And they came to the hollow Lacedaemon full of ravines, and drove their horses toward the palace of glorious Menelaus.
And they found him giving a marriage feast to many kinsmen for his noble son and daughter in his own house.
§4.5τὴν μὲν Ἀχιλλῆος ῥηξήνορος υἱέι πέμπεν· §4.6ἐν Τροίῃ γὰρ πρῶτον ὑπέσχετο καὶ κατένευσε §4.7δωσέμεναι, τοῖσιν δὲ θεοὶ γάμον ἐξετέλειον.
The daughter indeed he was sending to the son of Achilles, breaker of ranks; for in Troy he first had promised and nodded assent to give her, and the gods were bringing their marriage to fulfillment.
§4.8τὴν ἄρʼ ὅ γʼ ἔνθʼ ἵπποισι καὶ ἅρμασι πέμπε νέεσθαι §4.9Μυρμιδόνων προτὶ ἄστυ περικλυτόν, οἷσιν ἄνασσεν.
Her then he was sending to go with horses and chariots to the glorious city of the Myrmidons, over whom he ruled.
§4.10υἱέι δὲ Σπάρτηθεν Ἀλέκτορος ἤγετο κούρην, §4.11ὅς οἱ τηλύγετος γένετο κρατερὸς Μεγαπένθης §4.12ἐκ δούλης· Ἑλένῃ δὲ θεοὶ γόνον οὐκέτʼ ἔφαινον, §4.13ἐπεὶ δὴ τὸ πρῶτον ἐγείνατο παῖδʼ ἐρατεινήν, §4.14Ἑρμιόνην, ἣ εἶδος ἔχε χρυσέης Ἀφροδίτης.
But for his son, he was bringing from Sparta the daughter of Alector, who was his strong son Megapenthes, born late in life (or dearly beloved) from a slave woman; for to Helen the gods no longer showed offspring after she had first given birth to her lovely child, Hermione, who had the beauty of golden Aphrodite.
§4.15ὣς οἱ μὲν δαίνυντο καθʼ ὑψερεφὲς μέγα δῶμα §4.16γείτονες ἠδὲ ἔται Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο, §4.17τερπόμενοι· μετὰ δέ σφιν ἐμέλπετο θεῖος ἀοιδὸς §4.18φορμίζων, δοιὼ δὲ κυβιστητῆρε κατʼ αὐτούς, §4.19μολπῆς ἐξάρχοντος, ἐδίνευον κατὰ μέσσους.
So they indeed were feasting throughout the great high-roofed hall, the neighbors and kinsmen of glorious Menelaus, taking their pleasure; and among them a divine singer sang, playing the lyre, while two tumblers among them, as he began his song, spun in the midst.
§4.20τὼ δʼ αὖτʼ ἐν προθύροισι δόμων αὐτώ τε καὶ ἵππω, §4.21Τηλέμαχός θʼ ἥρως καὶ Νέστορος ἀγλαὸς υἱός, §4.22στῆσαν· ὁ δὲ προμολὼν ἴδετο κρείων Ἐτεωνεύς, §4.23ὀτρηρὸς θεράπων Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο, §4.24βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἀγγελέων διὰ δώματα ποιμένι λαῶν, §4.25ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱστάμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §4.26ξείνω δή τινε τώδε, διοτρεφὲς ὦ Μενέλαε, §4.27ἄνδρε δύω, γενεῇ δὲ Διὸς μεγάλοιο ἔικτον.
Meanwhile at the outer gate of the palace, both themselves and their horses, hero Telemachus and the glorious son of Nestor, stood; and the lord Eteoneus, coming forward, saw them, the busy attendant of glorious Menelaus, and he went to go through the palace to announce them to the shepherd of the people, and standing near he spoke winged words: "Here are two strangers, O Menelaus, nurtured by Zeus, two men, and they look like the offspring of great Zeus.
§4.28ἀλλʼ εἴπʼ, ἤ σφωιν καταλύσομεν ὠκέας ἵππους, §4.29ἦ ἄλλον πέμπωμεν ἱκανέμεν, ὅς κε φιλήσῃ. §4.30τὸν δὲ μέγʼ ὀχθήσας προσέφη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος· §4.31οὐ μὲν νήπιος ἦσθα, Βοηθοΐδη Ἐτεωνεῦ, §4.32τὸ πρίν· ἀτὰρ μὲν νῦν γε πάϊς ὣς νήπια βάζεις.
But tell me, whether we shall unyoke their swift horses, or send them to go to another, who may welcome them." Then, greatly moved, fair-haired Menelaus spoke to him: "You were not a fool before, Eteoneus, son of Boethous, in the past; but now indeed, like a child, you speak foolish things.
§4.33ἦ μὲν δὴ νῶι ξεινήια πολλὰ φαγόντε §4.34ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων δεῦρʼ ἱκόμεθʼ, αἴ κέ ποθι Ζεὺς §4.35ἐξοπίσω περ παύσῃ ὀιζύος.
Truly we two ate many guest-gifts of other men before we came here, in the hope that Zeus might somehow in the future give us rest from sorrow.
