§841μόνος δ᾽ Ὀδυσσεύς, ὅσπερ οὐχ ἑκὼν ἔπλει, §842ζευχθεὶς ἕτοιμος ἦν ἐμοὶ σειραφόρος: §843εἴτ᾽ οὖν θανόντος εἴτε καὶ ζῶντος πέρι §844λέγω.
Only Odysseus, who indeed sailed against his will, once yoked, was ready to be my trace-horse; whether I speak of him as dead or still alive.
As for other matters concerning the city and the gods, we shall deliberate together, establishing public debates in a general assembly.
καὶ τὸ μὲν καλῶς ἔχον §847ὅπως χρονίζον εὖ μενεῖ βουλευτέον: §848ὅτῳ δὲ καὶ δεῖ φαρμάκων παιωνίων, §849ἤτοι κέαντες ἢ τεμόντες εὐφρόνως §850πειρασόμεσθα πῆμ᾽ ἀποστρέψαι νόσου.
And we must consider how that which is well established may long remain in good condition; but where there is need of healing remedies, we shall endeavor, either by burning or cutting with kindly intent, to avert the mischief of the disease.
§851νῦν δ᾽ ἐς μέλαθρα καὶ δόμους ἐφεστίους §852ἐλθὼν θεοῖσι πρῶτα δεξιώσομαι, §853οἵπερ πρόσω πέμψαντες ἤγαγον πάλιν.
And now, entering the halls and my home by the hearth, I will first offer my right hand to the gods, who sent me far forth and have brought me back again.
§854νίκη δ᾽ ἐπείπερ ἕσπετ᾽, ἐμπέδως μένοι.
And since victory has followed us, may it remain steadfast.
§855ἄνδρες πολῖται, πρέσβος Ἀργείων τόδε, §856οὐκ αἰσχυνοῦμαι τοὺς φιλάνορας τρόπους §857λέξαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς: ἐν χρόνῳ δ᾽ ἀποφθίνει §858τὸ τάρβος ἀνθρώποισιν.
Citizens, elders of Argos here present, I shall not be ashamed to speak of my husband-loving ways before you; for in time, fear dies away among men.
Not having learned from others, I will describe my own unbearable life, for as long as this man was under Ilium.
§861τὸ μὲν γυναῖκα πρῶτον ἄρσενος δίχα §862ἧσθαι δόμοις ἔρημον ἔκπαγλον κακόν, §863πολλὰς κλύουσαν κληδόνας παλιγκότους:
First, for a woman to sit home alone, apart from her husband, is a terrible evil, hearing many hostile rumors.
And for one to come, and another to bring in after him another misfortune worse than the bad, shouting them to the house.
§866καὶ τραυμάτων μὲν εἰ τόσων ἐτύγχανεν §867ἁνὴρ ὅδ᾽, ὡς πρὸς οἶκον ὠχετεύετο §868φάτις, τέτρηται δικτύου πλέον λέγειν.
And if this husband of mine had received as many wounds as the rumors channeled to our home, he would have been pierced with more holes than a net, so to speak.
§869εἰ δ᾽ ἦν τεθνηκώς, ὡς ἐπλήθυον λόγοι, §870τρισώματός τἂν Γηρυὼν ὁ δεύτερος §871[πολλὴν ἄνωθεν, τὴν κάτω γὰρ οὐ λέγω,] §872χθονὸς τρίμοιρον χλαῖναν ἐξηύχει λαβεῖν, §873ἅπαξ ἑκάστῳ κατθανὼν μορφώματι.
And if he had died, as the stories multiplied, then like a second three-bodied Geryon, [abundant from above, for I do not speak of that below,] he might have boasted of receiving a triple cloak of earth, having died once for each shape.
§874τοιῶνδ᾽ ἕκατι κληδόνων παλιγκότων §875πολλὰς ἄνωθεν ἀρτάνας ἐμῆς δέρης §876ἔλυσαν ἄλλοι πρὸς βίαν λελημμένης.
By reason of such hostile rumors, others loosed many hanging nooses from my neck, seized from above by force.
§877ἐκ τῶνδέ τοι παῖς ἐνθάδ᾽ οὐ παραστατεῖ, §878ἐμῶν τε καὶ σῶν κύριος πιστωμάτων, §879ὡς χρῆν, Ὀρέστης: μηδὲ θαυμάσῃς τόδε.
For this very reason, the boy does not stand here beside us, Orestes, who should have been the guardian of my pledges and yours; do not wonder at this.
