"οἱ δ᾽ ἀπαμειβόμενοι ἔπεα πτερόεντ᾽ ἀγόρευον·
‘εἰ μὲν δὴ μή τίς σε βιάζεται οἶον ἐόντα,410
νοῦσον γ᾽ οὔ πως ἔστι Διὸς μεγάλου ἀλέασθαι,
ἀλλὰ σύ γ᾽ εὔχεο πατρὶ Ποσειδάωνι ἄνακτι.’
ὣς ἄρ᾽ ἔφαν ἀπιόντες, ἐμὸν δ᾽ ἐγέλασσε φίλον κῆρ,
ὡς ὄνομ᾽ ἐξαπάτησεν ἐμὸν καὶ μῆτις ἀμύμων.
Κύκλωψ δὲ στενάχων τε καὶ ὠδίνων ὀδύνῃσι415
χερσὶ ψηλαφόων ἀπὸ μὲν λίθον εἷλε θυράων,
αὐτὸς δ᾽ εἰνὶ θύρῃσι καθέζετο χεῖρε πετάσσας,
εἴ τινά που μετ᾽ ὄεσσι λάβοι στείχοντα θύραζε·
οὕτω γάρ πού μ᾽ ἤλπετ᾽ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ νήπιον εἶναι.
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ βούλευον, ὅπως ὄχ᾽ ἄριστα γένοιτο,420
εἴ τιν᾽ ἑταίροισιν θανάτου λύσιν ἠδ᾽ ἐμοὶ αὐτῷ
εὑροίμην· πάντας δὲ δόλους καὶ μῆτιν ὕφαινον
ὥς τε περὶ ψυχῆς· μέγα γὰρ κακὸν ἐγγύθεν ἦεν.
ἥδε δέ μοι κατὰ θυμὸν ἀρίστη φαίνετο βουλή.
ἄρσενες ὄιες ἦσαν ἐυτρεφέες, δασύμαλλοι,425
καλοί τε μεγάλοι τε, ἰοδνεφὲς εἶρος ἔχοντες·
τοὺς ἀκέων συνέεργον ἐυστρεφέεσσι λύγοισιν,
τῇς ἔπι Κύκλωψ εὗδε πέλωρ, ἀθεμίστια εἰδώς,
σύντρεις αἰνύμενος· ὁ μὲν ἐν μέσῳ ἄνδρα φέρεσκε,
τὼ δ᾽ ἑτέρω ἑκάτερθεν ἴτην σώοντες ἑταίρους.430
τρεῖς δὲ ἕκαστον φῶτ᾽ ὄιες φέρον· αὐτὰρ ἐγώ γε—
ἀρνειὸς γὰρ ἔην μήλων ὄχ᾽ ἄριστος ἁπάντων,
τοῦ κατὰ νῶτα λαβών, λασίην ὑπὸ γαστέρ᾽ ἐλυσθεὶς
κείμην· αὐτὰρ χερσὶν ἀώτου θεσπεσίοιο
νωλεμέως στρεφθεὶς ἐχόμην τετληότι θυμῷ.435
ὣς τότε μὲν στενάχοντες ἐμείναμεν Ἠῶ δῖαν.
ἦμος δ᾽ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,
καὶ τότ᾽ ἔπειτα νομόνδ᾽ ἐξέσσυτο ἄρσενα μῆλα,
θήλειαι δὲ μέμηκον ἀνήμελκτοι περὶ σηκούς·
οὔθατα γὰρ σφαραγεῦντο. ἄναξ δ᾽ ὀδύνῃσι κακῇσι440
τειρόμενος πάντων ὀίων ἐπεμαίετο νῶτα
ὀρθῶν ἑσταότων· τὸ δὲ νήπιος οὐκ ἐνόησεν,
ὥς οἱ ὑπ᾽ εἰροπόκων ὀίων στέρνοισι δέδεντο.
