Helen and Menelaus Recall the Cunning of Odysseus — Odyssey §4.216-4.288 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

ὣς ἔφατʼ, Ἀσφαλίων δʼ ἄρʼ ὕδωρ ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἔχευεν,

So he spoke, and Asphalion poured water over their hands,

ὀτρηρὸς θεράπων Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο.

the busy squire of glorious Menelaus.

οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον.

And they laid their hands upon the good things ready before them.

ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ ἄλλʼ ἐνόησʼ Ἑλένη Διὸς ἐκγεγαυῖα·

Then Helen, daughter of Zeus, turned her thoughts to another matter.

αὐτίκʼ ἄρʼ εἰς οἶνον βάλε φάρμακον, ἔνθεν ἔπινον,

Straightway she cast a drug into the wine from which they drank,

νηπενθές τʼ ἄχολόν τε, κακῶν ἐπίληθον ἁπάντων.

a drug to lull all pain and anger, and bring forgetfulness of every sorrow.

ὃς τὸ καταβρόξειεν¹, ἐπὴν κρητῆρι μιγείη,

Whoso should drink it down, when it had been mixed in the bowl,

οὔ κεν ἐφημέριός γε βάλοι κατὰ δάκρυ παρειῶν,

would not for that day let fall a tear down his cheeks,

οὐδʼ εἴ οἱ κατατεθναίη μήτηρ τε πατήρ τε,

not even if his mother and father should die,

οὐδʼ εἴ οἱ προπάροιθεν ἀδελφεὸν ἢ φίλον υἱὸν

nor if men should slay before his face with the bronze

χαλκῷ δηιόῳεν, ὁ δʼ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὁρῷτο.

his brother or his dear son, and he should behold it with his eyes.

τοῖα Διὸς θυγάτηρ ἔχε φάρμακα μητιόεντα,

Such cunning drugs had the daughter of Zeus,

ἐσθλά, τά οἱ Πολύδαμνα πόρεν, Θῶνος παράκοιτις

excellent ones, which Polydamna, the wife of Thon, had given her,

Αἰγυπτίη, τῇ πλεῖστα φέρει ζείδωρος ἄρουρα

the Egyptian woman, for there the earth, the giver of grain, bears

φάρμακα, πολλὰ μὲν ἐσθλὰ μεμιγμένα πολλὰ δὲ λυγρά·

drugs in greatest abundance, many that are healing when mixed, and many that are baneful;

ἰητρὸς δὲ ἕκαστος ἐπιστάμενος περὶ πάντων

and there every man is a physician skilled beyond all

ἀνθρώπων· ἦ γὰρ Παιήονός εἰσι γενέθλης.

men, for truly they are of the race of Paeon.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ἐνέηκε κέλευσέ τε οἰνοχοῆσαι,

Now when she had cast in the drug and bidden pour wine,

ἐξαῦτις μύθοισιν ἀμειβομένη προσέειπεν·

she answered and spoke once more, saying:

Ἀτρεΐδη Μενέλαε διοτρεφὲς ἠδὲ καὶ οἵδε

"Son of Atreus, Menelaus, nurtured by Zeus, and you also that are here,

ἀνδρῶν ἐσθλῶν παῖδες· ἀτὰρ θεὸς ἄλλοτε ἄλλῳ

sons of noble men; yet God gives good or ill to one man at one time

Ζεὺς ἀγαθόν τε κακόν τε διδοῖ· δύναται γὰρ ἅπαντα·

and to another at another, for he can do all things;

ἦ τοι νῦν δαίνυσθε καθήμενοι ἐν μεγάροισι

so now feast as you sit in the halls,

καὶ μύθοις τέρπεσθε· ἐοικότα γὰρ καταλέξω.

and delight yourselves with stories, for I will tell what is fitting.

πάντα μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἐγὼ μυθήσομαι οὐδʼ ὀνομήνω,

All of his deeds I cannot tell or name,

ὅσσοι Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονός εἰσιν ἄεθλοι·

even all the struggles of stout-hearted Odysseus;

ἀλλʼ οἷον τόδʼ ἔρεξε καὶ ἔτλη καρτερὸς ἀνὴρ

but what a deed was this which that mighty man wrought and endured

δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων, ὅθι πάσχετε πήματʼ Ἀχαιοί.

