ὣς ἄρʼ ἔφη, γρῆυς δὲ θεῶν μέγαν ὅρκον ἀπώμνυ.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ὄμοσέν τε τελεύτησέν τε τὸν ὅρκον,
αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτά οἱ οἶνον ἐν ἀμφιφορεῦσιν ἄφυσσεν,
ἐν δέ οἱ ἄλφιτα χεῦεν ἐϋρραφέεσσι δοροῖσι.380
Τηλέμαχος δʼ ἐς δώματʼ ἰὼν μνηστῆρσιν ὁμίλει.
ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ ἄλλʼ ἐνόησε θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη.
Τηλεμάχῳ ἐικυῖα κατὰ πτόλιν ᾤχετο πάντῃ,
καί ῥα ἑκάστῳ φωτὶ παρισταμένη φάτο μῦθον,
ἑσπερίους δʼ ἐπὶ νῆα θοὴν ἀγέρεσθαι ἀνώγει.385
ἡ δʼ αὖτε Φρονίοιο Νοήμονα φαίδιμον υἱὸν
ᾔτεε νῆα θοήν· ὁ δέ οἱ πρόφρων ὑπέδεκτο.
δύσετό τʼ ἠέλιος σκιόωντό τε πᾶσαι ἀγυιαί,
καὶ τότε νῆα θοὴν ἅλαδʼ εἴρυσε, πάντα δʼ ἐν αὐτῇ
ὅπλʼ ἐτίθει, τά τε νῆες ἐύσσελμοι φορέουσι.390
στῆσε δʼ ἐπʼ ἐσχατιῇ λιμένος, περὶ δʼ ἐσθλοὶ ἑταῖροι
ἁθρόοι ἠγερέθοντο· θεὰ δʼ ὤτρυνεν ἕκαστον.
ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ ἄλλʼ ἐνόησε θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη.
βῆ ῤʼ ἰέναι πρὸς δώματʼ Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο·
ἔνθα μνηστήρεσσιν ἐπὶ γλυκὺν ὕπνον ἔχευε,395
πλάζε δὲ πίνοντας, χειρῶν δʼ ἔκβαλλε κύπελλα.
οἱ δʼ εὕδειν ὤρνυντο κατὰ πτόλιν, οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἔτι δὴν
ἥατʼ, ἐπεί σφισιν ὕπνος ἐπὶ βλεφάροισιν ἔπιπτεν.
αὐτὰρ Τηλέμαχον προσέφη γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη
ἐκπροκαλεσσαμένη μεγάρων ἐὺ ναιεταόντων,400
Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν·
Τηλέμαχʼ, ἤδη μέν τοι ἐυκνήμιδες ἑταῖροι
ἥατʼ ἐπήρετμοι τὴν σὴν ποτιδέγμενοι ὁρμήν·
ἀλλʼ ἴομεν, μὴ δηθὰ διατρίβωμεν ὁδοῖο.
ὣς ἄρα φωνήσασʼ ἡγήσατο Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη405
καρπαλίμως· ὁ δʼ ἔπειτα μετʼ ἴχνια βαῖνε θεοῖο.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ἐπὶ νῆα κατήλυθον ἠδὲ θάλασσαν,
εὗρον ἔπειτʼ ἐπὶ θινὶ κάρη κομόωντας ἑταίρους.
τοῖσι δὲ καὶ μετέειφʼ ἱερὴ ἲς Τηλεμάχοιο·
δεῦτε, φίλοι, ἤια φερώμεθα· πάντα γὰρ ἤδη410
ἁθρόʼ ἐνὶ μεγάρῳ. μήτηρ δʼ ἐμὴ οὔ τι πέπυσται,
οὐδʼ ἄλλαι δμωαί, μία δʼ οἴη μῦθον ἄκουσεν.
ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἡγήσατο, τοὶ δʼ ἅμʼ ἕποντο.
οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντα φέροντες ἐυσσέλμῳ ἐπὶ νηὶ
κάτθεσαν, ὡς ἐκέλευσεν Ὀδυσσῆος φίλος υἱός.415
ἂν δʼ ἄρα Τηλέμαχος νηὸς βαῖνʼ, ἦρχε δʼ Ἀθήνη,
νηὶ δʼ ἐνὶ πρυμνῇ κατʼ ἄρʼ ἕζετο· ἄγχι δʼ ἄρʼ αὐτῆς
ἕζετο Τηλέμαχος. τοὶ δὲ πρυμνήσιʼ ἔλυσαν,
ἂν δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ βάντες ἐπὶ κληῖσι καθῖζον.
