Greeks would have made him a tomb, and he would have obtained great glory for his son hereafter; but now the Harpies have snatched him away ingloriously: he is gone unseen, unheard of, and has left pains and groanings for me. Nor do I lament and grieve for him alone any longer; since the gods have contrived other evil cares for me. For as many chiefs as govern the islands, Dulichium, Samos, and woody Zacynthus, and as many as rule over craggy Ithaca, so many are wooing my mother and wasting away my estate. But she neither refuses the hateful marriage, nor can she bring it to a conclusion; but they are consuming my estate, and waste it away, and they will soon destroy myself to boot."
But with a conflict of painful feelings, Pallas Minerva spoke: "Alas! very much indeed dost thou stand in need of the absent Ulysses, who might lay his hands on the shameless suitors. For if he should now come and stand at the outward gate of the palace, having a helmet and shield and two darts, being such as when first I beheld him in our house drinking and delighting himself, having come from Ephyre from Ilus the son of Mermerus, (for Ulysses went there also in a swift ship, to seek for a deadly drug, that he might anoint his brazen-tipt arrows; but he[1] gave it not to him, for he revered[2] the immortal gods; but my father gave it him, for he loved him exceedingly,) if being such a one Ulysses should come in contact with the suitors, all would be quick-fated, and would have a bitter marriage. But all these things lie on the knees of the gods; whether he returning shall exact vengeance in his own palace, or not. But I exhort thee to consider by what means thou mayest thrust out the suitors from the palace. Come now,[3] attend, and regard my words. To-morrow having convoked the Grecian heroes to an assembly, speak the word before all and let the gods be witnesses: command the suitors to disperse to their own homes. And if thy mother's mind encourages her to marry, let her return to the house of her father, who has mighty influence; and they will make a mar-
- ↑ Ilus.
- ↑ Literally, "feared the nemesis or ill-will of the gods," for the gods were believed to envy the excessive prosperity of men. Hence cautious persons avoided expressions or actions which displayed arrogance.
- ↑ The full form of expression would be εἰ δὲ βουλει, ἄγε, but the simple εἰ δ' ἄγε came to mean simply age vero, and be used as an exhortative particle. Loewe.
