τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς·
ὦ φίλʼ, ἐπειδὴ πάμπαν ἀναίνεαι, οὐδʼ ἔτι φῇσθα
κεῖνον ἐλεύσεσθαι, θυμὸς δέ τοι αἰὲν ἄπιστος·150
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ οὐκ αὔτως μυθήσομαι, ἀλλὰ σὺν ὅρκῳ,
ὡς νεῖται Ὀδυσεύς· εὐαγγέλιον δέ μοι ἔστω
αὐτίκʼ, ἐπεί κεν κεῖνος ἰὼν τὰ ἃ δώμαθʼ ἵκηται·
ἕσσαι με χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε, εἵματα καλά·
πρὶν δέ κε, καὶ μάλα περ κεχρημένος, οὔ τιδεχοίμην.155
ἐχθρὸς γάρ μοι κεῖνος ὁμῶς Ἀΐδαο πύλῃσι
γίγνεται, ὃς πενίῃ εἴκων ἀπατήλια βάζει.
ἴστω νῦν Ζεὺς πρῶτα θεῶν, ξενίη τε τράπεζα,
ἱστίη τʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἀμύμονος, ἣν ἀφικάνω·
ἦ μέν τοι τάδε πάντα τελείεται ὡς ἀγορεύω.160
τοῦδʼ αὐτοῦ λυκάβαντος ἐλεύσεται ἐνθάδʼὈδυσσεύς.
τοῦ μὲν φθίνοντος μηνός, τοῦ δʼ ἱσταμένοιο,
οἴκαδε νοστήσει, καὶ τίσεται ὅς τις ἐκείνου
ἐνθάδʼ ἀτιμάζει ἄλοχον καὶ φαίδιμον υἱόν.
τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιεσυβῶτα·165
ὦ γέρον, οὔτʼ ἄρʼ ἐγὼν εὐαγγέλιον τόδε τίσω,
οὔτʼ Ὀδυσεὺς ἔτι οἶκον ἐλεύσεται· ἀλλὰ ἕκηλος
πῖνε, καὶ ἄλλα παρὲξ μεμνώμεθα, μηδέ μετούτων
μίμνησκʼ· ἦ γὰρ θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἐμοῖσιν
ἄχνυται, ὁππότε τις μνήσῃ κεδνοῖο ἄνακτος.170
ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι ὅρκον μὲν ἐάσομεν, αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἔλθοι ὅπως μιν ἐγώ γʼ ἐθέλω καὶ Πηνελόπεια
Λαέρτης θʼ ὁ γέρων καὶ Τηλέμαχος θεοειδής.
νῦν αὖ παιδὸς ἄλαστον ὀδύρομαι, ὃν τέκʼὈδυσσεύς,
Τηλεμάχου· τὸν ἐπεὶ θρέψαν θεοὶ ἔρνεϊ ἶσον,175
καί μιν ἔφην ἔσσεσθαι ἐν ἀνδράσιν οὔ τι χέρεια
πατρὸς ἑοῖο φίλοιο, δέμας καὶ εἶδος ἀγητόν,
τὸν δέ τις ἀθανάτων βλάψε φρένας ἔνδον ἐΐσας
ἠέ τις ἀνθρώπων· ὁ δʼ ἔβη μετὰ πατρὸς ἀκουὴν
ἐς Πύλον ἠγαθέην· τὸν δὲ μνηστῆρες ἀγαυοὶ180
οἴκαδʼ ἰόντα λοχῶσιν, ὅπως ἀπὸ φῦλον ὄληται
νώνυμον ἐξ Ἰθάκης Ἀρκεισίου ἀντιθέοιο.
ἀλλʼ ἦ τοι κεῖνον μὲν ἐάσομεν, ἤ κεν ἁλώῃ
ἦ κε φύγῃ καί κέν οἱ ὑπέρσχῃ χεῖρα Κρονίων.
ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι σύ, γεραιέ, τὰ σʼ αὐτοῦ κήδεʼἐνίσπες185
καί μοι τοῦτʼ ἀγόρευσον ἐτήτυμον, ὄφρʼ ἐῢ εἰδῶ·
τίς πόθεν εἶς ἀνδρῶν; πόθι τοι πόλις ἠδὲτοκῆες;
ὁπποίης τʼ ἐπὶ νηὸς ἀφίκεο· πῶς δέ σε ναῦται
ἤγαγον εἰς Ἰθάκην; τίνες ἔμμεναι εὐχετόωντο;
οὐ μὲν γάρ τί σε πεζὸν ὀΐομαι ἐνθάδʼ ἱκέσθαι.190
notes
149 ἀναίνεαι: 2nd sing. pres. mid. indic. > ἀναίνομαι.
