§17.273ῥεῖʼ ἔγνως, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ τά τʼ ἄλλα πέρ ἐσσʼ ἀνοήμων.
'Easily did you perceive it, since indeed in other matters too you are not witless.
§17.274ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ φραζώμεθʼ ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα.
But come, let us consider how these matters shall be.
§17.275ἠὲ σὺ πρῶτος ἔσελθε δόμους εὖ ναιετάοντας, §17.276δύσεο δὲ μνηστῆρας, ἐγὼ δʼ ὑπολείψομαι αὐτοῦ· §17.277εἰ δʼ ἐθέλεις, ἐπίμεινον, ἐγὼ δʼ εἶμι προπάροιθε· §17.278μηδὲ σὺ δηθύνειν, μή τίς σʼ ἔκτοσθε νοήσας §17.279ἢ βάλῃ ἢ ἐλάσῃ· τὰ δέ σε φράζεσθαι ἄνωγα. §17.280τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς· §17.281γιγνώσκω, φρονέω·
Either do you first enter the well-built palace, and go among the suitors, and I will remain behind here; or if you wish, wait here, and I will go on before; and do not be long, lest someone should notice you outside, and either pelt you or strike you; and I bid you think on these things.' Then much-enduring noble Odysseus answered him: 'I perceive, I understand; you command one who already has these things in mind.
τά γε δὴ νοέοντι κελεύεις. §17.282ἀλλʼ ἔρχευ προπάροιθεν, ἐγὼ δʼ ὑπολείψομαι αὐτοῦ.
But go on before, and I will remain behind here.
§17.283οὐ γάρ τι πληγέων ἀδαήμων οὐδὲ βολάων· §17.284τολμήεις μοι θυμός, ἐπεὶ κακὰ πολλὰ πέπονθα §17.285κύμασι καὶ πολέμῳ· μετὰ καὶ τόδε τοῖσι γενέσθω· §17.286γαστέρα δʼ οὔ πως ἔστιν ἀποκρύψαι μεμαυῖαν, §17.287οὐλομένην, ἣ πολλὰ κάκʼ ἀνθρώποισι δίδωσι, §17.288τῆς ἕνεκεν καὶ νῆες ἐΰζυγοι ὁπλίζονται §17.289πόντον ἐπʼ ἀτρύγετον, κακὰ δυσμενέεσσι φέρουσαι. §17.290ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον· §17.291ἂν δὲ κύων κεφαλήν τε καὶ οὔατα κείμενος ἔσχεν,
For in no way am I unacquainted with blows or peltings; my heart is enduring, since I have suffered many evils let this too be added to those; But the hungry belly there is no way to conceal, destructive, which gives many evils to men, for the sake of which even well-benched ships are fitted out over the barren sea, bringing evils to enemies.' Thus they spoke such words to one another; and a dog, lying there, raised his head and ears, Argos, the dog of hardy Odysseus, whom once he himself reared, but had no joy of him, before he went to sacred Ilios.
§17.292Ἄργος, Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος, ὅν ῥά ποτʼ αὐτὸς §17.293θρέψε μέν, οὐδʼ ἀπόνητο, πάρος δʼ εἰς Ἴλιον ἱρὴν §17.294ᾤχετο. τὸν δὲ πάροιθεν ἀγίνεσκον νέοι ἄνδρες §17.295αἶγας ἐπʼ ἀγροτέρας ἠδὲ πρόκας ἠδὲ λαγωούς· §17.296δὴ τότε κεῖτʼ ἀπόθεστος ἀποιχομένοιο ἄνακτος, §17.297ἐν πολλῇ κόπρῳ, ἥ οἱ προπάροιθε θυράων §17.298ἡμιόνων τε βοῶν τε ἅλις κέχυτʼ, ὄφρʼ ἂν ἄγοιεν §17.299δμῶες Ὀδυσσῆος τέμενος μέγα κοπρήσοντες· §17.300ἔνθα κύων κεῖτʼ Ἄργος, ἐνίπλειος κυνοραιστέων.
In times past young men used to lead him after wild goats and roe-deer and hares; but then, since his master had gone away, he lay neglected, in the deep dung of mules and cattle, which was heaped in front of the gates, until the servants of Odysseus should carry it away to manure his wide estate; there lay the dog Argos, full of dog-ticks.
§17.301δὴ τότε γʼ, ὡς ἐνόησεν Ὀδυσσέα ἐγγὺς ἐόντα, §17.302οὐρῇ μέν ῥʼ ὅ γʼ ἔσηνε καὶ οὔατα κάββαλεν ἄμφω, §17.303ἆσσον δʼ οὐκέτʼ ἔπειτα δυνήσατο οἷο ἄνακτος §17.304ἐλθέμεν· αὐτὰρ ὁ νόσφιν ἰδὼν ἀπομόρξατο δάκρυ, §17.305ῥεῖα λαθὼν Εὔμαιον, ἄφαρ δʼ ἐρεείνετο μύθῳ· §17.306Εὔμαιʼ, ἦ μάλα θαῦμα, κύων ὅδε κεῖτʼ ἐνὶ κόπρῳ.
Then, when he perceived Odysseus standing near, he wagged his tail and dropped both his ears, but he had no longer the strength to draw nearer to his master; and Odysseus looked aside and wiped away a tear, easily hiding it from Eumaeus, and straightway asked him: 'Eumaeus, surely it is a great wonder that this dog lies in the dung.
