§22.1αὐτὰρ ὁ γυμνώθη ῥακέων πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς, §22.2ἆλτο δʼ ἐπὶ μέγαν οὐδόν, ἔχων βιὸν ἠδὲ φαρέτρην §22.3ἰῶν ἐμπλείην, ταχέας δʼ ἐκχεύατʼ ὀϊστοὺς §22.4αὐτοῦ πρόσθε ποδῶν, μετὰ δὲ μνηστῆρσιν ἔειπεν· §22.5οὗτος μὲν δὴ ἄεθλος ἀάατος ἐκτετέλεσται· §22.6νῦν αὖτε σκοπὸν ἄλλον, ὃν οὔ πώ τις βάλεν ἀνήρ, §22.7εἴσομαι, αἴ κε τύχωμι, πόρῃ δέ μοι εὖχος Ἀπόλλων. §22.8ἦ καὶ ἐπʼ Ἀντινόῳ ἰθύνετο πικρὸν ὀϊστόν. §22.9ἦ τοι ὁ καλὸν ἄλεισον ἀναιρήσεσθαι ἔμελλε, §22.10χρύσεον ἄμφωτον, καὶ δὴ μετὰ χερσὶν ἐνώμα, §22.11ὄφρα πίοι οἴνοιο· φόνος δέ οἱ οὐκ ἐνὶ θυμῷ §22.12μέμβλετο· τίς κʼ οἴοιτο μετʼ ἀνδράσι δαιτυμόνεσσι §22.13μοῦνον ἐνὶ πλεόνεσσι, καὶ εἰ μάλα καρτερὸς εἴη, §22.14οἷ τεύξειν θάνατόν τε κακὸν καὶ κῆρα μέλαιναν; §22.15τὸν δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς κατὰ λαιμὸν ἐπισχόμενος βάλεν ἰῷ, §22.16ἀντικρὺ δʼ ἁπαλοῖο διʼ αὐχένος ἤλυθʼ ἀκωκή. §22.17ἐκλίνθη δʼ ἑτέρωσε, δέπας δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε χειρὸς §22.18βλημένου, αὐτίκα δʼ αὐλὸς ἀνὰ ῥῖνας παχὺς ἦλθεν §22.19αἵματος ἀνδρομέοιο· θοῶς δʼ ἀπὸ εἷο τράπεζαν §22.20ὦσε ποδὶ πλήξας, ἀπὸ δʼ εἴδατα χεῦεν ἔραζε· §22.21σῖτός τε κρέα τʼ ὀπτὰ φορύνετο.
But Odysseus of many wiles stripped off his rags, and leaped upon the great threshold, holding his bow and the quiver full of arrows; and he poured out the swift shafts right before his feet, and spoke among the suitors: "This decisive contest is now ended. Now indeed I will try another mark, which no man has yet hit, if I may chance to strike it, and Apollo grant me glory." He spoke, and aimed a bitter arrow at Antinous. Verily he was about to raise a beautiful cup, a two-eared cup of gold, and was already handling it in his hands that he might drink of the wine; and slaughter was not in his thoughts. Who indeed would think that among men banqueting, a single man among many, even if he were very strong, would bring upon him evil death and black fate? But Odysseus aimed and hit him with an arrow in the throat, and straight through his tender neck went the point. He sank to one side, and the cup fell from his hand as he was struck, and straightway a thick stream of human blood came up through his nostrils; and quickly he pushed the table from him, striking it with his foot, and spilled the food on the ground. And the bread and roasted meat were befouled.
τοὶ δʼ ὁμάδησαν §22.22μνηστῆρες κατὰ δώμαθʼ, ὅπως ἴδον ἄνδρα πεσόντα, §22.23ἐκ δὲ θρόνων ἀνόρουσαν ὀρινθέντες κατὰ δῶμα, §22.24πάντοσε παπταίνοντες ἐϋδμήτους ποτὶ τοίχους· §22.25οὐδέ πη ἀσπὶς ἔην οὐδʼ ἄλκιμον ἔγχος ἑλέσθαι. §22.26νείκειον δʼ Ὀδυσῆα χολωτοῖσιν ἐπέεσσι· §22.27ξεῖνε, κακῶς ἀνδρῶν τοξάζεαι·
Then the suitors clamored in the halls when they saw the man fallen, and leaped up from their seats, taking alarm throughout the house, peering everywhere toward the well-built walls; but nowhere was there a shield or a mighty spear to lay hold of. And they rated Odysseus with angry words: "Stranger, you shoot at men to your hurt!
οὐκέτʼ ἀέθλων §22.28ἄλλων ἀντιάσεις· νῦν τοι σῶς αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος. §22.29καὶ γὰρ δὴ νῦν φῶτα κατέκτανες ὃς μέγʼ ἄριστος §22.30κούρων εἰν Ἰθάκῃ· τῷ σʼ ἐνθάδε γῦπες ἔδονται. §22.31ἴσκεν ἕκαστος ἀνήρ, ἐπεὶ ἦ φάσαν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα §22.32ἄνδρα κατακτεῖναι· τὸ δὲ νήπιοι οὐκ ἐνόησαν, §22.33ὡς δή σφιν καὶ πᾶσιν ὀλέθρου πείρατʼ ἐφῆπτο. §22.34τοὺς δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·
No more other contests shall you meet with; now indeed sheer destruction is sure for you. For now you have slain the man who is far the best of the youths in Ithaca; therefore shall vultures devour you here." Each man guessed thus, because they thought he had slain the man without intending it; but, fools, they did not perceive that the bonds of destruction were already fastened upon them all. Then Odysseus of many wiles looked grimly at them and said: "Dogs!
