Not that I think it’s wrong to lament the dead.            This is all we can do—cut our hair            And shed some tears.

Location 640

But Helen, child of Zeus, had other ideas.            She threw a drug into the wine bowl            They were drinking from, a drug            That stilled all pain, quieted all anger            [235] And brought forgetfulness of every ill.            Whoever drank wine laced with this drug            Would not be sad or shed a tear that day,            Not even if his own father and mother            Should lie there dead, or if someone killed            [240] His brother, or son, before his eyes.            Helen had gotten this potent, cunning drug            From Polydamna, the wife of Thon,            A woman in Egypt, where the land            Proliferates with all sorts of drugs,            [245] Many beneficial, many poisonous.            Men there know more about medicines            Than any other people on earth,            For they are of the race of Paeeon, the Healer.            When she had slipped the drug into the wine,

Location 653

listen to what that hero did once            In the land of Troy, where the Achaeans suffered.            First, he beat himself up—gave himself some nasty bruises—            Then put on a cheap cloak so he looked like a slave,            And in this disguise he entered the wide streets            [265] Of the enemy city. He looked like a beggar,            Far from what he was back in the Greek camp,            And fooled everyone when he entered Troy.            I alone recognized him in his disguise            And questioned him, but he cleverly put me off.            [270] It was only after I had bathed him            And rubbed him down with oil and clothed him            And had sworn a great oath not to tell the Trojans

Location 668

It would have been            [470] A gruesome ambush—the stench of the seals            Was unbearable—but the goddess saved us            By putting ambrosia under each man’s nose,            Drowning out the stench with its immortal fragrance.            So we waited patiently all morning long,            [475] And then the seals came from the water in throngs.

Location 780

Never suspecting any kind of trick,            And then he lay down. We rushed him            With a shout and got our hands on him,            And the Old One didn’t forget his wiles,            Turning first into a bearded lion,            [485] Then a serpent, a leopard, and a huge boar.            He even turned into flowing water,            And into a high, leafy tree. But we            Held on, gritting our teeth, and at last            The wily Old One grew weary, and said to me:            [490] ‘Which god have you plotted with, son of Atreus,            To catch me off-guard? What do you want?’

Location 785

Thus Zeus, and the quicksilver messenger            Laced on his feet the beautiful sandals,            Golden, immortal, that carry him over            Landscape and seascape on a puff of wind.            And he picked up the wand he uses to charm            [50] Mortal eyes to sleep and make sleepers awake.            Holding this wand the tough quicksilver god            Took off, bounded onto Pieria            And dove through the ether down to the sea,            Skimming the waves like a cormorant,            [55] The bird that patrols the saltwater billows            Hunting for fish, seaspume on its plumage,            Hermes flying low and planing the whitecaps.

Location 888

It was enough to make even a visiting god            Enraptured at the sight. Quicksilver Hermes            Took it all in, then turned and entered            The vast cave.            [80] Calypso knew him at sight.            The immortals have ways of recognizing each other,

Location 906

You’re destined to suffer before getting home,            You’d stay here with me, deathless—            Think of it, Odysseus!—no matter how much            You missed your wife and wanted to see her again.            [210] You spend all your daylight hours yearning for her.            I don’t mind saying she’s not my equal            In beauty, no matter how you measure it.            Mortal beauty cannot compare with immortal.”            Odysseus, always thinking, answered her this way:            [215] “Goddess and mistress, don’t be angry with me.            I know very well that Penelope,            For all her virtues, would pale beside you.            She’s only human, and you are a goddess,            Eternally young. Still, I want to go back.            [220] My heart aches for the day I return to my home.            If some god hits me hard as I sail the deep purple,            I’ll weather it like the sea-bitten veteran I am.            God knows I’ve suffered and had my share of sorrows            In war and at sea. I can take more if I have to.”            [225] The sun set on his words, and the shadows darkened.            They went to a room deep in the cave, where they made            Sweet love and lay side by side through the night.

