Amphimedon's Account and Agamemnon's Praise — Odyssey §24.143-24.213 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

μηνῶν φθινόντων, περὶ δʼ ἤματα πόλλʼ ἐτελέσθη,

as the months waned, and many days were fulfilled,

καὶ τότε δή τις ἔειπε γυναικῶν, ἣ σάφα ᾔδη,

and then indeed one of the women who knew clearly spoke,

καὶ τήν γʼ ἀλλύουσαν¹ ἐφεύρομεν ἀγλαὸν ἱστόν.

and we caught her unravelling the splendid web.

ὣς τὸ μὲν ἐξετέλεσσε καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλουσʼ, ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης.

Thus she finished it, even against her will, under necessity.

εὖθʼ ἡ φᾶρος ἔδειξεν, ὑφήνασα μέγαν ἱστόν,

When she showed the robe, having woven the great web,

πλύνασʼ, ἠελίῳ ἐναλίγκιον ἠὲ σελήνῃ,

and washed it, and it was like the sun or the moon,

καὶ τότε δή ῥʼ Ὀδυσῆα κακός ποθεν ἤγαγε δαίμων

and then indeed some evil spirit brought Odysseus from somewhere

ἀγροῦ ἐπʼ ἐσχατιήν, ὅθι δώματα ναῖε συβώτης.

to the border of the estate, where the swineherd dwelt.

ἔνθʼ ἦλθεν φίλος υἱὸς Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο,

There came the dear son of divine Odysseus,

ἐκ Πύλου ἠμαθόεντος ἰὼν σὺν νηῒ μελαίνῃ·

returning from sandy Pylos with his black ship;

τὼ δὲ μνηστῆρσιν θάνατον κακὸν ἀρτύναντε

and the two, having plotted evil death for the suitors,

ἵκοντο προτὶ ἄστυ περικλυτόν, ἦ τοι Ὀδυσσεὺς

came to the famous city; indeed, Odysseus

ὕστερος, αὐτὰρ Τηλέμαχος πρόσθʼ ἡγεμόνευε.

was behind, while Telemachus led the way before him.

τὸν δὲ συβώτης ἦγε κακὰ χροῒ εἵματʼ ἔχοντα,

The swineherd led him, wearing wretched clothes upon his body,

πτωχῷ λευγαλέῳ ἐναλίγκιον ἠδὲ γέροντι

resembling a miserable beggar and an old man,

σκηπτόμενον· τὰ δὲ λυγρὰ περὶ χροῒ εἵματα ἕστο·

leaning on a staff; and he was clad in wretched garments about his body.

οὐδέ τις ἡμείων δύνατο γνῶναι τὸν ἐόντα

And none of us could recognize him as being who he was,

ἐξαπίνης προφανέντʼ, οὐδʼ οἳ προγενέστεροι ἦσαν,

when he suddenly appeared, not even those who were older,

ἀλλʼ ἔπεσίν τε κακοῖσιν ἐνίσσομεν ἠδὲ βολῇσιν.

but we assailed him with evil words and with peltings.

αὐτὰρ ὁ τῆος ἐτόλμα ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἑοῖσι

But he for a time endured in his own halls,

βαλλόμενος καὶ ἐνισσόμενος τετληότι θυμῷ·

being pelted and assailed, with a patient heart;

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή μιν ἔγειρε Διὸς νοός αἰγιόχοιο,

but when indeed the mind of Aegis-bearing Zeus aroused him,

σὺν μὲν Τηλεμάχῳ περικαλλέα τεύχεʼ ἀείρας

in company with Telemachus he took up the beautiful armor

ἐς θάλαμον κατέθηκε καὶ ἐκλήϊσεν ὀχῆας,

and laid them away in the chamber, and shot the bolts,

αὐτὰρ ὁ ἣν ἄλοχον πολυκερδείῃσιν ἄνωγε

but he with great cunning urged his wife

τόξον μνηστήρεσσι θέμεν πολιόν τε σίδηρον,

to set before the suitors the bow and the grey iron,

ἡμῖν αἰνομόροισιν ἀέθλια καὶ φόνου ἀρχήν.

as prizes for us ill-fated ones, and the beginning of slaughter.

