§2.71τείρεσθʼ, εἰ μή πού τι πατὴρ ἐμὸς ἐσθλὸς Ὀδυσσεὺς
to be worn out by grievous sorrow.
§2.72δυσμενέων κάκʼ ἔρεξεν ἐυκνήμιδας Ἀχαιούς, §2.73τῶν μʼ ἀποτινύμενοι κακὰ ῥέζετε δυσμενέοντες, §2.74τούτους ὀτρύνοντες.
Unless indeed my noble father Odysseus in hostility did evil to the well-greaved Achaeans, in requital for which you do me evil in your hostility, by encouraging these men.
ἐμοὶ δέ κε κέρδιον εἴη §2.75ὑμέας ἐσθέμεναι κειμήλιά τε πρόβασίν τε.
But for me it would be better that you yourselves should consume my treasures and my herds.
§2.76εἴ χʼ ὑμεῖς γε φάγοιτε, τάχʼ ἄν ποτε καὶ τίσις εἴη· §2.77τόφρα γὰρ ἂν κατὰ ἄστυ ποτιπτυσσοίμεθα μύθῳ §2.78χρήματʼ ἀπαιτίζοντες, ἕως κʼ ἀπὸ πάντα δοθείη·
If you should consume them, soon there might be some recompense; for then we should go about the city with our words, demanding our goods, until all should be given back.
§2.79νῦν δέ μοι ἀπρήκτους ὀδύνας ἐμβάλλετε θυμῷ. §2.80ὣς φάτο χωόμενος, ποτὶ δὲ σκῆπτρον βάλε γαίῃ §2.81δάκρυʼ ἀναπρήσας· οἶκτος δʼ ἕλε λαὸν ἅπαντα.
But now you cast incurable pains into my heart." So he spoke in anger, and dashed the staff to the ground, bursting into tears; and pity seized all the people.
§2.82ἔνθʼ ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες ἀκὴν ἔσαν, οὐδέ τις ἔτλη §2.83Τηλέμαχον μύθοισιν ἀμείψασθαι χαλεποῖσιν· §2.84Ἀντίνοος δέ μιν οἶος ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπε· §2.85Τηλέμαχʼ ὑψαγόρη, μένος ἄσχετε, ποῖον ἔειπες §2.86ἡμέας αἰσχύνων· ἐθέλοις δέ κε μῶμον ἀνάψαι.
Then all the others were silent, and no one dared to answer Telemachus with harsh words; Antinous alone answered him and spoke: "Telemachus, boastful speaker, unrestrained in anger, what a thing you have said to shame us; you would wish to fasten blame upon us.
For you the Achaean suitors are not at all to blame, but your own dear mother, who knows exceeding craft.
§2.89ἤδη γὰρ τρίτον ἐστὶν ἔτος, τάχα δʼ εἶσι τέταρτον, §2.90ἐξ οὗ ἀτέμβει θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν Ἀχαιῶν.
For already it is the third year, and soon will be the fourth, since she has been cheating the hearts in the breasts of the Achaeans.
§2.91πάντας μέν ῥʼ ἔλπει καὶ ὑπίσχεται ἀνδρὶ ἑκάστῳ §2.92ἀγγελίας προϊεῖσα, νόος δέ οἱ ἄλλα μενοινᾷ.
She gives hope to all, and promises each man, sending messages, but her mind purposes other things.
§2.93ἡ δὲ δόλον τόνδʼ ἄλλον ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μερμήριξε· §2.94στησαμένη μέγαν ἱστὸν ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ὕφαινε, §2.95λεπτὸν καὶ περίμετρον· ἄφαρ δʼ ἡμῖν μετέειπε· §2.96κοῦροι ἐμοὶ μνηστῆρες, ἐπεὶ θάνε δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς, §2.97μίμνετʼ ἐπειγόμενοι τὸν ἐμὸν γάμον, εἰς ὅ κε φᾶρος §2.98ἐκτελέσω, μή μοι μεταμώνια νήματʼ ὄληται, §2.99Λαέρτῃ ἥρωι ταφήιον, εἰς ὅτε κέν μιν §2.100μοῖρʼ ὀλοὴ καθέλῃσι τανηλεγέος θανάτοιο, §2.101μή τίς μοι κατὰ δῆμον Ἀχαιϊάδων νεμεσήσῃ. §2.102αἴ κεν ἄτερ σπείρου κεῖται πολλὰ κτεατίσσας. §2.103ὣς ἔφαθʼ, ἡμῖν δʼ αὖτʼ ἐπεπείθετο θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ.
And she devised this other deceit in her heart: setting up a great loom in her halls, she wove, fine and very wide; and straightway she spoke to us: 'Young men, my suitors, since noble Odysseus is dead, wait, though eager for my marriage, until I finish this robe, lest my threads perish in vain— a shroud for the hero Laertes, against the time when the ruinous fate of brings-grief death shall lay him low, lest any of the Achaean women in the land should be angry with me, if he should lie without a shroud, who possessed many riches.' So she spoke, and our proud heart consented.
There by day she wove the great web, but by night she unravelled it, when she had set torches beside her.
§2.106ὣς τρίετες μὲν ἔληθε δόλῳ καὶ ἔπειθεν Ἀχαιούς· §2.107ἀλλʼ ὅτε τέτρατον ἦλθεν ἔτος καὶ ἐπήλυθον ὧραι, §2.108καὶ τότε δή τις ἔειπε γυναικῶν, ἣ σάφα ᾔδη, §2.109καὶ τήν γʼ ἀλλύουσαν ἐφεύρομεν ἀγλαὸν ἱστόν.