ἀλλὰ λύʼ ἵππους §4.36ξείνων, ἐς δʼ αὐτοὺς προτέρω ἄγε θοινηθῆναι. §4.37ὣς φάθʼ, ὁ δὲ μεγάροιο διέσσυτο, κέκλετο δʼ ἄλλους §4.38ὀτρηροὺς θεράποντας ἅμα σπέσθαι ἑοῖ αὐτῷ.
Come, unyoke the horses of the strangers, and bring them forward to feast." So he spoke, and he hastened through the hall, and called to other busy attendants to follow along with him.
§4.39οἱ δʼ ἵππους μὲν λῦσαν ὑπὸ ζυγοῦ ἱδρώοντας, §4.40καὶ τοὺς μὲν κατέδησαν ἐφʼ ἱππείῃσι κάπῃσι, §4.41πὰρ δʼ ἔβαλον ζειάς, ἀνὰ δὲ κρῖ λευκὸν ἔμιξαν, §4.42ἅρματα δʼ ἔκλιναν πρὸς ἐνώπια παμφανόωντα, §4.43αὐτοὺς δʼ εἰσῆγον θεῖον δόμον.
And they indeed unyoked the sweating horses from under the yoke, and bound them to the horse-mangers, and cast before them spelt, and mixed white barley with it, and tilted the chariots against the shining inner walls, and led them into the divine palace.
οἱ δὲ ἰδόντες §4.44θαύμαζον κατὰ δῶμα διοτρεφέος βασιλῆος· §4.45ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης §4.46δῶμα καθʼ ὑψερεφὲς Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο.
And they, seeing it, marveled at the palace of the Zeus-nurtured king; for there was a gleam as of the sun or the moon throughout the high-roofed palace of glorious Menelaus.
But when they had satisfied themselves with looking with their eyes, they went into the well-polished baths and bathed.
§4.49τοὺς δʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν δμῳαὶ λοῦσαν καὶ χρῖσαν ἐλαίῳ, §4.50ἀμφὶ δʼ ἄρα χλαίνας οὔλας βάλον ἠδὲ χιτῶνας, §4.51ἔς ῥα θρόνους ἕζοντο παρʼ Ἀτρεΐδην Μενέλαον.
When indeed the handmaidens had bathed them and anointed them with oil, and had cast woolly cloaks and tunics about them, they sat down on chairs beside Menelaus, son of Atreus.
§4.52χέρνιβα δʼ ἀμφίπολος προχόῳ ἐπέχευε φέρουσα §4.53καλῇ χρυσείῃ ὑπὲρ ἀργυρέοιο λέβητος, §4.54νίψασθαι· παρὰ δὲ ξεστὴν ἐτάνυσσε τράπεζαν.
And a handmaid poured hand-washing water from a pitcher, a beautiful golden one, over a silver basin, to wash; and beside them she drew a polished table.
And the revered housekeeper brought and set bread before them, placing many dainties upon it, giving freely of what was present.
And a carver lifted up and placed beside them platters of meats of all kinds, and by them he set golden cups.
Welcoming them, fair-haired Menelaus spoke to them: "Take food and rejoice.
αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα §4.61δείπνου πασσαμένω εἰρησόμεθʼ, οἵ τινές ἐστον §4.62ἀνδρῶν· οὐ γὰρ σφῷν γε γένος ἀπόλωλε τοκήων, §4.63ἀλλʼ ἀνδρῶν γένος ἐστὲ διοτρεφέων βασιλήων §4.64σκηπτούχων, ἐπεὶ οὔ κε κακοὶ τοιούσδε τέκοιεν. §4.65ὣς φάτο, καί σφιν νῶτα βοὸς παρὰ πίονα θῆκεν §4.66ὄπτʼ ἐν χερσὶν ἑλών, τά ῥά οἱ γέρα πάρθεσαν αὐτῷ.
And then afterward, when you have tasted food, we shall ask you who you are among men; for the lineage of your parents is not lost in you, but you are of the race of men who are Zeus-nurtured kings, scepter-bearers, since base men could not have begotten such as you." So he spoke, and set before them the fat back-meat of an ox, taking in his hands the roasted meat which they had set before him as his own portion.
§4.67οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον.
And they stretched forth their hands to the ready dainties set before them.
§4.68αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος ἐξ ἔρον ἕντο, §4.69δὴ τότε Τηλέμαχος προσεφώνεε Νέστορος υἱόν, §4.70ἄγχι σχὼν κεφαλήν, ἵνα μὴ πευθοίαθʼ οἱ ἄλλοι· §4.71φράζεο, Νεστορίδη, τῷ ἐμῷ κεχαρισμένε θυμῷ, §4.72χαλκοῦ τε στεροπὴν κὰδ δώματα ἠχήεντα §4.73χρυσοῦ τʼ ἠλέκτρου τε καὶ ἀργύρου ἠδʼ ἐλέφαντος.
But when they had put away desire for drink and food, then indeed Telemachus spoke to the son of Nestor, holding his head close, so that the others might not hear: "Observe, son of Nestor, dear to my heart, the gleam of bronze through the echoing halls, and of gold and amber and silver and ivory.
§4.74Ζηνός που τοιήδε γʼ Ὀλυμπίου ἔνδοθεν αὐλή,
Such, I think, is the court of Olympian Zeus within,