τοῖσι δʼ ἀοιδὸς ἄειδε περικλυτός, οἱ δὲ σιωπῇ325

ἥατʼ ἀκούοντες· ὁ δʼ Ἀχαιῶν νόστον ἄειδε

λυγρόν, ὃν ἐκ Τροίης ἐπετείλατο Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.

τοῦ δʼ ὑπερωιόθεν φρεσὶ σύνθετο θέσπιν ἀοιδὴν

κούρη Ἰκαρίοιο, περίφρων Πηνελόπεια·

κλίμακα δʼ ὑψηλὴν κατεβήσετο οἷο δόμοιο,330

οὐκ οἴη, ἅμα τῇ γε καὶ ἀμφίπολοι δύʼ ἕποντο.

ἡ δʼ ὅτε δὴ μνηστῆρας ἀφίκετο δῖα γυναικῶν,

στῆ ῥα παρὰ σταθμὸν τέγεος πύκα ποιητοῖο,

ἄντα παρειάων σχομένη λιπαρὰ κρήδεμνα·

ἀμφίπολος δʼ ἄρα οἱ κεδνὴ ἑκάτερθε παρέστη.335

δακρύσασα δʼ ἔπειτα προσηύδα θεῖον ἀοιδόν·

Φήμιε, πολλὰ γὰρ ἄλλα βροτῶν θελκτήρια οἶδας,

ἔργʼ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, τά τε κλείουσιν ἀοιδοί·

τῶν ἕν γέ σφιν ἄειδε παρήμενος, οἱ δὲ σιωπῇ

οἶνον πινόντων· ταύτης δʼ ἀποπαύεʼ ἀοιδῆς340

λυγρῆς, ἥ τέ μοι αἰεὶ ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλον κῆρ

τείρει, ἐπεί με μάλιστα καθίκετο πένθος ἄλαστον.

τοίην γὰρ κεφαλὴν ποθέω μεμνημένη αἰεί,

ἀνδρός, τοῦ κλέος εὐρὺ καθʼ Ἑλλάδα καὶ μέσον Ἄργος.

τὴν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα·345

μῆτερ ἐμή, τί τʼ ἄρα φθονέεις ἐρίηρον ἀοιδὸν

τέρπειν ὅππῃ οἱ νόος ὄρνυται; οὔ νύ τʼ ἀοιδοὶ

αἴτιοι, ἀλλά ποθι Ζεὺς αἴτιος, ὅς τε δίδωσιν

ἀνδράσιν ἀλφηστῇσιν, ὅπως ἐθέλῃσιν, ἑκάστῳ.

τούτῳ δʼ οὐ νέμεσις Δαναῶν κακὸν οἶτον ἀείδειν·350

τὴν γὰρ ἀοιδὴν μᾶλλον ἐπικλείουσʼ ἄνθρωποι,

ἥ τις ἀκουόντεσσι νεωτάτη ἀμφιπέληται.

σοὶ δʼ ἐπιτολμάτω κραδίη καὶ θυμὸς ἀκούειν·

οὐ γὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς οἶος ἀπώλεσε νόστιμον ἦμαρ

ἐν Τροίῃ, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι φῶτες ὄλοντο.355

ἀλλʼ εἰς οἶκον ἰοῦσα τὰ σʼ αὐτῆς ἔργα κόμιζε,

ἱστόν τʼ ἠλακάτην τε, καὶ ἀμφιπόλοισι κέλευε

ἔργον ἐποίχεσθαι· μῦθος δʼ ἄνδρεσσι μελήσει

πᾶσι, μάλιστα δʼ ἐμοί· τοῦ γὰρ κράτος ἔστʼ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ.

ἡ μὲν θαμβήσασα πάλιν οἶκόνδε βεβήκει·360

παιδὸς γὰρ μῦθον πεπνυμένον ἔνθετο θυμῷ.

ἐς δʼ ὑπερῷʼ ἀναβᾶσα σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισι γυναιξὶ

κλαῖεν ἔπειτʼ Ὀδυσῆα φίλον πόσιν, ὄφρα οἱ ὕπνον

ἡδὺν ἐπὶ βλεφάροισι βάλε γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη.

