Abuse from Melanthius and Arrival at the Palace — Odyssey §17.205-17.272 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

ἄστεος ἐγγὺς ἔσαν καὶ ἐπὶ κρήνην ἀφίκοντο

They were near the city and arrived at the spring,

τυκτὴν καλλίροον, ὅθεν ὑδρεύοντο πολῖται,

well-built and fair-flowing, from which the citizens drew water,

τὴν ποίησʼ Ἴθακος καὶ Νήριτος ἠδὲ Πολύκτωρ·

which Ithacus and Neritus and Polyctor had made.

ἀμφὶ δʼ ἄρʼ αἰγείρων ὑδατοτρεφέων ἦν ἄλσος,

And around it was a grove of water-nourished poplars,

πάντοσε κυκλοτερές, κατὰ δὲ ψυχρὸν ῥέεν ὕδωρ

circular on all sides, and cold water flowed down

ὑψόθεν ἐκ πέτρης· βωμὸς δʼ ἐφύπερθε τέτυκτο

from a high rock above; and an altar was built on top,

νυμφάων, ὅθι πάντες ἐπιρρέζεσκον ὁδῖται·

sacred to the nymphs, where all wayfarers used to make offerings.

ἔνθα σφέας ἐκίχανʼ υἱὸς Δολίοιο Μελανθεὺς

There Melanthius, son of Dolius, overtook them,

αἶγας ἄγων, αἳ πᾶσι μετέπρεπον αἰπολίοισι,

driving goats, which were the best of all the herds,

δεῖπνον μνηστήρεσσι· δύω δʼ ἅμʼ ἕποντο νομῆες.

as dinner for the suitors; and two herdsmen followed with him.

τοὺς δὲ ἰδὼν νείκεσσεν ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν,

Seeing them, he reviled them and spoke and called out to them,

ἔκπαγλον καὶ ἀεικές· ὄρινε δὲ κῆρ Ὀδυσῆος·

violently and unseemly; and he stirred the heart of Odysseus.

νῦν μὲν δὴ μάλα πάγχυ κακὸς κακὸν ἡγηλάζει,

'Now indeed the vile utterly guides the vile;

ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς ὡς τὸν ὁμοῖον¹.

as ever a god brings like to like.

πῇ δὴ τόνδε μολοβρὸν ἄγεις, ἀμέγαρτε συβῶτα,

Whither indeed do you lead this greedy pig, you wretched swineherd,

πτωχὸν ἀνιηρόν δαιτῶν ἀπολυμαντῆρα;

a troublesome beggar, the spoiler of feasts?

ὃς πολλῇς φλιῇσι παραστὰς θλίψεται ὤμους,

He will stand by many doorposts and rub his shoulders,

αἰτίζων ἀκόλους, οὐκ ἄορας οὐδὲ λέβητας·

begging for scraps of bread, not for swords or cauldrons.

τόν κʼ εἴ μοι δοίης σταθμῶν ῥυτῆρα γενέσθαι

If you would give him to me to be a keeper of the farmstead,

σηκοκόρον τʼ ἔμεναι θαλλόν τʼ ἐρίφοισι φορῆναι,

and to sweep the pens and carry green shoots to the kids,

καί κεν ὀρὸν πίνων μεγάλην ἐπιγουνίδα θεῖτο.

then by drinking whey he might get a stout thigh.

ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν δὴ ἔργα κάκʼ ἔμμαθεν, οὐκ ἐθελήσει

But since indeed he has learned only bad ways, he will not wish

ἔργον ἐποίχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πτώσσων κατὰ δῆμον

to go about work, but skulking through the land

βούλεται αἰτίζων βόσκειν ἣν γαστέρʼ ἄναλτον.

he prefers to feed his insatiable belly by begging.

ἀλλʼ ἔκ τοι ἐρέω, τὸ δὲ καὶ τετελεσμένον ἔσται·

But I tell you plainly, and it shall surely be fulfilled:

αἴ κʼ ἔλθῃ πρὸς δώματʼ Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο,

if he comes to the palace of divine Odysseus,

πολλά οἱ ἀμφὶ κάρη σφέλα ἀνδρῶν ἐκ παλαμάων

many footstools from the hands of men about his head

πλευραὶ ἀποτρίψουσι² δόμον κάτα βαλλομένοιο.

will wear out his ribs as he is pelted through the house.'

