Yet the gods plunge far-wandering men into misery, whenever they spin out distress even for kings.
§20.197ἦ καὶ δεξιτερῇ δειδίσκετο χειρὶ παραστάς, §20.198καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §20.199χαῖρε, πάτερ ὦ ξεῖνε· γένοιτό τοι ἔς περ ὀπίσσω §20.200ὄλβος· ἀτὰρ μὲν νῦν γε κακοῖς ἔχεαι πολέεσσι.
He spoke, and standing near, welcomed him with his right hand, and addressing him, spoke winged words: "Welcome, father, stranger; may happiness be yours hereafter, though indeed now you are held by many evils.
§20.201Ζεῦ πάτερ, οὔ τις σεῖο θεῶν ὀλοώτερος ἄλλος· §20.202οὐκ ἐλεαίρεις ἄνδρας, ἐπὴν δὴ γείνεαι αὐτός, §20.203μισγέμεναι κακότητι καὶ ἄλγεσι λευγαλέοισιν.
Father Zeus, no other of the gods is more destructive than you; you have no pity on men, after you yourself have begotten them, to mingle them with misfortune and miserable pains.
§20.204ἴδιον, ὡς ἐνόησα, δεδάκρυνται δέ μοι ὄσσε §20.205μνησαμένῳ Ὀδυσῆος, ἐπεὶ καὶ κεῖνον ὀΐω §20.206τοιάδε λαίφεʼ ἔχοντα κατʼ ἀνθρώπους ἀλάλησθαι, §20.207εἴ που ἔτι ζώει καὶ ὁρᾷ φάος ἠελίοιο.
I broke into a sweat when I noticed this, and my eyes are wet with tears as I remember Odysseus, since I think that he too, wearing such rags, is wandering among men, if indeed he still lives anywhere and sees the light of the sun.
§20.208εἰ δʼ ἤδη τέθνηκε καὶ εἰν Ἀΐδαο δόμοισιν, §20.209ὤ μοι ἔπειτʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἀμύμονος, ὅς μʼ ἐπὶ βουσὶν §20.210εἷσʼ ἔτι τυτθὸν ἐόντα Κεφαλλήνων ἐνὶ δήμῳ.
But if he is already dead and in the house of Hades, oh, woe is me then for blameless Odysseus, who set me over his cattle when I was still a little one in the land of the Cephallenians.
§20.211νῦν δʼ αἱ μὲν γίγνονται ἀθέσφατοι, οὐδέ κεν ἄλλως §20.212ἀνδρί γʼ ὑποσταχύοιτο βοῶν γένος εὐρυμετώπων· §20.213τὰς δʼ ἄλλοι με κέλονται ἀγινέμεναί σφισιν αὐτοῖς §20.214ἔδμεναι· οὐδέ τι παιδὸς ἐνὶ μεγάροις ἀλέγουσιν, §20.215οὐδʼ ὄπιδα τρομέουσι θεῶν· μεμάασι γὰρ ἤδη §20.216κτήματα δάσσασθαι δὴν οἰχομένοιο ἄνακτος.
And now they are past counting, nor in any other way could the breed of broad-browed cattle multiply better for a man; yet others bid me bring them for themselves to eat, and they care nothing for the son in the halls, nor do they tremble at the wrath of the gods; for they are eager now to divide the possessions of the lord who has long been gone.
§20.217αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ τόδε θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλοισι §20.218πόλλʼ ἐπιδινεῖται· μάλα μὲν κακὸν υἷος ἐόντος §20.219ἄλλων δῆμον ἱκέσθαι ἰόντʼ αὐτῇσι βόεσσιν, §20.220ἄνδρας ἐς ἀλλοδαπούς· τὸ δὲ ῥίγιον, αὖθι μένοντα §20.221βουσὶν ἐπʼ ἀλλοτρίῃσι καθήμενον ἄλγεα πάσχειν.
But as for me, the heart within my breast keeps turning this much over: it is very bad, while the son is living, to go to another land, departing with the cattle themselves, to foreign men; but it is more horrible to remain here and suffer pains, sitting over cattle that belong to others.
