§14.402ξεῖνʼ, οὕτω γάρ κέν μοι ἐϋκλείη τʼ ἀρετή τε §14.403εἴη ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπους ἅμα τʼ αὐτίκα καὶ μετέπειτα, §14.404ὅς σʼ ἐπεὶ ἐς κλισίην ἄγαγον καὶ ξείνια δῶκα, §14.405αὖτις δὲ κτείναιμι φίλον τʼ ἀπὸ θυμὸν ἑλοίμην·
"Stranger, in that way indeed would my fair fame and virtue be established among men both now and hereafter, if I, after bringing you into my hut and giving you guest-gifts, should then slay you and rob you of your dear life.
§14.406πρόφρων κεν δὴ ἔπειτα Δία Κρονίωνα λιτοίμην.
With a willing heart indeed then after that would I pray to Zeus, son of Cronos.
§14.407νῦν δʼ ὥρη δόρποιο· τάχιστά μοι ἔνδον ἑταῖροι §14.408εἶεν, ἵνʼ ἐν κλισίῃ λαρὸν τετυκοίμεθα δόρπον. §14.409ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον, §14.410ἀγχίμολον δὲ σύες τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἦλθον ὑφορβοί.
But now it is the hour for supper; very quickly may my companions be inside, so that we may prepare a savory supper in the hut." Thus they spoke such things to one another, and near at hand came the swine and the swineherds.
They shut up the sows in their usual places to sleep, and an immense clamor arose from the swine being penned.
§14.413αὐτὰρ ὁ οἷς ἑτάροισιν ἐκέκλετο δῖος ὑφορβός· §14.414ἄξεθʼ ὑῶν τὸν ἄριστον, ἵνα ξείνῳ ἱερεύσω §14.415τηλεδαπῷ· πρὸς δʼ αὐτοὶ ὀνησόμεθʼ, οἵ περ ὀϊζὺν §14.416δὴν ἔχομεν πάσχοντες ὑῶν ἕνεκʼ ἀργιοδόντων· §14.417ἄλλοι δʼ ἡμέτερον κάματον νήποινον ἔδουσιν. §14.418ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας κέασε ξύλα νηλέϊ χαλκῷ, §14.419οἱ δʼ ὗν εἰσῆγον μάλα πίονα πενταέτηρον.
But the noble swineherd called out to his companions: "Bring the best of the swine, so that I may slaughter it for the stranger from far away; and we ourselves shall have the benefit, we who for a long time have been suffering toil for the sake of the white-tusked swine, while others eat up our labor without payment." Thus having spoken, he split wood with the pitiless bronze, and they brought in a very fat five-year-old boar.
§14.420τὸν μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἔστησαν ἐπʼ ἐσχάρῃ· οὐδὲ συβώτης §14.421λήθετʼ ἄρʼ ἀθανάτων· φρεσὶ γὰρ κέχρητʼ ἀγαθῇσιν· §14.422ἀλλʼ ὅγʼ ἀπαρχόμενος κεφαλῆς τρίχας ἐν πυρὶ βάλλεν §14.423ἀργιόδοντος ὑός, καὶ ἐπεύχετο πᾶσι θεοῖσιν §14.424νοστῆσαι Ὀδυσῆα πολύφρονα ὅνδε δόμονδε.
They stood it by the hearth; nor did the swineherd forget the immortals, for he possessed an upright heart; but beginning the rite, he cast hairs from the head of the white-tusked boar into the fire, and prayed to all the gods that wise Odysseus might return to his own home.
And rising up, he struck it with a billet of oak which he had left when splitting wood; and its life left it.
τοὶ δʼ ἔσφαξάν τε καὶ εὗσαν· §14.427αἶψα δέ μιν διέχευαν· ὁ δʼ ὠμοθετεῖτο συβώτης, §14.428πάντων ἀρχόμενος μελέων, ἐς πίονα δημόν, §14.429καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐν πυρὶ βάλλε, παλύνας ἀλφίτου ἀκτῇ, §14.430μίστυλλόν τʼ ἄρα τἆλλα καὶ ἀμφʼ ὀβελοῖσιν ἔπειραν, §14.431ὤπτησάν τε περιφραδέως ἐρύσαντό τε πάντα, §14.432βάλλον δʼ εἰν ἐλεοῖσιν ἀολλέα· ἂν δὲ συβώτης §14.433ἵστατο δαιτρεύσων· περὶ γὰρ φρεσὶν αἴσιμα ᾔδη.
They slaughtered and singed it, and quickly carved it; and the swineherd laid the raw meat as first-offerings, beginning from all the limbs, onto the rich fat, and cast them into the fire, having sprinkled them with barley meal, and they sliced up the rest and pierced it on spits, and roasted it carefully and drew it all off, and piled it on platters; and the swineherd stood up to carve, for in his mind he knew what was fair.
