Odyssey 4.641 · Book 4, lines 641–644
Antinous demands to know
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τὸν δʼ αὖτʼ Ἀντίνοος προσέφη Εὐπείθεος υἱός·
Antinous — νημερτές μοι ἔνισπε πότʼ ᾤχετο καὶ τίνες αὐτῷ κοῦροι ἕποντʼ; Ἰθάκης ἐξαίρετοι, ἦ ἑοὶ αὐτοῦ θῆτές τε δμῶές τε; δύναιτό κε καὶ τὸ τελέσσαι.
And in turn Antinous addressed him, the son of Eupeithes: "Tell me truly, when did he go, and what young men went with him? Chosen youths of Ithaca, or his own hired men and slaves? Even this he could bring about."
Word by word
The setting
Antinous, son of Eupeithes and the boldest of the suitors, reacts to the news. He fires questions at Noemon: exactly when did Telemachus leave, and who sailed with him — the town's best young men, or only Telemachus's own servants?
A note on this passage
Antinous seizes on the two facts that matter to him: the timing, and the crew. His questions are an interrogation, not a conversation — he wants to gauge how much backing Telemachus commanded and whether the boy acted with the town's approval or only his household's help.
The distinction he draws — chosen youths versus hired men and slaves — is a reading of the political ground. If Ithaca's best sailed with Telemachus, the boy has standing; if only servants went, he is isolated. Antinous is already calculating whether a killing at sea would be answered.
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