"καρπαλίμως μοι, τέκνα φίλα, κρηήνατʼ ἐέλδωρ,
ὄφρʼ ἦ τοι πρώτιστα θεῶν ἱλάσσομʼ Ἀθήνην,
ἥ μοι ἐναργὴς ἦλθε θεοῦ ἐς δαῖτα θάλειαν.420
ἀλλʼ ἄγʼ ὁ μὲν πεδίονδʼ ἐπὶ βοῦν, ἴτω, ὄφρα τάχιστα
ἔλθῃσιν, ἐλάσῃ δὲ βοῶν ἐπιβουκόλος ἀνήρ·
εἷς δʼ ἐπὶ Τηλεμάχου μεγαθύμου νῆα μέλαιναν
πάντας ἰὼν ἑτάρους ἀγέτω, λιπέτω δὲ δύʼ οἴους·
εἷς δʼ αὖ χρυσοχόον Λαέρκεα δεῦρο κελέσθω425
ἐλθεῖν, ὄφρα βοὸς χρυσὸν κέρασιν περιχεύῃ.
οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι μένετʼ αὐτοῦ ἀολλέες, εἴπατε δʼ εἴσω
δμῳῇσιν κατὰ δώματʼ ἀγακλυτὰ δαῖτα πένεσθαι,
ἕδρας τε ξύλα τʼ ἀμφὶ καὶ ἀγλαὸν οἰσέμεν ὕδωρ."
ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἐποίπνυον. ἦλθε μὲν ἂρ βοῦς430
ἐκ πεδίου, ἦλθον δὲ θοῆς παρὰ νηὸς ἐίσης
Τηλεμάχου ἕταροι μεγαλήτορος, ἦλθε δὲ χαλκεὺς
ὅπλʼ ἐν χερσὶν ἔχων χαλκήια, πείρατα τέχνης,
ἄκμονά τε σφῦραν τʼ ἐυποίητόν τε πυράγρην,
οἷσίν τε χρυσὸν εἰργάζετο· ἦλθε δʼ Ἀθήνη435
ἱρῶν ἀντιόωσα. γέρων δʼ ἱππηλάτα Νέστωρ
χρυσὸν ἔδωχʼ· ὁ δʼ ἔπειτα βοὸς κέρασιν περίχευεν
ἀσκήσας, ἵνʼ ἄγαλμα θεὰ κεχάροιτο ἰδοῦσα.
βοῦν δʼ ἀγέτην κεράων Στρατίος καὶ δῖος Ἐχέφρων.
χέρνιβα δέ σφʼ Ἄρητος ἐν ἀνθεμόεντι λέβητι440
ἤλυθεν ἐκ θαλάμοιο φέρων, ἑτέρῃ δʼ ἔχεν οὐλὰς
ἐν κανέῳ· πέλεκυν δὲ μενεπτόλεμος Θρασυμήδης
ὀξὺν ἔχων ἐν χειρὶ παρίστατο βοῦν ἐπικόψων.
Περσεὺς δʼ ἀμνίον εἶχε· γέρων δʼ ἱππηλάτα Νέστωρ
χέρνιβά τʼ οὐλοχύτας τε κατήρχετο, πολλὰ δʼ Ἀθήνῃ445
εὔχετʼ ἀπαρχόμενος, κεφαλῆς τρίχας ἐν πυρὶ βάλλων.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ εὔξαντο καὶ οὐλοχύτας προβάλοντο,
αὐτίκα Νέστορος υἱὸς ὑπέρθυμος Θρασυμήδης
ἤλασεν ἄγχι στάς· πέλεκυς δʼ ἀπέκοψε τένοντας
αὐχενίους, λῦσεν δὲ βοὸς μένος. αἱ δʼ ὀλόλυξαν450
θυγατέρες τε νυοί τε καὶ αἰδοίη παράκοιτις
Νέστορος, Εὐρυδίκη, πρέσβα Κλυμένοιο θυγατρῶν.