ὣς φάτο, καὶ παριὼν λὰξ ἔνθορεν ἀφραδίῃσιν

So he spoke, and as he passed by, he foolishly kicked him

ἰσχίῳ· οὐδέ μιν ἐκτὸς ἀταρπιτοῦ ἐστυφέλιξεν,

on the hip; yet he did not jolt him out of the pathway,

ἀλλʼ ἔμενʼ ἀσφαλέως· ὁ δὲ μερμήριξεν Ὀδυσσεὺς

but he stood firm; and Odysseus pondered

ἠὲ μεταΐξας ῥοπάλῳ ἐκ θυμὸν ἕλοιτο,

whether he should spring upon him and take his life with his staff,

ἦ πρὸς γῆν ἐλάσειε κάρη ἀμφουδὶς ἀείρας.

or lift him by the head and dash him to the ground.

ἀλλʼ ἐπετόλμησε, φρεσὶ δʼ ἔσχετο· τὸν δὲ συβώτης

Yet he endured it, and restrained himself in his heart; and the swineherd

νείκεσʼ ἐσάντα ἰδών, μέγα δʼ εὔξατο χεῖρας ἀνασχών·

looked him in the face and chid him, and prayed aloud, lifting up his hands:

νύμφαι κρηναῖαι, κοῦραι Διός, εἴ ποτʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς

'Nymphs of the spring, daughters of Zeus, if ever Odysseus

ὔμμʼ ἐπὶ μηρίʼ ἔκηε, καλύψας πίονι δημῷ,

burned for you the thigh-pieces, wrapping them in rich fat,

ἀρνῶν ἠδʼ ἐρίφων, τόδε μοι κρηήνατʼ ἐέλδωρ,

of lambs or of kids, grant me this my prayer,

ὡς ἔλθοι μὲν κεῖνος ἀνήρ, ἀγάγοι δέ ἑ δαίμων·

that that man may return, and may a god guide him;

τῷ κέ τοι ἀγλαΐας γε διασκεδάσειεν ἁπάσας,

then would he scatter all the proud display,

τὰς νῦν ὑβρίζων φορέεις, ἀλαλήμενος αἰεὶ

which you now insultingly display, wandering ever

ἄστυ κάτʼ· αὐτὰρ μῆλα κακοὶ φθείρουσι νομῆες.

about the city; while bad shepherds destroy the flock.'

τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε Μελάνθιος, αἰπόλος αἰγῶν·

And to him in turn Melanthius, the goatherd, spoke:

ὢ πόποι, οἶον ἔειπε κύων ὀλοφώϊα εἰδώς,

'Ha! What a word has this dog spoken, full of mischievous thoughts!

τόν ποτʼ ἐγὼν ἐπὶ νηὸς ἐϋσσέλμοιο μελαίνης

Whom I will some day take on a well-benched black ship

ἄξω τῆλʼ Ἰθάκης, ἵνα μοι βίοτον πολὺν ἄλφοι.

far from Ithaca, that he might bring me much livelihood.

αἲ γὰρ Τηλέμαχον βάλοι ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων

Would that silver-bowed Apollo might strike Telemachus

σήμερον ἐν μεγάροις, ἢ ὑπὸ μνηστῆρσι δαμείη,

today in the halls, or that he might be laid low by the suitors,

ὡς Ὀδυσῆΐ γε τηλοῦ ἀπώλετο νόστιμον ἦμαρ.

even as for Odysseus the day of return has perished far away.'

ὣς εἰπὼν τοὺς μὲν λίπεν αὐτοῦ ἦκα κιόντας,

So saying, he left them there as they walked slowly on,

αὐτὰρ ὁ βῆ, μάλα δʼ ὦκα δόμους ἵκανεν ἄνακτος.

but he strode on and very quickly reached the house of the master.