Thus for three years she deceived by her craft and persuaded the Achaeans; but when the fourth year came and the seasons returned, then indeed one of her women, who knew clearly, told us, and we caught her unravelling the splendid web.
§2.110ὣς τὸ μὲν ἐξετέλεσσε καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλουσʼ ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης·
So she finished it, against her will, by necessity.
§2.111σοὶ δʼ ὧδε μνηστῆρες ὑποκρίνονται, ἵνʼ εἰδῇς §2.112αὐτὸς σῷ θυμῷ, εἰδῶσι δὲ πάντες Ἀχαιοί· §2.113μητέρα σὴν ἀπόπεμψον, ἄνωχθι δέ μιν γαμέεσθαι §2.114τῷ ὅτεῴ τε πατὴρ κέλεται καὶ ἁνδάνει αὐτῇ.
To you, then, the suitors make answer thus, so that you may know in your own heart, and that all the Achaeans may know: send away your mother, and bid her marry whomsoever her father commands and she herself pleases.
§2.115εἰ δʼ ἔτʼ ἀνιήσει γε πολὺν χρόνον υἷας Ἀχαιῶν, §2.116τὰ φρονέουσʼ ἀνὰ θυμόν, ὅ οἱ πέρι δῶκεν Ἀθήνη §2.117ἔργα τʼ ἐπίστασθαι περικαλλέα καὶ φρένας ἐσθλὰς §2.118κέρδεά θʼ, οἷʼ οὔ πώ τινʼ ἀκούομεν οὐδὲ παλαιῶν, §2.119τάων αἳ πάρος ἦσαν ἐυπλοκαμῖδες Ἀχαιαί, §2.120Τυρώ τʼ Ἀλκμήνη τε ἐυστέφανός τε Μυκήνη· §2.121τάων οὔ τις ὁμοῖα νοήματα Πηνελοπείῃ
But if she shall continue to vex the sons of the Achaeans for a long time, priding herself on the gifts which Athena has given her in abundance— skill in beautiful works, an excellent mind, and wits such as we have never heard of even in the women of old, of those who long ago were fair-tressed Achaean women, Tyro and Alcmene and Mycene of the fair crown; of these, no one had thoughts like those of Penelope.
§2.122ᾔδη· ἀτὰρ μὲν τοῦτό γʼ ἐναίσιμον οὐκ ἐνόησε.
Yet in this, indeed, she did not devise what is right.
§2.123τόφρα γὰρ οὖν βίοτόν τε τεὸν καὶ κτήματʼ ἔδονται, §2.124ὄφρα κε κείνη τοῦτον ἔχῃ νόον, ὅν τινά οἱ νῦν §2.125ἐν στήθεσσι τιθεῖσι θεοί.
For so long shall they consume your livelihood and your goods, as long as she keeps this mind which the gods now put in her breast.
μέγα μὲν κλέος αὐτῇ §2.126ποιεῖτʼ, αὐτὰρ σοί γε ποθὴν πολέος βιότοιο.
Great fame for herself she wins, but for you the loss of much livelihood.
§2.127ἡμεῖς δʼ οὔτʼ ἐπὶ ἔργα πάρος γʼ ἴμεν οὔτε πῃ ἄλλῃ, §2.128πρίν γʼ αὐτὴν γήμασθαι Ἀχαιῶν ᾧ κʼ ἐθέλῃσι. §2.129τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα· §2.130Ἀντίνοʼ, οὔ πως ἔστι δόμων ἀέκουσαν ἀπῶσαι §2.131ἥ μʼ ἔτεχʼ, ἥ μʼ ἔθρεψε· πατὴρ δʼ ἐμὸς ἄλλοθι γαίης, §2.132ζώει ὅ γʼ ἦ τέθνηκε·
But we will not go to our own lands, nor elsewhere, until she marries whomsoever of the Achaeans she will." Then wise Telemachus answered him: "Antinous, in no way is it possible to thrust from my house, against her will, her who bore me and reared me; and my father is in some other land, whether he is alive or dead.
κακὸν δέ με πόλλʼ ἀποτίνειν §2.133Ἰκαρίῳ, αἴ κʼ αὐτὸς ἑκὼν ἀπὸ μητέρα πέμψω.
And it is a hard thing for me to pay much to Icarius, if I of my own will send my mother away.
§2.134ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ πατρὸς κακὰ πείσομαι, ἄλλα δὲ δαίμων §2.135δώσει, ἐπεὶ μήτηρ στυγερὰς ἀρήσετʼ ἐρινῦς §2.136οἴκου ἀπερχομένη· νέμεσις δέ μοι ἐξ ἀνθρώπων §2.137ἔσσεται·
For from her father I shall suffer evil, and a god will give other evils, since my mother will invoke the hateful Furies as she leaves the house; and there will be indignation from men upon me.
ὣς οὐ τοῦτον ἐγώ ποτε μῦθον ἐνίψω.
Therefore, I will never speak this word.
§2.138ὑμέτερος δʼ εἰ μὲν θυμὸς νεμεσίζεται αὐτῶν, §2.139ἔξιτέ μοι μεγάρων, ἄλλας δʼ ἀλεγύνετε δαῖτας §2.140ὑμὰ κτήματʼ ἔδοντες ἀμειβόμενοι κατὰ οἴκους.
And if your own heart is indignant at this, go forth from my halls, and prepare other feasts, eating your own possessions, changing from house to house.
§2.141εἰ δʼ ὑμῖν δοκέει τόδε λωίτερον καὶ ἄμεινον
But if this seems to you to be better and more profitable...