Book 1
106
“The man was friendless. All the gods took pity,
except Poseidon’s anger never ended until Odysseus was back at home.”
107
“He is more sensible than other humans, and makes more sacrifices to the gods.
But Lord Poseidon rages, unrelenting, because Odysseus destroyed the eye of godlike Polyphemus…“
110
“If they saw him return to Ithaca, they would all pray for faster feet,
instead of wealth and gold and fancy clothes.”
112
“Dear guest, I will be frank with you.
My mother says that I am his son, but I cannot be sure, since no one knows his own begetting.”
“I wish I were the son of someone lucky, who could grow old at home with all his wealth.
Instead, the most unlucky man alive is said to be my father—since you ask.”
113
“But now, the winds have seized him, and he is nameless and unknown.”
114
“When this is done, consider deeply how you might be able
to kill the suitors in your halls—by tricks or openly.”
“You must not stick to childhood; you are no longer just a little boy.”
116
“Poets are not to blame for how things are; Zeus is; he gives to each as is his will.”
118
“May no man drive you out, and seize your wealth, while Ithaca survives.”
Book 2
123
“How dare you try to embarrass us and put the blame on us?
We suitors have not done you wrong. Go blame your precious mother!“
125
“I told him when he left for Troy with all the Argives, he would suffer most terribly,
and all his men would die, but in the twentieth year he would come home, unrecognized.”
127
“But if I hear that he is dead, I will come home to my own land,
and build a tomb and hold the funeral rites as he deserves, and I will give my mother to a new husband.”
128
“Even if Ithacan Odysseus came back and found us feasting in his house, and tried to drive us out,
his wife would get no joy of his return, no matter how she misses him.”
130
“I will try to bring down doom on your heads here at home or when I go to Pylos.”
Book 3
138
“You need not sweeten what you say, in pity or from embarrassment.”
139
“If you stayed here five years and kept on asking how many things the fighters suffered there,
you would get bored and go back home again before the story ended.”
142
“I have never seen gods display such favor as she gave when she stood by your father.”
144-145
“He killed the son of Atreus and seized control of rich Mycenae,
where he reigned for seven years. But in the eight, Orestes came to destroy him.”
148
“They brought godlike Telemachus to sit with them.”
Book 4
153
“We two were fed by many different hosts before returning home.
As we may hope for Zeus to keep us safe in future times, untack their horses. Lead them in to dine!“
154
“Your fathers must be scepter-bearing kings; the sons of peasants do not look like you.”
155
“But while I wandered there accumulating wealth, someone crept in and killed my brother;
his own scheming wife betrayed him. I can take no joy in all my wealth.”
157
“Wife, I saw the likeness too. Odysseus had hands like those, those legs,
that hair, that head, that glancing gaze.”
“And when I spoke just now about Odysseus and all the things he suffered for my sake, the boy grimaced,
and floods of tears were rolling down his cheeks, he raised his purple cloak to hide his eyes.”
161
“But Menelaus, all this makes it worse!
My father’s courage could not save his life, even if he had had a heart of iron.”
162
“Please do not try to sweeten bitter news from pity; tell me truly if you saw him, and how he was.”
167
“You should have given Zeus and other gods fine offerings, to speed your journey home across the wine-dark sea.
It is your fate not to go home or see the ones you love until you go again to Egypt’s river, watered by Zeus,
and kill a hundred cows to please the deathless gods who live in heaven. Then they will let you travel where you wish.”
168
“He rode out on his carriage, and summoned Agamemnon, who suspected nothing.
Aegisthus killed him over dinner, just as a person kills an ox at manger.”
169
“Quickly, go home. You may still find Aegisthus alive,
or else Orestes may have come and killed him; you can join his funeral.”
174
“The suitors want to kill Telemachus with sharp bronze weapons on his journey home.
He went to sandy Pylos and to Sparta for word about his father.”
Book 5
180
“Odysseus ruled gently, like a father, but no one even thinks about him now.
The wretched man is stranded on an island; Calypso forces him to stay with her.”
