11.404-439 | Dickinson College Commentaries

"ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μ᾽ αὐτίκ᾽ ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπε·

‘διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη, πολυμήχαν᾽ Ὀδυσσεῦ,405

οὔτ᾽ ἐμέ γ᾽ ἐν νήεσσι Ποσειδάων ἐδάμασσεν

ὄρσας ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀμέγαρτον ἀυτμήν,

οὔτε μ᾽ ἀνάρσιοι ἄνδρες ἐδηλήσαντ᾽ ἐπὶ χέρσου,

ἀλλά μοι Αἴγισθος τεύξας θάνατόν τε μόρον τε

ἔκτα σὺν οὐλομένῃ ἀλόχῳ, οἶκόνδε καλέσσας,410

δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.

ὣς θάνον οἰκτίστῳ θανάτῳ· περὶ δ᾽ ἄλλοι ἑταῖροι

νωλεμέως κτείνοντο σύες ὣς ἀργιόδοντες,

οἵ ῥά τ᾽ ἐν ἀφνειοῦ ἀνδρὸς μέγα δυναμένοιο

ἢ γάμῳ ἢ ἐράνῳ ἢ εἰλαπίνῃ τεθαλυίῃ.415

ἤδη μὲν πολέων φόνῳ ἀνδρῶν ἀντεβόλησας,

μουνὰξ κτεινομένων καὶ ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ·

ἀλλά κε κεῖνα μάλιστα ἰδὼν ὀλοφύραο θυμῷ,

ὡς ἀμφὶ κρητῆρα τραπέζας τε πληθούσας

κείμεθ᾽ ἐνὶ μεγάρῳ, δάπεδον δ᾽ ἅπαν αἵματι θῦεν.420

οἰκτροτάτην δ᾽ ἤκουσα ὄπα Πριάμοιο θυγατρός,

Κασσάνδρης, τὴν κτεῖνε Κλυταιμνήστρη δολόμητις

ἀμφ᾽ ἐμοί, αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ ποτὶ γαίῃ χεῖρας ἀείρων

βάλλον ἀποθνήσκων περὶ φασγάνῳ· ἡ δὲ κυνῶπις

νοσφίσατ᾽, οὐδέ μοι ἔτλη ἰόντι περ εἰς Ἀίδαο425

χερσὶ κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑλέειν σύν τε στόμ᾽ ἐρεῖσαι.

ὣς οὐκ αἰνότερον καὶ κύντερον ἄλλο γυναικός,

ἥ τις δὴ τοιαῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶν ἔργα βάληται·

οἷον δὴ καὶ κείνη ἐμήσατο ἔργον ἀεικές,

κουριδίῳ τεύξασα πόσει φόνον. ἦ τοι ἔφην γε430

ἀσπάσιος παίδεσσιν ἰδὲ δμώεσσιν ἐμοῖσιν

οἴκαδ᾽ ἐλεύσεσθαι· ἡ δ᾽ ἔξοχα λυγρὰ ἰδυῖα

οἷ τε κατ᾽ αἶσχος ἔχευε καὶ ἐσσομένῃσιν ὀπίσσω

θηλυτέρῃσι γυναιξί, καὶ ἥ κ᾽ ἐυεργὸς ἔῃσιν.’

ὣς ἔφατ᾽, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον·435

‘ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δὴ γόνον Ἀτρέος εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς

ἐκπάγλως ἤχθηρε γυναικείας διὰ βουλὰς

ἐξ ἀρχῆς· Ἑλένης μὲν ἀπωλόμεθ᾽ εἵνεκα πολλοί,

σοὶ δὲ Κλυταιμνήστρη δόλον ἤρτυε τηλόθ᾽ ἐόντι.’

notes

Agamemnon tells the story of his death at the hands of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

406 lines 406–8 answer lines 399–401.

409 μοι: dative of interest.

409 τεύξας: “having brought about.” nom. sing. aor. ptc. > τεύχω.

