Odyssey 22. 68-115 武器，不祥之開端

Bk XXII:68-115 The battle begins

武器，不祥之開端。當Odysseus打開弓箭，把他當成武器，一連串的死亡降臨。Telemachus還準備搬出更多武器，可以預見這對父子聯手，死神之黑幕全然覆蓋在這個家園:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D22%3Acard%3D79

ὦ πάτερ, ἤδη τοι σάκος οἴσω καὶ δύο δοῦρε

καὶ κυνέην πάγχαλκον, ἐπὶ κροτάφοις ἀραρυῖαν

αὐτός τ᾽ ἀμφιβαλεῦμαι ἰών, δώσω δὲ συβώτῃ

καὶ τῷ βουκόλῳ ἄλλα: τετευχῆσθαι γὰρ ἄμεινον.

(Odyssey 22. 101-104)

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey22.htm

Father, now I’ll bring you 

a shield, two spears, and a bronze helmet,

one that fits your temples. When I get back,

I’ll arm myself and hand out other armour

to the swineherd and the keeper of the goats.

It’s better if we fully arm ourselves.

《奧德賽》最後的場面比 《伊里亞特》更血腥，因為Odysseus對付的是手無寸鐵的人，這些追求者欠他的是甚麼？即使古代「以牙還牙」的原始報復思維，這些人需要還他的就是酒與牲畜，不是嗎？

我要說，這是一場不公不義的殺戮。面對一個一個死下他手下的人，Odysseus和Telemachus難道沒一點悲憫的心嗎?

Odyssey 22. 1-67 真的不可原諒嗎?

Bk XXII:1-67 The death of Antinous

第二十二卷，敘述結構有些鬆散，有些評論書給這卷下一個小標題: Death in the Great Hall，血腥之氣似乎抹煞不少原有的浪漫與傳奇。開始先提Odysseus掃射現場的追求者，第一個被殺的是Antinous，第二個是Eurymachus。在讀Odysseus報復成功的這些場景，我並不覺得痛快，反而覺得Odysseus太極端太殘忍，他大開殺戒，毫不手軟，但是這些追求者有如此罪大惡極嗎？這是場總決算(contest, ἆθλος, Odyssey 22.5)？但真的公平嗎？還是Odysseus清算？他甚至沒留任何一個可以逃脫的出口給別人：

    

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D22%3Acard%3D42

‘Εὐρύμαχ᾽, οὐδ᾽ εἴ μοι πατρώϊα πάντ᾽ ἀποδοῖτε,

ὅσσα τε νῦν ὔμμ᾽ ἐστὶ καὶ εἴ ποθεν ἄλλ᾽ ἐπιθεῖτε,

οὐδέ κεν ὣς ἔτι χεῖρας ἐμὰς λήξαιμι φόνοιο

πρὶν πᾶσαν μνηστῆρας ὑπερβασίην ἀποτῖσαι.

νῦν ὑμῖν παράκειται ἐναντίον ἠὲ μάχεσθαι

ἢ φεύγειν, ὅς κεν θάνατον καὶ κῆρας ἀλύξῃ:

ἀλλά τιν᾽ οὐ φεύξεσθαι ὀΐομαι αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον.

(Odyssey 22.61-67)

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey22.htm

Eurymachus, if you gave me

all the goods you got from your own fathers,

everything which you now own, and added 

other assets you could obtain elsewhere,

not even then would I hold back my hands

from slaughter, not until the suitors pay

for all their arrogance. Now you’ve a choice—

to fight here face to face or, if any man

wishes to evade his death and lethal fate,

to run away. But I don’t think there’s one

who will escape complete destruction.

趕盡殺絕，後患無窮 (Odyssey 22. 27-30)，我看到史詩很忠實呈現人類的弱點，當Odysseus握有武器時，當憤怒席捲他的心，力與驕傲奪走他本應有的智慧，更可悲的是，逞一時報復之快，盲目地復仇，導致未來更多的悲劇。

我好奇，為什麼Odysseus不能原諒別人?