ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ στείχοντες ὁδὸν κάτα παιπαλόεσσαν
ἄστεος ἐγγὺς ἔσαν καὶ ἐπὶ κρήνην ἀφίκοντο205
τυκτὴν καλλίροον, ὅθεν ὑδρεύοντο πολῖται,
τὴν ποίησʼ Ἴθακος καὶ Νήριτος ἠδὲ Πολύκτωρ·
ἀμφὶ δʼ ἄρʼ αἰγείρων ὑδατοτρεφέων ἦν ἄλσος,
πάντοσε κυκλοτερές, κατὰ δὲ ψυχρὸν ῥέεν ὕδωρ
ὑψόθεν ἐκ πέτρης· βωμὸς δʼ ἐφύπερθε τέτυκτο210
νυμφάων, ὅθι πάντες ἐπιρρέζεσκον ὁδῖται·
ἔνθα σφέας ἐκίχανʼ υἱὸς Δολίοιο Μελανθεὺς
αἶγας ἄγων, αἳ πᾶσι μετέπρεπον αἰπολίοισι,
δεῖπνον μνηστήρεσσι· δύω δʼ ἅμʼ ἕποντο νομῆες.
τοὺς δὲ ἰδὼν νείκεσσεν ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν,215
ἔκπαγλον καὶ ἀεικές· ὄρινε δὲ κῆρ Ὀδυσῆος·
νῦν μὲν δὴ μάλα πάγχυ κακὸς κακὸν ἡγηλάζει,
ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς ὡς τὸν ὁμοῖον.
πῇ δὴ τόνδε μολοβρὸν ἄγεις, ἀμέγαρτε συβῶτα,
πτωχὸν ἀνιηρόν δαιτῶν ἀπολυμαντῆρα;220
ὃς πολλῇς φλιῇσι παραστὰς θλίψεται ὤμους,
αἰτίζων ἀκόλους, οὐκ ἄορας οὐδὲ λέβητας·
τόν κʼ εἴ μοι δοίης σταθμῶν ῥυτῆρα γενέσθαι
σηκοκόρον τʼ ἔμεναι θαλλόν τʼ ἐρίφοισι φορῆναι,
καί κεν ὀρὸν πίνων μεγάλην ἐπιγουνίδα θεῖτο.225
ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν δὴ ἔργα κάκʼ ἔμμαθεν, οὐκ ἐθελήσει
ἔργον ἐποίχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πτώσσων κατὰ δῆμον
βούλεται αἰτίζων βόσκειν ἣν γαστέρʼ ἄναλτον.
ἀλλʼ ἔκ τοι ἐρέω, τὸ δὲ καὶ τετελεσμένον ἔσται·
αἴ κʼ ἔλθῃ πρὸς δώματʼ Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο,230
πολλά οἱ ἀμφὶ κάρη σφέλα ἀνδρῶν ἐκ παλαμάων
πλευραὶ ἀποτρίψουσι δόμον κάτα βαλλομένοιο.
ὣς φάτο, καὶ παριὼν λὰξ ἔνθορεν ἀφραδίῃσιν
ἰσχίῳ· οὐδέ μιν ἐκτὸς ἀταρπιτοῦ ἐστυφέλιξεν,
ἀλλʼ ἔμενʼ ἀσφαλέως· ὁ δὲ μερμήριξεν Ὀδυσσεὺς235
ἠὲ μεταΐξας ῥοπάλῳ ἐκ θυμὸν ἕλοιτο,
ἦ πρὸς γῆν ἐλάσειε κάρη ἀμφουδὶς ἀείρας.
ἀλλʼ ἐπετόλμησε, φρεσὶ δʼ ἔσχετο· τὸν δὲ συβώτης
νείκεσʼ ἐσάντα ἰδών, μέγα δʼ εὔξατο χεῖρας ἀνασχών·
νύμφαι κρηναῖαι, κοῦραι Διός, εἴ ποτʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς240
ὔμμʼ ἐπὶ μηρίʼ ἔκηε, καλύψας πίονι δημῷ,
ἀρνῶν ἠδʼ ἐρίφων, τόδε μοι κρηήνατʼ ἐέλδωρ,
ὡς ἔλθοι μὲν κεῖνος ἀνήρ, ἀγάγοι δέ ἑ δαίμων·
τῷ κέ τοι ἀγλαΐας γε διασκεδάσειεν ἁπάσας,
τὰς νῦν ὑβρίζων φορέεις, ἀλαλήμενος αἰεὶ245
ἄστυ κάτʼ· αὐτὰρ μῆλα κακοὶ φθείρουσι νομῆες.
notes
An encounter with Melanthius, an insulting herdsman
205 ἐπὶ: “as far as,” “up to” (LSJ ἐπί C.I.2.c)
208 ἀμφὶ: “around it.”
209 κατὰ … ῥέεν: “was flowing down,” 3rd sing. impf. act. indic., tmesis > καταρρέω.
214 δεῖπνον: “as a meal,” in apposition to αἶγας.
216 ἔκπαγλον καὶ ἀεικές: adverbial.
218 ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς ὡς τὸν ὁμοῖν: “so god always leads like to like,” taking the second ὡς as equivalent to εἰς (LSJ ὡς C.III). Proverbial, like “birds of a feather flock together.”
221 θλίψεται ὤμους: “will rub his shoulders” (LSJ θλίβω I).
222 οὐκ ἄορας οὐδὲ λέβητας: in other words, he doesn’t ask for the kind of gifts a hero would receive from a host.
223 κ(ε) εἴ: ἐάν.
224 φορῆναι: pres. act. infin. > φορέω.
225 ὀρὸν: “whey,” the water part of milk.
225 θεῖτο: “he might make for himself,” “he might get” (LSJ τίθημι C.3). The idea is that he might fatten himself up.
228 ἣν: “his,” fem. acc. sing. possessive pron.
231 πολλά … βαλλομένοιο: “his ribs will wear out many footstools as he is hit around his head by the hands of men throughout the house.” Most commentators agree that this is an “awkward” sentence. If the footstools are aimed at his head, why will his ribs take a beating? Are the suitors such bad aims?
232 βαλλομένοιο: genitive absolute, “agreeing” with οἱ (“him,” 231), but with a shift of case.
233 παριὼν: pres. act. ptc. > πάρειμι.
233 ἔνθορεν: “kicked,” 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ἐνθρῴσκω.
234 ἀφραδίῃσιν: “in his folly,” “foolishly” (dative of cause, Smyth 1517).
234 ἰσχίῳ: “in the hip,” with ἔνθορεν.
234 ἐστυφέλιξεν: the subject is Melanthius, but in the next line the subject of ἔμεν(ε) is Odysseus.
235 μερμήριξεν … / ἠὲ … / ἠ: “considered whether … or ..”
236 ἐκ θυμὸν ἕλοιτο: “take his life,” 3rd sing. aor. mid. opt., tmesis > ἐξαιρέω (LSJ ἐξαιρέω III.3).
238 τὸν: Melanthius.
241 ὔμμ(ι): “to you,” 2nd pl. dat. pers. pron. (Smyth 325 D).
241 ἐπὶ … ἔκηε: “burned on an altar,” 3rd sing. aor. act. indic., tmesis > ἐπικαίω.
242 ἀρνῶν ἠδ᾽ ἐρίφων: possessive gens., with μηρί(α).
242 κρηήνατ(ε): 2nd pl. aor. act. imperat. > κραίνω.
244 ἀγλαΐας: “ostentation,” “shows of bravery,” “airs.”
245 φορέεις: “you put on.” Here Eumaeus is addressing Melanthius.