22.1–41 | Dickinson College Commentaries

αὐτὰρ ὁ γυμνώθη ῥακέων πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς,

ἆλτο δʼ ἐπὶ μέγαν οὐδόν, ἔχων βιὸν ἠδὲ φαρέτρην

ἰῶν ἐμπλείην, ταχέας δʼ ἐκχεύατʼ ὀϊστοὺς

αὐτοῦ πρόσθε ποδῶν, μετὰ δὲ μνηστῆρσιν ἔειπεν·

οὗτος μὲν δὴ ἄεθλος ἀάατος ἐκτετέλεσται·5

νῦν αὖτε σκοπὸν ἄλλον, ὃν οὔ πώ τις βάλεν ἀνήρ,

εἴσομαι, αἴ κε τύχωμι, πόρῃ δέ μοι εὖχος Ἀπόλλων.

ἦ καὶ ἐπʼ Ἀντινόῳ ἰθύνετο πικρὸν ὀϊστόν.

ἦ τοι ὁ καλὸν ἄλεισον ἀναιρήσεσθαι ἔμελλε,

χρύσεον ἄμφωτον, καὶ δὴ μετὰ χερσὶν ἐνώμα,10

ὄφρα πίοι οἴνοιο· φόνος δέ οἱ οὐκ ἐνὶ θυμῷ

μέμβλετο· τίς κʼ οἴοιτο μετʼ ἀνδράσι δαιτυμόνεσσι

μοῦνον ἐνὶ πλεόνεσσι, καὶ εἰ μάλα καρτερὸς εἴη,

οἷ τεύξειν θάνατόν τε κακὸν καὶ κῆρα μέλαιναν;

τὸν δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς κατὰ λαιμὸν ἐπισχόμενος βάλεν ἰῷ,15

ἀντικρὺ δʼ ἁπαλοῖο διʼ αὐχένος ἤλυθʼ ἀκωκή.

ἐκλίνθη δʼ ἑτέρωσε, δέπας δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε χειρὸς

βλημένου, αὐτίκα δʼ αὐλὸς ἀνὰ ῥῖνας παχὺς ἦλθεν

αἵματος ἀνδρομέοιο· θοῶς δʼ ἀπὸ εἷο τράπεζαν

ὦσε ποδὶ πλήξας, ἀπὸ δʼ εἴδατα χεῦεν ἔραζε·20

σῖτός τε κρέα τʼ ὀπτὰ φορύνετο. τοὶ δʼ ὁμάδησαν

μνηστῆρες κατὰ δώμαθʼ, ὅπως ἴδον ἄνδρα πεσόντα,

ἐκ δὲ θρόνων ἀνόρουσαν ὀρινθέντες κατὰ δῶμα,

πάντοσε παπταίνοντες ἐϋδμήτους ποτὶ τοίχους·

οὐδέ πη ἀσπὶς ἔην οὐδʼ ἄλκιμον ἔγχος ἑλέσθαι.25

νείκειον δʼ Ὀδυσῆα χολωτοῖσιν ἐπέεσσι·

ξεῖνε, κακῶς ἀνδρῶν τοξάζεαι· οὐκέτʼ ἀέθλων

ἄλλων ἀντιάσεις· νῦν τοι σῶς αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος.

καὶ γὰρ δὴ νῦν φῶτα κατέκτανες ὃς μέγʼ ἄριστος

κούρων εἰν Ἰθάκῃ· τῷ σʼ ἐνθάδε γῦπες ἔδονται.30

ἴσκεν ἕκαστος ἀνήρ, ἐπεὶ ἦ φάσαν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα

ἄνδρα κατακτεῖναι· τὸ δὲ νήπιοι οὐκ ἐνόησαν,

ὡς δή σφιν καὶ πᾶσιν ὀλέθρου πείρατʼ ἐφῆπτο.