αὐτίκα δʼ εἴσω ἴεν, μετὰ δὲ μνηστῆρσι καθῖζεν,

Straightway he went in, and sat down among the suitors,

ἀντίον Εὐρυμάχου· τὸν γὰρ φιλέεσκε μάλιστα.

opposite Eurymachus; for he loved him best of all.

τῷ πάρα μὲν κρειῶν μοῖραν θέσαν οἳ πονέοντο,

Near him those who served placed a portion of meat,

σῖτον δʼ αἰδοίη ταμίη παρέθηκε φέρουσα

and the venerable housekeeper brought bread and set it before him to eat.

ἔδμεναι. ἀγχίμολον δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς καὶ δῖος ὑφορβὸς

And close at hand Odysseus and the noble swineherd drew near and stood.

στήτην ἐρχομένω, περὶ δέ σφεας ἤλυθʼ ἰωὴ

And about them came the sound of the hollow lyre;

φόρμιγγος γλαφυρῆς· ἀνὰ γάρ σφισι βάλλετʼ ἀείδειν³

for Phemius was striking up to sing to them;

Φήμιος· αὐτὰρ ὁ χειρὸς ἑλὼν προσέειπε συβώτην·

and Odysseus took the swineherd by the hand and spoke to him:

Εὔμαιʼ, ἦ μάλα δὴ τάδε δώματα κάλʼ Ὀδυσῆος,

'Eumaeus, surely this is the beautiful house of Odysseus,

ῥεῖα δʼ ἀρίγνωτʼ ἐστὶ καὶ ἐν πολλοῖσιν ἰδέσθαι.

and easily might it be known and distinguished even among many.

ἐξ ἑτέρων ἕτερʼ ἐστίν, ἐπήσκηται δέ οἱ αὐλὴ

Part rises from part, and the courtyard is adorned with

τοίχῳ καὶ θριγκοῖσι, θύραι δʼ εὐερκέες εἰσὶ

a wall and copings, and there are well-fenced double doors;

δικλίδες· οὐκ ἄν τίς μιν ἀνὴρ ὑπεροπλίσσαιτο.

no man indeed could despise it.

γιγνώσκω δʼ ὅτι πολλοὶ ἐν αὐτῷ δαῖτα τίθενται

And I perceive that many men are holding a feast within,

ἄνδρες, ἐπεὶ κνίση μὲν ἀνήνοθεν, ἐν δέ τε φόρμιγξ

since the steam of fat rises, and the lyre

ἠπύει, ἣν ἄρα δαιτὶ θεοὶ ποίησαν ἑταίρην.

sounds, which the gods have made the companion of the feast.'

τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα·

And answering him, you addressed him, O swineherd Eumaeus:

Syntax notes3 items

§17.218ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς ὡς τὸν ὁμοῖον
The second ὡς functions as a preposition taking the accusative (here referring to a person, τὸν ὁμοῖον) meaning 'to' or 'towards'. This is a characteristic epic and Attic usage of ὡς restricted to personal objects. The first ὡς is an adverbial or conjunctional introductory word ('how' or 'truly'), not a correlative.
§17.231πολλά οἱ ἀμφὶ κάρη σφέλα ἀνδρῶν ἐκ παλαμάων / πλευραὶ ἀποτρίψουσι
There is debate on whether σφέλα (footstools, neuter plural) or πλευραὶ (ribs/sides, feminine plural) is the subject of ἀποτρίψουσι. It is most naturally interpreted with σφέλα as the subject and πλευραὶ as the object (or vice versa, meaning his ribs will wear out the many footstools thrown at him). Under the preferred reading, the footstools flying from the men's hands will wear down his ribs.
§17.262ἀνὰ γάρ σφισι βάλλετʼ ἀείδειν
The phrase ἀνὰ ... βάλλετʼ (representing βάλλετο) is a tmesis of the compound verb ἀναβάλλω, meaning 'to strike up' or 'to begin to sing' when accompanied by the infinitive ἀείδειν ('began to sing for them').

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:17.205-17.272