Location 980

Then Demodocus swept the strings of his lyre            And began his song. He sang of the passion            Between Ares and gold-crowned Aphrodite,            [290] How they first made love in Hephaestus’ house,            Sneaking around, and how the War God Ares            Showered her with gifts and shamed the bed            Of her husband, Hephaestus. But it wasn’t long            Before Hephaesus found out. Helios told him            [295] That he had seen them lying together in love.            When Hephaestus heard this heart-wrenching news            He went to his forge, brooding on his wrongs,            And set the great anvil up on its block            And hammered out a set of unbreakable bonds,            [300] Bonds that couldn’t loosen, bonds meant to stay put.            When he had wrought this snare, furious with Ares,            He went to his bedroom and spread the bonds            All around the bedposts, and hung many also            From the high roofbeams, as fine as cobwebs,            [305] So fine not even the gods could see them.            When he had spread this cunning snare            All around the bed, he pretended to leave            On a trip to Lemnos, his favorite city.            Ares wasn’t blind, and when he saw Hephaestus            [310] On his way out, he headed for the house            Of the glorious smith, itching to make love            To the Cytherean goddess. She had been visiting            Her father, Zeus, and was just sitting down            When Ares came in, took her hand, and said:            [315] “Let’s go to bed, my love, and lie down together.            Hephaestus has left town, off to Lemnos no doubt            To visit the barbarous Sintians.”            This suggestion appealed to the goddess,            And they climbed into bed. They were settling in            [320] When the chains Hephaestus had cunningly wrought            Fell all around them. They couldn’t move an inch,            Couldn’t lift a finger, and by the time it sank in            That there was no escape, there was Hephaestus,            Gimpy-legged and glorious, coming in the door.            [325] He had turned back on his way to Lemnos            as soon as Helios, his spy, gave him the word.            He stood in the doorway, seething with anger,            And with an ear-splitting yell called to the gods:            [330] “Father Zeus and all you blessed gods eternal,            Come see something that is as ridiculous            As it is unendurable, how Aprhodite,            Daughter of Zeus, scorns me for being lame            And loves that marauder Ares instead            Because he is handsome and well-knit, whereas I            [335] Was born misshapen, which is no one’s fault            But my parents’, who should have never begotten me!            Come take a look at how these two            Have climbed into my bed to make love and lie            In each other’s arms. It kills me to see it!…

Location 1340

Odysseus, with great presence of mind,            Cut off part of a huge chine of roast pork            Glistening with fat, and said to the herald:            “Herald, take this cut of meat to Demodocus            [515] For him to eat. And I will greet him            Despite my grief. Bards are revered            By all men upon earth, for the Muse            Loves them well and has taught them the songways.”            The herald brought the cut of meat to Demodocus            [520] And placed it in his hands, much to the bard’s delight.

Location 1416

So there is no need, stranger, for you to withhold            What I am about to ask for, no need to be crafty            [595] Or think of gain. Better to speak the plain truth.            Tell me your name, the one you were known by            To your mother and father and your people back home.            No one is nameless, rich man or poor.            Parents give names to all of their children            [600] When they are born. And tell me your country,            Your city, and your land, so that our ships            May take you there, finding their way by their wits.            For Phaeacian ships do not have pilots,            Nor steering oars, as other ships have.            [605] They know on their own their passengers’ thoughts,            And know all the cities and rich fields in the world,            And they cross the great gulfs with the greatest speed,            Hidden in mist and fog, with never a fear            Of damage or shipwreck.

Location 1460

But tell me this, and tell me the truth.            Where have you wandered, to what lands?            [620] Tell me about the people and cities you saw,            Which ones are cruel and without right and wrong,            And which are godfearing and kind to strangers.            And tell me why you weep and grieve at heart            When you hear the fate of the Greeks and Trojans.            [625] This was the gods’ doing. They spun that fate            So that in later times it would turn into song.            Did some kinsman of yours die at Troy,            A good, loyal man, your daughter’s husband            Or your wife’s father, someone near and dear,            [630] Or perhaps even a relative by blood?            Or was it a comrade, tried and true?            A friend like that is no less than a brother.”

Location 1474

But Ithaca lies low on the evening horizon,            [30] A rugged place, a good nurse of men.            No sight is sweeter to me than Ithaca. Yes,            Calypso, the beautiful goddess, kept me            In her caverns, yearning to possess me;            And Circe, the witch of Aeaea, held me            [35] In her halls and yearned to possess me;            But they could not persuade me or touch my heart.            Nothing is sweeter than your own country            And your own parents, not even living in a rich house—            Not if it’s far from family and home.            [40] But let me tell you of the hard journey homeward

Location 1497

They headed out and made contact with the Lotus-Eaters,            Who meant no harm but did give my men            Some lotus to eat. Whoever ate that sweet fruit            [95] Lost the will to report back, preferring instead            To stay there, munching lotus, oblivious of home.            I hauled them back wailing to the ships,            Bound them under the benches, then ordered            All hands to board their ships on the double            [100] Before anyone else tasted the lotus.            They were aboard in no time and at their benches,            Churning the sea white with their oars.

