《奥德赛·卷4》第15节
Then the good nurse Eurycleia answered her: “Dear lady, aye, slay me if thou wilt with the pitiless sword or let me yet live on in the house,—yet will I not hide my saying from thee. I knew all this, and gave him whatsoever he commanded, bread and sweet wine. And he took a great oath of me not to tell thee till at least the twelfth day should come, or thou thyself shouldst miss him and hear of his departure, that thou mightest not mar thy fair flesh with thy tears. But now, wash thee in water, and take to thee clean raiment and ascend to thy upper chamber with the women thy handmaids, and pray to Athene, daughter of Zeus, lord of the aegis. For so may she save him even from death. And heap not troubles on an old man’s trouble; for the seed of the son of Arceisius, is not, methinks, utterly hated by the blessed gods, but someone will haply yet remain to possess these lofty halls, and the fat fields far away.” So spake she, and lulled her queen’s lamentation, and made her eyes to cease from weeping. So she washed her in water, and took to her clean raiment, and ascended to the upper chamber with the women her handmaids, and placed the meal for sprinkling in a basket, and prayed unto Athene: “Hear me, child of Zeus, lord of the aegis, unwearied maiden! If ever wise Odysseus in his halls burnt for thee fat slices of the thighs of heifer or of sheep, these things, I pray thee, now remember, and save my dear son, and ward from him the wooers in the naughtiness of their pride.” Therewith she raised a cry, and the goddess heard her prayer. But the wooers clamoured through the shadowy halls, and thus would some proud youth say: “Verily this queen of many wooers prepareth our marriage, nor knoweth at all how that for her son death hath been ordained.” Thus would certain of them speak, but they knew not how these things were ordained. And Antinous made harangue and spake among them: “Good sirs, my friends, shun all disdainful words alike, lest someone hear and tell it even in the house. But come let us arise, and in silence accomplish that whereof we spake, for the counsel pleased us every one.” Therewith he chose twenty men that were the best, and they departed to the swift ship and the sea-banks. So first of all they drew the ship down to the deep water, and placed the mast and sails in the black ship, and fixed the oars in leathern loops all orderly, and spread forth the white sails. And squires, haughty of heart, bare for them their arms. And they moored her high out in the shore water, and themselves disembarked. There they supped and waited for evening to come on.
注释摘要
上一段还在斯巴达墨涅拉奥斯的宫殿里，这一节却把镜头拉回了伊萨卡。卷四用这样的空间跳跃，把两条线索并拢起来：一边是特勒马科斯在斯巴达听到父亲的消息，另一边是伊萨卡家中正在酝酿的危机。 这一段的女主角是佩涅洛佩，奥德修斯的妻子。她刚刚从传令官墨冬口中得知儿子出海的事，也听到了求婚者们要在归途上杀死特勒马科斯的密谋。佩涅洛佩悲痛欲绝，坐在房间门槛上哭泣，身旁围着…