410 ἔκτα: 3rd sing. aor. > κτείνω. Understand με as the object of the verb and the following participles.

411 τε: untranslatable (Monro 332; Smyth 2970).

411 κατέκτανε: gnomic aor. (Monro 78.1; Smyth 1931), translated as a present.

412 περὶ: “around (me).”

413 κτείνοντο: unaugmented 3rd pl. impf. pass.

413 σύες ὣς …: introducing a simile.

414 οἵ: “which ….” Understand the verb κτείνοντο with this relative pronoun as its subject.

414 ἐν ἀφνειοῦ ἀνδρὸς: understand ἐν οἴκῳ ἀφνειοῦ ἀνδρὸς. It is tempting, despite the objection of Nairn, to take ἐν with the datives in the following line.

415 γάμῳ ἢ ἐράνῳ ἢ εἰλαπίνῃ: the datives can be understood as place where ("at a wedding...") or datives of time when ("on the occasion of a wedding..."), although it is also tempting to see them as datives of interest ("for a wedding..."). For this use of the dative of interest, see Goodell 523 (especially the 5th example, from Thucydides 1.11.1).

415 τεθαλυίῃ: pf. ptc. > θάλλω.

416 πολέων: = πολλῶν.

416 φόνῳ: dat., object of the compound verb (ptc.) ἀντεβόλησας.

417 κτεινομένων: modifying ἀνδρῶν in 416.

418 κε … ὀλοφύραο: “you would have lamented ….” κε + aor. indic., past potential (Monro 324; Smyth 1784).

418 κεῖνα: = ἐκεῖνα, “those things.”

419 ὡς: “how …”

420 θῦεν: “was flowing,” unaugmented impf. > θύω.

423 ποτὶ γαίῃ χεῖρας ἀείρων / (ἔ)βαλλον: Stanford calls this passage "much disputed." It could be taken as (1) "raising my hands, I let them fall (βάλλον) on the ground" (Cunliffe), or (2) "raising my hands, I beat them (βάλλον) on the ground," which Stanford calls "a recognized method of invoking the infernal powers to take vengeance." Or it could be taken with περὶ φασγάνῳ: "raising my hands, I put them (βάλλον) around the sword (i.e., in self-defense)." This makes it more difficult to explain ποτὶ γαίῃ.

424 περί φασγάνῳ: probably to be taken with ἀποθνῄσκων, "dying around the sword," i.e., the sword has been thrust through the middle of his body.

425 μοι … ἰόντι: dative of interest.

425 ἰόντι: pres. act. ptc. > εἶμι.

425 εἰς Ἀΐδαο: εἰς δόμον Ἀΐδαο.

426 χερσὶ: dative of means.

426 κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑλέειν: “to close my eyes,” tmesis > καθαιρέω.

426 σύν τε στόμ᾽ ἐρεῖσαι: “to close,” tmesis > συνερείδω.

427 ὣς: “thus.”

427 οὐκ … ἄλλο: “there is no other thing,” “there is nothing.” Understand ἐστιν.

428 ἥ τις …φρεσὶν ἔργα βάληται: “whoever puts such deeds in her heart….” (i.e., whoever conceives of such deeds). A common use of βάλλω (in the middle) with φρεσί or θυμῷ. present general conditional relative clause, subjunctive without ἄν (Smyth 2567b).

429 οἷον δὴ …: “just such a …,” with ἔργον ἀεικές.

430 ἔφην: “I imagined….” Introducing indirect discourse with infinitive; the unexpressed subject of the infinitive is the same as the subject of ἔφην.

431 ἀσπάσιος: “welcome to,” “welcomed by,” with dative. The nominative agrees with the subject of ἔφην.

432 ἐλεύσεσθαι: “…that I would come,” fut. infin. > ἔρχομαι.

432 ἔξοχα: “especially,” adverbial, neut. acc. pl.

