15.1–47 | Dickinson College Commentaries

ἡ δʼ εἰς εὐρύχορον Λακεδαίμονα Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη

ᾤχετʼ, Ὀδυσσῆος μεγαθύμου φαίδιμον υἱὸν

νόστου ὑπομνήσουσα καὶ ὀτρυνέουσα νέεσθαι.

εὗρε δὲ Τηλέμαχον καὶ Νέστορος ἀγλαὸν υἱὸν

εὕδοντʼ ἐν προδόμῳ Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο,5

ἦ τοι Νεστορίδην μαλακῷ δεδμημένον ὕπνῳ·

Τηλέμαχον δʼ οὐχ ὕπνος ἔχε γλυκύς, ἀλλʼ ἐνὶθυμῷ

νύκτα διʼ ἀμβροσίην μελεδήματα πατρὸς ἔγειρεν.

ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱσταμένη προσέφη γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη·

Τηλέμαχʼ, οὐκέτι καλὰ δόμων ἄπο τῆλʼ ἀλάλησαι,10

κτήματά τε προλιπὼν ἄνδρας τʼ ἐν σοῖσι δόμοισιν

οὕτω ὑπερφιάλους· μή τοι κατὰ πάντα φάγωσι

κτήματα δασσάμενοι, σὺ δὲ τηϋσίην ὁδὸν ἔλθῃς.

ἀλλʼ ὄτρυνε τάχιστα βοὴν ἀγαθὸν Μενέλαον

πεμπέμεν, ὄφρʼ ἔτι οἴκοι ἀμύμονα μητέρα τέτμῃς.15

ἤδη γάρ ῥα πατήρ τε κασίγνητοί τε κέλονται

Εὐρυμάχῳ γήμασθαι· ὁ γὰρ περιβάλλει ἅπαντας

μνηστῆρας δώροισι καὶ ἐξώφελλεν ἔεδνα·

μή νύ τι σεῦ ἀέκητι δόμων ἐκ κτῆμα φέρηται.

οἶσθα γὰρ οἷος θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι γυναικός·20

κείνου βούλεται οἶκον ὀφέλλειν ὅς κεν ὀπυίῃ,

παίδων δὲ προτέρων καὶ κουριδίοιο φίλοιο

οὐκέτι μέμνηται τεθνηκότος οὐδὲ μεταλλᾷ.

ἀλλὰ σύ γʼ ἐλθὼν αὐτὸς ἐπιτρέψειας ἕκαστα

δμῳάων ἥ τίς τοι ἀρίστη φαίνεται εἶναι,25

εἰς ὅ κέ τοι φήνωσι θεοὶ κυδρὴν παράκοιτιν.

ἄλλο δέ τοί τι ἔπος ἐρέω, σὺ δὲ σύνθεο θυμῷ.

μνηστήρων σʼ ἐπιτηδὲς ἀριστῆες λοχόωσιν

ἐν πορθμῷ Ἰθάκης τε Σάμοιό τε παιπαλοέσσης,

ἱέμενοι κτεῖναι, πρὶν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι.30

ἀλλὰ τά γʼ οὐκ ὀΐω· πρὶν καί τινα γαῖα καθέξει

ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων, οἵ τοι βίοτον κατέδουσιν.

ἀλλὰ ἑκὰς νήσων ἀπέχειν εὐεργέα νῆα,

νυκτὶ δʼ ὁμῶς πλείειν· πέμψει δέ τοι οὖρον ὄπισθεν

ἀθανάτων ὅς τίς σε φυλάσσει τε ῥύεταί τε.35

αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν πρώτην ἀκτὴν Ἰθάκης ἀφίκηαι,

νῆα μὲν ἐς πόλιν ὀτρῦναι καὶ πάντας ἑταίρους,

αὐτὸς δὲ πρώτιστα συβώτην εἰσαφικέσθαι,

ὅς τοι ὑῶν ἐπίουρος, ὁμῶς δέ τοι ἤπια οἶδεν.

ἔνθα δὲ νύκτʼ ἀέσαι· τὸν δʼ ὀτρῦναι πόλιν εἴσω40

ἀγγελίην ἐρέοντα περίφρονι Πηνελοπείῃ,

οὕνεκά οἱ σῶς ἐσσὶ καὶ ἐκ Πύλου εἰλήλουθας.

ἡ μὲν ἄρʼ ὣς εἰποῦσʼ ἀπέβη πρὸς μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον,

αὐτὰρ ὁ Νεστορίδην ἐξ ἡδέος ὕπνου ἔγειρεν

λὰξ ποδὶ κινήσας, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν·45

ἔγρεο, Νεστορίδη Πεισίστρατε, μώνυχας ἵππους

ζεῦξον ὑφʼ ἅρματʼ ἄγων, ὄφρα πρήσσωμεν ὁδοῖο.

notes

Athena appears to Telemachus in Sparta and urges him to return home

3 ὑπομνήσουσα: “to remind (acc.) of (gen.),” fem. nom. sing. fut. act. ptc., expressing purpose (as is ὀτρυνέουσα).

