§14.200ἀνέρος ἀφνειοῖο πάϊς· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι §14.201υἱέες ἐν μεγάρῳ ἠμὲν τράφεν ἠδʼ ἐγένοντο §14.202γνήσιοι ἐξ ἀλόχου· ἐμὲ δʼ ὠνητὴ τέκε μήτηρ §14.203παλλακίς, ἀλλά με ἶσον ἰθαιγενέεσσιν ἐτίμα §14.204Κάστωρ Ὑλακίδης, τοῦ ἐγὼ γένος εὔχομαι εἶναι §14.205ὃς τότʼ ἐνὶ Κρήτεσσι θεὸς ὣς τίετο δήμῳ §14.206ὄλβῳ τε πλούτῳ τε καὶ υἱάσι κυδαλίμοισιν.
I am the son of a wealthy man; and many other sons were born and reared in his hall, legitimate sons, from his wife; but a bought mother bore me, a concubine, yet he honored me equally with his legitimate sons, Castor, son of Hylax, of whose race I claim to be, who was then honored as a god among the Cretans in their land for prosperity and wealth and glorious sons.
§14.207ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι τὸν κῆρες ἔβαν θανάτοιο φέρουσαι §14.208εἰς Ἀΐδαο δόμους· τοὶ δὲ ζωὴν ἐδάσαντο §14.209παῖδες ὑπέρθυμοι καὶ ἐπὶ κλήρους ἐβάλοντο, §14.210αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ μάλα παῦρα δόσαν καὶ οἰκίʼ ἔνειμαν.
But indeed the fates of death came and bore him to the house of Hades; and they divided his livelihood, his proud sons, and cast lots for it, but to me they gave very little and assigned a dwelling.
§14.211ἠγαγόμην δὲ γυναῖκα πολυκλήρων ἀνθρώπων §14.212εἵνεκʼ ἐμῆς ἀρετῆς, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἀποφώλιος ἦα §14.213οὐδὲ φυγοπτόλεμος· νῦν δʼ ἤδη πάντα λέλοιπεν §14.214ἀλλʼ ἔμπης καλάμην γέ σʼ ὀΐομαι εἰσορόωντα §14.215γιγνώσκειν· ἦ γάρ με δύη ἔχει ἤλιθα πολλή.
Yet I married a wife from men of large estates, because of my valor, since I was not worthless nor a coward in war; but now all this has left me; yet still, I think, as you look upon the stubble, you can know it; for exceeding trouble holds me.
§14.216ἦ μὲν δὴ θάρσος μοι Ἄρης τʼ ἔδοσαν καὶ Ἀθήνη §14.217καὶ ῥηξηνορίην· ὁπότε κρίνοιμι λόχονδε §14.218ἄνδρας ἀριστῆας, κακὰ δυσμενέεσσι φυτεύων, §14.219οὔ ποτέ μοι θάνατον προτιόσσετο θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ, §14.220ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρώτιστος ἐπάλμενος ἔγχει ἕλεσκον §14.221ἀνδρῶν δυσμενέων ὅ τέ μοι εἴξειε πόδεσσιν.
Indeed Ares and Athena gave me courage and power to break through ranks of men, whenever I chose for an ambush the best men, sowing evils for the enemies, never did my proud heart foresee death for me, but leaping forward far the first, I would slay with my spear whoever of the enemy gave way to me in speed of foot.
§14.222τοῖος ἔα ἐν πολέμῳ· ἔργον δέ μοι οὐ φίλον ἔσκεν §14.223οὐδʼ οἰκωφελίη, ἥ τε τρέφει ἀγλαὰ τέκνα, §14.224ἀλλά μοι αἰεὶ νῆες ἐπήρετμοι φίλαι ἦσαν §14.225καὶ πόλεμοι καὶ ἄκοντες ἐΰξεστοι καὶ ὀϊστοί, §14.226λυγρά, τά τʼ ἄλλοισίν γε καταριγηλὰ πέλονται.
Such a man was I in war; but labor was not dear to me, nor household care, which rears glorious children, but always oared ships were dear to me, and wars and polished spears and arrows, grievous things, which to others are shuddering.
§14.227αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ τὰ φίλʼ ἔσκε τά που θεὸς ἐν φρεσὶ θῆκεν· §14.228ἄλλος γάρ τʼ ἄλλοισιν ἀνὴρ ἐπιτέρπεται ἔργοις.
But to me those things were dear which some god, I suppose, put in my heart; for different men delight in different deeds.
§14.229πρὶν μὲν γὰρ Τροίης ἐπιβήμεναι υἷας Ἀχαιῶν §14.230εἰνάκις ἀνδράσιν ἦρξα καὶ ὠκυπόροισι νέεσσιν §14.231ἄνδρας ἐς ἀλλοδαπούς, καί μοι μάλα τύγχανε πολλά.
For before the sons of the Achaeans set foot on Troy, nine times I led men and swift-faring ships against foreign men, and very many things fell to my lot.
§14.232τῶν ἐξαιρεύμην μενοεικέα, πολλὰ δʼ ὀπίσσω §14.233λάγχανον· αἶψα δὲ οἶκος ὀφέλλετο, καί ῥα ἔπειτα §14.234δεινός τʼ αἰδοῖός τε μετὰ Κρήτεσσι τετύγμην.
Of these I chose what pleased my heart, and many things afterward I obtained by lot; and quickly my house grew wealthy, and then I became feared and respected among the Cretans.