τοὺς δʼ ἄρʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν προσέφη πολύμητιςὈδυσσεύς·

ὦ κύνες, οὔ μʼ ἔτʼ ἐφάσκεθʼ ὑπότροπον οἴκαδʼ ἱκέσθαι35

δήμου ἄπο Τρώων, ὅτι μοι κατεκείρετε οἶκον,

δμῳῇσιν δὲ γυναιξὶ παρευνάζεσθε βιαίως,

αὐτοῦ τε ζώοντος ὑπεμνάασθε γυναῖκα,

οὔτε θεοὺς δείσαντες, οἳ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν,

οὔτε τινʼ ἀνθρώπων νέμεσιν κατόπισθεν ἔσεσθαι·40

νῦν ὑμῖν καὶ πᾶσιν ὀλέθρου πείρατʼ ἐφῆπται.

notes

Odysseus shoots an arrow through the axes, then through the throat of Antinous. He reveals himself to the suitors.

1 γυμνώθη: “stripped himself of (gen.),” 3rd sing. aor. pass. indic. > γυμνόω.

7 εἴσομαι: fut. mid. indic. > οἶδα.

7 τύχωμι: “(if I should) succeed (in hitting the mark),” 1st sing. aor. act. subj. > τυγχάνω (LSJ τυγχάνω B.I).

7 πόρῃ: 3rd sing. aor. act. subj. > πορεῖν.

9 ὁ: Antinous.

11 οἴνοιο: gen., with πίοι ( > πίνω, Smyth 1355).

12 μέμβλετο: 3rd sing. plupf. mid./pass. indic. > μέλω.

12 οἴοιτο: introducing indirect discourse with accusative and infinitive: οἴοιτο … μοῦνον (ἄνδρα) … τεύξειν …

13 καὶ εἰ: “even though,” concessive (Smyth 2369).

14 οἷ: “for himself,” dat. masc. sing. pron.

14 τεύξειν: “to bring about (acc.) for (dat.),” aor. infin. (LSJ τεύχω II).

15 ἐπισχόμενος: “aiming at (acc.)” (LSJ ἐπέχω III.1.b).

16 ἀντικρὺ … δι(ά): “right through (gen.)” (LSJ ἀντικρύ II).

17 ἑτέρωσε: “to one side.”

18 βλημένου: “having fallen,” “when he fell,” masc. gen. sing. aor. mid. ptc. > βάλλω. The genitive participle “agrees” with οἱ, which is dative: an example of case variation when a participle is in a different case from the preceding pronoun (Monro 243.3.d).

18 αὐλὸς … παχὺς: “a flute” of blood, of the jet of blood “piping” from his nostrils.

20 ὦσε: 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ὠθέω.

20 ἀπὸ … χεῦεν: “spilled,” tmesis > ἀποχέω.

22 ὅπως: “when” (LSJ ὅπως A.I.7).

25 ἑλέσθαι: infinitive of purpose.

27 ἀνδρῶν: gen., with τοξάζεαι (Smyth 1349).

27 ἀέθλων / ἄλλων: gen., with ἀντιάσεις (Smyth 1350).

28 σῶς: “ certain,” “assured” (LSJ σῶς II.2).

31 ἴσκεν: “were guessing,” 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > ἐΐσκω.

31 φάσαν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα / ἄνδρα κατακτεῖναι: φάσαν (ξείνον) κατακτεῖναι ἄνδρα. Understand ξείνον (Odysseus) as the accusative subject of the infinitive and take ἄνδρα (Antinous) as the object.

31 οὐκ ἐθέλοντα: “accidentally.”

32 τὸ …, / ὡς: “this, namely that …”

33 πείρατ(α): “the end,” collective pl. ὀλέθρου πείρατ(α) can be read together as “doom” (LSJ πεῖραρ I.5).

33 ἐφῆπτο: “was fixed,” “was determined,” 3rd sing. plurpf. mid./pass. indic. > ἐφάπτω (LSJ ἐφάπτωII.1).

36 δήμου ἄπο: anastrophe.

36 ὅτι: “as is obvious from the fact that …” (Monro 269.2, Smyth 2240).

38 αὐτοῦ τε ζώοντος: “while I am alive,” genitive absolute.

39 δείσαντες: either (1) followed by two objects (θεοὺς and τινʼ ἀνθρώπων νέμεσιν), in which case ἔσεσθαι in line 40 is “epexegetical,” explaining νέμεσιν (“fearing … vengeance …., to be in the future”), or (2) taking θεοὺς as a direct object and νέμεσιν … ἔσεσθαι as an accusative and infinitive in indirect discourse (“fearing … that there will be some vengeance …”) (Smyth 2238).

41 This line closely echoes line 33.

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