§14.434καὶ τὰ μὲν ἕπταχα πάντα διεμοιρᾶτο δαΐζων· §14.435τὴν μὲν ἴαν νύμφῃσι καὶ Ἑρμῇ, Μαιάδος υἱεῖ, §14.436θῆκεν ἐπευξάμενος, τὰς δʼ ἄλλας νεῖμεν ἑκάστῳ· §14.437νώτοισιν δʼ Ὀδυσῆα διηνεκέεσσι γέραιρεν §14.438ἀργιόδοντος ὑός, κύδαινε δὲ θυμὸν ἄνακτος·
And dividing it, he distributed everything into seven portions; one portion he set aside, with a prayer, for the Nymphs and Hermes, Maia's son, and the rest he distributed to each; and he honored Odysseus with the long chine of the white-tusked boar, and glorified the heart of his master.
§14.439καί μιν φωνήσας προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς· §14.440αἴθʼ οὕτως, Εὔμαιε, φίλος Διὶ πατρὶ γένοιο §14.441ὡς ἐμοί, ὅττι τε τοῖον ἐόντʼ ἀγαθοῖσι γεραίρεις. §14.442τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα· §14.443ἔσθιε, δαιμόνιε ξείνων, καὶ τέρπεο τοῖσδε, §14.444οἷα πάρεστι· θεὸς δὲ τὸ μὲν δώσει, τὸ δʼ ἐάσει, §14.445ὅττι κεν ᾧ θυμῷ ἐθέλῃ· δύναται γὰρ ἅπαντα. §14.446ἦ ῥα καὶ ἄργματα θῦσε θεοῖς αἰειγενέτῃσι, §14.447σπείσας δʼ αἴθοπα οἶνον Ὀδυσσῆϊ πτολιπόρθῳ §14.448ἐν χείρεσσιν ἔθηκεν· ὁ δʼ ἕζετο ᾗ παρὰ μοίρῃ.
And addressing him, resourceful Odysseus spoke: "May you, Eumaeus, be as dear to father Zeus as you are to me, because you honor me, being such as I am, with good things." To him in answer you spoke, Eumaeus, swineherd: "Eat, noble guest, and enjoy these things which are present; the god will give one thing and withhold another, whatever he wishes in his heart; for he can do all things." He spoke, and sacrificed the first-offerings to the ever-living gods, and having poured a libation of sparkling wine, he placed it in the hands of Odysseus, the sacker of cities; and Odysseus sat by his own portion.
§14.449σῖτον δέ σφιν ἔνειμε Μεσαύλιος, ὅν ῥα συβώτης §14.450αὐτὸς κτήσατο οἶος ἀποιχομένοιο ἄνακτος, §14.451νόσφιν δεσποίνης καὶ Λαέρταο γέροντος· §14.452πὰρ δʼ ἄρα μιν Ταφίων πρίατο κτεάτεσσιν ἑοῖσιν.
And bread was distributed to them by Mesaulius, whom the swineherd had acquired himself, alone, while his master was away, without his mistress and the old man Laertes; and he had bought him from the Taphians with his own possessions.
§14.453οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον.
They stretched forth their hands to the ready food lying before them.
§14.454αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος ἐξ ἔρον ἕντο, §14.455σῖτον μέν σφιν ἀφεῖλε Μεσαύλιος, οἱ δʼ ἐπὶ κοῖτον §14.456σίτου καὶ κρειῶν κεκορημένοι ἐσσεύοντο.
But when they had put away desire for drink and food, Mesaulius cleared away the bread, and they hastened to bed, sated with bread and meat.
§14.457νὺξ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπῆλθε κακὴ σκοτομήνιος, ὗε δʼ ἄρα Ζεὺς §14.458πάννυχος, αὐτὰρ ἄη Ζέφυρος μέγας αἰὲν ἔφυδρος.
And night came on, bad and moonless, and Zeus rained all night long, and a great, wet West wind blew constantly.
§14.459τοῖς δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς μετέειπε, συβώτεω πειρητίζων, §14.460εἴ πώς οἱ ἐκδὺς χλαῖναν πόροι, ἤ τινʼ ἑταίρων §14.461ἄλλον ἐποτρύνειεν, ἐπεί ἑο κήδετο λίην· §14.462κέκλυθι νῦν, Εὔμαιε καὶ ἄλλοι πάντες ἑταῖροι, §14.463εὐξάμενός τι ἔπος ἐρέω· οἶνος γὰρ ἀνώγει §14.464ἠλεός, ὅς τʼ ἐφέηκε πολύφρονά περ μάλʼ ἀεῖσαι §14.465καί θʼ ἁπαλὸν γελάσαι, καί τʼ ὀρχήσασθαι ἀνῆκε, §14.466καί τι ἔπος προέηκεν ὅ περ τʼ ἄρρητον ἄμεινον.
Among them Odysseus spoke, testing the swineherd, to see if by some means he would take off his cloak and give it to him, or urge some other of his companions, since he cared for him exceedingly: "Hear me now, Eumaeus, and all you other companions, I will speak a word with a prayer; for mad wine bids me, which drives even the wise man to sing aloud and to laugh gently, and prompts him to dance, and brings forth some word which were better left unspoken.
§14.467ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ πρῶτον ἀνέκραγον, οὐκ ἐπικεύσω.
But since indeed I have first cried out, I will not hide it."