Odyssey 3.17 · Book 3, lines 17–20
'Go straight to Nestor — entreat him yourself'
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ἀλλʼ ἄγε νῦν ἰθὺς κίε Νέστορος ἱπποδάμοιο· εἴδομεν ἥν τινα μῆτιν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι κέκευθε. λίσσεσθαι δέ μιν αὐτός, ὅπως νημερτέα εἴπῃ· ψεῦδος δʼ οὐκ ἐρέει· μάλα γὰρ πεπνυμένος ἐστί·
But come now, go straight to Nestor, tamer of horses; let us find out what counsel he keeps hidden in his breast. And entreat him yourself, so that he may tell the plain truth; and no lie will he speak; for he is very wise.
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The setting
Athena's speech continues. She gives Telemachus his marching orders: approach Nestor directly, and do the asking in his own voice.
A note on this passage
The plan is concrete. Go straight to Nestor, draw out whatever counsel the old man is holding, and — the instruction that matters — do the begging yourself. Nestor will not lie; he is too wise for that.
The pressure is again on Telemachus to act. Athena arranges the meeting but insists 'entreat him yourself': the god will not do the speaking. It is the same schooling as the dismissed shyness a moment before — each step hands the young man a task he must perform in his own voice. And Nestor is introduced by his reliability: in a world where a guest depends on his host's word, the promise that the old king cannot lie is what makes the errand worth the voyage.
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Odyssey 3.17 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/3.17/