ὕστατος ἀρνειὸς μήλων ἔστειχε θύραζε
λάχνῳ στεινόμενος καὶ ἐμοὶ πυκινὰ φρονέοντι.445
τὸν δ᾽ ἐπιμασσάμενος προσέφη κρατερὸς Πολύφημος·
‘κριὲ πέπον, τί μοι ὧδε διὰ σπέος ἔσσυο μήλων
ὕστατος; οὔ τι πάρος γε λελειμμένος ἔρχεαι οἰῶν,
ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρῶτος νέμεαι τέρεν᾽ ἄνθεα ποίης
μακρὰ βιβάς, πρῶτος δὲ ῥοὰς ποταμῶν ἀφικάνεις,450
πρῶτος δὲ σταθμόνδε λιλαίεαι ἀπονέεσθαι
ἑσπέριος: νῦν αὖτε πανύστατος. ἦ σύ γ᾽ ἄνακτος
ὀφθαλμὸν ποθέεις, τὸν ἀνὴρ κακὸς ἐξαλάωσε
σὺν λυγροῖς ἑτάροισι δαμασσάμενος φρένας οἴνῳ,
Οὖτις, ὃν οὔ πώ φημι πεφυγμένον εἶναι ὄλεθρον.455
εἰ δὴ ὁμοφρονέοις ποτιφωνήεις τε γένοιο
εἰπεῖν ὅππῃ κεῖνος ἐμὸν μένος ἠλασκάζει·
τῷ κέ οἱ ἐγκέφαλός γε διὰ σπέος ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ
θεινομένου ῥαίοιτο πρὸς οὔδεϊ, κὰδ δέ κ᾽ ἐμὸν κῆρ
λωφήσειε κακῶν, τά μοι οὐτιδανὸς πόρεν Οὖτις.’460
notes
Deceived by the false name Οὖτις, the other Cyclopes give no help. Odysseus and his men escape from the cave.
As Odysseus rejoices in the shadows, Polyphemus struggles: στενάχων τε καὶ ὠδίνων ὀδύνῃσι, “groaning and suffering in his pain” (415). The noun ὀδύνη—of which the name “Odysseus,” is a cognate (see Introduction, para. 13 and 29)—has the general meaning of “pain,” but is often used specifically of the discomfort that mothers suffer in childbirth. While it’s not always a good idea to lean on one word in working out the meaning of a passage in Homeric poetry, in this case there is a telling context that points us toward that particular shading for the noun: Odysseus and his crew have been trapped in the womblike cave of the Cyclops; driving a stake into the single round orifice of the monster will lead to their reemergence from the cave and the eventual return of their leader from “Nobody” to Odysseus. The hero, as we will soon see, is about to be reborn and not for the first time in the poem.
read full essay
The recurrent cycle of death and rebirth begins in Book 5. Released from Calypso’s island, where he has been in a deathlike state, out of time, Odysseus sails out on the boat he has crafted, which Poseidon then smashes, leaving him adrift in the ocean. He’s about to be pulled under by the scarf that Calypso (“I will smother”) gave him, when a friendly nymph comes by and gives him another, more helpfully buoyant garment, which carries him to Scheria. He crawls exhausted from the baptismal sea, barely able to breathe. Crawling under a wild olive bush, he buries himself in a pile of leaves and is put to sleep like a newborn baby by Athena. When he awakens the next morning to the alluring voices of Nausicaa and her maidens, he is beginning again, naked, nameless, and alone. From there, he works his way back to the triumphant moment when he announces his name to the Phaeacians at the beginning of Book 9.
At the end of his sojourn on Scheria, it all begins again. Once on the Phaeacian ship that will carry him home, Odysseus falls into a deep sleep:
καὶ τῷ νήδυμος ὕπνος ἐπὶ βλεφάροισιν ἔπιπτε,
νήγρετος, ἥδιστος, θανάτῳ ἄγχιστα ἐοικώς.
And a painless sleep fell upon his eyes,
deep and sweet, very much like death.
