§21.1τῇ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπὶ φρεσὶ θῆκε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη, §21.2κούρῃ Ἰκαρίοιο, περίφρονι Πηνελοπείῃ, §21.3τόξον μνηστήρεσσι θέμεν πολιόν τε σίδηρον §21.4ἐν μεγάροις Ὀδυσῆος, ἀέθλια καὶ φόνου ἀρχήν.
Then the goddess, flashing-eyed Athena, put it in the mind of Penelope, the wise daughter of Icarius, to set the bow and the grey iron before the suitors in the halls of Odysseus, as a contest and the beginning of slaughter.
§21.5κλίμακα δʼ ὑψηλὴν προσεβήσετο οἷο δόμοιο, §21.6εἵλετο δὲ κληῗδʼ εὐκαμπέα χειρὶ παχείῃ §21.7καλὴν χαλκείην· κώπη δʼ ἐλέφαντος ἐπῆεν.
And she went up the high stairway of her house, and took the well-curved key in her strong hand, a beautiful bronze key; and a handle of ivory was upon it.
§21.8βῆ δʼ ἴμεναι θάλαμόνδε σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισι γυναιξὶν §21.9ἔσχατον· ἔνθα δέ οἱ κειμήλια κεῖτο ἄνακτος, §21.10χαλκός τε χρυσός τε πολύκμητός τε σίδηρος.
And she went to the outermost chamber with her handmaids, where the treasures of the lord lay, bronze and gold and laboriously wrought iron.
§21.11ἔνθα δὲ τόξον κεῖτο παλίντονον ἠδὲ φαρέτρη §21.12ἰοδόκος, πολλοὶ δʼ ἔνεσαν στονόεντες ὀϊστοί, §21.13δῶρα τά οἱ ξεῖνος Λακεδαίμονι δῶκε τυχήσας §21.14Ἴφιτος Εὐρυτίδης, ἐπιείκελος ἀθανάτοισι.
And there lay the back-bent bow and the quiver that held the arrows, and many groaning shafts were in it, gifts which a guest had given him when he met him in Lacedaemon, Iphitus, son of Eurytus, like to the immortals.
And the two met each other in Messene, in the house of wise Ortilochus.
ἦ τοι Ὀδυσσεὺς §21.17ἦλθε μετὰ χρεῖος, τό ῥά οἱ πᾶς δῆμος ὄφελλε· §21.18μῆλα γὰρ ἐξ Ἰθάκης Μεσσήνιοι ἄνδρες ἄειραν §21.19νηυσὶ πολυκλήϊσι τριηκόσιʼ ἠδὲ νομῆας.
Indeed Odysseus had come for a debt, which all the people owed him; for Messenian men had carried off from Ithaca three hundred sheep in many-benched ships, and the shepherds with them.
§21.20τῶν ἕνεκʼ ἐξεσίην πολλὴν ὁδὸν ἦλθεν Ὀδυσσεὺς §21.21παιδνὸς ἐών· πρὸ γὰρ ἧκε πατὴρ ἄλλοι τε γέροντες.
On account of these Odysseus came a long way on an embassy, though he was but a youth; for his father and other elders had sent him forth.
§21.22Ἴφιτος αὖθʼ ἵππους διζήμενος, αἵ οἱ ὄλοντο §21.23δώδεκα θήλειαι, ὑπὸ δʼ ἡμίονοι ταλαεργοί· §21.24αἳ δή οἱ καὶ ἔπειτα φόνος καὶ μοῖρα γένοντο, §21.25ἐπεὶ δὴ Διὸς υἱὸν ἀφίκετο καρτερόθυμον, §21.26φῶθʼ Ἡρακλῆα, μεγάλων ἐπιίστορα ἔργων, §21.27ὅς μιν ξεῖνον ἐόντα κατέκτανεν ᾧ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ, §21.28σχέτλιος, οὐδὲ θεῶν ὄπιν ᾐδέσατʼ οὐδὲ τράπεζαν, §21.29τὴν ἥν οἱ παρέθηκεν· ἔπειτα δὲ πέφνε καὶ αὐτόν, §21.30ἵππους δʼ αὐτὸς ἔχε κρατερώνυχας ἐν μεγάροισι.