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

αὐτόν μιν πληγῇσιν ἀεικελίῃσι δαμάσσας,

Disfiguring himself with shameful stripes,

σπεῖρα κάκʼ ἀμφʼ ὤμοισι βαλών, οἰκῆι ἐοικώς,

and casting sordid rags about his shoulders, like a slave,

ἀνδρῶν δυσμενέων κατέδυ πόλιν εὐρυάγυιαν·

he entered the wide-wayed city of the foemen.

ἄλλῳ δʼ αὐτὸν φωτὶ κατακρύπτων ἤισκε,

And to cover his identity he made himself like to another,

δέκτῃ, ὃς οὐδὲν τοῖος ἔην ἐπὶ νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν².

a beggar, one who was in no wise such a one among the ships of the Achaeans.

τῷ ἴκελος κατέδυ Τρώων πόλιν, οἱ δʼ ἀβάκησαν

In this likeness he entered the city of the Trojans, and they all

πάντες· ἐγὼ δέ μιν οἴη ἀνέγνων τοῖον ἐόντα,

were unheeding; but I alone recognized him in this disguise,

καί μιν ἀνηρώτων· ὁ δὲ κερδοσύνῃ ἀλέεινεν.

and questioned him, but he in his craftiness eluded me.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή μιν ἐγὼ λόεον καὶ χρῖον ἐλαίῳ,

But when I was washing him and anointing him with oil,

ἀμφὶ δὲ εἵματα ἕσσα καὶ ὤμοσα καρτερὸν ὅρκον

and had clothed him in garments and sworn a mighty oath

μὴ μὲν πρὶν Ὀδυσῆα μετὰ Τρώεσσʼ ἀναφῆναι,

not to make Odysseus known among the Trojans

πρίν γε τὸν ἐς νῆάς τε θοὰς κλισίας τʼ ἀφικέσθαι,

until he should have reached the swift ships and the huts,

καὶ τότε δή μοι πάντα νόον κατέλεξεν Ἀχαιῶν.

then at length he told me all the purpose of the Achaeans.

πολλοὺς δὲ Τρώων κτείνας ταναήκεϊ χαλκῷ

And when he had slain many of the Trojans with the long-edged bronze,

ἦλθε μετʼ Ἀργείους, κατὰ δὲ φρόνιν ἤγαγε πολλήν.

he returned to the Argives, and brought back much tidings of their counsel.

ἔνθʼ ἄλλαι Τρῳαὶ λίγʼ ἐκώκυον· αὐτὰρ ἐμὸν κῆρ

Then the other Trojan women wailed aloud, but my heart

χαῖρʼ, ἐπεὶ ἤδη μοι κραδίη τέτραπτο νέεσθαι

was glad, for already my heart was turned to return

ἂψ οἶκόνδʼ, ἄτην δὲ μετέστενον, ἣν Ἀφροδίτη

back home, and I groaned for the madness which Aphrodite

δῶχʼ, ὅτε μʼ ἤγαγε κεῖσε φίλης ἀπὸ πατρίδος αἴης,

gave me, when she led me thither from my dear native land,

παῖδά τʼ ἐμὴν νοσφισσαμένην θάλαμόν τε πόσιν τε

severing me from my daughter and my bridal chamber, and my husband,

οὔ τευ δευόμενον, οὔτʼ ἂρ φρένας οὔτε τι εἶδος.

who lacked nothing, either in mind or in beauty."

τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·

And fair-haired Menelaus answered her, saying:

ναὶ δὴ ταῦτά γε πάντα, γύναι, κατὰ μοῖραν ἔειπες.

"Of a truth, wife, all this you have spoken aright.

