"ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μ᾽ αὐτίκ᾽ ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπε·

‘διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη, πολυμήχαν᾽ Ὀδυσσεῦ,405

οὔτ᾽ ἐμέ γ᾽ ἐν νήεσσι Ποσειδάων ἐδάμασσεν

ὄρσας ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀμέγαρτον ἀυτμήν,

οὔτε μ᾽ ἀνάρσιοι ἄνδρες ἐδηλήσαντ᾽ ἐπὶ χέρσου,

ἀλλά μοι Αἴγισθος τεύξας θάνατόν τε μόρον τε

ἔκτα σὺν οὐλομένῃ ἀλόχῳ, οἶκόνδε καλέσσας,410

δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.

ὣς θάνον οἰκτίστῳ θανάτῳ· περὶ δ᾽ ἄλλοι ἑταῖροι

νωλεμέως κτείνοντο σύες ὣς ἀργιόδοντες,

οἵ ῥά τ᾽ ἐν ἀφνειοῦ ἀνδρὸς μέγα δυναμένοιο

ἢ γάμῳ ἢ ἐράνῳ ἢ εἰλαπίνῃ τεθαλυίῃ.415

ἤδη μὲν πολέων φόνῳ ἀνδρῶν ἀντεβόλησας,

μουνὰξ κτεινομένων καὶ ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ·

ἀλλά κε κεῖνα μάλιστα ἰδὼν ὀλοφύραο θυμῷ,

ὡς ἀμφὶ κρητῆρα τραπέζας τε πληθούσας

κείμεθ᾽ ἐνὶ μεγάρῳ, δάπεδον δ᾽ ἅπαν αἵματι θῦεν.420

οἰκτροτάτην δ᾽ ἤκουσα ὄπα Πριάμοιο θυγατρός,

Κασσάνδρης, τὴν κτεῖνε Κλυταιμνήστρη δολόμητις

ἀμφ᾽ ἐμοί, αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ ποτὶ γαίῃ χεῖρας ἀείρων

βάλλον ἀποθνήσκων περὶ φασγάνῳ· ἡ δὲ κυνῶπις

νοσφίσατ᾽, οὐδέ μοι ἔτλη ἰόντι περ εἰς Ἀίδαο425

χερσὶ κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑλέειν σύν τε στόμ᾽ ἐρεῖσαι.

ὣς οὐκ αἰνότερον καὶ κύντερον ἄλλο γυναικός,

ἥ τις δὴ τοιαῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶν ἔργα βάληται·

οἷον δὴ καὶ κείνη ἐμήσατο ἔργον ἀεικές,

κουριδίῳ τεύξασα πόσει φόνον. ἦ τοι ἔφην γε430

ἀσπάσιος παίδεσσιν ἰδὲ δμώεσσιν ἐμοῖσιν

οἴκαδ᾽ ἐλεύσεσθαι· ἡ δ᾽ ἔξοχα λυγρὰ ἰδυῖα

οἷ τε κατ᾽ αἶσχος ἔχευε καὶ ἐσσομένῃσιν ὀπίσσω

θηλυτέρῃσι γυναιξί, καὶ ἥ κ᾽ ἐυεργὸς ἔῃσιν.’

ὣς ἔφατ᾽, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον·435

‘ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δὴ γόνον Ἀτρέος εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς

ἐκπάγλως ἤχθηρε γυναικείας διὰ βουλὰς

ἐξ ἀρχῆς· Ἑλένης μὲν ἀπωλόμεθ᾽ εἵνεκα πολλοί,

σοὶ δὲ Κλυταιμνήστρη δόλον ἤρτυε τηλόθ᾽ ἐόντι.’

    Agamemnon tells the story of his death at the hands of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

    406  lines 406–8 answer lines 399–401.

    409  μοι: dative of interest.

    409  τεύξας: “having brought about.” nom. sing. aor. ptc. > τεύχω.

    410  ἔκτα: 3rd sing. aor. > κτείνω. Understand με as the object of the verb and the following participles.

