Antinous Throws a Footstool and Odysseus Endures the Blow — Odyssey §17.408-17.472 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

καί κέν μιν τρεῖς μῆνας ἀπόπροθεν οἶκος ἐρύκοι¹.

'And then his own home would keep him far away for three months.'

ὣς ἄρʼ ἔφη, καὶ θρῆνυν ἑλὼν ὑπέφηνε τραπέζης

So he spoke, and taking the footstool, he showed it from beneath the table

κείμενον, ᾧ ῥʼ ἔπεχεν λιπαροὺς πόδας εἰλαπινάζων·

where it lay, on which he used to rest his sleek feet while feasting.

οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι πάντες δίδοσαν, πλῆσαν δʼ ἄρα πήρην

But all the others gave, and filled the bag

σίτου καὶ κρειῶν· τάχα δὴ καὶ ἔμελλεν Ὀδυσσεὺς

with bread and meat; and soon Odysseus was about

αὖτις ἐπʼ οὐδὸν ἰὼν προικὸς γεύσεσθαι Ἀχαιῶν·

to go back to the threshold and taste the Achaeans' charity.

στῆ δὲ παρʼ Ἀντίνοον, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε·

And he stood near Antinous, and spoke to him:

δός, φίλος· οὐ μέν μοι δοκέεις ὁ κάκιστος Ἀχαιῶν

'Give, friend; you do not seem to me to be the worst of the Achaeans,

ἔμμεναι, ἀλλʼ ὤριστος, ἐπεὶ βασιλῆϊ ἔοικας.

but the best, since you look like a king.

τῷ σε χρὴ δόμεναι καὶ λώϊον ἠέ περ ἄλλοι

Therefore you ought to give even better bread than the others;

σίτου²· ἐγὼ δέ κέ σε κλείω κατʼ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν.

and I would praise you over the limitless earth.

καὶ γὰρ ἐγώ ποτε οἶκον ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἔναιον

For I too once lived in a rich house among men,

ὄλβιος ἀφνειὸν καὶ πολλάκι δόσκον ἀλήτῃ,

happy, and often gave to a wanderer,

τοίῳ ὁποῖος ἔοι καὶ ὅτευ κεχρημένος ἔλθοι·

whoever he might be and with whatever need he came.

ἦσαν δὲ δμῶες μάλα μυρίοι ἄλλα τε πολλὰ

And I had countless servants and many other things

οἷσίν τʼ εὖ ζώουσι καὶ ἀφνειοὶ καλέονται.

by which men live well and are called wealthy.

ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς ἀλάπαξε Κρονίων—ἤθελε γάρ που—

But Zeus, son of Cronos, ruined me—for so, I suppose, he willed—

ὅς μʼ ἅμα ληϊστῆρσι πολυπλάγκτοισιν ἀνῆκεν

who sent me with wandering pirates to go to Egypt,

Αἴγυπτόνδʼ ἰέναι, δολιχὴν ὁδόν, ὄφρʼ ἀπολοίμην.

a long journey, that I might be destroyed.

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 bade 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 sentinels to go to the watchtowers.

οἱ δʼ ὕβρει εἴξαντες, ἐπισπόμενοι μένεϊ σφῷ,

But they, yielding to insolence and following their own impulse,

αἶψα μάλʼ Αἰγυπτίων ἀνδρῶν περικαλλέας ἀγροὺς

straightway plundered the very beautiful fields of the Egyptian men,

πόρθεον, ἐκ δὲ γυναῖκας ἄγον καὶ νήπια τέκνα,

and carried off the women and young children,

αὐτούς τʼ ἔκτεινον· τάχα δʼ ἐς πόλιν ἵκετʼ ἀϋτή.

and killed the men; and soon the cry reached the city.

οἱ δὲ βοῆς ἀΐοντες ἅμʼ ἠοῖ φαινομένηφιν

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

ἦλθον· πλῆτο δὲ πᾶν πεδίον πεζῶν τε καὶ ἵππων

and the whole 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,

φύζαν ἐμοῖς ἑτάροισι κακὴν βάλεν, οὐδέ τις ἔτλη

cast a miserable panic among my companions, and no one dared

στῆναι ἐναντίβιον· περὶ γὰρ κακὰ πάντοθεν ἔστη.

to stand and face the enemy; for disaster stood around them on every side.

ἔνθʼ ἡμέων πολλοὺς μὲν ἀπέκτανον ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ,

There indeed they killed many of us with the sharp bronze,

τοὺς δʼ ἄναγον ζωούς, σφίσιν ἐργάζεσθαι ἀνάγκῃ.

and others they led away alive, to work for them by constraint.

αὐτὰρ ἔμʼ ἐς Κύπρον ξείνῳ δόσαν ἀντιάσαντι,

But they gave me to a stranger who met them to take to Cyprus,

Δμήτορι Ἰασίδῃ, ὃς Κύπρου ἶφι ἄνασσεν·

Dmetor, son of Iasus, who ruled mightily over Cyprus;

ἔνθεν δὴ νῦν δεῦρο τόδʼ ἵκω πήματα πάσχων.

whence indeed I have now come hither, suffering woes.'

τὸν δʼ αὖτʼ Ἀντίνοος ἀπαμείβετο φώνησέν τε·

And Antinous answered him, saying:

τίς δαίμων τόδε πῆμα προσήγαγε, δαιτὸς ἀνίην;

'What god brought this plague hither, this nuisance of a feast?

