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Tell me, Muse , of that ingenious hero who traveled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy . Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home; but whatever he did could not save his men, for they perished through their own sheer stupidity.So now all who escaped death in battle or by shipwreck had got safely home except Odysseus , and he, though he was longing to return to his wife and country, was detained by the goddess Calypso who had got him into a large cave and wanted to marry him. But as years went by, there came a time when the gods settled that he should go back to Ithaca then, however, when he was among his own people, his troubles were not yet over;nevertheless all the gods had now begun to pity him except Poseidon , who still persecuted him without ceasing and would not let him get home.
Now Poseidon had gone off to the Ethiopians , who are at the world’s end, and lie in two halves, the one looking West and the other East.
He had gone there to enjoy a festival; but the other gods met in the house of Zeus , and the father of gods and men spoke first.
“See now, how men lay blame upon us gods for what is after all nothing but their own stupidity.”
Then Athena said, “Father, King of kings, it is for Odysseus that my heart bleeds, when I think of his sufferings in that lonely island, far away, poor man, from all his friends. You, sir,take no notice of this. Why should you keep on being so angry with him?”
And Zeus said, “My child, what are you talking about? How can I forget Odysseus than whom there is no more capable man on earth, nor more liberal in his offerings to the immortal gods that live in heaven? Bear in mind, however, that Poseidon is still furious with Odysseus for having blinded an eye of Polyphemus king of the Cyclopes . Still, let us lay our heads together and see how we can help him to return. Poseidon will then be calmed,for if we are all of a mind he can hardly stand out against us.”
And Athena said, “Father, King of kings, if, then, the gods now mean that Odysseus should get home, we should first send Hermes to the Ogygian island to tell Calypso we have made up our minds and that he is to return. In the meantime, I will go to Ithaca to put heart into Odysseus’s son Telemachus ; I will encourage him to call the Achaeans in assembly, and speak out to the men who want to marry his mother Penelope ; I will also conduct him to Sparta and to Pylos to see if he can hear anything about the return of his dear father — for this will make people speak well of him.”
So saying she bound on her glittering golden sandals , and down she darted from the topmost summits of Olympus . Soon she was in Ithaca at the gateway of Odysseus’s house, disguised as a visitor, Mentes , chief of the Taphians . Telemachus saw her long before anyone else did. He was sitting moodily among the men who want to marry his mother, thinking about his brave father,and how he would send them flying out of the house, if he were to come to his own home again and be honored as in days gone by. Thus brooding as he sat among them, when he caught sight of Athena and went straight to the gate. He took her right hand in his own, “Welcome,” said he, “to our house, and when you have partaken of food you shall tell us what you have come for.”
He led the way as he spoke, and Athena followed him.
Then the men who want to marry Penelope came in and took their places on the benches and seats. Telemachus spoke low to Athena, with his head close to hers so that no man might hear.
“I hope, sir,” said he, “that you will not be offended with what I am going to say. If these men were to see my father come back to Ithaca they would pray for longer legs rather than a longer purse, for money would not serve them; but he has fallen on an ill fate, and even when people do sometimes say that he is coming, we no longer pay attention to them; we shall never see him again. And now, sir, tell me and tell me true, who you are and where do you come from? Tell me also truly, for I want to know, are you a stranger to this house, or have you been here in my father’s time? In the old days we had many visitors for my father went about much himself.”
And Athena answered, “I will tell you truly and particularly all about it. I am Mentes, son of Anchialus, and I am King of the Taphians. Our fathers were friends before us, as old Laertes will tell you, if you will go and ask him. They told me your father was at home again, and that was why I came, but it seems the gods are still keeping him back, for he is not dead yet not on the mainland. It is more likely he is on some island in mid ocean,or a prisoner among savages who are detaining him against his will. I am no prophet , and know very little about signs, but I speak as it is borne in upon me from heaven, and assure you that he will not be away much longer; for he is a man of such resources that even though he were in chains of iron he would find some means of getting home again. But tell me, and tell me true, can Odysseus really have such a fine looking fellow for a son? You are indeed wonderfully like him about the head and eyes.”
“My mother,” answered Telemachus, “tells me I am son to Odysseus, but it is a wise child that knows his own father. Would that I were son to one who had grown old upon his own estates,for, since you ask me, there is no more illstarred man under heaven than he who they tell me is my father.”
And Athena said, “There is no fear of your race dying out yet, for Penelope has such a fine son as you are. But tell me,and tell me true, what is the meaning of all this feasting , and who are these people? And the guests — how terribly they are behaving; what riot they make over the whole house; it is enough to disgust any respectable person who comes near them.”