§17.307καλὸς μὲν δέμας ἐστίν, ἀτὰρ τόδε γʼ οὐ σάφα οἶδα, §17.308εἰ δὴ καὶ ταχὺς ἔσκε θέειν ἐπὶ εἴδεϊ τῷδε, §17.309ἦ αὔτως οἷοί τε τραπεζῆες κύνες ἀνδρῶν §17.310γίγνοντʼ· ἀγλαΐης δʼ ἕνεκεν κομέουσιν ἄνακτες. §17.311τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα· §17.312καὶ λίην ἀνδρός γε κύων ὅδε τῆλε θανόντος.
He is beautiful in build, but this I do not know for certain, whether he was also swift in running with this beauty, or if he was just like the table-dogs that men keep, and their masters care for them only for show.' And answering him, you addressed him, O swineherd Eumaeus: 'Yes, too truly this is the dog of a man who died far away.
§17.313εἰ τοιόσδʼ εἴη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ ἔργα, §17.314οἷόν μιν Τροίηνδε κιὼν κατέλειπεν Ὀδυσσεύς, §17.315αἶψά κε θηήσαιο ἰδὼν ταχυτῆτα καὶ ἀλκήν.
If he were such in build and in deeds as Odysseus left him when he went to Troy, you would soon marvel to see his speed and his strength.
§17.316οὐ μὲν γάρ τι φύγεσκε βαθείης βένθεσιν ὕλης §17.317κνώδαλον, ὅττι δίοιτο· καὶ ἴχνεσι γὰρ περιῄδη·
For in no way did any beast escape him in the depths of the deep woods, whatever he chased; and he was exceedingly skilled in tracking.
§17.318νῦν δʼ ἔχεται κακότητι, ἄναξ δέ οἱ ἄλλοθι πάτρης §17.319ὤλετο, τὸν δὲ γυναῖκες ἀκηδέες οὐ κομέουσι.
But now he is holden of misfortune, and his master has perished far from his country, and the careless women take no care of him.
§17.320δμῶες δʼ, εὖτʼ ἂν μηκέτʼ ἐπικρατέωσιν ἄνακτες, §17.321οὐκέτʼ ἔπειτʼ ἐθέλουσιν ἐναίσιμα ἐργάζεσθαι· §17.322ἥμισυ γάρ τʼ ἀρετῆς ἀποαίνυται εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς §17.323ἀνέρος, εὖτʼ ἄν μιν κατὰ δούλιον ἦμαρ ἕλῃσιν. §17.324ὣς εἰπὼν εἰσῆλθε δόμους εὖ ναιετάοντας, §17.325βῆ δʼ ἰθὺς μεγάροιο μετὰ μνηστῆρας ἀγαυούς.
For servants, when their masters no longer rule them, are no longer willing to do honest work; for far-seeing Zeus takes away half of a man's virtue, when the day of slavery catches him.' So saying, he entered the well-built palace, and went straight through the hall among the proud suitors.
§17.326Ἄργον δʼ αὖ κατὰ μοῖρʼ ἔλαβεν μέλανος θανάτοιο, §17.327αὐτίκʼ ἰδόντʼ Ὀδυσῆα ἐεικοστῷ ἐνιαυτῷ.
But upon Argos came the fate of black death, as soon as he had seen Odysseus in the twentieth year.
§17.328τὸν δὲ πολὺ πρῶτος ἴδε Τηλέμαχος θεοειδὴς §17.329ἐρχόμενον κατὰ δῶμα συβώτην, ὦκα δʼ ἔπειτα §17.330νεῦσʼ ἐπὶ οἷ καλέσας· ὁ δὲ παπτήνας ἕλε δίφρον §17.331κείμενον, ἔνθα τε δαιτρὸς ἐφίζεσκε κρέα πολλὰ §17.332δαιόμενος μνηστῆρσι δόμον κάτα δαινυμένοισι·
And godlike Telemachus was far the first to see him, even the swineherd, coming through the house, and quickly then nodded, calling him to his side; and he, looking about, took a seat lying there, where the carver used to sit while carving much meat for the suitors feasting throughout the palace.
§17.333τὸν κατέθηκε φέρων πρὸς Τηλεμάχοιο τράπεζαν §17.334ἀντίον, ἔνθα δʼ ἄρʼ αὐτὸς ἐφέζετο· τῷ δʼ ἄρα κῆρυξ §17.335μοῖραν ἑλὼν ἐτίθει κανέου τʼ ἐκ σῖτον ἀείρας.
This he carried and placed by Telemachus' table, opposite, and there he sat down; and then a herald took a portion of meat and set it before him, and lifted bread from the basket.
§17.336ἀγχίμολον δὲ μετʼ αὐτὸν ἐδύσετο δώματʼ Ὀδυσσεύς, §17.337πτωχῷ λευγαλέῳ ἐναλίγκιος ἠδὲ γέροντι, §17.338σκηπτόμενος· τὰ δὲ λυγρὰ περὶ χροΐ εἵματα ἕστο.
And close after him Odysseus entered the palace, like a wretched beggar and an old man, leaning on a staff; and he was clad in miserable clothes about his body.
§17.339ἷζε δʼ ἐπὶ μελίνου οὐδοῦ ἔντοσθε θυράων,
And he sat down on the ashen threshold inside the doorway.