§3.218εἰ γάρ σʼ ὣς ἐθέλοι φιλέειν γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη, §3.219ὡς τότʼ Ὀδυσσῆος περικήδετο κυδαλίμοιο §3.220δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων, ὅθι πάσχομεν ἄλγεʼ Ἀχαιοί— §3.221οὐ γάρ πω ἴδον ὧδε θεοὺς ἀναφανδὰ φιλεῦντας, §3.222ὡς κείνῳ ἀναφανδὰ παρίστατο Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη— §3.223εἴ σʼ οὕτως ἐθέλοι φιλέειν κήδοιτό τε θυμῷ, §3.224τῶ κέν τις κείνων γε καὶ ἐκλελάθοιτο γάμοιο. §3.225τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα· §3.226ὦ γέρον, οὔ πω τοῦτο ἔπος τελέεσθαι ὀίω· §3.227λίην γὰρ μέγα εἶπες·
"For if only grey-eyed Athena would choose to love you so, as she then cared for glorious Odysseus in the land of the Trojans, where we Achaeans suffered woes— for never yet have I seen gods so openly loving, as Pallas Athena stood openly by him— if she would choose to love you so and care for you in her heart, then indeed some of them would forget marriage." To him again wise Telemachus answered: "Old man, I do not think this word will ever be fulfilled; for you have spoken a thing too great; amazement holds me.
ἄγη μʼ ἔχει. οὐκ ἂν ἐμοί γε §3.228ἐλπομένῳ τὰ γένοιτʼ, οὐδʼ εἰ θεοὶ ὣς ἐθέλοιεν. §3.229τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη· §3.230Τηλέμαχε, ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων.
Not to me, even if I hoped, would these things happen, not even if the gods should so will it." To him in turn spoke the goddess, grey-eyed Athena: "Telemachus, what a word has escaped the barrier of your teeth!
§3.231ῥεῖα θεός γʼ ἐθέλων καὶ τηλόθεν ἄνδρα σαώσαι.
Easily might a god, if he willed, save a man even from afar.
§3.232βουλοίμην δʼ ἂν ἐγώ γε καὶ ἄλγεα πολλὰ μογήσας §3.233οἴκαδέ τʼ ἐλθέμεναι καὶ νόστιμον ἦμαρ ἰδέσθαι, §3.234ἢ ἐλθὼν ἀπολέσθαι ἐφέστιος, ὡς Ἀγαμέμνων §3.235ὤλεθʼ ὑπʼ Αἰγίσθοιο δόλῳ καὶ ἧς ἀλόχοιο.
And I would rather, even after suffering many woes, reach home and see the day of my return, than return and perish at my hearth, as Agamemnon perished by the guile of Aegisthus and of his own wife.
§3.236ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι θάνατον μὲν ὁμοίιον οὐδὲ θεοί περ §3.237καὶ φίλῳ ἀνδρὶ δύνανται ἀλαλκέμεν, ὁππότε κεν δὴ §3.238μοῖρʼ ὀλοὴ καθέλῃσι τανηλεγέος θανάτοιο. §3.239τὴν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα· §3.240Μέντορ, μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα κηδόμενοί περ· §3.241κείνῳ δʼ οὐκέτι νόστος ἐτήτυμος, ἀλλά οἱ ἤδη §3.242φράσσαντʼ ἀθάνατοι θάνατον καὶ κῆρα μέλαιναν.
Yet indeed, death which is common to all, not even the gods can ward off from a man they love, when indeed the destructive fate of long-grieving death lays hold of him." To her in turn wise Telemachus answered: "Mentor, let us no longer speak of these things, grieved though we be; for him there is no longer a true return, but already the immortals have devised for him death and black fate.
§3.243νῦν δʼ ἐθέλω ἔπος ἄλλο μεταλλῆσαι καὶ ἐρέσθαι §3.244Νέστορʼ, ἐπεὶ περὶ οἶδε δίκας ἠδὲ φρόνιν ἄλλων· §3.245τρὶς γὰρ δή μίν φασιν ἀνάξασθαι γένεʼ ἀνδρῶν· §3.246ὥς τέ μοι ἀθάνατος ἰνδάλλεται εἰσοράασθαι.
But now I wish to ask and inquire of another matter, of Nestor, since he knows above others judgements and wisdom; for they say he has ruled over three generations of men; so that to me he seems like an immortal to look upon.
O Nestor, son of Neleus, do you tell me the truth: how did the son of Atreus, wide-ruling Agamemnon, die?
§3.249ποῦ Μενέλαος ἔην;
Where was Menelaus?
τίνα δʼ αὐτῷ μήσατʼ ὄλεθρον §3.250Αἴγισθος δολόμητις, ἐπεὶ κτάνε πολλὸν ἀρείω;
And what destruction did crafty Aegisthus devise for him, since he slew a man much better than himself?
§3.251ἦ οὐκ Ἄργεος ἦεν Ἀχαιικοῦ, ἀλλά πῃ ἄλλῃ §3.252πλάζετʼ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπους, ὁ δὲ θαρσήσας κατέπεφνε; §3.253τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ· §3.254τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι, τέκνον, ἀληθέα πάντʼ ἀγορεύσω.
Was he not in Achaean Argos, but was wandering somewhere else among men, and so the other took courage and slew him?" To him then answered Gerenian horseman Nestor: "Indeed, my child, I will tell you all the truth.