181
“Without a god or human as his guide, he will drift miserably for twenty days
upon a makeshift raft, and then arrive at fertile Scheria.”
182
“He gazed around in wonder and joy, at sights to please even a god.
Even the deathless god who once killed Argos stood still, his heart amazed at all he saw.”
183
“But Hermes did not find Odysseus, since he was sitting by the shore as usual,
sobbing in grief and pain; his heart was breaking. In tears he stared across the fruitless sea.”
183-184
“Zeus orders you to send him on his way at once,
since it is not his destiny to die here far away from those he loves.
It is his fate to see his family and come back home, to his own native land.”
185-186
“Goddess, you have some other scheme in mind, not my safe passage.
You are telling me to cross this vast and terrifying gulf, in just a raft,
when even stable schooners sped on by winds from Zeus would not succeed?“
187
“If some god strikes me on the wine-dark sea, I will endure it.
By now I am used to suffering—I have gone through so much,
at sea and in the war. Let this come too.
190
“Look at those clouds! He agitates the waves,
as winds attack from all directions. I can hold on to one thing: certain death.”
Book 9
240-241
“First I will tell my name, so we will be acquainted and if I survive,
you can be my guest in my distant home one day.”
241
“Circe, the trickster, trapped me, and she wanted me to be her husband.
But she never swayed my heart, since when a man is far from home, living abroad,
there is no sweeter thing than his own native land and family.”
243
“But as they ate it, they lost the will to come back and bring news to me.
They wanted only to stay there, feeding on lotus with the Lotus-Eaters.”
244
“There are no flocks of sheep, no fields of plowland—
it is all untilled, unsown and uninhabited by humans.”
“With boats they could have turned this island into a fertile colony, with proper harvests.”
248
“Well, foreigner, you are a fool, or from some very distant country. You order me to fear the gods!
My people think nothing of that Zeus with his big scepter, nor any god; our strength is more than theirs.”
“If I spare you or spare your friends it will not be out of fear of Zeus. I do the bidding of my own heart.”
253
“Strong Polyphemus from inside replied, ‘My friends! Noman is killing me by tricks, not force‘“
255
“The other men were glad to see us, their surviving friends, but wept for those who died.
I ordered them to stop their crying, scowling hard at each.”
256
“There was a tall and handsome man named Telemus, the son of Eurymus,
who lived among my people; he spent his life here, soothsaying for us.
He told me that Odysseus’ hands would make me lose my sight.”
257
“Grant that Odysseus, the city-sacker, will never go back home.
Or if it is fated that he will see his family,
then let him get there late and with no honor, in pain and lacking ships,
and having caused the death of all his men, and let him find more trouble in his own house.”
Book 10
259-260
“At last I told him he should send me on my way. So he agreed to help me,
and he gave me a bag of oxhide leather and he tied the gusty winds inside it.”
260
“So hurry, we should look in that bag, and see how much is in there—how much silver, how much gold.”
263
“Hearing, the mighty Laestrygonians thronged from all sides, not humanlike, but giants.”
263
“We reached Aeaea, home of the beautiful, dreadful goddess Circe,
who speaks in human languages—the sister of Aeetes whose mind is set on ruin.
Those two are children of the Sun who shines on mortals, and of Perse, child of Ocean.”
265
“Inside the glade they found the house of Circe built out of polished stones, on high foundations.”
“They stood outside and heard some lovely singing. It was Circe, the goddess.
She was weaving as she sang, an intricate, enchanting piece of work, the kind a goddess fashions.”
“Then she struck them, using her magic wand, and penned them in the pigsty.
They were turned to pigs in body and voice and hair; their minds remained the same.”
269
“In a gold cup she mixed a drink for me, adding the drug—she hoped to do me harm.
I sipped it, but the magic did not work.”
271
“If you are so insistent on telling me to eat and drink, then free them,
as I may see with my own eyes my crew of loyal men.”
274
“Be guided by the gods. Now it is time to think of our own country,
if you are fated to survive and reach your high-roofed house and your forefathers’ land.”
