Odyssey 3.269 · Book 3, lines 269–270
Fate binds her; the bard is marooned
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ἀλλʼ ὅτε δή μιν μοῖρα θεῶν ἐπέδησε δαμῆναι, δὴ τότε τὸν μὲν ἀοιδὸν ἄγων ἐς νῆσον ἐρήμην…
But when at last the doom of the gods bound her to be mastered, then indeed, leading the singer to a desolate island…
Word by word
The setting
The defenses fall. Nestor tells how fate finally overcame Clytemnestra's resistance — and how Aegisthus began by removing her guardian, the loyal singer, carrying him off to a deserted island.
A note on this passage
The turn comes, and it comes as fate. When the doom appointed by the gods at last bound Clytemnestra to be overmastered, Aegisthus made his move. His first act is against the guard: he takes the singer and carries him off to a lonely island — the line breaks off there, but we already know the bard will be left to die.
Homer splits the blame with care. Her surrender is 'the doom of the gods,' moîra theôn, laid on her like a fetter — yet Aegisthus is the one who acts, and he removes the watchman first. The faithful poet is the plot's first casualty, marooned so the house can be taken. It is the darkest fate a singer could meet, and the poem, itself sung, lets the horror stand unspoken.
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