《奥德赛·卷1》第6节
Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, spake unto him, and said: “Surely no nameless lineage have the gods ordained for thee in days to come, since Penelope bore thee so goodly a man. But come, declare me this, and tell it all plainly. What feast, nay, what rout is this? What hast thou to do therewith? Is it a clan drinking, or a wedding feast, for here we have no banquet where each man brings his share? In such wise, flown with insolence, do they seem to me to revel wantonly through the house: and well might any man be wroth to see so many deeds of shame, whatso wise man came among them.” Then wise Telemachus answered her, and said: “Sir, forasmuch as thou questionest me of these things and inquirest thereof, our house was once like to have been rich and honourable, while yet that man was among his people. But now the gods willed it otherwise, in evil purpose, who have made him pass utterly out of sight as no man ever before. Truly I would not even for his death make so great sorrow, had he fallen among his fellows in the land of the Trojans, or in the arms of his friends when he had wound up the clew of war. Then would the whole Achaean host have builded him a barrow, and even for his son would he have won great glory in the after days. But now the spirits of the storm have swept him away inglorious. He is gone, lost to sight and hearsay, but for me hath he left anguish and lamentation; nor henceforth is it for him alone that I mourn and weep, since the gods have wrought for me other sore distress. For all the noblest that are princes in the isles, in Dulichium and Same and wooded Zacynthus, and as many as lord it in rocky Ithaca, all these woo my mother and waste my house. But as for her she neither refuseth the hated bridal, nor hath the heart to make an end: so they devour and minish my house, and ere long will they make havoc likewise of myself.”
注释摘要
雅典娜此刻依然保持着门忒斯这个异乡人的外貌，却已经看出眼前这位年轻人绝非寻常之辈。她说了一句看似预言、实则褒扬的话——神明不会让佩涅洛佩的儿子拥有一个无名的世系。佩涅洛佩是特勒马科斯的母亲，奥德修斯的妻子，她的名字在这里被单独提出来，本身就带着分量：在父亲下落不明的这些年里，正是这位母亲把儿子抚养成了眼前这个气度不凡的青年。 随即雅典娜把话锋一转，指向厅堂…