275
“Fulfill the vow you made to send me home. My heart now longs to go. My men are also desperate to leave.
Whenever you are absent, they exhaust me with constant lamentation.”
276
“Vow if you reach the barren land of Ithaca, to kill a heifer in your halls,
the best you have, uncalved, and you will heap the fire with meat,
and offer to Tiresias alone a ram, pure black, the best of all your flock.”
Book 11
278
“We were still grieving, weeping, in floods of tears.”
280
“Pale fear took hold of me. I roused my men and told them to flay the sheep I had killed,
and burn them, and pray to Hades and Persephone.”
281
“Do not go on and leave me there unburied, abandoned,
without tears or lamentation—or you will make the gods enraged at you.”
282
“Turn from the purple depths and sail your ship towards the island of Thrinacia;
there you will find grazing cows and fine fat sheep,
belonging to the god who sees and hears all things—the Sun God.”
283
“Then you will match the suitors’ violence and kill them all, inside your halls,
through tricks or in the open, with sharp bronze weapons.”
285
“No, it was missing you, Odysseus, my sunshine; your sharp mind,
and your kind heart. That took sweet life from me.”
291
“Your story has both grace and wisdom in it.
You sounded like a skillful poet, telling the sufferings of the Greeks,
including what you endured yourself.”
292
“It was Aegisthus who planned my death and murdered me, with help from my own wife.”
294
“I do not even know whether he is alive or dead. It is pointless to talk of hypotheticals.”
295
“I would prefer to be a workman,
hired by a poor man on a peasant farm, than rule as king of all the dead.”
298
“And I saw Sisyphus in torment, pushing a giant rock with both hands,
leaning on it with all his might to shove it up towards a hilltop;“
298
“I saw a phantom of great Heracles. The man himself is with the deathless gods, happy and feasting,
with fine-ankled Hebe, the child of mighty Zeus and golden Hera.”
Book 12
301
“I sent my men to Circe’s house, to bring the body of the dead Elpenor.
Quickly we chopped the wood and at the farthest headland we held a funeral for him,
and welt profusely, crying out in grief.”
302
“First you will reach the Sirens, who bewitch all passerby.
If anyone goes near them in ignorance, and listens to their voices,
that man will never travel to his home, and never make his wife and children
happy to have him back with them again.”
303
“Only the famous Argo sailed through there returning from the visit with Aeetes.
The current hurled the ship towards the rocks, but Hera, who loved Jason, led them safe.”
303-304
“There lived Scylla, howling and barking horribly;
her voice is puppylike, but she is dangerous; even a god would be afraid of her.”
305
“Then you will reach the island called Thrinacia,
where Helius keeps sheep and many cattle: fifty per herd, with seven herds in all.”
“If you can remember home and leave the cows unharmed, you will at last arrive in Ithaca.
But if you damage them, I must foretell disaster for your ship and for your crew.
Even if you survive, you will return late and humiliated, having caused the death of all your men.”
309
“I kept in mind the words of blind Tiresias the prophet and Circe.
Both had give strict instructions that we avoid the island of the Sun, the god human joy.”
312
“So let us poach the finest of these cattle, and sacrifice them to the deathless gods.
If we get home to Ithaca, at once we will construct a temple to the Sun God, with treasure in it.”
315
“I clambered onto them, and used my hands to row myself away,
and Zeus ensured that Scylla did not see me, or else I could not have survived.”
Book 13
316
“Now, Odysseus, since you have been my guest, beneath my roof, you need not wander anymore.
You have endured enough; you will get home again.”
317
“Great king, and all of you, please send me safely home with offerings, and thank you.”
321
“The gods do not dishonor you; it would be hard to disrespect an elder so high-ranking.
If willful humans fail to show respect, then punish them; you always have that power.”
322
“My father long ago said that Poseidon hates us for our habit of helping travelers get home again;
we got away with it, but he foretold that one day great Poseidon would
destroy a ship on her return from such a journey; the god would hide our city with a mountain.”
