Odyssey. New poetic translation by Arkady Kazansky. Odyssey

Are you here: Protective suits

Translator Arkady Arkadyevich Kazansky

Editor Tatyana Borisovna Kazanskaya

Editor Irina Arkadyevna Kazanskaya

ISBN 978-5-4485-8177-9

Created in the intellectual publishing system Ridero

On the 110th anniversary of my Father, who returned from the War,

On the 105th anniversary of my Mother, who waited for her Husband,

In blessed memory of the Wives who waited for their Husbands from the War

DEDICATE

Arkady Kazansky

2017

Preface

It is extremely difficult for modern Russian people not only to understand the works of the great Homer, but also to simply read them. Translations of poems by great poets XIX century, written in archaic pre-Pushkin Russian, which is not spoken or written today. It is very difficult to read a poetic text that is not subject to strict rhythm, devoid of rhyme, and not arranged in visible stanzas.

The proposed transcription of the text of Homer's Odyssey sets itself the task of conveying to the modern reader the great poem in its maximum completeness, preserving all the named characters and names, without exception, in the form in which they are presented in Homer. The order and number of poetic lines in each of the 24 songs have been preserved. Archaisms and long polysyllabic epithets are eliminated from the text as much as possible, which is why the poem acquires new dynamics and expressiveness.

The rhythmic structure of the poem is represented by a pentameter anapest (three syllables, with an emphasis on the third syllable), with a constant alternation of female and male stanza endings. The graphic structure of the poem is adopted in the image and likeness of the structure of Dante's Comedy, divided into stanzas of three lines; the first and third lines of each tercet rhyme with the second line of the previous tercet, which gives a coherent text throughout such a long work, convenient for reading.

For a clear understanding of the meaning and action of the poem, each Song is preceded summary its content in prose. At the end of the poem, information necessary for the modern reader on the nominative series of names and titles of the poem is presented, with brief explanations of each name and title:

– Alphabetical list of Uranid gods mentioned in the poem;

– Alphabetical list of Homer’s heroes and characters in the poem;

– Alphabetical list of other names and concepts of the poem.

Introduction

Despite the undoubted authorship of the great Homer, the poem “Odyssey” is strikingly different from the poem “Iliad”. If the Iliad is a majestic historical epic in which the Olympian gods appear as people of previous generations, deified in the memory of living people; The Odyssey is an unbridled flight of imagination of the author, in which, with the exception of the Olympian gods, certain realities of the world surrounding the author are hidden.

These are the immortal nymph-goddesses living somewhere on the distant islands, and the cannibalistic giants Laestrygonians, and the cannibalistic giants Cyclops, and peaceful lotophages who feed on the same lotus flower, and the friendly Phaeacians, whose ships themselves find their way in the seas. Add to this the terrible monsters - Scylla and Charybdis; sirens, bewitching travelers with their beautiful songs; countries where there is no sunlight, so you don’t know where is east and where is west; the god Aeolus, who keeps the winds locked up and controls them. And what is the dark kingdom of the dead worth - Hades, where Odysseus directs his path to the soul of the prophet Tiresias. And the scene of the beating of more than a hundred of Penelope’s suitors by father and son in the limited space of a dining room, albeit a royal hall, is unrealistic. You inevitably question every scene of the Odyssey, right up to the murder of King Agamemnon by his unfaithful wife, who sinned with his cousin. And the culmination of the Trojan War, - input Trojan Horse, full of armed warriors, into the walls of Ilion, raises a lot of questions.

It’s amazing that if we consider the storylines of the Odyssey, in isolation from Homer’s narrative, the storylines of the New Testament inevitably come to mind.

Let's take the story of three shepherds - Eumaeus, Philoitia and Melanthia, who meet and accompany Odysseus on his return to his homeland - three shepherds-magi immediately come to mind - Caspar, Belshazzar and Melchior, who meet the Virgin Mary and the infant Christ after the Nativity of Christ. In the story of Odysseus's descent into Hades, the descent into Hell of Christ after His Crucifixion before the Resurrection from the dead is recognized. Remarkable is the appearance before Odysseus in Hades of the soul of Mary, the daughter of Pretus, the grandson of Sisyphus, who gave birth to the son Locrus from Zeus, and at the same time retained her virginity, like the Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Christ and died a virgin.

The plot of the beating of Odysseus's companions by the cannibalistic giants Laestrygonians is reminiscent of the beating of infants in Bethlehem; the plot about the cannibal giant Polyphemus reminds us of Christ’s covenant to partake of His flesh and blood, which replaces bread and church wine; in addition, the covenant - you have no other god in heaven; the plot about the unfaithful wife Clytemnestra, the covenant - do not commit adultery. In this series we can also put the plot of the struggle and victory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (which is the goddess Athena) over the powers that be - the plot of the beating of Penelope’s suitors. Father and Son and Holy Spirit are the canonical Christian Trinity.

Even small details - the plot of tying Odysseus to the mast of a ship while passing the island of the Sirens, his tying to the mast of a ship during shipwrecks, resembles the plot of the crucifixion of Christ on the cross; the plot of his appearance naked in front of Nausicaä with her friends, the plot of Christ’s appearance to his wives after the Resurrection, and much more.

It is worth mentioning separately strange custom diluting wine with water before drinking it during feasts and libations to the gods. Regular grape wine is not as strong; if it is further diluted with water, the result will be a drink to quench thirst, but not cause intoxication at feasts. But if you use alcohol as a drink, you won’t be able to drink it without diluting it with water, which is clearly shown by the plot of the intoxication of the cannibal giant Cyclops with Odysseus’s undiluted wine. In addition, grape wine quickly deteriorates if not kept in a cold cellar; they can be poisoned; alcohol does not deteriorate during long-term storage, taking up little space in the army’s belongings. Here, let us remember the Gospel story of the transformation of water into wine by Jesus Christ, where Christ orders water to be added to large vessels.

Yes, we can say that in his huge poem, Homer uses almost all the plot lines of human relationships and passions, reflected in the Gospel teaching of Christ, but the coincidence of the plots about the three shepherds, the descent into Hades, and diluting wine with water can hardly be called accidental in this context . Whether the Evangelists copied from Homer, or vice versa, is a question that requires research.

Genealogy of Homer's gods mentioned in the poem

In the beginning there was a dark, immense Chaos, in which Gaia (Earth) was born. Gaia gave birth to Uranus (Sky) and married him. From this marriage were born the Titans (Iapetus, Coy, Phoebe, Oceanus, Tethys, Mnemosyne, Themis, Cronus, Rhea, Crius, Hyperion, Theia), as well as the Cyclopes, the Hundred-Handed (Hecatoncheires) and the Erinnyes.

The Titan Kron married his sister, the Titanide Rhea. From this marriage the first generation Olympian gods were born (Hera, Zeus, Demeter, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia). By the name of their ancestor Uranus, all the Olympian gods are called Uranides, along with other descendants of Uranus.

The Supreme Olympian god Zeus (Diy) Kronid married his sister, the Olympian goddess Hera. From this marriage the second generation Olympian gods were born (Hephaestus, Hebe, Ilithyia, Ares).

In addition, the second generation Olympian gods include numerous children of Zeus and the descendants of Uranus from other women, of whom there were a great many. After the second generation from Zeus, the generation of heroes begins. Many of the second and subsequent generations of heroes take part in the events of the Trojan War described by Homer.

Thus, the genealogy of Homer's gods is very short. From Chaos to the Trojan War there are only 4-5 generations of gods and heroes, which can be laid out in a time period of about 150 years. We can say that Odysseus returned home in 150 after the birth of the Earth from Chaos. It’s wonderful - when descending into Hades, Odysseus sees there the soul of the giant Tityus, the son of Gaia (Earth), as the most ancient of the titans.

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Song one

Ten years ago, the Trojan War ended with the capture of Troas, the destruction and burning of its capital, Ilion. All the surviving heroes are returning to their homes, one cunning king of Ithaca, Odysseus, who brought immortal glory to his homeland - Hellas and Argos, is still wandering around the world. Twenty years have passed since he went to the Trojan War, leaving his wife Penelope with their infant son Telemachus. Odysseus loses all his ships and all his comrades in his wanderings. He loses his last comrades after they, despite the strict prohibition of the gods, eat the cows of the solar god, Helios Hyperion. The god Poseidon is angry with Odysseus for blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, and does not allow him to return home to Ithaca. For a long time, Odysseus has been on the island of Ogygia, with the daughter of the titan Atlas, the nymph goddess Calypso, who wants to make him her husband, promising immortality and eternal youth for this.

However, the deadlines appointed by the gods for Odysseus to stay away from his homeland are expiring. The god Poseidon briefly departs at this time to the inhabitants reverse side Earth, Ethiopians, accept their sacrifices. At this time, the remaining gods gather on Olympus with the supreme god Zeus to decide the fate of Odysseus, for whom the goddess Athena asks. Zeus commemorates the fate of King Agamemnon, who was killed by his nephew Aegisthus, the son of Thyestes, brother of Atreus, in collusion with unfaithful wife Agamemnon, Clytemnestra. They commit murder despite the warning of the gods given to them by the god Hermes. Zeus also remembers the fate of Aegisthus himself and Clytemnestra, killed by Agamemnon's son Orestes, in revenge for the death of his father. For the murder of Orestes' mother, Orestes is persecuted by the evil goddess of revenge Erinny.

Odysseus suffers on the island of the nymph goddess Calypso, not knowing how to return home. The goddess Athena offers to send the god Hermes as a messenger to the nymph Calypso, with the order to send Odysseus home, to which Zeus agrees; the goddess Athena herself goes to Ithaca, to the son of Odysseus, Telemachus; let him go to Pylos to King Nestor, and to Sparta to King Menelaus, to ask about his missing father. Arriving in Ithaca, the goddess Athena finds there a good hundred suitors wooing the wife of King Odysseus, Penelope, who feast in the palace of King Odysseus, eating his supplies, despite the protests of Telemachus. The rulers of different islands gather here - Zama, Dulichia, Zakynthos, and Ithaca itself; marriage to the widow of the basileus will give them great honor, and the opportunity to become a basileus himself. Telemachus meets the goddess Athena, who appeared in the form of Mentus, the king of the Taphosians, an old friend of Laertes, the father of Odysseus, as if passing through Temesa for iron. Telemachus expresses his troubles to the goddess; Athena is indignant at Penelope’s suitors and prophesies a quick Death for them, telling Telemachus that his father is still alive. The goddess recalls her travels with Odysseus and says, “Telemachus is very similar to his father.” She invites Telemachus to convene a meeting of the Achaeans and demand that the suitors cleanse the house of Odysseus; then go to Pylos and Sparta, find out about the missing father, then the goddess flies away. Telemachus, seeing this, understands that he was talking to God.

Penelope's suitors arrive, with them the singer Femius, who sings about the events of the Trojan War. Penelope goes out to the suitors and asks Phemia to sing about something else, but Telemachus stops his mother, sending her to the women's quarters. Telemachus firmly turns to the suitors - let them leave his house and woo the mother from her father Icarius, as expected. The suitors are rude to Telemachus and ask about his guest; Telemachus waves it off and says, “Tomorrow he will call a meeting of the Achaeans to reason with the suitors.” Night falls, the guests go home, Telemachus also goes to bed, accompanied by his nanny, the old slave Eurycleia, considering the proposals of the goddess Athena about a meeting and a trip to Pylos and Sparta.

Odysseus sing of the cunning, Muse, who

The citadel of Holy Troy was destroyed, it has wandered since then,

He visited many cities, arguing about customs;

Suffered on the seas, rescue will be taken care of quickly

Sweet life, return of faithful comrades to their homeland. (5)

Still, he did not save his comrades, it’s a reproach to them, -

By sacrilege they destroyed themselves during their lifetime, -

Helios Hyperionidas ate fat cows.

For this, God deprived me of returning home with reproach.

Oh, goddess, daughter Diya, say a few words about that, - (10)

The rest at that time, having escaped certain death,

There were houses, wars were avoided, and seas of shackles.

Only him, whose heart ached for his wife and homeland,

Queen Calypso, goddess and nymph, holding

In the bright grotto, she wished that she would become a faithful husband. (15)

The years passed, and the fatal year has already arrived,

Calling when the gods intended to return.

He, however, even there, on Ithaca, could not avoid

Evil works, although it was between friends. They sympathize, they swear,

Gods much to him. Continuously one Poseidon (20)

Odysseus was driven so that he would not touch his own land.

The shaker of the earth has gone to the land of the Ethiopians,

Ethiopians who inhabit the land on the other side -

Where did Hyperion set, and where did he go to sunrise?

Accepting from them the sacrifices of many bulls and rams, (25)

God enjoyed himself while sitting at the feast. Other all

There were rulers in the house of Zeus, in the vast Olympus.

Here the parent of husbands and gods addressed everyone, -

In his heart, in his memory, Vladyka Aegisthus was, of course,

That Orestes was killed, Agamemnon’s son, meanwhile. (thirty)

The god Zeus addressed the immortals, remembering verbatim:

“It’s strange, people willingly blame only the gods for everything, they blame us!

Evil comes from us, they say, but, by the way,

Death, despite Fate, everyone wants to bring upon themselves?

So Aegisthus, - is it not in spite of Fate that he is the husband of Atrid, (35)

Having killed him when returning to his homeland, did he take him as his wife?

He knew the terrible death, - the gods set sights for him, -

They sent Hermes the Argo-Slayer - he didn’t dare to think,

Neither kill him nor take his wife as a wife. It is seen,

For Atrid, revenge will come from Orestes - only after growing up, (40)

He wishes to take possession of his homeland.

Hermes failed, wishing for the good of Aegisthus, like a lion,

Convince his heart. For which he paid with his soul.”

Grey-eyed, the goddess Athena said then:

“Ah, our father Kronid, the highest of all rulers! (45)

You spoke the truth - death is deserved as never before.

Let everyone who does such a thing perish!

My heart always hurts for King Odysseus, -

He, the unfortunate one, is in trouble, and far from his loved ones, embraced

An island by the sea, in a place where the navel is overgrown with earth, (50)

All overgrown with forests; the goddess lives on it,

The daughter of the titan Atlas, who beyond the abyss is beyond strength,

He himself keeps the pillars of Hercules; the vault of heaven rises

Full of stars,” he perched himself on his powerful shoulders.

Taken by sorrow, the daughter of the titan warms the unfortunate one, (55)

With soft, insinuating speech, seducing him all the time,

So that Odysseus forgets about Ithaca. But, passionately cherishes

To even see with the eye the smoke rising from the native land, -

Thinks about Death alone. Will it really not move?

Odysseus, do you have heartstrings, Olympian? Far away, (60)

He brought holy sacrifices to you in the Argive courts,

Being in Troy yourself? So why are you indignant, Zeus?

Zeus, who gathers large clouds, answers her:

“Your word hurts, flying out of the fence of teeth!

How could I forget about the divine Odysseus, (65)

Outstanding in thought among mortals, with all the will

Bringing sacrifices to us, the immortal rulers of heaven?

Poseidon the landowner to him, having no measures

Anger is fueled by the fact that the Cyclops Polyphemus is incomparable

He is deprived of an eye, an atheist whose strength is an example to the Cyclops (70)

She was great; he was born from the nymph Foosa,

Daughters of Forkin, guardian of the sleepless sea, at the skerries

With Poseidon the ruler asleep in a cave. And, strictly,

Odyssey since the shaker of the seas Poseidon

Well, let's think about who is gathered around here now -

How can he return home? Poseidon will throw away

Anger - he won’t be able to argue with all the immortals,

Willfulness will be abandoned against the will of the immortal gods.”

Grey-eyed, the goddess Athena said then: (80)

“Oh, Kronid our father, you surpass all rulers!

May the blessed gods wish that he returns there

Cunning Odysseus, let's tell Hermes to his homeland

To the Executor, the Argo-Killer, the decision - yes, -

To a nymph in braids woven, to the island of Ogygia as a demon (85)

Rush, convey our adamant words to her, -

So that Odysseus, honest in troubles, will be returned to his homeland.

I will go to the Ithacans so that his son there first

Instill more will, and put God’s courage in the heart, -

Calling all the hairy Achaeans to a meeting, (90)

To drive out the suitors, who kill endlessly in the house

From a flock of sheep, slow-moving horned bulls.

And then I’ll send sandy Pylos and Sparta, probably

To find out about the dear father coming from Dreams,

So that a good reputation about him would be established among people there.” (95)

And she tied the shine of beautiful soles to her feet,

Ambrosial, everywhere with its glorious breaths

Those who bore above the boundless earth, even above the water.

Taking in his hands a battle spear, completed with steel, -

Very strong; they beat people under them, (100)

Those who incurred the wrath of the goddess, daughter of the Almighty Father.

The goddess flew from the top of Olympus like a thunderstorm, -

Standing in Ithaca at the house of King Odysseus, like a cloud,

At the threshold of the gate, and with his sharp spear in his hand,

Having taken a stranger, the Taphosians took the form of the ruler Menta, (105)

I found proud grooms. They are light

They delighted their souls by playing dice with zeal,

Sitting on the skins of bulls they had eaten at a picnic.

