§17.68ἀλλʼ ἵνα Μέντωρ ἧστο καὶ Ἄντιφος ἠδʼ Ἁλιθέρσης, §17.69οἵ τε οἱ ἐξ ἀρχῆς πατρώϊοι ἦσαν ἑταῖροι, §17.70ἔνθα καθέζετʼ ἰών· τοὶ δʼ ἐξερέεινον ἕκαστα.
But to where Mentor sat, and Antiphus and Halitherses, who from the beginning were his father's companions, there he went and sat down; and they questioned him about everything.
§17.71τοῖσι δὲ Πείραιος δουρικλυτὸς ἐγγύθεν ἦλθεν §17.72ξεῖνον ἄγων ἀγορήνδε διὰ πτόλιν· οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἔτι δὴν §17.73Τηλέμαχος ξείνοιο ἑκὰς τράπετʼ, ἀλλὰ παρέστη.
And to them Peiraeus, famous with the spear, came near, leading the stranger through the city to the assembly place; nor indeed for much longer did Telemachus turn away far from the stranger, but he stood beside him.
§17.74τὸν καὶ Πείραιος πρότερος πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε· §17.75Τηλέμαχʼ, αἶψʼ ὄτρυνον ἐμὸν ποτὶ δῶμα γυναῖκας, §17.76ὥς τοι δῶρʼ ἀποπέμψω, ἅ τοι Μενέλαος ἔδωκε. §17.77τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα· §17.78Πείραιʼ, οὐ γάρ τʼ ἴδμεν ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα.
And Peiraeus was the first to speak to him and said: "Telemachus, quickly send serving-women to my house, so that I may send you the gifts which Menelaus gave you." And wise Telemachus answered him and said: "Peiraeus, for we do not know how these matters will turn out.
§17.79εἴ κεν ἐμὲ μνηστῆρες ἀγήνορες ἐν μεγάροισι §17.80λάθρη κτείναντες πατρώϊα πάντα δάσωνται, §17.81αὐτὸν ἔχοντά σε βούλομʼ ἐπαυρέμεν, ἤ τινα τῶνδε·
If the proud suitors in the halls should secretly slay me and divide all my father's goods among themselves, I would rather you yourself keep and enjoy them, than any of these men.
§17.82εἰ δέ κʼ ἐγὼ τούτοισι φόνον καὶ κῆρα φυτεύσω, §17.83δὴ τότε μοι χαίροντι φέρειν πρὸς δώματα χαίρων. §17.84ὣς εἰπὼν ξεῖνον ταλαπείριον ἦγεν ἐς οἶκον.
But if I shall sow slaughter and death for them, then indeed, to me in my joy, bring them to my house in your joy." So saying, he led the patient stranger to his house.
§17.85αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ἵκοντο δόμους εὖ ναιετάοντας, §17.86χλαίνας μὲν κατέθεντο κατὰ κλισμούς τε θρόνους τε, §17.87ἐς δʼ ἀσαμίνθους βάντες ἐϋξέστας λούσαντο.
But when they reached the well-built house, they laid down their cloaks on the couches and chairs, and stepping into well-polished baths they washed themselves.
§17.88τοὺς δʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν δμῳαὶ λοῦσαν καὶ χρῖσαν ἐλαίῳ, §17.89ἀμφὶ δʼ ἄρα χλαίνας οὔλας βάλον ἠδὲ χιτῶνας, §17.90ἔκ ῥʼ ἀσαμίνθων βάντες ἐπὶ κλισμοῖσι καθῖζον.
When the serving-women had washed them and anointed them with oil, and had cast thick cloaks and tunics about them, they stepped out of the baths and sat on the couches.
§17.91χέρνιβα δʼ ἀμφίπολος προχόῳ ἐπέχευε φέρουσα §17.92καλῇ χρυσείῃ, ὑπὲρ ἀργυρέοιο λέβητος, §17.93νίψασθαι· παρὰ δὲ ξεστὴν ἐτάνυσσε τράπεζαν.
And a handmaid poured water from a beautiful golden pitcher, over a silver basin, for them to wash their hands; and she drew up a polished table beside them.
And the grave housekeeper brought and set bread before them, laying on many dainties, giving freely of what she had.
And his mother sat opposite, by the doorpost of the hall, leaning against a couch, spinning fine yarn on her spindle.
§17.98οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον,
And they stretched forth their hands to the good things ready before them.
§17.99αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος ἐξ ἔρον ἕντο, §17.100τοῖσι δὲ μύθων ἦρχε περίφρων Πηνελόπεια· §17.101Τηλέμαχʼ, ἦ τοι ἐγὼν ὑπερώϊον εἰσαναβᾶσα §17.102λέξομαι εἰς εὐνήν, ἥ μοι στονόεσσα τέτυκται, §17.103αἰεὶ δάκρυσʼ ἐμοῖσι πεφυρμένη, ἐξ οὗ Ὀδυσσεὺς §17.104ᾤχεθʼ ἅμʼ Ἀτρεΐδῃσιν ἐς Ἴλιον· οὐδέ μοι ἔτλης, §17.105πρὶν ἐλθεῖν μνηστῆρας ἀγήνορας ἐς τόδε δῶμα, §17.106νόστον σοῦ πατρὸς σάφα εἰπέμεν, εἴ που ἄκουσας. §17.107τὴν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα· §17.108τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι, μῆτερ, ἀληθείην καταλέξω.
