Telemachus Wishes for an Ordinary Father
Telemachus means that he would rather be the son of an unremarkable man who remained at home and grew old securely on his property than the son of the famous but absent Ulysses. He cannot personally confirm his parentage—he knows it only from his mother—and his father's uncertain fate makes that celebrated connection feel more like a curse than a privilege [1].
The line expresses grief, not rejection of his father. Telemachus has already imagined Ulysses returning to drive out the suitors, yet he has also lost hope of seeing him again while those men consume the household's wealth [2] [3]. A living, present father would provide stability and protection; heroic fame provides neither.
It matters here because it defines Telemachus's predicament: he lives under his father's name and resembles him, but has grown up without his presence or authority [1]. Minerva's visit is specifically intended to give him courage to speak against the suitors and seek news of Ulysses, so this despair establishes the emotional condition from which he must begin acting for himself [3].