6 Νεστορίδην: in apposition to Νέστορος ἀγλαὸν υἱὸν.

8 ἔγειρεν: the subject of the verb is the neuter plural μελεδήματα, and Telemachus is the object.

10 καλὰ: adverbial (καλῶς).

10 δόμων ἄπο: anastrophe (preposition following noun).

10 ἀλάλησαι: “you wander,” 2nd sing. pf. mid. indic. (with present sense) > ἀλάομαι.

12 μή … φάγωσι: “may they not (as I fear they might) …,” the aorist subjunctive with μή expresses warning or fear of a likely outcome (Smyth 1802).

12 κατὰ: “completely,” “(eat) up,” adverbial or tmesis with φάγωσι > κατεσθίω, “to devour.”

13 τηϋσίην ὁδὸν: accusative of extent of space (“over” or “down”) (Smyth 1581).

13 ἔλθῃς: aor. subj., with μή, as in line 12.

14 βοὴν ἀγαθὸν: “of the excellent war cry,” “excellent with respect to the war cry,” a common epithet for Menelaus, especially in the Iliad. βοὴν is an accusative of respect.

15 πεμπέμεν: infinitive (πέμπειν) of purpose. Supply Telemachus (σε) as the object.

15 τέτμῃς: 2nd sing. aor. act. subj. > τέτμον.

17 περιβάλλει: “surpasses” (Autenrieth/Cunliffe περιβάλλω). The verb takes a dative.

18 ἐξώφελλεν ἔεδνα: “offered a higher dowry” (LSJ ἐξοφέλλω).

19 μή … φέρηται: “lest she carry off for herself,” “there’s a danger she might …,” the same construction as μή … φάγωσι in line 12. The subject of the middle verb is Penelope.

19 δόμων ἐκ: anastrophe.

20 οἶσθα γὰρ οἷος θυμὸς … γυναικός: “you know of what sort the mind of a woman is …” (LSJ οἷος II.6).

21 ὅς κεν ὀπυίῃ: conditional relative clause.

22 κουριδίοιο φίλοιο … τεθνηκότος: “her own dead husband.” κουρίδιος here is evidently used as a noun (“husband”) rather than as an adjective (Brill and Heubeck/Hoekstra). φίλος can mean “dear” (adj.), “friend” (noun), or, as often in Homer, “one’s own” (LSJ φίλος I.2.c).

24 ἐπιτρέψειας: “polite” imperat. opt. (Smyth 1820).

24 ἕκαστα: that is, all of your possessions.

25 δμῳάων ἥ: “to the one of your maidservants who …,” the verb ἐπιτρέψειας takes a dative, which has been omitted. Understand: δμῳάων ἐκείνῃ ἥ …, with ἐκείνῃ as the object of ἐπιτρέψειας (and antecedent of ἥ) and δμῳάων as a partitive genitive (LSJ ἐπιτρέπω A.I.3).

26 εἰς ὅ κέ: “until” (Smyth 2383 C.N.)

26 φήνωσι: 3rd pl. aor. act. subj. > φαίνω.

27 σύνθεο: “take heed,” “pay attention,” 2nd sing. aor. mid. imperat. > συντίθημι (LSJ συντίθημι B.I.1).

29 Σάμοιό: most likely referring to Sami (Same) on the east side of the island of Kefalonia, opposite Ithaka (ToposText Same).

30 πρὶν … ἱκέσθαι: the subject of the infinitive is Telemachus (σε).

31 πρὶν: “before that,” “first.”

31 τινα γαῖα καθέξει / ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων: γαῖα καθέξει τινα ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων.

31 καθέξει: “will cover,” “will be spread over” (LSJ κατέχω II.4).

31 τινα: “any one (of),” “all (of)” (LSJ τις A.II.1).

33 ἀπέχειν: infin. Used as an imperative.

34 πέμψει: the subject is [τις] ἀθανάτων, with τις as the unexpressed antecedent of the relative clause.

37 ὀτρῦναι … /… εἰσαφικέσθαι: infins. Used as imperatives.

38 αὐτὸς: “yourself.”

38 πρώτιστα: “first of all,” adverbial.

39 ἤπια οἶδεν: “is kindly disposed (to),” literally, “knows kind things.” Homer often uses form of οἶδα with a neuter plural adjective to express a person’s character or disposition.

40 ἀέσαι … ὀτρῦναι: infinitives as imperatives.

41 ἐρέοντα: masc. acc. sing. fut. act. ptc. > ἐρῶ. Future participle expressing purpose.

42 οἱ: “for her (Penelope),” dative of interest.

44 ὁ: “he” (Telemachus).

45 λὰξ ποδὶ: “with his foot.”

47 ὁδοῖο: genitive of place (Smyth 1448), with πρήσσωμεν.

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