Location 1532

Conquerer of Troy, destroyer of armies.            Now we are here, suppliants at your knees,            Hoping you will be generous to us            [260] And give us the gifts that are due to strangers.            Respect the gods, sir. We are your suppliants,            And Zeus avenges strangers and suppliants,            Zeus, god of strangers, who walks at their side.’            He answered me from his pitiless heart:            [265] ‘You’re dumb, stranger, or from far away,            If you ask me to fear the gods. Cyclopes            Don’t care about Zeus or his aegis            Or the blessed gods, since we are much stronger.            I wouldn’t spare you or your men            [270] Out of fear of Zeus. I would spare them only            If I myself wanted to.

Location 1621

This brought no response from his pitiless heart            [280] But a sudden assault upon my men. His hands            Reached out, seized two of them, and smashed them            To the ground like puppies. Their brains spattered out            And oozed into the dirt. He tore them limb from limb            To make his supper, gulping them down            [285] Like a mountain lion, leaving nothing behind—            Guts, flesh, or marrowy bones.            Crying out, we lifted our hands to Zeus            At this outrage, bewildered and helpless.            When the Cyclops had filled his huge belly            [290] With human flesh, he washed it down with milk,            Then stretched out in his cave among his flocks.

Location 1633

‘Hear me, Poseidon, blue-maned Earth-Holder,            If you are the father you claim to be.            Grant that Odysseus, son of Laertes,            May never reach his home on Ithaca.            [530] But if he is fated to see his family again,            And return to his home and own native land,            May he come late, having lost all companions,            In another’s ship, and find trouble at home.’            He prayed, and the blue-maned sea-god heard him.

Location 1769

They entered the house and found his wife inside,            A woman, to their horror, as huge as a mountain top.            At once she called her husband, Antiphates,            Who meant business when he came. He seized            [130] One of my men and made him into dinner.            The other two got out of there and back to the ships,            But Antiphates had raised a cry throughout the city,            And when they heard it, the Laestrygonians            Came up on all sides, thousands of them,            [135] Not like men but like the Sons of the Earth,            The Giants. They pelted us from the cliffs            With rocks too large for a man to lift.            The sounds that came from the ships were sickening,            Sounds of men dying and boats being crushed.            [140] The Laestrygonians speared the bodies like fish,            And carried them back for their ghastly meal.            While this was happening I drew my sword            And cut the cables of my dark-prowed ship,            Barking out orders for the crew to start rowing            [145] And get us out of there. They rowed for their lives,            Ripping the sea, and my ship sped joyfully            Out and away from the beetling rocks,            But all of the others were destroyed as they lay.

Location 1856

Take this herb with you when you go to Circe,            And it will protect you from her deadly tricks.            [310] She’ll mix a potion and spike it with drugs,            But she won’t be able to cast her spell            Because you’ll have a charm that works just as well—            The one I’ll give you—and you’ll be forewarned.            When Circe strikes you with her magic wand,            [315] Draw your sharp sword from beside your thigh            And rush at her with murder in your eye.            She’ll be afraid and invite you to bed.            Don’t turn her down—that’s how you’ll get            Your comrades freed and yourself well loved.            [320] But first make her swear by the gods above            She will not unsex you when you are nude,            Or drain you of your manly fortitude.’            So saying, Hermes gave me the herb,            Pulling it out of the ground, and showed it to me.            [325] It was black at the root, with a milk-white flower.            Moly, the gods call it, hard for mortal men to dig up,            But the gods can do anything. Hermes rose            Through the wooded island and up to Olympus,            And I went on to Circe’s house, brooding darkly            [330] On many things.