432 λυγρὰ ἰδυῖα: “knowing miserable things,” “having miserable things in her heart.”

432 ἰδυῖα: pf. ptc. fem. nom. > οἶδα, with present sense.

433 οἷ: “on herself,” dative with a compound verb.

433 κατ᾽ … ἔχευε: “poured down,” tmesis > κατχέω.

434 ἥ: “whoever,” the antecedent is omitted (Smyth 2510).

434 κ᾽… ἔῃσιν: relative conditional clause; 3rd sing. subj. > εἰμί.

437 βουλὰς: "scheming."

438 εἵνεκα: ἕνεκα + gen. (Ἑλένης).

439 ἐόντι: pres. ptc. > εἰμί, modifying σοὶ.

vocabulary

ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate; to change, place, pass

προσεῖπον (aor. 2 of προσαγορεύω and προσφωνέω); Εp. προσέειπον: to speak to one, address, accost

διογενής –ές: sprung from Zeus (epithet of Odysseus) 405

Λαερτιάδης –ου ὁ: son of Laertes (Odysseus)

πολυμήχανος –ον: full of resources, inventive, ever-ready

Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey

Ποσειδῶν (or Ποσειδάων) –ῶνος ὁ: Poseidon

δαμάζω δαμάσω ἐδάμασα δεδάμακα δεδάμασμαι/δέδμημα ἐδαμάσθην/ἐδμήθην: to overpower, tame, conquer, subdue

ὄρνυμι ὄρσω ὦρσα ὄρωρα ὀρώρεμαι –––: to stir up, move; (mid.) to rise, get up

ἀργαλέος –α –ον: hard to endure or deal with, difficult

ἄνεμος –ου ὁ: wind

ἀμέγαρτος –ον: unenviable

ἀϋτμή –ῆς ἡ: breath, puff, air, gust

ἀνάρσιος –ον: unfriendly, hostile

δηλέομαι δηλήσομαι ἐδηλησάμην δεδήλημαι: to hurt, harm

χέρσος –ου ἡ: dry land, land

Αἴγισθος –ου ὁ: Aegisthus, son of Thyestes, and cousin of Agamemnon

τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about

μόρος –ου ὁ: fate, destiny, death

κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill

οὐλόμενος –η –ον: destructive, ruinous, cursed, unfortunate 410

ἄλοχος –ου ἡ: wife

οἰκόνδε: home, homeward, into the house, to the women's apartment

δειπνίζω δειπνιῶ ἐδείπνισα δεδείπνισμαι: to entertain at dinner

κατακτείνω κατακτενῶ κατέκτεινα καταπέκτονα ––– –––: to kill, slay, murder

φάτνη –ης ἡ: a manger, crib, feeding-trough

οἴκτιστος –η –ον: most pitiable, lamentable

ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

νωλεμές: without interruption, continually

κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill

ὗς (or σῦς) ὑός (or συός) ὁ/ἡ: swine, hog; (f.) sow

ἀργιόδους –όδοντος: white-toothed, white-tusked

ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

ἀφνειός [–ά] –όν: rich, wealthy

γάμος –ου ὁ: marriage, wedding 415

ἔρανος –ου ὁ: potluck, shared meal

εἰλαπίνη –ης ἡ: a feast

θάλλω θαλλήσω ἔθηλα τέθηλα ––– –––: to bloom, abound, to be luxuriant

φόνος –ου ὁ: murder, slaughter, corpse

ἀντιβολέω ἀντιβολήσω ἠντεβόλησα ––– ––– ἠντεβολήθην: to meet by chance, encounter