§880τρέφει γὰρ αὐτὸν εὐμενὴς δορύξενος §881Στρόφιος ὁ Φωκεύς, ἀμφίλεκτα πήματα §882ἐμοὶ προφωνῶν, τόν θ᾽ ὑπ᾽ Ἰλίῳ σέθεν §883κίνδυνον, εἴ τε δημόθρους ἀναρχία §884βουλὴν καταρρίψειεν, ὥστε σύγγονον §885βροτοῖσι τὸν πεσόντα λακτίσαι πλέον.
For a friendly ally, Strophius of Phocis, is rearing him, forewarning me of double-edged mischief: your danger under Ilium, and if clamorous popular anarchy should overthrow the council, since it is inborn in mortals to kick the fallen one even more.
§886τοιάδε μέντοι σκῆψις οὐ δόλον φέρει.
Such an excuse, indeed, carries no deceit.
As for me, the rushing fountains of my tears have run dry, and not a drop remains.
§889ἐν ὀψικοίτοις δ᾽ ὄμμασιν βλάβας ἔχω §890τὰς ἀμφί σοι κλαίουσα λαμπτηρουχίας §891ἀτημελήτους αἰέν.
In my late-sleeping eyes I have injuries, weeping over the torch-lightings held for you, always unheeded.
ἐν δ᾽ ὀνείρασιν §892λεπταῖς ὑπαὶ κώνωπος ἐξηγειρόμην §893ῥιπαῖσι θωύσσοντος, ἀμφί σοι πάθη §894ὁρῶσα πλείω τοῦ ξυνεύδοντος χρόνου.
And in my dreams, I was awakened by the light hum of a buzzing mosquito, seeing more sufferings concerning you than the time of sleep itself.
§895νῦν ταῦτα πάντα τλᾶσ᾽ ἀπενθήτῳ φρενὶ §896λέγοιμ᾽ ἂν ἄνδρα τόνδε τῶν σταθμῶν κύνα, §897σωτῆρα ναὸς πρότονον, ὑψηλῆς στέγης §898στῦλον ποδήρη, μονογενὲς τέκνον πατρί, §899καὶ γῆν φανεῖσαν ναυτίλοις παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα, §900κάλλιστον ἦμαρ εἰσιδεῖν ἐκ χείματος, §901ὁδοιπόρῳ διψῶντι πηγαῖον ῥέος.
Now, having endured all this with a sorrow-free mind, I would call this man the watchdog of the fold, the saving forestay of the ship, the pillar reaching the high roof, the only child to a father, land appearing to sailors beyond hope, a most beautiful day to look upon after a storm, a spring stream to a thirsty traveler.
§902τερπνὸν δὲ τἀναγκαῖον ἐκφυγεῖν ἅπαν.
It is a delightful thing to escape all necessity.
§903τοιοῖσδέ τοί νιν ἀξιῶ προσφθέγμασιν.
With such greetings, indeed, I deem him worthy.
And may envy be far away; for many were the evils we endured before.
νῦν δέ μοι, φίλον κάρα, §906ἔκβαιν᾽ ἀπήνης τῆσδε, μὴ χαμαὶ τιθεὶς §907τὸν σὸν πόδ᾽, ὦναξ, Ἰλίου πορθήτορα.
But now, dear head, step down from this chariot, without placing on the ground your foot, O king, the destroyer of Ilium.
Handmaidens, why do you delay, you to whom the duty was assigned to strew the ground of his path with tapestries?
At once let his path be strewn with purple, so that Justice may lead him into a home he had hoped not to see again.
As for the rest, care not overcome by sleep shall order justly, with the gods, what is fated.
Offspring of Leda, guardian of my house, you have spoken appropriately to my absence; for you have drawn it out to great length.
But to praise appropriately, that tribute should come from others.
§918καὶ τἄλλα μὴ γυναικὸς ἐν τρόποις ἐμὲ §919ἅβρυνε, μηδὲ βαρβάρου φωτὸς δίκην §920χαμαιπετὲς βόαμα προσχάνῃς ἐμοί, §921μηδ᾽ εἵμασι στρώσασ᾽ ἐπίφθονον πόρον
And in other things, do not pamper me in a woman's ways, nor, like a barbarian man, gape out groveling clamor at me; nor make my path envious by strewing it with garments.
§922τίθει: θεούς τοι τοῖσδε τιμαλφεῖν χρεών: §923ἐν ποικίλοις δὲ θνητὸν ὄντα κάλλεσιν §924βαίνειν ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐδαμῶς ἄνευ φόβου.
It is the gods indeed whom we must honor with these things; and for one who is a mortal to walk upon embroidered beauties is, for me, by no means without fear.
§925λέγω κατ᾽ ἄνδρα, μὴ θεόν, σέβειν ἐμέ.
I bid you honor me as a man, not a god.