    411  τε: untranslatable (Monro 332; Smyth 2970).

    411  κατέκτανε: gnomic aor. (Monro 78.1; Smyth 1931), translated as a present.

    412  περὶ: “around (me).”

    413  κτείνοντο: unaugmented 3rd pl. impf. pass.

    413  σύες ὣς …: introducing a simile.

    414  οἵ: “which ….” Understand the verb κτείνοντο with this relative pronoun as its subject.

    414  ἐν ἀφνειοῦ ἀνδρὸς: understand ἐν οἴκῳ ἀφνειοῦ ἀνδρὸς. It is tempting, despite the objection of Nairn, to take ἐν with the datives in the following line.

    415  γάμῳ ἢ ἐράνῳ ἢ εἰλαπίνῃ: the datives can be understood as place where ("at a wedding...") or datives of time when ("on the occasion of a wedding..."), although it is also tempting to see them as datives of interest ("for a wedding..."). For this use of the dative of interest, see Goodell 523 (especially the 5th example, from Thucydides 1.11.1).

    415  τεθαλυίῃ: pf. ptc. > θάλλω.

    416  πολέων: = πολλῶν.

    416  φόνῳ: dat., object of the compound verb (ptc.) ἀντεβόλησας.

    417  κτεινομένων: modifying ἀνδρῶν in 416.

    418  κε … ὀλοφύραο: “you would have lamented ….” κε + aor. indic., past potential (Monro 324; Smyth 1784).

    418  κεῖνα: = ἐκεῖνα, “those things.”

    419 ὡς: “how …”

    420  θῦεν: “was flowing,” unaugmented impf. > θύω.

    423  ποτὶ γαίῃ χεῖρας ἀείρων / (ἔ)βαλλον: Stanford calls this passage "much disputed." It could be taken as (1) "raising my hands, I let them fall (βάλλον) on the ground" (Cunliffe), or (2) "raising my hands, I beat them (βάλλον) on the ground," which Stanford calls "a recognized method of invoking the infernal powers to take vengeance." Or it could be taken with περὶ φασγάνῳ: "raising my hands, I put them (βάλλον) around the sword (i.e., in self-defense)." This makes it more difficult to explain ποτὶ γαίῃ.

    424  περί φασγάνῳ: probably to be taken with ἀποθνῄσκων, "dying around the sword," i.e., the sword has been thrust through the middle of his body.

    425  μοι … ἰόντι: dative of interest.

    425  ἰόντι: pres. act. ptc. > εἶμι.

    425  εἰς Ἀΐδαο: εἰς δόμον Ἀΐδαο.

    426  χερσὶ: dative of means.

    426  κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑλέειν: “to close my eyes,” tmesis > καθαιρέω.

    426  σύν τε στόμ᾽ ἐρεῖσαι: “to close,” tmesis > συνερείδω.

    427  ὣς: “thus.”

    427  οὐκ … ἄλλο: “there is no other thing,” “there is nothing.” Understand ἐστιν.

    428  ἥ τις …φρεσὶν ἔργα βάληται: “whoever puts such deeds in her heart….” (i.e., whoever conceives of such deeds). A common use of βάλλω (in the middle) with φρεσί or θυμῷ. present general conditional relative clause, subjunctive without ἄν (Smyth 2567b).

    429  οἷον δὴ …: “just such a …,” with ἔργον ἀεικές.

    430  ἔφην: “I imagined….” Introducing indirect discourse with infinitive; the unexpressed subject of the infinitive is the same as the subject of ἔφην.

    431  ἀσπάσιος: “welcome to,” “welcomed by,” with dative. The nominative agrees with the subject of ἔφην.

    432  ἐλεύσεσθαι: “…that I would come,” fut. infin. > ἔρχομαι.

    432  ἔξοχα: “especially,” adverbial, neut. acc. pl.

    432  λυγρὰ ἰδυῖα: “knowing miserable things,” “having miserable things in her heart.”