τοῖσιν δʼ ἴκμενον οὖρον ἵει γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη,420
ἀκραῆ Ζέφυρον, κελάδοντʼ ἐπὶ οἴνοπα πόντον.
Τηλέμαχος δʼ ἑτάροισιν ἐποτρύνας ἐκέλευσεν
ὅπλων ἅπτεσθαι· τοὶ δʼ ὀτρύνοντος ἄκουσαν.
ἱστὸν δʼ εἰλάτινον κοίλης ἔντοσθε μεσόδμης
στῆσαν ἀείραντες, κατὰ δὲ προτόνοισιν ἔδησαν,425
ἕλκον δʼ ἱστία λευκὰ ἐυστρέπτοισι βοεῦσιν.
ἔπρησεν δʼ ἄνεμος μέσον ἱστίον, ἀμφὶ δὲ κῦμα
στείρῃ πορφύρεον μεγάλʼ ἴαχε νηὸς ἰούσης·
ἡ δʼ ἔθεεν κατὰ κῦμα διαπρήσσουσα κέλευθον.
δησάμενοι δʼ ἄρα ὅπλα θοὴν ἀνὰ νῆα μέλαιναν430
στήσαντο κρητῆρας ἐπιστεφέας οἴνοιο,
λεῖβον δʼ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖς αἰειγενέτῃσιν,
ἐκ πάντων δὲ μάλιστα Διὸς γλαυκώπιδι κούρῃ.
παννυχίη μέν ῥʼ ἥ γε καὶ ἠῶ πεῖρε κέλευθον.
notes
Having nudged Telemachus out of his adolescent paralysis, Athena now swings into action, recruiting the crew, sedating the suitors, and leading the way to the ship.
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She will stay close to the young prince for the first part of his mission, making sure he arrives safely in Pylos. As the ship sails off into the night, she stands beside him in the stern, again disguised as Mentor.
As he begins his story, the poet has pursued two primary goals: 1) to create a vivid portrait of the dismal situation in Ithaka and tie it to the absence of Odysseus; 2) to introduce Telemachus as an adolescent on the cusp of adulthood, struggling to assume his responsibilities as the head male of the household in his father’s absence. The two goals are related, in that addressing the dysfunction in the palace will require Telemachus to step up and confront the suitors.
The next two books will show us Telemachus out in the world on his own, encountering his father’s fellow warriors, seeing firsthand how other households have fared in the wake of the war. We will see him gradually growing into his father’s genetic inheritance, cautiously assessing others while selectively revealing himself. The character of Odysseus has begun to emerge in the scenes from Ithaka, through the eyes of those who love him and those who fear him. Now as Nestor, Menelaus, and Helen reminisce, a more complex figure appears, not only sweet and gentle, but secretive and manipulative, doing what he must to survive. It is this side of the hero that will dominate the portrait from the time we see him on Calypso’s island until the final triumph in Ithaka. The question of where Odysseus is will be answered soon. But revealing who he is will be a much more complicated process.
377 θεῶν: “by the gods,” or “to the gods,” objective gen. (Smyth 1332 ).
377 ἀπώμνυ: 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > ἀπόμνυμι. The verb is used for taking an oath not to do something; in this case, not to tell Penelope that Telemachus has gone.
381 ὁμίλει: unaugmented impf. act. indic.
383 πτόλιν: = πόλιν.
384 ἑκάστῳ φωτὶ: dat., with the compound verb παρισταμένη.
385 ἑσπερίους: adj., used adverbially.
387 ᾔτεε: “was asking (acc. of person) for (acc. of thing),” 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. (LSJ αἰτέω I.23).
387 οἱ: dat. indir. obj.
387 ὑπέδεκτο: “promised” (LSJ ὑποδέχομαι III.1). The expression here is somewhat elliptical. Understand ὑπέδεκτο δῶσαι νῆα Τηλεμάχῳ (οἱ).
389 εἴρυσε: aor. > ἐρύω.
