Odyssey

"Mother," answered Telemakhos, "let the bard sing what he has a mind [ noos ] to; bards are not responsible [ aitios ] for the ills they sing of; it is Zeus, not they, who is responsible [ aitios ], and who sends weal or woe upon humankind according to his own good pleasure. There should be no feeling of nemesis against this one for singing the ill-fated return of the Danaans, for people always favor most warmly the kleos of the latest songs. Make up your mind to it and bear it; Odysseus is not the only man who never came back from Troy , but many another went down as well as he. Go, then, within the house and busy yourself with your daily duties, your loom, your distaff, and the ordering of your servants; for speech is man's matter, and mine above all others - for it is I who am master here."

OdysseyBook 1, Line 345Samuel ButlerEnglishVerse permalinkRead in Book 1

HomerProseID odyssey-odyssey-butler-en-prose-1-345