The cupbearers, together with the servants of the house, tried, -

Those - wine, pouring into craters, mixing with water, (110)

Those, having washed the tables with a spongy sponge, moved

In the middle, and they put a lot of meat on them in a mountain.

Telemachus, the godlike goddess, noticed the goddess better than everyone else.

Saddened at heart, he sat silently with their crowd, -

It seemed to him how a mighty parent appeared, (115)

He would have sent all the suitors home, captured

The master took possession, and took his power again more abruptly.

Sitting with the suitors, he saw Athena and jumped up

And he headed towards the door, ashamed in his soul that he was innocent

The wanderer is forced to stand at the entrance; approaching, grabbed (120)

He took the stranger's right hand and took his spear, -

And affably, with a winged speech, he said to him:

“Stranger, come in!” We'll treat you the old fashioned way

Filling food, then you can tell us what you’ve come to,”

So he said and left. And behind him is Pallas Athena. (125)

How they entered that tall house, according to the rank

He carried the guest's peak to a high column and pushed it

Into a smooth urn with spears, where there is still a lot worth

Odyssey of other copies, powerful in spirit in grievances.

And he led her to a beautiful throne; (130)

He sat him down, covered him with a cloth, and pulled a bench under his feet.

Nearby he sat on a carved chair, out of resentment

Suitors, so that the guest does not sit there with the arrogant ones,

He had no aversion to food, aggravated by the game;

Ask him secretly about his father, with interest. (135)

There is a beautiful golden jug with wash water,

A silver basin was placed in front of them by a maid

To wash; then I set up a small table,

The venerable housekeeper put down some bread, trying to

Adding various foodstuffs, supplies, willingly giving away. (140)

Kravchiy placed them on platters in front of them, raising them high,

Various meats, golden cups served near them;

The cupbearer walked around every now and then, adding wine.

The grooms entered the hall proudly; in rows,

They sat down in order on armchairs and chairs; and from the edge (145)

The maids approached them; and they sat down, having washed their hands.

The servants filled the baskets to the brim with bread,

The cupbearers poured the drink into the craters; pouring,

They immediately reached for the food to be ready.

How the desire for drink and food was quenched by tasting (150)

Suddenly all the hearts of the suitors were lit with desire - they were rested,

They crave dancing and music, the delights of wonderful feasts.

And the messenger gave the beautiful cithara into the hands of Femia, -

He had to involuntarily sing for the grooms.

The singer raised his lyre and began a beautiful song. (155)

Then Telemachus said again to grey-eyed Athena,

Bowing his head so that no one would hear them:

“Won’t you be angry, my dear guest, at what I say?

There’s only one thing on these people’s minds: cithara and songs.

They squander other people's wealth here, I tremble - (160)

Husband; his white bones rotted somewhere; rain

They are soaked in the dust, a wave is rocking them in the sea, it’s just creepy.

If only they could see that he was on his way to Ithaca,

We wish we had better legs,

How to accumulate clothes and gold here little by little. (165)

Evil Fate, however, destroyed him, and he has no strength to endure

Consolation, although some people claim -

He will arrive! But the day of his return was hidden by Death!

Now tell me, without hiding anything from me, -

Who are you? What kind? What other city did you live in? (170)

On what ship did you come to us, flying across the sea,

Did the shipbuilders take you to Ithaca for a visit? Tell,

I suppose you didn’t get here on foot, did you?

So tell me this frankly, I don’t need lies, -

This is your first time coming here, or has it happened before, (175)

Should you be your father's guest? We've had a lot of them

In the previous years of guests, the parent talked a lot with people.”

Grey-eyed, the goddess Athena said immediately:

“I will answer your questions with complete frankness,”

Name, - Cop; my father, Anchial is very clever, just (180)

I have always boasted about him; and I myself am the ruler of the Taphosians,

The loving oars, here with his own came in the ship;

I'm sailing across the sea of wine to foreigners for steel,

I’m going to the distant city of Temesu, and I’m going with iron. In the darkness

He founded his own ship, Neriton of the forest, where the steep slopes, (185)

Page 1 of 8

SONG ONE

Muse, tell me about that experienced husband who,
Wandering for a long time since the day when Saint Ilion was destroyed by him,
I visited many people of the city and saw their customs,
I grieved a lot in my heart on the seas, worrying about salvation
Your life and the return of your companions to their homeland; futile
There were, however, concerns; he did not save his companions: they themselves
They brought death upon themselves by sacrilege, madmen,
Having eaten the bulls of Helios, the god walking above us, -
He stole the day of return from them. Tell me about it
Something for us, O daughter of Zeus, benevolent Muse.
All the others who escaped certain death were
At home, having escaped both battle and sea; him only, separation
With a dear wife and the homeland of the destroyed one, in a deep grotto
Light nymph Calypso, goddess of goddesses, free
She held him by force, in vain wanting him to be her husband.
But when, finally, the reversal of times brought
The year in which the gods appointed him to return
To his home, to Ithaca (but where and in the arms of true friends he
Everything cannot be avoided from anxiety), the gods were filled with pity
All; Poseidon alone persisted in persecuting Odysseus,
God-like man until he reached his homeland.
But at that time he was in the distant country of the Ethiopians
(Extreme people settled in two ways: alone, where descends
God the luminous, others, where he rises), so that there from the people
Lush fat bulls and rams take the hecatomb.
There he, sitting at a feast, had fun; other gods
Then at times they were gathered in the palaces of Zeus.
The father begins a conversation with them, people and immortals;
In his thoughts was Aegisthus the immaculate (aka Atridov
The son, the famous Orestes, was killed); and thinking about him,
Zeus the Olympian addresses the assembly of gods:
“It’s strange how mortal people blame us gods for everything!
Evil is from us, they say; but don't you often
Death, despite fate, is brought upon oneself by madness?
So is Aegisthus: is it not against fate that he is the husband of Atrid?
Took him, killing him himself when returning to his homeland?
He knew certain death; from us was sharp-eyed to him
Ermius, the destroyer of Argus, was sent down to kill
He did not dare to encroach on his husband and refrained from marrying his wife.
"Revenge for Atrid will be accomplished by the hand of Orestes when he
He wants to enter his house, having matured, as an heir,” so it was
Ermiy said - in vain! did not touch Aegisthus' heart
God is gracious with advice, and he paid for everything at once.”
She said to Zeus: “Our father, Kronion, the supreme ruler,
Your truth, he deserved to perish, and so let him perish
Every such villain! But now it's breaking my heart
Odysseus is cunning due to his difficult fate; long ago he
Suffering, separated from his family, on an island embraced by waves
The navel of the wide, wooded sea, where the nymph reigns,
Daughter of the scheming Atlas, who knows the seas
All the depths and which one props up the bulk
Long, huge pillars pushing apart heaven and earth.
By the power of Atlas, the daughter of Odysseus, who shed tears,
Holds, with the magic of insidiously affectionate words about Ithaca
Hoping to destroy the memory in him. But wishing in vain
To even see the smoke rising from the native shores in the distance,
He prays for one death. Will compassion really not come in?
In your heart, Olympian? Aren't you satisfied with gifts?
He honored in the Trojan land, among the Achaean ships there
Making sacrifices for you? Why are you angry, Kronion?
"Objecting to her, the cloud gatherer Kronion answered:
“It’s strange, my daughter, the word has left your mouth.
I forgot Odysseus, an immortal man like him,
So distinguished among the crowd of people both by his intelligence and zeal
Sacrifice to the gods, the boundless sky to the rulers?
No! Poseidon, the destroyer of the earth, is stubbornly at enmity with him,
Everyone is indignant because the Cyclops Polyphemus is godlike
Blinded by him: the strongest of the Cyclopes, by the nymph Thoosa,
Daughter of Fork, lord of the desert-salty sea,
He was born from her union with Poseidon in deep
Grote. Although the earth shaker Poseidon Odysseus
He does not have the power to put him to death, but, driving him everywhere across the sea,
He takes everything away from Ithaca. Let's think together
How to return his homeland to him? Poseidon refuse
Due to anger: alone with all the immortals in a dispute,
Despite the eternal gods, he will be evil without success."
Here is the bright-eyed daughter of Zeus Pallas Athena
She said to Zeus: “Our father, Kronion, is the supreme ruler!
If it pleases the blessed gods to see the fatherland
Could Odysseus the cunning, then Ermius the murderer of Argus,
Doer of the will of the gods, let him be on the island of Ogigi
A beautiful curly haired one was sent down from us to the nymph to tell her
Our verdict is unchanged, that the time has come to return
To his land, Odyssey, who is always in trouble. I'm
I'll go straight to Ithaca to excite Odysseus's son
Fill his heart with anger and courage so that he can convene
He goes to the council of the thick-haired Achaeans and to the house of the Odysseans
He forbade entry to the suitors who were mercilessly destroying him.
Small cattle and bulls, curved and slow-moving.
Then he will visit Sparta and sandy Pylos to see
Are there any rumors about dear father and his return,
Also, so that a good reputation will be established among people about him.”
Having finished, she tied the golden soles to her feet,
Ambrosial, everywhere above water and above solid
The bosom of the boundless earth carried by the light wind;
Then she took a battle spear, reinforced with copper,
Hard, heavy and huge, it fights with it in anger
She is the strength of heroes, the birth of the thunderous god.
The goddess stormily stepped from the top of Olympus to Ithaca.
There in the yard, at the threshold of the doors of Odysseus’s house,
She stood with a copper-edged spear, clothed in the image
Guest, Taphian ruler, Mentes; gathered together
The goddess saw all the suitors, the rowdy husbands, there;
Playing dice, they sat in front of the entrance on skins
The bulls they killed; and the heralds, establishing the table,
They ran with the nimble slaves: they poured
Water and wine into the feast craters; and those spongy
Having washed the tables with a sponge, they were moved and various meats
Having cut a lot, they carried it around. Goddess Athena
God-equal Telemachus saw before others. Regrettable
With his heart, in the circle of suitors, he sat, thinking about one thing:
Where is the noble father and how, returning to his homeland,
He disperses predators throughout his home,
He will accept power and will again be his master.
While sitting with the suitors in such thoughts, he saw Athena;
He immediately stood up and hurriedly walked to the entrance, indignant.
In the heart that the wanderer was forced to wait outside the threshold; getting closer
He took the stranger by the right hand, took his spear,
Then he raised his voice and threw winged word:
“Rejoice, stranger; come to us; we will welcome you;
You will declare your need to us, having had your fill of our food.”
Having finished, he went ahead, followed by Athena Pallas.
Entering the feast chamber with her, to the high column
He came straight up with a spear and hid it there in the post
Smoothly hewn, where they were locked in the old days
The spears of King Odysseus, in constant troubles, were.
Having brought Athena to the rich armchairs, skillfully made,
He invited her to sit in them, covering them in front with a patterned
Fabric; there was a bench there for the feet; then he put
A carved chair for yourself, away from others, so that the guest
The noise of the wildly merry crowd did not spoil the dinner,
Also, to secretly ask him about his distant father.
Here I brought it to the tub silver hand wash with it
A golden washstand full of cold water, slave,
Gladky then moved the table; put it on him
Bread homely housekeeper with various edibles, from stock
Given by her willingly; on dishes, raising them high,
The villager brought various meats and, offering it to them,
He placed golden cups on the brass table in front of them;
The herald began to see that they were filled with wine more often
Cups. The suitors, rowdy men, came in and sat down
In order on chairs and armchairs; the heralds brought water
Wash your hands with it; the slave girls brought them bread in baskets;
The youths filled their cups with the light drink to the brim.
They raised their hands to the prepared food; when
Their hunger was satisfied with their tasty food, they entered
In the heart there is a different desire for sweet singing and dancing:
They are decoration for the feast; and the ringing zither herald
Femia filed, to the singer, in front of them at all times
Sing to the forced; striking the strings, he sang beautifully.
Here Telemachus cautiously said to bright-eyed Athena,
Bowing his head to her so that others would not hear him:
“My dear guest, do not be angry with me for my frankness;
People are having fun here; All they have on their minds is music and singing;
It's easy: they devour someone else's wealth without payment
A husband whose white bones, perhaps, or the rain
Somewhere it gets wet on the shore, or the waves roll along the seashore.
If he had suddenly appeared before them in Ithaca, then everything would have
Instead of hoarding both clothes and gold, they began
All they can do is pray that their legs will be faster.
But he died, befallen by an angry fate, and the joy
No to us, although sometimes they come from earth-born people
The news that he will return means there will be no return for him.
Who are you? What tribe are you? Where do you live? Who is your father?
Who is your mother? On which ship and on which road?
Arrived in Ithaca and who are your shipmen? To our land
(I know this myself, of course) you didn’t come on foot.
Also tell me frankly, so that I can know the whole truth:
Is this your first time visiting Ithaca, or are you already experienced here?
Guest of the Odysseans? In those days, many foreigners gathered
In our house: my parent loved being with people."
"I'll tell you everything frankly; I am the king of Anchial
The son of the wise, called Mentes, rules the people
The paddle-loving Taphians; and now my ship is to Ithaca
Along with my people I brought, traveling dark
By sea to peoples of another language; I want to go to Temes
Get copper by exchanging shiny iron for it;
I placed my ship under the wooded slope of Neyon
On a field, in the Retre pier, far from the city. Our
Ancestors have long been considered guests of each other; This,
Perhaps you yourself often hear when you visit
The grandfather of the hero Laertes... and they say he no longer walks
More in the city, but lives far away in the field, dejected
Grief, with the old servant, who, the old man's peace,
Reinforces him with food when he gets tired, dragging himself
Across the field back and forth in the midst of his grapes.
I am with you because they told me that your father
At home... but it’s clear that the gods stopped him on the way:
For the noble Odysseus has not yet died on earth;
Somewhere, surrounded by the abyss of the sea, on the waves
He is locked up on the island alive, or perhaps he is suffering in captivity
Wild predators who forcibly took possession of him. But listen
What I will predict to you, that the almighty gods will tell me
They put it in my heart, something that will inevitably come true, like I myself
I believe, although I am not a prophet and am not skilled at guessing from birds.
He will not be separated from his dear homeland for long, at least

He was bound with iron ties; but to return home
He will find the right remedy: he is cunning when it comes to inventions.
Now tell me, without hiding anything from me:
Do I really see the son of Odysseus in you? You're wonderful
Similar in head and beautiful eyes to him; still me
I remember him; in the old days we saw each other often;
It happened before sailing to Troy, where from the Achaeans
The best rushed with him in their steep-sided ships.
From that time on, neither he nor I met him anywhere."
“My good guest,” answered the prudent son of Odysseus, “
I’ll tell you everything frankly so that you can know the whole truth.
My mother assures me that I am his son, but I myself don’t know:
It is probably impossible for us to know who our father is.
It would be better, however, if I were not so ill-fated
The husband was the father; in his possessions he remained until old age or later
He lived. But if you ask, then he is one of the living
The most unlucky one now, my father, as people think."
The bright-eyed daughter of Zeus, Athena, answered him:
“Apparently, it is the wish of the immortals that he be not without glory in the future
Your house, when Penelope was given someone like you
Son. Now tell me, without hiding anything from me,
What's going on here? What meeting? Do you give
Is it a holiday or are you celebrating a wedding? Not a warehouse feast here, of course.
It only seems that your guests are unbridled in your
They are rioting at home: everyone decent in company with them
To be ashamed, seeing their shameful behavior."
“My good guest,” answered the prudent son of Odysseus, “
If you want to know, then I’ll tell you everything frankly.
Our house was once full of wealth; he was respected
By everyone while that husband was constantly here.
Now the hostile gods decided differently, covering
His fate is unapproachable darkness for the whole world;
I would be less sad about him if he died:
If only he had died in Trojan land among his comrades.
Or in the arms of friends, having endured the war, he died here,
The grave hill would have been built over him by the Achaean people,
He would leave his son great glory for all time...
Now the Harpies took him, and he disappeared without a trace,
Forgotten by the light, graveless, only contrition and screams
Leaving my son as an inheritance. But I'm not talking about him alone
I'm crying; The gods sent me another great grief:
Everyone on our different islands is famous and powerful.
The first people of Dulikhia, Zama, forest Zakynthos,
The First People of Ithaca Rocky Mother Penelope
They persistently force us into marriage and our property is robbed;
The mother does not want to enter into a hateful marriage, nor from marriage
There is no means to escape; and they devour mercilessly
Our goods and myself will finally be destroyed."
The goddess Athena answered him with great anger:
"Woe! I see how distant your father is to you now
Needed to deal with shameless suitors with a strong hand.
Oh, if only he would enter those doors, returning suddenly,
In a helmet, covered with a shield, in his hand two copper-edged spears!..
That's how I first saw him when he
In our house we had fun with wine, having visited Ether
Eli, Mermer's son (and that side of the distant
King Odysseus reached on his fast ship;
He was looking for poison that was deadly to people in order to give it to drink.
Their arrows, sharpened with copper; but Il refused
Give him poison, fearing to irritate the all-seeing gods;
My father endowed him with it out of great friendship with him).
If Odysseus suddenly appeared to the suitors in such a form,
Marriage would have become bitter for them, having suffered an inevitable fate.
But - we, of course, do not know - in the bosom of the immortals
Hidden: was it appointed from above for him to return and destroy them?
In this home, or not. We will now think together,
How can you cleanse your house from robbers?
Listen to what I say, and note to yourself what you hear:
Tomorrow, having called the noble Achaeans to a council, before them
Declare everything, calling the immortals as witnesses of the truth;
Afterwards, demand that all the suitors go home;
Mother, if marriage is not disgusting to her heart,
You suggest that she return to her powerful father’s house,
He will bestow upon her a dear daughter, as befits her rank.
I also strongly advise, if you accept my advice:
A strong ship equipped with twenty oarsmen, set sail
Himself for his distant father, to see what

