"Nestor son of Neleus," answered
Telemakhos, "honor to the Achaean name, the Achaeans will bear the
kleos of Orestes in song even to future generations, for he
has avenged his father nobly. Would that heaven might grant me to do
like vengeance on the insolence of the wicked suitors, who are ill
treating me and plotting my ruin; but the gods have no such happiness
[olbos] in store for me and for my father, so we must
bear it as best we may."
"My friend," said Nestor, "now
that you remind me, I remember to have heard that your mother has
many suitors, who are ill disposed towards you and are making havoc
of your estate. Do you submit to this tamely, or are the people of
the dêmos, following the voice of a god, against you?
Who knows but that Odysseus may come back after all, and pay these
scoundrels in full, either single-handed or with a force of Achaeans
behind him? If Athena were to take as great a liking to you as she
did to Odysseus when we were fighting in the Trojan dêmos
(for I never yet saw the gods so openly fond of any one as
Athena then was of your father), if she would take as good care of
you as she did of him, these wooers would soon some of them forget
their wooing."
Telemakhos answered, "I can
expect nothing of the kind; it would be far too much to hope for. I
dare not let myself think of it. Even though the gods themselves
willed it no such good fortune could befall me."
On this Athena said, "Telemakhos,
what are you talking about? Heaven has a long arm if it is minded to
save a man; and if it were me, I should not care how much I suffered
before getting home, provided I could be safe when I was once there.
I would rather this, than get home quickly, and then be killed in my
own house as Agamemnon was by the treachery of Aigisthos and his
wife. Still, death is certain, and when a man's hour is come,
not even the gods can save him, no matter how fond they are of
him."
Homer. The Odyssey. Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Samuel Butler. Based on public domain edition, revised by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy. A. C. Fifield, London. 1900 (?).
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