Odyssey 2.141 · Book 2, lines 141–145

Then call the gods — you will die unavenged

εἰ δʼ ὑμῖν δοκέει τόδε λωίτερον καὶ ἄμεινον ἔμμεναι, ἀνδρὸς ἑνὸς βίοτον νήποινον ὀλέσθαι, κείρετʼ· ἐγὼ δὲ θεοὺς ἐπιβώσομαι αἰὲν ἐόντας, αἴ κέ ποθι Ζεὺς δῷσι παλίντιτα ἔργα γενέσθαι. νήποινοί κεν ἔπειτα δόμων ἔντοσθεν ὄλοισθε.

But if it seems to you more desirable and better that one man's single living be destroyed without recompense, then devour it! But I will call upon the gods who are forever, in hope that Zeus may somehow grant deeds of requital to come to pass: then, unavenged, you would perish within these halls.

Word by word

εἰeibut ifδʼd’(and)ὑμῖνhymînto youδοκέειdokéeiit seemsτόδεtódethisλωίτερονlōíteronmore desirableκαὶkaìandἄμεινονámeinonbetterἔμμεναιémmenaito be,ἀνδρὸςandròsthat one man'sἑνὸςhenòssingleβίοτονbíotonlivingνήποινονnḗpoinonwithout recompenseὀλέσθαιolésthaibe destroyed,κείρετʼkeíret’then devour it·ἐγὼegṑbut Iδὲdè(and)θεοὺςtheoùsthe godsἐπιβώσομαιepibṓsomaiwill call uponαἰὲνaiènwho are everἐόνταςeóntasliving,αἴaíin hopeκέké(perhaps)ποθιpothisomehowΖεὺςZeùsZeusδῷσιdôisimay grantπαλίντιταpalíntitaof requitalἔργαérgadeedsγενέσθαιgenésthaito come to pass.νήποινοίnḗpoinoíthen, unavengedκενken(then)ἔπειταépeitathereafterδόμωνdómōnthese hallsἔντοσθενéntosthenwithinὄλοισθεóloistheyou would perish.

The setting

Telemachus's final words to the suitors. Unable to stop them by force, he consigns them to Zeus: if they insist on plundering, let them — but he prays for a reckoning inside these very halls.

A note on this passage

Telemachus concedes what he cannot prevent and answers it with a prayer. If the suitors would rather ruin one house than restrain themselves, let them plunder — but he calls on the eternal gods, asking Zeus for 'deeds of requital' and warning that they will die in the hall they are eating.

The boy cannot enforce justice, so he refers the case upward, and in doing so speaks the poem's promised ending aloud. The turn rides on one word: νήποινος. The suitors' feasting is 'without recompense' (νήποινον) — they pay nothing; so their deaths will be 'unavenged' (νήποινοί) — no one will pay for them. What goes out as unpaid plunder comes home as unransomed death. It is the exact logic of παλίντιτα, payment sent back the way it came — and the sky is about to answer on the instant.

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Odyssey 2.141 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/2.141/