kine on the mainland; as many flocks of sheep,

τόσσα συῶν συβόσια, τόσʼ αἰπόλια πλατέʼ αἰγῶν

as many droves of swine, as many wide-ranging herds of goats

βόσκουσι ξεῖνοί τε καὶ αὐτοῦ βώτορες ἄνδρες.

strangers and his own herdsmen pasture there.

ἐνθάδε δʼ αἰπόλια πλατέʼ αἰγῶν ἕνδεκα πάντα

And here in Ithaca eleven wide-ranging herds of goats in all

ἐσχατιῇ βόσκοντʼ, ἐπὶ δʼ ἀνέρες ἐσθλοὶ ὄρονται.

pasture at the border, and trusty men watch over them.

τῶν αἰεί σφιν ἕκαστος ἐπʼ ἤματι μῆλον ἀγινεῖ,

Of these, each man ever brings a beast day by day,

ζατρεφέων αἰγῶν ὅς τις φαίνηται ἄριστος.

whichever of the fat-fed goats appears the best.

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ σῦς τάσδε φυλάσσω τε ῥύομαί τε,

But I guard and protect these swine,

καί σφι συῶν τὸν ἄριστον ἐῢ κρίνας ἀποπέμπω.

and choosing well, I send the best of the swine to them.”

ὣς φάθʼ, ὁ δʼ ἐνδυκέως κρέα τʼ ἤσθιε πῖνέ τε οἶνον

So he spoke, and Odysseus eagerly ate the meat and drank the wine

ἁρπαλέως ἀκέων, κακὰ δὲ μνηστῆρσι φύτευεν.

greedily in silence, and was planting evils for the suitors.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δείπνησε καὶ ἤραρε θυμὸν ἐδωδῇ,

But when he had dined and satisfied his soul with food,

καί οἱ πλησάμενος δῶκε σκύφον, ᾧ περ ἔπινεν²,

and the swineherd filled and gave him the cup from which he himself drank,

οἴνου ἐνίπλειον· ὁ δʼ ἐδέξατο, χαῖρε δὲ θυμῷ,

full of wine; and he received it, and rejoiced in his heart,

καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

and speaking, he addressed him with winged words:

ὦ φίλε, τίς γάρ σε πρίατο³ κτεάτεσσιν ἑοῖσιν,

“Friend, who then bought you with his own possessions,

ὧδε μάλʼ ἀφνειὸς καὶ καρτερὸς ὡς ἀγορεύεις;

being so very rich and mighty as you say?

φῆς δʼ αὐτὸν φθίσθαι Ἀγαμέμνονος εἵνεκα τιμῆς.

And you say he perished for the sake of Agamemnon's honor.

εἰπέ μοι, αἴ κέ ποθι γνώω τοιοῦτον ἐόντα.

Tell me, if perchance I might know such a man.

Ζεὺς γάρ που τό γε οἶδε καὶ ἀθάνατοι θεοὶ ἄλλοι,

For Zeus, I suppose, knows this, and the other immortal gods,

εἴ κέ μιν ἀγγείλαιμι ἰδών⁴· ἐπὶ πολλὰ δʼ ἀλήθην.

whether I might bring news of having seen him; for I have wandered far.”

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα συβώτης, ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν·

Then the swineherd, leader of men, answered him:

ὦ γέρον, οὔ τις κεῖνον ἀνὴρ ἀλαλήμενος ἐλθὼν

“Old man, no wandering man who comes

ἀγγέλλων πείσειε γυναῖκά τε καὶ φίλον υἱόν,

and brings news would convince his wife and dear son,

ἀλλʼ ἄλλως κομιδῆς κεχρημένοι ἄνδρες ἀλῆται

but on the contrary, wandering men in need of shelter

ψεύδοντʼ, οὐδʼ ἐθέλουσιν ἀληθέα μυθήσασθαι.

lie, and are unwilling to speak the truth.

ὃς δέ κʼ ἀλητεύων Ἰθάκης ἐς δῆμον ἵκηται,

And whoever in his wanderings comes to the land of Ithaca,

ἐλθὼν ἐς δέσποιναν ἐμὴν ἀπατήλια βάζει·

go to my mistress and speak deceitful words;

ἡ δʼ εὖ δεξαμένη φιλέει καὶ ἕκαστα μεταλλᾷ,

and she, welcoming him kindly, treats him with love and questions each thing,

καί οἱ ὀδυρομένῃ βλεφάρων ἄπο δάκρυα πίπτει,

and as she mourns, tears fall from her eyelids,

ἣ θέμις ἐστὶ γυναικός, ἐπὴν πόσις ἄλλοθʼ ὄληται.

as is the custom for a woman when her husband perishes elsewhere.

αἶψά κε καὶ σύ, γεραιέ, ἔπος παρατεκτήναιο.

Quickly would you too, old man, fashion a story,

εἴ τίς τοι χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε εἵματα δοίη.

if someone would give you a cloak and a tunic for clothing.

τοῦ δʼ ἤδη μέλλουσι κύνες ταχέες τʼ οἰωνοὶ

But as for him, already swift dogs and birds of prey are likely

ῥινὸν ἀπʼ ὀστεόφιν ἐρύσαι, ψυχὴ δὲ λέλοιπεν·

to have torn the skin from his bones, and his life-breath has left him.

Syntax notes4 items

14.85καὶ μὲν δυσμενέες καὶ ἀνάρσιοι...
The nominatives δυσμενέες καὶ ἀνάρσιοι (line 85) form an anacoluthon (hanging nominative) that is resumed by the dative pronoun τοῖς in line 88, translating to "even as for hostile and lawless men... upon their hearts."
14.112ᾧ περ ἔπινεν
The relative pronoun ᾧ (ᾧ περ) refers to the antecedent σκύφον (line 112) and functions as a dative of instrument, meaning "the cup from which (with which) he himself drank."
14.115τίς γάρ σε πρίατο
The particle γάρ here introduces a question with a sense of wonder or strong interest, reacting to the interlocutor's previous statement, equivalent to "Who then, tell me, bought you...?"
14.120εἴ κέ μιν ἀγγείλαιμι ἰδών
The conjunction εἴ κε (εἰ ἄν) with the optative ἀγγείλαιμι forms a potential conditional clause with the main clause implied, expressing a tentative possibility ("if perchance I might bring news of him, having seen him"). The participle ἰδών carries a temporal or conditional force ("if I had seen him").

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:14.70-14.134