390 τά: rel. pron., with ὅπλα as antecedent. The Homeric τε is common in relative clauses, and can be left untranslated.
391 περὶ: “around,” adverbial.
393 ἄλλ᾽ ἐνόησε: “had another idea.”
395 ἐπὶ … ἔχευε: “was pouring (acc.) over (dat.), impf., tmesis > ἐπιχέω .
396 πλάζε: unaugmented impf.
396 χειρῶν: gen., governed by the prepositional prefix ἐκ– in the compound verb ἔκβαλλε (unaugmented impf.).
398 ἥατ(ο): 3rd pl. plupf. mid. indic. > ἧμαι. For the ending, see Smyth 465 f. D . The pluperfect functions simply as a past tense (“sat”) (Smyth 1952a ).
398 σφισιν: dative of possession.
400 ἐκπροκαλεσσαμένη: “summoning him to her out of,” with a genitive governed by the prepositional prefix ἐκ–.
402 τοι: dative of advantage (“for you”).
403 ἥατ(αι): 3rd pl. pf. mid. indic. > ἧμαι. For the ending, see Smyth 465 f. D . The perfect functions simply as a present tense (“sit”) (Smyth 1946 ).
403 ποτιδέγμενοι: ptc. > προσδέχομαι.
403 ὁρμήν: “setting out,” “departure” (LSJ ὁρμή III).
404 ἴομεν: short-vowel hortatory subj. > εἶμι.
404 μὴ … διατρίβωμεν: negative hortatory subj.
404 ὁδοῖο: “on (from) the journey.” An “ablatival” genitive, or genitive of separation.
406 ἴχνια βαῖνε: “followed in the footsteps of.”
408 κάρη κομόωντας: “long-haired” (literally, “long-haired with respect to the head”) (Autenrieth κομάω ).
409 ἲς Τηλεμάχοιο: “mighty Telemachus” (literally, “the might of Telemachus”), periphrasis (Smyth 3041 ).
412 μία δ᾽ οἴη: that is, Eurycleia.
416 ἂν ... νηὸς βαῖν(ε): “boarded the ship,” ἂν = ἀνά (LSJ ἀνά A).
417 νηὶ … ἐνὶ πρυμνῇ: “in the stern” (literally, “in the back of the ship”).
417 κατ᾽ … ἕζετο: tmesis > καθίζομαι.
419 ἂν … βάντες: = ἀναβάντες, ptc., tmesis > ἀναβαίνω.
420 ἵει: impf. > ἵημι.
421 ἀκραῆ: masc. acc. sing. > ἀκραής.
422 ἐποτρύνας: masc. nom. sing. aor. ptc. > ἐποτρύνω.
423 ὅπλων: gen., with a verb of touching, ἅπτεσθαι, “to lay hold of” (Smyth 1345 ). The ὅπλα are the various ropes (sheets) used to raise, fasten, and maneuver the sails.
423 τοὶ: “they.”
423 ὀτρύνοντος: gen. ptc., with ἄκουσαν, referring to Telemachus.
424 ἔντοσθε: “inside,” with genitive.
425 στῆσαν: the aorist of ἵστημι is causal: “stood up,” “caused to stand.” Homer here describes the “stepping” of the mast.
425 κατὰ … ἔδησαν: aor., tmesis > καταδέω.
425 προτόνοισιν: dative of means.
426 ἕλκον: “hoisted” (LSJ ἕλκω A.I.6).
427 ἀμφὶ: with στείρῃ. The order: ἀμφὶ δὲ στείρῃ νηὸς ἰούσης, πορφύρεον κῦμα
ἴαχε μεγάλα.
428 μεγάλ(α): adverbial acc. (Smyth 1606 ).
429 ἡ: the ship (ἡ νῆυς).
430 δησάμενοι … ὅπλα: in a favorable wind (ἴκμενον οὖρον 420), when no tacking is necessary, the sheets (see line 423) can be fastened to braces and held at a steady angle to the wind.
431 στήσαντο: “set before themselves” ( Merry-Riddell-Monro ), aor. mid. > ἵστημι.
432 λεῖβον: unaugmented impf.
434 ἥ γε: the ship (ἡ νῆυς).
434 ἠῶ: accusative of extent of time.