“Sir,” said Telemachus, “as regards your question, so long as my father was here it was well with us and with the house,but the gods in their displeasure have willed it otherwise, and have hidden him away more closely than mortal man was ever yet hidden. I could have borne it better even though he were dead, if he had fallen with his men before Troy, or had died with friends around him when the days of his fighting were done;for then the Achaeans would have built a mound over his ashes,and I should myself have been heir to his renown ; but now the storm-winds have spirited him away we know not where; he is gone without leaving so much as a trace behind him, and I inherit nothing but dismay . Nor does the matter end simply with grief for the loss of my father; heaven has laid sorrows upon me of yet another kind; for the chiefs from all our islands, as also all the principal men of Ithaca, are eating up my house under the pretext of paying their court to my mother, who will neither point blank say that she will not marry, nor yet bring matters to an end; so they are making havoc of my estate, and before long will do so also with myself.”
“Is that so?” exclaimed Athena, “then you do indeed want Odysseus home again. Give him his helmet, shield, and a couple of swords, and if he is the man he was when I first knew him in our house, drinking and making merry, he would soon lay his hands about these wicked men, were he to stand once more upon his own threshold . If Odysseus is the man he then was, these men who want to marry his wife will have a sorry wedding. But there! It rests with heaven to determine whether he is to return, and take his revenge in his own house or not. I would, however, urge you to set about trying to get rid of these men at once. Take my advice, call the Achaean heroes in assembly tomorrow — lay your case before them, and call heaven to bear you witness. Bid the men who want to marry Penelope take themselves off, each to his own place, and if your mother’s mind is set on marrying again, let her go back to her father, who will find her a husband and provide her with all the marriage gifts that so dear a daughter may expect. As for yourself, let me prevail upon you to take the best ship you can get, with a crew of twenty men, and go in quest of your father who has so long been missing. First go to Pylos to ask Nestor ,then go on to Sparta and visit Menelaus , for he got home last of all the Achaeans; if you hear that your father is alive and on his way home, you can put up with the waste these men who want to marry your mother will make for yet another twelve months. If on the other hand you hear of his death, come home at once, celebrate his funeral ceremony with all due display,build a grave to his memory, and make your mother marry again. Then, having done all this, think it well over in your mind how, by fair means or foul , you may kill these men in your own house. You are a fine, smart looking fellow; show your courage,then, and make yourself a name in story. Now, however, I must go back to my ship and to my crew, who will be impatient if I keep them waiting longer. Think the matter over for yourself,and remember what I have said to you.”
With these words Athena flew away like a bird into the air,but she had given Telemachus courage, and had made him think more than ever about his father. He felt the change, wondered at it, and knew that the stranger had been a god, so he went straight to where the men were sitting.
Then Telemachus spoke; “ Shameless ,” he cried, “and rude men, let us feast at our pleasure now, and let there be no brawling , but in the morning meet me in full assembly so that I may give you formal notice to depart, and feast at one another’s houses, turn and turn about, at your own cost. If, on the other hand, you choose to persist in using one man, heaven will help me. But Zeus shall reckon with you in full, and when you fall in my father’s house there shall be no man to avenge you.”
The men bit their lips as they heard him, and marveled at the boldness of his speech. Then, Antinous , son of Eupeithes ,said, “The gods seem to have given you lessons in threatening and tall talking; may Zeus never grant you to be chief in Ithaca as your father was before you.”
Telemachus answered, “Antinous, do not argue with me,but, god willing, I will be chief too if I can. Is this the worst fate you can think of for me? It is no bad thing to be a chief, for it brings both riches and honor. Still, now that Odysseus is dead,there are many great men in Ithaca old and young, and some other may take the lead among them; nevertheless, I will be chief in my own house, and will rule those whom Odysseus has won for me.”
Then Eurymachus , son of Polybus , answered,“It rests with heaven to decide who shall be chief among us, but you shall be master in your own house and over your own possessions; no one, while there is a man in Ithaca, may do you violence or rob you. And now, my good fellow, I want to know about this stranger. What country does he come from? Of what family is he, and where is his estate? Has he brought you news about the return of your father, or was he on business of his own?”
“My father is dead and gone,” answered Telemachus, “and even if some rumor reaches me, I put no more faith in it now.My mother does indeed sometimes send for a prophet and question him, but I give his predictions no notice. As for the stranger, he was Mentes, chief of Tophians, son of Anchialus,an old friend of my father.” But in his heart he knew that it had been the goddess.
The suitors then returned to their singing and dancing until the evening; but when night fell upon their pleasuring ,they went home to bed each in his own house. But Telemachus,as he lay covered with a woolen blanket, kept thinking all night through of his intended voyage of the counsel that Athena had given him.
