καρπαλίμως μοι, τέκνα φίλα, κρηήνατʼ ἐέλδωρ,
ὄφρʼ ἦ τοι πρώτιστα θεῶν ἱλάσσομʼ Ἀθήνην,
ἥ μοι ἐναργὴς ἦλθε θεοῦ ἐς δαῖτα θάλειαν.420
ἀλλʼ ἄγʼ ὁ μὲν πεδίονδʼ ἐπὶ βοῦν, ἴτω, ὄφρα τάχιστα
ἔλθῃσιν, ἐλάσῃ δὲ βοῶν ἐπιβουκόλος ἀνήρ·
εἷς δʼ ἐπὶ Τηλεμάχου μεγαθύμου νῆα μέλαιναν
πάντας ἰὼν ἑτάρους ἀγέτω, λιπέτω δὲ δύʼ οἴους·
εἷς δʼ αὖ χρυσοχόον Λαέρκεα δεῦρο κελέσθω425
ἐλθεῖν, ὄφρα βοὸς χρυσὸν κέρασιν περιχεύῃ.
οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι μένετʼ αὐτοῦ ἀολλέες, εἴπατε δʼ εἴσω
δμῳῇσιν κατὰ δώματʼ ἀγακλυτὰ δαῖτα πένεσθαι,
ἕδρας τε ξύλα τʼ ἀμφὶ καὶ ἀγλαὸν οἰσέμεν ὕδωρ.
ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἐποίπνυον. ἦλθε μὲν ἂρ βοῦς430
ἐκ πεδίου, ἦλθον δὲ θοῆς παρὰ νηὸς ἐίσης
Τηλεμάχου ἕταροι μεγαλήτορος, ἦλθε δὲ χαλκεὺς
ὅπλʼ ἐν χερσὶν ἔχων χαλκήια, πείρατα τέχνης,
ἄκμονά τε σφῦραν τʼ ἐυποίητόν τε πυράγρην,
οἷσίν τε χρυσὸν εἰργάζετο· ἦλθε δʼ Ἀθήνη435
ἱρῶν ἀντιόωσα. γέρων δʼ ἱππηλάτα Νέστωρ
χρυσὸν ἔδωχʼ· ὁ δʼ ἔπειτα βοὸς κέρασιν περίχευεν
ἀσκήσας, ἵνʼ ἄγαλμα θεὰ κεχάροιτο ἰδοῦσα.
βοῦν δʼ ἀγέτην κεράων Στρατίος καὶ δῖος Ἐχέφρων.
χέρνιβα δέ σφʼ Ἄρητος ἐν ἀνθεμόεντι λέβητι440
ἤλυθεν ἐκ θαλάμοιο φέρων, ἑτέρῃ δʼ ἔχεν οὐλὰς
ἐν κανέῳ· πέλεκυν δὲ μενεπτόλεμος Θρασυμήδης
ὀξὺν ἔχων ἐν χειρὶ παρίστατο βοῦν ἐπικόψων.
Περσεὺς δʼ ἀμνίον εἶχε· γέρων δʼ ἱππηλάτα Νέστωρ
χέρνιβά τʼ οὐλοχύτας τε κατήρχετο, πολλὰ δʼ Ἀθήνῃ445
εὔχετʼ ἀπαρχόμενος, κεφαλῆς τρίχας ἐν πυρὶ βάλλων.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ εὔξαντο καὶ οὐλοχύτας προβάλοντο,
αὐτίκα Νέστορος υἱὸς ὑπέρθυμος Θρασυμήδης
ἤλασεν ἄγχι στάς· πέλεκυς δʼ ἀπέκοψε τένοντας
αὐχενίους, λῦσεν δὲ βοὸς μένος. αἱ δʼ ὀλόλυξαν450
θυγατέρες τε νυοί τε καὶ αἰδοίη παράκοιτις
Νέστορος, Εὐρυδίκη, πρέσβα Κλυμένοιο θυγατρῶν.
οἱ μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἀνελόντες ἀπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης
ἔσχον· ἀτὰρ σφάξεν Πεισίστρατος, ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν.
notes
418 μοι: dative of possession with ἐέλδωρ, or dative of interest.
418 κρηήνατ(ε): 2nd pl. aor. act. imperat. > κραίνω.
419 ἱλάσσομ(αι): short-vowel aor. mid. indic. > ἱλάσκομαι, in a purpose clause (“so that …,” ὄφρα + subj.), or fut. mid. indic., in a temporal clause (“while …,” ὄφρα + indic.).
421 ἄγ(ε) ὁ μὲν … ἴτω: ἄγε is an exclamation that often accompanies an imperative, like the ἴτω (3rd pers. imperat. > εἶμι), here. The subject is ὁ, a demonstrative (“this man”), which here seems to have the force of “someone” or “one man,” since ὁ μὲν is answered by εἷς δ᾽ in 423.
421 ἐπὶ βοῦν: “to get a cow” (LSJ ἐπί C.III.1).
422 ἔλθῃσιν: the subject is probably the cow (βοῦς).
422 ἐλάσῃ: aor. subj. > ἐλαύνω.
422 ἐπιβουκόλος ἀνήρ: ἀνήρ is pleonastic (redundant).
427 εἴπατε: “order (dat.) to (infin.)” (LSJ εἶπον III).
429 ξύλα τ᾽ ἀμφὶ: most commentators understand βωμόν, “altar,” as the object of the preposition ἀμφί, and read, “logs to put around the altar.”
433 πείρατα: “the instruments,” synonymous with ὅπλα (LSJ πεῖραρ II).
435 οἷσίν τε: a periodic reminder that the Homeric τε in a relative clause marks a general statement, a statement of what is always or generally the case, and is not translated.
436 ἱρῶν ἀντιόωσα: “to receive the offerings” (LSJ ἀντιάω A.I.1).
437 ἔδωχ᾽: = ἔδωκε, aor. > δίδωμι.
437 περίχευεν: this may mean that the goldsmith wraps gold leaf around the horns, or inlays the horns with gold.
438 ἄγαλμα: object of the participle ἰδοῦσα.
438 κεχάροιτο: aor. opt. > χαίρω (in a purpose clause in secondary sequence), which takes a supplementary participle (LSJ χαίρω I.3, Smyth 2100).
439 ἀγέτην: dual.
439 κεράων: “by the horns,” a type of partitive genitive used with verbs meaning “to touch” or “to take hold of” (Smyth 1346, Monro 151a).
440 σφ(ι): “for them,” dative of interest.
440 ἀνθεμόεντι: decorative gold rosettes, as described here, have been excavated at Mycenae. [link to image]
441 ἑτέρῃ: “in his other (left) hand.”
443 ἐπικόψων: fut. ptc. > ἐπικὀπτω, expressing purpose.
445 χέρνιβά τ᾽ οὐλοχύτας τε κατήρχετο: “began the sacrifice with the washing of hands and sprinking the barley on the victim’s head” (LSJ κατάρχω II.2).
446 ἀπαρχόμενος: the verb specifically refers to beginning the sacrifice by cutting hairs (τρίχας) from the victim’s head and throwing them onto the fire, as described here (LSJ ἀπάρχομαι).
449 ἤλασεν: “struck the blow” (LSJ ἐλαύνω II).
453 οἱ: the other sons of Nestor.
453 ἀνελόντες … / ἔσχον: the object is the head of the stricken cow.