And Iphitus on his part was seeking his horses, which had been lost to him, twelve female horses, and under them hard-working mules; and these indeed were thereafter to be his death and fate, when he came to the strong-hearted son of Zeus, the man Heracles, knower of mighty deeds, who slew him, though he was his guest, in his own house, ruthless man, nor did he respect the vengeance of the gods, nor the table which he set before him; and after that he slew him too, and himself kept the strong-hooved horses in his halls.
§21.31τὰς ἐρέων Ὀδυσῆϊ συνήντετο, δῶκε δὲ τόξον, §21.32τὸ πρὶν μέν ῥʼ ἐφόρει μέγας Εὔρυτος, αὐτὰρ ὁ παιδὶ §21.33κάλλιπʼ ἀποθνῄσκων ἐν δώμασιν ὑψηλοῖσι.
In seeking these he met Odysseus, and gave him the bow, which of old great Eurytus used to bear, but he to his son had left it when he died in his high house.
§21.34τῷ δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς ξίφος ὀξὺ καὶ ἄλκιμον ἔγχος ἔδωκεν, §21.35ἀρχὴν ξεινοσύνης προσκηδέος· οὐδὲ τραπέζῃ §21.36γνώτην ἀλλήλων· πρὶν γὰρ Διὸς υἱὸς ἔπεφνεν §21.37Ἴφιτον Εὐρυτίδην, ἐπιείκελον ἀθανάτοισιν, §21.38ὅς οἱ τόξον ἔδωκε.
And to him Odysseus gave a sharp sword and a mighty spear, the beginning of a loving guest-friendship; but at the table they did not know each other; for before that the son of Zeus slew Iphitus, son of Eurytus, like to the immortals, who had given him the bow.
τὸ δʼ οὔ ποτε δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς §21.39ἐρχόμενος πόλεμόνδε μελαινάων ἐπὶ νηῶν §21.40ᾑρεῖτʼ, ἀλλʼ αὐτοῦ μνῆμα ξείνοιο φίλοιο §21.41κέσκετʼ ἐνὶ μεγάροισι, φόρει δέ μιν ἧς ἐπὶ γαίης.
That bow noble Odysseus never took when he went to war on his black ships, but it lay in his halls as a memorial of his dear guest, and he wore it only upon his own land.
§21.42ἡ δʼ ὅτε δὴ θάλαμον τὸν ἀφίκετο δῖα γυναικῶν §21.43οὐδόν τε δρύϊνον προσεβήσετο, τόν ποτε τέκτων §21.44ξέσσεν ἐπισταμένως καὶ ἐπὶ στάθμην ἴθυνεν, §21.45ἐν δὲ σταθμοὺς ἄρσε, θύρας δʼ ἐπέθηκε φαεινάς, §21.46αὐτίκʼ ἄρʼ ἥ γʼ ἱμάντα θοῶς ἀπέλυσε κορώνης, §21.47ἐν δὲ κληῗδʼ ἧκε, θυρέων δʼ ἀνέκοπτεν ὀχῆας §21.48ἄντα τιτυσκομένη· τὰ δʼ ἀνέβραχεν ἠΰτε ταῦρος §21.49βοσκόμενος λειμῶνι· τόσʼ ἔβραχε καλὰ θύρετρα §21.50πληγέντα κληΐδι, πετάσθησαν δέ οἱ ὦκα.
Now when the noble lady came to that chamber, and stepped upon the oaken threshold, which once the carpenter had skillfully planed and made straight by the line, and fitted the doorposts in it, and set upon it the shining doors, at once then she quickly loosed the strap from the ring, and put in the key, and shot back the bolts of the doors, aiming straight; and they bellowed like a bull grazing in a meadow; so loud did the beautiful doors bellow when struck by the key, and they were opened quickly before her.