Odyssey 13.79–80
When the ship reaches Ithaka, the Phaeacian sailors carry him off the ship, still sleeping. He awakens in the exact same quandary that befell him on that first morning on Scheria:
ὤ μοι ἐγώ, τέων αὖτε βροτῶν ἐς γαῖαν ἱκάνω;
ἦ ῥ᾽ οἵ γ᾽ ὑβρισταί τε καὶ ἄγριοι οὐδὲ δίκαιοι,
ἦε φιλόξεινοι, καί σφιν νόος ἐστὶ θεουδής;
Oh no! What sort of people are these, whose land I’ve reached?
Are they arrogant, fierce, and lacking in justice?
Or kind to strangers, with intelligence like the gods?
Odyssey 13.200–2 = 6.119–21
He is alone once again and, thanks to Athena’s trickery, he cannot recognize his own island. As she did on the way to the royal palace of the Phaeacians, Athena appears disguised as a young mortal, this time a boy. In response to Odysseus asking where he is, she calls him νήπιος, often used of babies, and his journey begins again, from baby to beggar in rags to triumphant king of Ithaka.
The morning after his blinding, Polyphemus goes about his chores as usual, tending to his flocks, milking the sheep and goats. Odysseus ties the rest of the crew to the bellies of male sheep, saving the lead ram for himself. His men ride out of the cave, escaping the probing fingers of the monster. Now comes a curious moment. The blind Cyclops, still suffering from ὀδύνῃσι κακῇσι, discovers that this dominant male ram, that usually leads the flock, has held back for some reason, prompting a tender speech:
κριὲ πέπον, τί μοι ὧδε διὰ σπέος ἔσσυο μήλων
ὕστατος; οὔ τι πάρος γε λελειμμένος ἔρχεαι οἰῶν,
ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρῶτος νέμεαι τέρεν᾽ ἄνθεα ποίης
μακρὰ βιβάς, πρῶτος δὲ ῥοὰς ποταμῶν ἀφικάνεις,
πρῶτος δὲ σταθμόνδε λιλαίεαι ἀπονέεσθαι
ἑσπέριος: νῦν αὖτε πανύστατος. ἦ σύ γ᾽ ἄνακτος
ὀφθαλμὸν ποθέεις, τὸν ἀνὴρ κακὸς ἐξαλάωσε
σὺν λυγροῖς ἑτάροισι δαμασσάμενος φρένας οἴνῳ,
Οὖτις, ὃν οὔ πώ φημι πεφυγμένον εἶναι ὄλεθρον.
εἰ δὴ ὁμοφρονέὁοις ποτιφωνήεις τε γένοιο
εἰπεῖν ὅππῃ κεῖνος ἐμὸν μένος ἠλασκάζει:
τῷ κέ οἱ ἐγκέφαλός γε διὰ σπέος ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ
θεινομένου ῥαίοιτο πρὸς οὔδεϊ, κὰδ δέ κ᾽ ἐμὸν κῆρ
λωφήσειε κακῶν, τά μοι οὐτιδανὸς πόρεν Οὖτις.
My dear ram, why are you last of the flock to leave
the cave? You were never before left behind by the flock,
but first of all you’d graze the tender shoots of grass,
taking big strides, arriving first at the river’s stream,
and you’d be the first to return home to the sheepfold
at evening. Now you are last of all. Are you grieving
for your master’s eye, which that evil man put out
with his wicked companions, after he damaged my wits with wine,
that Nobody, who I say has not yet escaped destruction?
If you only thought like I do, could speak and
tell me where he is skulking away from my rage,
then he would be smashed against the floor and his brains
would be splattered all through the cave, to give my heart rest
from the pains that worthless Nobody brought me.
Odyssey 9.447–60
The effect of this tableau is unexpectedly poignant. Polyphemus, now blind and presumably helpless without the aid from his fellow Cyclopes, seeks solace from a mute animal that cannot answer him. In this moment, the ram is more pet than livestock, patiently waiting for his master to pour out his grievances. That Polyphemus interprets the animal’s reticence as a sympathetic response to his master’s wound makes his isolation all the more pathetic.