μουνάξ: singly, in single combat

κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill

κρατερός –ά –όν: strong, powerful, mighty

ὑσμίνη –ης ἡ: a fight, battle, combat

ὀλοφύρομαι ὀλοφυροῦμαι ὠλοφυράμην – – ὠλοφύρθην: to lament, wail; pity

κρητήρ –ῆρος ὁ: large vessel for mixing water and wine

τράπεζα –ης ἡ: table; dinner

πλήθω πλήσω ἐπλησα πέπληθα: to be or become full

μέγαρον –ου τό: a large room, hall, feast-hall

δάπεδον –ου τό: surface, pavement, floor 420

θύω: to rage, seethe, cover, flow

οἰκτρός –ά –όν: pitiable, in piteous plight

ὄψ ὀπός ἡ: a voice

Πρίαμος –ου ὁ: Priam

Κασσάνδρα –ας ἡ: Cassandra, daughter of Priam

κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill

Κλυταιμνήστρα –ας ἡ: Clytaemnestra, the queen of Agamemnon

δολομήτης –ου: crafty of counsel, wily

ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet

γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district

ἀείρω ἀρῶ ἤειρα ––– ἤερμαι ἠέρθην: to lift, heave, raise up

φάσγανον –ου τό: a sword

κυνώπης –ου: the dog-eyed

νοσφίζομαι νοσφιῶ ἐνόσφισα ––– νενόσφισμαι ἐνοσφίσθην: to turn one's back upon 425

τλάω τλήσομαι ἔτλην τέτληκα –––– ––––: to tolerate, endure, resist; to dare; to have the courage (+ infin.); (part.) τετληώς

ᾍδης –ου ὁ: Hades

συνερείδω συνερείσω συνήρεισα συνήρεικα συνερήρεισμαι συνηρείσθην: to press together, close

αἰνός –ή –όν: dread, grim

κύντερος –α –ον: more dog-like

φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits

μήδομαι μήσομαι ἐμησάμην: to meditate, prepare, plot

ἀεικής –ές: unseemly, shameful

κουρίδιος –α –ον: wedded 430

τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about

πόσις –ιος/–εως ὁ: husband, spouse, mate

φόνος –ου ὁ: murder, slaughter, corpse

τοι: let me tell you, surely

ἀσπάσιος [–α] –ον: well-received, welcome, pleasing; pleased, glad; (adv.) ἀσπασίως gladly, joyfully, willingly

ἰδέ: and

δμώς –ωός ὁ: an enslaved person, especially one taken in war

οἴκαδε: homeward

ἔξοχον or ἔξοχα : (adv.) specially, preeminently

λυγρός –ά –όν: sad, mournful, miserable

ἕ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

αἶσχος –ους τό: shame, disgrace

χέω χέω ἔχεα or ἔχευα κέχυκα κέχυμαι ἐχύθην: to pour, shed

ὀπίσω or ὀπίσσω: backwards, behind; in the future

θῆλυς θήλεια θῆλυ: female, feminine, soft

εὐεργός –όν: doing good

ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet 435

μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate; to change, place, pass

προσεῖπον (aor. 2 of προσαγορεύω and προσφωνέω); Εp. προσέειπον: to speak to one, address, accost

πόποι: alas! alack! well-a-day!

γόνος –ου ὁ: that which is begotten, offspring, a child, lineage

Ἀτρεύς –έως ὁ: Atreus, son of Pelops and Hippodamīa, father of Agamemnon and Menelāus; his sceptre

εὐρύοπα: the far-seeing

Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

ἔκπαγλος –ον: terrible, fearful

ἐχθαίρω ἐχθαροῦμαι ἤχθηρα ––– ––– –––: to hate, detest

γυναικεῖος [–α] –ον: of or belonging to women

Ἑλένη –ης ἡ: Helen, the wife of Menelāus, daughter of Zeus and Leda

Κλυταιμνήστρα –ας ἡ: Clytaemnestra, the queen of Agamemnon

δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery

ἀρτύω ἀρτύσω ἤρτῡσα ἤρτῡκα ἤρτῡμαι ἠρτύθην: to arrange, devise, prepare

τηλόθι: afar, at a distance

Suggested Citation