“We have to sacrifice twelve bulls, handpicked for Lord Poseidon,
so he may show mercy, and not enfold our city in a mountain.”
323
“Those Phaeacian lords were not so trustworthy! They promised me that they would bring me home to Ithaca.”
328
“With that, the goddess made the mist disperse. The land was visible.
Odysseus, after so long a wait and so much pain, was filled with happiness at last.
In joy he kissed the fertile earth of his own country, then lifted high his arms and prayed, …“
330
“But why did you not tell him? You must know everything.
Did you want him suffering like me, lost out at sea, while others eat his whole inheritance?”
Book 15
350
“Athena went to Sparta, to ensure the safe return of Prince Telemachus.”
352
“A generous host is sure to be remembered as long as his guests live.”
“Telemachus, I will not keep you here if you are truly desperate for home.
I disapprove of too much friendliness and of too much standoffishness.”
356
“My lord, King Menelaus, what do you think?
Was this a sign sent by some god for us? Or sent for you?“
366
“My heart is touched to hear the story of your sufferings, Eumaeus.
In the end, though, Zeus has blessed you, since after going through all that,
you came to live with someone kind, a man who gives you plenty to eat and drink.”
368
“Telemachus! Some god has sent this bird to fly on your right hand. I knew at once it was a sign.
No family in all of Ithaca has greater power; you are the kings forever.”
Book 16
370
“Just as a father, when he sees his own dear son, his own son, his dear most precious boy,
returned from foreign lands after ten years of grieving for his loss, welcomes him;“
371
“He is all your, your suppliant, to treat however you desire.”
372
“I will not let him go to meet the suitors; they are much too violent.
I would be mortified if they abused him. It would be difficult for one man,
even a strong one, to do anything to them. There are too many.”
“My friend, it is my duty to speak out when I hear the dreadful things those
suitors have been doing in your house, against your will; it breaks my heart.”
373
“They keep eating, consuming my whole house, and soon they may destroy me too.”
374
“If human wishes could come true, my first would be to have my father come back home.”
“Odysseus could see her, standing beside the entrance to the cottage.”
Telemachus could not; the gods are not equally visible to everyone.”
375
“I am no god. Why would you think such things? I am your father, that same man you mourn.
It is because of me these brutal men are hurting you so badly.”
376
“No Telemachus, you should not be surprised to see your father. It is me; no other is on his way.
I am Odysseus. I suffered terribly, and I was lost, but after twenty years, I have come home.”
377
“Athena told me to come here and make plans with you to kill our enemies.
How many suitors are there? What kind of men are they? I am well-known for my intelligence,
and I will plot to work out if we two alone can fight theme, or if we might need others helping us.”
378
“Do you think Athena and her father, Zeus,
would be strong enough to keep us safe? Would any other help be necessary?”
Book 17
395
“But do not stay too long. If someone sees you, you will be pelted, maybe beaten up.”
396
“As they spoke, Argos, the dog that lay there, raised his head and ears.
Odysseus had trained this dog but with no benefit—he left too so to march on holy Troy.
The master gone, boys took the puppy out to hunt wild goats and deer and hares.”
397
“Twenty years had passed since Argos saw Odysseus,
and now he saw his for the final time—then suddenly, black death took hold of him.”
401
“You would not give a grain of salt from your own house. You sit enjoying someone else’s food,
and yet you will not give a crumb from this great banquet to me.”
402
“You ought not to have hit a poor old beggar! If he turns out to be a god from heaven it will end badly!“
403
“Eumaeus! Have the stranger come to me, so I may welcome him,
and ask if he has heard or witnessed anything about long-lost Odysseus.
The stranger seems as if he must have traveled far.”
Book 19
424
“Telemachus, we have to get the weapons and hide them.
When the suitors see them gone and question you, come up with good excuses.”
425
“Hush no more questions, discipline your thoughts. This is the way of gods from Mount Olympus.”
427
“But if he is dead and never coming back, his son is now a man, praise be Apollo.