The poet’s ambiguous portrait of Polyphemus, part monster, part shepherd, part midwife to the hero’s rebirth (see νήπιος, 273) creates a correspondingly complex view of Odysseus. In contrast to the Cyclops’s emotional vulnerability, he will issue prideful taunts as his ship leaves the island, again putting his men in jeopardy when Polyphemus almost swamps the boat. Homer surprises us in a similar way when describing the final hours of Odysseus’s stay with Calypso. There, Hermes has delivered Zeus’s inescapable command, that the nymph release Odysseus and send him on his way. In her angry response, Calypso, like Polyphemus, becomes more emotionally available to us: She loved Odysseus and nursed him back to health. Why must she give him up? We rarely see Homeric deities—even minor ones like Calypso—thwarted in their desires when they involve mortals. When we do, their vulnerability brings them closer to our own limited mortal existence and we can feel a kinship in their frustration. Even Zeus, when he decides he must let his son Sarpedon die at Patroclus’s hands, becomes for a moment more vulnerable parent than omnipotent deity (Il. 16.433–61). Pulling our sympathies toward and then away from his characters is one way the poet energizes his long stories and keeps us engaged.
Further Reading
Newton, R. 1983. “Poor Polyphemus: Emotional Ambivalence in Odyssey 9 and 17.” Classical World 76, 137–142.
Segal, C. 1994. “Transition and Ritual in Odysseus’ Return,” in Singers, Heroes, and Gods in the Odyssey, 65–84. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
410 οἶον ἐόντα: “being alone,” “because you are alone,” agreeing with σε.
410 ἐόντα: pres. ptc. > εἰμί.
411 οὔ πως ἔστι: “it is not at all possible.” ἔστι, non-enclitic, can mean “it is possible.”
411 Διὸς μεγάλου: "sent by great Zeus," genitive of source, modifying νοῦσόν (Goodell 509).
412 εὔχεο: = εὔχεσο, pres. mid. imperat.
413 ἔφαν: = ἔφασαν, “they spoke,” aor. > φημί.
413 ἀπιόντες: “as they left,” aor. ptc. > ἄπ-ειμι (LSJ ἄπειμι B).
413 ἐμὸν ... φίλον κῆρ: “in my own heart” (LSJ φίλος I.2.C), accusative of respect (Monro 137).
414 ὡς: “(to see) how.”
416 ἀπὸ … εἷλε: “took away,” "removed," either tmesis (separation of the preposition and verb in a compound verb) > ἀφαιρέω, or ἀπό is used adverbially.
417 χεῖρε: acc. dual.
418 εἴ … λάβοι: “on the chance that he might catch,” “in the hope that he might catch” (Smyth 2354).
418 ὄεσσι: “sheep,” dat. pl. (LSJ ὄϊς).
420 ὅπως … γένοιτο: indirect question, introduced by a verb (βούλευον: impf., augment omitted) in secondary sequence.
420 ὄχ᾽ ἄριστα: “by far the best.” The adverb ὄχα is used only his this phrase (LSJ ὄχα).
421-2 εἴ … / εὑροίμην: “on the chance that Ι might find,” “in the hope that Ι might find” (Smyth 2354).
422 ὕφαινον: impf.
423 ὥς τε περὶ ψυχῆς: “as is the case when it’s a matter of life and death.” The τε has the effect of showing that its clause corresponds in some way to the preceding clause, and should not be translated (Smyth 2970).
423 ἦεν: = ἦν, 3rd person sing. > εἰμί.
427 τοὺς ἀκέων συνέεργον: “I silently bound them together.”
428 τῇς ἔπι: “on which” = ἐπὶ ταῖς (anastrophe). The antecedent of the relative pronoun τῇς is λύγοισι in line 427.
428 εὗδε: “he used to sleep,” “was wont to sleep,” impf., expressing repeated action in the past (Goodell 459).
428 ἀθεμίστια εἰδώς: see note on line 189 (ἀθεμίστια ᾔδη).
429 σύντρεις: modifies τοὺς (the rams) in line 427.
429 ὁ μὲν ἐν μέσῳ: “the one in the middle,” looking forward to τὼ δ᾽ ἑτέρω (430).
