Telemachus's Inquiry and Nestor's Recollections of Troy — Odyssey §3.74-3.145 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

ψυχὰς παρθέμενοι κακὸν ἀλλοδαποῖσι φέροντες;

jeopardizing their own lives, bringing evil to strangers?"

τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα

To him in turn wise Telemachus answered, taking courage;

θαρσήσας· αὐτὴ γὰρ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ θάρσος Ἀθήνη

for Athena herself placed courage in his heart, that he might ask him about his absent father,

θῆχʼ, ἵνα μιν περὶ πατρὸς ἀποιχομένοιο ἔροιτο¹

and that he might have good fame among men.

ἠδʼ ἵνα μιν κλέος ἐσθλὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἔχῃσιν·

ὦ Νέστορ Νηληϊάδη, μέγα κῦδος Ἀχαιῶν,

"O Nestor, son of Neleus, great glory of the Achaeans,

εἴρεαι ὁππόθεν εἰμέν· ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι καταλέξω.

you ask from where we are; and I will tell you fully.

ἡμεῖς ἐξ Ἰθάκης ὑπονηίου εἰλήλουθμεν·

We have come from Ithaca which is under Mount Neion;

πρῆξις δʼ ἥδʼ ἰδίη, οὐ δήμιος, ἣν ἀγορεύω.

and this business of which I speak is private, not public.

πατρὸς ἐμοῦ κλέος εὐρὺ μετέρχομαι, ἤν που ἀκούσω,

I go after the wide fame of my father, if anywhere I might hear of it,

δίου Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος, ὅν ποτέ φασι

of noble Odysseus of the enduring heart, who they say once fought by your side and sacked the city of the Trojans.

σὺν σοὶ μαρνάμενον Τρώων πόλιν ἐξαλαπάξαι.

ἄλλους μὲν γὰρ πάντας, ὅσοι Τρωσὶν πολέμιζον,

For of all the others, as many as warred against the Trojans,

πευθόμεθʼ, ἧχι ἕκαστος ἀπώλετο λυγρῷ ὀλέθρῳ,

we hear where each perished by a grievous death,

κείνου δʼ αὖ καὶ ὄλεθρον ἀπευθέα θῆκε Κρονίων.

but of him even the destruction the son of Cronos has made unknown.

οὐ γάρ τις δύναται σάφα εἰπέμεν ὁππόθʼ ὄλωλεν,

For no one is able to say clearly when he perished,

εἴθʼ ὅ γʼ ἐπʼ ἠπείρου δάμη ἀνδράσι δυσμενέεσσιν,

whether he was overcome on the mainland by hostile men,

εἴτε καὶ ἐν πελάγει μετὰ κύμασιν Ἀμφιτρίτης.

or also on the open sea among the waves of Amphitrite.

τοὔνεκα νῦν τὰ σὰ γούναθʼ ἱκάνομαι, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσθα

Therefore now I come to your knees, if you might be willing

κείνου λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον ἐνισπεῖν, εἴ που ὄπωπας

to tell of his grievous destruction, if anywhere you have seen it

ὀφθαλμοῖσι τεοῖσιν ἢ ἄλλου μῦθον ἄκουσας

with your own eyes, or have heard the story from another

πλαζομένου· πέρι γάρ μιν ὀιζυρὸν τέκε μήτηρ.

wanderer; for beyond measure did his mother bear him to be unhappy.

μηδέ τί μʼ αἰδόμενος μειλίσσεο μηδʼ ἐλεαίρων,

And do not in any way speak soft words to me out of respect or pity,

ἀλλʼ εὖ μοι κατάλεξον ὅπως ἤντησας ὀπωπῆς.

but tell me plainly how you met with the sight.

λίσσομαι, εἴ ποτέ τοί τι πατὴρ ἐμός, ἐσθλὸς Ὀδυσσεύς,

I entreat you, if ever at any time my father, noble Odysseus,

ἢ ἔπος ἠέ τι ἔργον ὑποστὰς ἐξετέλεσσε

promised and accomplished any word or deed for you

δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων, ὅθι πάσχετε πήματʼ Ἀχαιοί,

in the land of the Trojans, where you Achaeans suffered woes,

τῶν νῦν μοι μνῆσαι, καί μοι νημερτὲς ἐνίσπες.

remember these things now for me, and tell me the truth."

