§4.498εἷς δʼ ἔτι που ζωὸς κατερύκεται εὐρέι πόντῳ.
And one, I ween, still lives and is held back on the wide sea.
§4.499Αἴας μὲν μετὰ νηυσὶ δάμη δολιχηρέτμοισι.
Ajax indeed was subdued among his long-oared ships.
To the Gyraean rocks first Poseidon brought him, to those great rocks, and saved him from the sea.
§4.502καί νύ κεν ἔκφυγε κῆρα καὶ ἐχθόμενός περ Ἀθήνῃ, §4.503εἰ μὴ ὑπερφίαλον ἔπος ἔκβαλε καὶ μέγʼ ἀάσθη· §4.504φῆ ῥʼ ἀέκητι θεῶν φυγέειν μέγα λαῖτμα θαλάσσης.
And now he would have escaped his doom, though hated by Athena, had he not uttered a boastful word and been greatly blinded; for he declared that in spite of the gods he had escaped the great gulf of the sea.
§4.505τοῦ δὲ Ποσειδάων μεγάλʼ ἔκλυεν αὐδήσαντος· §4.506αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτα τρίαιναν ἑλὼν χερσὶ στιβαρῇσιν §4.507ἤλασε Γυραίην πέτρην, ἀπὸ δʼ ἔσχισεν αὐτήν· §4.508καὶ τὸ μὲν αὐτόθι μεῖνε, τὸ δὲ τρύφος ἔμπεσε πόντῳ, §4.509τῷ ῥʼ Αἴας τὸ πρῶτον ἐφεζόμενος μέγʼ ἀάσθη· §4.510τὸν δʼ ἐφόρει κατὰ πόντον ἀπείρονα κυμαίνοντα.
And Poseidon heard him speaking thus boastfully; straightway then, taking his trident in his strong hands, he struck the Gyraean rock, and cleft it in twain; and one part remained there, but the splinter fell into the sea, even that on which Ajax at first sat when he was greatly blinded; and it bore him down through the boundless surging deep.
§4.511ὣς ὁ μὲν ἔνθʼ ἀπόλωλεν, ἐπεὶ πίεν ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ.
Thus he perished there, when he had drunk the salty water.
But your brother, I ween, escaped the fates and avoided them in his hollow ships; and queenly Hera saved him.
§4.514ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τάχʼ ἔμελλε Μαλειάων ὄρος αἰπὺ §4.515ἵξεσθαι, τότε δή μιν ἀναρπάξασα θύελλα §4.516πόντον ἐπʼ ἰχθυόεντα φέρεν βαρέα στενάχοντα, §4.517ἀγροῦ ἐπʼ ἐσχατιήν, ὅθι δώματα ναῖε Θυέστης §4.518τὸ πρίν, ἀτὰρ τότʼ ἔναιε Θυεστιάδης Αἴγισθος.
But when he was now about to reach the steep mountain of Malea, then indeed a tempest snatched him up and bore him over the teeming sea, groaning heavily, to the border of the land, where Thyestes dwelt before, but then dwelt Aegisthus, son of Thyestes.
§4.519ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ καὶ κεῖθεν ἐφαίνετο νόστος ἀπήμων, §4.520ἂψ δὲ θεοὶ οὖρον στρέψαν, καὶ οἴκαδʼ ἵκοντο, §4.521ἦ τοι ὁ μὲν χαίρων ἐπεβήσετο πατρίδος αἴης §4.522καὶ κύνει ἁπτόμενος ἣν πατρίδα· πολλὰ δʼ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ §4.523δάκρυα θερμὰ χέοντʼ, ἐπεὶ ἀσπασίως ἴδε γαῖαν.
But when from thence too a safe return was apparent, and the gods turned back the wind, and they reached home, then indeed he stepped with joy upon his fatherland, and kissed his country as he touched it; and many hot tears fell from him, since gladly he beheld his land.
§4.524τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ἀπὸ σκοπιῆς εἶδε σκοπός, ὅν ῥα καθεῖσεν §4.525Αἴγισθος δολόμητις ἄγων, ὑπὸ δʼ ἔσχετο μισθὸν §4.526χρυσοῦ δοιὰ τάλαντα· φύλασσε δʼ ὅ γʼ εἰς ἐνιαυτόν, §4.527μή ἑ λάθοι παριών, μνήσαιτο δὲ θούριδος ἀλκῆς.
But a watchman saw him from his lookout, whom Aegisthus of guileful counsel had set there and led, having promised him as a reward two talents of gold; and he kept watch for a year, lest he should pass by him unawares, and be mindful of impetuous might.
§4.528βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ἀγγελέων πρὸς δώματα ποιμένι λαῶν.
And he went to go to tell it to the palace to the shepherd of the host.
§4.529αὐτίκα δʼ Αἴγισθος δολίην ἐφράσσατο τέχνην· §4.530κρινάμενος κατὰ δῆμον ἐείκοσι φῶτας ἀρίστους §4.531εἷσε λόχον, ἑτέρωθι δʼ ἀνώγει δαῖτα πένεσθαι.
