τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα·380

Ἀντίνοʼ, οὐ μὲν καλὰ καὶ ἐσθλὸς ἐὼν ἀγορεύεις·

τίς γὰρ δὴ ξεῖνον καλεῖ ἄλλοθεν αὐτὸς ἐπελθὼν

ἄλλον γʼ, εἰ μὴ τῶν οἳ δημιοεργοὶ ἔασι,

μάντιν ἢ ἰητῆρα κακῶν ἢ τέκτονα δούρων,

ἢ καὶ θέσπιν ἀοιδόν, ὅ κεν τέρπῃσιν ἀείδων;385

οὗτοι γὰρ κλητοί γε βροτῶν ἐπʼ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν·

πτωχὸν δʼ οὐκ ἄν τις καλέοι τρύξοντα ἓ αὐτόν.

ἀλλʼ αἰεὶ χαλεπὸς περὶ πάντων εἶς μνηστήρων

δμωσὶν Ὀδυσσῆος, πέρι δʼ αὖτʼ ἐμοί· αὐτὰρ ἐγώ γε

οὐκ ἀλέγω, ἧός μοι ἐχέφρων Πηνελόπεια390

ζώει ἐνὶ μεγάροις καὶ Τηλέμαχος θεοειδής.

τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα·

σίγα, μή μοι τοῦτον ἀμείβεο πολλὰ ἔπεσσιν·

Ἀντίνοος δʼ εἴωθε κακῶς ἐρεθιζέμεν αἰεὶ

μύθοισιν χαλεποῖσιν, ἐποτρύνει δὲ καὶ ἄλλους.395

ἦ ῥα καὶ Ἀντίνοον ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

Ἀντίνοʼ, ἦ μευ καλὰ πατὴρ ὣς κήδεαι υἷος,

ὃς τὸν ξεῖνον ἄνωγας ἀπὸ μεγάροιο διέσθαι

μύθῳ ἀναγκαίῳ· μὴ τοῦτο θεὸς τελέσειε.

δός οἱ ἑλών· οὔ τοι φθονέω· κέλομαι γὰρ ἐγώ γε·400

μήτʼ οὖν μητέρʼ ἐμὴν ἅζευ τό γε μήτε τινʼ ἄλλον

δμώων, οἳ κατὰ δώματʼ Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο.

ἀλλʼ οὔ τοι τοιοῦτον ἐνὶ στήθεσσι νόημα·

αὐτὸς γὰρ φαγέμεν πολὺ βούλεαι ἢ δόμεν ἄλλῳ.

τὸν δʼ αὖτʼ Ἀντίνοος ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέειπε·405

Τηλέμαχʼ ὑψαγόρη, μένος ἄσχετε, ποῖον ἔειπες.

εἴ οἱ τόσσον ἅπαντες ὀρέξειαν μνηστῆρες,

καί κέν μιν τρεῖς μῆνας ἀπόπροθεν οἶκος ἐρύκοι.

ὣς ἄρʼ ἔφη, καὶ θρῆνυν ἑλὼν ὑπέφηνε τραπέζης

κείμενον, ᾧ ῥʼ ἔπεχεν λιπαροὺς πόδας εἰλαπινάζων·410

οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι πάντες δίδοσαν, πλῆσαν δʼ ἄρα πήρην

σίτου καὶ κρειῶν· τάχα δὴ καὶ ἔμελλεν Ὀδυσσεὺς

αὖτις ἐπʼ οὐδὸν ἰὼν προικὸς γεύσεσθαι Ἀχαιῶν·

στῆ δὲ παρʼ Ἀντίνοον, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε·

δός, φίλος· οὐ μέν μοι δοκέεις ὁ κάκιστος Ἀχαιῶν415

ἔμμεναι, ἀλλʼ ὤριστος, ἐπεὶ βασιλῆϊ ἔοικας.