§22.35ὦ κύνες, οὔ μʼ ἔτʼ ἐφάσκεθʼ ὑπότροπον οἴκαδʼ ἱκέσθαι §22.36δήμου ἄπο Τρώων, ὅτι μοι κατεκείρετε οἶκον, §22.37δμῳῇσιν δὲ γυναιξὶ παρευνάζεσθε βιαίως, §22.38αὐτοῦ τε ζώοντος ὑπεμνάασθε γυναῖκα, §22.39οὔτε θεοὺς δείσαντες, οἳ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν, §22.40οὔτε τινʼ ἀνθρώπων νέμεσιν κατόπισθεν ἔσεσθαι· §22.41νῦν ὑμῖν καὶ πᾶσιν ὀλέθρου πείρατʼ ἐφῆπται. §22.42ὣς φάτο, τοὺς δʼ ἄρα πάντας ὑπὸ χλωρὸν δέος εἷλεν· §22.43πάπτηνεν δὲ ἕκαστος ὅπη φύγοι αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον. §22.44Εὐρύμαχος δέ μιν οἶος ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπεν· §22.45εἰ μὲν δὴ Ὀδυσεὺς Ἰθακήσιος εἰλήλουθας, §22.46ταῦτα μὲν αἴσιμα εἶπας, ὅσα ῥέζεσκον Ἀχαιοί, §22.47πολλὰ μὲν ἐν μεγάροισιν ἀτάσθαλα, πολλὰ δʼ ἐπʼ ἀγροῦ. §22.48ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν ἤδη κεῖται ὃς αἴτιος ἔπλετο πάντων, §22.49Ἀντίνοος· οὗτος γὰρ ἐπίηλεν τάδε ἔργα, §22.50οὔ τι γάμου τόσσον κεχρημένος οὐδὲ χατίζων, §22.51ἀλλʼ ἄλλα φρονέων, τά οἱ οὐκ ἐτέλεσσε Κρονίων, §22.52ὄφρʼ Ἰθάκης κατὰ δῆμον ἐϋκτιμένης βασιλεύοι §22.53αὐτός, ἀτὰρ σὸν παῖδα κατακτείνειε λοχήσας. §22.54νῦν δʼ ὁ μὲν ἐν μοίρῃ πέφαται, σὺ δὲ φείδεο λαῶν §22.55σῶν·
You thought that I should no more return home from the land of the Trojans, because you devoured my house, and lay with my maidservants by force, and while I was yet alive wooed my wife, neither fearing the gods who hold the broad heaven, nor thinking that any vengeance of men would follow after. Now upon you all the bonds of destruction are fastened." So he spoke, and green fear seized them all; and each peered about to see how he might escape sheer destruction. Eurymachus alone answered him and said: "If indeed you are Odysseus of Ithaca come back, then what you have said is right concerning all that the Achaeans have done, many reckless deeds in your halls, and many in the field. But he already lies dead who was the cause of all, Antinous; for it was he who set on foot these deeds, not so much desiring or needing marriage, but planning other things, which the son of Cronos did not accomplish for him, that he might himself be king over the people of well-built Ithaca, and lie in wait for your son and slay him. But now he has been slain according to his desert; so do you spare your own people.
ἀτὰρ ἄμμες ὄπισθεν ἀρεσσάμενοι κατὰ δῆμον, §22.56ὅσσα τοι ἐκπέποται καὶ ἐδήδοται ἐν μεγάροισι, §22.57τιμὴν ἀμφὶς ἄγοντες ἐεικοσάβοιον ἕκαστος, §22.58χαλκόν τε χρυσόν τʼ ἀποδώσομεν, εἰς ὅ κε σὸν κῆρ §22.59ἰανθῇ· πρὶν δʼ οὔ τι νεμεσσητὸν κεχολῶσθαι. §22.60τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς· §22.61Εὐρύμαχʼ, οὐδʼ εἴ μοι πατρώϊα πάντʼ ἀποδοῖτε, §22.62ὅσσα τε νῦν ὔμμʼ ἐστὶ καὶ εἴ ποθεν ἄλλʼ ἐπιθεῖτε, §22.63οὐδέ κεν ὣς ἔτι χεῖρας ἐμὰς λήξαιμι φόνοιο §22.64πρὶν πᾶσαν μνηστῆρας ὑπερβασίην ἀποτῖσαι. §22.65νῦν ὑμῖν παράκειται ἐναντίον ἠὲ μάχεσθαι §22.66ἢ φεύγειν, ὅς κεν θάνατον καὶ κῆρας ἀλύξῃ· §22.67ἀλλά τινʼ οὐ φεύξεσθαι ὀΐομαι αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον. §22.68ὣς φάτο, τῶν δʼ αὐτοῦ λύτο γούνατα καὶ φίλον ἦτορ. §22.69τοῖσιν δʼ Εὐρύμαχος προσεφώνεε δεύτερον αὖτις·
And we will hereafter make amends throughout the land for all that has been drunk and eaten in your halls, bringing each for himself a compensation of the value of twenty oxen, and will pay you back in bronze and gold, until your heart is softened; but till then no one can blame you for being angry." Then Odysseus of many wiles looked grimly at them and said: "Eurymachus, not even if you should give me all your heritage from your fathers, all that you now have, and if you should add yet other things from elsewhere, not even so would I stay my hands from slaughter, until the suitors have paid for all their transgressions. Now it lies before you to fight face to face or to flee, whoever may escape death and fate; but I do not think that any one shall escape sheer destruction." So he spoke, and their knees and heart were loosened on the spot. And to them Eurymachus spoke a second time: