回家之路可謂是一波三折，心系家鄉(xiāng)的Odysseus抵達(dá)自己的故土?xí)r，卻似乎無法肯定，仍需再三確認(rèn)。

第一次，終于踏上自己的土地，但是一切都已是物是人非，已不是他當(dāng)初所離開的模樣，面對此情此景，無奈感嘆道：

Man of misery, whose land have I lit on now?

What are they here—violent, savage, lawless?

or friendly to strangers, god-fearing men?

第二次，當(dāng)Athena以年輕人的模樣出現(xiàn)在Odysseus前，無人問津的Odysseus突然看見他的到來，就向他詢問：

And tell me this for a fact—I need to know—

where on earth am I? what land? who lives here?

Is it one of the sunny islands or some jutting shore

of the good green mainland slanting down to sea?

第三次，Athena道明來意時(shí)，要幫助Odysseus能夠成功奪回自己的一切，他還是不能確信自己是真的回到家中，便再次問道：

Tell me the truth now,

have I really reached the land I love?”

待Odysseus終于明白自己是真正抵達(dá)自己的故鄉(xiāng)時(shí)，Athena便為他謀劃。

首先，他將他的財(cái)寶埋在了山洞隱蔽之處，以保存自己的財(cái)富。

Come,quick, let’s bury your treasures here

in some recess of this haunted hallowed cave

where they’ll be safe and sound,

then we’ll make plans so we can win the day.

其次，考慮該如何手刃這些據(jù)點(diǎn)在Odysseus家中的無恥追求者。

think how to lay your hands on all those brazen suitors,

lording it over your house now, three whole years,

courting your noble wife, offering gifts to win her.

而且，Athena指出Odysseus的妻子對于Odysseus本人的回來早已是絕望了，此刻的她已是勾起每個追求者的希望，其搖擺不定的心，給以每個追求者暗示。

But she,forever broken-hearted for your return,

builds up each man’s hopes—

dangling promises, dropping hints to each—

but all the while with something else in mind.

這樣的舉動，讓Odysseus不禁想起了Agamemnon的遭遇，恐自己也遭此橫禍。所以，他就遵照Athena的指示，共同謀劃自己“回家”之路。而且，Athena也有此感受，最終Odysseus會手刃這些無恥之徒。

I have a feeling some will splatter your ample floors

with all their blood and brains.

那么具體怎么做呢？

First I will transform you—no one must know you.

I will shrivel the supple skin on your lithe limbs,

strip the russet curls from your head and deck you out

in rags you’d hate to see some other mortal wear;

I’ll dim the fire in your eyes, so shining once—

until you seem appalling to all those suitors,

even your wife and son you left behind at home.

第一步，就是將Odysseus變成一個無名之人，進(jìn)行“改頭換面”，變得眾人皆不識，包括他的妻子和兒子。

But you,you make your way to the swineherd first,

in chargeof your pigs, and true to you as always,

loyal friend to your son, to Penelope, so self-possessed.

You’ll find him posted beside his swine, grubbing round

by Raven’s Rock and the spring called Arethusa,

rooting for feed that makes pigs sleek and fat.

第二步，去養(yǎng)豬人那，坐在那里，等候他，那么他就會告訴Odysseus所知道的一切。

而Odysseus的兒子Telemachus之前按照Athena的指示來到斯巴達(dá)尋找他父親的消息，Athena現(xiàn)在則要Telemachus回家。

I’m off to Sparta, where the women are a wonder,

to call Telemachus home, your own dear son, Odysseus.

既然計(jì)劃已經(jīng)擬好，兩人就各自出發(fā)，共同謀劃著Odysseus“回家”之計(jì)。

正如Athena所說的

Anyone else, come back from wandering long and hard,

would have hurried home at once, delighted to see

his children and his wife.

要是常人，離家近二十載，踏上自己的故土怎么會不急切地回家呢？而我們的英雄Odysseus，他就不是常人，回家之前他在打探他的孩子和妻子的消息，他為人小心翼翼，一改往日的英雄形象，盡量設(shè)法去偽裝保護(hù)自己，這也許是出于歷經(jīng)多年漂泊之路后，本能地去保護(hù)自己吧。