When you first visit Pylos, you will find out that the divine Nestor
He will say; then Menelaus find the golden-haired one in Sparta:
He was the last of all the copperplate Achaeans to arrive home.
If you hear that your parent is alive and that he will return,
Wait for him for a year, patiently enduring oppression; when

In honor of him, there is a grave mound here and the usual magnificent
Make a funeral feast for him; Induce Penelope to marry.
Afterwards, when you have arranged everything in the proper order,
Having firmly decided, think out a means with a prudent mind,
How would you like the suitors who forcibly seized your house,
To destroy in it either by deception or by obvious force; for you
You can’t be a child anymore, you’re out of childhood;
Do you know what a divine youth Orestes is before the whole
He was adorned with honor by taking revenge on Aegisthus, who
Was his illustrious parent murdered maliciously?
You must be strong so that your name and descendants will be praised.
However, it’s time for me to return to my fast ship
To my companions, who, of course, are waiting for me with impatience and boredom.
Take care of yourself by respecting what I said."
“My dear guest,” answered the sensible son of Odysseus, “
Wanting my benefit, you speak to me as to your son
Good father; I won’t forget what you advised.
But wait, even though you are in a hurry to get on your way; It's cool here
Having refreshed your limbs and soul with a bath, you will return
You are on the ship, to the delight of the heart a rich gift
Taking it from me so that I could keep it as a keepsake, as is customary.
There is a way between people, so that when they say goodbye, guests give each other gifts.”
The bright-eyed daughter of Zeus, Athena, answered him:
“No! Don’t hold me back, I’m in a huge hurry to get on the road;
Your gift, promised to me so cordially by you,
When I return to you, I will accept you and take you home gratefully,
Receiving something dear as a gift and giving it away as a gift."
With these words, the bright-eyed daughter of Zeus disappeared,
Suddenly flying away like a fast, invisible bird. Settled
Firmness and courage are in Telemachus's heart, more alive
Making him remember his father; but he penetrated the soul
The secret and felt fear, guessing that he was talking with God.
Then he, the divine man, approached the suitors; In front of them
Sang famous singer, and sat with deep attention
They are silent; about the sad return of the Achaeans from Troy,
Once established by the goddess Athena, he sang.
In my upper chamber I heard inspired singing,
Penelope hurried down the high steps,
Elder Icarius's daughter is very clever: they went down with her
Two of her maids; and she, the deity between wives,
Entering that chamber where her suitors were feasting,
Near the pillar that held the high ceiling there, she stood,
Having covered their cheeks with a shiny head veil;
The maids stood respectfully to the right and left; queen
With tears she then turned to the inspired singer:
"Phemius, you know so many others who delight the soul
Songs composed by singers in praise of gods and heroes;
Sing one of them, sitting before the congregation; and in silence
Guests will listen to her over wine; but stop what you started
A sad song; my heart skips a beat when I
I hear her: I have suffered the most severe grief of all;
Having lost such a husband, I grieve for the deceased all the time,
So filled with his glory both Hellas and Argos."
“Dear mother,” objected the reasonable son of Odysseus, “
How do you want to ban the singer from our pleasure?
Then chant what awakens in his heart? Guilty
It is not the singer who is to blame, but Zeus, who sends from above, is to blame.
People of high spirit are inspired by their own will.
No, do not interfere with the singer about the sad return of the Danae
Sing - with great praise people listen to that song,
Every time she delights her soul as if she were new;
You yourself will find in it not sadness, but joy of sadness:
There was more than one condemned from the gods to lose the day of return
King Odysseus and many other famous people died.
But succeed: take care of the housekeeping as you should,
Yarn, weaving; see that the slaves are diligent in their work
Were one of our own: it’s not a woman’s job to talk, but a matter of
My husband, and now mine: I am the only ruler of myself.”
So he said; Amazed, Penelope went back;
Taking the words of his wise son to heart and at peace
Shutting yourself up in the circle of close maids
She wept bitterly for her Odysseus, until
The goddess Athena did not bring her sweet dreams.
Sometimes the suitors made noise in the darkened room,
Arguing about which of them will share the bed with Penelope.
Turning to them, the prudent son of Odysseus said:
"You suitors of Penelope, arrogant with wild pride,
Let us now calmly have fun: interrupt your noisy
Dispute; It is more fitting for us to attract attention to the singer, who,
Our hearing, captivating, is like the gods with high inspiration.
Tomorrow morning I invite you all to gather in the square.
There I will publicly tell you to your face, so that you clean everything up

All; but I will call upon you the gods; and Zeus will not hesitate

He fell silent. The suitors, biting their lips in annoyance,
Those struck by his bold words were amazed at him.
But Antinous, the son of the Eupeites, answered him, objecting:
"The gods themselves, of course, taught you, Telemachus
To be so arrogant and impudent in words, and it’s a disaster for us when you
In undulating Ithaca, by the will of Kronion, you will
Our king, having already had the right to do so by birth!”
"Friend Antinous, do not be angry with me for my frankness:
If Zeus gave me dominion, I would willingly accept it.
Or do you think that the royal lot is the worst in the world?
No, of course, being a king is not bad; wealth in the king's
The house soon accumulates, and it itself is in the honor of the people.
But among the Achaeans of undulating Ithaca there is
There are many worthy of power, both old and young; between them
You will choose when King Odysseus has passed away.
In my house I am the only ruler; it suits me here
Power over the slaves, won for us by Odysseus in battle."
Then Eurymachus, the son of Polybius, answered Telemachus:
“We don’t know about Telemachus - something is hidden in the womb of the immortals,”
Who is appointed over the Achaeans of undulating Ithaca
Reign; in your house you are, of course, the only ruler;
No, it won’t be found as long as Ithaca is inhabited,
There is no one here who would dare to encroach on your property.
But I would like to know, my dear, about the current guest.
What is his name? What kind of fatherland does he glorify?
Earth? What kind and tribe is he? Where he was born?
Did he come to you with news of your father’s desired return?
Or did he visit us, stopping in Ithaca for his own needs?
Suddenly he disappeared from here, without waiting for anyone to be with him at least a little
We reviewed; He was not a simple man, of course."
“Friend Eurymachus,” answered the prudent son of Odysseus, “
The day of meeting with my father is lost to me forever; I won't
Believe no more rumors about his imminent return,
Below the vain prophecies about him, to which, calling
The mother comes running to her fortune-telling house. And our current guest
Was Odysseus's guest; he comes from Tafos, Mentes,
The son of Anchial, the king of many minds, rules the people
The paddle-loving Taphians." But, so to speak, I was convinced
In his heart Telemachus saw the immortal goddess.
The same ones, again turning to dancing and sweet singing,
They began to make noise again in anticipation of the night; when
The black night has come in the midst of their cheerful noise,
Everyone went home to indulge in carefree peace.
Soon Telemachus himself will be in his high palace (on the beautiful
The courtyard faced him with an expansive view in front of the windows),
Having seen everyone off, he went off, thinking to himself about many things.
Carrying a lit torch in front of him with careful zeal
Eurykleia, the reasonable daughter of Pevsenoridas Ops, walked;
She was bought by Laertes in the blooming years - he paid
Twenty bulls, and her with her well-behaved wife
In my house I respected him equally, and did not allow myself
The bed should touch her, fearing female jealousy.
Carrying a torch, Eurykleia led Telemachus - behind him
Since childhood she went and pleased him more diligently
Other slaves. She opened the door to the rich bedroom
Doors; he sat down on the bed and, taking off his thin shirt,
He threw it into the hands of a caring old woman; carefully
Folding the shirt into folds and cornering it onto Eurycleus’s nail
She hung it next to the skillfully chiselled bed; quiet
She left the bedroom; She closed the door with a silver handle;
She tightened the bolt tightly with a belt; then she left.
He lay on his bed all night, covered with soft sheepskin,
In his heart he pondered the path established by the goddess Athena.