    Phemius, whom we have seen briefly (154–55), reappears to sing a sad song about the “mournful homecoming” of Greek warriors from Troy.

    read full essay

    He is one of two such palace bards we will meet in the poem. The other is Demodocus, the singer for the royal house of the Phaeacians, who will perform three songs, the most elaborate featuring the adulterous liaison of Ares and Aphrodite, which the poet uses to foreshadow the coming triumph of Odysseus in Ithaka (8.266–369) (see essays on 8.250–294, 8.295–342, and 8.343–384).  Though Phemius makes two more brief appearances (17.262–63; 22.330–60), the content of his repertoire gets no further mention. With his performance here, Homer returns the focus to Odysseus’s absence and its ruinous impact on the king’s household.

    Penelope hears the bard’s “inspired song” (θέσπιν ἀοιδὴν, 328) and comes downstairs.

    We have heard Telemachus complain of her inability to make up her mind about remarriage, a paralysis which becomes yet another symptom of the malaise that has fallen over the royal household (1.249–51). Her first appearance is freighted with important symbolism, establishing a paradigm for portraits of properly modest women in the poem:

    τοῦ δ᾽ ὑπερωιόθεν φρεσὶ σύνθετο θέσπιν ἀοιδὴν
    κούρη Ἰκαρίοιο, περίφρων Πηνελόπεια:
    κλίμακα δ᾽ ὑψηλὴν κατεβήσετο οἷο δόμοιο,
    οὐκ οἴη, ἅμα τῇ γε καὶ ἀμφίπολοι δύ᾽ ἕποντο.
    ἡ δ᾽ ὅτε δὴ μνηστῆρας ἀφίκετο δῖα γυναικῶν,
    στῆ ῥα παρὰ σταθμὸν τέγεος πύκα ποιητοῖο,
    ἄντα παρειάων σχομένη λιπαρὰ κρήδεμνα:
    ἀμφίπολος δ᾽ ἄρα οἱ κεδνὴ ἑκάτερθε παρέστη.

    From her bedchamber, up above, wise Penelope, 
    daughter of Ikarios, heard the wondrous song. 
    She came down the high staircase of her home, 
    not alone, for two handmaidens followed her, 
    and when she, shining among women, came near the suitors, 
    she stood beside the pillar that held up the roof, 
    holding a shining veil across her face, 
    and a devoted attendant stood on either side of her.

    Odyssey 1.328–35

    The language in verses 330–35 recurs, with minor variations to fit the context but often verbatim, in other descriptions of Penelope when she meets the suitors (16.409–16; 18.207–11; 21.363–66). As a married woman in the Homeric poems, she stays upstairs in the private quarters, avoiding the company of men other than her husband unless attended by handmaidens and wearing a veil. When she does appear, she usually takes up a position next to the σταθμὸν τέγεος πύκα ποιητοῖο (333 = 16.415; 18.209; 21.64), the pillar supporting the roof, a symbol of her husband’s role as “pillar” of the household.” The veil serves as a portable screen, preserving her modesty in public.

    In her first appearance, Penelope embodies the perfectly modest, prudent wife of Odysseus. Having established this conventional portrait, the poet will proceed to complicate it as the story continues, revealing the queen as a formidable force in the household, using her intelligence and courage to orchestrate her husband’s eventual triumph over the suitors. In Penelope, Homer creates a character whose depth and subtlety are matched only by those of her husband. The symbols that appear here become foils for a much more complex understanding of how a woman might find leverage in a patriarchal society.  

    Penelope is not happy to hear the bard’s song, which reminds her—and us—of her husband’s struggle to return home from Troy. Sing some other bewitching song (θελκτήρια, 337), she says. The request earns her an immediate rebuke from Telemachus. It isn’t the bard’s fault that the song upsets her, and Odysseus is not the only hero who died at Troy. She should attend to her wifely duties:

    ἀλλ᾽ εἰς οἶκον ἰοῦσα τὰ σ᾽ αὐτῆς ἔργα κόμιζε,
    ἱστόν τ᾽ ἠλακάτην τε, καὶ ἀμφιπόλοισι κέλευε
    ἔργον ἐποίχεσθαι: μῦθος δ᾽ ἄνδρεσσι μελήσει
    πᾶσι, μάλιστα δ᾽ ἐμοί: τοῦ γὰρ κράτος ἔστ᾽ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ.

    But go to the house and attend to your duties, 
    the loom and spindle, and order your handmaidens 
    to get to work. Men must see to business, 
    all men, but I especially, for mine is the power in the household.

    Odyssey 1.356–59

    The queen is startled by her son’s assertiveness and climbs back up silently to her bedroom. This exchange underscores the growing self-confidence of Telemachus, as he emerges from his adolescent indecision and moves toward adulthood under Athena’s prodding. He now seems ready to step in as head male of the household. The power he claims for himself threatens the suitors’ plans and will be tested soon.

