§19.136ἀλλʼ Ὀδυσῆ ποθέουσα φίλον κατατήκομαι ἦτορ.
But as I long for Odysseus, I waste my dear heart away.
§19.137οἱ δὲ γάμον σπεύδουσιν· ἐγὼ δὲ δόλους τολυπεύω.
And they speed on the marriage, while I wind my wiles.
§19.138φᾶρος μέν μοι πρῶτον ἐνέπνευσε φρεσὶ δαίμων, §19.139στησαμένῃ μέγαν ἱστόν, ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ὑφαίνειν, §19.140λεπτὸν καὶ περίμετρον· ἄφαρ δʼ αὐτοῖς μετέειπον· §19.141κοῦροι, ἐμοὶ μνηστῆρες, ἐπεὶ θάνε δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς, §19.142μίμνετʼ ἐπειγόμενοι τὸν ἐμὸν γάμον, εἰς ὅ κε φᾶρος §19.143ἐκτελέσω—μή μοι μεταμώνια νήματʼ ὄληται— §19.144Λαέρτῃ ἥρωϊ ταφήϊον, εἰς ὅτε κέν μιν §19.145μοῖρʼ ὀλοὴ καθέλῃσι τανηλεγέος θανάτοιο· §19.146μή τίς μοι κατὰ δῆμον Ἀχαιϊάδων νεμεσήσῃ, §19.147αἴ κεν ἄτερ σπείρου κεῖται πολλὰ κτεατίσσας. §19.148ὣς ἐφάμην, τοῖσιν δʼ ἐπεπείθετο θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ.
First a god breathed it into my mind to set up a great loom in my halls and weave a robe, fine and very wide; and straightway I spoke among them: 'Young men, my suitors, since noble Odysseus is dead, wait, though eager for my marriage, until I finish this robe— lest my threads be utterly wasted and come to naught— a shroud for the hero Laertes, against the time when the deadly doom of grievous death shall lay him low; lest any of the Achaean women in the land should be angry with me, if he, who won many possessions, should lie without a shroud.' So I spoke, and their proud hearts consented.
§19.149ἔνθα καὶ ἠματίη μὲν ὑφαίνεσκον μέγαν ἱστόν, §19.150νύκτας δʼ ἀλλύεσκον, ἐπεὶ δαΐδας παραθείμην.
Then by day I would weave at the great loom, but by night I would unravel it, when I had set torches beside me.
§19.151ὣς τρίετες μὲν ἔληθον ἐγὼ καὶ ἔπειθον Ἀχαιούς· §19.152ἀλλʼ ὅτε τέτρατον ἦλθεν ἔτος καὶ ἐπήλυθον ὧραι, §19.153μηνῶν φθινόντων, περὶ δʼ ἤματα πόλλʼ ἐτελέσθη, §19.154καὶ τότε δή με διὰ δμῳάς, κύνας οὐκ ἀλεγούσας, §19.155εἷλον ἐπελθόντες καὶ ὁμόκλησαν ἐπέεσσιν.
Thus for three years I kept them from knowing and deceived the Achaeans; but when the fourth year came and the seasons returned, as the months waned and many days were fulfilled, then indeed through the means of my handmaids, shameless dogs who cared not, they came upon me and caught me, and chid me with words.
§19.156ὣς τὸ μὲν ἐξετέλεσσα, καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλουσʼ, ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης·
So I finished it, though sore against my will, by necessity.
§19.157νῦν δʼ οὔτʼ ἐκφυγέειν δύναμαι γάμον οὔτε τινʼ ἄλλην §19.158μῆτιν ἔθʼ εὑρίσκω· μάλα δʼ ὀτρύνουσι τοκῆες §19.159γήμασθʼ, ἀσχαλάᾳ δὲ πάϊς βίοτον κατεδόντων, §19.160γιγνώσκων· ἤδη γὰρ ἀνὴρ οἶός τε μάλιστα §19.161οἴκου κήδεσθαι, τῷ τε Ζεὺς κῦδος ὀπάζει.
And now I can neither escape marriage, nor can I find any other device; and my parents instantly urge me to marry, and my son is vexed as they devour his livelihood, for he perceives it; for now he is a man fully able to care for a house, one to whom Zeus grants honor.
§19.162ἀλλὰ καὶ ὥς μοι εἰπὲ τεὸν γένος, ὁππόθεν ἐσσί. §19.163οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ δρυός ἐσσι παλαιφάτου οὐδʼ ἀπὸ πέτρης. §19.164τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς· §19.165ὦ γύναι αἰδοίη Λαερτιάδεω Ὀδυσῆος, §19.166οὐκέτʼ ἀπολλήξεις τὸν ἐμὸν γόνον ἐξερέουσα;
Yet even so tell me of your lineage, from whence you are; for you are not sprung from the oak of ancient story, nor from a rock." Then Odysseus of many wiles answered her, saying: "O honored wife of Odysseus, son of Laertes, will you never cease to ask me of my lineage?