SONG TWO

Then the beloved son of Odysseus also left the bed;
Having put on his dress, he hung his sophisticated sword on his shoulder;
Afterwards, the beautiful soles were tied to the light legs,
He left the bedroom with a face like a radiant god.
Having summoned the loud-voiced heralds of the king, he commanded
Give them a cry to gather the thick-haired Achaeans into the square;
They clicked; others gathered in the square; when
They all gathered and the meeting became complete,
With a copper spear in his hand, he appeared before the crowd of people -
He was not alone, two dashing dogs came running after him.
Athena illuminated his image with indescribable beauty,
So people marveled when they saw him coming.
The elders dispersed before him, and he sat down in his father’s place.
The first word was then spoken by noble Egypt,
An old man, bent over the years and having experienced a lot in life;
His son Antiphon the spear-thrower with King Odysseus
To horse-rich Troy long ago in a steep-sided ship
Floated; he was killed by the fierce Polyphemus in the deep
Grote, the last one, kidnapped by him for evening food.
Three remained for the elder: one, Evrin, with the suitors
Rampaged; two helped their father cultivate the field;
But he could not forget about the deceased; he kept crying about him,
Everything was lamented; and so, contrite, he said to the people:
“I invite you, people of Ithaca, to listen to my word;
We haven't met for a council once since we left here.
King Odysseus departed in his fast ships.
Who has gathered us now? Who needs it suddenly?
Is the youth blossoming? Is it a husband who has matured for years?
Have you heard the news about the enemy force coming towards us?
Does he want to warn us by scouting everything out in detail in advance?
Or what folk benefits does he intend to offer us?
He must be an honest citizen; glory to him! Yes it will help
Zeus wished his good thoughts to come true."
Finished. The son of Odysseus was delighted with his words;
He immediately decided to stand up and address the meeting;
He spoke before the people, and he, going to them,
The scepter was placed by Pevsenor, the herald, the wise advisor.
First turning to the elder, he said to him: “Noble
Elder, he is close (and soon you will recognize him), who are you here?
Collected - it’s me, and I have great sadness now.
I have not heard of the enemy force coming towards us;
I don’t want to warn you, having scouted everything out in detail in advance,
Also, I now do not intend to offer information about the benefits of people.
Now I’m talking about my own misfortune that has befallen my house.
I have two misfortunes; one: I have lost a noble father,
Who was king over you and always loved you like children;
More evil is another misfortune, from which our whole house
Soon it will perish and everything that is in it will be completely destroyed,
The one who pursues the mother of the relentless suitors, our
The noblest citizens gathered here are the sons; they are disgusted
Contact the Ikarii House directly for their proposal.
The old man and his daughter, endowed with a generous dowry, listened
He gave it of his own free will to the one who was more pleasant to his heart.
No; It’s more convenient for them, breaking into our house every day in a crowd,
Slaughter our bulls, and rams, and fattened goats,
Eat until you drop and our light wine mercilessly
Spend. Our house is going bankrupt, because there is no such thing in it anymore.
A husband like Odysseus, to save him from the curse.
We ourselves are helpless now, evenly after
We will be worthy of pity, without any protection at all.
If there were strength, then I myself would find control;
But the grievances become unbearable; house of the Odysseans
They rob shamelessly. Is your conscience not bothering you? At least
Be ashamed of the people and nations around you as much as strangers,
Fear our neighboring gods of vengeance, so that with anger
They did not comprehend you, being indignant at your untruth.
I appeal to the Olympian Zeus, I appeal to Themis,
To the strict goddess, who establishes the advice of husbands! Is our
Recognize the right, friends, to lament me alone
Leave me heartbroken. Or perhaps my noble parent
How did I intentionally insult the copper-shod Achaeans here;
Maybe you are deliberately taking revenge on me for insulting me,
Rob our house by exciting others? But we wish it were better
We, so that our livestock and our lying reserve you yourself
They took it by force; Then there would be hope for us:
Until then we would have wandered the streets, begging you
Give what is ours to us, until everything is given to us;
Now you are tormenting my heart with hopeless grief."
So he spoke in anger and threw his scepter to the ground;
Tears flowed from the eyes: compassion penetrated the people;
Everyone sat motionless and silent; no one dared
To answer the son of King Odysseus with a bold word.
But Antinous rose and exclaimed, objecting to him:
“What did you say, Telemachus, unbridled, proud?
Having insulted us, are you planning to place the blame on us?
No, you don’t blame us, the suitors, before the Achaean people
I must now, and my cunning mother, Penelope.
Three years have passed, the fourth has already arrived
Since she plays with us, she gives us hope
He promises himself to everyone, and to each one separately, and to lead
He sends good things to us, plotting evil in his heart for us.
Know what treacherous trick she came up with:
Having set up her great camp in her chambers, she began there
Thin-wide fabric and, having gathered us all, she told us:
"Young men, now my suitors, - since in the world
No Odysseus, let's put off our marriage until the time comes.
My work is finished, so that the fabric I started does not go to waste;
I want to prepare the grave cover for Elder Laertes
Before he falls into the hands of forever soporific death
Given over to the parks so that the Achaean wives would not dare
I should reproach that such a rich man was buried without a cover.”
That's what she told us, and we obeyed her with a man's heart.
What? She spent the whole day weaving, and at night,
Having lit the torch, she herself unraveled everything woven during the day.
The deception lasted for three years, and she knew how to convince us;
But when the reversal of times brought the fourth -
One of the servants, who knew the secret, revealed it to all of us;
It was then that we found her unraveling the fabric;
So she was reluctantly forced to finish her work.
Listen to us; We answer you so that you can know everything
Himself and so that the Achaeans know everything evenly with you:
The mother left, commanding her immediately, agreeing to the marriage,
Choose between us the one who pleases her father and herself.
If he continues to play with the sons of the Achaeans...
Athena generously endowed her with reason; Not only
She is skilled in various handicrafts, but also many
Knows tricks unheard of in ancient days and Achaean
Beautifully curly-haired wives unknown; whatever Alkmene
Ancient, neither Tyro, nor the magnificently crowned princess Mycenae
It didn’t enter into the mind, then now Penelope’s evasive mind
He invented it to our detriment; but her inventions are in vain;
Know that we will not stop destroying your house until
She will be persistent in her thoughts, by the gods
In the heart of those invested; of course, to her own great glory
It will turn around, but you will mourn the destruction of wealth;
We, I say, will not leave you either home or anywhere else.
A place until Penelope chooses a husband between us."
“O Antinous,” answered the prudent son of Odysseus, “
I don’t dare even think about ordering him to leave.
The one who gave birth to me and nurtured me; my father is far away;
Whether he is alive or dead, I don’t know; but it will be difficult with Ikarium
Should I pay when Penelope is forced out of here?
If I send you away, then I will be subject to my father’s wrath and persecution.
Demon: the terrible Erinyes, leaving his home, will call
Mother is on me, and I will be covered with eternal shame before people.
No, I will never dare to say such a word to her.
You, when your conscience bothers you even a little, leave
My home; establish other feasts, yours, not ours
Spending on them and watching their turn in their treats.
If you find that it is both more pleasant and easier for you
To ruin one thing for everyone arbitrarily, without payment - gobble it up
All; but I will call the gods on you, and Zeus will not hesitate
You will be struck down for untruth: then inevitably all of you,
Also without payment, you will die in a house plundered by you."
So spoke Telemachus. And suddenly Zeus the thunderer
From above he sent down two eagles from the rocky mountain;
Both at first, as if carried by the wind, flew
They are nearby, their huge wings spread wide;
But, having flown into the middle of a meeting full of noise,
They began to quickly circle with incessant flapping of their wings;
Their eyes, looking down at their heads, sparkled with misfortune;
Then they themselves, scratching each other’s chests and necks,
They rushed to the right, flying over the assembly and the hail.
Everyone, amazed, followed the birds with their eyes, and each
I thought that their appearance foreshadowed the future.
Alifers, an experienced elder, spoke here before the people,
Son of the Mastors; Of all his peers he is the only one in flight
Ptits was skilled at fortune-telling and prophesied the future; full
“I invite you, people of Ithaca, to listen to my word.
First, however, in order to bring the suitors to reason, I will say
They feel that inevitable trouble is rushing towards them, which will not last long
Odysseus will be separated from his family, and he will already
Somewhere nearby lurks, preparing death and destruction
To all of them, as well as to many others living in Ithaca
There will be a mountainous disaster. Let's think about how
It’s time for us to curb them; but it’s better, of course, whenever
They themselves were pacified; then now it would be most useful
It was for them: I’m not saying this without experience, but probably
Knowing what will happen; it came true, I affirm, and everything that I told him
Here he predicted before the Achaeans set sail
The wise Odysseus went to Troy with them. According to many
Disasters (so I said) and having lost all my companions,
Unknown to everyone, at the end of the twentieth year he returned to his homeland
He will return. My prophecy is now being fulfilled."
Finished. Eurymachus, son of Polybius, answered him: “It’s better
Old storyteller, return home and with your minors
Prophesy to the children there so that no misfortune happens to them.
In our business, I am a more faithful prophet than you; we're pretty
We see flying in the sky in the bright rays of Helios
Birds, but not all fatal. And King Odysseus in the distant
Kraye died. And you should die with him! Then
Here you did not invent such predictions, exciting
Anger in Telemachus, already irritated, and, rightly, hoping
Get something as a gift from him for yourself and your family.
Listen, however, and what you hear will come true, -
If you are this young man with his old knowledge
If you use empty words to provoke anger, then, of course,
This will cause him great grief;
He alone will not have time to do anything against all of us.
You, reckless old man, will incur punishment on yourself,
It’s hard for the heart: we will make you grieve bitterly.
Now I will offer more useful advice to Telemachus:
Let him order his mother to return to Ikarius’s house,
Where, having prepared everything necessary for marriage, with a rich dowry
He will bestow a dear daughter, as befits her rank.
Otherwise, I think, we, the sons of noble Achaeans,
We will not stop tormenting her with our matchmaking. Nobody here
We are not afraid, neither of Telemachus, full of sonorous speeches,
Below the prophecies with which you, gray-haired talker,
You bother everyone, that’s why we hate you more; and their house
We will ruin everything for our feasts, and from us rewards
They don't have anything until they get what we want
She will not decide on marriage; waiting every day to see who will be
Finally, one of us is preferred, we turn to others
We hesitate for brides to choose properly among them wives.”
The prudent son of Odysseus answered him meekly:
"Oh Eurymachus, and all of you, famous suitors, more
I don’t want to convince you and I won’t say a word to you in advance;
The gods know everything, the noble Achaeans know everything.
You give me a strong ship with twenty people who got used to it quickly
Now equip rowers to sail on the sea: I want
Sparta and sandy Pylos should be visited first to see,
Are there any rumors about the dear father and what
People hear rumors about him, or hear prophecies about him
Ossa, who always repeats the word of Zeus to people.
If I find out that he is alive, that he will return, then I will
Wait for him for a year, patiently enduring oppression; when
Rumor will say that he is dead, that he is no longer among the living,
Then, immediately returning to the sweet land of our fathers,
In honor of him, I will build a grave hill here and the due magnificent
I will perform a funeral feast for him; I’ll persuade Penelope to marry you.”
Having finished, he sat down and fell silent. Then the unchangeable rose
Companion and friend of Odysseus, the blameless king, Mentor.
Odysseus entrusted him with the house upon departure, to be obedient
Elder Laertes was commanded to take care of everything. And full
With good thoughts, turning to his fellow citizens, he said to them:
“I invite you, people of Ithaca, to listen to my word:
To be meek, kind and friendly is never ahead
A sceptron-bearing king should not, but having driven the truth from his heart,
Let everyone oppress people, boldly committing lawlessness,
If you could forget Odysseus who was ours
He was a good king and loved his people, like a good-natured father.
I have no need to blame unbridled and impudent suitors
The fact is that they, being autocratic here, are plotting something bad.
They play with their own heads, ruining
The house of Odysseus, which, they think, we will never see.
I want to shame you, citizens of Ithaca: having gathered here,
You sit indifferently and won’t say a word against
There is a small crowd of suitors, even though your number is large.”
The son of Evenor then, Leocritus, indignantly exclaimed:
"What did you say, reckless, malicious Mentor? Humble us
To the citizens you offer; but to reconcile them with us, whom
Also quite a lot, it’s difficult at a feast. At least suddenly
Your Odysseus himself, ruler of Ithaca, appeared and by force
We, noble suitors, in his merry house,
He planned to drive him out of there, his return to his homeland
It would not be a joy for his wife, who had been yearning for him for so long:
An evil death would have befallen him if many of us
He decided to overcome one; you said a stupid word.
Go away, people, and everyone do your homework.
Business. And let the Mentor and the sage Alifers, Odysseus
Those who have maintained their loyalty will equip Telemachus on his journey;
However, I think he will sit here for a long time, collecting
News; but he will not be able to complete his journey.”
So he said, and dissolved the assembly of the people without permission.
Everyone left and went to their homes; the grooms
They returned to the house of Odysseus, the noble king.
But Telemachus went alone to the sandy beach.
Having washed his hands with salty moisture, he exclaimed to Athena:
"You, who visited my house yesterday and into the foggy sea
She commanded me to sail, so that I might discover, while wandering, whether
Rumors about dear father and his return, goddess,
Help me kindly; the Achaeans make my way difficult;
Above all, the suitors are powerful, full of malice.”
So he spoke, praying, and in front of him in the blink of an eye,
Athena appeared, similar in appearance and speech to the Mentor.
Raising her voice, the winged goddess said:
"Bold, Telemachus, and you will be wise when you have
That great power with which in word and deed
Your father did everything he wanted; and you will achieve what you want
Goals, having completed their path without hindrance; when are you not straight
The son of Odysseus, not the son of Penelopina direct, then hope
Rarely are sons like their fathers; more and more
Some are worse than fathers and few are better. But you will
You, Telemachus, are both intelligent and courageous, because you are not at all
You are deprived of Odysseus's great strength; and hope
There is hope for you that you will successfully complete your undertaking.
Let the suitors, being lawless, plot evil - leave them;
Woe to the fools! They are blind, unfamiliar with the truth,
They do not foresee their death, nor their black fate, every day
Coming closer and closer to them, in order to suddenly destroy them.
You can take your journey immediately;
Being your friend through your father, I will equip
A fast ship for you and I will follow you myself.
But return now to the suitors; and on your way
Let them prepare food, let them fill the vessels with it;
Let them pour wine and flour into amphoras, sailor
Nutritious food will be prepared in leather, thick furs.
Then sometimes I will recruit rowers; ships in Ithaca,
Embraced by the sea, there are many new and old; between them
I will choose the best one myself; and immediately he will be us
The journey is set, and we will lower him onto the sacred sea."
Thus spoke Athena, daughter of Zeus, to Telemachus.
Hearing the voice of the goddess, he immediately left the shore.
Returning to the house with the sadness of his sweet heart, he found
There are powerful suitors there: some were fleeced in their chambers
Goats, and others, having slaughtered pigs, burned them in the yard.
With a caustic grin, Antinous approached him and, forcibly
Taking him by the hand and calling him by name, he said:
"The young man is hot-tempered, an evil talker, Telemachus, don't worry
More about harming us either in word or in deed, or better yet
Have fun with us in a friendly manner without any worries, as before.
The Achaeans will not hesitate to fulfill your will: you will receive
You and the ship and selected rowers, so that you can quickly reach
To Pylos, dear to the gods, and learn about the distant father."
The prudent son of Odysseus answered him meekly:
"No, Antinous, it is indecent for me to be with you, arrogant ones,
Against the desire to sit at the table, having fun carefree;
Be satisfied that our property is the best
You suitors ruined me while I was young.
Now, when, having matured and listening to wise advisers,
I learned everything, and when cheerfulness awoke in me,
I'll try to call the Park of the inevitable on your neck,
Either this way or another, having gone to Pylos, or having found it here
Means. I'm going - and my journey will not be in vain, although I
I’m traveling as a fellow traveler, because (that’s how it was arranged by you)
Here it is impossible for me to have my own ship and rowers."
So he said and from the hand of Antinous the hand
Pulled it out. Meanwhile, the suitors, setting up a bountiful dinner,
They insulted his heart with many caustic speeches.
This is what some of the impudent and arrogant scolders said:
“Telemachus is seriously planning to destroy us; perhaps
He will bring many to help him from sandy Pylos, many
Also from Sparta; We see that he cares greatly about this.
It may also happen that the rich land of Ether
He will visit so that, having obtained poison there that would kill people,
Here, poison the craters with it and destroy us all at once." -
“But,” others answered mockingly first, “who knows!
It could easily happen that he himself, like a father, will die,
Having wandered the seas for a long time, far from friends and family.
That's what he'll worry us about, of course: then we'll have to
Everyone will divide their property among themselves; we'll give up the house
We are to Penelope and the husband she has chosen among us."
So are the grooms. Telemachus went to his father’s storeroom,
The building is spacious; there were heaps of gold and copper lying there;
A lot of clothes were stored there in chests and fragrant oil;
Kufas made of clay with perennial and sweet wine stood
Near the walls, concluding a divinely pure drink
In the depths deep, in case Odysseus returns
To the house, having endured many difficult sorrows and vicissitudes.
Double doors, double locked, to that storage room
They served as the entrance; venerable housekeeper day and night
There, with experienced, vigilant zeal, she kept in order
All Eurycleia, the intelligent daughter of Pevsenoridas Ops.
Calling Eurycleia into that storeroom, Telemachus said to her:
"Nanny, fill the amphorae with fragrant, delicious wine
After the dear thing that you protect here,
Remembering him, the unfortunate one, and still hoping that his home
King Odysseus will return, having escaped death and Park.
Fill twelve amphoras with them and seal the amphoras;
In the same way, prepare leather, thick furs, with orzhana
Full of flour; and so that each of them contains twenty
Mer; but you alone know about this; collect all supplies
In a heap; I will come for them in the evening, at a time when
Penelope will go to her upper chamber, thinking about sleep.
I want to visit Sparta and sandy Pylos to visit.
Are there any rumors about dear father and his return?
Finished. Eurycleia, the diligent nanny, began to cry to him,
With a loud sob, the winged one threw out the word: “Why do you,
Our dear child, you open yourself to such thoughts
Heart? Why do you strive for a distant, alien land?
Are you our only consolation? Your parent
Met the end between hostile nations far from home;
Here, while you are wandering, they will insidiously arrange
Kov, so that both you and your wealth will be shared.
It’s better to stay with us; there is no need at all
You must venture into the terrible sea to face troubles and storms.”
Answering her, the prudent son of Odysseus said:
“Nanny, my friend, don’t worry; I didn’t decide against the gods
Let's go, but swear to me that your mother won't know anything from you.
Before, until eleven days or twelve are completed,
Or until she asks about me, or someone else
She won’t tell secrets - I’m afraid that her crying will fade
Freshness of face." Eurykleia became great gods
To swear; when she swore and fulfilled her oath,
Immediately she filled all the amphoras with fragrant wine,
She prepared thick leather skins full of flour.
He returned home and stayed there with the suitors.
A clever thought was born here in the heart of Pallas Athena:
Taking on the appearance of Telemachus, she ran around the entire city;
Addressing everyone you meet kindly, gather together
She invited everyone to the fast ship in the evening.
Afterwards, he came to Noemon, the wise son of Phronius,
She asked to give her a ship - Noemon agreed willingly.
Light ship draining the reserves into the salty moisture,
Needed by every durable ship, having collected, in fact
The goddess placed him at the exit to the sea from the bay.
People came together, and she aroused courage in everyone.
A new thought was born here in the heart of Pallas Athena:
The goddess entered the house of Odysseus, the noble king.
It brought a sweet dream to the suitors feasting there, clouded it
The thoughts of the drinkers also snatched the cups from their hands; attraction
Having succumbed to sleep, they went home and did not spend long
They were waiting for him, he was not slow to fall on his tired lids.
Then the bright-eyed daughter of Zeus said to Telemachus,
Calling him from the luxuriously arranged dining room,
Similar in appearance and speech to the Mentor: “It’s time, Telemachus, for us;
Our light-shod companions have all gathered;
Sitting at the oars, they are waiting for you with impatience;
Time to go; It is not right for us to delay our journey any longer."
Having finished, Pallas Athena walked ahead of Telemachus
With a quick step; Telemachus hastily went after the goddess.
Having approached the sea and the ship that was waiting for them, they were there
The densely curly companions were found near the sandy shore.
Telemachus’s holy power then addressed them:
"Brothers, let's hasten to bring travel supplies; they are already
Everything was prepared in the house, and the mother had not heard of anything;
Also, nothing is said to the slaves; only one secret
He knows." And he quickly walked ahead; everyone else followed him.
Having taken the supplies, they carried them on a firmly built ship.
They folded it, as the beloved son of Odysseus commanded them.
Soon he himself boarded the ship for the goddess Athena;
She was placed near the stern of the ship; next to her
Telemachus sat down, and the rowers, hastily untying the ropes,
They also boarded the ship and sat on benches near the oars.
Here the bright-eyed daughter of Zeus gave them a fair wind,
A fresh whiff of marshmallows rustled the dark sea.
Exciting the vigorous rowers, Telemachus ordered them to quickly
Arrange gear; obeying him, the pine mast
They lifted it up at once and, placing it deep in the nest,
They secured her in it, and ropes were pulled from the sides;
The white one was then tied with wicker straps to the sail;
Filled with wind, it rose, and the purple waves
There was a loud noise under the keel of the ship that flowed into them;
He ran along the waves, clearing his way through them.
Here the shipbuilders, having arranged a black fast ship,
The cups were filled with sweet wine and, praying, they created
A libation due to the ever-born, immortal gods,
More than others, the bright-eyed goddess, the great Pallas.
The ship quietly made its way all night and all morning.

