Odyssey 2.129 · Book 2, lines 129–133

I cannot cast out my own mother

τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα·
Telemachus — Ἀντίνοʼ, οὔ πως ἔστι δόμων ἀέκουσαν ἀπῶσαι ἥ μʼ ἔτεχʼ, ἥ μʼ ἔθρεψε· πατὴρ δʼ ἐμὸς ἄλλοθι γαίης, ζώει ὅ γʼ ἦ τέθνηκε· κακὸν δέ με πόλλʼ ἀποτίνειν Ἰκαρίῳ, αἴ κʼ αὐτὸς ἑκὼν ἀπὸ μητέρα πέμψω.

Him, in turn, wise Telemachus spoke in answer: “Antinous, there is no way to thrust from the house, against her will, the woman who bore me and who raised me. And my father is somewhere far in the world, alive or dead; and hard it is for me to pay back much to Icarius, if I myself willingly send my mother away.”

Word by word

τὸνtònhimδʼd’(and)αὖaûin turnΤηλέμαχοςTēlémachosTelemachusπεπνυμένοςpepnyménoswiseἀντίονantíonin answerηὔδαēúdaspoke·

Telemachus

ἈντίνοʼAntíno’Antinous,οὔoúin noπωςpōswayἔστιéstiis it possibleδόμωνdómōnfrom the houseἀέκουσανaékousanagainst her willἀπῶσαιapôsaito thrustἥhḗher whoμʼm’meἔτεχʼétech’bore,ἥhḗand whoμʼm’meἔθρεψεéthrepseraised·πατὴρpatḕrand my fatherδʼd’(and)ἐμὸςemòs(my)ἄλλοθιállothiis somewhere farγαίηςgaíēsin the world,ζώειzṓeialiveὅhóheγʼg’(whether)ἦḗorτέθνηκεtéthnēkeis dead·κακὸνkakònand hard it isδέdé(and)μεmefor meπόλλʼpóll’muchἀποτίνεινapotíneinto pay backἸκαρίῳIkaríōito Icarius,αἴaíifκʼk’(ever)αὐτὸςautòsI myselfἑκὼνhekṑnwillinglyἀπὸapòawayμητέραmētéramy motherπέμψωpémpsō(send).

The setting

Telemachus answers the suitors' demand. To send Penelope away he would have to repay her dowry to her father Icarius — and defy the woman who bore and raised him, while his own father's fate is unknown.

A note on this passage

Telemachus refuses the suitors' terms on two plain grounds: he will not force out the mother who bore and raised him, and he cannot afford to. Sending Penelope home would oblige him to return her bride-price to Icarius — a ruin on top of a wrong.

The case for a mother is stated as the two bedrock facts, doubled for weight: 'who bore me, who raised me.' Between them sits the wound the whole poem turns on — 'my father is somewhere far in the world, alive or dead.' Telemachus cannot act as a man because he does not know whether he is an orphan. The not-knowing is the trap; every choice he weighs hangs on an answer no one in Ithaca can give him.

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Odyssey 2.129 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/2.129/