§19.167ἀλλʼ ἔκ τοι ἐρέω· ἦ μέν μʼ ἀχέεσσί γε δώσεις §19.168πλείοσιν ἢ ἔχομαι· ἡ γὰρ δίκη, ὁππότε πάτρης §19.169ἧς ἀπέῃσιν ἀνὴρ τόσσον χρόνον ὅσσον ἐγὼ νῦν, §19.170πολλὰ βροτῶν ἐπὶ ἄστεʼ ἀλώμενος, ἄλγεα πάσχων·
Nay, I will tell you; yet surely you will give me over to sorrows more than those I have; for this is the way, when a man is absent from his own country as long a time as I am now, wandering through many cities of men, suffering grief.
§19.171ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς ἐρέω ὅ μʼ ἀνείρεαι ἠδὲ μεταλλᾷς.
Yet even so will I tell you what you ask and inquire of me.
§19.172Κρήτη τις γαῖʼ ἔστι, μέσῳ ἐνὶ οἴνοπι πόντῳ, §19.173καλὴ καὶ πίειρα, περίρρυτος· ἐν δʼ ἄνθρωποι §19.174πολλοί, ἀπειρέσιοι, καὶ ἐννήκοντα πόληες.
There is a land called Crete, in the midst of the wine-dark sea, fair and rich, girdled by water; and in it are men countless, and ninety cities.
§19.175ἄλλη δʼ ἄλλων γλῶσσα μεμιγμένη· ἐν μὲν Ἀχαιοί, §19.176ἐν δʼ Ἐτεόκρητες μεγαλήτορες, ἐν δὲ Κύδωνες, §19.177Δωριέες τε τριχάϊκες δῖοί τε Πελασγοί.
And tongue with tongue is mixed; there are Achaeans, and great-hearted Eteocretans, and Cydonians, and Dorians of three clans, and noble Pelasgians.
§19.178τῇσι δʼ ἐνὶ Κνωσός, μεγάλη πόλις, ἔνθα τε Μίνως §19.179ἐννέωρος βασίλευε Διὸς μεγάλου ὀαριστής, §19.180πατρὸς ἐμοῖο πατήρ, μεγαθύμου Δευκαλίωνος
And among these cities is Cnossos, a great city, where Minos reigned as king for nine years, the companion of great Zeus, father of my father, great-hearted Deucalion.
§19.181Δευκαλίων δʼ ἐμὲ τίκτε καὶ Ἰδομενῆα ἄνακτα· §19.182ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν ἐν νήεσσι κορωνίσιν Ἴλιον ἴσω §19.183ᾤχεθʼ ἅμʼ Ἀτρείδῃσιν, ἐμοὶ δʼ ὄνομα κλυτὸν Αἴθων, §19.184ὁπλότερος γενεῇ· ὁ δʼ ἄρα πρότερος καὶ ἀρείων.
And Deucalion begat me and the prince Idomeneus; but Idomeneus had gone in his curved ships to Ilium with the sons of Atreus; and my famous name is Aethon, the younger born; but he was the elder and the better man.
§19.185ἔνθʼ Ὀδυσῆα ἐγὼν ἰδόμην καὶ ξείνια δῶκα.
There I saw Odysseus and gave him gifts of entertainment.
For the force of the wind brought him too to Crete, driving him past Maleia, as he was hastening toward Troy.
§19.188στῆσε δʼ ἐν Ἀμνισῷ, ὅθι τε σπέος Εἰλειθυίης, §19.189ἐν λιμέσιν χαλεποῖσι, μόγις δʼ ὑπάλυξεν ἀέλλας.
And he anchored at Amnisus, where is the cave of Eileithyia, in a difficult harbor, and hardly did he escape the storm.
§19.190αὐτίκα δʼ Ἰδομενῆα μετάλλα ἄστυδʼ ἀνελθών· §19.191ξεῖνον γάρ οἱ ἔφασκε φίλον τʼ ἔμεν αἰδοῖόν τε.
And straightway he went up to the city and asked for Idomeneus, for he said he was his dear and honored guest.
But it was already the tenth or eleventh morning since Idomeneus had gone with his curved ships to Ilium.
So I led him to my house and entertained him well, welcoming him kindly, for there was great abundance in the house.
§19.196καί οἱ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἑτάροις, οἳ ἅμʼ αὐτῷ ἕποντο, §19.197δημόθεν ἄλφιτα δῶκα καὶ αἴθοπα οἶνον ἀγείρας §19.198καὶ βοῦς ἱρεύσασθαι, ἵνα πλησαίατο θυμόν.
And for his other companions who followed with him, I gathered from the people barley meal and sparkling wine, and bulls to sacrifice, that they might satisfy their hearts.
§19.199ἔνθα δυώδεκα μὲν μένον ἤματα δῖοι Ἀχαιοί· §19.200εἴλει γὰρ Βορέης ἄνεμος μέγας οὐδʼ ἐπὶ γαίῃ §19.201εἴα ἵστασθαι, χαλεπὸς δέ τις ὤρορε δαίμων.
There the noble Achaeans remained for twelve days, for a great North Wind penned them, nor on land would it suffer them to stand, but some hostile god aroused it.