§21.51ἡ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐφʼ ὑψηλῆς σανίδος βῆ· ἔνθα δὲ χηλοὶ §21.52ἕστασαν, ἐν δʼ ἄρα τῇσι θυώδεα εἵματʼ ἔκειτο.
Then she stepped upon the high floor, where the chests were standing, and in them lay the fragrant garments.
From there she reached out and took the bow from the peg, together with the shining case which enclosed it.
§21.55ἑζομένη δὲ κατʼ αὖθι, φίλοις ἐπὶ γούνασι θεῖσα, §21.56κλαῖε μάλα λιγέως, ἐκ δʼ ᾕρεε τόξον ἄνακτος.
And sitting down there, having laid it on her dear knees, she wept very loudly, and took out the bow of the lord.
§21.57ἡ δʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν τάρφθη πολυδακρύτοιο γόοιο, §21.58βῆ ῥʼ ἴμεναι μέγαρόνδε μετὰ μνηστῆρας ἀγαυοὺς §21.59τόξον ἔχουσʼ ἐν χειρὶ παλίντονον ἠδὲ φαρέτρην §21.60ἰοδόκον· πολλοὶ δʼ ἔνεσαν στονόεντες ὀϊστοί.
But when she was satisfied with tearful lamentation, she went to the hall to meet the proud suitors, holding the back-bent bow in her hand and the quiver that held the arrows; and many groaning shafts were in it.
§21.61τῇ δʼ ἄρʼ ἅμʼ ἀμφίπολοι φέρον ὄγκιον, ἔνθα σίδηρος §21.62κεῖτο πολὺς καὶ χαλκός, ἀέθλια τοῖο ἄνακτος.
And with her the handmaids carried the chest, where iron lay in plenty, and bronze, the contest prizes of the lord.
§21.63ἡ δʼ ὅτε δὴ μνηστῆρας ἀφίκετο δῖα γυναικῶν, §21.64στῆ ῥα παρὰ σταθμὸν τέγεος πύκα ποιητοῖο, §21.65ἄντα παρειάων σχομένη λιπαρὰ κρήδεμνα. §21.66ἀμφίπολος δʼ ἄρα οἱ κεδνὴ ἑκάτερθε παρέστη.
And when the noble lady came to the suitors, she stood by the doorpost of the well-built roof, holding her bright veil before her cheeks; and a faithful handmaid stood on either side of her.
§21.67αὐτίκα δὲ μνηστῆρσι μετηύδα καὶ φάτο μῦθον· §21.68κέκλυτέ μευ, μνηστῆρες ἀγήνορες, οἳ τόδε δῶμα §21.69ἐχράετʼ ἐσθιέμεν καὶ πινέμεν ἐμμενὲς αἰεὶ §21.70ἀνδρὸς ἀποιχομένοιο πολὺν χρόνον· οὐδέ τινʼ ἄλλην §21.71μύθου ποιήσασθαι ἐπισχεσίην ἐδύνασθε, §21.72ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ ἱέμενοι γῆμαι θέσθαι τε γυναῖκα.
And straightway she spoke to the suitors and said: "Hear me, proud suitors, who have devoured this house, constantly eating and drinking always without ceasing, while the master has been gone for a long time; nor any other pretext for your conduct have you been able to make, except that you are eager to marry me and take me as your wife.
§21.73ἀλλʼ ἄγετε, μνηστῆρες, ἐπεὶ τόδε φαίνετʼ ἄεθλον. §21.74θήσω γὰρ μέγα τόξον Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο· §21.75ὃς δέ κε ῥηΐτατʼ ἐντανύσῃ βιὸν ἐν παλάμῃσι
But come, suitors, since this contest is shown to you; for I will set the great bow of godlike Odysseus; and whosoever shall most easily bend the bow in his hands,