Verse
Odyssey
Book 2, Line 229 by Samuel Butler (English)
"Hear me, men of Ithaca , I hope that you may never have a kind and well-disposed ruler any more, nor one who will govern you equitably; I hope that all your chiefs henceforward may be cruel and unjust, for there is not one of you but has forgotten Odysseus, who ruled you as though he were your father. I am not half so angry with the suitors, for if they choose to do violence in the naughtiness of their minds [ noos ], and wager their heads that Odysseus will not return, they can take the high hand and eat up his estate, but as for you others I am shocked at the way in which you the rest of the population [ dêmos ] all sit still without even trying to stop such scandalous goings on - which you could do if you chose, for you are many and they are few."
OdysseyBook 2, Line 229Samuel ButlerEnglishVerse permalinkRead in Book 2
HomerProseID odyssey-odyssey-butler-en-prose-2-229