SONG THREE

Helios rose from the beautiful sea and appeared on a copper
The vault of heaven, to shine for immortal gods and mortals,
The fate of people who live on fertile land is subject to fate.
Then at times the ship reached the Neleev city
Lush, Pylos. The people sacrificed there on the shore
Black bulls to Poseidon, the azure-haired god;
There were nine benches there; on the benches, five hundred on each,
People were sitting, and there were nine bulls in front of each one.
Having tasted the sweet wombs, they were already burned before God
Hips as the sailors entered the pier. Having removed
Tackle and anchor the shaky ship, having settled on the ground
They went out; Telemachus, following Athena, also
Came out. Turning to him, the goddess Athena said:
“Son of Odysseus, now you shouldn’t be shy;
For then we set off into the sea to find out what
Your father was abandoned by fate and what he endured.
Boldly approach the horse bridler Nestor; let us know
It must be what thoughts are in his soul.
Feel free to ask him to tell you the whole truth;
He, of course, will not tell a lie, gifted with a great mind."
“But,” answered the reasonable son of Odysseus to the goddess, “
How to approach me? What greeting should I say, Mentor?
I am still not very skilled in intelligent conversations with people;
I also don’t know if it’s proper for younger people to question their elders?”
The bright-eyed daughter of Zeus, Athena, answered him:
“You can guess a lot yourself, Telemachus, with your reason;
The favorable demon will reveal many things to you; do not mind
By the will of the immortals, I think you were born and raised."
Having finished, the goddess Athena walked ahead of Telemachus
With a quick step; Telemachus followed her; and hastily
They come to the place where the Pyleans, having gathered, were sitting;
Nestor sat there with his sons; their friends, establishing
There was a feast, they fussed, they skewered and fried meat.
Everyone, seeing the foreigners, went to meet them and, hands
When serving them, they asked them to sit down friendly with the people.
The first to meet them was Nestor’s son, the noble Pisistratus,
Gently taking both of them by the hand, on the sandy shore
He invited them to take a place on the soft, spread leathers.
Between the elderly father and the young brother Thrasymedes.
Having given them a taste of the sweet womb, he gave them fragrant wine
He filled the cup, took a sip of wine and said to the bright-eyed
Daughters of Zeus, aegis-holder Pallas Athena:
"Wanderer, you must call upon Poseidon, the lord: you are now
Arrived to us at great holiday his; having committed
Here, as custom dictates, there is a libation before him with prayer,
You and your friend have a cup of divinely pure drink
Give, he, I think, also prays to the gods, since
All of us, people, have a need for beneficent gods.
He is younger than you and, of course, the same age as me;
That’s why I offer you the cup in advance.”
Having finished, he handed the goblet of fragrant wine to Athena.
She was pleased with the act of the sensible young man, the first
He offered her a cup of fragrant wine; and became
With a loud voice she calls upon Lord Poseidon:
"King Poseidon, ruler of the earth, I pray to you, do not reject
We, who are here hoping that our desires will be fulfilled.
First, grant glory to Nestor and his sons;
After showing rich mercy to others, favorably
Here, from the Pylians, the great hecatomb has now been received;
Let us later, Telemachus and I, return, having finished
Everything we came here for in a steep-sided ship."
Having thus prayed, the goddess herself poured a libation;
Then she handed the two-tiered cup to Telemachus;
The beloved son of Odysseus also prayed in his turn.
They distributed the parts and began a glorious feast; when
Nestor, the Hero of Herenaia, addressed the visitors:
"Wanderers, now it would not be indecent for me to ask you,
Who are you, you have already enjoyed the food enough.
Who are you, tell me? From where they came to us on a wet road;
What is your problem? Or are you wandering around idle,
Back and forth across the seas, like free miners, rushing,
Playing with your life and causing misfortune to the people?”
Having gathered his courage, the prudent son of Odysseus
So, answering, he said (and Athena encouraged him
Heart, so that he could ask Nestor about his distant father,
Also, so that good fame will be established among people):
You want to know where and who we are from; I'll tell you the whole truth:
We are from Ithaca, lying under the wooded slope of Neyon;
We didn’t come to you for the common cause of the people, but for our own business;
I wander so that, inquiring about my father, I may visit him,
Where is Odysseus the noble, constant in troubles, with whom
By fighting together, you, they say, crushed the city of Ilion.
Others, no matter how many there were, fought against the Trojans,
Disastrously, we heard, in the distant side they died
All; and his and death from us is unapproachable Kronion
Hid; where he found his end, no one knows: whether on earth
Hard he fell, overpowered evil enemies, in the swells
The sea died, swallowed up by the cold wave of Amphitrite.
I hug your knees so that you favor
He revealed my father's fate to me, declaring that with his
I saw with my own eyes or what I heard from by chance
Wanderer. He was born to troubles and sorrows by his mother.
You, without sparing me and without softening your words out of pity,
Tell me everything in detail, what you yourself witnessed.
If what is my father, noble Odysseus, for you,
Whether in word or deed, I could have been useful in those days, as with you
He was in Troy, where you, Achaeans, suffered so many troubles,
Remember this now and truly tell me everything.”
"My son, how much you reminded me of the misfortunes in that land
Met by us, the Achaeans, firm in strict experience,
Partly, when in the ships, led by the cheerful Pelid,
We chased prey across the dark, foggy sea,
Partly, when before the strong city of Priam with enemies
They fought furiously. Of our people at that time, all the best fell:
The poor Ajax lay there, Achilles and the Soviets lay there
Patroclus is equal in wisdom to the immortals, and there lies my dear
Son Antilochus, blameless, brave and equally wondrous
The ease of running, how fearless a fighter he was. And a lot
We have experienced various other great disasters, about them
Can at least one of the earth-born people tell everything?
If only for five and six years you could continuously
Collect news about the troubles that befell the cheerful Achaeans,
Without knowing everything, you would return home dissatisfied.
We worked for nine years to destroy them, inventing
“Many tricks,” Kronion decided to end with force.
In smart councils, no one could be placed alongside
With him: far ahead of everyone else with the invention of many
Cunning king Odysseus, your noble father, if
Truly you are his son. I look at you in amazement;
You are similar in speech to him; but who would have thought that it would be
Can a young man be so much like him in his intelligent speech?
I was constantly, while we were waging war, on the council,
In the crowd of people, he always spoke at the same time with Odysseus;
Agreeing in our opinions, we are always together, having thought it over strictly,
They chose only one thing, which was more useful to the Achaeans.
But when, having overthrown the great city of Priam,
We returned to the ships, God separated us: Kronion
He planned to prepare a disastrous journey across the seas for the Achaeans.
Not everyone had a bright mind, not everyone was fair
They were - that’s why they suffered an evil fate
Many who angered the bright-eyed daughter of the terrible god.
The goddess Athena sparked a strong feud between the Atrides:
Both, intending to convene people for advice, is reckless
They were collected not at the usual time, when it was already setting
Sun; the Achaeans came together, drunk with wine; The same
One by one they began to explain to them the reason for the meeting:
King Menelaus demanded that the Argive men return
They immediately set off along the wide sea ridge;
Then Agamemnon rejected: he could still hold the Achaeans
I then thought that they, having completed the holy hecatomb,
The wrath was reconciled by the terrible goddess... baby! He's also
Apparently, he didn’t know that there could be no reconciliation with her:
The eternal gods do not quickly change their thoughts.
So, turning offensive speeches to each other, there both
The brothers stood; meeting of light-shod Achaeans
The scream filled with fury, dividing opinions into two.
We spent that whole night hostile to each other.
Thoughts: Zeus was preparing punishment for us, the lawless.
In the morning alone on the beautiful sea again by ships
(Taking both the spoils and the maidens, deeply girded) they went out.
But half the other Achaeans remained on the shore
Together with King Agamemnon, shepherd of many nations.
We set the ships on course, and they ran along the waves
Quickly: beneath them God was smoothing the high-water sea.
Having soon arrived in Tenedos, we made a sacrifice there to the immortals,
Give us our homeland, begging them, but Diy is adamant to us
He hesitated to allow a return: he outraged us with secondary enmity.
Part of King Odysseus, the giver of wise advice,
In the multi-oared ships set off, rushed in the opposite direction
The path for Atrid to submit to King Agamemnon again.
I hastily with all the ships under my control
He swam forward, guessing that the demon was preparing disaster for us;
The poor son Tydeus also sailed with all his people;
Later, Menelaus the golden-haired set off: in Lesbos
He caught up with us, undecided which path to choose:
Above the rocks of bountiful Chios is your path to Psyra
Edit, leaving her alone left hand, or below
Chios past Mimanth, exposed to the howling winds?
Diya we prayed to give us a sign; and having given a sign,
He commanded that, cutting the sea right down the middle,
We were going to Euboea to quickly avoid a near disaster;
The wind was fair, whistling, rustling, and, abundantly fishy,
Making the journey easily, the ships reached Gerest
By the night; from many bulls we have laid fat thighs
There on the altar of Poseidon, measuring the great sea.
The fourth day was completed, when, having reached Argos,
All the ships of Diomedes, the bridler's horses, became
At the marina. Right in the meantime I was sailing to Pylos, and not once
The fair wind, initially sent to us by Diem, did not subside.
So I returned, my son, without any news; to this day
I still could not find out who died among the Achaeans and who escaped.
What did we learn from others, living under the roof of our home,
Then I will tell you properly, without hiding anything.
We heard that with the young son of Achilles the great
All his myrmidons and spearmen returned home;
Philoctetes, they say, is alive, the beloved son of Paeans; sane
Idomeneo (none of the companions who escaped with him
Together with the war, without losing at sea) Crete reached;
Of course, I came to you and to a distant land about Atrid.
Hearing how he returned home, how he was killed by Aegisthus,
Like Aegisthus, he finally received his reward as he deserved.
Happiness when the deceased husband remains cheerful
Son, to take revenge, like Orestes, who struck Aegisthus, with whom
His illustrious parent was viciously killed!
So it is for you, my beloved friend, so beautifully ripe,
You must be strong so that your name and descendants will be praised."
Having listened to Nestor, the noble Telemachus answered:
"Son of Neleus, O Nestor, great glory of the Achaeans,
True, he took revenge, and took terrible revenge, and from the peoples
There will be honor everywhere and there will be praise from posterity.
Oh, if only I were given the same power
Gods, so that I too can take revenge on the suitors who inflict
So many insults to me, insidiously plotting my destruction!
But they didn’t want to send down such great grace
Gods are neither for me nor for my father, and from now on patience is my destiny.”
This is how Nestor, the Hero of Herenaia, responded to Telemachus:
“You yourself, my dear, reminded me of this in your words;
We heard that, oppressing your noble mother,
In your house the suitors do many wicked things.
I would like to know: are you willing to endure this? Are the people
Does your land hate you, by the inspiration of God?
We don’t know; it could easily happen that he himself
When he returns, he will destroy them, either alone, or by summoning the Achaeans...
Oh, when would the bright-eyed maiden Pallas love
So could you, just as she loved Odysseus
In the Trojan region, where we suffered many troubles, Achaeans!
No, the gods have never been so frank in love,
How frank Pallas Athena was with Odysseus!
If you were appropriated by her with the same love,
The very memory of marriage would be lost in many of them."
The prudent son of Odysseus answered Nestor in this way:
"Old man, it’s impossible, I think, your word; about the great
You speak, and it’s terrible for me to listen to you; won't happen
Never at my request or at the will of the immortals."
The bright-eyed daughter of Zeus, Athena, answered him:
“A strange word has flown from your lips, Telemachus;
It is easy for God to protect us from afar, if he wants;
I would agree to meet disasters sooner, just so
Sweet day of return to see how, having avoided disasters,
Return to home to fall before your hearth like a great
Agamemnon fell due to the betrayal of his cunning wife and Aegisthus.
But it is also impossible for the gods from the common hour of death
To save a person dear to them when he is already betrayed
Fate will be in the hands of death forever soporific."
This is how the prudent son of Odysseus answered the goddess:
“Mentor, we won’t talk about it, although it destroys us
It is the heart; we won't see him return:
The gods had prepared a dark fate and death for him.
Now, asking about something else, I want to address
To Nestor - he surpasses all people in truth and wisdom;
They say he was a king, ruler of three generations,
In his bright image he is like an immortal god -
Son of Neleus, tell me without hiding anything from me,
How was Atrid Agamemnon, the great ruler of space, killed?
Where was Menelaus? What a destructive agent
Did the cunning Aegisthus invent it in order to more easily deal with the strongest?
Or, before reaching Argos, he was still among strangers