    Penelope’s own attempt to assert herself fails for now. In our last glimpse of her, she returns to the role of submissive wife, weeping inconsolably for Odysseus, and Athena intervenes to put her to sleep. Her slumber here signals a release for now from her pain, but also symbolizes the state of frozen grief that characterizes her throughout the poem until her awakening in Book 18. There, Athena puts into her mind the impulse to go downstairs and appear before the suitors. She finds the urge upsetting but decides to go anyway. Her maid urges her to put on makeup, sensing that the queen may finally be ready to move on to remarriage. Penelope demurs, saying that since Odysseus has left, her beauty has faded. While the maid goes to fetch her attendants, Athena again puts the queen to sleep and makes her more beautiful. She then descends and the suitors are overcome with lust, sending their servants to bring gifts for the queen (18.158–214). This appearance begins the thawing of Penelope’s emotions, as she engages the suitors directly and begins the complex chain of events which will lead to Odysseus defeating the suitors. The process continues in the powerful exchange between the queen and Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, in Book 19 (104–599). In both encounters and later in Books 20–23, Penelope’s struggle to overcome her inertia and despair is characterized by a desire to sleep, to give herself over to oblivion rather than feel the emotions that accompany that struggle (20.54–90; 21.354–58; 23.1–24). Her eventual choice to be awake, to move forward and act on her intuitions about the beggar, is a different kind of heroism from her husband’s but no less courageous.

     

    Further Reading

    Felson, N. 1997. Regarding Penelope, 21–22; 52–53; 82–83. 2nd ed. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press.

    Van Nortwick, T. 1979. “Penelope and Nausicaa.” Transactions of the American Philological Association 109: 269–276.

    ———. 2008. The Unknown Odysseus: Alternate Worlds in Homer’s Odyssey, 105–110. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

    Wohl, V. 1993. “Standing by the Stathmos: The Creation of Sexual Ideology in the Odyssey. Arethusa 26: 38–40.

     

    326  ἥατ(ο): 3rd pl. pf. mid. indic. > ἧμαι (for the form, see Smyth 465.a.D).

    328  τοῦ: pers. pron., referring to Phemius the bard.

    330  οἷο: gen. possessive adj. 

    332  δῖα γυναικῶν: see LSJ δῖος I.2.

    333  σταθμὸν: see LSJ σταθμός II.

    334  ἄντα: see LSJ ἄντα II. 

    335  οἱ: pers. pron., dative of interest. 

    336  δακρύσασα: “bursting into tears,” ingressive aor. (Smyth 1924).

    337  βροτῶν: objective gen., with θελκτήρια.

    339   τῶν: = τούτων, demonstrative, partitive gen., with ἕν.

    339  σφιν: with παρήμενος, which takes a dative. 

    339  παρήμενος: see LSJ πάρημαι.

    339  οἱ: i.e., the suitors. 

    340  πινόντων: 3rd pl. pres. imperat. > πίνω.

    343  κεφαλὴν: "face" (LSJ κεφαλή 2)

    344  κλέος: understand the verb ἐστί. 

    344  εὐρὺ καθ᾽ Ἑλλάδα καὶ μέσον Ἄργος: the formula essentially means “throughout all of Greece.” Hellas perhaps refers to the northern mainland and Argos to the Peloponnese.

    344  μέσον Ἄργος: “the center of Argos.”

    346  φθονέεις: with the infinitive (LSJ φθονέω II) 

    348  ποθι: see LSJ ποθί B.3.

    349  ἐθέλῃσιν: 3rd sing. pres. act. subj.

    349  ἑκάστῳ: "to each (his own)"

    350  οὐ νέμεσις: “it is no cause for anger for (dat.) to (infin.).”

    351  ἐπικλείουσ(ι): see LSJ ἐπικλείω B.

    352  ἀκουόντεσσι: substantive, masc. dat. pl. pres. act. ptc. The dative follows the compound verb ἀμφιπέληται.

    352  νεωτάτη: superlative of νέος.

    352  ἀμφιπέληται: subj. > ἀμφιπέλομαι, in a conditional relative clause.

    353  ἐπιτολμάτω: 3rd sing. imperat. > ἐπιτολμάω.

    356 ἀλλ᾽εἰς...μάλιστα δ᾽ἐμοι: these lines are almost identical to lines 6.490-493 of The Iliad in which Hektor talks to Andromache before going back to battle. The only difference between these speeches is the switching of μῦθος to πόλεμος.

