Homer : The Underworld ( Odyssey - Rhapsody 11 )

'When you get home you will take your revenge on these suitors; and after you have killed them by force or fraud in your own house, you must take a well made oar and carry it on and on, till you come to a country where the people have never heard of the sea and do not even mix salt with their food, nor do they know anything about ships, and oars that are as the wings of a ship. I will give you this certain token which cannot escape your notice. A wayfarer will meet you and will say it must be a winnowing shovel that you have got upon your shoulder; on this you must fix the oar in the ground and sacrifice a ram, a bull, and a boar to Neptune. {90} Then go home and offer hecatombs to all the gods in heaven one after the other. As for yourself, death shall come to you from the sea, and your life shall ebb away very gently when you are full of years and peace of mind, and your people shall bless you. All that I have said will come true.

'This,' I answered, 'must be as it may please heaven, but tell me and tell me and tell me true, I see my poor mother's ghost close by us; she is sitting by the blood without saying a word, and though I am her own son she does not remember me and speak to me; tell me, Sir, how I can make her know me.'

'That,' said he, 'I can soon do. Any ghost that you let taste of the blood will talk with you like a reasonable being, but if you do not let them have any blood they will go away again.'

ἀλλ΄ ἦ τοι κείνων γε βίας ἀποτείσεαι ἐλθών· αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν μνηστῆρας ἐνὶ μεγάροισι τεοῖσι κτείνῃς ἠὲ δόλῳ ἢ ἀμφαδὸν ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ͵ ἔρχεσθαι δὴ ἔπειτα͵ λαβὼν εὐῆρες ἐρετμόν͵ εἰς ὅ κε τοὺς ἀφίκηαι͵ οἳ οὐκ ἴσασι θάλασσαν ἀνέρες οὐδέ θ΄ ἅλεσσι μεμιγμένον εἶδαρ ἔδουσιν· οὐδ΄ ἄρα τοὶ ἴσασι νέας φοινικοπαρῄους͵ οὐδ΄ εὐήρε΄ ἐρετμά͵ τά τε πτερὰ νηυσὶ πέλονται. σῆμα δέ τοι ἐρέω μάλ΄ ἀριφραδές͵ οὐδέ σε λήσει· σῆμα δέ τοι ἐρέω μάλ΄ ἀριφραδές͵ οὐδέ σε λήσει· ὁππότε κεν δή τοι ξυμβλήμενος ἄλλος ὁδίτης φήῃ ἀθηρηλοιγὸν ἔχειν ἀνὰ φαιδίμῳ ὤμῳ͵ καὶ τότε δὴ γαίῃ πήξας εὐῆρες ἐρετμόν͵ ἕρξας ἱερὰ καλὰ Ποσειδάωνι ἄνακτι͵ ἀρνειὸν ταῦρόν τε συῶν τ΄ ἐπιβήτορα κάπρον͵ οἴκαδ΄ ἀποστείχειν ἕρδειν θ΄ ἱερὰς ἑκατόμβας ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι͵ τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσι͵ πᾶσι μάλ΄ ἑξείης. θάνατος δέ τοι ἐξ ἁλὸς αὐτῷ ἀβληχρὸς μάλα τοῖος ἐλεύσεται͵ ὅς κέ σε πέφνῃ γήρᾳ ὕπο λιπαρῷ ἀρημένον· ἀμφὶ δὲ λαοὶ ὄλβιοι ἔσσονται. τὰ δέ τοι νημερτέα εἴρω.

Ὣς ἔφατ΄͵ αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον· Τειρεσίη͵ τὰ μὲν ἄρ που ἐπέκλωσαν θεοὶ αὐτοί. ἀλλ΄ ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ καὶ ἀτρεκέως κατάλεξον· μητρὸς τήνδ΄ ὁρόω ψυχὴν κατατεθνηυίης· ἡ δ΄ ἀκέουσ΄ ἧσται σχεδὸν αἵματος οὐδ΄ ἑὸν υἱὸν ἔτλη ἐσάντα ἰδεῖν οὐδὲ προτιμυθήσασθαι· εἰπέ͵ ἄναξ͵ πῶς κέν με ἀναγνοίη τὸν ἐόντα;

ὣς ἐφάμην͵ ὁ δέ μ΄ αὐτίκ΄ ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπε· ῥηΐδιόν τοι ἔπος ἐρέω καὶ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ θήσω· ὅν τινα μέν κεν ἐᾷς νεκύων κατατεθνηώτων αἵματος ἄσσον ἴμεν͵ ὁ δέ τοι νημερτὲς ἐνίψει· ᾧ δέ κ΄ ἐπιφθονέῃς͵ ὁ δέ τοι πάλιν εἶσιν ὀπίσσω.

Homer Bilingual Anthology : THE UNDERWORLD - 5

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