比賽即將展開，出場比賽的人員位置的示意圖如下，原則是 Antinous宣布的:
τοῖσιν δ᾽ Ἀντίνοος μετέφη,
Εὐπείθεος υἱός:
‘ὄρνυσθ᾽ ἑξείης ἐπιδέξια
πάντες ἑταῖροι,
ἀρξάμενοι τοῦ χώρου ὅθεν
τέ περ οἰνοχοεύει.
(Odyssey 21. 140-142)
Then Antinous, Eupeithes’
son, addressed them:
“All you comrades, get up in order now,
from left to
right, beginning from the place
where the steward pours
the wine.”
ἑξείης in order, one after
another
ἐπιδέξιος towards the
right
οἰνοχοεύω pour out wine
for drinking,
所以就從位置遠遠的，對這群追求者也是不滿的Leiodes開始。顯然這人平日也很少練習或是運動，根本拉不開弓，失敗後說了一串預言:
ὦ φίλοι, οὐ μὲν ἐγὼ τανύω,
λαβέτω δὲ καὶ ἄλλος.
πολλοὺς γὰρ τόδε τόξον ἀριστῆας
κεκαδήσει
θυμοῦ καὶ ψυχῆς, ἐπεὶ ἦ
πολὺ φέρτερόν ἐστι
155τεθνάμεν ἢ ζώοντας ἁμαρτεῖν,
οὗθ᾽ ἕνεκ᾽ αἰεὶ
ἐνθάδ᾽ ὁμιλέομεν,
ποτιδέγμενοι ἤματα πάντα.
νῦν μέν τις καὶ ἔλπετ᾽ ἐνὶ
φρεσὶν ἠδὲ μενοινᾷ
γῆμαι Πηνελόπειαν, Ὀδυσσῆος
παράκοιτιν.
αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν τόξου πειρήσεται
ἠδὲ ἴδηται,
ἄλλην δή τιν᾽ ἔπειτα Ἀχαιϊάδων
εὐπέπλων
μνάσθω ἐέδνοισιν
διζήμενος: ἡ δέ κ᾽ ἔπειτα
γήμαιθ᾽ ὅς κε πλεῖστα
πόροι καὶ μόρσιμος ἔλθοι.
(Odyssey 21.152-162)
“My friends, I’m not the man to string this
bow. So now,
let someone else take hold
of it. This bow
will take away from many
excellent men
their lives and spirits,
since it’s far better
to die than live and fail
in the attempt
to have what we are
gathered here to get,
always waiting in hope day
after day.
Now every man has feelings
in his heart—
he desires and hopes to
wed Penelope,
Odysseus’ wife. But when
he’s tried this bow
and observed what happens,
then let him woo
another of Achaea’s
well-dressed women,
seeking to win her with
his bridal gifts,
and then Penelope can wed
the man
who offers her the most,
whose fate it is
to be her husband.”
說得很對，這弓箭不祥，將奪走很多人命；而且，Penelope還是會回到自己丈夫身旁。
只是他說的預言有人聽嗎? 沒有。Antinous辯駁，「不能因為你做不到，就以為別人都做不到。」而且，Antinous還有點小聰明，把彎弓烘烤一下，塗抹油，弓變得比較光滑。可惜，還是沒用。
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