§22.357καὶ κήρυκα Μέδοντα σαώσομεν, ὅς τέ μευ αἰεὶ §22.358οἴκῳ ἐν ἡμετέρῳ κηδέσκετο παιδὸς ἐόντος, §22.359εἰ δὴ μή μιν ἔπεφνε Φιλοίτιος ἠὲ συβώτης, §22.360ἠὲ σοὶ ἀντεβόλησεν ὀρινομένῳ κατὰ δῶμα. §22.361ὣς φάτο, τοῦ δʼ ἤκουσε Μέδων πεπνυμένα εἰδώς· §22.362πεπτηὼς γὰρ ἔκειτο ὑπὸ θρόνον, ἀμφὶ δὲ δέρμα §22.363ἕστο βοὸς νεόδαρτον, ἀλύσκων κῆρα μέλαιναν.
"And let us save Medon the herald, who always cared for me in our house when I was a child, unless indeed Philoetius or the swineherd has already slain him, or he met thee as thou didst rage through the hall." So he spoke, and Medon, wise of heart, heard him; for he lay cowering under a chair, and round about him he had wrapped a newly flayed ox-hide, seeking to escape black fate.
§22.364αἶψα δʼ ἀπὸ θρόνου ὦρτο, θοῶς δʼ ἀπέδυνε βοείην. §22.365Τηλέμαχον δʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειτα προσαΐξας λάβε γούνων, §22.366καί μιν λισσόμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §22.367ὦ φίλʼ, ἐγὼ μὲν ὅδʼ εἰμί, σὺ δʼ ἴσχεο εἰπὲ δὲ πατρὶ §22.368μή με περισθενέων δηλήσεται ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ, §22.369ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων κεχολωμένος, οἵ οἱ ἔκειρον §22.370κτήματʼ ἐνὶ μεγάροις, σὲ δὲ νήπιοι οὐδὲν ἔτιον. §22.371τὸν δʼ ἐπιμειδήσας προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς· §22.372θάρσει, ἐπεὶ δή σʼ οὗτος ἐρύσσατο καὶ ἐσάωσεν, §22.373ὄφρα γνῷς κατὰ θυμόν, ἀτὰρ εἴπῃσθα καὶ ἄλλῳ, §22.374ὡς κακοεργίης εὐεργεσίη μέγʼ ἀμείνων.
Straightway he rose from under the chair, and quickly put off the ox-hide, and then rushed forward and clasped the knees of Telemachus, and besought him, and spoke winged words: "O friend, here I am; but do thou stay thy hand, and speak to thy father lest, in his exceeding strength, he destroy me with the sharp bronze, being wroth with the suitors, who wasted his possessions in his halls, and in their folly held thee of no account." Then with a smile Odysseus of many wiles spoke to him: "Be of good cheer, since he has saved and delivered thee, that thou mayest know in thy heart, and tell also to another, how far better is well-doing than ill-doing.
§22.375ἀλλʼ ἐξελθόντες μεγάρων ἕζεσθε θύραζε §22.376ἐκ φόνου εἰς αὐλήν, σύ τε καὶ πολύφημος ἀοιδός, §22.377ὄφρʼ ἂν ἐγὼ κατὰ δῶμα πονήσομαι ὅττεό με χρή. §22.378ὣς φάτο, τὼ δʼ ἔξω βήτην μεγάροιο κιόντε, §22.379ἑζέσθην δʼ ἄρα τώ γε Διὸς μεγάλου ποτὶ βωμόν, §22.380πάντοσε παπταίνοντε, φόνον ποτιδεγμένω αἰεί.
But go forth from the hall and sit outside in the court, away from the slaughter, thou and the minstrel of many songs, until I shall have finished what I must needs do in the house." So he spoke, and the two went out from the hall and sat down by the altar of great Zeus, looking about on every side, ever expecting death.
§22.381πάπτηνεν δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς καθʼ ἑὸν δόμον, εἴ τις ἔτʼ ἀνδρῶν §22.382ζωὸς ὑποκλοπέοιτο, ἀλύσκων κῆρα μέλαιναν.
And Odysseus peered through his house to see if any man yet lived and was hiding, seeking to escape black fate.
§22.383τοὺς δὲ ἴδεν μάλα πάντας ἐν αἵματι καὶ κονίῃσι §22.384πεπτεῶτας πολλούς, ὥστʼ ἰχθύας, οὕς θʼ ἁλιῆες §22.385κοῖλον ἐς αἰγιαλὸν πολιῆς ἔκτοσθε θαλάσσης §22.386δικτύῳ ἐξέρυσαν πολυωπῷ· οἱ δέ τε πάντες §22.387κύμαθʼ ἁλὸς ποθέοντες ἐπὶ ψαμάθοισι κέχυνται· §22.388τῶν μέν τʼ Ἠέλιος φαέθων ἐξείλετο θυμόν· §22.389ὣς τότʼ ἄρα μνηστῆρες ἐπʼ ἀλλήλοισι κέχυντο.
And he saw them one and all fallen in blood and dust, many of them, like fish which fishermen have drawn forth from the grey sea in a net with many meshes onto the curving beach; and they all, longing for the waves of the sea, lie heaped upon the sand, and the bright sun takes away their life; so then the suitors lay heaped upon one another.
