Homer : Returning to Ithaca ( Odyssey - Rhapsody 13 )

"Trust me for that," said she, "I will not lose sight of you when once we set about it, and I imagine that some of those who are devouring your substance will then bespatter the pavement with their blood and brains. I will begin by disguising you so that no human being shall know you; I will cover your body with wrinkles; you shall lose all your yellow hair; I will clothe you in a garment that shall fill all who see it with loathing; I will blear your fine eyes for you, and make you an unseemly object in the sight of the suitors, of your wife, and of the son whom you left behind you. Then go at once to the swineherd who is in charge of your pigs; he has been always well affected towards you, and is devoted to Penelope and your son; you will find him feeding his pigs near the rock that is called Raven by the fountain Arethusa, where they are fattening on beechmast and spring water after their manner. Stay with him and find out how things are going, while I proceed to Sparta and see your son, who is with Menelaus at Lacedaemon, where he has gone to try and find out whether you are still alive." "But why," said Ulysses, "did you not tell him, for you knew all about it? Did you want him too to go sailing about amid all kinds of hardship while others are eating up his estate?" Minerva answered, "Never mind about him, I sent him that he might be well spoken of for having gone. He is in no sort of difficulty, but is staying quite comfortably with Menelaus, and is surrounded with abundance of every kind. The suitors have put out to sea and are lying in wait for him, for they mean to kill him before he can get home. I do not much think they will succeed, but rather that some of those who are now eating up your estate will first find a grave themselves." As she spoke Minerva touched him with her wand and covered him with wrinkles, took away all his yellow hair, and withered the flesh over his whole body; she bleared his eyes, which were naturally very fine ones; she changed his clothes and threw an old rag of a wrap about him, and a tunic, tattered, filthy, and begrimed with smoke; she also gave him an undressed deer skin as an outer garment, and furnished him with a staff and a wallet all in holes, with a twisted thong for him to sling it over his shoulder. When the pair had thus laid their plans they parted, and the goddess went straight to Lacedaemon to fetch Telemachus.