τῷ σε χρὴ δόμεναι καὶ λώϊον ἠέ περ ἄλλοι

σίτου· ἐγὼ δέ κέ σε κλείω κατʼ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν.

καὶ γὰρ ἐγώ ποτε οἶκον ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἔναιον

ὄλβιος ἀφνειὸν καὶ πολλάκι δόσκον ἀλήτῃ,420

τοίῳ ὁποῖος ἔοι καὶ ὅτευ κεχρημένος ἔλθοι·

ἦσαν δὲ δμῶες μάλα μυρίοι ἄλλα τε πολλὰ

οἷσίν τʼ εὖ ζώουσι καὶ ἀφνειοὶ καλέονται.

    After back-and-forth between Eumaeus, Telemachus, and Antinous, Odysseus begs from Antinous and launches into another story.

     

    383  τῶν: “(one) of those,” partitive gen.

    387  τρύξοντα: fut. ptc., expressing purpose.

    388  περὶ πάντων: “above all the others,” “the most” (LSJ περί A.III).

    389  πέρι: “most of all,” adverbial (LSJ περί E.II.1).

    393  ἀμείβεο: “answer (acc.),” “respond to (acc.),” 2nd sing. pres. mid. imperat. > ἀμείβω.

    397  μευ … πατὴρ ὣς κήδεαι υἷος: “you care for me (μευ) as a father cares for his son (υἷος, gen.).”

    397  κήδεαι: 2nd sing. pres. mid./pass. indic. > κήδω.

    401  ἅζευ: 2nd sing. pres. mid./pass. imperat. > ἅζομαι.

    410  τό γε: “in this respect at least.” Telemachus means that Antinous doesn’t respect Penelope too much to give away what belongs to her.

    403  τοιοῦτον ἐνὶ στήθεσσι νόημα: supply the verb ἐστί.

    404  βούλεαι ἢ: “you would rather (infin.) than (infin.).”

    406  μένος: accusative of respect.

    406  ἄσχετε: voc. > ἄσχετος.

    407  τόσσον: “as much (as I will give him).”

    408  ἐρύκοι: the verb is ambiguous here: it can mean “keep away” or it can mean “detain” (in the sense of detaining a guest to give him more hospitality). Antinous reveals what he really means when he brandishes the foot stool (line 409) and later throws it at Odysseus (line 462).

    409  ὑπέφηνε: 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ὑποφαίνω.

    410  ἔπεχεν: 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > ἔπέχω.

    412  σίτου καὶ κρειῶν: gens., with πλῆσαν (Smyth 1369).

    413  προικὸς γεύσεσθαι Ἀχαιῶν: either (1) “to make trial of the Achaeans with impunity” (that is, get away without causing any trouble) or (2) “to taste the gift of the Achaeans” (that is, eat the food he’s been given). Ses LSJ προίξ and Merry’s note.

    417  τῷ: “therefore.”

    417  λώϊον: “a better portion” of bread (σίτου). Or perhaps adverbial, “more fully” of your bread (partitive gen.).

    418  κέ … κλείω: “anticipatory (Homeric) subjunctive,” acting like a future indicative (Smyth 1810).

    420  δόσκον: 1st sing. iterative impf. act. indic. > δίδωμι.

    421  τοίῳ ὁποῖος: “to whomever,” “no matter who,” literally, “to such a man, whatever sort of man.”

    421  ὅτευ: “whatever,” = ὅτινος, gen., with κεχρημένος (LSJ χράομαι C.I.2, Smyth 1396).

    423  οἷσίν: “with which,” “by means of which,” dative of means.

    423  ζώουσι … καλέονται: the subject is “men” in general.

    423  ἀφνειοὶ: predicate nom., after καλέονται (Smyth 1618).

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    Suggested Citation

    Thomas Van Nortwick and Rob Hardy, Homer: Odyssey 5–12. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2024. ISBN: 978-1-947822-17-7 https://dcc.dickinson.edu/homer-odyssey/xvii-380%E2%80%93423