Homer : Returning to Ithaca ( Odyssey - Rhapsody 13 )

and at the same time Ulysses woke up once more upon his own soil. He had been so long away that he did not know it again; moreover, Jove's daughter Minerva had made it a foggy day, so that people might not know of his having come, and that she might tell him everything without either his wife or his fellow citizens and friends recognising him until he had taken his revenge upon the wicked suitors. Everything, therefore, seemed quite different to him - the long straight tracks, the harbours, the precipices, and the goodly trees, appeared all changed as he started up and looked upon his native land. So he smote his thighs with the flat of his hands and cried aloud despairingly. "Alas," he exclaimed, "among what manner of people am I fallen? Are they savage and uncivilised or hospitable and humane? Where shall I put all this treasure, and which way shall I go? I wish I had staid over there with the Phaeacians; or I could have gone to some other great chief who would have been good to me and given me an escort. As it is I do not know where to put my treasure, and I cannot leave it here for fear somebody else should get hold of it. In good truth the chiefs and rulers of the Phaeacians have not been dealing fairly by me, and have left me in the wrong country; they said they would take me back to Ithaca and they have not done so: may Jove the protector of suppliants chastise them, for he watches over everybody and punishes those who do wrong.

ὁ δ΄ ἔγρετο δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς εὕδων ἐν γαίῃ πατρωΐῃ͵ οὐδέ μιν ἔγνω͵ ἤδη δὴν ἀπεών· περὶ γὰρ θεὸς ἠέρα χεῦε Παλλὰς Ἀθηναίη͵ κούρη Διός͵ ὄφρα μιν αὐτὸν ἄγνωστον τεύξειεν ἕκαστά τε μυθήσαιτο͵ μή μιν πρὶν ἄλοχος γνοίη ἀστοί τε φίλοι τε͵ πρὶν πᾶσαν μνηστῆρας ὑπερβασίην ἀποτεῖσαι. τοὔνεκ΄ ἄρ΄ ἀλλοειδέα φαινέσκετο πάντα ἄνακτι͵ ἀτραπιτοί τε διηνεκέες λιμένες τε πάνορμοι πέτραι τ΄ ἠλίβατοι καὶ δένδρεα τηλεθάοντα. στῆ δ΄ ἄρ΄ ἀναΐξας καί ῥ΄ εἴσιδε πατρίδα γαῖαν͵ ᾤμωξέν τ΄ ἄρ΄ ἔπειτα καὶ ὣ πεπλήγετο μηρὼ χερσὶ καταπρηνέσσ΄͵ ὀλοφυρόμενος δ΄ ἔπος ηὔδα· ὤ μοι ἐγώ͵ τέων αὖτε βροτῶν ἐς γαῖαν ἱκάνω; ἤ ῥ΄ οἵ γ΄ ὑβρισταί τε καὶ ἄγριοι οὐδὲ δίκαιοι͵ ἦε φιλόξεινοι καί σφιν νόος ἐστὶ θεουδής; πῇ δὴ χρήματα πολλὰ φέρω τάδε; πῇ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς πλάγξομαι; αἴθ΄ ὄφελον μεῖναι παρὰ Φαιήκεσσιν αὐτοῦ· ἐγὼ δέ κεν ἄλλον ὑπερμενέων βασιλήων ἐξικόμην͵ ὅς κέν μ΄ ἐφίλει καὶ ἔπεμπε νέεσθαι. νῦν δ΄ οὔτ΄ ἄρ πῃ θέσθαι ἐπίσταμαι͵ οὐδὲ μὲν αὐτοῦ καλλείψω͵ μή πώς μοι ἕλωρ ἄλλοισι γένηται. ὢ πόποι͵ οὐκ ἄρα πάντα νοήμονες οὐδὲ δίκαιοι ἦσαν Φαιήκων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες͵ οἵ μ΄ εἰς ἄλλην γαῖαν ἀπήγαγον· ἦ τέ μ΄ ἔφαντο ἄξειν εἰς Ἰθάκην εὐδείελον͵ οὐδ΄ ἐτέλεσσαν. Ζεύς σφεας τείσαιτο ἱκετήσιος͵ ὅς τε καὶ ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους ἐφορᾷ καὶ τείνυται͵ ὅς τις ἁμάρτῃ.

Homer Bilingual Anthology : RETURNING TO ITHACA - 9

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