Penelope's Dream of the Geese and the Contest of Axes — Odyssey §19.536-19.604 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

χῆνές μοι κατὰ οἶκον ἐείκοσι πυρὸν ἔδουσιν

Twenty geese I have in the house, and they eat wheat

ἐξ ὕδατος¹, καί τέ σφιν ἰαίνομαι εἰσορόωσα·

soaked in water, and I am pleased as I look at them.

ἐλθὼν δʼ ἐξ ὄρεος μέγας αἰετὸς ἀγκυλοχείλης

But a great crooked-beaked eagle came down from the mountain,

πᾶσι κατʼ αὐχένας ἦξε καὶ ἔκτανεν· οἱ δʼ ἐκέχυντο

and broke the necks of them all and killed them; and they lay strewn

ἀθρόοι ἐν μεγάροις, ὁ δʼ ἐς αἰθέρα δῖαν ἀέρθη.

in heaps in the halls, while he rose up into the bright air.

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ κλαῖον καὶ ἐκώκυον ἔν περ ὀνείρῳ,

But I wept and wailed, even in my dream,

ἀμφὶ δʼ ἔμʼ ἠγερέθοντο ἐϋπλοκαμῖδες Ἀχαιαί,

and the fair-tressed Achaian women gathered around me,

οἴκτρʼ ὀλοφυρομένην ὅ² μοι αἰετὸς ἔκτανε χῆνας.

as I piteously lamented because the eagle had killed my geese.

ἂψ δʼ ἐλθὼν κατʼ ἄρʼ ἕζετʼ ἐπὶ προὔχοντι μελάθρῳ,

Then he came back and perched upon the jutting roof-beam,

φωνῇ δὲ βροτέῃ κατερήτυε φώνησέν τε·

and with a human voice he held me back and spoke:

θάρσει, Ἰκαρίου κούρη τηλεκλειτοῖο·

'Take heart, daughter of far-famed Icarius;

οὐκ ὄναρ, ἀλλʼ ὕπαρ ἐσθλόν, ὅ τοι τετελεσμένον ἔσται.

this is no dream, but a good reality, which shall be brought to pass.

χῆνες μὲν μνηστῆρες, ἐγὼ δέ τοι αἰετὸς ὄρνις

The geese are the suitors, and I, who was before the eagle bird,

ἦα πάρος, νῦν αὖτε τεὸς πόσις εἰλήλουθα,

have now come back as your own husband,

ὃς πᾶσι μνηστῆρσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφήσω.

who will bring a shameful fate upon all the suitors.'

ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐμὲ μελιηδὴς ὕπνος ἀνῆκε·

So he spoke, and sweet sleep let me go;

παπτήνασα δὲ χῆνας ἐνὶ μεγάροισι νόησα

and looking around I saw the geese in the halls

πυρὸν ἐρεπτομένους παρὰ πύελον, ἧχι πάρος περ.

eating their wheat by the trough, just as they had done before.

τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·

And answering her, resourceful Odysseus spoke:

ὦ γύναι, οὔ πως ἔστιν ὑποκρίνασθαι ὄνειρον

"Lady, there is no way to interpret the dream

ἄλλῃ ἀποκλίναντʼ, ἐπεὶ ἦ ῥά τοι αὐτὸς Ὀδυσσεὺς

by turning it in any other direction, since indeed Odysseus himself

πέφραδʼ ὅπως τελέει· μνηστῆρσι δὲ φαίνετʼ ὄλεθρος

has shown you how he will perform it; and destruction is plain for the suitors,

πᾶσι μάλʼ, οὐδέ κέ τις θάνατον καὶ κῆρας ἀλύξει.

for every one of them, nor shall any one escape death and his fate."

τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε περίφρων Πηνελόπεια·

To him in turn wise Penelope spoke:

ξεῖνʼ, ἦ τοι μὲν ὄνειροι ἀμήχανοι ἀκριτόμυθοι

"Stranger, dreams are indeed baffling and of speech hard to discern,

γίγνοντʼ, οὐδέ τι πάντα τελείεται ἀνθρώποισι.

nor do they all find fulfillment for men.

δοιαὶ γάρ τε πύλαι ἀμενηνῶν εἰσὶν ὀνείρων·

For two are the gates of shadow-like dreams;

αἱ μὲν γὰρ κεράεσσι τετεύχαται, αἱ δʼ ἐλέφαντι³·

one pair is made of horn, and the other of ivory.

τῶν οἳ μέν κʼ ἔλθωσι διὰ πριστοῦ ἐλέφαντος,

Those of them that come through the sawn ivory

οἵ ῥʼ ἐλεφαίρονται, ἔπεʼ ἀκράαντα φέροντες·

deceive, bringing words that find no fulfillment;

οἱ δὲ διὰ ξεστῶν κεράων ἔλθωσι θύραζε,

but those that come out through the polished horn,

οἵ ῥʼ ἔτυμα κραίνουσι, βροτῶν ὅτε κέν τις ἴδηται.

bring true results, when any mortal sees them.

ἀλλʼ ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν ὀΐομαι αἰνὸν ὄνειρον

But for myself, I do not think that my grim dream

ἐλθέμεν· ἦ κʼ ἀσπαστὸν ἐμοὶ καὶ παιδὶ γένοιτο.

came from there; indeed it would be welcome to me and to my son.

