The Suitors' Ambush Plot and Penelope's Grief — Odyssey §4.636-4.706 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

δώδεκα θήλειαι, ὑπὸ δʼ ἡμίονοι¹ ταλαεργοὶ

twelve female horses, and under them are hard-working, unbroken mules;

ἀδμῆτες· τῶν κέν τινʼ ἐλασσάμενος δαμασαίμην.

some of which I would fain drive off and break in."

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἀνὰ θυμὸν ἐθάμβεον· οὐ γὰρ ἔφαντο

So he spoke, and they were amazed in spirit; for they did not think

ἐς Πύλον οἴχεσθαι Νηλήιον, ἀλλά που αὐτοῦ

that he had gone to Neleian Pylos, but that he was somewhere there

ἀγρῶν ἢ μήλοισι παρέμμεναι ἠὲ συβώτῃ.

on his lands, either among the sheep or with the swineherd.

τὸν δʼ αὖτʼ Ἀντίνοος προσέφη Εὐπείθεος υἱός·

Then Antinous, son of Eupeithes, spoke to him, saying:

νημερτές μοι ἔνισπε, πότʼ ᾤχετο καὶ τίνες αὐτῷ

"Tell me the truth, when did he go, and what

κοῦροι ἕποντʼ; Ἰθάκης ἐξαίρετοι, ἦ ἑοὶ αὐτοῦ

youths went with him? Were they chosen ones of Ithaca, or his own

θῆτές τε δμῶές τε; δύναιτό κε καὶ τὸ τελέσσαι.

hirelings and slaves? He might have accomplished even that.

καί μοι τοῦτʼ ἀγόρευσον ἐτήτυμον, ὄφρʼ ἐὺ εἰδῶ,

And tell me this truly, that I may know for sure,

ἤ σε βίῃ ἀέκοντος ἀπηύρα² νῆα μέλαιναν,

did he take away your black ship by force against your will,

ἦε ἑκών οἱ δῶκας, ἐπεὶ προσπτύξατο μύθῳ.

or did you give it to him willingly when he spoke to you and asked for it?"

τὸν δʼ υἱὸς Φρονίοιο Νοήμων ἀντίον ηὔδα·

Then Noemon, son of Phronius, answered him, saying:

αὐτὸς ἑκών οἱ δῶκα· τί κεν ῥέξειε καὶ ἄλλος,

"I gave it to him myself willingly. What else could anyone do,

ὁππότʼ ἀνὴρ τοιοῦτος ἔχων μελεδήματα θυμῷ

when a man like him, with cares in his heart,

αἰτίζῃ; χαλεπόν κεν ἀνήνασθαι δόσιν εἴη.

makes request? It would be hard to deny the gift.

κοῦροι δʼ, οἳ κατὰ δῆμον ἀριστεύουσι μεθʼ ἡμέας³,

And the youths who are the best in the land after ourselves,

οἵ οἱ ἕποντʼ· ἐν δʼ ἀρχὸν ἐγὼ βαίνοντʼ ἐνόησα

these are they that went with him. And among them I noticed as leader going on board

Μέντορα, ἠὲ θεόν, τῷ δʼ αὐτῷ πάντα ἐῴκει.

Mentor, or a god who was in all things like Mentor.

ἀλλὰ τὸ θαυμάζω· ἴδον ἐνθάδε Μέντορα δῖον

But at this I marvel: I saw noble Mentor here

χθιζὸν ὑπηοῖον, τότε δʼ ἔμβη νηὶ Πύλονδε.

yesterday at early dawn, but at that time he had embarked on the ship for Pylos."

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη πρὸς δώματα πατρός,

So saying, he went away to his father's house.

τοῖσιν δʼ ἀμφοτέροισιν ἀγάσσατο θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ.

But the proud heart of those two was filled with anger.

μνηστῆρας δʼ ἄμυδις κάθισαν καὶ παῦσαν ἀέθλων.

They made the suitors sit down together and cease from their games.