And straightway Aegisthus planned a guileful trick: having chosen out of the land twenty of the best men, he set them in ambush, and elsewhere he bade a feast be prepared.
But he himself went to summon Agamemnon, shepherd of the host, with horses and chariots, planning unseemly deeds.
§4.534τὸν δʼ οὐκ εἰδότʼ ὄλεθρον ἀνήγαγε καὶ κατέπεφνεν §4.535δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.
And him, knowing not his doom, he brought up and slew after feasting him, even as one slays an ox at the stall.
§4.536οὐδέ τις Ἀτρεΐδεω ἑτάρων λίπεθʼ οἵ οἱ ἕποντο, §4.537οὐδέ τις Αἰγίσθου, ἀλλʼ ἔκταθεν ἐν μεγάροισιν.
Nor was any of the companions of the son of Atreus left, who followed him, nor any of Aegisthus, but they were all slain in the halls.
§4.538ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐμοί γε κατεκλάσθη φίλον ἦτορ, §4.539κλαῖον δʼ ἐν ψαμάθοισι καθήμενος, οὐδέ νύ μοι κῆρ §4.540ἤθελʼ ἔτι ζώειν καὶ ὁρᾶν φάος ἠελίοιο.
So he spoke, and my heart was broken within me; and I sat weeping on the sands, nor did my heart wish any longer to live and to behold the light of the sun.
§4.541αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κλαίων τε κυλινδόμενός τε κορέσθην, §4.542δὴ τότε με προσέειπε γέρων ἅλιος νημερτής· §4.543μηκέτι, Ἀτρέος υἱέ, πολὺν χρόνον ἀσκελὲς οὕτω §4.544κλαῖʼ, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἄνυσίν τινα δήομεν· ἀλλὰ τάχιστα §4.545πείρα ὅπως κεν δὴ σὴν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκηαι.
But when I was sated with weeping and rolling on the ground, then indeed the unerring old man of the sea spoke to me: 'No longer, son of Atreus, weep thus stubbornly for a long time, since we shall find no remedy; but most quickly strive that you may reach your fatherland.
§4.546ἢ γάρ μιν ζωόν γε κιχήσεαι, ἤ κεν Ὀρέστης §4.547κτεῖνεν ὑποφθάμενος, σὺ δέ κεν τάφου ἀντιβολήσαις. §4.548ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ κραδίη καὶ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ §4.549αὖτις ἐνὶ στήθεσσι καὶ ἀχνυμένῳ περ ἰάνθη, §4.550καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδων· §4.551τούτους μὲν δὴ οἶδα· σὺ δὲ τρίτον ἄνδρʼ ὀνόμαζε, §4.552ὅς τις ἔτι ζωὸς κατερύκεται εὐρέι πόντῳ §4.553ἠὲ θανών· ἐθέλω δὲ καὶ ἀχνύμενός περ ἀκοῦσαι. §4.554ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπεν· §4.555υἱὸς Λαέρτεω, Ἰθάκῃ ἔνι οἰκία ναίων· §4.556τὸν δʼ ἴδον ἐν νήσῳ θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέοντα, §4.557νύμφης ἐν μεγάροισι Καλυψοῦς, ἥ μιν ἀνάγκῃ §4.558ἴσχει· ὁ δʼ οὐ δύναται ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι· §4.559οὐ γάρ οἱ πάρα νῆες ἐπήρετμοι καὶ ἑταῖροι, §4.560οἵ κέν μιν πέμποιεν ἐπʼ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.
For either you will find him alive, or Orestes has already slain him, preventing you, and you may happen upon his funeral feast.' So he spoke, and my heart and proud spirit were again warmed within my breast, grieved though I was; and I spoke to him and addressed him with winged words: 'These indeed I know; but do you name the third man, who still lives and is held back on the wide sea, or is dead; for I wish to hear of him, grieved though I am.' So I spoke, and he straightway answered, saying: 'The son of Laertes, whose dwelling is in Ithaca; him I saw on an island shedding big tears, in the halls of the nymph Calypso, who keeps him there by constraint; and he cannot reach his fatherland; for he has no oared ships and companions, who might speed him over the broad back of the sea.
§4.561σοὶ δʼ οὐ θέσφατόν ἐστι, διοτρεφὲς ὦ Μενέλαε, §4.562Ἄργει ἐν ἱπποβότῳ θανέειν καὶ πότμον ἐπισπεῖν, §4.563ἀλλά σʼ ἐς Ἠλύσιον πεδίον καὶ πείρατα γαίης §4.564ἀθάνατοι πέμψουσιν, ὅθι ξανθὸς Ῥαδάμανθυς, §4.565τῇ περ ῥηίστη βιοτὴ πέλει ἀνθρώποισιν·
But for you, Menelaus, nurtured of Zeus, it is not ordained to die and meet your fate in horse-pasturing Argos, but to the Elysian plain and the ends of the earth the immortals will send you, where is fair-haired Rhadamanthys, and where life is easiest for men;