429 φέρεσκε: iterative impf. (Smyth 495 and 1790).
430 τὼ δ(ὲ) ἑτέρω: “and the other two,” dual.
430 ἴτην: impf. dual > εἶμι.
431 φέρον: unaugmented impf.
432 γὰρ: this line explains the line that follows.
433 τοῦ κατὰ νῶτα λαβών: “seizing it by the back.” τοῦ refers to the ram and is a partitive genitive after λαβών (Goodell 510.b).
433 ἐλυσθεὶς: “enveloped."
434 ἀώτου θεσπεσίοιο: partitive genitive with ἐχόμην (435), “I held onto,” Goodell 510.b).
435 στρεφθεὶς: “having turned” > στρέφω. Odysseus is underneath the ram, facing upward.
435 τετληότι: “enduring,” > τετληώς, Epic pf. ptc. masc. dat. sing. > τλάω.
438 ἐξέσσυτο: singular verb with a neuter plural subject (ἄρσενα μῆλα).
439 μέμηκον: “were bleating,” = ἐμέμηκον, impf., formed on the perfect stem (Authenrieth μηκάομαι).
440 σφαραγεῦντο: impf.
440 ἄναξ: “their master,” the Cyclops.
441 ἐπεμαίετο νῶτα: “felt along the backs of” (LSJ ἐπιμαίομαι II).
442 ἑσταότων: “standing,” pf. act. ptc. > ἱστημι. The perfect tenses of this verb are intransitive (Goodell 361).
442-3 τὸ … / ὥς …: “this, namely that…” τὸ is the direct object of ἐνόησεν, and is explained by the clause in line 443.
443 οἱ: “they,” Odysseus’ men (Monro 256).
443 ὑπ(ό): “underneath,” + dat. στέρνοισι, rather than genitive, since there is no motion.
443 δέδεντο: “had been tied,” unaugmented plupf. pass. > δέω.
444 μήλων: partitive genitive with ὕστατος, as again in line 447.
445 “burdened with the weight of his fleece and my cunning self” (Murray).
445 στεινόμενος: “thronged” or “covered” with (LSJ στείνω II.2), hence “weighed down.”
445 πυκινὰ: “shrewdly,” adverbial acc. Odysseus’ “close packed thoughts” are humorously conceived of as adding to his weight (Edwards).
447 μοι: dative of interest.
447 ἔσσυο: = ἔσσυσο, aor. mid. 2nd sing. > σεύω.
448 οὔ τι: “not at all.”
448 λελειμμένος ἔρχεαι οἰῶν: “you go, (not at all) having been left behind by the sheep,” i.e. “you do not lag behind the sheep.” The verb is present tense used to express an action begun in the past and continued into the present (Smyth 1885), as are νέμεαι (449), ἀφικάνεις (450), and λιλαίεαι (451).
448 οἰῶν: genitive of separation with λελειμμένος (Goodell 509.c, Cunliffe λείπω 16).
449 πολὺ: “by far,” adverbial.
449 τέρεν(α) ἄνθεα ποίης: “the tender bloom of the grass,” accusative after νέμεαι.
449 νέμεαι: “you have (always) grazed on” = νέμεσαι, 2nd pers. sing. pres. mid. > νέμω. For the tense, see Smyth 1885.
450 μακρὰ βιβάς: “with long strides.” μακρὰ is an adverbial accusative.
450 βιβάς: pres. ptc. > βιβάω.
451 λιλαίεαι: = λιλαίεσαι, 2nd pers. sing. pres. mid. > λιλαίομαι, “be very eager to.”
452 ἦ: “truly.”
453 τὸν: relative pronoun. The antecedent is ὀφθαλμόν.
454 φρένας: supply ἐμάς.
455 ὃν: relative pronoun. The antecedent is Οὖτις.
455 οὔ πώ: “not yet,” modifying the perfect infinitive.
455 πεφυγμένον ἔμμεν: “has escaped” (ἔμμεν = εἶναι). A periphrastic form of the perfect passive infinitive (Smyth 599, LSJ φεύγω II.1).