ἄλλο δέ τοι ἐρέω, σὺ δʼ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βάλλεο σῇσιν·

And another thing I will tell you, and do you lay it to your heart:

ἥδε δὴ ἠὼς εἶσι δυσώνυμος, ἥ μʼ Ὀδυσῆος

this morning of ill name will now come, which will separate me

οἴκου ἀποσχήσει· νῦν γὰρ καταθήσω ἄεθλον,

from the house of Odysseus; for now I will set a contest,

τοὺς πελέκεας, τοὺς κεῖνος ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἑοῖσιν

those axes which he in his own halls

ἵστασχʼ ἑξείης, δρυόχους ὥς⁴, δώδεκα πάντας·

used to set up in a row, like keel-blocks, twelve in all;

στὰς δʼ ὅ γε πολλὸν ἄνευθε διαρρίπτασκεν ὀϊστόν.

and standing far off, he would shoot an arrow through them.

νῦν δὲ μνηστήρεσσιν ἄεθλον τοῦτον ἐφήσω·

Now indeed I will set this contest for the suitors:

ὃς δέ κε ῥηΐτατʼ ἐντανύσῃ βιὸν ἐν παλάμῃσι

whichever shall most easily string the bow in his hands

καὶ διοϊστεύσῃ πελέκεων δυοκαίδεκα πάντων,

and shoot an arrow through all twelve axes,

τῷ κεν ἅμʼ ἑσποίμην, νοσφισσαμένη τόδε δῶμα

with him I would go, leaving this house

κουρίδιον, μάλα καλόν, ἐνίπλειον βιότοιο·

of my wedded life, very beautiful, full of livelihood;

τοῦ ποτὲ μεμνήσεσθαι ὀΐομαι ἔν περ ὀνείρῳ.

which I think I shall remember someday, even in my dreams."

τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς

And answering her, resourceful Odysseus spoke:

ὦ γύναι αἰδοίη Λαερτιάδεω Ὀδυσῆος,

"Honored wife of Odysseus, son of Laertes,

μηκέτι νῦν ἀνάβαλλε δόμοις ἔνι τοῦτον ἄεθλον·

do not delay this contest in the halls any longer;

πρὶν γάρ τοι πολύμητις ἐλεύσεται ἐνθάδʼ Ὀδυσσεύς,

for resourceful Odysseus will come here to you

πρὶν τούτους τόδε τόξον ἐΰξοον ἀμφαφόωντας

before they, handling this well-polished bow,

νευρήν τʼ ἐντανύσαι διοϊστεῦσαί τε σιδήρου.

shall string the cord and shoot through the iron."

τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε περίφρων Πηνελόπεια·

To him in turn wise Penelope spoke:

εἴ κʼ ἐθέλοις μοι, ξεῖνε, παρήμενος ἐν μεγάροισι

"If you would be willing, stranger, to sit beside me in the halls

τέρπειν, οὔ κέ μοι ὕπνος ἐπὶ βλεφάροισι χυθείη.

and delight me, sleep would not be poured over my eyelids.

ἀλλʼ οὐ γάρ πως ἔστιν ἀΰπνους ἔμμεναι αἰεὶ

But since it is in no way possible for men to remain

ἀνθρώπους· ἐπὶ γάρ τοι ἑκάστῳ μοῖραν ἔθηκαν

always sleepless; for the immortals have set a portion for everything

ἀθάνατοι θνητοῖσιν ἐπὶ ζείδωρον ἄρουραν.

for mortals upon the grain-giving earth.

ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι μὲν ἐγὼν ὑπερώϊον εἰσαναβᾶσα

But indeed, I will go up to my upper chamber

λέξομαι εἰς εὐνήν, ἥ μοι στονόεσσα τέτυκται,

and lie on my bed, which has become a place of groaning for me,

αἰεὶ δάκρυσʼ ἐμοῖσι πεφυρμένη, ἐξ οὗ Ὀδυσσεὺς

always wet with my tears, since the time Odysseus

ᾤχετʼ ἐποψόμενος Κακοΐλιον οὐκ ὀνομαστήν.

went to look upon evil Ilium, not to be named.

ἔνθα κε λεξαίμην· σὺ δὲ λέξεο τῷδʼ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ,

There I would lie; and do you lie down in this house,

ἢ χαμάδις στορέσας ἤ τοι κατὰ δέμνια θέντων.

either having strown your bed on the ground, or let them set a bedstead for you."

ὣς εἰποῦσʼ ἀνέβαινʼ ὑπερώϊα σιγαλόεντα,

So she spoke, and went up to her bright upper chamber,

οὐκ οἴη, ἅμα τῇ γε καὶ ἀμφίπολοι κίον ἄλλαι.

not alone, for with her went other handmaids as well.

ἐς δʼ ὑπερῷʼ ἀναβᾶσα σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισι γυναιξὶ

And having gone up to the upper chamber with her women handmaids,

κλαῖεν ἔπειτʼ Ὀδυσῆα, φίλον πόσιν, ὄφρα οἱ ὕπνον

she then wept for Odysseus, her dear husband, until

ἡδὺν ἐπὶ βλεφάροισι βάλε γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη.

flashing-eyed Athena cast sweet sleep upon her eyelids.

Syntax notes4 items

§19.537ἐξ ὕδατος
Literally "from water," modifying the "wheat" (πυρὸν) that the geese eat. It denotes either "wheat soaked in water to make it soft" or the manner of the geese taking and eating the wheat out of the water trough.
§19.543ὅ
Morphologically identical to the neuter singular accusative relative pronoun, but functioning here as a causal conjunction equivalent to ὅτι, meaning "because" or "in that."
§19.563κεράεσσι ... ἐλέφαντι
A famous ancient wordplay. It utilizes the homophony between the word for "ivory" (ἐλέφας) and the verb "to deceive" (ἐλεφαίρομαι), as well as "horn" (κέρας) and the verb "to fulfill" (κραίνω).
§19.574δρυόχους ὥς
Meaning "like keel-blocks (of a ship)." It metaphorically compares the twelve axes set up in a neat row to the wooden support blocks arranged in a line to hold up a ship's keel during construction.

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:19.536-19.604