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ·

To him then answered Gerenian horseman Nestor:

ὦ φίλʼ, ἐπεί μʼ ἔμνησας ὀιζύος², ἣν ἐν ἐκείνῳ

"O friend, since you have reminded me of the sorrow which in that land we endured, we sons of the Achaeans, unbroken in our strength,

δήμῳ ἀνέτλημεν μένος ἄσχετοι υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,

ἠμὲν ὅσα ξὺν νηυσὶν ἐπʼ ἠεροειδέα πόντον

both all that we endured wandering with our ships over the misty deep after spoil, wherever Achilles led,

πλαζόμενοι κατὰ ληίδʼ, ὅπῃ ἄρξειεν Ἀχιλλεύς,

ἠδʼ ὅσα καὶ περὶ ἄστυ μέγα Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος

and all that we fought about the great city of king Priam;

μαρνάμεθʼ· ἔνθα δʼ ἔπειτα κατέκταθεν ὅσσοι ἄριστοι.

there indeed then all our best were slain.

ἔνθα μὲν Αἴας κεῖται ἀρήιος, ἔνθα δʼ Ἀχιλλεύς,

There lies warlike Ajax, and there Achilles,

ἔνθα δὲ Πάτροκλος, θεόφιν μήστωρ ἀτάλαντος,

and there Patroclus, a counselor equal to the gods,

ἔνθα δʼ ἐμὸς φίλος υἱός, ἅμα κρατερὸς καὶ ἀμύμων,

and there my own dear son, alike strong and noble,

Ἀντίλοχος, πέρι μὲν θείειν ταχὺς ἠδὲ μαχητής·

Antilochus, pre-eminent in running and a warrior;

ἄλλα τε πόλλʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς πάθομεν κακά· τίς κεν ἐκεῖνα

and many other evils besides these we suffered; who of mortal men could tell them all?

πάντα γε μυθήσαιτο³ καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων;

οὐδʼ εἰ πεντάετές γε καὶ ἑξάετες παραμίμνων

Not even if for five or six years you were to remain here and ask of all the evils which the noble Achaeans there suffered;

ἐξερέοις ὅσα κεῖθι πάθον κακὰ δῖοι Ἀχαιοί·

πρίν κεν ἀνιηθεὶς σὴν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκοιο.

before that you would return weary to your native land.

εἰνάετες γάρ σφιν κακὰ ῥάπτομεν ἀμφιέποντες

For nine years we were plotting evils against them, surrounding them with all manner of wiles, and hardly did the son of Cronos bring them to an end.

παντοίοισι δόλοισι, μόγις δʼ ἐτέλεσσε Κρονίων.

ἔνθʼ οὔ τίς ποτε μῆτιν ὁμοιωθήμεναι ἄντην

There no one ever wished to match himself in counsel openly with him, since far pre-eminent was noble Odysseus

ἤθελʼ, ἐπεὶ μάλα πολλὸν ἐνίκα δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς

παντοίοισι δόλοισι, πατὴρ τεός, εἰ ἐτεόν γε

in all manner of wiles—your father, if indeed you are truly

κείνου ἔκγονός ἐσσι· σέβας μʼ ἔχει εἰσορόωντα.

his offspring; wonder holds me as I look upon you.

ἦ τοι γὰρ μῦθοί γε ἐοικότες, οὐδέ κε φαίης

For indeed your speeches are like his, nor would you say

ἄνδρα νεώτερον ὧδε ἐοικότα μυθήσασθαι.

that a younger man could speak so like him.

