Book 2
I noticed something interesting when I was comparing translations with my step-daughter. Fitzgerald actually has more lines than Wilson. Apparently she broke the lines differently (trying to match Homer exactly). Always interesting to see all the weird background stuff that goes into translation.
Anyway, at line 69 (nice!) in the Fitzgerald, Telemachus asks the suitors, "Where is your shame?" which is a delightfully modern phrase for a sixty year old translation of a couple thousand year old book.
Zeus sends some eagles to rip a dude's throat out as an omen and the suitors are like, "nbd, it's just a bird." Eagles totally kill people everyday, no reason to be concerned. One guy does say, "I'm old enough to know a sign when I see one," which is another fun phrase.
Mentor yells at the Ithacans for letting the suitors get away with it. He points out that there's a lot more of them than there are suitors. If most people just did the right thing, the crappy people would get away with a lot less.
We get a cool version of, "mean what you say/keep your word" will around 287: "he finished what he cared to say, and what he took in hand he brought to pass."
I also like him telling his nurse to tell Penelope he left... eventually. Eleven or twelve days. Or until she missed him. Or hears that he's gone. Wilson's translation is a bit more definitive here.
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