οὐδέ τις ἡμείων δύνατο κρατεροῖο βιοῖο

And not one of us was able of the strong bow

νευρὴν ἐντανύσαι, πολλὸν δʼ ἐπιδευέες ἦμεν.

to string the cord; for we were far lacking in strength.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε χεῖρας ἵκανεν Ὀδυσσῆος μέγα τόξον,

But when the great bow came to the hands of Odysseus,

ἔνθʼ ἡμεῖς μὲν πάντες ὁμοκλέομεν ἐπέεσσι

then we all cried out with words

τόξον μὴ δόμεναι², μηδʼ εἰ μάλα πολλʼ ἀγορεύοι·

not to give him the bow, not even if he should speak ever so much;

Τηλέμαχος δέ μιν οἶος ἐποτρύνων ἐκέλευσεν.

but Telemachus alone urged and commanded him.

αὐτὰρ ὁ δέξατο χειρὶ πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς,

And he received it in his hand, much-enduring noble Odysseus,

ῥηϊδίως δʼ ἐτάνυσσε βιόν, διὰ δʼ ἧκε σιδήρου,

and easily he strung the bow, and sent an arrow through the iron,

στῆ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπʼ οὐδὸν ἰών, ταχέας δʼ ἐκχεύατʼ ὀϊστοὺς

and then he went and stood upon the threshold, and poured out the swift arrows,

δεινὸν παπταίνων, βάλε δʼ Ἀντίνοον βασιλῆα.

glaring terribly around, and shot Antinous the king.

αὐτὰρ ἔπειτʼ ἄλλοις ἐφίει βέλεα στονόεντα,

Then thereafter against the others he let fly his tearful shafts,

ἄντα τιτυσκόμενος· τοὶ δʼ ἀγχιστῖνοι ἔπιπτον.

aiming straight; and they fell thick and fast.

γνωτὸν δʼ ἦν ὅ ῥά τίς σφι θεῶν ἐπιτάρροθος ἦεν·

And it was plain that some god was their helper;

αὐτίκα γὰρ κατὰ δώματʼ ἐπισπόμενοι μένεϊ σφῷ

for straightway throughout the halls, following their own fury,

κτεῖνον ἐπιστροφάδην, τῶν δὲ στόνος ὤρνυτʼ ἀεικὴς

they slew right and left, and there arose a dreadful moaning

κράτων τυπτομένων, δάπεδον δʼ ἅπαν αἵματι θῦεν.

as heads were smitten, and all the floor reeked with blood.

ὣς ἡμεῖς, Ἀγάμεμνον, ἀπωλόμεθʼ, ὧν ἔτι καὶ νῦν

Thus we perished, Agamemnon, and still even now

σώματʼ ἀκηδέα κεῖται ἐνὶ μεγάροις Ὀδυσῆος·

our bodies lie uncared for in the halls of Odysseus;

οὐ γάρ πω ἴσασι φίλοι κατὰ δώμαθʼ ἑκάστου,

for our friends in the house of each do not yet know,

οἵ κʼ ἀπονίψαντες μέλανα βρότον ἐξ ὠτειλέων

who might wash the dark blood from our wounds,

κατθέμενοι γοάοιεν· ὃ γὰρ γέρας ἐστὶ θανόντων.

and lay us out and wail for us; for this is the due of the dead.

τὸν δʼ αὖτε ψυχὴ προσεφώνεεν Ἀτρεΐδαο·

And to him the soul of the son of Atreus spoke in turn:

ὄλβιε Λαέρταο πάϊ, πολυμήχανʼ Ὀδυσσεῦ,

“Happy son of Laertes, Odysseus of many devices,

ἦ ἄρα σὺν μεγάλῃ ἀρετῇ ἐκτήσω ἄκοιτιν.

surely with great virtue didst thou win thy wife.

