《奥德赛·卷23》第3节
“Mother mine, ill mother, of an ungentle heart, why turnest thou thus away from my father, and dost not sit by him and question him and ask him all? No other woman in the world would harden her heart to stand thus aloof from her lord, who after much travail and sore had come to her in the twentieth year to his own country. But thy heart is ever harder than stone.” Then wise Penelope answered him, saying: “Child, my mind is amazed within me, and I have no strength to speak, nor to ask him aught, nay nor to look on him face to face. But if in truth this be Odysseus, and he hath indeed come home, verily we shall be ware of each other the more surely, for we have tokens that we twain know, even we, secret from all others.” So she spake, and the steadfast goodly Odysseus smiled, and quickly he spake to Telemachus winged words: “Telemachus, leave now thy mother to make trial of me within the chambers; so shall she soon come to a better knowledge than heretofore. But now I go filthy, and am clad in vile raiment, wherefore she has me in dishonour, and as yet will not allow that I am he. Let us then advise us how all may be for the very best. For whoso has slain but one man in a land, even that one leaves not many behind him to take up the feud for him, turns outlaw and leaves his kindred and his own country; but we have slain the very stay of the city, the men who were far the best of all the noble youths in Ithaca. So this I bid thee consider.” Then wise Telemachus answered him, saying: “Father, see thou to this, for they say that thy counsel is far the best among men, nor might any other of mortal men contend with thee. But right eagerly will we go with thee now, and I think we shall not lack prowess, so far as might is ours.” And Odysseus of many counsels answered him saying: “Yea now, I will tell on what wise methinks it is best. First, go ye to the bath and array you in your doublets, and bid the maidens in the chambers to take to them their garments. Then let the divine minstrel, with his loud lyre in hand, lead off for us the measure of the mirthful dance. So shall any man that hears the sound from without, whether a wayfarer or one of those that dwell around, say that it is a wedding feast. And thus the slaughter of the wooers shall not be noised abroad through the town before we go forth to our well-wooded farm-land. Thereafter shall we consider what gainful counsel the Olympian may vouchsafe us.”
注释摘要
这一节是佩涅洛佩下楼进入大厅之后的核心对峙。此前老保姆欧律克勒亚已经告诉她奥德修斯归来并杀死了求婚人，但佩涅洛佩始终不信，坚持下来亲眼看。此刻她走进大厅，在火光中坐在奥德修斯对面，却久久沉默，一句话不说。她的儿子忒勒马科斯——奥德修斯与佩涅洛佩的儿子，在此卷之前已经与父亲并肩作战——忍不住出言责备，称她心肠冷硬，远甚于天下任何女人。荷马让年轻的儿子用极为直…