But when they had put away their desire for drink and food, then wise Penelope was the first to speak among them: "Telemachus, indeed I will go up to my upper chamber and lay myself on my bed, which has become a place of wailing for me, ever wet with my tears, since Odysseus went with the sons of Atreus to Ilium; and you did not have the heart, before the proud suitors came into this house, to tell me plainly of your father's return, if anywhere you had heard of it." And wise Telemachus answered her: "Therefore, mother, I will indeed tell you the truth.
§17.109ᾠχόμεθʼ ἔς τε Πύλον καὶ Νέστορα, ποιμένα λαῶν· §17.110δεξάμενος δέ με κεῖνος ἐν ὑψηλοῖσι δόμοισιν §17.111ἐνδυκέως ἐφίλει, ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ἑὸν υἱὸν §17.112ἐλθόντα χρόνιον νέον ἄλλοθεν· ὣς ἐμὲ κεῖνος §17.113ἐνδυκέως ἐκόμιζε σὺν υἱάσι κυδαλίμοισιν.
We went to Pylos and to Nestor, the shepherd of the people; and he, receiving me in his lofty house, welcomed me warmly, even as a father welcomes his own son who has newly returned from afar after a long time; even so he cared for me kindly with his glorious sons.
§17.114αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος οὔ ποτʼ ἔφασκεν, §17.115ζωοῦ οὐδὲ θανόντος, ἐπιχθονίων τευ ἀκοῦσαι· §17.116ἀλλά μʼ ἐς Ἀτρεΐδην, δουρικλειτὸν Μενέλαον, §17.117ἵπποισι προὔπεμψε καὶ ἅρμασι κολλητοῖσιν.
But of patient Odysseus, he said he had never heard from any man on earth, whether he was alive or dead; but he sent me to the son of Atreus, Menelaus, famous with the spear, with horses and well-jointed chariots.
There I saw Argive Helen, for whose sake many things the Argives and Trojans suffered by the will of the gods.
§17.120εἴρετο δʼ αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτα βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος §17.121ὅττευ χρηΐζων ἱκόμην Λακεδαίμονα δῖαν· §17.122αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ τῷ πᾶσαν ἀληθείην κατέλεξα· §17.123καὶ τότε δή με ἔπεσσιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπεν·
And straightway Menelaus, good at the war-cry, asked me what need had brought me to Lacedaemon's divine land; and I told him all the truth; and then indeed he answered me and said: 'Out upon them!
§17.124ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δὴ κρατερόφρονος ἀνδρὸς ἐν εὐνῇ §17.125ἤθελον εὐνηθῆναι, ἀνάλκιδες αὐτοὶ ἐόντες.
Indeed they would lay themselves in the bed of a strong-hearted man, being themselves cowards.
§17.126ὡς δʼ ὁπότʼ ἐν ξυλόχῳ ἔλαφος κρατεροῖο λέοντος §17.127νεβροὺς κοιμήσασα νεηγενέας γαλαθηνοὺς §17.128κνημοὺς ἐξερέῃσι καὶ ἄγκεα ποιήεντα §17.129βοσκομένη, ὁ δʼ ἔπειτα ἑὴν εἰσήλυθεν εὐνήν, §17.130ἀμφοτέροισι δὲ τοῖσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκεν, §17.131ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς κείνοισιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφήσει.
And as when a hind has laid her newborn, suckling fawns to sleep in the thicket of a mighty lion, and ranges the mountain slopes and grassy glens grazing, and then the lion enters into his lair, and brings a cruel doom upon both of them, so will Odysseus bring a cruel doom upon those men.
§17.132αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον, §17.133τοῖος ἐὼν οἷός ποτʼ ἐϋκτιμένῃ ἐνὶ Λέσβῳ §17.134ἐξ ἔριδος Φιλομηλεΐδῃ ἐπάλαισεν ἀναστάς, §17.135κὰδ δʼ ἔβαλε κρατερῶς, κεχάροντο δὲ πάντες Ἀχαιοί, §17.136τοῖος ἐὼν μνηστῆρσιν ὁμιλήσειεν Ὀδυσσεύς· §17.137πάντες κʼ ὠκύμοροί τε γενοίατο πικρόγαμοί τε. §17.138ταῦτα δʼ ἅ μʼ εἰρωτᾷς καὶ λίσσεαι, οὐκ ἂν ἐγώ γε
Would that, Father Zeus and Athena and Apollo, being such a man as once in well-built Lesbos he rose up and wrestled with the son of Philomeleides in rivalry, and threw him mightily, and all the Achaeans rejoiced, in such strength might Odysseus encounter the suitors; then would they all find a swift death and a bitter marriage.' But as for these things which you ask me and entreat, I would not