§3.255ἦ τοι μὲν τάδε καὐτὸς ὀίεαι, ὥς κεν ἐτύχθη, §3.256εἰ ζωόν γʼ Αἴγισθον ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἔτετμεν §3.257Ἀτρεΐδης Τροίηθεν ἰών, ξανθὸς Μενέλαος· §3.258τῶ κέ οἱ οὐδὲ θανόντι χυτὴν ἐπὶ γαῖαν ἔχευαν, §3.259ἀλλʼ ἄρα τόν γε κύνες τε καὶ οἰωνοὶ κατέδαψαν §3.260κείμενον ἐν πεδίῳ ἑκὰς ἄστεος, οὐδέ κέ τίς μιν §3.261κλαῦσεν Ἀχαιιάδων· μάλα γὰρ μέγα μήσατο ἔργον.
For indeed you yourself suspect how this would have been done, if yellow Menelaus, returning from Troy, had found Aegisthus alive in the halls; then indeed they would not have poured heaped earth over him even though dead, but dogs and birds would have devoured him as he lay on the plain far from the city, nor would any of the Achaean women have wept for him; for he devised a very great deed.
§3.262ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ κεῖθι πολέας τελέοντες ἀέθλους §3.263ἥμεθʼ· ὁ δʼ εὔκηλος μυχῷ Ἄργεος ἱπποβότοιο §3.264πόλλʼ Ἀγαμεμνονέην ἄλοχον θέλγεσκʼ ἐπέεσσιν.
For we indeed were sitting there, accomplishing many tasks; but he at ease in the heart of horse-pasturing Argos was soothing Agamemnon's wife much with words.
§3.265ἡ δʼ ἦ τοι τὸ πρὶν μὲν ἀναίνετο ἔργον ἀεικὲς §3.266δῖα Κλυταιμνήστρη· φρεσὶ γὰρ κέχρητʼ ἀγαθῇσι· §3.267πὰρ δʼ ἄρʼ ἔην καὶ ἀοιδὸς ἀνήρ, ᾧ πόλλʼ ἐπέτελλεν §3.268Ἀτρεΐδης Τροίηνδε κιὼν εἴρυσθαι ἄκοιτιν.
And she indeed at first refused the unseemly deed, noble Clytemnestra; for she possessed a good understanding; and beside her indeed was also a singer, to whom the son of Atreus, when he went to Troy, had strictly charged to guard his wife.
§3.269ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή μιν μοῖρα θεῶν ἐπέδησε δαμῆναι, §3.270δὴ τότε τὸν μὲν ἀοιδὸν ἄγων ἐς νῆσον ἐρήμην §3.271κάλλιπεν οἰωνοῖσιν ἕλωρ καὶ κύρμα γενέσθαι, §3.272τὴν δʼ ἐθέλων ἐθέλουσαν ἀνήγαγεν ὅνδε δόμονδε.
But when indeed the fate of the gods bound her to be overcome, then indeed he led the singer to a desert island and left him to become a prey and spoil for birds, and her, willing as he was willing, he led to his own house.
§3.273πολλὰ δὲ μηρίʼ ἔκηε θεῶν ἱεροῖς ἐπὶ βωμοῖς, §3.274πολλὰ δʼ ἀγάλματʼ ἀνῆψεν, ὑφάσματά τε χρυσόν τε, §3.275ἐκτελέσας μέγα ἔργον, ὃ οὔ ποτε ἔλπετο θυμῷ.
And many thigh-pieces he burned on the sacred altars of the gods, and many offerings he hung up, both woven stuffs and gold, having accomplished a great deed which he never expected in his heart.
§3.276ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ἅμα πλέομεν Τροίηθεν ἰόντες, §3.277Ἀτρεΐδης καὶ ἐγώ, φίλα εἰδότες ἀλλήλοισιν· §3.278ἀλλʼ ὅτε Σούνιον ἱρὸν ἀφικόμεθʼ, ἄκρον Ἀθηνέων, §3.279ἔνθα κυβερνήτην Μενελάου Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων §3.280οἷς ἀγανοῖς βελέεσσιν ἐποιχόμενος κατέπεφνε, §3.281πηδάλιον μετὰ χερσὶ θεούσης νηὸς ἔχοντα, §3.282Φρόντιν Ὀνητορίδην, ὃς ἐκαίνυτο φῦλʼ ἀνθρώπων §3.283νῆα κυβερνῆσαι, ὁπότε σπέρχοιεν ἄελλαι.
For we were sailing together as we came from Troy, the son of Atreus and I, full of friendship for each other; but when we came to sacred Sunium, the cape of Athens, there Phoebus Apollo with his gentle shafts assailed and slew the helmsman of Menelaus, while he held in his hands the steering-oar of the running ship, Phrontis, son of Onetor, who excelled the tribes of men in steering a ship when tempests raged.
§3.284ὣς ὁ μὲν ἔνθα κατέσχετʼ, ἐπειγόμενός περ ὁδοῖο, §3.285ὄφρʼ ἕταρον θάπτοι καὶ ἐπὶ κτέρεα κτερίσειεν.
So he was held there, though eager for his journey, that he might bury his companion and perform the funeral rites.
§3.286ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ καὶ κεῖνος ἰὼν ἐπὶ οἴνοπα πόντον §3.287ἐν νηυσὶ γλαφυρῇσι Μαλειάων ὄρος αἰπὺ §3.288ἷξε θέων, τότε δὴ στυγερὴν ὁδὸν εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς
But when indeed he too, going over the wine-dark sea in his hollow ships, reached the steep mountain of Maleia in his course, then indeed wide-seeing Zeus devised a hateful way—