§20.222καί κεν δὴ πάλαι ἄλλον ὑπερμενέων βασιλήων §20.223ἐξικόμην φεύγων, ἐπεὶ οὐκέτʼ ἀνεκτὰ πέλονται· §20.224ἀλλʼ ἔτι τὸν δύστηνον ὀΐομαι, εἴ ποθεν ἐλθὼν §20.225ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων σκέδασιν κατὰ δώματα θείῃ. §20.226τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς· §20.227βουκόλʼ, ἐπεὶ οὔτε κακῷ οὔτʼ ἄφρονι φωτὶ ἔοικας, §20.228γιγνώσκω δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὅ τοι πινυτὴ φρένας ἵκει, §20.229τοὔνεκά τοι ἐρέω καὶ ἐπὶ μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμοῦμαι· §20.230ἴστω νῦν Ζεὺς πρῶτα θεῶν ξενίη τε τράπεζα §20.231ἱστίη τʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἀμύμονος, ἣν ἀφικάνω, §20.232ἦ σέθεν ἐνθάδʼ ἐόντος ἐλεύσεται οἴκαδʼ Ὀδυσσεύς· §20.233σοῖσιν δʼ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἐπόψεαι, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσθα, §20.234κτεινομένους μνηστῆρας, οἳ ἐνθάδε κοιρανέουσιν. §20.235τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε βοῶν ἐπιβουκόλος ἀνήρ· §20.236αἲ γὰρ τοῦτο, ξεῖνε, ἔπος τελέσειε Κρονίων·
And indeed I would long ago have fled and reached another of the mighty kings, since things are no longer bearable; but I still think of that unhappy man, if he might come from somewhere and make a scattering of the suitors throughout the halls." Then wise Odysseus answered him and said: "Herdsman, since you seem to be neither a bad nor a foolish man, and I myself also know that wisdom has come to your heart, therefore I will tell you, and will swear a great oath upon it: let Zeus be witness now first of the gods, and the hospitable table, and the hearth of blameless Odysseus, to which I have come, that while you are still here, Odysseus shall come home; and with your own eyes you shall see, if you wish, the suitors being slain, who here play the master." Then the herdsman of the cattle answered him in turn: "Would that, stranger, the son of Cronos might fulfill this word!
§20.237γνοίης χʼ οἵη ἐμὴ δύναμις καὶ χεῖρες ἕπονται. §20.238ὣς δʼ αὔτως Εὔμαιος ἐπεύξατο πᾶσι θεοῖσι §20.239νοστῆσαι Ὀδυσῆα πολύφρονα ὅνδε δόμονδε.
You would know then what sort of power is mine, and how my hands follow." And in the same way Eumaeus prayed to all the gods that wise Odysseus might return to his own home.
§20.240ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον, §20.241μνηστῆρες δʼ ἄρα Τηλεμάχῳ θάνατόν τε μόρον τε §20.242ἤρτυον· αὐτὰρ ὁ τοῖσιν ἀριστερὸς ἤλυθεν ὄρνις, §20.243αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης, ἔχε δὲ τρήρωνα πέλειαν.
So they spoke thus to one another, but the suitors were preparing death and doom for Telemachus; yet there came to them a bird on the left, a high-flying eagle, and it held a timid dove.
§20.244τοῖσιν δʼ Ἀμφίνομος ἀγορήσατο καὶ μετέειπεν· §20.245ὦ φίλοι, οὐχ ἡμῖν συνθεύσεται ἥδε γε βουλή, §20.246Τηλεμάχοιο φόνος· ἀλλὰ μνησώμεθα δαιτός. §20.247ὣς ἔφατʼ Ἀμφίνομος, τοῖσιν δʼ ἐπιήνδανε μῦθος.
And Amphinomus spoke among them and addressed them: "Friends, this plan of ours will not run smooth, the murder of Telemachus; but let us think of the feast." So spoke Amphinomus, and his speech pleased them.
§20.248ἐλθόντες δʼ ἐς δώματʼ Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο §20.249χλαίνας μὲν κατέθεντο κατὰ κλισμούς τε θρόνους τε, §20.250οἱ δʼ ἱέρευον ὄϊς μεγάλους καὶ πίονας αἶγας, §20.251ἵρευον δὲ σύας σιάλους καὶ βοῦν ἀγελαίην· §20.252σπλάγχνα δʼ ἄρʼ ὀπτήσαντες ἐνώμων, ἐν δέ τε οἶνον §20.253κρητῆρσιν κερόωντο· κύπελλα δὲ νεῖμε συβώτης.
And going into the house of divine Odysseus they laid down their cloaks on the chairs and high seats, and they slaughtered great sheep and fat goats, and they slew fatted swine and a cow from the herd; and having roasted the entrails they distributed them, and they mixed wine in the bowls; and the swineherd distributed the cups.
§20.254σῖτον δέ σφʼ ἐπένειμε Φιλοίτιος, ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν, §20.255καλοῖς ἐν κανέοισιν, ἐῳνοχόει δὲ Μελανθεύς.
And Philoetius, a leader of men, distributed bread to them in beautiful baskets, and Melantheus poured the wine.
§20.256οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον.
So they stretched forth their hands to the ready feast set before them.
§20.257Τηλέμαχος δʼ Ὀδυσῆα καθίδρυε, κέρδεα νωμῶν, §20.258ἐντὸς ἐϋσταθέος μεγάρου, παρὰ λάϊνον οὐδόν, §20.259δίφρον ἀεικέλιον καταθεὶς ὀλίγην τε τράπεζαν· §20.260πὰρ δʼ ἐτίθει σπλάγχνων μοίρας, ἐν δʼ οἶνον ἔχευεν §20.261ἐν δέπαϊ χρυσέῳ, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν·
But Telemachus, with crafty design, made Odysseus sit inside the well-built hall, beside the stone threshold, having placed for him a mean seat and a small table; and he set before him portions of the entrails, and poured wine in a golden cup, and spoke a word to him: