Odyssey

"For shame, sir," answered Odysseus, fiercely, "you are an insolent man - so true is it that the gods do not grace all men alike in speech, person, and understanding. One man may be of weak presence, but heaven has adorned this with such a good conversation that he charms every one who sees him; his honeyed moderation [ aidôs ] carries his hearers with him so that he is leader in all assemblies of his fellows, and wherever he goes he is looked up to. Another may be as handsome as a god, but his good looks are not crowned with verbal grace [ kharis ]. This is your case. No god could make a finer looking man than you are, but you are empty with respect to noos . Your ill-judged remarks [contrary to kosmos ] have made me exceedingly angry, for I excel in a great many athletic exercises [ athlos ]; indeed, so long as I had youth and strength, I was among the first athletes of the age. Now, however, I am worn out by labor and sorrow, for I have gone through much both on the field of battle and by the waves of the weary sea; still, in spite of all this I will compete [ athlos ], for your taunts have stung me to the quick."

OdysseyBook 8, Line 165Samuel ButlerEnglishVerse permalinkRead in Book 8

HomerProseID odyssey-odyssey-butler-en-prose-8-165