Was he the one who dared his enemy to commit evil murder?" -
“Friend,” Nestor, the hero of the Herenaeans answered Telemachus, “
I will tell you everything frankly so that you can know the whole truth;
Indeed, it all happened as you yourself think; but if
I found Aegisthus alive in my brother’s home when I was returning
To his house from the Trojan battle, Atrid Menelaus the golden-haired,
His corpse would not have been covered with grave dirt then,
Birds of prey and dogs would have torn him to pieces, without honor
In a field far beyond the city of Argos lying, his wife
Our people would not have mourned him - he had accomplished a terrible deed.
Sometimes, as we fought on the fields of Ilium,
He is in a safe corner of the many-horse city of Argos
The heart of Agamemnon's wife was entangled with cunning flattery.
Before, the divine Clytemnestra herself was disgusted
It's a shameful thing - she had no vicious thoughts;
There was a singer with her, to whom King Agamemnon,
Preparing to sail to Troy, he ordered to watch his wife;
But, as soon as fate betrayed her to crime,
That singer was exiled by Aegisthus to a barren island,
Where he was left: and the birds of prey tore him to pieces.
He invited her, who wanted the same thing with him, into his house;
He burned many thighs on holy altars before the gods,
He decorated the temples with many deposits, gold and fabrics,
Such a daring thing ends with unexpected success.
We, having left the Trojan land, sailed together,
Me and Atrid Menelaus, bound by close friendship.
We were already before the sacred Sounion, Cape Attius;
Suddenly Menelaev's helmsman Phoebus Apollo invisibly
With his silent arrow he killed: controlling the fleeing
The ship, the helm was held by an experienced, steady hand
Frontis, Onetor's son, the greatest of all earth-born
The secret of owning a ship in the coming storm.
Menelaus slowed down his path, although he was in a hurry, so that on the shore
To give the honor of burial to a friend with appropriate solemnity;
But when on his steep-sided ships he again
The high Cape Maley went into the dark sea
Quickly reached - the everywhere thundering Kronion, planning
Death, the noisy breath of the wind caught up with him,
Raised mighty, heavy, mountain-sized waves.
Suddenly separating the ships, he threw half of them to Crete,
Where the Kidons live by the bright streams of the Yardan.
A smooth cliff is visible there, rising above the salty moisture,
Moving into the dark sea at the extreme limits of Gortyn;
Where the great waves are on the western shore at Festus
The note catches up and the small rock crushes them, pushing them away,
Those ships appeared; escaped death with agility
People; Their ships perished, crashing on sharp stones.
The five remaining dark-nosed ships, stolen by the storm,
A mighty wind and waves rushed to the shore of Egypt.
Menelaus is there, collecting treasures and a lot of gold,
Wandered between peoples of a different language, and at the same time
Time Aegisthus committed a lawless deed in Argos,
Having put Atrid to death, the people silently submitted.
For seven whole years he ruled in gold-abundant Mycenae;
But on the eighth from Athens he returned to his destruction
God-like Orestes; and he struck down the murderer, with whom
His illustrious parent was viciously killed.
Having established a great feast for the Argives, he performed the burial
He and his criminal mother together with the despicable Aegisthus.
On that very day, Atrid Menelaus, the challenger to battle,
He arrived, collecting as much wealth as he could fit in the ships.
You won’t be wandering far from your homeland for long, my son,
Throwing the house and legacy of the noble father to the victim
Daring robbers, devouring yours mercilessly; will be plundered
That’s all, and the path you have taken will remain useless.
But Menelaus Atrid (I advise, I demand) must
You visit; he recently arrived in his fatherland from strangers
Countries, from people from whom no one, once listed
To them across the wide sea with a swift wind, could not
Return alive, from where he cannot fly to us in a year
A fast bird, so terrifying is the great abyss of space.
You will go from here or by sea with all your people,
Or, when you wish, by land: horses and chariots
I will give it, and I will send my son with you, so that he can show you
The path to Lacedaemon is divine, where Menelaus is golden-haired
Reigns; you can ask Menelaus about everything yourself;
He, of course, won’t tell a lie, gifted with a great mind.”
Finished. Meanwhile, the sun faded and darkness fell.
Turning her word to Nestor, Athena said:
“Elder, your speeches are reasonable, but we will not hesitate;
The tongues of King Poseidon must now be cut out
Make a libation together with other gods with wine;
Time to think about the restful bed and peaceful sleep;
The day has faded at sunset, and it will no longer be decent
Here we sit at the table of the gods; It's time for us to leave."
Thus spoke the goddess; Everyone listened to her respectfully.
Here the servants gave them water to wash their hands;
Youths, filling the bright craters to the brim with drink,
They served it in bowls, starting from the right, according to custom;
Throwing their tongues into the fire, they poured out a libation,
standing; when they created it and enjoyed the wine,
As much as the soul desired, noble Telemachus with Athena
They began to get ready to board their fast ship for the night.
Nestor, holding back the guests, said: “But they won’t allow
Eternal Zeus and other immortal gods, so that now
You left here for the night on a fast ship!
Don't we have clothes? Am I really a beggar?
It’s as if there are no covers or soft beds in my house
No, so that I and my guests can enjoy the deceased
Sleep? But there are plenty of covers and soft beds.
Is it possible that the son of such a great man, that the son of Odysseus
I chose the ship's deck as my bedroom while I
Alive and my sons live with me under one
Roofing, so that everyone who comes to us will be treated in a friendly manner?
The bright-eyed daughter of Zeus, Athena, answered him:
"You have spoken a wise word, beloved elder, and you must
Telemachus will fulfill your will: that, of course, is more decent.
Here I will leave him, so that he can rest in peace under your roof.
He spent the night. I should return to the black ship myself
We need to encourage our people and tell them a lot:
I am the oldest of our companions in years; they are
(All young, all the same age as Telemachus) kindly
Volya, out of friendship, they agreed to accompany him to the ship;
This is why I want to return to the black ship.
Tomorrow at dawn I will go to the people of the brave Caucons
I need the people there to pay me, old, considerable
Duty. Telemachus, after he stays with you,
Send with your son in a chariot, commanding the horses
Give them the most agile in running and the most excellent in strength."
So having told them, the bright-eyed daughter of Zeus left,
Flying away like a quick eagle; the people were amazed; amazed
Having seen such a miracle with your own eyes, Nestor.
Taking Telemachus by the hand, he said to him in a friendly manner:
“Friend, you, of course, are not timid in heart and strong in strength,
If you, a young man, are so clearly accompanied by the gods.
Here, from the immortals living in the bright abodes of Olympus,
There was none other than Dieva, the glorious daughter of Tritogen,
So distinguished your father from the host of Argives.
Be favorable, goddess, and great glory to us
Give to me, and to my children, and to my well-behaved wife;
I'm a one-year-old heifer for you, foreheaded, in the field
Roaming freely, still unfamiliar with the yoke, a sacrifice
I’ll bring it here, decorating her horns with pure gold.”
Thus he spoke as he prayed; and Pallas heard him.
Having finished, he went ahead of the noble sons and sons-in-law
To his house, richly decorated Nestor, the hero of the Herenaean;
With Nestor to the royal richly decorated house and others
They also entered and sat down in order on armchairs and chairs.
The elder then filled the cup to the brim for those gathered
Light wine, eleven years later poured from an amphora
The housekeeper who for the first time removed the roof from the treasured amphora.
With them he made a great libation from his cup
Daughters of Zeus the aegis-power; when will others
Having poured out the libation, everyone enjoyed the wine,
Each one returned to himself, thinking about bed and sleep.
Wishing peace to the guest, Nestor, hero of the Herenaeans,
Telemachus himself, the reasonable son of King Odysseus,
In the sonorously spacious peace the bed indicated a slotted one;
Peisistratus, spear-thrower, leader of men, lay down next to him,
One of the brothers was unmarried in his father's house.
He himself retreated into the inner peace of the royal house,
Nestor lay down on the bed, softly arranged by the queen.
Young Eos with purple fingers rose from the darkness;
Nestor, the Herenaan hero, rose from his soft bed,
Coming out of the bedroom, he sat down on the hewn, smooth, wide
The white stones at the high door that served as a seat,
Shining brightly, as if anointed with oil, on them
Previously, Neleus sat, like a god in wisdom;
But fate had long ago been taken to the abode of Hades.
Now Neleus sat on the stones of Neleus, sceptron-bearing
Pestun Achaean. His sons gathered to see him, from the bedrooms
Out: Echephron, Perseus, Stration, and Arethos, and the young
Thrasymedes, God-like in beauty; finally the sixth one to them,
The youngest of the brothers came, the noble Pisistratus. And next to
The beloved son of the Odysseans was invited to sit with Nestor.
Nestor, the Hero of Herenaia, addressed the audience here:
“Dear children, hurry to fulfill my command:
More than others, I wish to bow to the mercy of Athena,
Apparently, she was with us at the great festival of God.
Run into the field alone after the heifer, so that you leave the field immediately
The shepherd who looked after the flocks drove her out to us; the other one
Telemakhov must go to the black ship and call us
All seafaring people, leaving only two there; at last
Let the goldsmith Laerkos immediately be the third
Called to decorate the horns of a heifer with pure gold.
Everyone else, stay with me, having commanded the slaves
Arrange a plentiful dinner in the house, arrange it in order
Chairs, prepare firewood and bring us light water.”
So he said; everyone began to take care: from the field a heifer
They arrived soon; Telemachus' people came from the ship,
Those who crossed the sea with him; the goldsmith also appeared,
Bring the equipment needed for forging metals: an anvil,
Hammer, precious trim pliers and all the usual
He did his job; The goddess Athena also came
Accept the sacrifice. Here is the artist Nestor, the horse bridler,
Gave me pure gold; he bound the horns of the heifer with them,
Working diligently so that the sacrificial gift would please the goddess.
Then Stration and Echephron took the heifer by the horns;
Wash their hands with water in a tub lined with flowers
Aretos took it out of the house, in his other hand he had barley
He held the box; Thrasymedes, the mighty warrior, approached,
With a sharp ax in your hand, prepare to hit the victim;
Perseus substituted the cup. Here is Nestor, the horse bridler,
Having washed his hands, he showered the heifer with barley and threw
Wool from her head onto the fire, prayed to Athena;
Following him, others prayed to the heifer with barley.
They showered them in the same way. Nestor's son, Thrasimedes the mighty,
Straining his muscles, he hit, and, pierced deep into the neck,
The ax crossed the veins; the heifer fell down; cried out
All the daughters and daughters-in-law of the princess, and the queen with them,
Meek at heart, Klimenova eldest daughter Eurydice.
The same heifer, clinging to the bosom of the path-bearing earth,
They picked her up and at once the noble Pisistratus stabbed her to death.
After, when the black blood was exhausted and there was no
The lives in the bones, having decomposed it into parts, separated
Thighs and on top of them (twice wrapped around the bones properly)
They covered the pieces of bloody meat with fat; together
Nestor lit the fire and sprinkled it with sparkling wine;
They began, placing grips with five points.
Having burned the thighs and tasted the sweet womb, the rest
They cut everything into pieces and began to fry it on spits,
Sharp skewers are quietly turned in the hands over the fire.
Then sometimes Telemachus Polycasta, the youngest daughter
Nestor, was taken to the bathhouse for washing; when
The virgin washed him and rubbed him with pure oil,
Having put on a light tunic and a rich mantle,
He came out of the bathhouse, with a radiant face like God;
He took a place near Nestor, the shepherd of many nations.
The same ones, having fried and removed the backbone meat from the spits,
We sat down to a delicious dinner, and the servants carefully began
Run around, pouring wine into golden vessels; when
Their hunger was satisfied with sweet drink and food,
Nestor, the hero of Gerenea, said to the noble sons:
"Children, harness the thick-maned horses to the chariot immediately
It must be that Telemachus can set off on a journey at will.”
That royal command was quickly fulfilled;
Two thick-maned horses were harnessed to a chariot; into it
The housekeeper put bread and wine in reserve, with different
Food that is only suitable for kings, the pets of Zeus.
Then the noble Telemachus stood in the shining chariot;
Next to him is Nestor’s son Pisistratus, leader of the peoples,
Became; pulling on the reins with his mighty hand, he struck
Hit the horses with a strong whip, and the fast horses rushed off
The field, and the brilliant Pylos soon disappeared behind them.
The horses raced all day long, shaking the chariot pole.
Meanwhile, the sun had set and the roads grew dark.
The travelers arrived in Thera, where the son of Ortilochus, Alpheus
Born of light, noble Diocles had his own home;
Having given them lodging for the night, Diocles treated them cordially.
A young woman with purple fingers, Eos, emerged from the darkness.
The travelers, once again standing in their shining chariot,
They quickly rushed from the yard through the portico, ringing,
Often we drove the horses, and the horses galloped willingly.
Having reached the lush plains, abundant with wheat, they are there
They finished the journey made quickly by the mighty horses;
Meanwhile, the sun had set and the roads grew dark.

