ὣς φάθʼ, ὁ δʼ ἐνδυκέως κρέα τʼ ἤσθιε πῖνέ τεοἶνον
ἁρπαλέως ἀκέων, κακὰ δὲ μνηστῆρσι φύτευεν.110
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δείπνησε καὶ ἤραρε θυμὸν ἐδωδῇ,
καί οἱ πλησάμενος δῶκε σκύφον, ᾧ περ ἔπινεν,
οἴνου ἐνίπλειον· ὁ δʼ ἐδέξατο, χαῖρε δὲ θυμῷ,
καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·
ὦ φίλε, τίς γάρ σε πρίατο κτεάτεσσιν ἑοῖσιν,115
ὧδε μάλʼ ἀφνειὸς καὶ καρτερὸς ὡς ἀγορεύεις;
φῆς δʼ αὐτὸν φθίσθαι Ἀγαμέμνονος εἵνεκατιμῆς.
εἰπέ μοι, αἴ κέ ποθι γνώω τοιοῦτον ἐόντα.
Ζεὺς γάρ που τό γε οἶδε καὶ ἀθάνατοι θεοὶἄλλοι,
εἴ κέ μιν ἀγγείλαιμι ἰδών· ἐπὶ πολλὰ δʼ ἀλήθην.120
τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα συβώτης, ὄρχαμοςἀνδρῶν·
ὦ γέρον, οὔ τις κεῖνον ἀνὴρ ἀλαλήμενος ἐλθὼν
ἀγγέλλων πείσειε γυναῖκά τε καὶ φίλον υἱόν,
ἀλλʼ ἄλλως κομιδῆς κεχρημένοι ἄνδρες ἀλῆται
ψεύδοντʼ, οὐδʼ ἐθέλουσιν ἀληθέα μυθήσασθαι.125
ὃς δέ κʼ ἀλητεύων Ἰθάκης ἐς δῆμον ἵκηται,
ἐλθὼν ἐς δέσποιναν ἐμὴν ἀπατήλια βάζει·
ἡ δʼ εὖ δεξαμένη φιλέει καὶ ἕκαστα μεταλλᾷ,
καί οἱ ὀδυρομένῃ βλεφάρων ἄπο δάκρυα πίπτει,
ἣ θέμις ἐστὶ γυναικός, ἐπὴν πόσις ἄλλοθʼὄληται.130
αἶψά κε καὶ σύ, γεραιέ, ἔπος παρατεκτήναιο
εἴ τίς τοι χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε εἵματα δοίη.
τοῦ δʼ ἤδη μέλλουσι κύνες ταχέες τʼ οἰωνοὶ
ῥινὸν ἀπʼ ὀστεόφιν ἐρύσαι, ψυχὴ δὲ λέλοιπεν·
ἢ τόν γʼ ἐν πόντῳ φάγον ἰχθύες, ὀστέα δʼ αὐτοῦ135
κεῖται ἐπʼ ἠπείρου ψαμάθῳ εἰλυμένα πολλῇ.
ὣς ὁ μὲν ἔνθʼ ἀπόλωλε, φίλοισι δὲ κήδεʼ ὀπίσσω
πᾶσιν, ἐμοὶ δὲ μάλιστα, τετεύχαται· οὐ γὰρ ἔτʼἄλλον
ἤπιον ὧδε ἄνακτα κιχήσομαι, ὁππόσʼ ἐπέλθω,
οὐδʼ εἴ κεν πατρὸς καὶ μητέρος αὖτις ἵκωμαι140
οἶκον, ὅθι πρῶτον γενόμην καί μʼ ἔτρεφον αὐτοί.
οὐδέ νυ τῶν ἔτι τόσσον ὀδύρομαι, ἱέμενός περ
ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδέσθαι ἐὼν ἐν πατρίδι γαίῃ·
ἀλλά μʼ Ὀδυσσῆος πόθος αἴνυται οἰχομένοιο.
τὸν μὲν ἐγών, ὦ ξεῖνε, καὶ οὐ παρεόντʼὀνομάζειν145
αἰδέομαι· πέρι γάρ μʼ ἐφίλει καὶ κήδετο θυμῷ·
ἀλλά μιν ἠθεῖον καλέω καὶ νόσφιν ἐόντα.
notes
109 ἐνδυκέως: “ravenously” (LSJ ἐνδυκέως II.2).
111 ἤραρε: “satisfied,” 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ἀραρισκω (LSJ ἀραρίσκω A.III.1).
112 οἱ … δῶκε: if the subject of δῶκε (ἔδωκε) is Eumaeus, there is an awkward change of subject from line 111, where the subject of the verbs is Odysseus, to line 112. Merry takes Eumaeus as the subject because it is expected that the host will serve the guest. Stanford and Russo/Heubeck, noting other occasions when Odysseus serves despite being the guest, make Odysseus the subject.
113 ὁ δ᾽: the subject changes, either to Eumaeus (following Stanford and Russo/Heubeck's reading) or Odysseus (following Merry). If the subject now is Eumaeus, the subject again has to change abruptly in line 114, where Odysseus is clearly the subject of προσηύδα, since he is the speaker of the following short speech.
118 αἴ κέ: “on the chance that …,” with subjunctive (Smyth 2354).
118 τοιοῦτον ἐόντα: read αὐτὸν τοιοῦτον ἐόντα, “… him, being such a man (as you say he is).”
120 ἀγγείλαιμι: “I could bring news of (acc.)” (LSJ ἀγγέλλω I.3). A potential optative in an indirect question.
120 ἐπὶ πολλὰ: “over a large space,” “far and wide” (LSJ ἐπί C.I.5)
120 ἀλήθην: 1st sing. aor. mid./pass. indic. > ἀλάομαι.
122 ἀνὴρ ἀλαλήμενος: “wanderer” (lit., “wandering man”), masc. nom. sing. pf. mid./pass. ptc. > ἀλάομαι.
124 κομιδῆς: gen., with κεχρημένοι.
124 κεχρημένοι: masc. nom. pl. mid./pass. pf. ptc. > χράομαι (Smyth 1396)
126 ὃς δέ κ(ε): introducing a present general conditional relative clause.
129 βλεφάρων ἄπο: anastrophe (preposition following its noun, Smyth 175).
130 ὄληται: 3rd sing. aor. mid. subj. > ὀλλυμι. Subjunctive in a “generic” temporal clause (Smyth 2410).
131 παρατεκτήναιο: potential opt.
132 τοῦ δ᾽: “but of him,” referring to Odysseus. The possessive genitive goes with ὀστεόφιν (“of him … from the bones” = “from his bones”).
132 μέλλουσι: “must have…,” with an aorist infinitive, indicating past probability (LSJ μέλλω I.b).
137 φίλοισι: dative of interest.
138 τετεύχαται: “is ordained,” 3rd pl. pf. pass. indic. > τεύχω (LSJ τεύχω II).
139 ὁππόσ(ε): “wherever,” with subjunctive (Cunliffe ὁππόσε).
142 τῶν: “for them” (my parents), genitive of cause with ὀδύρομαι (Smyth 1405, LSJ ὀδύρομαι 2).
146 πέρι: “above others,” “exceedingly” (LSJ περί E.II).