    432  ἰδυῖα: pf. ptc. fem. nom. > οἶδα, with present sense.

    433  οἷ: “on herself,” dative with a compound verb.

    433  κατ᾽ … ἔχευε: “poured down,” tmesis > κατχέω.

    434  : “whoever,” the antecedent is omitted (Smyth 2510).

    434  κ᾽… ἔῃσιν: relative conditional clause; 3rd sing. subj. > εἰμί.

    437  βουλὰς: "scheming."

    438  εἵνεκα: ἕνεκα + gen. (Ἑλένης).

    439  ἐόντι: pres. ptc. > εἰμί,  modifying σοὶ.

    ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate; to change, place, pass

    προσεῖπον (aor. 2 of προσαγορεύω and προσφωνέω); Εp. προσέειπον: to speak to one, address, accost

    διογενής –ές: sprung from Zeus (epithet of Odysseus) 405

    Λαερτιάδης –ου ὁ: son of Laertes (Odysseus)

    πολυμήχανος –ον: full of resources, inventive, ever-ready

    Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey

    Ποσειδῶν (or Ποσειδάων) –ῶνος ὁ: Poseidon

    δαμάζω δαμάσω ἐδάμασα δεδάμακα δεδάμασμαι/δέδμημα ἐδαμάσθην/ἐδμήθην: to overpower, tame, conquer, subdue

    ὄρνυμι ὄρσω ὦρσα ὄρωρα ὀρώρεμαι –––: to stir up, move; (mid.) to rise, get up

    ἀργαλέος –α –ον: hard to endure or deal with, difficult

    ἄνεμος –ου ὁ: wind

    ἀμέγαρτος –ον: unenviable

    ἀϋτμή –ῆς ἡ: breath, puff, air, gust

    ἀνάρσιος –ον: unfriendly, hostile

    δηλέομαι δηλήσομαι ἐδηλησάμην δεδήλημαι: to hurt, harm

    χέρσος –ου ἡ: dry land, land

    Αἴγισθος –ου ὁ: Aegisthus, son of Thyestes, and cousin of Agamemnon

    τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about

    μόρος –ου ὁ: fate, destiny, death

    κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill

    οὐλόμενος –η –ον: destructive, ruinous, cursed, unfortunate 410

    ἄλοχος –ου ἡ: wife

    οἰκόνδε: home, homeward, into the house, to the women's apartment

    δειπνίζω δειπνιῶ ἐδείπνισα δεδείπνισμαι: to entertain at dinner

    κατακτείνω κατακτενῶ κατέκτεινα καταπέκτονα ––– –––: to kill, slay, murder

    φάτνη –ης ἡ: a manger, crib, feeding-trough

    οἴκτιστος –η –ον: most pitiable, lamentable

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

    νωλεμές: without interruption, continually

    κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill

    ὗς (or σῦς) ὑός (or συός) ὁ/ἡ: swine, hog; (f.) sow

    ἀργιόδους –όδοντος: white-toothed, white-tusked

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    ἀφνειός [–ά] –όν: rich, wealthy

    γάμος –ου ὁ: marriage, wedding 415

    ἔρανος –ου ὁ: potluck, shared meal

    εἰλαπίνη –ης ἡ: a feast

    θάλλω θαλλήσω ἔθηλα τέθηλα ––– –––: to bloom, abound, to be luxuriant

    φόνος –ου ὁ: murder, slaughter, corpse

    ἀντιβολέω ἀντιβολήσω ἠντεβόλησα ––– ––– ἠντεβολήθην: to meet by chance, encounter