SONG ONE.

Muse, tell me about that experienced man who wandered for a long time since he destroyed the sacred Troy, visited many people of the city and saw the customs, suffered a lot in spirit on the seas, worrying about the salvation of his life and the return of his faithful comrades to their homeland. Still, he could not save his comrades, no matter how hard he tried. They destroyed themselves by their own sacrilege: They ate, madmen, the cows of Helios Hyperionid. For this he deprived them of the day of returning home forever. 10 Muse! Tell us about this too, starting with where you want. All the others at that time, having escaped near death, were already at home, and had also escaped the war and the sea. Only him, who was heartbroken because of his wife and homeland, was kept by the Nymph-Queen Calypso, the goddess among goddesses, 15 in a deep grotto, wanting him to become her husband. But the years passed, and the year had already come when the Son of Laertes was appointed by the gods to return to his home. Also, however, even there, on Ithaca, he could not avoid many works, although he was among friends. Full of compassion 20 All the gods were towards him. Only Poseidon continuously persecuted Odysseus until he reached his own land. Poseidon was at that time in the distant country of the Ethiopians, who inhabited the extreme parts of the earth at both ends: Where Hyperion sets and where he rises in the morning. 25 There he received from them hecatombs of bulls and rams, There he enjoyed himself, sitting at a feast. All the other Gods were assembled in the palaces of Kronid the Father. The parent of husbands and gods addressed all of them with a speech; In the heart and in the memory of the lord was the blameless Aegisthus, 30 deprived of his life by Agamemnonides, by the glorious Orestes. Remembering him, Kronid turned to the immortals with the words: “It’s strange how people willingly blame the immortals for everything! Evil comes from us, they say, but don’t they themselves bring Death upon themselves, despite fate, through madness? 35 So does Aegisthus, - Was it not, in spite of fate, that he took Atrid's wife as his wife, killing him on his return to his homeland? He knew the impending death: we punished him severely, sending the vigilant Argo-killer Hermes, so that he would not dare to kill either himself or take his wife as his wife. 40 Revenge for Atrid will come from Orestes when, having matured, He wishes to take possession of his country. So Hermes spoke to him, wishing well; but he could not convince his Heart. And Aegisthus paid for this." Then the owl-eyed maiden Athena said to Zeus: 45 “O our father Kronid, the highest of all rulers! You spoke the truth - he fully deserved such a death. So let anyone who would do such a thing perish! But my heart breaks for King Odysseus: He suffers, unhappy, troubles, from his loved ones far away, on an island embraced by 50 Waves, in a place where the navel of the sea is found. An island covered with forests; the goddess lives on it, the Daughter of the scheming Atlas, who knows the abysses of the entire Sea and who has supervision over the pillars: Between the earth and the sky they stand, pushing them apart. 55 Embraced by grief, the unfortunate daughter of Atlas holds the unfortunate one, seducing him all the time with soft and insinuating speech, so that he forgets about his Ithaca. But, passionately wanting to see even the smoke rising from his native land, Odysseus thinks only about the death of one. Will his evil fate really not touch 60 Your dear heart, Olympian? Didn't he honor you with sacrifices on the Trojan plain Near the ships of the Argives? So why are you, Zeus, indignant?" Answering her, Kronion, who gathers the clouds, said: "What kind of words flew out of your teeth! 65 How could I forget about the divine self of Odysseus, So outstanding in thought among mortals, so willingly offering Sacrifice to the gods, the lords of the wide sky? But Poseidon the landowner burns with unmeasurable anger towards him because the god-equal Cyclops Polyphemus 70 was deprived of his Eyes - the Cyclops, whose strength was the greatest among the other Cyclopes; He was born from the nymph Thoosa, the Daughter of Forkin, the guardian of the incessantly rustling sea, who entered into a relationship with Poseidon the ruler in a deep cave, From that time on, the shaker of the earth Poseidon Odysseus 75 Does not kill, but drives him away from his dear homeland. Well, all of us who are here on Olympus today will think, How can he return home? Poseidon will cast aside his Wrath: he alone will not be able to argue with all the immortals And act autocratically against the will of the universal gods." 80 Then the owl-eyed maiden Athena said to Zeus: "O our father Kronid, the highest of all rulers! If now it pleases the all-blessed gods that the many-wise Odysseus may return to his homeland, let us command Hermes the Argo-Slayer, the executor of your decisions, to the nymph 85 In beautifully woven braids, to the island of Ogygia, immediately rush and convey to her our inflexible decision, So that the many-stable Odysseus may be returned to his homeland . I will go to Ithaca, so that there I can instill more vigor in Odysseus’s son and put courage in his heart, 90 So that, having called a meeting of long-haired Achaeans, he expels all the suitors who kill in the house without counting a bunch of walking sheep and slow-moving horned bulls. After that, I will send him to Sparta and sandy Pylos, To find out about the dear father and his return, 95 Also so that good fame about him will be established among people." Having finished, she tied golden soles, Ambrosial, to her feet, everywhere with the blows of the wind And above carried over the boundless land and over the waters. She took into her hands a battle spear, sharpened with copper, 100 Heavy, strong; with it Athena beat the heroes, who brought upon themselves the wrath of the mighty father goddess. The goddess rushed stormily from the high peaks of Olympia, stood in the Ithacan country at the courtyard of Odysseus's house, Before the threshold of the gate, with her sharp spear in her palm, 105 Taking the form of a stranger, the Taphosian ruler Mentas. I found proud suitors there. In front of the door they delighted their souls, playing dice with zeal, Sitting on the skins of bulls they themselves had killed. In the hall, the messengers, together with the nimble servants of the house, 110 They poured wine into the craters, mixing with water, They, having washed the tables with a spongy sponge, moved them to the middle and put meat on them in abundance. The first of all, Telemachus, the godlike one, noticed the goddess. With a sad heart, he sat silently with the suitors. 115 And he imagined how a mighty parent would appear, how he would disperse all the suitors to their homes, seize his power again and become the master of his possessions. In such thoughts, sitting with the suitors, he saw Athena. He quickly went to the door, ashamed in his soul that the Wanderer was forced to stand at the entrance for so long; and, hastily approaching, he took the stranger by the right hand, accepted his spear, raised his voice and addressed him with a winged speech: “Rejoice, stranger! Come in! We will treat you, and then, having had your fill of food, you will tell us what you want.” need to". 125 So he said and went away. And behind him is Pallas Athena. After they entered the high house of Odysseus, he carried the Guest’s spear to a high column and placed it in the smooth spear storage, where there were still many copies of other Odysseus, mighty in spirit in misfortune. 130 Afterwards, he led the goddess to a beautifully patterned chair, covered her with cloth, sat her down, and pulled a bench under her feet. Nearby, he himself sat on a carved chair, at a distance from the suitors, so that the guest, sitting next to the arrogant ones, would not receive an aversion to food, aggravated by their noise, 135 Also, in order to secretly ask him about his distant father. Immediately a beautiful golden jug with wash water in a silver basin was placed in front of them by the maid for washing; After setting up the table it was smooth. The venerable housekeeper placed the bread in front of them, adding many 140 different dishes, willingly giving them from the reserves. Kravchiy placed them on dishes, raising them high, and placed various kinds of meat and golden goblets near them; The messenger approached them every now and then, pouring wine. The proud suitors noisily entered the hall from the courtyard 145 And sat down in order on armchairs and chairs; The Messengers came to them with water, and they washed their hands. The maids put the bread in their baskets to the top, The boys poured the drink into the craters to the very edge. They immediately extended their hands to the ready food. 150 After the desire for drink and food was quenched, the hearts of the suitors were kindled with a new desire: they wanted Music, dancing - the most beautiful delight of any feast. The messenger handed over the beautiful cithara to the hands: In front of the suitors he had to sing against his will. 155 Themius raised the cithara and began a beautiful song. And then Telemachus turned to the owl-eyed Athena, bowing his head to her so that no one else could hear: “You will not be angry, my dear guest, at what I say? Only one thing is on these people’s minds - the harp and songs. 160 No wonder: Here they squander the wealth of others, A man whose white bones, rotted somewhere, are wetted by the rain on the land or the fierce waves rock in the sea. If they saw that he had returned to Ithaca again, Everyone would wish it were better to have quicker legs, 165 than to get rich, and accumulating clothes and gold here. However, he was destroyed by an evil fate, and there is no consolation for Us, although some of the people claim: He will still be there. But no! His day of return has already perished! Now tell me, nothing from without hiding me: 170 Who are you? Who are your parents? What city are you from? And what ship did you come on, what road did the shipmen take you to visit us with? Who are they? After all, you didn’t come here on foot, I suppose, you came to us got there. Tell me this too frankly, so that I know well: 175 Is this the first time you’ve come here, or have you been your father’s guest for a long time? In past years, many guests came to our house, for my parent communicated with people a lot." This is how the owl-eyed maiden Athena answered him: "I will answer your questions with complete frankness: 180 My name is Ment; my father is Anchial, a wise man, and I am always glad to boast of this; and I myself, the ruler of the Oar-loving Taphosians, came in my ship with my people; I sail across the wine-red sea to foreigners for copper, to the distant city of Temesu, and I go with shiny iron. 185 I placed my ship under the wooded slope of Neyon, in the pier of Retre, far from the city, near a field. I proudly declare that Odysseus and I are long-time guests of each other. When you visit the hero Laertes, you can ask the old man about this. They say that he no longer goes to the city 190, but, enduring troubles, he lives far away in the field with an old maid who feeds and waters the Old Man, when, having wandered through the hills of the vineyard for a day, having exhausted his old limbs, he returns to the house. I am coming to you now: they said that he is already at home, your father. 195 Apparently, however, the gods are preventing him from returning. But God-like Odysseus did not perish on earth, believe me. Somewhere in the wide sea, on an island embraced by waves, He lingered alive and languishes under the power of fierce, wild people and cannot leave, no matter how much his soul strives. 200 But I undertake to predict - what opinion the gods have about this and how, I believe, everything will happen, although I am not a prophet at all and I don’t know how to tell fortunes from birds. He won't be separated from his dear homeland for long, even if iron chains held him. 205 He is experienced in tricks and will figure out how to get back. Now tell me, without hiding anything from me: Do I really see in you the son of Odysseus? You are terribly similar to him in your head and beautiful eyes. Often in the past we met with him before he set out on a campaign to Troy, where other best of the Argives sailed on steep-sided ships. Afterwards, neither I nor Odysseus met with me." Answering her, the prudent son of Odysseus said: "I will answer your question, O our guest, quite frankly: 215 Mother says that I am the son of Odysseus, but I myself am not I know. Can anyone know what father he was born from? I would be happy if I had a husband as my parent, who lived peacefully into old age in his possessions. But - among all earthly people the most unfortunate 220 He is my father, since you wanted to know this from me." Again the owl-eyed maiden Athena said to him: "Apparently, it is the wish of the immortals that your race should not be without glory in the future, when such How are you, Penelope gave birth. Now tell me, without hiding anything from me: 225 What kind of lunch is here? What meeting? Why do you need it? Is there a wedding or a feast here? After all, it doesn’t happen as a team effort. It only seems that your guests are rioting uncontrollably in your house. Any reasonable man who looked here would feel shame, seeing their vile behavior." 230 Then again, the sensible Telemachus answered the guest: "Since you, O my guest, asked and wanted to know, then find out: Once this house was full of wealth, it was respected All at the time when that husband was still here. Now the hostile gods have made a different decision, 235 making it invisible to the eye among all men. I would have grieved less for him if he had died, if he had perished in the Trojan land among his comrades, or, having ended the war, died in the arms of his friends. If the All-Achaeans had built a burial mound over him, 240 he would have left his son great glory for all time. Now the Harpies took him ingloriously, and he left, forgotten by everyone, unknown, and left his son with only sadness and sobs. But it is not only for him that I cry; The gods sent me another cruel grief: 245 The first people in power, that here the islands inhabit Zam, and Dulichi, and Zakynthos, covered with dense forests, And our rocky Ithaca, stubbornly strive to force my Mother into marriage and rob our property. My mother does not want to enter into a hateful marriage and cannot 250 put an end to their claims, but they are ruining my House with feasts and will soon destroy me myself." Pallas Athena answered him indignantly: "Woe! I see now how you need distant Odysseus to lay his hands on the shameless strangers. 255 If now, having returned, he stood in front of the house door with a pair of spears in his hand, with his strong shield and helmet, as I first saw the hero at the time when he was having fun in our house at a feast, sitting at a cup, coming to us from Ephyra from Ilus, Mermer's son: 260 Odysseus also visited there on his fast ship; He was looking for poison that would kill people so that he could smear it on his copper arrows. However, Il refused to give him poison: he was ashamed of the soul of the immortal gods. My father gave it to him because he loved him dearly. 265 If he appeared before the suitors in this form, they would become short-lived and very bitterly married! This, however, is hidden in the bosom of the almighty gods. He will avenge himself, whether or not, by returning back to his native home. And now I would suggest that you think 270 what to do to remove all the suitors from the palace. Listen to me and pay attention to what I say: Tomorrow, call the Achaean citizens to a meeting, openly tell them everything, and let the gods be your witnesses. Afterwards, demand that all the suitors go home; 275 But your mother, if her spirit wants to get married again, let her return to her powerful father, to her dear home; Let him equip the wedding, giving a large dowry, as much as his dear daughter should receive. As for you, perhaps you will follow my reasonable advice: 280 Set off with the best ship with twenty oarsmen and find out about your missing father; It’s true that among mortals Someone will be able to tell about him, or Rumor will tell you Zeus - she brings the most news to people. In Pylos you will find out earlier what the divine Nestor will say, 285 After that you will go to the fair-haired Menelaus to Sparta; He arrived home last of all the copperplate Achaeans. If you hear that your father is alive, that he will return home, wait for him for a year, patiently enduring oppression; If you hear that he is dead, that he is no longer in the world, 290 Then, having returned back to your father’s sweet land, You will build a grave hill in his honor, you will properly perform the funeral ceremony for him and you will give your mother in marriage. After you have done all this, you have finished all this, in your heart and in your mind think carefully about what 295 means to destroy all the suitors in your palaces, by cunning or openly. Living with childish trifles Time has passed for you, your age is no longer the same. Or do you not know what happened to the divine Orestes, what glory he gained by dealing with the treacherous Aegisthus, the 300 Patricide, who deprived his glorious father of his life? I see, my dear friend, that you are both great and beautiful, you are no weaker than him, you will also become famous in posterity; But it’s high time for me to return to my fast ship: My companions are waiting and are probably indignant at me in their hearts. 305 Take care of yourself and think about what I said." Again, the sensible Telemachus answered the guest: "Really, my guest, you speak to me with such love, Like a father; I will never forget your advice. But wait, although I see that you are in a hurry to get on the road. 310 Wash yourself with us first, please your dear heart. With a joyful spirit, you will then take to the ship a valuable, beautiful gift, which I will present to you as a souvenir, As it happens between guests and hosts, who are pleasant to each other." This is how the owl-eyed maiden Athena answered him: 315 "No, don’t detain me today, I’m in a hurry on the road. The gift that your dear heart prompts you to give to me, I, returning back, will accept and go home with it, Having received the gift on the road and given you the same." The owl-eyed maiden Athena said and departed, 320 Like a swift-winged bird, she fluttered out the window. She engulfed His strength and courage. And more than before, he remembered his dear father. And, reflecting in his heart, His soul trembled, realizing that he was talking with God. Immediately the god-like husband headed back to the suitors. 325 The famous singer sang before them , they sat, Listening in silence. He sang about the sad return from Troy of the Achaean host, sent to them by Pallas Athena. In her upper chamber, the inspired singing of the Elder Icarius was heard by the daughter of the Elder Icarius, Penelope the intelligent. Immediately 330 She descended from above the high stairs of the house, But not alone; two maids went down with her. Entering the hall to the grooms, Penelope, a goddess among women, stood near the doorframe leading into the dining room, covering her cheeks with a shiny veil, and next to her, on both sides, zealous maids stood. Weeping, Penelope said to the inspired singer: “Phemius, you know so many other soul-delighting Songs with which singers glorify gods and heroes. Sing one of them while sitting before the congregation. And in silence 340 the guests will listen to her over wine. But interrupt the sad song you have begun; It fills my sweet heart with sorrow. The worst grief befell me. Having lost such a husband, I cannot forget about the deceased, who filled both Hellas and Argos with his glory." 345 The prudent son of Odysseus objected to his mother in this way: “My mother, why are you preventing the singer from singing for our pleasure what is burning in his soul? It is not the singer who is to blame for this, it is Zeus who is to blame, who puts what he wants into the hard-working people. You can't get irritated, 350 Once he wanted to sing about the ill-fated destiny of the Danaans. People usually admire the Song most of all, which seems to them the newest. Tame your spirit and heart and force yourself to listen. Not only Odysseus did not have to return home, 355 Many others also did not return home from near Troy. Better go back to your place and take care of your business: Yarn, weaving; order the maids to immediately get to work Also. Speaking is not a woman’s business, but a Husband’s business, most of all - mine; I am alone at home Lord". 360 So he said. Amazed, Penelope went back. Her son's wise word penetrated deeply into her soul. Going upstairs with her maids, she cried for a long time about Odysseus, about her beloved wife, until the goddess Athena covered her eyelids with sweet sleep. 365 And at that time the suitors were making noise in the shady chamber; They all really wanted to lie down on the bed with Penelope. With a speech such a judicious Telemachus addressed them: “O suitors of Penelope, arrogant, proud people! Let us now feast and enjoy. Stop making noise! 370 It is so pleasant and sweet to listen to the beautiful songs of a Man like this, equal in singing to God! Tomorrow "In the morning, let's go to the square and open a meeting. There I will openly say before the whole people that you should immediately cleanse my House. But arrange the feasts differently: 375 Spend your money on them, alternating houses. If you find what is more pleasant for you and it is better to destroy one person's wealth for free, Eat! And I will call for support to the eternal gods. Maybe Kronion will allow the work of retribution to be completed: 380 You will all die here, and there will be no penalty for it! " That's what he said. The suitors, biting their lips in annoyance, were surprised at the bold words they suddenly heard. Immediately, Antinous, born of Eupeitus, turned to him: “Probably the gods themselves, Telemachus, are teaching you to brag so shamelessly and talk so impudently. Zeus deliver us, so that you can become Our king in Ithaca, surrounded by waves, having the right by birth to do so.” !" And, objecting to him, the judicious Telemachus said: “Don’t be angry with me, Antinous, but I’ll tell you this: 390 If Zeus had given me this, I would of course have accepted it. Or, in your opinion, there is nothing worse than this ?To reign is not a bad thing at all; wealth soon accumulates in the king's house, and he himself is held in honor by the people. But among the noble Achaeans in the wave-clad Ithaca 395 There are many others, young or old, to whom Power could pass, since King Odysseus is gone. But at home I alone will remain master of the house, Like the slaves brought to me by Odysseus as king!" Then Eurymachus, born of Polybus, began to speak: 400 "O Telemachus, it is hidden in the bosom of the almighty gods, Which of the Achaeans will be our king on Ithaca. Still, what is here is yours, and in your own house you yourself are the master. It is unlikely that as long as Ithaca is inhabited, there will be anyone who would dare to encroach on your property. 405 But I would like to know, my dear, about the current guest: Who is this guest and where is he from? What kind of fatherland is this land famous for? What family and tribe is he? Where he was born? Did he come to you with news about the return of your father, or did he come here to Ithaca out of his own need? 410 Having immediately disappeared, he did not wait to meet us here. His face does not look like a thin man." And, answering him, the judicious Telemachus said: "I have no hope for my father’s return, Eurymachus. I no longer believe the news that comes from anywhere, 415 I don’t want to listen to the prophecies, to which, calling various diviners into the house, my mother endlessly resorts. This traveler is my guest through his father, he is from Taphos, Ment, he calls himself Enchial the wise son With pride, he himself is the ruler of the oar-loving Taphosians." 420 So spoke Telemachus, although he knew that he was talking with God. The same ones, getting busy again with delightful singing and dancing, They amused themselves with them and waited for the evening to approach. They amused themselves and had fun. And the black evening approached. Then they got up and went home to indulge in peace. 425 The son of King Odysseus, with a beautiful courtyard, moved to his high sleeping chamber, around well protected. Thinking about many things in his heart, he went there to sleep. With a torch in each hand, Eurycleia walked ahead of him, the homely daughter of Opus, born of Pensenor. 430 By purchasing Laertes once made her his property As a young teenager, twenty bulls for her having paid, And he respected her in the house just like his housewife, But, so as not to anger his wife, he did not share his bed with her. She walked with a torch in each hand. She loved 435 of all the slaves more than him and raised him from childhood. He opened the doors Telemachus, near the skillfully constructed bedroom, sat down on the bed and, taking off his soft tunic over his head, threw his tunic into the hands of the helpful old woman. She shook the tunic, skillfully folded it into folds 440 and hung it on a peg near the chiseled bed. Then the old woman quietly came out of the bedroom, closed the door behind her with a silver handle, and pulled the bolt with a belt. All night long on his bed, covered with soft sheepskin, He thought about the road to which Athena had called him.