Location 1956

‘Circe, how could anyone bring himself—            Any decent man—to taste food and drink            [410] Before seeing his comrades free?            If you really want me to eat and drink,            Set my men free and let me see them.’            So I spoke, and Circe went outside            Holding her wand and opened the sty            [415] And drove them out. They looked like swine            Nine or ten years old. They stood there before her            And she went through them and smeared each one            With another drug. The bristles they had grown            After Circe had given them the poisonous drug            [420] All fell away, and they became men again,            Younger than before, taller and far handsomer.            They knew me, and they clung to my hands,            And the house rang with their passionate

Location 2011

But when your ship crosses the stream of Ocean            You will see a shelving shore and Persephone’s groves,            Tall poplars and willows that drop their fruit.            [535] Beach your ship there by Ocean’s deep eddies,            And go yourself to the dank house of Hades.            There into Acheron flow Pyriphlegethon            And Cocytus, a branch of the water of Styx.            And there is a rock where the two roaring rivers            [540] Flow into one. At that spot, hero, gather yourself            And do as I say.                                                        Dig an ell-square pit,            And around it pour libation to all the dead,            First with milk and honey, then with sweet wine,            And a third time with water. Then sprinkle barley            [545] And pray to the looming, feeble death-heads,            Vowing sacrifice on Ithaca, a barren heifer,            The herd’s finest, and rich gifts on the altar,            And to Tiresias alone a great black ram.

Location 2079

I cut the sheeps’ throats over the pit,            And the dark blood pooled there.                                                        Then out of Erebus            [35] The souls of the dead gathered, the ghosts            Of brides and youths and worn-out old men            And soft young girls with hearts new to sorrow,            And many men wounded with bronze spears,            Killed in battle, bearing blood-stained arms.            [40] They drifted up to the pit from all sides            With an eerie cry, and pale fear seized me.            I called to my men to flay the slaughtered sheep            And burn them as a sacrifice to the gods,            To mighty Hades and dread Persephone.

Location 2134

Then came the ghost of my dead mother,

Note: Where is the origin of Gods and spirits in fiction?

Location 2160

And then he came, the ghost of Theban Tiresias,            Bearing a golden staff. He knew me and said:            ‘Odysseus, son of Laertes, master of wiles,            [90] Why have you come, leaving the sunlight            To see the dead and this joyless place?            Move off from the pit and take away your sword,            So I may drink the blood and speak truth to you.’            I drew back and slid my silver-studded sword            [95] Into its sheath. After he had drunk the dark blood            The flawless seer rose and said to me:            ‘You seek a homecoming sweet as honey,            Shining Odysseus, but a god will make it bitter,            For I do not think you will elude the Earthshaker,            [100] Who has laid up wrath in his heart against you,            Furious because you blinded his son. Still,            You just might get home, though not without pain,

Note: Strangeness

Location 2163

So she spoke, and my heart yearned            [205] To embrace the ghost of my dead mother.            Three times I rushed forward to hug her,            And three times she drifted out of my arms            Like a shadow or a dream. The pain            That pierced my heart grew ever sharper,            [210] And my words rose to my mother on wings:            ‘Mother, why do you slip away when I try            To embrace you? Even though we are in Hades,            Why can’t we throw our arms around each other            And console ourselves with chill lamentation?            [215] Are you a phantom sent by Persephone            To make me groan even more in my grief?’            And my mother answered me at once:                        ‘O my child, most ill-fated of men,            It is not that Persephone is deceiving you.            [220] This is the way it is with mortals.            When we die, the sinews no longer hold            Flesh and bones together. The fire destroys these            As soon as the spirit leaves the white bones,            And the ghost flutters off and is gone like a dream.            [225] Hurry now to the light, and remember these things,            So that later you may tell them all to your wife.’                                             That was the drift of our talk.

Location 2228

I lay dying with a sword in my chest,            But that bitch, my wife, turned her back on me            And would not shut my eyes or close my lips            As I was going down to Death. Nothing            Is more grim or more shameless than a woman            [445] Who sets her mind on such an unspeakable act            As killing her own husband. I was sure            I would be welcomed home by my children            And all my household, but she, with her mind set            On stark horror, has shamed not only herself            [450] But all women to come, even the rare good one.’

Location 2356

Then I went down the rows and smeared the wax            [185] Into all my men’s ears. They in turn bound me            Hand and foot upright to the mast,            Tied the ends of the rope to the mast, and then            Sat down and beat the sea white with their oars.

Location 2580

When I reached the ship I chewed out my men,            Giving each one an earful. But there was nothing            We could do. The cattle were already dead.            [405] Then the gods showed some portents            Directed at my men. The hides crawled,            And the meat, both roasted and raw,            Mooed on the spits, like cattle lowing.