ἤδη μὲν πολέων ἐδάην βουλήν τε νόον τε

Ere now I have known the counsel and the mind of many

ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων, πολλὴν δʼ ἐπελήλυθα γαῖαν·

hero warriors, and have travelled over much land,

ἀλλʼ οὔ πω τοιοῦτον ἐγὼν ἴδον ὀφθαλμοῖσιν,

but never yet have my eyes beheld such a one

οἷoν Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος ἔσκε φίλον κῆρ.

as was the heart of stout-hearted Odysseus.

οἷον καὶ τόδʼ ἔρεξε καὶ ἔτλη καρτερὸς ἀνὴρ

What a deed was this, too, which that mighty man wrought and endured

ἵππῳ ἔνι ξεστῷ, ἵνʼ ἐνήμεθα πάντες ἄριστοι

in the carved horse, wherein sat all we chiefs

Ἀργείων Τρώεσσι φόνον καὶ κῆρα φέροντες.

of the Argives, bearing death and fate to the Trojans.

ἦλθες ἔπειτα σὺ κεῖσε· κελευσέμεναι δέ σʼ ἔμελλε

Then you came thither; and it must be that some god bade you,

δαίμων, ὃς Τρώεσσιν ἐβούλετο κῦδος ὀρέξαι·

who willed to grant glory to the Trojans;

καί τοι Δηΐφοβος θεοείκελος ἕσπετʼ ἰούσῃ.

and godlike Deiphobus followed you as you went.

τρὶς δὲ περίστειξας κοῖλον λόχον ἀμφαφόωσα,

Thrice did you go round the hollow ambush, feeling it,

ἐκ δʼ ὀνομακλήδην Δαναῶν ὀνόμαζες ἀρίστους,

and you named aloud the chiefs of the Danaans,

πάντων Ἀργείων φωνὴν ἴσκουσʼ ἀλόχοισιν³.

mimicking the voices of the wives of all the Argives.

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ Τυδεΐδης καὶ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς

But I and the son of Tydeus and noble Odysseus,

ἥμενοι ἐν μέσσοισιν ἀκούσαμεν ὡς ἐβόησας.

sitting in the midst, heard how you called.

νῶι μὲν ἀμφοτέρω μενεήναμεν ὁρμηθέντε

Then we two were eager to spring up and come forth,

ἢ ἐξελθέμεναι, ἢ ἔνδοθεν αἶψʼ ὑπακοῦσαι·

or to answer straightway from within;

ἀλλʼ Ὀδυσεὺς κατέρυκε καὶ ἔσχεθεν ἱεμένω περ.

but Odysseus held us back and restrained us, despite our eagerness.

ἔνθʼ ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες ἀκὴν ἔσαν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,

Then all the other sons of the Achaeans held their peace,

Ἄντικλος δὲ σέ γʼ οἶος ἀμείψασθαι ἐπέεσσιν

and Anticlus alone was eager to answer you;

ἤθελεν. ἀλλʼ Ὀδυσεὺς ἐπὶ μάστακα χερσὶ πίεζεν

but Odysseus firmly closed his mouth with his strong hands,

νωλεμέως κρατερῇσι, σάωσε δὲ πάντας Ἀχαιούς·

ruthlessly, and saved all the Achaeans."

Syntax notes3 items

4.221ὃς τὸ καταβρόξειεν
The optative `καταβρόξειεν` without `ἄν` in the relative clause expresses a generalized potential condition ("whoever should swallow it down"). Along with the apodosis `οὔ κεν ... βάλοι` (potential optative with `κεν`), it forms a potential conditional sentence emphasizing the extraordinary power of the drug.
4.248δέκτῃ, ὃς οὐδὲν τοῖος ἔην ἐπὶ νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν
`δέκτῃ` (a beggar) stands in apposition to `φωτὶ` (man). The subsequent relative clause `ὃς οὐδὲν τοῖος ἔην...` ("who was in no wise such a one...") contrasts his disguised appearance as a wretched beggar with his true, heroic status among the Achaean ships.
4.279φωνὴν ἴσκουσʼ ἀλόχοισιν
The participle `ἴσκουσʼ` (mimicking, making like) governs the dative `ἀλόχοισιν` (wives), meaning "making (your) voice like to the wives of all the Argives."

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:4.216-4.288