ἔνθʼ ἦ τοι ἧος μὲν ἐγὼ καὶ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς

There indeed, as long as we were there, I and noble Odysseus

οὔτε ποτʼ εἰν ἀγορῇ δίχʼ ἐβάζομεν οὔτʼ ἐνὶ βουλῇ,

never spoke divisively either in assembly or in council,

ἀλλʼ ἕνα θυμὸν ἔχοντε νόῳ καὶ ἐπίφρονι βουλῇ

but having one heart, with mind and prudent counsel,

φραζόμεθʼ Ἀργείοισιν ὅπως ὄχʼ ἄριστα γένοιτο.

we advised the Argives how all things might be best for them.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ Πριάμοιο πόλιν διεπέρσαμεν αἰπήν,

But when we had sacked the steep city of Priam,

βῆμεν δʼ ἐν νήεσσι, θεὸς δʼ ἐκέδασσεν Ἀχαιούς,

and went in our ships, and a god scattered the Achaeans,

καὶ τότε δὴ Ζεὺς λυγρὸν ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μήδετο νόστον

even then Zeus devised in his mind a grievous return

Ἀργείοις, ἐπεὶ οὔ τι νοήμονες οὐδὲ δίκαιοι

for the Argives, since they were not all prudent or just;

πάντες ἔσαν· τῶ σφεων πολέες κακὸν οἶτον ἐπέσπον⁴

therefore many of them met with an evil fate

μήνιος ἐξ ὀλοῆς γλαυκώπιδος ὀβριμοπάτρης.

because of the destructive wrath of the flashing-eyed daughter of the mighty father.

ἥ τʼ ἔριν Ἀτρεΐδῃσι μετʼ ἀμφοτέροισιν ἔθηκε.

She set strife between the two sons of Atreus.

τὼ δὲ καλεσσαμένω ἀγορὴν ἐς πάντας Ἀχαιούς,

And they, having called an assembly of all the Achaeans,

μάψ, ἀτὰρ οὐ κατὰ κόσμον, ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα,

recklessly, and not in order, at the going down of the sun,

οἱ δʼ ἦλθον οἴνῳ βεβαρηότες υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,

and the sons of the Achaeans came heavy with wine,

μῦθον μυθείσθην, τοῦ εἵνεκα λαὸν ἄγειραν.

and they spoke their speech, for which reason they gathered the host.

ἔνθʼ ἤ τοι Μενέλαος ἀνώγει πάντας Ἀχαιοὺς

There indeed Menelaus bade all the Achaeans

νόστου μιμνήσκεσθαι ἐπʼ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης,

to remember their return over the broad back of the sea,

οὐδʼ Ἀγαμέμνονι πάμπαν ἑήνδανε· βούλετο γάρ ῥα

but it did not at all please Agamemnon; for he wished

λαὸν ἐρυκακέειν ῥέξαι θʼ ἱερὰς ἑκατόμβας,

to hold back the host and to offer sacred hecatombs,

ὡς τὸν Ἀθηναίης δεινὸν χόλον ἐξακέσαιτο,

that he might appease the dreadful wrath of Athena,

Syntax notes4 items

3.77ἵνα μιν περὶ πατρὸς ἀποιχομένοιο ἔροιτο
A purpose clause introduced by the conjunction ἵνα. Since it follows the historical main verb θῆχʼ, the verb of the subordinate clause, ἔροιτο, is in the optative mood (optative of oblique clause / historical sequence). The pronoun μιν (accusative) refers to Nestor, and the genitive πατρὸς ἀποιχομένοιο is governed by the verb of inquiring ἔροιτο ("ask about someone").
3.103ἐπεί μʼ ἔμνησας ὀιζύος
A causal clause introduced by the conjunction ἐπεί ("since"). The main clause to which it responds is separated by a long list of grievances, appearing in lines 113ff. (τίς κεν...) or 118 (εἰνάετες γάρ...). The pronoun μʼ (με, accusative) represents the speaker, and the genitive ὀιζύος is governed by the verb of reminding μιμνήσκω (here the active aorist ἔμνησας, "remind someone of something").
3.113τίς κεν ἐκεῖνα πάντα γε μυθήσαιτο
A rhetorical question using the optative mood (μυθήσαιτο) accompanied by the particle κεν (= ἄν). It expresses potentiality ("who could tell all those things? No one could").
3.134τῶ σφεων πολέες κακὸν οἶτον ἐπέσπον
A sentence introduced by the conjunctive adverb τῶ ("therefore"). The genitive pronoun σφεων (of them) limits the subject adjective/noun πολέες ("many of them"). The verb ἐπέσπον is the irregular aorist active 3rd person plural of ἐφέπω ("meet with, undergo, follow").

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:3.74-3.145