Location 2702

Then they spread out            [75] A rug and a linen sheet on the stern deck            For Odysseus to sleep upon undisturbed.            He climbed on board and lay down in silence            While they took their places upon the benches            And untied the cable from the anchor stone.            [80] As soon as they dipped their oars in the sea,            A deep sleep fell on his eyelids, a sleep            Sound, and sweet, and very much like death.

Location 2780

You want my prayer? May Apollo with his silver bow            Strike Telemachus dead today in his halls,            Or may the suitors kill him, as surely as Odysseus            Is lost for good in some faraway land.”

Note: Echoes Christianity on the second coming; faith or doubt in the return.

Location 3191

But they gave me to a friend of theirs, from Cyprus,            [480] To take me back there and give me to Dmetor,

Location 3306

“That was foul, Antinous, hitting a poor beggar.            [525] You’re done for if he turns out to be a god            Come down from heaven, the way they do,            Disguised as strangers from abroad or whatever,            Going around to different cities            And seeing who’s lawless and who lives by the rules.”

Location 3331

Many road-weary strangers have come here,            But I have never seen such a resemblance            As that between you and Odysseus,            [415] In looks, voice—even the shape of your feet.”            And Odysseus, from his mind’s teeming depths:                        “Oh, everyone who has seen us both says that,            Old woman, that we are very much alike,            Just as you yourself have noticed.”            [420] And the old woman took the shining basin            She used for washing feet, poured            Cold water into it, and then added the hot.            Odysseus, waiting, suddenly sat down at the hearth            And turned away toward the shadows. The scar!            [425] It flashed through his mind that his old nurse            Would notice his scar as soon as she touched him,            And then everything would be out in the open.            She drew near and started to wash her master,            And knew at once the scar from the wound            [430] He had gotten long ago from a boar’s white tusk            When he had gone to Parnassus to visit Autolycus,            His mother’s father, who was the best man on earth

Location 3625

“Lady, there is no way to give this dream            [610] Another slant. Odysseus himself has shown you            How he will finish this business. The suitors’ doom            Is clear. Not one will escape death’s black birds.”

Location 3729

Thus the suitors, while Odysseus, deep in thought,            Was looking over his bow. And then, effortlessly,            Like a musician stretching a string            Over a new peg on his lyre, and making            The twisted sheep-gut fast at either end,            [435] Odysseus strung the great bow. Lifting it up,            He plucked the string, and it sang beautifully            Under his touch, with a note like a swallow’s.            The suitors were aghast. The color drained            From their faces, and Zeus thundered loud,            [440] Showing his portents and cheering the heart            Of the long-enduring, godlike Odysseus.

Location 3996

As he spoke his strong hand reached for a sword            That lay nearby—a sword Agelaus had dropped            [350] When he was killed. The soothsayer was struck            Full in the neck. His lips were still forming words            When his lopped head rolled in the dust.

Location 4204

“I won’t allow a clean death for these women—            The suitors’ sluts—who have heaped reproaches            Upon my own head and upon my mother’s.”            He spoke, and tied the cable of a dark-prowed ship            To a great pillar and pulled it about the round house,            [490] Stretching it high so their feet couldn’t touch the ground.            Long-winged thrushes, or doves, making their way            To their roosts, fall into a snare set in a thicket,            And the bed that receives them is far from welcome.            So too these women, their heads hanging in a row,            [495] The cable looped around each of their necks.            It was a most piteous death. Their feet fluttered            For a little while, but not for long.

Location 4280

they brought Melanthius outside,            And in their fury they sliced off            His nose and ears with cold bronze            [500] And pulled his genitals out by the root—            Raw meat for the dogs—and chopped off            His hands and feet.                                             This done,            They washed their own hands and feet            [505] And went back into their master’s great hall.

Location 4287

Odysseus has come home, after all this time,            And has killed those men who tried to marry you            And who ravaged your house and bullied your son.”

Location 4309

Not even Helen, daughter of Zeus,            Would have slept with a foreigner had she known            The Greeks would go to war to bring her back home.            It was a god who drove her to that dreadful act,            [230] Or she never would have thought of doing what she did,            The horror that brought suffering to us as well.

Location 4427

Land is a welcome sight to men swimming            For their lives, after Poseidon has smashed their ship            In heavy seas. Only a few of them escape            And make it to shore. They come out            Of the grey water crusted with brine, glad            [245]          To be alive and set foot on dry land.

Location 4435

Odysseus told her of all the suffering            [315] He had brought upon others, and of all the pain            He endured himself. She loved listening to him            And did not fall asleep until he had told the whole tale.            He began with how he overcame the Cicones            And then came to the land of the Lotus-Eaters,            [320] And all that the Cyclops did, and how he            Paid him back for eating his comrades.            Then how he came to Aeolus,            Who welcomed him and sent him on his way,            But since it was not his destiny to return home then,            [325] The stormwinds grabbed him and swept him off            Groaning deeply over the teeming saltwater.            Then how he came to the Laestrygonians,            Who destroyed his ships and all their crews,            Leaving him with only one black-tarred hull.            [330] Then all of Circe’s tricks and wiles,            And how he sailed to the dank house of Hades            To consult the spirit of Theban Tiresias            And saw his old comrades there            And his aged mother who nursed him as a child.            [335] Then how he heard the Sirens’ eternal song,            And came to the Clashing Rocks,            And dread Charybdis and Scylla,            Whom no man had ever escaped before.            Then how his crew killed the cattle of the Sun,            [340] And how Zeus, the high lord of thunder,            Slivered his ship with lightning, and all his men            Went down, and he alone survived.            And he told her how he came to Ogygia,            The island of the nymph Calypso,            [345] Who kept him there in her scalloped caves,            Yearning for him to be her husband,            And how she took care of him, and promised            To make him immortal and ageless all his days            But did not persuade the heart in his breast.            [350] Then how he crawled out of the sea in Phaeacia,            And how the Phaeacians honored him like a god            And sent him on a ship to his own native land            With gifts of bronze and clothing and gold.            He told the story all the way through,

Location 4475

You were very dear to the gods.            Not even in death have you lost your name,            Achilles, nor your honor among men.            [100] But what did I get for winding up the war?            Zeus worked out for me a ghastly death            At the hands of Aegisthus and my murderous wife.”

Location 4567

We were courting the wife of Odysseus,            Long gone by then. She loathed the thought            Of remarrying, but she wouldn’t give us a yes or no.            Her mind was bent on death and darkness for us.            [135] Here is one of the tricks she dreamed up:            She set up a loom in the hall and started weaving—            A huge, fine-threaded piece—and then came out and said:            ‘Young men—my suitors, since Odysseus is dead—            Eager as you are to marry me, you must wait            [140] Until I finish this robe—it would be a shame            To waste my spinning—a shroud for the hero            Laertes, when death’s doom lays him low.            I fear the Achaean women would reproach me            If he should lie shroudless for all his wealth.’            [145] “We went along with this appeal to our honor.            Every day she would weave at the great loom,            And every night she would unweave by torchlight.            She fooled us for three years with her craft.            But in the fourth year, as the seasons rolled by,            [150] And the moons waned, and the days dragged on,            One of her women who knew all about it            Told us, and we caught her unweaving            The gloried shroud. Then we forced her to finish it.            When it was done she washed it and showed it to us,            And it shone like the sun or the moon.            [155]                              It was then            That some evil spirit brought Odysseus            From who knows where to the border of his land,

Location 4585

“Well done, Odysseus, Laertes’ wily son!            [200] You won a wife of great character            In Icarius’ daughter. What a mind she has,            A woman beyond reproach! How well Penelope            Kept in her heart her husband, Odysseus.            And so her virtue’s fame will never perish,            [205] And the gods will make among men on earth            A song of praise for steadfast Penelope.            But Tyndareus’ daughter was evil to the core,            Killing her own husband, and her song will be            A song of scorn, bringing ill-repute            [210] To all women, even the virtuous.”

Location 4622

“My friends, it is truly monstrous—            What this man has done to our city.            [445] First, he sailed off with many of our finest men            And lost the ships and every man aboard.            Now he has come back and killed many others,            By far the best of the Cephallenians.            We must act now, before he runs off to Pylos            [450] Or takes refuge with the Epean lords of Elis.            We will be disgraced forever if we don’t avenge            Our sons’ and brothers’ deaths, and if we don’t,            I see no point in living. I’d rather be dead.

Location 4754

as you will,            But I will tell you what would be fitting.            [500] Now that Odysseus has paid the suitors back,            Let all parties swear a solemn oath,            That he will be king on Ithaca all of his days.            We, for our part, will have them forget            The killing of their sons and brothers.            [505] Let them live in friendship as before,            And let peace and prosperity abound.”

Location 4784