τὸν δ΄ ἠμείβετ΄ ἔπειτα θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη· καὶ λίην τοι ἐγώ γε παρέσσομαι͵ οὐδέ με λήσεις͵ ὁππότε κεν δὴ ταῦτα πενώμεθα· καί τιν΄ ὀΐω αἵματί τ΄ ἐγκεφάλῳ τε παλαξέμεν ἄσπετον οὖδας [ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων͵ οἵ τοι βίοτον κατέδουσιν.] ἀλλ΄ ἄγε σ΄ ἄγνωστον τεύξω πάντεσσι βροτοῖσι· κάρψω μὲν χρόα καλὸν ἐνὶ γναμπτοῖσι μέλεσσι͵ ξανθὰς δ΄ ἐκ κεφαλῆς ὀλέσω τρίχας͵ ἀμφὶ δὲ λαῖφος ἕσσω͵ ὅ κεν στυγέῃσιν ἰδὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔχοντα͵ κνυζώσω δέ τοι ὄσσε πάρος περικαλλέ΄ ἐόντε͵ ὡς ἂν ἀεικέλιος πᾶσι μνηστῆρσι φανήῃς σῇ τ΄ ἀλόχῳ καὶ παιδί͵ τὸν ἐν μεγάροισιν ἔλειπες. αὐτὸς δὲ πρώτιστα συβώτην εἰσαφικέσθαι͵ ὅς τοι ὑῶν ἐπίουρος͵ ὁμῶς δέ τοι ἤπια οἶδε͵ παῖδά τε σὸν φιλέει καὶ ἐχέφρονα Πηνελόπειαν. δήεις τόν γε σύεσσι παρήμενον· αἱ δὲ νέμονται πὰρ Κόρακος πέτρῃ ἐπί τε κρήνῃ Ἀρεθούσῃ͵ ἔσθουσαι βάλανον μενοεικέα καὶ μέλαν ὕδωρ πίνουσαι͵ τά θ΄ ὕεσσι τρέφει τεθαλυῖαν ἀλοιφήν. ἔνθα μένειν καὶ πάντα παρήμενος ἐξερέεσθαι͵ ὄφρ΄ ἂν ἐγὼν ἔλθω Σπάρτην ἐς καλλιγύναικα Τηλέμαχον καλέουσα͵ τεὸν φίλον υἱόν͵ Ὀδυσσεῦ· ὅς τοι ἐς εὐρύχορον Λακεδαίμονα πὰρ Μενέλαον ᾤχετο πευσόμενος μετὰ σὸν κλέος͵ εἴ που ἔτ΄ εἴης. τὴν δ΄ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς· τίπτε τ΄ ἄρ΄ οὔ οἱ ἔειπες͵ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ πάντα ἰδυῖα; ἦ ἵνα που καὶ κεῖνος ἀλώμενος ἄλγεα πάσχῃ πόντον ἐπ΄ ἀτρύγετον͵ βίοτον δέ οἱ ἄλλοι ἔδωσι; τὸν δ΄ ἠμείβετ΄ ἔπειτα θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη· μὴ δή τοι κεῖνός γε λίην ἐνθύμιος ἔστω. αὐτή μιν πόμπευον͵ ἵνα κλέος ἐσθλὸν ἄροιτο κεῖσ΄ ἐλθών· ἀτὰρ οὔ τιν΄ ἔχει πόνον͵ ἀλλὰ ἕκηλος ἧσται ἐν Ἀτρεΐδαο δόμοις͵ παρὰ δ΄ ἄσπετα κεῖται. ἦ μέν μιν λοχόωσι νέοι σὺν νηῒ μελαίνῃ͵ ἱέμενοι κτεῖναι͵ πρὶν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι· ἀλλὰ τά γ΄ οὐκ ὀΐω· πρὶν καί τινα γαῖα καθέξει ἀνδρῶν μνηστήρων͵ οἵ τοι βίοτον κατέδουσιν. ὣς ἄρα μιν φαμένη ῥάβδῳ ἐπεμάσσατ΄ Ἀθήνη. κάρψε μέν οἱ χρόα καλὸν ἐνὶ γναμπτοῖσι μέλεσσι͵ ξανθὰς δ΄ ἐκ κεφαλῆς ὄλεσε τρίχας͵ ἀμφὶ δὲ δέρμα πάντεσσιν μελέεσσι παλαιοῦ θῆκε γέροντος͵ κνύζωσεν δέ οἱ ὄσσε πάρος περικαλλέ΄ ἐόντε· ἀμφὶ δέ μιν ῥάκος ἄλλο κακὸν βάλεν ἠδὲ χιτῶνα͵ ῥωγαλέα ῥυπόωντα͵ κακῷ μεμορυγμένα καπνῷ· ἀμφὶ δέ μιν μέγα δέρμα ταχείης ἕσσ΄ ἐλάφοιο͵ ψιλόν· δῶκε δέ οἱ σκῆπτρον καὶ ἀεικέα πήρην͵ πυκνὰ ῥωγαλέην· ἐν δὲ στρόφος ἦεν ἀορτήρ. τώ γ΄ ὣς βουλεύσαντε διέτμαγεν· ἡ μὲν ἔπειτα ἐς Λακεδαίμονα δῖαν ἔβη μετὰ παῖδ΄ Ὀδυσσῆος.

Cf. ORPHICA : From man you became God ||| EURIPIDES : To recognise our friends is of God ||| PLATO : Who is a philosopher?, Paideia - out of the cave, Self-knowledge, Wisdom, We are a heavenly flower, Becoming like God, Birth in good and beauty ||| SYMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN : Becoming invisible and suddenly appearing ||| PAPATSONIS : Hestia

Homer Bilingual Anthology : RETURNING TO ITHACA - 17

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