    356  οἶκον: “your quarters” (LSJ οἶκος I.2).

    356  σ(α) αὐτῆς: reflex. possessive pron. (Smyth 1203b).

    358  ἐποίχεσθαι: see LSJ ἐποίχομαι II.4.

    359  τοῦ: = τούτου, i.e., ἐμοί. Stanford assumes that Telemachus would gesture toward himself  at this point.

    360  βεβήκει: unaugmented plupf. This is the “pluperfect of immediate occurrence” (Smyth 1953): the action of the main verb is virtually simultaneous with the action of the participle.

    363  κλαῖεν: unaugmented impf.

    ἀοιδός –οῦ ὁ: a singer, minstrel, bard325

    ᾄσομαι ᾖσα ᾖσμαι ᾔσθην: to sing

    περικλυτός –ή –όν: heard of all round, famous, renowned, glorious

    σιωπή –ῆς ἡ: silence

    ἧμαι (or κάθημαι) ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to be seated, sit

    Ἀχαιός –ά –όν: Achaian

    νόστος –ου ὁ: a return home

    λυγρός –ά –όν: sad, mournful, miserable

    Τροία –ας ἡ: Troy

    ἐπιτέλλω ἐπέτειλα: to order, command, perscribe

    Παλλάς –άδος ἡ: Pallas

    Ἀθηνᾶ –ᾶς ἡ: Athena

    ὑπερωιόθεν: from an upper room

    φρήν φρενός ἡ: heart, mind

    συντίθημι συντιθήσω συνέθηκα συντέθηκα συντέτειμαι συνετέθην: to perceive, hear

    θέσπις –ιος: having words from God, inspired

    ἀοιδή –ῆς ἡ: song, a singing

    κόρη –ης ἡ: a maiden, daughter

    Ἰκάριος -ου ὁ: Icarius, father of Penelope, and brother of Tyndareus

    περίφρων –ον: very thoughtful, very careful, notable

    Πηνελόπεια –ας ἡ: Penelope, the daughter of Icarius, and wife of Odysseus

    κλῖμαξ –ακος ἡ: ladder, staircase330

    ὑψηλός –ή –όν: high, lofty, high-raised

    καταβαίνω καταβήσομαι κατέβην καταβέβηκα ––– –––: to step down, go down

    δόμος –ου ὁ: a house

    οἷος –α –ον: alone, such as

    ἀμφίπολος –ον: female servant, handmaid

    μνηστήρ –ῆρος ὁ: suitor

    δῖος –α –ον: god-like, divine

    ἄρα: particle: 'so'

    σταθμός –οῦ ὁ: pillar

    τέγος –ους τό: a roof

    πύκα: thickly, solidly

    ποιητός –ή –όν: made

    ἄντα: over, against, in front of

    παρειά –ᾶς ἡ: the cheek

    λιπαρός –ά –όν: bright, brilliant, shimmering

    κρήδεμνον –ου τό: a veil

    οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself335

    κεδνός –ή –όν: careful, diligent, sage, trusty

    ἑκάτερθε: on each side, on either hand

    παρίστημι παρήσω παρέστησα (or παρέστην) παρέστηκα παρέσταμαι παρεστάθην: to make to stand

    δακρύω δακρύσω ἐδάκρυσα δεδάκρυκα δεδάκρυμαι –––: to cry

    προσαυδάω προσαυδήσω προσηύδησα προσηύδηκα προσηύδημαι προσηυδήθην: to speak to, address, accost