149 οὐδ᾽ ἔτι: “no longer” (LSJ ἔτι I.4), negates ἐλεύσεσθαι.
150 ἄπιστος: “mistrusting,” “suspicious,” the active sense of the adjective (LSJ ἄπιστος II.1.a).
153 ἃ: “his,” possessive pron.
154 ἕσσαι: “clothe (acc.) in (acc.),” 2nd sing. aor. mid. imperat. > ἔννυμι. For the double accusative with this verb, see Smyth 1628.
155 πρὶν: “before (he returns home), …”
156 ὁμῶς: “like” (LSJ ὁμῶς II).
157 εἴκων: “giving way to (dat.)” (LSJ εἴκω A.I.4).
158 ἴστω: “let (nom.) bear witness,” 3rd sing. pf. act. imperat. > οἶδα / εἴδω.
160 τελείεται: 3rd sing. pres. mid. indic. > τελέω. This is the “oracular present” (Smyth 1882).
161 τοῦδ᾽ αὐτοῦ λυκάβαντος: genitive of time within which an action takes place (Smyth 1444). The meaning of λυκάβας is uncertain: (a) Cunliffe defines it as “the period of time in which daylight comes and goes again” (that is, a day) and brackets this line, since “on this very day” seems inappropriate in the context, (b) Autenrieth defines it as year, which seems more appropriate in this context, (c) LSJ defines it as “year,” or possibly “month,” (d) Brill cautiously defines it as “a temporal cycle, month, year” (Logeion λυκάβας). Lines 158–62 reappear at 19. 303–7.
162 τοῦ μὲν φθίνοντος μηνός, τοῦ δ᾽ ἱσταμένοιο: “while one lunar month is waning, and the other is beginning.” Genitive of time within which, or genitive absolute. For the meaning of ἵστημι, see LSJ ἵστημι B.III.4.
163 τίσεται ὅς τις: “will punish whoever,” the accusative object of τίσεται and antecedent of the relative pronoun ὅς is omitted (Smyth 2530).
165 προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα: Homer again directly adddresses Eumaeus.
168 ἄλλα παρὲξ: “other things besides these,” that is, “let’s change the subject.”
170 κεδνοῖο ἄνακτος: gen., with μνήσῃ (LSJ μιμνήσκω B.II).
171 ἐάσομεν: “let us not trouble about (acc.),” “let us put (acc.) from our thoughts,” 1st pl. aor. act. short-vowel subj. > ἐάω (Cunliffe ἐάω 1.g.).
172 ἔλθοι: optative of wish.
173 ὅπως μιν ἐγώ γ᾽ ἐθέλω: that is, ὅπως ἐθέλω μιν ἐλθεῖν.
174 παιδὸς: genitive of cause with ὀδύρομαι (Smyth 1405, LSJ ὀδύρομαι 2).
174 ἄλαστον: adverbial.
176 ἔφην: “I thought” (LSJ φήμι I.B).
177 πατρὸς ἑοῖο φίλοιο: genitive of comparison with χέρεια.
177 δέμας καὶ εἶδος: accusatives of respect, with δέμας modifying χέρεια and εἶδος modifying ἀγητόν.
177 ἀγητόν: most commentators take this as masculine accusative, agreeing with μιν (175) and parallel with χέρεια.
178 βλάψε: “misled” (LSJ βλάπτω II).
178 φρένας: accusative of respect.
179 μετὰ … ἀκουὴν: “for word of …” (LSJ μετά C.I.2).
181 ἀπὸ … ὄληται: tmesis > ἀπόλλυμι.
182 Ἀρκεισίου: Arkeisios is the father of Laertes and grandfather of Odysseus (Smith Dictionary Arceisius).
183 ἁλώῃ: “be captured,” 3rd sing. aor. act. subj. (with pass. meaning) > ἁλίσκομαι. Anticipatory subjunctive (Smyth 1810).
184 οἱ: dat., object of the compound verb ὑπέρσχῃ.
185 ἐνίσπες: 2nd sing. aor. act. imperat. > ἐνέπω.
187 τίς πόθεν: τὶς (καί) πόθεν, the conjunction omitted (Smyth 2646).
188 ὁπποίης: the indirect interrogative introduced by ἐνίσπες.
190 τί: “at all” (τι).