Telemachus - Odyssey XX, 128-133

*******



.. στῆ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπ᾽ οὐδὸν ἰών, πρὸς δ᾽ Εὐρύκλειαν ἔειπε·
"μαῖα φίλη, τὸν ξεῖνον ἐτιμήσασθ᾽ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ

Telemachus stood on the sill, about to go, and said to Eurycleia:
"Nursey dear, did you honor our in-house guest with

εὐνῇ καὶ σίτῳ, ἦ αὔτως κεῖται ἀκηδής;
τοιαύτη γὰρ ἐμὴ μήτηρ, πινυτή περ ἐοῦσα·

bed and food, or lies he by himself, neglected?
For such is my mother's way even though she is prudent:

.. ἐμπλήγδην ἕτερόν γε τίει μερόπων ἀνθρώπων
χείρονα, τὸν δέ τ᾽ ἀρείον᾽ ἀτιμήσασ᾽ ἀποπέμπει."

Mother foolishly honors some get of sentient humankind,
though inferior, but sends a superior man away unhonored."

*****

PS. Had a lot of fun tracking down the signification of
μέροψ, μέροπες which most lexicons say is an epithet of
βροτοι, ἀνθρωποι with "meaning unknown" & μεροποσπόρος, -ον
"'begetting men',ὥρη Man.4-577"LSJ (Manetho: Astro'ogus)

PPS. Perhaps this section is the origin of the dislike some
scholars and critics have for Telemachus?