    μουνάξ: singly, in single combat

    κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill

    κρατερός –ά –όν: strong, powerful, mighty

    ὑσμίνη –ης ἡ: a fight, battle, combat

    ὀλοφύρομαι ὀλοφυροῦμαι ὠλοφυράμην – – ὠλοφύρθην: to lament, wail; pity

    κρητήρ –ῆρος ὁ: large vessel for mixing water and wine

    τράπεζα –ης ἡ: table; dinner

    πλήθω πλήσω ἐπλησα πέπληθα: to be or become full

    μέγαρον –ου τό: a large room, hall, feast-hall

    δάπεδον –ου τό: surface, pavement, floor 420

    θύω: to rage, seethe, cover, flow

    οἰκτρός –ά –όν: pitiable, in piteous plight

    ὄψ ὀπός ἡ: a voice

    Πρίαμος –ου ὁ: Priam

    Κασσάνδρα –ας ἡ: Cassandra, daughter of Priam

    κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill

    Κλυταιμνήστρα –ας ἡ: Clytaemnestra, the queen of Agamemnon

    δολομήτης –ου: crafty of counsel, wily

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet

    γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district

    ἀείρω ἀρῶ ἤειρα ––– ἤερμαι ἠέρθην: to lift, heave, raise up

    φάσγανον –ου τό: a sword

    κυνώπης –ου: the dog-eyed

    νοσφίζομαι νοσφιῶ ἐνόσφισα ––– νενόσφισμαι ἐνοσφίσθην: to turn one's back upon 425

    τλάω τλήσομαι ἔτλην τέτληκα –––– ––––: to tolerate, endure, resist; to dare; to have the courage (+ infin.); (part.) τετληώς

    ᾍδης –ου ὁ: Hades

    συνερείδω συνερείσω συνήρεισα συνήρεικα συνερήρεισμαι συνηρείσθην: to press together, close

    αἰνός –ή –όν: dread, grim

    κύντερος –α –ον: more dog-like

    φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits

    μήδομαι μήσομαι ἐμησάμην: to meditate, prepare, plot

    ἀεικής –ές: unseemly, shameful

    κουρίδιος –α –ον: wedded 430

    τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about

    πόσις –ιος/–εως ὁ: husband, spouse, mate

    φόνος –ου ὁ: murder, slaughter, corpse

    τοι: let me tell you, surely

    ἀσπάσιος [–α] –ον: well-received, welcome, pleasing; pleased, glad; (adv.) ἀσπασίως gladly, joyfully, willingly

    ἰδέ: and

    δμώς –ωός ὁ: an enslaved person, especially one taken in war

    οἴκαδε: homeward

    ἔξοχον or ἔξοχα : (adv.) specially, preeminently

    λυγρός –ά –όν: sad, mournful, miserable

    ἕ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    αἶσχος –ους τό: shame, disgrace

    χέω χέω ἔχεα or ἔχευα κέχυκα κέχυμαι ἐχύθην: to pour, shed

    ὀπίσω or ὀπίσσω: backwards, behind; in the future

    θῆλυς θήλεια θῆλυ: female, feminine, soft

    εὐεργός –όν: doing good

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet 435

    μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate; to change, place, pass

    προσεῖπον (aor. 2 of προσαγορεύω and προσφωνέω); Εp. προσέειπον: to speak to one, address, accost

    πόποι: alas! alack! well-a-day!

    γόνος –ου ὁ: that which is begotten, offspring, a child, lineage

    Ἀτρεύς –έως ὁ: Atreus, son of Pelops and Hippodamīa, father of Agamemnon and Menelāus; his sceptre

    εὐρύοπα: the far-seeing

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

    ἔκπαγλος –ον: terrible, fearful

    ἐχθαίρω ἐχθαροῦμαι ἤχθηρα ––– ––– –––: to hate, detest

    γυναικεῖος [–α] –ον: of or belonging to women

    Ἑλένη –ης ἡ: Helen, the wife of Menelāus, daughter of Zeus and Leda

    Κλυταιμνήστρα –ας ἡ: Clytaemnestra, the queen of Agamemnon

    δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery

    ἀρτύω ἀρτύσω ἤρτῡσα ἤρτῡκα ἤρτῡμαι ἠρτύθην: to arrange, devise, prepare

    τηλόθι: afar, at a distance

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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/xi-404-439