455 φημι: introduces indirect discourse with accusative (ὅν) and infinitive (Goodell 658).
455 ὄλεθρον: the object of the infinitive
456 εἰ … ὁμοφρονέοις … γένοιο: optative of wish, “if only…” (Monro 312).
456 γένοιο: 2nd sing. aor. opt. > γίγνομαι
457 εἰπεῖν: infinitive of result, “(so that you could) say.”
457 ὅππῃ: “where” = ὅπῃ
458 τῷ: “then,” “in that case” (LSJ ὁ A.VIII.2).
458 οἱ: “his,” dative of possession.
458 ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ: “in all directions.”
459 θεινομένου: "when I had struck him." The genitive (the usual case expressing possession) agrees in sense, though not in case, with the possessive dative οἱ in line 458. An "apparent violation of concords" (Smyth 926).
459 κὰδ: “completely” = κατά, here used as an intensifier (Monro 211).
459–60 κε … / λωφήσειε: potential optative.
460 κακῶν: “from evils,” genitive of separation.
460 τά: article used as relative pronoun (Monro 262); the antecedent is κακῶν.
460 πόρεν: unaugmented impf.
vocabulary
ἀπαμείβομαι ἀπαμείψομαι ἀπημειψάμην ἀπημείφθην: to reply, answer
πτερόεις πτερόεσσα πτερόεν: winged
ἀγορεύω ἀγορεύσω ἠγόρευσα ἠγόρευκα ἠγόρευμαι ἠγορεύθην: to speak, say
βιάω βιήσω ἐβίασα βεβίηκα βεβίημαι ἐβιήθην: to do violence
οἶος –α –ον: alone 410
Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus
ἀλέομαι or ἀλεύομαι, aor. ἠλεύατο, infin. ἀλέασθαι or ἀλεύασθαι: to avoid, shun
εὔχομαι εὔξομαι ηὐξάμην ηὖγμαι: to pray; to make a vow, promise; to declare, affirm; to glory in, boast of (for good reason)
Ποσειδῶν –ῶνος ὁ: Poseidon
ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus
ἄπειμι ἀπέσομαι ––– ––– ––– –––: to be away, be distant, be absent
γελάω γελάσομαι ἐγαλασα ––– ––– ἐγελάσθην: laugh
κῆρ κῆρος τό: Heart
ἐξαπατάω ἐξαπατήσω ἠξαπάτησα ἠξαπάτηκα ἠξαπάτημαι ἠξαπατήθην: deceive
μῆτις –ιος/–ιδος ἡ: wisdom, counsel, cunning, craft
ἀμύμων –ον: blameless, noble, excellent
Κύκλωψ –πος ὁ: Cyclops
στενάχω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to sigh, groan, wail
ὠδίνω ὠδινήσω/ὠδινῶ ὠδίνησα/ὤδινα ––– ––– ὠδινήθην: to suffer severely, be in anguish
ὀδύνη –ης ἡ: pain of body 415
ψηλαφάω ψηλαφήσω ἐψηλάφησα – – ἐψηλαφήθην: to grope, feel ones way, search for
θύρα –ας ἡ: door
καθέζομαι καθεδοῦμαι/καθεδήσομαι κάθημαι ἐκαθέσθην: to sit down, take one's seat
πεταννύω/πετάννυμι πετῶ ἐπέτασα πεπέτακα πέπταμαι ἐπετάσθην: to spread out
ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep
στείχω ––– ἔστειξα/ἔστιχον ––– ––– –––: to walk, march, go
θύραζε: out to the door, out of the door
ἔλπω – – – – –: to hope
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
νήπιος –α –ον: infant, child; silly, ignorant, without foresight
ἀτάρ: but, yet
ὄχα: by far, far and away, clearly 420
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion
λύσις –εως ἡ: release, liberation, ransom
ἠδέ: and
δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery
μῆτις –ιος/–ιδος ἡ: wisdom, counsel, cunning, craft
ὑφαίνω ὑφανῶ ὕφανα/ὕφηνα ὕφαγκα ὕφασμαι ὑφάνθην: to weave
ἐγγύθεν: close, nearby, alongside
ἄρσην ἄρσενος ὁ/ἡ: male
ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep
εὐτρεφής –ές: well-fed
δασύμαλλος –ον: thick-fleeced, woolly 425
ἰοδνεφής –ές: dark like violet
εἶρος –ους τό: wool
ἀκέων –ουσα –ον: softly, silently
συνέργω συνείρξω συνεῖρξα ––– ––– –––: to fasten, join; to close or tighten together
ἐυστρεφής –ές: well-twisted
λύγος –ου ἡ: willow twig
Κύκλωψ –πος ὁ: Cyclops
εὕδω εὑδήσω εὕδησα: sleep, lie down to sleep
πέλωρ τό: a portent, prodigy, monster
ἀθεμίστιος –ον: lawless, godless
σύντρεις: three together, by threes
αἴνυμαι – – – – –: to take, seize (+ acc. or gen.)