He will notice any misconduct from the women here. He is a grown-up now.”
429
“I miss Odysseus; my heart is melting. The suitors want to push me into marriage, but I spin schemes.”
431
“So were her lovely cheeks dissolved with tears.
She wept for her own husband, who was right next to her.
Odysseus pitied his grieving wife inside his heart…“
433
“Your Majesty, Odysseus’ wife, stop ruining your pretty skin with tears,
and grieving for your husband, brokenhearted.”
436
“Zeus hated you beyond all other men, although you are so god-fearing!
No human ever burned so many thigh-bones to the Lord of Thunder, or sacrificed so much to him.”
439
“You are Odysseus! My darling child! My master!
I did not know it was you until I touched you all around your leg.”
442
“Odysseus himself said how he will fulfill it:
it means ruin for all the suitors. No one can protect them from death.”
Book 21
461
“Before all that, when Iphitus first met Odysseus,
he gave this bow to him, inherited from his own father.”
462
“Your motives are no secret. I am the prize. So I will set a contest.”
463
“My dear mother, despite her usual common sense,
has said that she will marry someone else and leave this house.
But I am laughing, and my heart feels foolish gladness.”
464
“He would have tried a fourth time; he was keen to keep on pulling.
But Odysseus shook his head, stopping him.”
467
“O Father Zeus, please make this wish come true, that he may come! May spirits guide him home!”
“I am here now. I suffered terribly for twenty years, and now I have come back to my own land.”
469
“But that we should be proven so much weaker than King Odysseus, that we should fail to string his bow!
Our deep humiliation will be well-known for many years to come!“
469
“Odysseus, the lord of lies, had carefully considered how to fool them.”
470
“For now, give me the polished bow, so I can try my strength and
find out if my hands still have the suppleness and vigor of my youth,
or if it has been lost in all my years of homelessness and poverty.”
473
“No Grandpa! Keep on going! Keep carrying the bow!
You will soon see you have to choose which master to obey.”
475
“With his eyebrows he signaled, and his son strapped on his sword,
picked up his spear, and stood beside his chair,
next to his father, his bronze weapons flashing.”
Book 23
494
“At long last you have got your wish come true! Odysseus has come!
He is right here inside the house! At last!
He slaughtered the suitors who were wasting his property and threatening his son!“
495
“If any other slave comes here to wake me and tell me all this nonsense,
I will send her back down at once, and I will not be gentle.
Your old age will protect you from worse scolding.”
496
“But I have clear evidence! When I was washing him,
I felt the scar made when the boar impaled him with its tusk.
I tried to tell you, but he grabbed my throat and stopped me spoiling all his plans.”
497
“Mother! Cruel, heartless Mother! Why are you doing this, rejecting Father?
Why do you not go over, site beside him, and talk to him?“
499
“‘So somebody is marrying the queen who had so many suitors! Headstrong woman!
She must have lacked the strength to wait it out and keep her husband’s house safe till he came.’
They spoke with no idea what really happened.”
501
“At that, her heart and body suddenly relaxed. She recognized the tokens he had shown her.
She burst out crying and ran straight towards him and threw her arms around him, kissed his face, and said, …“
502
“That made him want to cry. He held his love, his faithful wife, and wept.”
503
“You really are extraordinary. Why would you make me tell you something to cause you pain?“
504
“Finally, at last, with joy the husband and the wife arrived back in the rites of their old marriage bed.”
“And when the couple had enjoyed their lovemaking, they shared another pleasure—telling stories”
506
“Then at dawn the news will spread that I have killed the suitors.
Your order, wife—though you are smart enough to need no orders—are,
go with your slaves, upstairs, sit quietly, and do not talk to anyone.”
Book 24
523
“Do as you wish. But here is my advice. He has already punished all the suitors,
so let them swear an oath that he will be the king forever,
and let us make sure the murder of their brothers and their sons will be forgotten.”
524
“You are my favorite, Laertes. Pray to the bright-eyed goddess and her father, then lift and hurl your spear.”