ὣς φάτʼ, ὀϊόμενος λαοσσόον ἔμμεν Ἀθήνην.210
μνηστῆρες δʼ ἑτέρωθεν ὁμόκλεον ἐν μεγάροισι·
πρῶτος τήν γʼ ἐνένιπε Δαμαστορίδης Ἀγέλαος·
Μέντορ, μή σʼ ἐπέεσσι παραιπεπίθῃσιν Ὀδυσσεὺς
μνηστήρεσσι μάχεσθαι, ἀμυνέμεναι δέ οἱ αὐτῷ.
ὧδε γὰρ ἡμέτερόν γε νόον τελέεσθαι ὀΐω·215
ὁππότε κεν τούτους κτέωμεν, πατέρʼ ἠδὲ καὶ υἱόν,
ἐν δὲ σὺ τοῖσιν ἔπειτα πεφήσεαι, οἷα μενοινᾷς
ἔρδειν ἐν μεγάροις· σῷ δʼ αὐτοῦ κράατι τίσεις.
αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν ὑμέων γε βίας ἀφελώμεθα χαλκῷ,
κτήμαθʼ ὁπόσσα τοί ἐστι, τά τʼ ἔνδοθι καὶ τὰ θύρηφι,220
τοῖσιν Ὀδυσσῆος μεταμίξομεν· οὐδέ τοι υἷας
ζώειν ἐν μεγάροισιν ἐάσομεν, οὐδέ θύγατρας
οὐδʼ ἄλοχον κεδνὴν Ἰθάκης κατὰ ἄστυ πολεύειν.
ὣς φάτʼ, Ἀθηναίη δὲ χολώσατο κηρόθι μᾶλλον,
νείκεσσεν δʼ Ὀδυσῆα χολωτοῖσιν ἐπέεσσιν·225
οὐκέτι σοί γʼ, Ὀδυσεῦ, μένος ἔμπεδον οὐδέ τις ἀλκή
οἵη ὅτʼ ἀμφʼ Ἑλένῃ λευκωλένῳ εὐπατερείῃ,
εἰνάετες Τρώεσσιν ἐμάρναο νωλεμὲς αἰεί,
πολλοὺς δʼ ἄνδρας ἔπεφνες ἐν αἰνῇ δηϊοτῆτι,
σῇ δʼ ἥλω βουλῇ Πριάμου πόλις εὐρυάγυια.230
πῶς δὴ νῦν, ὅτε σόν τε δόμον καὶ κτήμαθʼ ἱκάνεις,
ἄντα μνηστήρων ὀλοφύρεαι ἄλκιμος εἶναι;
ἀλλʼ ἄγε δεῦρο, πέπον, παρʼ ἔμʼ ἵστασο καὶ ἴδε ἔργον,
ὄφρʼ εἰδῇς οἷός τοι ἐν ἀνδράσι δυσμενέεσσιν
Μέντωρ Ἀλκιμίδης εὐεργεσίας ἀποτίνειν.235
ἦ ῥα, καὶ οὔ πω πάγχυ δίδου ἑτεραλκέα νίκην,
ἀλλʼ ἔτʼ ἄρα σθένεός τε καὶ ἀλκῆς πειρήτιζεν
ἠμὲν Ὀδυσσῆος ἠδʼ υἱοῦ κυδαλίμοιο.
αὐτὴ δʼ αἰθαλόεντος ἀνὰ μεγάροιο μέλαθρον
ἕζετʼ ἀναΐξασα, χελιδόνι εἰκέλη ἄντην.240
μνηστῆρας δʼ ὤτρυνε Δαμαστορίδης Ἀγέλαος,
Εὐρύνομός τε καὶ Ἀμφιμέδων Δημοπτόλεμός τε,
Πείσανδρός τε Πολυκτορίδης Πόλυβός τε δαΐφρων·
οἱ γὰρ μνηστήρων ἀρετῇ ἔσαν ἔξοχʼ ἄριστοι,
ὅσσοι ἔτʼ ἔζωον περί τε ψυχέων ἐμάχοντο·245
τοὺς δʼ ἤδη ἐδάμασσε βιὸς καὶ ταρφέες ἰοί.
