τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα·225
ὦ γέρον, οὔ πω τοῦτο ἔπος τελέεσθαι ὀίω·
λίην γὰρ μέγα εἶπες· ἄγη μʼ ἔχει. οὐκ ἂν ἐμοί γε
ἐλπομένῳ τὰ γένοιτʼ, οὐδʼ εἰ θεοὶ ὣς ἐθέλοιεν.
τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη·
Τηλέμαχε, ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων.230
ῥεῖα θεός γʼ ἐθέλων καὶ τηλόθεν ἄνδρα σαώσαι.
βουλοίμην δʼ ἂν ἐγώ γε καὶ ἄλγεα πολλὰ μογήσας
οἴκαδέ τʼ ἐλθέμεναι καὶ νόστιμον ἦμαρ ἰδέσθαι,
ἢ ἐλθὼν ἀπολέσθαι ἐφέστιος, ὡς Ἀγαμέμνων
ὤλεθʼ ὑπʼ Αἰγίσθοιο δόλῳ καὶ ἧς ἀλόχοιο.235
ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι θάνατον μὲν ὁμοίιον οὐδὲ θεοί περ
καὶ φίλῳ ἀνδρὶ δύνανται ἀλαλκέμεν, ὁππότε κεν δὴ
μοῖρʼ ὀλοὴ καθέλῃσι τανηλεγέος θανάτοιο.
τὴν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα·
Μέντορ, μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα κηδόμενοί περ·240
κείνῳ δʼ οὐκέτι νόστος ἐτήτυμος, ἀλλά οἱ ἤδη
φράσσαντʼ ἀθάνατοι θάνατον καὶ κῆρα μέλαιναν.
νῦν δʼ ἐθέλω ἔπος ἄλλο μεταλλῆσαι καὶ ἐρέσθαι
Νέστορʼ, ἐπεὶ περὶ οἶδε δίκας ἠδὲ φρόνιν ἄλλων·
τρὶς γὰρ δή μίν φασιν ἀνάξασθαι γένεʼ ἀνδρῶν·245
ὥς τέ μοι ἀθάνατος ἰνδάλλεται εἰσοράασθαι.
ὦ Νέστορ Νηληϊάδη, σὺ δʼ ἀληθὲς ἐνίσπες·
πῶς ἔθανʼ Ἀτρεΐδης εὐρὺ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων;
ποῦ Μενέλαος ἔην; τίνα δʼ αὐτῷ μήσατʼ ὄλεθρον
Αἴγισθος δολόμητις, ἐπεὶ κτάνε πολλὸν ἀρείω;250
ἦ οὐκ Ἄργεος ἦεν Ἀχαιικοῦ, ἀλλά πῃ ἄλλῃ
πλάζετʼ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπους, ὁ δὲ θαρσήσας κατέπεφνε;
τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα Γερήνιος ἱππότα Νέστωρ·
τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι, τέκνον, ἀληθέα πάντʼ ἀγορεύσω.
ἦ τοι μὲν τάδε καὐτὸς ὀίεαι, ὥς κεν ἐτύχθη,255
εἰ ζωόν γʼ Αἴγισθον ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἔτετμεν
Ἀτρεΐδης Τροίηθεν ἰών, ξανθὸς Μενέλαος·
τῶ κέ οἱ οὐδὲ θανόντι χυτὴν ἐπὶ γαῖαν ἔχευαν,
ἀλλʼ ἄρα τόν γε κύνες τε καὶ οἰωνοὶ κατέδαψαν
κείμενον ἐν πεδίῳ ἑκὰς ἄστεος, οὐδέ κέ τίς μιν260
κλαῦσεν Ἀχαιιάδων· μάλα γὰρ μέγα μήσατο ἔργον.
ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ κεῖθι πολέας τελέοντες ἀέθλους
ἥμεθʼ· ὁ δʼ εὔκηλος μυχῷ Ἄργεος ἱπποβότοιο
πόλλʼ Ἀγαμεμνονέην ἄλοχον θέλγεσκʼ ἐπέεσσιν.
ἡ δʼ ἦ τοι τὸ πρὶν μὲν ἀναίνετο ἔργον ἀεικὲς265
δῖα Κλυταιμνήστρη· φρεσὶ γὰρ κέχρητʼ ἀγαθῇσι·
πὰρ δʼ ἄρʼ ἔην καὶ ἀοιδὸς ἀνήρ, ᾧ πόλλʼ ἐπέτελλεν
Ἀτρεΐδης Τροίηνδε κιὼν εἴρυσθαι ἄκοιτιν.
ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή μιν μοῖρα θεῶν ἐπέδησε δαμῆναι,
δὴ τότε τὸν μὲν ἀοιδὸν ἄγων ἐς νῆσον ἐρήμην270
κάλλιπεν οἰωνοῖσιν ἕλωρ καὶ κύρμα γενέσθαι,
τὴν δʼ ἐθέλων ἐθέλουσαν ἀνήγαγεν ὅνδε δόμονδε.