§14.235ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τήν γε στυγερὴν ὁδὸν εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς §14.236ἐφράσαθʼ, ἣ πολλῶν ἀνδρῶν ὑπὸ γούνατʼ ἔλυσε, §14.237δὴ τότʼ ἔμʼ ἤνωγον καὶ ἀγακλυτὸν Ἰδομενῆα §14.238νήεσσʼ ἡγήσασθαι ἐς Ἴλιον· οὐδέ τι μῆχος §14.239ἦεν ἀνήνασθαι, χαλεπὴ δʼ ἔχε δήμου φῆμις.
But when far-seeing Zeus devised that hateful journey, which loosed the knees of many men, then they urged me and glorious Idomeneus to lead the ships to Ilium; nor was there any way to refuse, for the harsh voice of the people constrained us.
§14.240ἔνθα μὲν εἰνάετες πολεμίζομεν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν, §14.241τῷ δεκάτῳ δὲ πόλιν Πριάμου πέρσαντες ἔβημεν §14.242οἴκαδε σὺν νήεσσι, θεὸς δʼ ἐκέδασσεν Ἀχαιούς.
There for nine years we sons of the Achaeans waged war, and in the tenth, having sacked Priam's city, we departed home with our ships, and a god scattered the Achaeans.
§14.243αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ δειλῷ κακὰ μήδετο μητίετα Ζεύς· §14.244μῆνα γὰρ οἶον ἔμεινα τεταρπόμενος τεκέεσσιν §14.245κουριδίῃ τʼ ἀλόχῳ καὶ κτήμασιν· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα §14.246Αἴγυπτόνδε με θυμὸς ἀνώγει ναυτίλλεσθαι, §14.247νῆας ἐῢ στείλαντα σὺν ἀντιθέοις ἑτάροισιν.
But for wretched me Zeus the counselor devised evils; for only a single month I remained, rejoicing in my children and my wedded wife and possessions; but afterward my heart urged me to voyage to Egypt, having well equipped ships with godlike companions.
§14.248ἐννέα νῆας στεῖλα, θοῶς δʼ ἐσαγείρατο λαός.
Nine ships I equipped, and the people were quickly gathered.
§14.249ἑξῆμαρ μὲν ἔπειτα ἐμοὶ ἐρίηρες ἑταῖροι §14.250δαίνυντʼ· αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἱερήϊα πολλὰ παρεῖχον §14.251θεοῖσίν τε ῥέζειν αὐτοῖσί τε δαῖτα πένεσθαι.
Then for six days my trusty companions feasted; but I provided many victims both to sacrifice to the gods and to prepare a feast for themselves.
§14.252ἑβδομάτῃ δʼ ἀναβάντες ἀπὸ Κρήτης εὐρείης §14.253ἐπλέομεν Βορέῃ ἀνέμῳ ἀκραέϊ καλῷ §14.254ῥηϊδίως, ὡς εἴ τε κατὰ ῥόον· οὐδέ τις οὖν μοι §14.255νηῶν πημάνθη, ἀλλʼ ἀσκηθέες καὶ ἄνουσοι §14.256ἥμεθα, τὰς δʼ ἄνεμός τε κυβερνῆταί τʼ ἴθυνον.
And on the seventh day, embarking from wide Crete, we sailed with a fresh and fair North wind easily, as if down a stream; nor did any of my ships suffer harm, but unscathed and free from disease we sat, while the wind and the helmsmen steered them.
§14.257πεμπταῖοι δʼ Αἴγυπτον ἐϋρρείτην ἱκόμεσθα, §14.258στῆσα δʼ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ποταμῷ νέας ἀμφιελίσσας.
On the fifth day we came to fair-flowing Egypt, and I moored my curved ships in the river Egypt.
§14.259ἔνθʼ ἦ τοι μὲν ἐγὼ κελόμην ἐρίηρας ἑταίρους §14.260αὐτοῦ πὰρ νήεσσι μένειν καὶ νῆας ἔρυσθαι, §14.261ὀπτῆρας δὲ κατὰ σκοπιὰς ὤτρυνα νέεσθαι· §14.262οἱ δʼ ὕβρει εἴξαντες, ἐπισπόμενοι μένεϊ σφῷ, §14.263αἶψα μάλʼ Αἰγυπτίων ἀνδρῶν περικαλλέας ἀγροὺς §14.264πόρθεον, ἐκ δὲ γυναῖκας ἄγον καὶ νήπια τέκνα, §14.265αὐτούς τʼ ἔκτεινον· τάχα δʼ ἐς πόλιν ἵκετʼ ἀϋτή.
Then indeed I ordered my trusty companions to remain there by the ships and protect the ships, and I urged lookouts to go to the watch-towers; but they, yielding to insolence, and led by their own strength, straightway began to ravage the beautiful fields of the Egyptian men, and carried off their wives and infant children, and slew the men; and quickly the cry reached the city.
§14.266οἱ δὲ βοῆς ἀΐοντες ἅμʼ ἠοῖ φαινομένηφιν §14.267ἦλθον· πλῆτο δὲ πᾶν πεδίον πεζῶν τε καὶ ἵππων §14.268χαλκοῦ τε στεροπῆς· ἐν δὲ Ζεὺς τερπικέραυνος
And they, hearing the cry, came at the appearing of dawn; and all the plain was filled with footmen and horses and the flash of bronze; and Zeus who hurls the thunderbolt among them...