εἴρετο δʼ αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτα βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος120
ὅττευ χρηΐζων ἱκόμην Λακεδαίμονα δῖαν·
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ τῷ πᾶσαν ἀληθείην κατέλεξα·
καὶ τότε δή με ἔπεσσιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπεν·
ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δὴ κρατερόφρονος ἀνδρὸς ἐν εὐνῇ
ἤθελον εὐνηθῆναι, ἀνάλκιδες αὐτοὶ ἐόντες.125
ὡς δʼ ὁπότʼ ἐν ξυλόχῳ ἔλαφος κρατεροῖο λέοντος
νεβροὺς κοιμήσασα νεηγενέας γαλαθηνοὺς
κνημοὺς ἐξερέῃσι καὶ ἄγκεα ποιήεντα
βοσκομένη, ὁ δʼ ἔπειτα ἑὴν εἰσήλυθεν εὐνήν,
ἀμφοτέροισι δὲ τοῖσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκεν,130
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς κείνοισιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφήσει.
αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον,
τοῖος ἐὼν οἷός ποτʼ ἐϋκτιμένῃ ἐνὶ Λέσβῳ
ἐξ ἔριδος Φιλομηλεΐδῃ ἐπάλαισεν ἀναστάς,
κὰδ δʼ ἔβαλε κρατερῶς, κεχάροντο δὲ πάντες Ἀχαιοί,135
τοῖος ἐὼν μνηστῆρσιν ὁμιλήσειεν Ὀδυσσεύς·
πάντες κʼ ὠκύμοροί τε γενοίατο πικρόγαμοί τε.
ταῦτα δʼ ἅ μʼ εἰρωτᾷς καὶ λίσσεαι, οὐκ ἂν ἐγώ γε
ἄλλα παρὲξ εἴποιμι παρακλιδὸν οὐδʼ ἀπατήσω,
ἀλλὰ τὰ μέν μοι ἔειπε γέρων ἅλιος νημερτής,140
τῶν οὐδέν τοι ἐγὼ κρύψω ἔπος οὐδʼ ἐπικεύσω.
φῆ μιν ὅ γʼ ἐν νήσῳ ἰδέειν κρατέρʼ ἄλγεʼ ἔχοντα,
νύμφης ἐν μεγάροισι Καλυψοῦς, ἥ μιν ἀνάγκῃ
ἴσχει· ὁ δʼ οὐ δύναται ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι.
οὐ γάρ οἱ πάρα νῆες ἐπήρετμοι καὶ ἑταῖροι,145
οἵ κέν μιν πέμποιεν ἐπʼ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης
ὣς ἔφατʼ Ἀτρεΐδης, δουρικλειτὸς Μενέλαος.
ταῦτα τελευτήσας νεόμην· ἔδοσαν δέ μοι οὖρον
ἀθάνατοι, τοί μʼ ὦκα φίλην ἐς πατρίδʼ ἔπεμψαν.
ὣς φάτο, τῇ δʼ ἄρα θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ὄρινε.150
τοῖσι δὲ καὶ μετέειπε Θεοκλύμενος θεοειδής·
ὦ γύναι αἰδοίη Λαερτιάδεω Ὀδυσῆος,
ἦ τοι ὅ γʼ οὐ σάφα οἶδεν, ἐμεῖο δὲ σύνθεο μῦθον·
ἀτρεκέως γάρ σοι μαντεύσομαι οὐδʼ ἐπικεύσω·
ἴστω νῦν Ζεὺς πρῶτα θεῶν, ξενίη τε τράπεζα155
ἱστίη τʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἀμύμονος, ἣν ἀφικάνω,
ὡς ἦ τοι Ὀδυσεὺς ἤδη ἐν πατρίδι γαίῃ,
ἥμενος ἢ ἕρπων, τάδε πευθόμενος κακὰ ἔργα,
ἔστιν, ἀτὰρ μνηστῆρσι κακὸν πάντεσσι φυτεύει·
τοῖον ἐγὼν οἰωνὸν ἐϋσσέλμου ἐπὶ νηὸς160
ἥμενος ἐφρασάμην καὶ Τηλεμάχῳ ἐγεγώνευν.
τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε περίφρων Πηνελόπεια·
αἲ γὰρ τοῦτο, ξεῖνε, ἔπος τετελεσμένον εἴη·
τῷ κε τάχα γνοίης φιλότητά τε πολλά τε δῶρα
ἐξ ἐμεῦ, ὡς ἄν τίς σε συναντόμενος μακαρίζοι.165
notes
Telemachus repeats the speech of Menelaus (Book 4), and Theoclymenus tells Penelope that Odysseus is already back in Ithaka
124–141: These lines are repeated verbatim from Menelaus’s speech at 4.333–50. Line 142 is a paraprhase of Menelaus’s speech, and lines 143–46 are repeated verbatim from 4.557–60. Menelaus’s speech ends with line 146.
121 ὅττευ: = ὅττινος, “what,” in an indirect question. The genitive follows χρηΐζων (Smyth 1396).
125 ἤθελον: the implied subject is the suitors.
125 εὐνηθῆναι: aor. pass. infin. > εὐνάω.
126 ὡς: introducing a simile.
126 κρατεροῖο λέοντος: possessive gen., with ξυλόχῳ (“lair”).
128 κνημοὺς: mountain slopes, the lower slopes of a mountain.
128 ἐξερέῃσι: “goes in search of,” 3rd sing. pres. act. subj. > ἐξερέω. Subjunctive in a simile introduced by ὡς ὀπότε, as in a general temporal clause (Smyth 2486).
129 βοσκομένη: fem. nom. sing. fut. mid. ptc. > βόσκω. Future participle indicating purpose.
129 ὁ: the lion.
130 ἀμφοτέροισι: probably “to both fawns,” rather than “to both the fawn and the doe,” since the doe is off grazing.
130 ἐφῆκεν: 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ἐφίημι. Aorist used in similes (Smyth 1935). Homer shifts from the subjunctive ἐξερέῃσι to the aorist indicative “as the picture becomes more real in the poet’s mind” (Stanford).
132 αἲ γάρ: introducing an optative of wish. The main verb in the optative, ὁμιλήσειεν, is delayed until line 136.
132 τοῖος ἐὼν οἷός ποτ(ε): “being such as he was when …”
134 ἐξ ἔριδος: “out of rivalry.” Merry glosses this as “in a match” or “after a challenge.”
134 Φιλομηλεΐδῃ: a king of Lesbos (Smith Philomeleides).
135 κὰδ … ἔβαλε: “threw him down,” tmesis > καταβάλλω.
135 ὁμιλήσειεν: resuming the wish introduced in line 341. The verb can have a hostile sense, “do battle with” ( LSJ ὁμιλέω II). Lines 345–46 are a repetition of 1.265–66.
137 πάντες: all the suitors.
137 γενοίατο: 3rd pl. aor. mid. opt. > γίγνομαι. Potential optative. The optative can also be thought of as the apodosis of a future less vivid condition: “(if Odysseus were such as he was, then) they all would be…”
139 ἄλλα: “other things.”
139 παρὲξ … παρακλιδόν: “beside the point … evasively,” both adverbial.
140 τὰ: “those things which.”
140 γέρων ἅλιος: Proteus, whom Menelaus encountered in Egypt.
141 τῶν: “of those things,” partitive gen.
142 μιν ὅ: μιν refers to Odysseus, ὅ refers to Proteus, the subject of φῆ (and of the infinite ἰδέειν in indirect discourse).
143 Καλυψοῦς: gen. sing.
144 ὁ: Odysseus.
145 πάρα: πάρεισι.
148 ταῦτα: what “these things” are is unspecified, but refers in general to what Telemachus accomplished on his visit to Sparta.
150 τῇ: referring to Penelope.
153 ὅ γ᾽: probably refers to Menelaus, whose words have just been quoted extensively. Stanford and other commentators argue that if Telemachus were meant, the text should read ὅδ᾽ instead of ὅ γ᾽.
155 ἴστω: “let (nom.) know…,” 3rd sing. pf. act. imperat. > οἶδα. An oath, calling Zeus, etc., to witness.
160 οἰωνὸν: bird of omen.
161 ἐφρασάμην: “observed,” 1st sing. aor. mid. indic. > φράζω (LSJ φράζω II.4).
164 τῷ: “then,” “in that case.”