§22.390δὴ τότε Τηλέμαχον προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς· §22.391Τηλέμαχʼ, εἰ δʼ ἄγε μοι κάλεσον τροφὸν Εὐρύκλειαν, §22.392ὄφρα ἔπος εἴπωμι τό μοι καταθύμιόν ἐστιν. §22.393ὣς φάτο, Τηλέμαχος δὲ φίλῳ ἐπεπείθετο πατρί, §22.394κινήσας δὲ θύρην προσέφη τροφὸν Εὐρύκλειαν· §22.395δεῦρο δὴ ὄρσο, γρηῢ παλαιγενές, ἥ τε γυναικῶν §22.396δμῳάων σκοπός ἐσσι κατὰ μέγαρʼ ἡμετεράων· §22.397ἔρχεο· κικλήσκει σε πατὴρ ἐμός, ὄφρα τι εἴπῃ. §22.398ὣς ἄρʼ ἐφώνησεν, τῇ δʼ ἄπτερος ἔπλετο μῦθος, §22.399ὤϊξεν δὲ θύρας μεγάρων εὖ ναιεταόντων, §22.400βῆ δʼ ἴμεν· αὐτὰρ Τηλέμαχος πρόσθʼ ἡγεμόνευεν.
Then indeed Odysseus of many wiles spoke to Telemachus: "Telemachus, go, call me the nurse Eurycleia, that I may speak to her the word that is in my mind." So he spoke, and Telemachus obeyed his dear father, and shook the door, and spoke to the nurse Eurycleia: "Hither, rise up, aged dame, who art the watcher over our handmaidens in the halls; come, my father calls thee, that he may say something to thee." So he spoke, and her word remained wingless; and she opened the doors of the well-peopled hall, and came forth; and Telemachus led the way before her.
§22.401εὗρεν ἔπειτʼ Ὀδυσῆα μετὰ κταμένοισι νέκυσσιν, §22.402αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον ὥστε λέοντα, §22.403ὅς ῥά τε βεβρωκὼς βοὸς ἔρχεται ἀγραύλοιο· §22.404πᾶν δʼ ἄρα οἱ στῆθός τε παρήϊά τʼ ἀμφοτέρωθεν §22.405αἱματόεντα πέλει, δεινὸς δʼ εἰς ὦπα ἰδέσθαι· §22.406ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς πεπάλακτο πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθεν.
Then she found Odysseus among the slain corpses, spattered with blood and filth like a lion that comes from feeding on an ox of the pasture; and all his breast and his cheeks on either side are bloody, and he is terrible to look upon; so was Odysseus spattered, his feet and his hands above.
§22.407ἡ δʼ ὡς οὖν νέκυάς τε καὶ ἄσπετον εἴσιδεν αἷμα, §22.408ἴθυσέν ῥʼ ὀλολύξαι, ἐπεὶ μέγα εἴσιδεν ἔργον· §22.409ἀλλʼ Ὀδυσεὺς κατέρυκε καὶ ἔσχεθεν ἱεμένην περ, §22.410καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §22.411ἐν θυμῷ, γρηῦ, χαῖρε καὶ ἴσχεο μηδʼ ὀλόλυζε· §22.412οὐχ ὁσίη κταμένοισιν ἐπʼ ἀνδράσιν εὐχετάασθαι.
And she, when she saw the corpses and the measureless blood, was about to cry out in triumph, when she saw the great deed; but Odysseus held her back and checked her, eager though she was, and spoke and addressed her with winged words: "Rejoice in thy heart, old dame, and restrain thyself, and cry not out; it is an unholy thing to boast over slain men.
§22.413τούσδε δὲ μοῖρʼ ἐδάμασσε θεῶν καὶ σχέτλια ἔργα· §22.414οὔ τινα γὰρ τίεσκον ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων, §22.415οὐ κακὸν οὐδὲ μὲν ἐσθλόν, ὅτις σφέας εἰσαφίκοιτο· §22.416τῷ καὶ ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐπέσπον.
These has the destiny of the gods destroyed, and their own reckless deeds; for they respected no one of earthly men, whether bad or good, whosoever came among them; therefore by their wantonness they have met an unseemly fate.
§22.417ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι σὺ γυναῖκας ἐνὶ μεγάροις κατάλεξον, §22.418αἵ τέ μʼ ἀτιμάζουσι καὶ αἳ νηλείτιδές εἰσιν. §22.419τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε φίλη τροφὸς Εὐρύκλεια· §22.420τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι, τέκνον, ἀληθείην καταλέξω.
But come, do thou name to me the women in the halls, both those who dishonor me and those who are guiltless." Then the dear nurse Eurycleia spoke to him in turn: "Then indeed, my child, I will tell thee the truth.
§22.421πεντήκοντά τοί εἰσιν ἐνὶ μεγάροισι γυναῖκες §22.422δμῳαί, τὰς μέν τʼ ἔργα διδάξαμεν ἐργάζεσθαι, §22.423εἴριά τε ξαίνειν καὶ δουλοσύνην ἀνέχεσθαι· §22.424τάων δώδεκα πᾶσαι ἀναιδείης ἐπέβησαν, §22.425οὔτʼ ἐμὲ τίουσαι οὔτʼ αὐτὴν Πηνελόπειαν.
Fifty handmaidens hast thou in thy halls, whom we have taught to do their work, to card wool and to endure slavery; of these twelve in all have gone the way of shamelessness, honoring neither me nor Penelope herself.
And Telemachus was but newly grown, and his mother would not suffer him to have command over the handmaidens.
§22.428ἀλλʼ ἄγʼ ἐγὼν ἀναβᾶσʼ ὑπερώϊα σιγαλόεντα
But come, let me go up to the bright upper chamber..."