The Fates of the Achaeans and Proteus' Prophecy — Odyssey §4.498-4.565 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

εἷς δʼ ἔτι που ζωὸς κατερύκεται εὐρέι πόντῳ.

And one, I ween, still lives and is held back on the wide sea.

Αἴας μὲν μετὰ νηυσὶ δάμη δολιχηρέτμοισι.

Ajax indeed was subdued among his long-oared ships.

Γυρῇσίν μιν πρῶτα Ποσειδάων ἐπέλασσεν

To the Gyraean rocks first Poseidon brought him,

πέτρῃσιν μεγάλῃσι καὶ ἐξεσάωσε θαλάσσης·

to those great rocks, and saved him from the sea.

καί νύ κεν ἔκφυγε κῆρα καὶ ἐχθόμενός περ Ἀθήνῃ,

And now he would have escaped his doom, though hated by Athena,

εἰ μὴ ὑπερφίαλον ἔπος ἔκβαλε καὶ μέγʼ ἀάσθη¹·

had he not uttered a boastful word and been greatly blinded;

φῆ ῥʼ ἀέκητι θεῶν φυγέειν μέγα λαῖτμα θαλάσσης.

for he declared that in spite of the gods he had escaped the great gulf of the sea.

τοῦ δὲ Ποσειδάων μεγάλʼ ἔκλυεν αὐδήσαντος·

And Poseidon heard him speaking thus boastfully;

αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτα τρίαιναν ἑλὼν χερσὶ στιβαρῇσιν

straightway then, taking his trident in his strong hands,

ἤλασε Γυραίην πέτρην, ἀπὸ δʼ ἔσχισεν αὐτήν·

he struck the Gyraean rock, and cleft it in twain;

καὶ τὸ μὲν αὐτόθι μεῖνε, τὸ δὲ τρύφος ἔμπεσε πόντῳ,

and one part remained there, but the splinter fell into the sea,

τῷ ῥʼ Αἴας τὸ πρῶτον ἐφεζόμενος μέγʼ ἀάσθη·

even that on which Ajax at first sat when he was greatly blinded;

τὸν δʼ ἐφόρει κατὰ πόντον ἀπείρονα κυμαίνοντα.

and it bore him down through the boundless surging deep.

ὣς ὁ μὲν ἔνθʼ ἀπόλωλεν, ἐπεὶ πίεν ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ.

Thus he perished there, when he had drunk the salty water.

σὸς δέ που ἔκφυγε κῆρας ἀδελφεὸς ἠδʼ ὑπάλυξεν

But your brother, I ween, escaped the fates and avoided them

ἐν νηυσὶ γλαφυρῇσι· σάωσε δὲ πότνια Ἥρη.

in his hollow ships; and queenly Hera saved him.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τάχʼ ἔμελλε Μαλειάων ὄρος αἰπὺ

But when he was now about to reach

ἵξεσθαι, τότε δή μιν ἀναρπάξασα θύελλα

the steep mountain of Malea, then indeed a tempest snatched him up

πόντον ἐπʼ ἰχθυόεντα φέρεν βαρέα στενάχοντα,

and bore him over the teeming sea, groaning heavily,

ἀγροῦ ἐπʼ ἐσχατιήν, ὅθι δώματα ναῖε Θυέστης

to the border of the land, where Thyestes dwelt

τὸ πρίν, ἀτὰρ τότʼ ἔναιε Θυεστιάδης Αἴγισθος.

before, but then dwelt Aegisthus, son of Thyestes.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ καὶ κεῖθεν ἐφαίνετο νόστος ἀπήμων,

But when from thence too a safe return was apparent,

ἂψ δὲ θεοὶ οὖρον στρέψαν, καὶ οἴκαδʼ ἵκοντο,

and the gods turned back the wind, and they reached home,

ἦ τοι ὁ μὲν χαίρων ἐπεβήσετο πατρίδος αἴης

then indeed he stepped with joy upon his fatherland,

καὶ κύνει ἁπτόμενος ἣν πατρίδα· πολλὰ δʼ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ

and kissed his country as he touched it; and many

δάκρυα θερμὰ χέοντʼ, ἐπεὶ ἀσπασίως ἴδε γαῖαν.

hot tears fell from him, since gladly he beheld his land.

τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ἀπὸ σκοπιῆς εἶδε σκοπός, ὅν ῥα καθεῖσεν

But a watchman saw him from his lookout, whom Aegisthus

Αἴγισθος² δολόμητις ἄγων, ὑπὸ δʼ ἔσχετο μισθὸν

of guileful counsel had set there and led, having promised him as a reward

χρυσοῦ δοιὰ τάλαντα· φύλασσε δʼ ὅ γʼ εἰς ἐνιαυτόν,

two talents of gold; and he kept watch for a year,

μή ἑ λάθοι παριών, μνήσαιτο δὲ θούριδος ἀλκῆς.

lest he should pass by him unawares, and be mindful of impetuous might.

βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἀγγελέων πρὸς δώματα ποιμένι λαῶν.

And he went to go to tell it to the palace to the shepherd of the host.

αὐτίκα δʼ Αἴγισθος δολίην ἐφράσσατο τέχνην·

And straightway Aegisthus planned a guileful trick:

κρινάμενος κατὰ δῆμον ἐείκοσι φῶτας ἀρίστους

having chosen out of the land twenty of the best men,

εἷσε λόχον, ἑτέρωθι δʼ ἀνώγει δαῖτα πένεσθαι.

he set them in ambush, and elsewhere he bade a feast be prepared.

αὐτὰρ ὁ βῆ καλέων Ἀγαμέμνονα, ποιμένα λαῶν

But he himself went to summon Agamemnon, shepherd of the host,

ἵπποισιν καὶ ὄχεσφιν, ἀεικέα μερμηρίζων.

with horses and chariots, planning unseemly deeds.

τὸν δʼ οὐκ εἰδότʼ ὄλεθρον ἀνήγαγε καὶ κατέπεφνεν

And him, knowing not his doom, he brought up and slew

δειπνίσσας³, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.

after feasting him, even as one slays an ox at the stall.

οὐδέ τις Ἀτρεΐδεω ἑτάρων λίπεθʼ οἵ οἱ ἕποντο,

Nor was any of the companions of the son of Atreus left, who followed him,

οὐδέ τις Αἰγίσθου, ἀλλʼ ἔκταθεν ἐν μεγάροισιν.

nor any of Aegisthus, but they were all slain in the halls.

ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐμοί γε κατεκλάσθη φίλον ἦτορ,

So he spoke, and my heart was broken within me;

κλαῖον δʼ ἐν ψαμάθοισι καθήμενος, οὐδέ νύ μοι κῆρ

and I sat weeping on the sands, nor did my heart

ἤθελʼ ἔτι ζώειν καὶ ὁρᾶν φάος ἠελίοιο.

wish any longer to live and to behold the light of the sun.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κλαίων τε κυλινδόμενός τε κορέσθην,

But when I was sated with weeping and rolling on the ground,

δὴ τότε με προσέειπε γέρων ἅλιος νημερτής·

then indeed the unerring old man of the sea spoke to me:

μηκέτι, Ἀτρέος υἱέ, πολὺν χρόνον ἀσκελὲς οὕτω

'No longer, son of Atreus, weep thus stubbornly for a long

κλαῖʼ, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἄνυσίν τινα δήομεν· ἀλλὰ τάχιστα

time, since we shall find no remedy; but most quickly

πείρα ὅπως κεν δὴ σὴν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκηαι.

strive that you may reach your fatherland.

ἢ γάρ μιν ζωόν γε κιχήσεαι, ἤ κεν Ὀρέστης

For either you will find him alive, or Orestes has

κτεῖνεν ὑποφθάμενος⁴, σὺ δέ κεν τάφου ἀντιβολήσαις.

already slain him, preventing you, and you may happen upon his funeral feast.'

ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ κραδίη καὶ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ

So he spoke, and my heart and proud spirit

αὖτις ἐνὶ στήθεσσι καὶ ἀχνυμένῳ περ ἰάνθη,

were again warmed within my breast, grieved though I was;

καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδων·

and I spoke to him and addressed him with winged words:

τούτους μὲν δὴ οἶδα· σὺ δὲ τρίτον ἄνδρʼ ὀνόμαζε,

'These indeed I know; but do you name the third man,

ὅς τις ἔτι ζωὸς κατερύκεται εὐρέι πόντῳ

who still lives and is held back on the wide sea,

ἠὲ θανών· ἐθέλω δὲ καὶ ἀχνύμενός περ ἀκοῦσαι.

or is dead; for I wish to hear of him, grieved though I am.'

ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπεν·

So I spoke, and he straightway answered, saying:

υἱὸς Λαέρτεω, Ἰθάκῃ ἔνι οἰκία ναίων·

'The son of Laertes, whose dwelling is in Ithaca;

τὸν δʼ ἴδον ἐν νήσῳ θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέοντα,

him I saw on an island shedding big tears,

νύμφης ἐν μεγάροισι Καλυψοῦς, ἥ μιν ἀνάγκῃ

in the halls of the nymph Calypso, who keeps him there by constraint;

ἴσχει· ὁ δʼ οὐ δύναται ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι·

and he cannot reach his fatherland;

οὐ γάρ οἱ πάρα νῆες ἐπήρετμοι καὶ ἑταῖροι,

for he has no oared ships and companions,

οἵ κέν μιν πέμποιεν ἐπʼ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.

who might speed him over the broad back of the sea.

σοὶ δʼ οὐ θέσφατόν ἐστι, διοτρεφὲς ὦ Μενέλαε,

But for you, Menelaus, nurtured of Zeus, it is not ordained

Ἄργει ἐν ἱπποβότῳ θανέειν⁵ καὶ πότμον ἐπισπεῖν,

to die and meet your fate in horse-pasturing Argos,

ἀλλά σʼ ἐς Ἠλύσιον πεδίον καὶ πείρατα γαίης

but to the Elysian plain and the ends of the earth

ἀθάνατοι πέμψουσιν, ὅθι ξανθὸς Ῥαδάμανθυς,

the immortals will send you, where is fair-haired Rhadamanthys,

τῇ περ ῥηίστη βιοτὴ πέλει ἀνθρώποισιν·

and where life is easiest for men;

Syntax notes5 items

4.502καί νύ κεν ἔκφυγε κῆρα ... εἰ μὴ ... ἔκβαλε καὶ ... ἀάσθη
A past contrary-to-fact conditional construction. The particle `κεν` combined with the indicative aorist (`ἔκφυγε`) in the apodosis, together with `εἰ μή` followed by the indicative aorist (`ἔκβαλε` and `ἀάσθη`) in the protasis, expresses a past hypothesis contrary to actual facts: "he would have escaped his doom, had he not uttered..."
4.524ὅν ῥα καθεῖσεν Αἴγισθος
Syntax of the relative pronoun `ὅν`. The relative pronoun `ὅν` refers back to the watchman (`σκοπός`) as its antecedent and functions as the direct object (accusative) of the verb `καθεῖσεν` ("set, placed"), explaining that Aegisthus was the one who had stationed him there.
4.534δειπνίσσας
Usage of the aorist active participle `δειπνίσσας`. It functions as an adverbial participle expressing temporal priority in relation to the main verb `κατέπεφνεν` ("slew him after having feasted/entertained him"), emphasizing the treacherous nature of the murder right before the famous ox simile.
4.546ἤ κεν Ὀρέστης κτεῖνεν ὑποφθάμενος
The particle `κεν` paired with the aorist indicative `κτεῖνεν` expresses past possibility or assumption ("or Orestes may have already slain him, anticipating you"). The participle `ὑποφθάμενος` ("having anticipated") is used adverbially to modify the main action of slaying.
4.561σοὶ δʼ οὐ θέσφατόν ἐστι ... θανέειν
Impersonal construction with an infinitive. The impersonal predicate `θέσφατόν ἐστι` ("it is decreed/ordained") takes the infinitive `θανέειν` ("to die") as its subject clause, while the dative pronoun `σοὶ` designates the logical subject of the infinitive ("it is not ordained for you to die").

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:4.498-4.565