τοῖσιν δʼ Ἀντίνοος μετέφη Εὐπείθεος υἱός,

And Antinous, son of Eupeithes, spoke among them,

ἀχνύμενος· μένεος δὲ μέγα φρένες ἀμφιμέλαιναι

grieved; and his dark heart was filled with great

πίμπλαντʼ, ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐίκτην·

rage, and his eyes were like flashing fire:

ὢ πόποι, ἦ μέγα ἔργον ὑπερφιάλως ἐτελέσθη

"Out upon it! Verily a great deed has been insolently accomplished,

Τηλεμάχῳ ὁδὸς ἥδε· φάμεν δέ οἱ οὐ τελέεσθαι.

this journey of Telemachus; and we said he would never accomplish it.

ἐκ τοσσῶνδʼ ἀέκητι νέος πάϊς οἴχεται αὔτως

In spite of so many of us, a young boy is gone just like that,

νῆα ἐρυσσάμενος, κρίνας τʼ ἀνὰ δῆμον ἀρίστους.

having launched a ship, and having chosen the best in the land.

ἄρξει καὶ προτέρω κακὸν ἔμμεναι· ἀλλά οἱ αὐτῷ

He will begin to be a pest to us even further; but to him

Ζεὺς ὀλέσειε βίην, πρὶν ἥβης μέτρον ἱκέσθαι.

may Zeus destroy his strength, before he reaches the measure of manhood.

ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι δότε νῆα θοὴν καὶ εἴκοσʼ ἑταίρους,

But come, give me a swift ship and twenty companions,

ὄφρα μιν αὐτὸν ἰόντα λοχήσομαι ἠδὲ φυλάξω

so that I may lie in wait for him as he returns, and watch

ἐν πορθμῷ Ἰθάκης τε Σάμοιό τε παιπαλοέσσης,

in the strait between Ithaca and rugged Samos,

ὡς ἂν ἐπισμυγερῶς ναυτίλλεται εἵνεκα πατρός.

that so to his own sorrow he may voyage in search of his father."

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἐπῄνεον ἠδʼ ἐκέλευον.

So he spoke, and they all approved and urged him on.

αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτʼ ἀνστάντες ἔβαν δόμον εἰς Ὀδυσῆος.

Thereupon they rose up straightway and went to the house of Odysseus.

οὐδʼ ἄρα Πηνελόπεια πολὺν χρόνον ἦεν ἄπυστος

Nor indeed was Penelope long without knowledge

μύθων, οὓς μνηστῆρες ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βυσσοδόμευον·

of the words that the suitors were planning deep in their hearts;

κῆρυξ γάρ οἱ ἔειπε Μέδων, ὃς ἐπεύθετο βουλὰς

for the herald Medon told her, who had heard their counsels

αὐλῆς ἐκτὸς ἐών· οἱ δʼ ἔνδοθι μῆτιν ὕφαινον.

as he stood outside the court, while they within were weaving their plan.

βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἀγγελέων διὰ δώματα Πηνελοπείῃ·

And he went through the house to bring the news to Penelope;

τὸν δὲ κατʼ οὐδοῦ βάντα προσηύδα Πηνελόπεια·

and as he stepped over the threshold Penelope spoke to him:

κῆρυξ, τίπτε δέ σε πρόεσαν μνηστῆρες ἀγαυοί;

"Herald, why have the lordly suitors sent you forth?

ἦ εἰπέμεναι δμῳῇσιν Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο

Is it to tell the handmaids of divine Odysseus

ἔργων παύσασθαι, σφίσι δʼ αὐτοῖς δαῖτα πένεσθαι;

to cease from their labors, and make ready a feast for themselves?

μὴ μνηστεύσαντες⁴ μηδʼ ἄλλοθʼ ὁμιλήσαντες

Would that they might neither woo me nor gather elsewhere,

ὕστατα καὶ πύματα νῦν ἐνθάδε δειπνήσειαν·

but make this their last and latest feast now here!