ἑκάτερθε: on each side, on either hand 430
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion
φώς φωτός ὁ: man
ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep
ἀτάρ: but, yet
ἀρνειός –οῦ ὁ: ram, wether (3-year old ram)
μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat
ὄχα: by far, far and away, clearly
νῶτον –ου τό (or νῶτος ὁ): the back
λάσιος [–α] –ον: hairy, rough, shaggy; bushy, overgrown
γαστήρ –τρός ἡ: the paunch, belly
εἰλύω εἰλύσω ––– ––– εἴλυμαι ἐλύσθην: to enfold, envelop; (mid. pass.) to be wrapped, covered, concealed
ἀτάρ: but, yet
ἄωτον –ου τό: fine wool
θεσπέσιος [–α] –ον: divine; prodigious, extraordinary, supernatural
νωλεμές: without interruption, continually
στρέφω στρέψω ἔστρεψα ––– ἔστραμμαι ἐστράφθην: to turn
τλάω τλήσομαι ἔτλην τέτληκα –––– ––––: to tolerate, endure, resist; to dare 435
στενάχω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to sigh, groan, wail
ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn
δῖος –α –ον: divine, godlike, shining
ἦμος: when, while
ἠριγένεια –ας ἡ: early-born, child of morn
ῥοδοδάκτυλος –ον: rosy-fingered
ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn
νομόνδε: to the pasture (adv.)
ἐκσεύομαι ἐκσεύσομαι ἐξέσσυμαι ἐξεσύθην: to rush out
ἄρσην ἄρσενος ὁ/ἡ: male
μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat
θῆλυς θήλεια θῆλυ: female, feminine, soft
μηκάομαι, aor. ptc. μακών, pf. ptc. μεμηκώς – – – – –: to bleat
ἀνήμελκτος –ον: un-milked
σηκός –οῦ ὁ: a pen, fold
οὖθαρ –ατος τό: the udder
σφαραγέομαι – – – – –: to burn noisily, crackle; to be full, ready to burst 440
ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord
ὀδύνη –ης ἡ: pain of body
τείρω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to wear out, exhaust
ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep
ἐπιμαίομαι ἐπιμάσσομαι ἐπεμασσάμην: to seek (by hand), feel for, palpate
νῶτον –ου τό (or νῶτος ὁ): the back
νήπιος –α –ον: infant, child; silly, ignorant, without foresight
νοέω νοοῦμαι ––– ––– ––– –––: perceive, observe, think
εἰροπόκος –ον: wool-fleeced, woolly
ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep
στέρνον –ου τό: chest
δέω: to tie
ἀρνειός –οῦ ὁ: ram, wether (3-year old ram)
μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat
στείχω ––– ἔστειξα/ἔστιχον ––– ––– –––: to walk, march, go
θύραζε: out to the door, out of the door
λάχνος –ου ὁ: wool
στείνω – – – – –: to contract; (mid.-pass.) to be crammed full of (+ gen.)