    Φήμιος –ου ὁ: Phemius, son of Terpis, a bard in Ithaca

    βροτός –οῦ ὁ: a mortal man

    θελκτήριον –ου τό: a charming story

    κλέω: to make famous, celebrate in song

    σφεῖς: personal and (ind.) reflexive pronoun

    πάρημαι (properly perf. pass. of παρίζω): to be seated beside

    οἶνος –ου ὁ: wine340

    ἀποπαύω ἀποπαύσω ἀπέπαυσα ἀποπέπαυκα ἀποπέπαυμαι ἀπεπαύθην/ἀπεπαύσθην: to stop

    στῆθος –ους τό: the breast

    φίλος –η –ον: friend; loved, beloved, dear

    κῆρ κῆρος τό: the heart

    τείρω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to pain, to distress

    καθικνέομαι καθίξομαι καθικόμην καθῖγμαι: to reach, touch

    πένθος –ους τό: grief, sadness, sorrow

    ἄλαστος –ον: unforgettable, insufferable

    τοῖος –α –ον: such, such-like

    ποθέω ποθήσω ἐπόθησα πεπὀθηκα πεπόθημαι ἐποθήθην: long for

    κλέος –ους τό: fame, glory; a rumor, report

    εὐρύς –εῖα –ύ: wide, broad

    Ἕλλας –αδος ἡ: Greece, the Greek World

    Ἄργος –ους τό or –ου ὁ: Argos

    Τηλέμαχος –ου ὁ: Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope345

    πέπνυμαι (old Epic perf. pass. of πνέω with pres. sense): to be wise, be prudent

    ἀντίος –α or –ιη –ον: set against, opposite, facing (+ gen.); in reply

    αὐδάω (ηὔδων) αὐδήσω ηὔδησα ηὔδηκα ηὔδημαι ηὔδάθην: to utter sounds, speak

    φθονέω φθονήσω ἐφθόνησα ––– ἐφθόνημαι ἐφθονήθην: to bear ill-will, grudge

    ἐρίηρος –ον: loyal, trustworthy

    τέρπω τέρψω ἔτερψα ––– ––– ἐτάρφθην/ἐτέρφθην: to satisfy, delight, gladden, cheer

    ὅπη: however, in which way

    νόος νόου ὁ: mind

    ὄρνυμι ὄρσω ὦρσα ὄρωρα ὀρώρεμαι –––: to stir

    ποθι: probably, possibly, anywhere

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

    ἀλφηστής –οῦ ὁ: toiling, laboring

    νέμεσις –εως ἡ: anger, retribution350

    Δαναοί –ῶν οἱ: the Danaans

    οἶτος –ου ὁ: fate, doom

    ἐπικλείω/ἐπικλῄω ἐπικλείσω/ἐπικλῄσω ἐπέκλεισα/ἐπέκλῃσα ἐπικέκλεικα/ἐπικέκλῃκα ἐπικέκλειμαι/ἐπικέκλεισμαι/ἐπικέκλῃμαι ἐπεκλείσθην/ἐπεκλῄσθην: to praise, extol

    νεώτατος –η –ον: newest

    ἀμφιπέλομαι – – – – –: to float around

    ἐπιτολμάω ἐπιτολμήσω ἐπετόλμησα ἐπιτετόλμηκα ἐπιτετόλμημαι ἐπετολμήθην: to endure

    καρδία –ας ἡ: the heart

    Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey

    νόστιμος –ον: of return

    ἦμαρ –ατος τό: day

    φώς φωτός ὁ: a man355

    ὄλλυμι ὀλῶ ὤλεσα (or ὠλόμην) ὀλώλεκα (or ὄλωλα) ––– –––: to destroy, (mid.) perish

    ἱστός –οῦ ὁ: a loom

    ἠλακάτη –ης ἡ: a distaff

    ἐποίχομαι ἐποιχήσομαι ἐπῴχημαι: to go towards, approach

    μῦθος –ου ὁ: word, speech, plan

    μέλω μέλησω ἐμέλησα μεμέληκα ––– –––: to be an object of care

    κράτος –ους τό: strength, might

    θαμβέω θαμβἠσω ἐθάμβησα τεθάμβηκα τεθάμβημαι ἐθαμβήθην: to be astounded, amazed360

    οἰκόνδε: into the house, to the women's apartment, home, homeward,

    ἐντίθημι ἐνθήσω ἐνέθηκα ἐντέθεικα/ἐντέθηκα ἐντέθειμαι/ἔγκειμαι ἐνετέθην: to put in

    ὑπερῷον: the upper part of the house, the upper story

    ἀναβαίνω ἀναβήσομαι ἀνέβην ἀναβέβηκα ––– –––: to go up

    κλαίω/κλάω κλαύσομαι/κλαήσω ἔκλαυσα ––– κέκλαυμαι/κέκλαυσμαι ἐκλαύσθην: to weep, lament, wail

    πόσις –ιος/–εως ὁ: a husband, spouse, mate

    ὄφρα: until, so that

    ὕπνος –ου ὁ: sleep, sleepiness

    βλέφαρον –ου τό: (mostly in pl.) the eyelids

    γλαυκῶπις –ιδος: with gleaming eyes, brighteyed

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    Suggested Citation

    Thomas Van Nortwick and Rob Hardy, Homer: Odyssey 5–12. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2024. ISBN: 978-1-947822-17-7 https://dcc.dickinson.edu/homer-odyssey/i-325%E2%80%93364