Muse 缪斯，文艺女神
ingenious /ɪnˈdʒi:njəs/ adj. 机敏的，足智多谋的
Troy 特洛伊城
perish / ˈperɪʃ/ vi. 灭亡，死去
shipwreck / ˈʃɪprek/ n. 船只失事，船难
Odysseus 奥德修斯，伊塔卡王，希腊远征特洛伊的主要将领之一
detain /dɪˈteɪn/ vt. 拘留，扣押
goddess / ˈɡɒdɪs/ n. 女神
Calypso 卡吕普索，女神
Ithaca 伊塔卡，奥德修斯的故乡
Poseidon 波塞冬，海神，宙斯的兄弟
persecute / ˈpɜ:sɪkju:t/ vt. 迫害，为难
Ethiopian 埃塞俄比亚人
Zeus 宙斯，希腊神话中的主神，推翻其父克罗诺斯的统治后与兄弟波塞冬、哈得斯三分天下，波塞冬掌管大海，哈得斯掌管冥间，宙斯掌管神界
the father of gods and men 指宙斯，他被称为众神和凡人的父亲
Athena 雅典娜，宙斯的女儿
offering / ˈɒfərɪŋ/ n . 祭品
immortal /ɪˈmɔ:təl/ adj . 不朽的
furious / ˈfjʊərɪəs/ adj. 怀恨在心的，愤怒的
Polyphemus 波吕斐摩斯，波塞冬之子
Cyclopes 库克罗普斯人
Hermes 赫尔墨斯，宙斯的儿子，神的使者
Ogygian 奥古吉埃，卡吕普索的居住地
Telemachus 特勒马科斯，奥德修斯的儿子
Achaean 阿开奥斯人，古希腊人
Penelope 佩涅洛佩，奥德修斯的妻子
Sparta 斯巴达，古代希腊城邦之一
Pylos 皮洛斯，涅斯托尔的辖地
glittering / ˈɡlɪtərɪŋ/ adj. 闪闪发亮的，精美的，华丽的
sandal / ˈsændəl/ n . 便鞋
dart /dɑ:t/ vi. 飞奔
topmost / ˈtɒpməʊst/ adj. 最高的，最上面的
Olympus 奥林波斯，传说中的以宙斯为主的众神的居住地
gateway / ˈɡeɪtweɪ/ n . 门口
Mentes 门特斯，塔福斯岛的首领
Taphians 塔福斯，希腊西部海岛
moodily / ˈmu:dɪlɪ/ adv . 忧郁地
brood /bru:d/ vi. 盘算，细想
partake /pɑ:ˈteɪk/ vi . 同吃（或喝）
Anchialus 安基阿洛斯，门特斯的父亲
Laertes 拉埃尔特斯，奥德修斯的父亲
mid /mɪd/ adj. 中部的，中间的
prophet / ˈprɒfɪt/ n . 预言家
would that 但愿，要是……多好
feast /fi:st/ vi. 盛宴
displeasure /dɪsˈpleʒə/ n. 不愉快，不满意
mortal / ˈmɔ:təl/ adj. 凡人的，世间的
mound /maʊnd/ n. 土堆，坟丘
renown /rɪˈnaʊn/ n . 名望，声誉
spirit / ˈspɪrɪt/ vt. 迅速而神秘地带走，拐走
dismay /dɪsˈmeɪ/ n . 灰心，沮丧
pretext / ˈpri:tekst/ n . 借口，托词
havoc / ˈhævək/ n . 破坏，耗费
threshold / ˈθreʃhəʊld/ n . 门槛
revenge /rɪˈvendʒ/ n . 报复
prevail upon 劝说，说服；
prevail upon somebody to accept an invitation 劝说某人接受邀请
Nestor 涅斯托尔，皮洛斯王
Menelaus 墨涅拉奥斯，斯巴达王
foul /faʊl/ adj. 不正当的
shameless / ˈʃeɪmlɪs/ adj . 无耻的
brawl /brɔ:l/ vi. 打斗；争吵
reckon with 跟……算账
avenge /əˈvendʒ/ vt. 替……报仇，为……雪耻
marvel / ˈmɑ:vəl/ vi. 对……感到诧异
Antinous 安提诺奥斯，求婚者之一
Eupeithes 欧佩特斯，安提诺奥斯的父亲
Eurymachus 欧律马科斯，求婚者之一
Polybus 波吕博斯，欧律马科斯的父亲
prediction /prɪˈdɪkʃən/ n . 预言
suitor / ˈsju:tə/ n. 求婚者
pleasure / ˈpleʒə/ vi . 享乐
counsel / ˈkaʊnsəl/ n. 建议