ὡς ἀγαθαὶ φρένες ἦσαν ἀμύμονι Πηνελοπείῃ,

How noble were the thoughts of blameless Penelope,

κούρῃ Ἰκαρίου· ὡς εὖ μέμνητʼ Ὀδυσῆος,

daughter of Icarius; how well she remembered Odysseus,

ἀνδρὸς κουριδίου· τῷ οἱ³ κλέος οὔ ποτʼ ὀλεῖται

her wedded husband! Therefore the fame of her virtue shall never perish,

ἧς ἀρετῆς⁴, τεύξουσι δʼ ἐπιχθονίοισιν ἀοιδὴν

and the immortals shall make for men on earth a lovely song

ἀθάνατοι χαρίεσσαν ἐχέφρονι Πηνελοπείῃ,

for wise Penelope.

οὐχ ὡς Τυνδαρέου κούρη κακὰ μήσατο ἔργα,

Not so did the daughter of Tyndareus devise evil deeds,

κουρίδιον κτείνασα πόσιν, στυγερὴ δέ τʼ ἀοιδὴ

slaying her wedded husband; and a hateful song

ἔσσετʼ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπους, χαλεπὴν δέ τε φῆμιν ὀπάσσει

shall be among men, and she will bring evil repute

θηλυτέρῃσι γυναιξί, καὶ ἥ κʼ εὐεργὸς ἔῃσιν.

upon all womankind, even upon her who does well.”

ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον,

Thus they spoke to one another,

ἑσταότʼ εἰν Ἀΐδαο δόμοις, ὑπὸ κεύθεσι γαίης·

standing in the halls of Hades, beneath the secret places of the earth.

οἱ δʼ ἐπεὶ ἐκ πόλιος κατέβαν, τάχα δʼ ἀγρὸν ἵκοντο

But when the others had gone down from the city, quickly they came to the field

καλὸν Λαέρταο τετυγμένον, ὅν ῥά ποτʼ αὐτὸς

beautiful and well-tilled of Laertes, which he himself

Λαέρτης κτεάτισσεν, ἐπεὶ μάλα πόλλʼ ἐμόγησεν.

Laertes had acquired, after he had toiled very much.

ἔνθα οἱ οἶκος ἔην, περὶ δὲ κλίσιον θέε πάντη,

There was his house, and a shed ran all around it,

ἐν τῷ σιτέσκοντο καὶ ἵζανον ἠδὲ ἴαυον

in which ate and sat and slept

δμῶες ἀναγκαῖοι, τοί οἱ φίλα ἐργάζοντο.

the thralls who of necessity worked to do his pleasure.

ἐν δὲ γυνὴ Σικελὴ γρηῢς πέλεν, ἥ ῥα γέροντα

And in it was an old Sicilian woman, who

ἐνδυκέως κομέεσκεν ἐπʼ ἀγροῦ, νόσφι πόληος.

carefully tended the old man on the estate, far from the city.

ἔνθʼ Ὀδυσεὺς δμώεσσι καὶ υἱέϊ μῦθον ἔειπεν·

There Odysseus spoke to the thralls and to his son:

Syntax notes4 items

§24.145τήν γʼ ἀλλύουσαν
The participle ἀλλύουσαν serves as a predicative adjunct to the direct object pronoun τήν (referring to Penelope) after the verb of perception ἐφεύρομεν, forming the construction "we found her unravelling [the web]."
§24.174μὴ δόμεναι
The infinitive δόμεναι (an Aeolic/Homeric form of διδόναι) with the negative particle μή functions as an indirect command ("not to give the bow") depending on the preceding verb of commanding, ὁμοκλέομεν.
§24.196τῷ οἱ
τῷ is a conjunctival adverb meaning "therefore," derived from the neuter dative singular of the demonstrative pronoun. It is syntactically distinct from the adjacent personal pronoun dative οἱ ("to her / for her").
§24.197ἧς ἀρετῆς
ἧς is the feminine genitive singular of the third-person possessive adjective ὅς ("his/her own"), not the relative pronoun. It modifies the noun ἀρετῆς, and together they act as a genitive of cause or possession modifying κλέος ("fame of her own virtue").

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:24.143-24.213