The Dog Argos Recognizes Odysseus and Dies — Odyssey §17.273-17.339 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

ῥεῖʼ ἔγνως, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ τά τʼ ἄλλα¹ πέρ ἐσσʼ ἀνοήμων.

'Easily did you perceive it, since indeed in other matters too you are not witless.

ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ φραζώμεθʼ ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα.

But come, let us consider how these matters shall be.

ἠὲ σὺ πρῶτος ἔσελθε δόμους εὖ ναιετάοντας,

Either do you first enter the well-built palace,

δύσεο δὲ μνηστῆρας, ἐγὼ δʼ ὑπολείψομαι αὐτοῦ·

and go among the suitors, and I will remain behind here;

εἰ δʼ ἐθέλεις, ἐπίμεινον, ἐγὼ δʼ εἶμι προπάροιθε·

or if you wish, wait here, and I will go on before;

μηδὲ σὺ δηθύνειν², μή τίς σʼ ἔκτοσθε νοήσας

and do not be long, lest someone should notice you outside,

ἢ βάλῃ ἢ ἐλάσῃ· τὰ δέ σε φράζεσθαι ἄνωγα.

and either pelt you or strike you; and I bid you think on these things.'

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς·

Then much-enduring noble Odysseus answered him:

γιγνώσκω, φρονέω· τά γε δὴ νοέοντι κελεύεις.

'I perceive, I understand; you command one who already has these things in mind.

ἀλλʼ ἔρχευ προπάροιθεν, ἐγὼ δʼ ὑπολείψομαι αὐτοῦ.

But go on before, and I will remain behind here.

οὐ γάρ τι πληγέων ἀδαήμων οὐδὲ βολάων·

For in no way am I unacquainted with blows or peltings;

τολμήεις μοι θυμός, ἐπεὶ κακὰ πολλὰ πέπονθα

my heart is enduring, since I have suffered many evils

κύμασι καὶ πολέμῳ· μετὰ καὶ τόδε τοῖσι γενέσθω³·

let this too be added to those;

γαστέρα δʼ οὔ πως ἔστιν⁴ ἀποκρύψαι μεμαυῖαν,

But the hungry belly there is no way to conceal,

οὐλομένην, ἣ πολλὰ κάκʼ ἀνθρώποισι δίδωσι,

destructive, which gives many evils to men,

τῆς ἕνεκεν καὶ νῆες ἐΰζυγοι ὁπλίζονται

for the sake of which even well-benched ships are fitted out

πόντον ἐπʼ ἀτρύγετον, κακὰ δυσμενέεσσι φέρουσαι.

over the barren sea, bringing evils to enemies.'

ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον·

Thus they spoke such words to one another;

ἂν δὲ κύων κεφαλήν τε καὶ οὔατα κείμενος ἔσχεν,

and a dog, lying there, raised his head and ears,

Ἄργος, Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος, ὅν ῥά ποτʼ αὐτὸς

Argos, the dog of hardy Odysseus, whom once he himself

θρέψε μέν, οὐδʼ ἀπόνητο, πάρος δʼ εἰς Ἴλιον ἱρὴν

reared, but had no joy of him, before he went to sacred Ilios.

ᾤχετο. τὸν δὲ πάροιθεν ἀγίνεσκον νέοι ἄνδρες

In times past young men used to lead him

αἶγας ἐπʼ ἀγροτέρας ἠδὲ πρόκας ἠδὲ λαγωούς·

after wild goats and roe-deer and hares;

δὴ τότε κεῖτʼ ἀπόθεστος ἀποιχομένοιο ἄνακτος,

but then, since his master had gone away, he lay neglected,

ἐν πολλῇ κόπρῳ, ἥ οἱ προπάροιθε θυράων

in the deep dung of mules and cattle, which was heaped

ἡμιόνων τε βοῶν τε ἅλις κέχυτʼ, ὄφρʼ ἂν ἄγοιεν

in front of the gates, until the servants of Odysseus

δμῶες Ὀδυσσῆος τέμενος μέγα κοπρήσοντες·

should carry it away to manure his wide estate;

ἔνθα κύων κεῖτʼ Ἄργος, ἐνίπλειος κυνοραιστέων.

there lay the dog Argos, full of dog-ticks.

δὴ τότε γʼ, ὡς ἐνόησεν Ὀδυσσέα ἐγγὺς ἐόντα,

Then, when he perceived Odysseus standing near,

οὐρῇ μέν ῥʼ ὅ γʼ ἔσηνε καὶ οὔατα κάββαλεν ἄμφω,

he wagged his tail and dropped both his ears,

ἆσσον δʼ οὐκέτʼ ἔπειτα δυνήσατο οἷο ἄνακτος

but he had no longer the strength to draw nearer

ἐλθέμεν· αὐτὰρ ὁ νόσφιν ἰδὼν ἀπομόρξατο δάκρυ,

to his master; and Odysseus looked aside and wiped away a tear,

ῥεῖα λαθὼν Εὔμαιον, ἄφαρ δʼ ἐρεείνετο μύθῳ·

easily hiding it from Eumaeus, and straightway asked him:

Εὔμαιʼ, ἦ μάλα θαῦμα, κύων ὅδε κεῖτʼ ἐνὶ κόπρῳ.

'Eumaeus, surely it is a great wonder that this dog lies in the dung.

καλὸς μὲν δέμας ἐστίν, ἀτὰρ τόδε γʼ οὐ σάφα οἶδα,

He is beautiful in build, but this I do not know for certain,

εἰ δὴ καὶ ταχὺς ἔσκε θέειν ἐπὶ εἴδεϊ τῷδε,

whether he was also swift in running with this beauty,

ἦ αὔτως οἷοί τε τραπεζῆες κύνες ἀνδρῶν

or if he was just like the table-dogs that men keep,

γίγνοντʼ· ἀγλαΐης δʼ ἕνεκεν κομέουσιν ἄνακτες.

and their masters care for them only for show.'

τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα·

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

καὶ λίην ἀνδρός γε κύων ὅδε τῆλε θανόντος.

'Yes, too truly this is the dog of a man who died far away.

εἰ τοιόσδʼ εἴη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ ἔργα,

If he were such in build and in deeds

οἷόν μιν Τροίηνδε κιὼν κατέλειπεν Ὀδυσσεύς,

as Odysseus left him when he went to Troy,

αἶψά κε θηήσαιο ἰδὼν ταχυτῆτα καὶ ἀλκήν.

you would soon marvel to see his speed and his strength.

οὐ μὲν γάρ τι φύγεσκε βαθείης βένθεσιν ὕλης

For in no way did any beast escape him in the depths of the deep woods,

κνώδαλον, ὅττι δίοιτο· καὶ ἴχνεσι γὰρ περιῄδη⁵·

whatever he chased; and he was exceedingly skilled in tracking.

νῦν δʼ ἔχεται κακότητι, ἄναξ δέ οἱ ἄλλοθι πάτρης

But now he is holden of misfortune, and his master has perished far from his country,

ὤλετο, τὸν δὲ γυναῖκες ἀκηδέες οὐ κομέουσι.

and the careless women take no care of him.

δμῶες δʼ, εὖτʼ ἂν μηκέτʼ ἐπικρατέωσιν ἄνακτες,

For servants, when their masters no longer rule them,

οὐκέτʼ ἔπειτʼ ἐθέλουσιν ἐναίσιμα ἐργάζεσθαι·

are no longer willing to do honest work;

ἥμισυ γάρ τʼ ἀρετῆς ἀποαίνυται εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς

for far-seeing Zeus takes away half of a man's virtue,

ἀνέρος, εὖτʼ ἄν μιν κατὰ δούλιον ἦμαρ ἕλῃσιν.

when the day of slavery catches him.'

ὣς εἰπὼν εἰσῆλθε δόμους εὖ ναιετάοντας,

So saying, he entered the well-built palace,

βῆ δʼ ἰθὺς μεγάροιο μετὰ μνηστῆρας ἀγαυούς.

and went straight through the hall among the proud suitors.

Ἄργον δʼ αὖ κατὰ μοῖρʼ ἔλαβεν μέλανος θανάτοιο,

But upon Argos came the fate of black death,

αὐτίκʼ ἰδόντʼ Ὀδυσῆα ἐεικοστῷ ἐνιαυτῷ.

as soon as he had seen Odysseus in the twentieth year.

τὸν δὲ πολὺ πρῶτος ἴδε Τηλέμαχος θεοειδὴς

And godlike Telemachus was far the first to see him,

ἐρχόμενον κατὰ δῶμα συβώτην, ὦκα δʼ ἔπειτα

even the swineherd, coming through the house, and quickly then

νεῦσʼ ἐπὶ οἷ καλέσας· ὁ δὲ παπτήνας ἕλε δίφρον

nodded, calling him to his side; and he, looking about, took a seat

κείμενον, ἔνθα τε δαιτρὸς ἐφίζεσκε κρέα πολλὰ

lying there, where the carver used to sit

δαιόμενος μνηστῆρσι δόμον κάτα δαινυμένοισι·

while carving much meat for the suitors feasting throughout the palace.

τὸν κατέθηκε φέρων πρὸς Τηλεμάχοιο τράπεζαν

This he carried and placed by Telemachus' table,

ἀντίον, ἔνθα δʼ ἄρʼ αὐτὸς ἐφέζετο· τῷ δʼ ἄρα κῆρυξ

opposite, and there he sat down; and then a herald

μοῖραν ἑλὼν ἐτίθει κανέου τʼ ἐκ σῖτον ἀείρας.

took a portion of meat and set it before him, and lifted bread from the basket.

ἀγχίμολον δὲ μετʼ αὐτὸν ἐδύσετο δώματʼ Ὀδυσσεύς,

And close after him Odysseus entered the palace,

πτωχῷ λευγαλέῳ ἐναλίγκιος ἠδὲ γέροντι,

like a wretched beggar and an old man,

σκηπτόμενος· τὰ δὲ λυγρὰ περὶ χροΐ εἵματα ἕστο⁶.

leaning on a staff; and he was clad in miserable clothes about his body.

ἷζε δʼ ἐπὶ μελίνου οὐδοῦ ἔντοσθε θυράων,

And he sat down on the ashen threshold inside the doorway.

Syntax notes6 items

§17.273τά τʼ ἄλλα
Accusative of respect (adverbial accusative) meaning "in other matters as well," limiting the adjective `ἀνοήμων`.
§17.278μηδὲ σὺ δηθύνειν
An infinitive used with the force of an imperative (imperative infinitive). The subject `σὺ` is expressed in the nominative case.
§17.285μετὰ καὶ τόδε τοῖσι γενέσθω
`μετά` is used adverbially, meaning "in addition" or "along with them," referring back to the demonstrative pronoun `τοῖσι` (pointing to past sufferings).
§17.286ἔστιν
An impersonal verb meaning "it is possible," with the recessive accent, taking the following infinitive `ἀποκρύψαι` as its complement.
§17.317περιῄδη
Third-person singular pluperfect of `περιοῖδα` (with imperfect force, "was exceedingly skilled"), governing the dative `ἴχνεσι` as a dative of respect or instrument ("in tracking").
§17.338ἕστο
Third-person singular pluperfect passive/middle of `ἕννυμι` (to clothe). Based on the double accusative construction in the active voice, the noun representing clothing (`εἵματα`) remains in the accusative.

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:17.273-17.339