Amphinomus was in the covered cloister when Ulysses sought protection at his knees.
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“Eurymachus was furious at all this. He scowled at him and cried, ‘You wretch, I will soon pay you out for daring to say such things to me, and in public too. Has the wine been getting into your head or do you always babble in this way? You seem to have lost your wits because you beat the tramp Irus.’ With this he caught hold of a footstool, but Ulysses sought protection at the knees of Amphinomus of Dulichium, for he was afraid. The stool hit the cupbearer on his right hand and knocked him down: the man fell with a cry flat on his back, and his wine-jug fell ringing to the ground. The suitors in the covered cloister were now in an uproar, and one would turn towards his neighbour, saying, ‘I wish the stranger had gone somewhere else, bad luck to him, for all the trouble he gives us. We cannot permit such disturbance about a beggar; if such ill counsels are to prevail we shall have no more pleasure at our banquet.’
”
Amphinomus turns, sees the ship in harbour with its crew lowering sails and stowing oars, and laughs.
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“Amphinomus turned in his place and saw the ship inside the harbour, with the crew lowering her sails, and putting by their oars; so he laughed, and said to the others, ‘We need not send them any message, for they are here. Some god must have told them, or else they saw the ship go by, and could not overtake her”
·Direct
Amphinomus is foremost among the Dulichian suitors, preferred in conversation by Penelope, and naturally good-disposed.
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“foremost among all the suitors from the wheat-growing and well grassed island of Dulichium; his conversation, moreover, was more agreeable to Penelope than that of any of the other suitors, for he was a man of good natural disposition”
·Direct
Amphinomus brings Ulysses two loaves and pledges him with wine in a golden goblet.
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“Amphinomus took two loaves out of the bread-basket and brought them to him, pledging him as he did so in a golden goblet of wine”
·Reported
Ulysses tells Amphinomus that he appears understanding and considerable, fitting the reputation of his father Nisus.
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“you seem to be a man of good understanding, as indeed you may well be, seeing whose son you are. I have heard your father well spoken of; he is Nisus of Dulichium, a man both brave and wealthy. They tell me you are his son, and you appear to be a considerable person”
·Direct
Amphinomus walks away grave and bowed by foreboding, but Minerva has doomed him to fall by Telemachus’s hand.
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“walked away serious and bowing his head, for he foreboded evil. But even so he did not escape destruction, for Minerva had doomed him to fall by the hand of Telemachus”
·Direct
Amphinomus’s knees provide Ulysses refuge when Eurymachus catches up a footstool.
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“With this he caught hold of a footstool, but Ulysses sought protection at the knees of Amphinomus of Dulichium, for he was afraid”
·Reported
Amphinomus counsels the suitors not to take offense or use violence, but to make offerings, go home, and leave the stranger to Telemachus.
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“Amphinomus the son of Nisus, who was son to Aretias, said, ‘Do not let us take offence; it is reasonable, so let us make no answer. Neither let us do violence to the stranger nor to any of Ulysses’ servants. Let the cupbearer go round with the drink-offerings, that we may make them and go home to our rest. As for the stranger, let us leave Telemachus to deal with him, for it is to his house that he has come”
·Direct
Amphinomus reads the eagle omen as failure for the plot against Telemachus and urges dinner instead.
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“On this Amphinomus said, ‘My friends, this plot of ours to murder Telemachus will not succeed; let us go to dinner instead”
·Direct
Amphinomus charges Ulysses with a sword, but Telemachus spears him through the chest from behind, and he falls heavily face-first to the ground.
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“Then Amphinomus drew his sword and made straight at Ulysses to try and get him away from the door; but Telemachus was too quick for him, and struck him from behind; the spear caught him between the shoulders and went right through his chest, so that he fell heavily to the ground and struck the earth with his forehead”