Thursday, March 05, 2020
Diffidence Befitting a Young Man
Homer, Odyssey 3.22-24 (Telemachus to Athena disguised as Mentor; tr. Peter Green):
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What, Mentōr, must be my approach? How am I to greet him?
I've no experience yet in subtle discourse; a young
man feels embarrassed when interrogating his elders.
Μέντορ, πῶς τ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἴω; πῶς τ᾽ ἂρ προσπτύξομαι αὐτόν;
οὐδέ τί πω μύθοισι πεπείρημαι πυκινοῖσιν·
αἰδὼς δ᾽ αὖ νέον ἄνδρα γεραίτερον ἐξερέεσθαι.