στῆθʼ οὕτως ἐς μέσσον, ἐμῆς ἀπάνευθε τραπέζης,

Stand as you are, out in the middle, away from my table,

μὴ τάχα πικρὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ Κύπρον ἵκηαι·

lest you soon come to a bitter Egypt and Cyprus;

ὥς τις θαρσαλέος καὶ ἀναιδής ἐσσι προΐκτης.

for you are a bold and shameless beggar.

ἑξείης πάντεσσι παρίστασαι· οἱ δὲ διδοῦσι

You stand near all in turn, and they give

μαψιδίως, ἐπεὶ οὔ τις ἐπίσχεσις οὐδʼ ἐλεητὺς

recklessly, since there is no restraint or pity in giving

ἀλλοτρίων χαρίσασθαι³, ἐπεὶ πάρα πολλὰ ἑκάστῳ.

what belongs to others, when each has abundance.'

τὸν δʼ ἀναχωρήσας προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·

Then much-scheming Odysseus drew back and addressed him:

ὢ πόποι, οὐκ ἄρα σοί γʼ ἐπὶ εἴδεϊ καὶ φρένες ἦσαν·

'Ah, surely you have no mind to match your beauty!

οὐ σύ γʼ ἂν ἐξ οἴκου σῷ ἐπιστάτῃ οὐδʼ ἅλα δοίης,

You would not give even salt from your own house to your suppliant,

ὃς νῦν ἀλλοτρίοισι παρήμενος οὔ τί μοι ἔτλης

you who now, sitting at another's table, did not dare

σίτου ἀποπροελὼν δόμεναι· τὰ δὲ πολλὰ πάρεστιν.

to take and give me even a pinch of bread; and yet there is abundance.'

ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀντίνοος δʼ ἐχολώσατο κηρόθι μᾶλλον,

So he spoke, and Antinous grew still more angry in his heart,

καί μιν ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

and looking fiercely at him, he spoke winged words:

νῦν δή σʼ οὐκέτι καλὰ διὲκ μεγάροιό γʼ ὀΐω

'Now indeed I think you will no longer make a safe retreat

ἂψ ἀναχωρήσειν, ὅτε δὴ καὶ ὀνείδεα βάζεις.

out through the hall, since you even utter insults.'

ὣς ἄρʼ ἔφη, καὶ θρῆνυν ἑλὼν βάλε δεξιὸν ὦμον,

So he spoke, and taking the footstool, he struck his right shoulder,

πρυμνότατον κατὰ νῶτον· ὁ δʼ ἐστάθη ἠΰτε πέτρη

at the very base of his back. But he stood as firm as a rock,

ἔμπεδον, οὐδʼ ἄρα μιν σφῆλεν βέλος Ἀντινόοιο,

unshaken, nor did the missile of Antinous make him stumble;

ἀλλʼ ἀκέων κίνησε κάρη, κακὰ βυσσοδομεύων.

but in silence he shook his head, planning evil in the deep of his heart.

ἂψ δʼ ὅ γʼ ἐπʼ οὐδὸν ἰὼν κατʼ ἄρʼ ἕζετο, κὰδ δʼ ἄρα πήρην

And going back to the threshold, he sat down, and laid

θῆκεν ἐϋπλείην, μετὰ δὲ μνηστῆρσιν ἔειπε·

down his well-filled bag, and spoke among the suitors:

κέκλυτέ μευ, μνηστῆρες ἀγακλειτῆς βασιλείης,

'Hear me, suitors of the glorious queen,

ὄφρʼ εἴπω τά με θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι κελεύει.

that I may say what the heart in my breast bids me.

οὐ μὰν οὔτʼ ἄχος ἐστὶ μετὰ φρεσὶν οὔτε τι πένθος,

Truly there is no pain in the heart, nor any grief,

ὁππότʼ ἀνὴρ περὶ οἷσι μαχειόμενος κτεάτεσσι

when a man is struck while fighting for his own possessions,

βλήεται, ἢ περὶ βουσὶν ἢ ἀργεννῇς ὀΐεσσιν·

either for his oxen or for his white sheep;'

Syntax notes3 items

§17.408καί κέν μιν τρεῖς μῆνας ἀπόπροθεν οἶκος ἐρύκοι
Potential optative with κέν + optative (ἐρύκοι). The subject οἶκος refers either to the beggar's own home or a distant dwelling. Antinous speaks sarcastically: 'if all the suitors gave him as much, his own home would keep him away for three months' (meaning he would be so well supplied that he wouldn't bother them for a long time).
§17.417λωΐον ἠέ περ ἄλλοι σίτου
The genitive σίτου is a partitive genitive dependent on the comparative neuter adjective used substantively λωΐον ('better portion of food'). The comparison is completed by ἠέ περ ἄλλοι ('than the others').
§17.451ἐπεὶ οὔ τις ἐπίσχεσις οὐδʼ ἐλεητὺς ἀλλοτρίων χαρίσασθαι
The genitive ἀλλοτρίων ('other people's property') acts as the object of the infinitive χαρίσασθαι ('to give generously'). The infinitive itself is explanatory, limiting the nouns ἐπίσχεσις ('restraint') and ἐλεητὺς ('pity'), meaning 'there is no restraint or pity in giving away what belongs to others'.

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:17.408-17.472