πολλὰ δὲ μηρίʼ ἔκηε θεῶν ἱεροῖς ἐπὶ βωμοῖς,
πολλὰ δʼ ἀγάλματʼ ἀνῆψεν, ὑφάσματά τε χρυσόν τε,
ἐκτελέσας μέγα ἔργον, ὃ οὔ ποτε ἔλπετο θυμῷ.275
notes
230 σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων: the two accusatives standing as objects of φύγεν ( = ἔφυγεν) is an example of the “construction of the whole and the part” (Smyth 985). σε may be treated as possessive (“the fence of your teeth”).
231 σαώσαι: 3rd sing. aor. act. opt. > σαόω (σώζω). This is a rare instance, admissable in Homer, of a potential optative without κε or ἄν (Smyth 1821, glossing this line).
235 ὑπ(ὸ): “at the hands of,” governs both genitives, with δόλῳ as a “dative of accompanying circumstance” acting adverbially, “treacherously” (Smyth 1527b)
237 ἀλαλκέμεν: aor. act. infin. > ἄλαλκε.
238 καθέλῃσι: “brings him down,” 3rd sing. aor. act. subj. > καθαιρέω.
241 οἱ: dat. Referring to Odysseus.
244 περὶ: there are several possible readings: (1) “above all,” “more than anyone” (LSJ περί E.II.1), (2) joined with οἶδε to form the verb περίοιδε, “knows (acc.) better than (gen.) (LSJ περίοιδα), (3) with ἄλλων, “more than others” (LSJ περί A.III). All three readings amount to the same thing, and in the manuscripts it would be impossible to distinguish between (1) and (2).
245 τρὶς: the adverb belongs grammatically with the verb ἀνάξασθαι (“has ruled three times”), but the sense is “has ruled for three generations,” translating the adverb as an adjective (τρία) with γένε(α), and taking the accusatives as accusatives of extent of time.
245 ἀνάξασθαι: the only instance of the middle of ἀνάσσω in Homer.
246 εἰσοράασθαι: “to behold,” infin., explaining ἀθάνατος (Smyth 2002). The middle has the same meaning as the active.
247 ἐνίσπες: aor. imperat. (for the –ς ending on the imperative, see Smyth 466b).
250 πολλὸν ἀρείω: “a much better man,” adverbial acc. and substantive adj. ἀρείω is accusative.
251 Ἄργεος … Ἀχαιικοῦ: genitive of place where. “Achaean Argos” distinguishes Argos in the Peloponnese from Argos in Thessaly (Pelasgian Argos), which was the home of Achilles (Iliad 2.681–85).
252 ὁ δὲ: Aegisthus, with Agamemnon as the unstated object of the verb κατέπεφνε.
255 καὐτὸς: καὶ αὐτὸς (“even you yourself”).
255 ὀίεαι, ὥς : “you can guess how…,” 2nd sing. pres. act. indic. > οἴομαι.
255 κεν ἐτύχθη: κε (ἄν) + aor. indicates past potential, or what would have happened (Smyth 1784). The subject of the verb is supplied by τάδε.
258 ἐπὶ … ἔχευαν: tmesis > ἐπιχἐω, “to heap up (acc.) over (dat.).” Both this verb and κατέδαψαν in 259 and κλαῦσεν in 262 are modified by κε to indicate past potential.
259 τόν: “him,” Aegisthus.
261 μέγα … ἔργον: μέγα in a bad sense: something so big that it provokes the anger of the gods (LSJ μέγας A.II.5).
263 ὁ δ᾽: Aegisthus.
265 τὸ πρὶν: “at first.”
266 κέχρητ(αι): “possessed,” “had,” pf. mid. indic. > χράομαι (LSJ χράομαι C.I.3), with dative.
267 πὰρ … ἔην: “was present,” tmesis > πάρειμι.
267 πόλλ(α): “earnestly,” adverbial, as often with verbs meaning “to order” or “to entreat” (LSJ πολύς III.a).
269 μιν: this could refer to Agammemnon, Aegisthus, the Bard (ἀοιδὸς ἀνήρ, 267), or Clytemnestra. Stanford reads it as referring to Clytemnesta, with δαμῆναι (aor. pass. infin. > δαμάζω) meaning “to yield” (that is, to give in to Aegisthus). Merry-Riddell-Monro read it as referring to Aegisthus, arguing that ἄγων (270), κάλλιπεν (271), ἐθέλων and ἀνήγαγεν (272) refer to the actions of Aegisthus. An unannounced change of subject would be rare and awkward.
275 μέγα ἔργον: see 261.
275 θυμῷ: dative of place where.