Would that he might come now and take his stand at the outer gate of the house, with helmet and shield and two spears, such a man as he was when I first saw him in our house drinking and making merry, on his way back from Ephyre, from the house of Ilus, son of Mermerus. For there, too, went Odysseus in his swift ship in search of a deadly drug, that he might have wherewith to smear his bronze-tipped arrows;
εἰ γὰρ νῦν ἐλθὼν δόμου ἐν πρώτῃσι θύρῃσι σταίη , ἔχων πήληκα καὶ ἀσπίδα καὶ δύο δοῦρε , τοῖος ἐὼν οἷόν μιν ἐγὼ τὰ πρῶτ' ἐνόησα οἴκῳ ἐν ἡμετέρῳ πίνοντά τε τερπόμενόν τε , ἐξ Ἐφύρης ἀνιόντα παρ' Ἴλου Μερμερίδαο - ᾤχετο γὰρ καὶ κεῖσε θοῆς ἐπὶ νηὸς Ὀδυσσεὺς φάρμακον ἀνδροφόνον διζήμενος , ὄφρα οἱ εἴη ἰοὺς χρίεσθαι χαλκήρεας ·
εἰ γάρ νῦν ἔρχομαι δόμος ἐν πρῶτος θύρα ἵστημι , ἔχω πήληξ καί ἀσπίς καί δύο δόρυ , τοῖος εἰμί οἷος μιν ἐγώ ὁ πρῶτος νοέω οἶκος ἐν ἡμέτερος πίνω τε τέρπω τε , ἐκ Ἐφύρα ἄνειμι παρά Ἶλος Μερμερίδης - οἴχομαι γάρ καί ἐκεῖσε θοός ἐπί ναῦς Ὀδυσσεύς φάρμακον ἀνδροφόνος δίζημαι , ὄφρα ἕ εἰμί ἰός χρίω χαλκήρης ·