οἱ μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἀνελόντες ἀπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης
ἔσχον· ἀτὰρ σφάξεν Πεισίστρατος, ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν.
notes
418 μοι: a "true dative" (indirect object) with κρηήνατ(ε) indicating the person to or for something is done. See Monro 143
418 κρηήνατ(ε): second plural aorist active imperative from κραίνω.
419 ἱλάσσομ(αι): short-vowel aorist middle subjunctive from ἱλάσκομαι, in a purpose clause (“so that …,” ὄφρα + subjunctive, Monro 287.1.b), or future middle indicative, in a temporal clause (“while …,” ὄφρα + indicative). See Stanford, 1947.
421 ἄγ(ε) ὁ μὲν . . . ἴτω: ἄγε is an exclamation that often accompanies another imperative, here ἴτω (third singular imperative from εἶμι). See Monro 327. The subject is ὁ, a demonstrative (“this man”), which here seems to have the force of “someone” or “one man,” since ὁ μέν is answered by εἷς δ᾽ in 423.
421 ἐπὶ βοῦν "to fetch a cow." Stanford (1947) notes that this is a rare use of ἐπί, but notes a similar construction at 24.466 (and Iliad 2.808): ἐπὶ τεύχεα ἐσσεύοντο "they rushed to fetch weapons." See LSJ ἐπί C.III.1.
422 ἔλθῃσιν: the subject is probably to be extracted from βοῦν in 421.
422 ἐλάσῃ: third singular aorist active subjunctive from ἐλαύνω, with βοῦν as object, inferred from 421.
422 βοῶν ἐπιβουκόλος ἀνήρ: a pleasant phrase for "herdsman" that Homer employs five times in the Odyssey, with pleonastic (redundant) βοῶν (Smyth 3042.f) and ἀνήρ (Cunliffe 1.d under ἀνήρ for other examples).
427 εἴπατε “order (dative) to (infinitive)” See under εἶπον Cunliffe sense 5, and LSJ III.
429 ξύλα τ᾽ ἀμφί: most commentators understand βωμόν, “altar,” as the object of the preposition ἀμφί, and read, “logs to put around the altar.”
433 πείρατα “the instruments,” synonymous with ὅπλα (see under πεῖραρ, Cunliffe 2.g, and LSJ II).
435 οἷσίν τε: Homer employs τε to mark an assertion as general or indefinite (Monro 332.b).
436 ἱρῶν ἀντιόωσα “to receive the offerings” (LSJ ἀντιάω A.I.1).
437 ἔδωχ᾽: ἔδωκε third singular aorist active indicative from δίδωμι.
437 περίχευεν: this may mean that the goldsmith wraps gold leaf around the horns, or inlays the horns with gold.
438 ἄγαλμα: object of the participle ἰδοῦσα.
438 κεχάροιτο: third singular aorist middle optative χαίρω (in a purpose clause in secondary sequence, see Monro 301), which takes a supplementary participle (LSJ χαίρω I.3, Smyth 2100).
439 ἀγέτην: dual.
439 κεράων “by the horns,” a type of partitive genitive used with verbs meaning “to touch” or “to take hold of” (Monro 151a, Smyth 1346).
440 σφ(ι) “for them,” dative of interest.
440 ἀνθεμόεντι: decorative gold rosettes, as described here, have been excavated at Mycenae. [link to image]
441 ἑτέρῃ “in his other (left) hand.”
443 ἐπικόψων: future active participle from ἐπικὀπτω, expressing purpose.
445 χέρνιβά τ᾽ οὐλοχύτας τε κατήρχετο “began the sacrifice with the washing of hands and sprinking the barley on the victim’s head” (LSJ κατάρχω II.2), where the more literal meaning is "held ready the water for hand-washing and the barley corns" (Cunliffe).
446 ἀπαρχόμενος: the verb specifically refers to beginning the sacrifice by cutting hairs (τρίχας) from the victim’s head and throwing them onto the fire, as described here (LSJ ἀπάρχομαι).
449 ἤλασεν: “struck the blow” (LSJ ἐλαύνω II).
453 οἱ: the other sons of Nestor.
453 ἀνελόντες . . . / ἔσχον: the object is the head of the stricken cow.