οἳ θάμʼ ἀγειρόμενοι βίοτον κατακείρετε πολλόν,

You who gather often and waste much livelihood,

κτῆσιν Τηλεμάχοιο δαΐφρονος· οὐδέ τι πατρῶν

the wealth of wise Telemachus; and you have not heard at all from your fathers

ὑμετέρων τὸ πρόσθεν ἀκούετε, παῖδες ἐόντες,

in times past, when you were children,

οἷος Ὀδυσσεὺς ἔσκε μεθʼ ὑμετέροισι τοκεῦσιν,

what sort of man Odysseus was among your parents,

οὔτε τινὰ ῥέξας ἐξαίσιον οὔτε τι εἰπὼν

in that he did no wrong to any man nor spoke any lawless word

ἐν δήμῳ, ἥ τʼ ἐστὶ δίκη⁵ θείων βασιλήων·

among the people, which is the way of divine kings;

ἄλλον κʼ ἐχθαίρῃσι βροτῶν, ἄλλον κε φιλοίη.

one man a king will hate, another he may love.

κεῖνος δʼ οὔ ποτε πάμπαν ἀτάσθαλον ἄνδρα ἐώργει.

But he never did an unrighteous deed to any man at all.

ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν ὑμέτερος θυμὸς καὶ ἀεικέα ἔργα

But your mind and your unseemly deeds

φαίνεται, οὐδέ τίς ἐστι χάρις μετόπισθʼ ἐυεργέων.

are made manifest, and there is no gratitude hereafter for good deeds done."

τὴν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε Μέδων πεπνυμένα εἰδώς·

Then Medon answered her, with wise understanding:

αἲ γὰρ δή, βασίλεια, τόδε πλεῖστον κακὸν εἴη.

"Would indeed, O queen, that this were the greatest evil.

ἀλλὰ πολὺ μεῖζόν τε καὶ ἀργαλεώτερον ἄλλο

But a far greater and more grievous thing

μνηστῆρες φράζονται, ὃ μὴ τελέσειε Κρονίων·

the suitors are planning, which may the son of Cronos never accomplish!

Τηλέμαχον μεμάασι κατακτάμεν ὀξέι χαλκῷ

They are eager to slay Telemachus with the sharp bronze

οἴκαδε νισόμενον· ὁ δʼ ἔβη μετὰ πατρὸς ἀκουὴν

as he returns home; and he has gone for tidings of his father

ἐς Πύλον ἠγαθέην ἠδʼ ἐς Λακεδαίμονα δῖαν.

to sacred Pylos and to divine Lacedaemon."

ὣς φάτο, τῆς δʼ αὐτοῦ λύτο γούνατα καὶ φίλον ἦτορ,

So he spoke, and her knees and her heart failed her there,

δὴν δέ μιν ἀμφασίη ἐπέων λάβε· τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε

and long time speechlessness took possession of her; and her eyes

δακρυόφι πλῆσθεν, θαλερὴ δέ οἱ ἔσχετο φωνή.

were filled with tears, and her clear voice was choked.

ὀψὲ δὲ δή μιν ἔπεσσιν ἀμειβομένη προσέειπε·

But at last she found words, and answered him, saying:

Syntax notes5 items

4.636ὑπὸ δʼ ἡμίονοι
The preposition ὑπό is used adverbially, meaning "underneath [them]" (referring to the mares, θήλειαι in the previous line), indicating that the unbroken mules were still sucking under their mothers.
4.646ἀπηύρα
The verb ἀπηύρα takes a double accusative: the person (σε) and the thing (νῆα μέλαιναν). The following participle ἀέκοντος functions as a genitive absolute with the pronoun σοῦ understood, meaning "against your will."
4.652μεθʼ ἡμέας
The preposition μετά with the accusative indicates order or rank, meaning the youths who are the best in the community next to (or after) the suitors themselves.
4.684μὴ μνηστεύσαντες
The negative particle μή modifies the participles μνηστεύσαντες and ὁμιλήσαντες in connection with the optative of wish δειπνήσειαν in the next line. It expresses Penelope's strong desire that they may neither woo nor gather, making this their absolute last meal.
4.691δίκη
The noun δίκη does not carry the classical meaning of "justice" or "lawsuit" here, but rather means "custom," "habit," or "characteristic way" of divine kings.

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:4.636-4.706