πυκνός –ή –όν: thick, bushy, dense; prudent, wise, smart, shrewd 445
ἐπιμαίομαι ἐπιμάσσομαι ἐπεμασσάμην: to seek (by hand), feel for, palpate
πρόσφημι πρόσφησω προσέφησα: to speak to, address
κρατερός –ά –όν: strong, powerful, mighty
Πολύφημος –ου ὁ: Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, one of the Cyclōpes
κριός –οῦ ὁ: a ram
πέπων –ον: dear, pet (as a term of endearment)
σπέος gen. σπείους, dat. σπῆι, pl. dat. σπέσσι and σπήεσσι, τό: a cave, cavern, grotto
σεύω σεύσω ἔσσευα – ἔσσυμαι ἐσσύθην/ἐσύθην: to shake, push, hurl; to drive back, chase, hunt; (mid. pass.) to hurl oneself, leap, rush
μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat
πάρος: before, formerly
ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep
νέμω νεμῶ ἔνειμα νενέμηκα νενέμημαι ἐνεμήθην: to distribute, assign, give out; to pasture or tend flocks; (mid.) to possess, enjoy, inhabit, feed upon
τέρην –εινα –εν: tender, delicate, soft
ἄνθος –ους τό: flower
πόα –ας ἡ: grass, herb
βιβάω – – – – –: to stride, walk
ῥοή –ῆς ἡ: a river, stream, flood
ἀφικάνω – – – – –: to arrive at, to have come to 450
σταθμόνδε: to the stall, homewards
λιλαίομαι – – – – –: to desire, to miss
ἀπονέομαι – – – – –: to go away, depart
ἑσπέριος [–α] –ον: evening, (arriving) towards evening
αὖτε: again
πανύστατος –η –ον: last of all
ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord
ποθέω ποθήσω ἐπόθησα πεπὀθηκα πεπόθημαι ἐποθήθην: to desire, to miss
ἐξαλαόω ἐξαλαώσω ἐξηλάωσα: to blind utterly
λυγρός –ά –όν: sad, mournful, miserable
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion
δαμάζω δαμάσω ἐδάμασα δεδάμακα δεδάμασμαι/δέδμημα ἐδαμάσθην/ἐδμήθην: to overpower, tame, conquer, subdue
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
οἶνος –ου ὁ: wine
Οὖτις, ὁ, acc. Οὖτινς: Nobody, Noman, a fallacious name assumed by Odysseus (with a punning allusion to μήτις and μῆτις)
πω: up to this time, yet
ὄλεθρος –ου ὁ: ruin, destruction, death 455
ὁμοφρονέω ὁμοφρονήσω ὡμοφρόνησα: to be in agreement, have the same thoughts
προσφωνήεις –εσσα –εν: speaking, capable of speech
ὅπῃ: in which direction, where; in what way, how
μένος –ους τό: might
ἠλασκάζω – – – – –: to wander, roam; to flee, avoid
τῷ: then, in that case
ἕ: himself, herself, itself
ἐγκέφαλος –ου ὁ: that which is within the head, the brain
σπέος gen. σπείους, dat. σπῆι, pl. dat. σπέσσι and σπήεσσι, τό: a cave, cavern, grotto
ἄλλυδις: elsewhere, otherwise
ἄλλῃ: in another place, elsewhere
θείνω θενῶ ἔθεινα/ἔθενον ––– ––– –––: to strike, wound
ῥαίω ῥαίσω ἔρραισα ––– ––– –––: to break, shiver, shatter, wreck
οὖδας –ους τό: the surface of the earth, the ground, earth
κῆρ κῆρος τό: heart, mind
λωφάω λωφήσω ἐλώφησα λελώφηκα ––– –––: to rest from toil, take rest
οὐτιδανός –ή –όν: of no account, worthless
πόρω ––– ἔπορον ––– ––– –––: to offer, furnish, supply, give; (pf. pass. 3 sing.) it is fated 460
Οὖτις, ὁ, acc. Οὖτινς: Nobody, Noman, a fallacious name assumed by Odysseus (with a punning allusion to μήτις and μῆτις)