SONG TWO.

Born early, rose-fingered Eos emerged from the darkness. The beloved son of Odysseus got up from his bed, dressed in a dress, threw a sharpened sword over his shoulder, tied beautiful-looking soles to his white feet, 5 He quickly left the bedroom, like an immortal god, and gave the order to the loud-voiced heralds of the Long-haired Achaeans to immediately call for a meeting. Very soon everyone gathered in the square in response to their cry. After they had come together and a large crowd had gathered, 10 He also went out into the square, with a copper-edged spear in his palm. He was not walking alone. Two frisky dogs ran after him. Athena gave him an unspeakably pleasant look. All the people were amazed when they saw how he approached. He sat down in his father’s place, and the geronts made way for him. 15 The noble Egyptius stood up and began speaking to the assembly. He was bent in years and had a wealth of experience; His dear son, Antiphus the spear-wrestler, sailed with Odysseus on ships bent into horses to rich Troy. He was killed in a deep cave by the ferocious Cyclops 20 and served as his last meal for dinner. Three more sons remained; Among the suitors was the Son of Eurin, the rest worked in his father's house. Yet he remembered the first all the time, grieving and sad. Shedding tears for him, he began to speak before the assembly: 25 “Listen, O Ithacans, I will say before you today! Neither a council nor an assembly of the people has been convened with us since the very time when Odysseus sailed on curved ships. Who are we now? gathered? Who felt the need for this? Was it one of the young people or one of the older ones? 30 What did he hear about the arrival of the army and wants to tell us everything truthfully, since he was the first to hear about it? Or about the matter people's friend does he intend to speak? He seems blessed and brave to me. Let him receive from Zeus the Happiness he desires!" 35 He finished. The son of Odysseus listened to his speech with joy. He was eager to speak, he could not sit still. He stood in the middle of the meeting. And the Messenger, who has reasonable thoughts, put the scepter in his hands heart, Pisenor. First of all, Telemachus turned to the old man and said: 40 “Old man, that man is not far away - now you yourself will see him, the one who called the meeting. I feel great sadness today. I have not heard such news that an army was approaching us. There is no need for me to tell you that I was the first to hear about it. I wasn’t going to talk about other people’s matters either. 45 It’s about me and the troubles that have fallen on my house. Two of them: one - my noble father died, who was king over you and always, like a father, loved you. Much more severe is the second misfortune, from which our house will soon perish and I will be completely ruined. 50 Against her wishes, they pester their mother relentlessly, Like suitors, the sons of our noblest inhabitants, To go straight to her father’s house, to the elder Icarius, They don’t have the courage to set a ransom for his daughter himself, Choosing whoever he wants and who it will be more pleasant for him. 55 Instead, every day a crowd breaks into our house, They slaughter endless bulls, and fat goats, and rams, They always feast and drink sparkling wines without counting. They steal everything. And there is no longer such a husband in the house as Odysseus was, to protect the house from the curse. 60 We are not the type to cope with this, and even later we will be pitiful men, little capable of resisting. Oh, I would protect you too, if only I had the strength! Things are happening that cannot be tolerated! My house is dying in an ugly way. Doesn’t this really make you 65 indignant? Then at least be ashamed of your neighbors who live around you! At least be afraid of the gods, so that in their anger they do not turn these unworthy deeds on you! Zeus, the lord of Olympus, I conjure you, Themis, who dissolves the meetings of the people and gathers them, 70 Dear ones, I pray to you: stop! And let me suffer with grief in solitude! Didn't any of my parents cause offense to the beautiful-legged Achaeans by enmity, and for that you, by enmity, are now doing me wrong, encouraging these people? It would be better for me if 75 you yourself ate everything that lies with me and grazes. If you all ate, then payback would soon come. We would begin to walk around the city, pestering you with a request to return the Things back, until you gave everything back. Today you are tormenting my heart with hopeless grief!” 80 In rage, he exclaimed and threw the scepter to the ground. Tears flowed from my eyes. And the people were overcome with pity. Everyone else sat silently; no one dared to utter an insolently offensive word in response to Telemachus. Only one Antinous, objecting to him, exclaimed: 85 “What are you saying, you inflated, unbridled talker, why are you defaming us? You want to stain us with a shameful stain. It’s not the Achaean suitors who are to blame here before you, it’s your mother, immensely treacherous at heart! The third year ends and the fourth will soon come, 90 Like the Achaeans, she endlessly fools the spirit in the chest. She gives hope to everyone, promises each one separately, Sends news to him, but in her mind she wants something else. In addition, she has come up with another trick against us: She began to weave the fabric, the loom placing 95 thin, very large one in her place, and at the same time she announced to us: “That’s it, my young suitors (after all, my husband died), Don’t rush me into the wedding, wait until I weave the Shroud - otherwise my yarn will be lost! To the noble old man Laertes, in case the disastrous lot 100 The sorrow of death brings him here unexpectedly, So that the Achaean wives in the area do not reproach me, That a man who has acquired so much is buried without a shroud. So spoke and the brave spirit in our breasts convinced us. What happened? During the day she spun her cloth, 105 At night, placing torches nearby, she unraveled it again. The deception lasted three years, and the Achaeans trusted her. But as the fourth year approached and the hours came, the Woman who knew all this told us. We found her unraveling her beautiful fabric. 110 Willy-nilly then she had to finish her work. Listen! This is what the suitors answer to you, Telemachus, so that you and all the other Achaeans know this: The mother went away and told her to marry the one her father ordered her to marry and it was more pleasant for her to marry. 115 If she continues to irritate the Achaean sons, Proud of the gifts that Pallas Athena gave Her in abundance - art in beautiful works, a bright mind and cunning ingenuity - such as We do not know among the ancient Achaeans with magnificent hair, 120 Be this is Tyro, Mycenae in a beautiful crown, or Alcmene. No, not one of them could match Penelope’s Cunning! Today, however, her cunning will not help her. They will devour both your supplies and your livestock, as long as she persists in those thoughts that the gods put into her chest 125. She may gain great glory for herself through this, but it will only cause you great losses. We will not return to business and we will not go to other brides before she takes a husband according to her heart among the Achaeans." And, objecting to him, the judicious Telemachus said: 130 "How could I, Antinous, drive Tu out of the house against the will of who gave birth to and nurtured me! My father is far away, I don’t know whether he’s alive or dead. I will have to pay Elder Icarius a lot if I send my mother to him. And I will have to suffer from my father. And the deity will repay me threateningly 135 if my mother calls the terrible Erinnyes, leaving the House. Besides, I’ll be covered in bad glory. No, I will never dare to say such a word to her! If you don’t like it and it makes you angry, well! Cleanse my house! Arrange differently with feasts: 140 Spend your money on them, alternating between houses. If you find that it is both more pleasant and better for you to destroy one person’s wealth for free, Eat! And I will appeal to the eternal gods for support. Maybe Kronion will allow the work of retribution to take place! 145 All of you will perish here, and there will be no penalty for it!" So spoke Telemachus. Suddenly Zeus, thundering for a long time, sent down two eagles from a height, from a rocky peak. At first they flew peacefully in the breath of the wind, spreading wide wings close to one another. 150 But, finding themselves right above the multi-voiced meeting, they suddenly flapped their wings and began circling over the meeting, looked at everyone’s heads, saw the common death, and, scratching each other’s cheeks and necks with their claws, sped off to the top right - over their city, over their houses. 155 All in They were amazed when they saw the birds above them, And they thought to themselves, “How can all this end? Suddenly the noble old man Alifers, Mastor’s son, addressed them with a speech. Among his peers, he was the only one who stood out for his Knowledge of all kinds of birds and his prophetic speech. 160 He, full of good thoughts, he said before the assembly of the Achaeans: “Listen to what, Ithacans, I will say before you today! Most of all I address my speech to the grooms. Great troubles are rushing towards them. Odysseus won't be away from his friends for long. He's somewhere very close! 165 He raises death and murder for all Penelope’s suitors! It will also be bad for many of us who live here, in Ithaca, visible from afar. Let's think better about how to quickly curb the suitors. It would be better if they stopped doing it themselves - it would be much more useful for them. 170 I’m not new to fortune-telling and I understand my business. And with Odysseus, look, everything is happening exactly as I predicted at the time when the Achaeans were preparing to march to Troy and the cunning Odysseus went with them. Having endured many disasters, having lost all his comrades, 175 Unknown to everyone, he will return home in his twentieth year, So I said, and all this is definitely happening today!" Polybus's son, Eurymachus, objected, answering: "It would be better, old man, if You returned home and told fortunes for the guys so that nothing would happen to them! 180 In this matter, I can tell fortunes better than you. You never know how many birds we see flying under the bright sun. Not all of them foreshadow anything. Odysseus died in a distant land. It would be nice if, along with him, Death took you too! If you would have stopped your broadcasts, 185 you would not have incited Telemachus, who was already irritated by everything. That’s right, you want to receive a gift from him to your home! But I tell you, and my words will come true for sure: If you, with your long and rich experience, begin to support Stupid hostility in a young man with your chatter, 190 First of all, this will only make things worse for him, For he will not be able to do anything at all against us . And we, old man, will impose a severe penalty on you. It will not be easy to pay it off and it will be sad for the heart. And to Telemachus, in front of everyone who is here, I would suggest this: 195 Let him order his mother to return to his father; Let the same one prepare the wedding, having given a large dowry, How much is his dear daughter entitled to receive. Previously, I am fully convinced, the sons of the Achaeans will not lag behind with their difficult matchmaking. We are not afraid of any of you, 200 Not of Telemachus himself, no matter how many words he pours out, nor are we sad about your broadcasts. They are all nonsense! With them, old man, you only arouse more hostility towards yourself. All the good things will continue to be eaten here, and They will not wait for payment until the Achaeans consent to the wedding 205 is given by Her. After all, how long have we been waiting here, competing with each other for it? And time passes, we are not looking for new brides for a decent marriage." And in response to the son of Polybus, the judicious Telemachus said: "I, Eurymachus, neither you nor other noble suitors 210 will neither persuade nor beg any more. Everything is known to the gods, and also known to the Achaeans. Just give me a fast ship and twenty comrades, with whom I could go all the way there and back. I am going to go to Sparta and to sandy Pylos, 215 There to find out about my father who has disappeared. It’s true that among mortals Someone will be able to tell me about him, or Rumor will tell me about Zeus - she brings the most news to people. If I hear that my father is alive, that he will return home, I will wait for him for a year, patiently enduring oppression. 220 If I hear that he is dead, that he is no longer in the world, Then, having returned back to my father’s sweet land, I will build a grave hill in his honor, properly perform the funeral ceremony for him, and I will give my mother in marriage." So He said and sat down. And stood before the assembly of the Achaeans 225 Mentor. He was a companion of the impeccable Odysseus. He, leaving on the ships, entrusted the whole house to him, ordering him to listen to the old man in everything and to guard the house more diligently. Full of good intentions, he addressed the assembly like this: “Listen, O Ithacans, what I will say before you today! 230 No scepter-bearing King should be gentle, kind and affable in the future, but having driven the truth out of his heart, let everyone oppress people and commits lawlessness, If no one remembers Odysseus among the people whom He ruled and with whom he was kind, like a father with his sons. 235 I do not want to reproach unbridled daring suitors That, deceitful with their hearts, they commit violence: They play with their own heads They, ravaging the House of Odysseus, decided that he would not return back. But at you, the rest, with all my heart I am indignant: 240 You all sit, are silent and do not dare to curb them with a firm word. But there are so many of you, and there are so little!" Evenoid Leocritus, objecting to him, exclaimed: “Mentor, stubborn madman! So this is where you’re going with this! You want to humble us with the people! But it would be difficult for many 245 to force all of us to forcibly abandon our feasts! Even if Odysseus himself - The Ithacan returned and would have wished to drive away the noble suitors from here, sitting in his spacious house at a sumptuous feast, His return to his wife would not have been a joy, 250 No matter how much she yearned for him, he would have died a shameful death, If he had decided to compare himself with many. You're talking nonsense! You people, go away! Go back to your work! Let Mentor and Alifers hurry up to equip this one for the journey - Odysseus is both old comrades. 255 I think, for a long time, however, he will listen to the news, Sitting in Ithaca. Never his own path he won’t do it!” Having said this, he quickly dissolved the assembly of the Achaeans, and the people from the assembly dispersed to their homes. And the suitors returned back to Odysseus’s house. 260 Telemachus went into the distance along the sandy shore of the sea, washed his hands with gray water and prayed to Athena: “You, who visited our house yesterday and ordered me to sail into the foggy sea in a high-speed ship to find out if there was any news about my dear father, long gone 265 And about his return! The Achaeans hinder me in this, Most of all, the suitors in their boundless impudence." This is what he said while praying. Suddenly Athena appeared before him, taking on the image of Mentor, similar to him in appearance and speech, and with inspired words she addressed him like this: 270 “Also, in the future, Telemachus, do not be unreasonable and weak, Since the noble power of your father has been poured into your heart. with which he achieved everything both in word and in deed. Then your departure will become feasible and possible for you. If you are not the son of Odysseus and not the son of Penelope, 275 I think it is unlikely that you will be able to accomplish what you want. It rarely happens to children that they resemble their father, - For the most part worse than his father, only a few are better. If in the future you do not remain unreasonable and weak, If you are not completely deceived by Odysseus’s wit, 280 You can fully hope to accomplish your task. Now stop thinking about foolish suitors, about their plans and intrigues: there is no reason in these people, no truth. There is no premonition in their hearts that Black Kera and death are close to them, that one day they will all die. 285 The path that you so desire is not very far. This is what kind of comrade I am to your father: I will get a fast ship for you and follow you myself. Now you go back to the suitors. And let them prepare supplies for your journey, let them fill the vessels with them. 290 Tell me to pour wine into amphoras of sweets, and let them put barley flour - the human brain - into leather bags. For now, I’ll recruit volunteers from among the people. There are many ships in sea-bound Ithaca, both new and old. I'll look for a better ship between them, 295 We'll quickly equip it and go out into the wide sea." So said Athena, Zeus's daughter. And Telemachus did not wait long, having heard the voice of the goddess. With a sweetly sad heart, he hurriedly headed to the house. There he found the suitors proud: in the dining room 300 Goats were skinned by some, hogs in the yard were burned by others. Antinous stood up, laughed, went to meet Telemachus, took him by the hand, said a word and called him by name: “Eh, Telemachus, unbridledly violent and proud! Stop worrying about harming us in word and deed! 305 Better sit down and eat and drink with us, as you once did. Nevertheless, the Achaeans will willingly prepare everything that you need. A fast ship and selected oarsmen, so that you can quickly come to sacred Pylos and gather rumors about your illustrious father." In response to the son of Eupeites, Telemachus, judicious, said: 310 "No, Antinous, I can’t your insolence Take part in the feast with a calm and joyful spirit. Or is it not enough that before, when I was still a boy, you, suitors, devoured our most valuable wealth? Today, as I have become big and, listening to wise advisers, 315 I have learned a lot, and there is more courage in my chest, Ker I will try to send ominous ones on your heads, Either by going to Pylos, or here on this island. I will go and make the journey that I am telling you about here; I am traveling in someone else’s ship, for I myself have neither oarsmen, 320 nor a ship of my own: it seemed more profitable to you!” He said and tore his hand out of Antinous’s hand very easily. Meanwhile the suitors continued to feast. They mocked Telemachus and joked with words. Thus spoke not one of these arrogant youths: 325 “Hey, beware! Telemachus is plotting murder on us! Or he will bring someone from sandy Pylos to help, Or, perhaps, from Sparta. After all, he’s eager to go there! Or is he planning to go to Ether, to a fertile land, To bring from there a deadly poison for life, 330 Throw it into the craters and destroy us all at once." So another of these arrogant youths said: "Does anyone know? After all, it is possible that he, too, in a crooked ship, Like Odysseus, will die far from his family, wandering! This is a lot of trouble and it will cause us trouble. After all, 335 then we will have to divide all his property between us, and we will leave the mother and her future husband to own the house." So they said. Meanwhile, Telemachus went down into the storeroom With a high, large roof, in which heaps of Gold, honey, clothes in chests, fragrant oil. 340 There, in order along the walls, one after another, there were barrels made of clay with perennial sweet wine - a pure, divine drink; it was preserved in case Odysseus returned home, although he had suffered a lot. With a double door, firmly fitted , the entrance was locked. 345 The housekeeper was in that storeroom night and day, all guarding the supplies with great zeal and knowledge, Opus, Pensenor's son's daughter, Eurycleia the old woman. Telemachus turned to her, calling her to the storeroom: “Fill me with amphorae with sweet wine, nanny, - delicious 350 After that dear thing that you take care of here, Remembering him, the unfortunate one, in the hope that maybe the father will return to his home again, having escaped from Ker and from death. Fill twelve amphoras and cover them with lids. Having prepared thick leather bags, you will fill them with 355 twenty measures of ground egg flour. Know this alone! You will prepare supplies and put them all in a pile, and in the evening I will take them away, when the Mother rises to her upper chamber, thinking about sleep. I’m going to go to Sparta and to sandy Pylos - to scout out 360 Are there any rumors about the dear father and his return." So he said. Eurykleia the nurse howled loudly and sadly turned to him with the winged word: "How could you have this in your head? the thought will appear, my dear son! Well, how are you - beloved, the only one - how are you 365 going to distant lands? Your God-born father has already perished far from his homeland, in a land unfamiliar to him. These people, as soon as you leave, will plan an insidious deed, use cunning to destroy you and divide everything here among themselves. Darling, stay here with yours! Why do you need 370 to endure all sorts of troubles, wandering restlessly on the sea?" So, in response to Eurycleia, the judicious Telemachus said: "Nanny, do not be afraid! This is my decision, not without God. But swear to me that you won’t tell your mother anything Before eleven days or twelve days have passed since you left, 375 Either she won’t ask herself, or others won’t say about it. As if, I’m afraid, her beauty would not fade from tears." The old woman then swore an oath to the great gods. After she swore and finished the oath, she immediately poured wine into amphoras of sweets and prepared 380 leather bags, securely sewn, with flour . And Telemachus returned to the feasting suitors. A new thought then came to the owl-eyed goddess Athena. Taking the form of Telemachus, she went around the city; Stopping in front of her husband, she turned to him with a request, 385 That they all gather on a fast ship in the evening. With a request then to She asked Noemon, the brilliant son of Phronius, about the ship. He willingly provided it to her. Meanwhile the sun went down and the roads were covered with shadow. The goddess lowered a fast ship to the sea and 390 gear she packed into it, everything that was needed for sailing. Then she parked the ship at the exit itself from the bay. All the comrades had already converged on the ship, invited by her. A new thought then came to the owl-eyed goddess Athena: She quickly went to the house of Odysseus, like a god, 395 She poured a sweet dream into the eyes of the feasting suitors, clouded their minds, knocked the cups out of their hands . They all went to the city to sleep and lay in bed for a very short time, when a sweet dream had already fallen on their eyelashes. After that, Telemachus called from the beautiful rooms 400 The owl-eyed daughter of Zeus and addressed him with a speech, taking on the image of Mentor, resembling him in appearance and speech: “Friend, the strong-legged comrades have already sat down at the oars And are waiting for you to soon get ready to set off. Let’s go and we won’t delay our departure for long!” 405 Having finished, Pallas Athena went ahead of Telemachus, walking quickly. And behind her came the son of Odysseus. They soon approached the sea and the ship that was waiting for them. On the shore they found long-haired comrades. And Telemachus’ sacred power turned to them: 410 “Come on, friends, let’s bring supplies! They’re already at home, everything is prepared. The mother doesn’t know anything about leaving, neither do the other maids; only one heard the secret.” So he said and went, followed by others. Having taken supplies from the house, they quickly put them all in a strong-decked ship 415, as the son of Odysseus ordered them. Telemachus himself boarded the ship after Athena; She sat down at the stern of the ship, and Telemachus sat next to the goddess. The comrades untied the berths, quickly boarded the black-sided ship themselves and sat down at the oars. 420 Pallas Athena sent a wind favorable to them: The swift-flowing Zephyr rustled across the wine-red sea. Here Telemachus, encouraging his comrades, ordered them to adapt the tackle, and they obeyed his order. The spruce mast was raised at once, fixed inside 425 in a strong nest and tied with ropes to the bow. The white sail was then pulled with wicker straps. The sail in the middle was inflated by the wind, and the waters of the purple sea boiled furiously under the bow of the sailing ship; It slid from the high waves, making its way. 430 On the black-sided ship they secured the sails, Then they filled the craters with wine to the very edge And they began to pour libations to the eternal gods, And more than all the others - to the owl-eyed goddess Athena. Their black-sided ship ran quickly all night and all morning.

Great epic ancient Greece came to us in the form of two works by Homer: “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” Both poems are devoted to events of approximately the same time: and its consequences. The war has just ended. Odysseus proved himself to be an excellent warrior and an intelligent strategist. Thanks to his cunning decisions, more than one battle was won. This is evidenced by his own story in the poem, or rather, its summary. Homer's Odyssey (and his second poem, the Iliad) not only beautifully depict historical events, but also have excellent artistic presentation. The facts are decorated with the rich imagination of the author. It is thanks to this that history went beyond the usual chronicle or chronicle and became the property of world literature.

Homer's poem "Odyssey". Summary

After the war, Odysseus went home to his native Ithaca, where he was ruler. There his old father Laertes, wife Penelope and son Telemachus are waiting for him. Along the way, Odysseus is captured by the nymph Calypso. He spends several years there. Meanwhile, in his kingdom there is a struggle for the throne. There are many contenders for Odysseus's place. They live in his palace and convince Penelope that her husband is dead and will not return, and she must decide who she will marry again. But Penelope is faithful to Odysseus and is ready to wait for him for many years. To cool off the contenders for the throne and her hand, she comes up with various tricks. For example, she knits a shroud for old Laertes, promising to make a decision as soon as the work is finished. And at night she unties the already tied one. Meanwhile, Telemachus matured. One day a stranger came to him and advised him to equip a ship and go in search of his father. She herself was hiding in the image of a wanderer. She patronized Odysseus. Telemachus followed her advice. He ends up in Pylos to Nestor. The elder says that Odysseus is alive and is with Calypso. Telemachus decides to return home, please his mother with good news and ward off annoying contenders for the royal place. The events of the poem are conveyed by a summary. Homer portrays the Odyssey as a fairy-tale hero who went through terrible trials. Zeus, at the request of Athena, sends Hermes to Calypso and orders him to release Odysseus. He builds himself a raft and sets sail. But Poseidon again interferes with him: in a storm, the logs of the raft break. But Athena saves him again and brings him to the kingdom of Alcinous. He is received as a guest, and at the feast Odysseus talks about his adventures. Homer creates nine fantastic stories. “The Odyssey” (the summary conveys these stories) is a fairy-tale framing of real historical events.

The Adventures of Odysseus

First, Odysseus and his companions found themselves on an island with a magical lotus that deprives them of memory. Locals, lotophages, treated the guests to lotus, and they forgot about their Ithaca. Odysseus with difficulty took them to the ship and went on. The second adventure is a meeting with the Cyclopes. With difficulty, the sailors manage to blind the main cyclops Polyphemus and, hiding under the skins of sheep, leave the cave and escape from the island. You can find out about further events by reading the summary. Homer's "Odyssey" leads the reader along with its hero and covers a large period of time - about twenty years. After the island of the Cyclops, Odysseus ended up on the island with Aeolus, who gave the guest one fair wind and hid three more winds in a bag, tied it and warned that the bag could only be untied in Ithaca. But Odysseus's friends untied the sack while he was sleeping, and the winds brought their ship back to Aeolus. Then there was a clash with cannibal giants, and Odysseus miraculously managed to escape. Then the travelers visited Queen Kirka, who turned everyone into animals, in the kingdom of the dead; by cunning they managed to pass by the seductive Sirens, and sail in the strait between the monsters on the Island of the Sun. This is the poem, its summary. Homer returns Odysseus to his homeland, and he, together with Telemachus, expels all Penelope’s “suitors.” Peace reigns in Ithaca. The ancient poem is of interest to the modern reader both as a historical work and as classical fiction.

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Odyssey. New poetic translation by Arkady Kazansky. Odyssey - Homer's poem

Preface

Introduction

Genealogy of Homer's gods mentioned in the poem

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Song one