22 Odysseus revealed But Odysseus of many wiles (polymetis)stripped off his rags and sprang to the great threshold with the bow and the quiver full of arrows, and poured forth the swift arrows right there before his feet, and spoke among the wooers:

1
22 Odysseus revealed But Odysseus of many wiles
(polymetis)stripped off his rags and sprang to
the great threshold with the bow and the quiver
full of arrows, and poured forth the swift arrows
right there before his feet, and spoke among the
wooers 5 Now at last has this decisive
contest (athlos) has come to an end and now as
for another mark, which till now no man has ever
smitten, I will see if I may strike it, and
Apollo grant me glory. 35 You yellow dogs,
you thought that I would never more come home
from the land of the Trojans. You wasted my
house, and lay with the maidservants by force,
and while yet I lived dared woo my wife, having
no fear of the gods, who hold broad heaven, 40
nor of the indignation of men, that is to be
hereafter. Now over you one and all have the
cords of destruction been made fast.Antinous
2
(65) No, Eurymachus, not even if you should give
me in requital all that your fathers left you,
even all that you now have, and should add other
wealth to it from whatever you could, not even so
would I stay my hands from slaying until the
wooers had paid the full price of all their
transgression.
Telemachus, Eumaeus, Philoetius, Melanthius,
Mentor
3
Leodes 320 Then with an angry glance from
beneath his brows Odysseus of many wiles answered
him If you really declare yourself the
soothsayer among these men, often, I suppose,
must you have prayed in the halls that far from
me the issue of a joyous return might be removed,
and that it might be with you that my dear wife
should go and bear you children 325 therefore
you will not escape grievous death. So saying,
he seized in his strong hand a sword that lay
near, which Agelaus had let fall to the ground
when he was slain, and with this he smote him
full upon the neck. And even while he was yet
speaking his head was mingled with the
dust.Phemius 330 Now the son of Terpes, the
minstrel, was still seeking to escape black fate,
even Phemius, who sang under duress among the
suitors. ... By your knees I beseech you,
Odysseus, and respect me and have pity 345 on
yourself shall sorrow come hereafter, if you slay
the minstrel, even me, who sing to gods and men.
Self-taught am I, and the god has planted in my
heart all manner of songs, and worthy am I to
sing to you as to a god therefore do not be
eager to cut my throat.
4
Odysseus to Eurycleia In your heart rejoice,
old woman, but restrain yourself and do not cry
out an unholy thing is it to boast over slain
men. These men here has the fate of the gods
destroyed and their own reckless deeds, for they
honored no one of men upon the earth, 415 were
he evil or good, whosoever came among them
therefore by their recklessness they brought on
themselves a shameful death. But come, name for
me the women in the halls, which ones dishonour
me and which are guiltless. 440 But when you
have set all the house in order, lead the women
forth from the well-built hall to a place between
the dome and the goodly fence of the court, and
there strike them down with your long swords,
until you take away the life from them all, and
they forget the love 445 which they had at the
bidding of the wooers, when they lay with them in
secret.
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24 Endings Achilles and AgamemnonSon of
Atreus, we deemed that you 25 above all other
heroes were all your days dear to Zeus, who hurls
the thunderbolt, because you were lord over many
mighty men in the land of the Trojans, where we
Achaeans suffered woes. But truly on you too was
deadly doom to come all too early, the doom that
not one avoids of those who are born. 30 Ah,
would that in the pride of that honour of which
you were master you had met death and fate in the
land of the Trojans. Then would the whole host of
the Achaeans have made you a tomb, and for your
son too would you have won great glory in days to
come but now, as it seems, it has been decreed
that you be cut off by a most piteous
death.Thus not even in death did you lose your
name, but ever shall you have fair renown among
all men, Achilles. 95 But, as for me, what
pleasure have I now in this, that I wound up the
skein of war? For on my return Zeus devised for
me a woeful doom at the hands of Aegisthus and my
accursed wife.
6
The Suitors Apology 125 We wooed the wife of
Odysseus, that had long been gone, and she
neither refused the hateful marriage, nor would
she ever make an end, devising for us death and
black fate. Nay, she contrived in her heart this
guileful thing also she set up in her halls a
great web, and fell to weaving 130 fine of
thread was the web and very wide and straightway
she spoke among us Young men, my wooers,
since goodly Odysseus is dead, be patient, though
eager for my marriage, until I finish this robe
I would not that my spinning should come to
naught a shroud for the lord Laertes against
the time when 135 the fell fate of grievous
death shall strike him down lest any of the
Achaean women in the land should be angry at me,
if he were to lie without a shroud, who had won
great possessions.
7
Happy son of Laertes, Odysseus of many devices,
truly full of all excellence was the wife you
won, so good of understanding was peerless
Penelope, 195 daughter of Icarius, in that she
was loyally mindful of Odysseus, her wedded
husband. Therefore the fame of her virtue shall
never perish, but the immortals shall make among
men on earth a pleasant song in honor of constant
Penelope. Not in this way did the daughter of
Tyndareus devise evil deeds 200 and slay her
wedded husband, and hateful shall the song
regarding her be among men, and evil repute did
she bring upon all womankind, even upon her that
does rightly.
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Odysseus and Laertes 345 So he spoke, and his
father's knees were loosened where he stood, and
his heart melted, as he knew the sure tokens
which Odysseus told him. About his dear son he
flung both his arms, and the much-enduring,
goodly Odysseus drew him to himself as he
fainted. But when he revived, and his spirit
returned again into his breast, 350 once more
he made answer, and spoke, saying Father
Zeus, truly you gods yet hold sway on high
Olympus, if indeed the wooers have paid the price
for their reckless hubris. Friends, a
monstrous deed has this man of a truth devised
against the Achaeans. Some he led forth in his
ships, many men and goodly, and he has lost his
hollow ships and utterly lost his men and others
again has he slain on his return, and these by
far the best of the Cephallenians. 430 Nay
then, come, before the fellow goes swiftly to
Pylos or to goodly Elis, where the Epeans hold
sway, let us go forth verily even in days to
come shall we be disgraced forever. For a shame
is this even for men that are yet to be to hear
of, if we shall not 435 take vengeance on the
slayers of our sons and our brothers.
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Now that goodly Odysseus has taken vengeance on
the wooers, let them swear a solemn oath, and let
him be king all his days, and let us on our part
485 bring about a forgetting (eklesis) of the
slaying of their sons and brothers and let them
love one another as before, and let wealth and
peace abound.Mê mnêsikakein - not to remember
evils What a day is this for me, kind gods!
515 Truly glad am I my son and my son's son
are vying with one another in valor.
10
Refrain, men of Ithaca, from grievous war, that
with all speed you may part, and that without
bloodshed. So spoke Athena, and pale fear
seized them. Then in their terror the arms flew
from their hands 535 and fell one and all to
the ground, as the goddess uttered her voice, and
they turned toward the city, eager to save their
lives. Terribly then shouted the much-enduring,
goodly Odysseus, and gathering himself together
he swooped upon them like an eagle of lofty
flight, and at that moment the son of Cronos cast
a flaming thunderbolt, 540 and down it fell
before the flashing-eyed daughter of the mighty
sire.