τοῖς δʼ Ἀγέλεως μετέειπεν, ἔπος πάντεσσι πιφαύσκων·
ὦ φίλοι, ἤδη σχήσει ἀνὴρ ὅδε χεῖρας ἀάπτους·
καὶ δή οἱ Μέντωρ μὲν ἔβη κενὰ εὔγματα εἰπών,
οἱ δʼ οἶοι λείπονται ἐπὶ πρώτῃσι θύρῃσι.250
τῷ νῦν μὴ ἅμα πάντες ἐφίετε δούρατα μακρά,
ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ οἱ ἓξ πρῶτον ἀκοντίσατʼ, αἴ κέ ποθι Ζεὺς
δώῃ Ὀδυσσῆα βλῆσθαι καὶ κῦδος ἀρέσθαι.
τῶν δʼ ἄλλων οὐ κῆδος, ἐπὴν οὗτός γε πέσῃσιν.
notes
Athena, in the guise of Mentor, scolds Odysseus in an effort to spur him to action. Agelaus urges on the suitors.
210 λαοσσόον: epithet (attributive adj.) of Athena.
213 παραιπεπίθῃσιν: 3rd sing. aor. act. prohibitory subj. > παραπείθω. The form is a reduplicated aor. 2 (Smyth 448D).
215 νόον: “purpose,” “intention” (LSJ νόος II.2).
217 ἐν: “among,” “with,” with τοῖσιν.
217 πεφήσεαι: 2nd sing. fut. mid. indic. > θείνω.
217 οἷα: “because of what” (LSJ οἷος II.2).
218 σῷ δʼ αὐτοῦ: “with your own” (Monro 252.1). Monro says that αὐτοῦ “strengthens the possessive,” arguing that the reflexive use of αὐτός “is very rare,” but Russo/Heubeck read αὐτοῦ as making the possessive reflexive. Homer never combines the two pronouns (as, for example σεαυτῷ) (Smyth 329D).
219 ἀφελώμεθα: “we take away (acc.) from (gen.),” 1st pl. aor. mid. subj. > ἀφαιρέω.
220 τοί: dative of possession.
226 σοί: dative of possession.
228 ἐμάρναο: 2nd sing. impf. mid. indic. > μάρναμαι.
229 ἔπεφνες: 2nd sing. aor. act. indic. > θείνω.
230 ἥλω: “was captured,” 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ἁλίσκομαι.
232 ὀλοφύρεαι ἄλκιμος εἶναι: the literal meaning seems to be “you lament that you are brave,” which makes little sense. Other possibilities: “you lament that you have to be brave” (LSJ ὀλοφύρομαι I.4), “you complain about having to be courageous” (Brill), “it’s ridiculous of you to bewail the need for bravery” (Russo/Heubeck), “you wail for warlike strength” (Stanford),” “you flinch from being brave” (Emily Wilson). This is the only instance of the verb with an infinitive.
234 εἰδῇς: pf. act. subj. > οἶδα. Many of the manuscripts of Homer have ἰδῇς (aor. act. indic. > ὁράω). This is the reading of the OCT.
234 τοι: ethical dat.
235 ἀποτίνειν: infinitive of purpose.
236 ἦ: 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > ἠμί.
236 ἑτεραλκέα νίκην: “victory inclining to the other side” (LSJ ἑτεραλκής). Russo/Heubeck explain: “[refers] to a reverse in the fortune of battle which switches the advantage to the side which has been losing up to that moment.”
237 σθένεός τε καὶ ἀλκῆς: genitives with πειρήτιζεν (Smyth 1345).
239 ἀνὰ: with μέλαθρον.
240 ἄντην: “when set side by side (literally, face to face).”
244 ἀρετῇ: dative of manner (Smyth 1516).
246 τοὺς: “some.”
248 σχήσει: “will restrain (acc.),” “will stay (acc.).”
252 οἱ ἓξ: “six of you” (“the article may be used with cardinal numbers when the numeral states the definite part of a whole,” Smyth 1125).
252 αἴ κέ: “on the chance that …,” with subjunctive (Smyth 2354).
253 δώῃ: “might grant that,” with accusative and infinitive.
253 βλῆσθαι: aor. pass. infin. > βάλλω.
253 κῦδος ἀρέσθαι: “(that you) win glory.” The subject changes from Odysseus (Ὀδυσσῆα, the accusative subject of βλῆσθαι) to “you” (ὑμᾶς, implied accusative subject of ἀρέσθαι).
253 ἀρέσθαι: aor. mid. infin. > ἄρνυμαι.
254 τῶν δʼ ἄλλων οὐ κῆδος: “the others don’t matter” (LSJ κῆδος I.1). The others—Telemachus, Eumaeus, Philoitius—won’t be a problem once Odysseus is out of the way.
254 οὗτός: Odysseus.